Abstract: A system for treating a substrate with an ozone-solvent solution has an ozone-solvent solution supply. The supply has a supply outlet, and the ozone solvent solution supply is capable of delivering at the supply outlet a generally continuous supply of an ozone-solvent solution formed at a first temperature. The system includes a heater having an inlet and heater outlet, with the inlet fluidly coupled to receive the ozone-solvent solution at approximately the first temperature from the supply outlet. The heater is configured to heat the ozone-solvent solution from the first temperature to a second temperature to form a heated ozone-solvent solution such that the heated ozone-solvent solution is supersaturated with ozone. The heater is capable of providing a generally continuous supply of heated, supersaturated, ozone-solvent solution at the heater outlet for use in treating the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for treating materials such as copper or copper based metal alloys, used in fabricating semiconductor devices with an ozone solvent solution and avoiding damage to metals by corrosion. The invention is also applicable to treating of materials such as copper and copper based alloys for the purpose of forming a protective layer on the exposed metal surface for protection of those copper surfaces from damage or corrosion caused by subsequent exposure to other liquid, gas, or plasma environments. This can be achieved by properly selecting the composition of the ozone solvent solution and controlling the pH and ORP of the ozone-solvent solution while avoiding the use of certain chemical constituents in the ozone solvent solution.

Abstract: A general method and apparatus for treating materials at high speed comprises the steps of dissolving a relatively high concentration ozone gas in a solvent at a relatively low predetermined temperature T1 to form an ozone-solvent solution with a relatively high dissolved ozone concentration, and heating either the ozone-water solution or the material to be treated or both, the ozone-solvent solution and the material to be oxidized with a point-of-use heater to quickly increase the temperature to a predetermined higher temperature T2>T1, and applying the ozone-solvent solution to said material(s) whereby the heated ozone-water solution will have a much higher dissolved ozone concentration at said higher temperature, than could be achieved if the ozone gas was initially dissolved in water at said higher temperature.

Abstract: This invention provides a method of quickly heating a gas-solvent solution from a relatively low temperature T1 to a relatively high temperature T2, such that the gas-solvent solution has a much higher dissolved gas concentration at temperature T2 than could be achieved if the gas-solvent solution had originally been formed at the temperature T2. Various apparatuses are also provided for carrying out the heating method.