Pulsing mixture of precursor and supercritical fluid to treat substrate surface

Abstract

An injecting assembly includes a nozzle that is formed with a mixture channel, a mixture opening communicating with the mixture channel, a shaper channel, and a shaper opening communicating with the shaper channel. A mixture of a precursor and a supercritical fluid (SCF) passes through the mixture channel. Waves of the mixture are periodically injected toward a surface of a substrate at the mixture opening. A stream of a shaping fluid flows through the shaper channel and is injected toward the substrate at the shaper opening. The stream of the shaping fluid confines the waves of the mixture. Molecules of the precursor penetrate into the substrate by impact of the wave fronts reaching the surface of the substrate. The molecules of the precursor can react with molecules of a material of the substrate to improve surface properties of the substrate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for treating a surface of a substrate, comprising an injecting assembly that comprises a nozzle formed with:
 a mixture channel configured to pass a mixture of a precursor and a supercritical fluid;   a mixture opening communicating with the mixture channel, the mixture opening configured to periodically inject waves of the mixture toward the surface of the substrate;   a shaper channel configured to pass a shaping fluid; and   a shaper opening configured to inject a stream of the shaping fluid toward the substrate at a shaper opening of the injecting assembly surrounding the mixture opening to confine the waves and increase a pressure of the waves on the substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the injecting assembly is placed under atmosphere pressure. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a pressure of the mixture in the mixture channel is higher than a pressure of the shaping fluid in the shaper channel. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the injecting assembly further comprises:
 a shaper chamber connected to the shaper channel, the shaping fluid flowing from the shaper chamber to the shaper opening through the shaper channel, the shaper chamber having a cross-sectional area larger than a cross-sectional area of the shaper channel for decreasing a pressure of the flow of the shaping fluid.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the injecting assembly further comprises one or more additional nozzles, the one or more additional nozzles and the nozzle arranged along a straight line. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the injecting assembly further comprises a plurality of additional nozzles, the additional nozzles together with the nozzle arranged into a two-dimensional array. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a stream controller that comprises a cap fitting attached on the injecting assembly for shaping the waves of the mixture, the stream controller arranged on top of the mixture opening along a flowing direction of the mixture. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a plasma generator configured to generate plasma radicals, the plasma radicals reacting with molecules of the precursor that penetrate into the substrate to transform the molecules of the precursor into a solid state. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the nozzle is further formed with an opening that is configured to inject a reactant precursor toward the substrate, molecules of the reactant precursor reacting with molecules of the precursor that penetrate into the substrate to transform the molecules of the precursor into a solid state. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a material of the shaping fluid is the same as a material of the supercritical fluid. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for treating a surface of a substrate, comprising:
 an injecting assembly that comprises a nozzle formed with:
 a mixture channel configured to pass a mixture of a precursor and a supercritical fluid, and 
 a mixture opening communicating with the mixture channel, the mixture opening configured to periodically inject waves of the mixture toward the surface of the substrate; and 
   a plasma generator configured to generate plasma radicals, the plasma radicals reacting with molecules of the precursor that penetrate into the substrate to transform the molecules of the precursor into a solid state.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the injecting assembly is placed under atmosphere pressure. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein a pressure of the mixture in the mixture channel is higher than a pressure of the shaping fluid in the shaper channel. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the injecting assembly further comprises one or more additional nozzles, the one or more additional nozzles and the nozzle arranged along a straight line. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the nozzle is further formed with:
 a shaper channel configured to pass a shaping fluid; and   a shaper opening configured to inject a stream of the shaping fluid toward the substrate at a shaper opening of the injecting assembly surrounding the mixture opening to confine the waves and increase a pressure of the waves on the substrate.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , further comprising a stream controller that comprises a cap fitting attached on the injecting assembly for shaping the waves of the mixture, the stream controller arranged on top of the mixture opening along a flowing direction of the mixture. 
     
     
         17 . An apparatus for treating a surface of a substrate, comprising an injecting assembly that comprises a nozzle formed with:
 a mixture channel configured to pass a mixture of a precursor and a supercritical fluid;   a mixture opening communicating with the mixture channel, the mixture opening configured to periodically inject waves of the mixture toward the surface of the substrate; and   an opening configured to inject a reactant precursor toward the substrate, molecules of the reactant precursor reacting with molecules of the precursor that penetrate into the substrate to transform the molecules of the precursor into a solid state.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the injecting assembly is placed under atmosphere pressure. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein a pressure of the mixture in the mixture channel is higher than a pressure of the shaping fluid in the shaper channel. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the nozzle is further formed with:
 a shaper channel configured to pass a shaping fluid; and   a shaper opening configured to inject a stream of the shaping fluid toward the substrate at a shaper opening of the injecting assembly surrounding the mixture opening to confine the waves and increase a pressure of the waves on the substrate.