Apparatus for cleaning and drying substrates

Abstract

A method and apparatus for cleaning, rinsing and Marangoni drying substrates is provided. A line of fluid is sprayed along a substrate surface forming an air/fluid interface line, and a line of drying vapor is supplied to the interface line to achieve Marangoni drying. Thus, a large portion of the substrate is simultaneously dried. A preferred apparatus employs a tank of cleaning and/or rinsing fluid. Above the tank fluid a source of rinsing fluid directs rinsing fluid to the surface of a substrate forming a meniscus on the substrate surface as the substrate is lifted from the cleaning fluid, and a drying vapor source directs drying vapor to the meniscus. The drying vapor lowers the surface tension of the meniscus, inducing a Marangoni flow of rinsing fluid from the substrate's surface, and thereby drying the substrate. The cleaning fluid tank has a substrate receiving and cleaning portion and a substrate rinsing portion. The rinsing fluid source and the drying vapor source are enclosed by a drying enclosure above the rinsing portion of the tank. Thus, substrate loading, cleaning, rinsing, drying and unloading are performed with at least partial overlap in time.

1 . An apparatus for drying a substrate, the apparatus comprising: 
 a first linear nozzle;    a fluid supply coupled to the first linear nozzle;    a second linear nozzle positioned proximate the first linear nozzle such that drying vapors therefrom affect the fluid sprayed from the first nozzle to create a Marangoni drying effect;    a drying vapor source coupled to the second linear nozzle; and    a mechanism for passing the substrate past the first and second linear nozzles within an operative distance such that the substrate is dried by the Marongoni drying effect.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the first linear nozzle comprises one nozzle and extends the diameter of the substrate so that rinsing fluid spray wets each portion of the substrate's diameter.  
   
   
       3 . An apparatus for drying a substrate, the apparatus comprising: 
 a first array of fan type nozzles which extends at least the radius of the substrate;    a fluid supply coupled to the first array of fan type nozzles;    a second array of fan type nozzles positioned proximate the first array of fan type nozzles such that drying vapors therefrom affect the fluid sprayed from the first nozzle to create a Marangoni drying effect;    a drying vapor source coupled to the second array of fan type nozzles; and    a mechanism for passing the substrate past the first array of fan type nozzles and second array of fan type nozzles within an operative distance such that the substrate is dried by the Marangoni drying effect.    
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 3  further comprising a controller operatively coupled to the first and second array of fan type nozzles such that a plurality of the nozzles in the array can be independently turned ON and OFF, wherein the first and second arrays extend the diameter of the substrate.  
   
   
       5 . A method of drying a substrate comprising: 
 spraying a fluid from a first linear nozzle at a surface of the substrate;    spraying drying vapors, from a second linear nozzle positioned proximate the first linear nozzle, to the surface of the substrate such that the drying vapors affect the fluid sprayed from the first linear nozzle thereby creating a Marongoni drying effect at the substrate surface; and    moving the substrate relative to the first and the second linear nozzles within an operative distance such that the substrate is dried by the Marangoni drying effect.    
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein spraying fluid from a first linear nozzle to a surface of the substrate comprises wetting the entire diameter of the substrate's surface.