Abstract: A plasma assisted cryogenic cleaner for and a method of performing cleaning of a surface that must be substantially free of contaminants has a resiliently mounted nozzle for spraying a cryogenic cleaning medium on the surface. The cleaning is conducted by applying to the substrate surface a mixture of gases selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, fluorine, hydrofluorocarbon or a mixture of such gases to both remove the photoresist layer and alter the composition of the residues such that the residues are soluble in water and/or have a weakened bonds that they can be removed with a stream of cryogenic medium. The cryogenic and plasma processes can be performed sequentially or simultaneously.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 29, 2002
Date of Patent:
July 20, 2004
Assignee:
NanoClean Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Mohamed Boumerzoug, Adel George Tannous, Khalid Makhamreh