Abstract: An apparatus for removing a treating liquid from main surfaces of a substrate that has undergone a wet surface treatment, includes a transport device for transporting the substrate, a first gas jetting device having a first jet opening for jetting a gas to a first main, upper surface of the substrate transported by the transport device, and a liquid removing chamber for preventing the treating liquid removed from the main surfaces of the substrate from scattering to ambient, the liquid removing chamber having a substrate inlet and a substrate outlet. A partition is mounted in the liquid removing chamber, with an upper end thereof contacting either an upper wall, a rear wall or a front wall of the liquid removing chamber. The partition extends between opposite side walls of the chamber parallel to direction of substrate transport.

Abstract: A technique for chemically planarizing an exposed surface of metal on a substrate to a pre-determined thickness is provided. The substrate has an exposed metal surface such as copper circuitry on a dielectric substrate which is to be planarized. Typically, this will be circuitization extending above a photoresist layer. A planarizing head is rotated against the substrate, with the planarizing head in contact with the metal surface on the substrate. A chemical etchant, essentially free of abrasive material, is continuously supplied to the interface between the metal surface and the planarizing head. The planarizing continues until a predetermined thickness of the metal has been reached. In circuit board manufacturing, this will form a surface co-planar with the photoresist. In some instances where significant height reduction is required, thus requiring significant metal removal, several passes of the substrate may be required or a device with multiple heads may be used.

Abstract: An apparatus for removing a photoresist from the edge of a semiconductor wafer includes a nozzle for finely spraying a liquid for removing a photoresist. The horizontal position of the nozzle is controlled by a horizontal fixture having a screw groove formed therein. A guide rail has a channel into which the horizontal fixture is slidably inserted. A scale marked on a peripheral surface of the guide rail verifies the position of a reference mark on the horizontal fixture. A fine adjustment screw is inserted into the screw groove of the horizontal fixture to a variable depth for adjusting the horizontal position of the horizontal fixture. A shaft is connected to the guide rail, with the shaft having a top portion functioning as a piston, for adjusting the vertical position of the nozzle by fixing the guide rail to the shaft and moving the resulting combination up and down. The top portion of the shaft is movable within a cylinder.

Abstract: A removing unit for removing coating from the edge of a substrate has a vertical unit body housing a pair of pipes connected to a solvent reservoir and having respective solvent supply parts. The unit body has a head disposed in an upper end portion thereof. The head has a horizontal slot which opens at opposite ends thereof and at one side thereof for receiving an edge of a substrate. Solvent is supplied into the slot, drawn therealong and discharged from an end of the slot, all in a contained manner. A edge of a substrate is horizontally inserted into the slot so as to be immersed in the solvent contained in the slot, and the unit body is moved along the substrate edge so that the solvent cleans undesired coating from the edge.

Abstract: The purity of a liquid chemical agent is improved simultaneously with obtaining a homogeneous concentration of a specific chemical in the agent, thereby improving the quality of substrate processing steps. Pure water is supplied from a pure water supply (30) into a process tank (1) by opening an opening/closing valve (33) on a pure water supply system (7) and by closing an opening/closing valve (19) on a circulation system (5). After the process tank (1) is completely charged with pure water, the opening/closing valve (33) is closed while the opening/closing valve (19) is opened. This closes a pipe conduit (11) of the circulation system (5) and allows pure water in the process tank (1) to be circulated through the circulation system (5) by a pump (13). A first opening/closing valve (49) on a gas supply system (9) is subsequently opened to allow hydrogen chloride gas from a hydrogen chloride gas supply (40) to be fed into a mixing unit (17) of the circulation system (5).

Abstract: The present invention provides a substrate processing method including the coating step of coating a processing liquid on an object to be processed in a first processing unit of a processing chamber having first and second processing units, the step of conveying the object from the first processing unit to the second processing unit, the rinse step of rinsing an unnecessary processing liquid remaining on a peripheral portion of the object in the second processing unit to remove the unnecessary processing liquid, and the exposure step of conveying the rinsed object to an exposure apparatus to perform exposure processing for the object, wherein a time from the end of the rinse step for one object to be processed to the end of the rinse step for a next object to be processed is shorter than a time required for the exposure step for the one object.

Abstract: Through-holes are formed in a printed circuit board substrate by chemical etching a metal foil clad circuit board having open positions in the metal foil where a hole is to be formed using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, a mixture of methylene chloride and HF, or a mixture of methylene chloride, HF and xylene.

Abstract: An apparatus for chemically etching the copper foil of a copper foil-clad substrate are disclosed. Significantly, this apparatus includes fluid jet injectors which serve to produce jets of chemical etchant. These fluid jet injectors are arranged so as to simultaneously achieve a relatively high etch rate and a relatively high etch uniformity.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for providing integrated monitoring, control and diagnostics functions for semiconductor spray processors is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, a spray processor host system of the present invention comprises a plurality of PC-class computers interconnected via a network link. Each of a first subset of the spray processor host system computers comprises a supervisor computer connected to one of a plurality of spray process tools, which in the preferred embodiment comprise Mercury.RTM. MP processors. The supervisor computers provide ongoing information exchange with the processors and maintain up-to-date status information. Each supervisor computer maintains an event log of processor operations and operator actions, as well as data capture files for storing process variables captured by the supervisor computer.

Abstract: A method for producing durable embossing tools is disclosed. An anisotropic etching process, such as ion etching, is used to etch a relief pattern into a hard substrate. A transfer layer is formed overlaying a generally smooth, seamless surface region of a substrate. A desired relief pattern is formed in the transfer layer, by exposing a photoresist, embossing, or the like. The substrate having the photoresist thereon is subjected to an anisotropic etch. The anisotropic etch continues until the transfer layer is completely removed and the relief pattern is formed in the upper surface of the embossing tool. The relative etch rates between the transfer layer and the surface region of the embossing tool are selected to provide the desired depth modulation in the surface of the embossing tool. An embossing tool produced according to the invention has a relatively hard surface and may thus be used for the mass production of holographic images without significant degradation of the pattern.

Abstract: A method for making a millimeter wave device having a dielectric substrate with a pair of substantially parallel planar surfaces with at least one predetermined millimeter wave circuit pattern formed in a conductive layer located on at least one of the substrate surfaces. A substantially planar conductive channel plate is mounted adjacent the conductive layer on one substrate surface with the channel plate having an aperture overlying each circuit pattern formed in the conductive layer. A substantially planar conductive cover plate is mounted adjacent one of the channel plates so as to form a first cavity in the region defined by the substrate surface, the channel plate aperture and the cover plate. The device may further include a second substantially planar conductive channel plate mounted adjacent the other one of the substrate surfaces with the second channel plate having an aperture corresponding to and aligned with the first channel plate aperture.

Abstract: A process of removing both the field metal, such as copper, and a metal, such as copper, embedded into a dielectric or substrate at substantially the same rate by dripping or spraying a suitable metal etchant onto a spinning wafer to etch the metal evenly on the entire surface of the wafer. By this process the field metal is etched away completely while etching of the metal inside patterned features in the dielectric at the same or a lesser rate. This process is dependent on the type of chemical etchant used, the concentration and the temperature of the solution, and also the rate of spin speed of the wafer during the etching. The process substantially reduces the metal removal time compared to mechanical polishing, for example, and can be carried out using significantly less expensive equipment.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a shadow mask for use in a cathode ray tube includes providing a thin metal web having a first and second major surfaces. Photosensitive layers are formed on the first and second major surfaces. The first photosensitive layer is exposed to a first patterned light and the second photosensitive layer is exposed to a second patterned light. The exposure is continued until respective accumulated exposure of the photosensitive layers reaches a predetermined value. Next, a first protective film is applied to the second photosensitive layer to prevent etching of the second surface. The first surface is then etched to form a first cavity. The first cavity has a depth that is less than a distance from the first surface to the second surface. A second protective film is applied to the first surface to prevent additional etching of the first surface. Then the first protective film is removed and the second surface is etched to form a second cavity.

Abstract: A method for removing copper oxide on a surface of a copper film is comprising the steps of treating the surface of the copper film with acid, neutralizing the surface of the copper film treated with acid, and washing the neutralized surface of the copper film.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of printed circuit boards. The method contemplates the use of electroless nickel as the primary medium for interconnection, for building circuitry to the desired thickness and as an etch resist. The method is particularly versatile in reducing the number of steps and variety of chemicals currently necessary to produce these circuit boards.

Abstract: A method and passage system is applicable to hollow structures, such as hollow rib core fan blades, for removing alpha case and contamination, for improving surface texture, and for smoothing diffusion bonded joints to reduce notches and flaws, after fabrication. The passage system allows for venting and full cavity access to permit cleaning of the interior of the hollow structure. The method of cleaning the interior of a hollow structure may comprise applying an etchant to strip the topical layer from the inside of a hollow mechanical structure, such as a hollow core airfoil; or may comprise pumping an abrasive flow through the hollow cavities of the structure.

Abstract: A method of forming an atomizing spray nozzle includes the steps of etching a swirl chamber and a spray orifice in a thin sheet of material. The swirl chamber is etched in a first side of the disk and the spray orifice is etched through a second side to the center of the swirl chamber. Feed slots are etched in the first side of the disk extending non-radially to the swirl chamber such that liquid can be conveyed to the swirl chamber so as to create and sustain the swirling motion. A inlet piece with inlet passage therein is connected with first side of the disk so as to convey liquid to the feed slots of the disk and to enclose the feed slots and swirl chamber. In addition to the method described an atomizing spray nozzle having the configuration described is much improved in its spray characteristics. The present invention also provides a method of forming a number of spray nozzles simultaneously in a single manufacturing process.