Abstract: A wafer guide includes a horizontal support panel and at least three vertical panels attached on one surface of the support panel. Each of the vertical panels has a vertical body panel and a plurality of protrusions upwardly extended from a top surface of the vertical body panel. Gap regions between the protrusions act as slots for holding wafers. Sidewalls of the slots have a convex shaped profile when viewed from a top view, and bottom surfaces of the slots also have a convex shaped profile when viewed from a cross sectional view that crosses the vertical panels.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a chamber for containing a fluid, a guide seated in the chamber, and a transfer robot for loading and/or unloading a plurality of wafers to and/or from the guide. The wafers are located on the guide. The guide has a supporting member for supporting a wafer and a stopper member for preventing the wafer from being inclined over a predetermined range. The stopper member is in contact with a wafer edge disposed at a higher position than a wafer edge supported by the supporting member. A wafer guide has a stopper member to prevent adjacent wafers from being inclined and coming in contact with each other. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a poor drying such as water spots (or watermarks) produced when wafers are adhered to each other in a drying process.

Abstract: A method an apparatus for drying a wafer, and an apparatus for cleaning and drying a wafer are provided. In the apparatus for cleaning and drying a wafer, the wafer is dipped into a cleaning solution in a cleaning tank. The wafer is then dried using a drying gas in a drying chamber disposed over the cleaning tank. A shutter separates the cleaning tank from the drying tank. A wafer boat moves the wafer vertically between the cleaning tank and the drying tank. Nozzles for providing the cleaning solution onto the wafer are disposed at both inner sides of the drying tank. The nozzles are connected to a drying gas supply unit to alternately and periodically provide the drying gas onto the wafer.

Abstract: A drying apparatus and method of drying a wafer including supplying a drying material for drying a wafer and controlling a flow of the drying material to uniformly or substantially dry the wafer. The flow of the drying material may be controlled by a vent unit including at least one part for controlling the flow of the drying material to uniformly or substantially uniformly dry the wafer.

Abstract: An apparatus for drying a substrate using an isopropyl alcohol vapor includes a container for receiving an isopropyl alcohol vapor to dry a plurality of substrates wherein an opening is vertically formed through an upper portion of the container to permit the loading and unloading of the substrates; a supporting member for supporting the plurality of substrates in the container in a vertical direction and for supporting the substrates side by side in a horizontal direction, wherein the supporting member extends through the container and through the opening; and a cover for obstructing a flow of clean air from flowing directly from an air cleaner disposed over the container into the container through the opening. In addition, the apparatus may include an inert gas supplying member to supply an inert gas onto the substrates to prevent native oxide films from forming on the substrates.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for cleaning semiconductor substrates prevents the drying fluid used to dry the substrates from condensing. The apparatus has a chamber having an exhaust port that defines a path along which the drying fluid, e.g., IPA vapor, is exhausted. The degree to which the exhaust path is opened is regulated according to the pressure within the chamber.

Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning semiconductor substrates includes a chamber having a cleaning room and a drying room disposed over the cleaning room. The cleaning room and the drying room are separated or placed in communication with one another by a separation plate. An exhaust path is formed at a central portion of the separation plate. As de-ionized water (DI water) filling the cleaning room is drained during a dry process, the inside of the drying room is decompressed, and a drying fluid in the drying room flows from the drying room to the cleaning room along the exhaust path.

Abstract: An apparatus of drying semiconductor substrate using azeotrope effect and a drying method using the apparatus are provided. The apparatus includes a bath for storing a fluid, a chamber located above the bath and an apparatus for supplying an organic solvent onto the surface of the fluid in the bath for forming an azeotrope layer at the surface of the fluid and for forming an organic solvent layer over the azeotrope layer. The organic solvent layer and the atmosphere thereon are heated by a heater. The apparatus may further include a drying gas conduit for introducing a drying gas into the chamber.

Abstract: A wafer guide used in cleaning and/or drying processes of semiconductor wafers is provided. The wafer guide includes a horizontal support panel and at least three vertical panels attached on one surface of the support panel. Each of the vertical panels has a vertical body panel and a plurality of protrusions upwardly extended from a top surface of the vertical body panel. Gap regions between the protrusions act as slots for holding wafers. Sidewalls of the slots have a convex shaped profile when viewed from a top view, and bottom surfaces of the slots also have a convex shaped profile when viewed from a cross sectional view that crosses the vertical panels. Accordingly, contact areas between the wafers and the wafer guide are reduced to improve a drying efficiency of the wafers.

Abstract: An apparatus for drying a substrate using an isopropyl alcohol vapor includes a container for receiving an isopropyl alcohol vapor to dry a plurality of substrates wherein an opening is vertically formed through an upper portion of the container to permit the loading and unloading of the substrates; a supporting member for supporting the plurality of substrates in the container in a vertical direction and for supporting the substrates side by side in a horizontal direction, wherein the supporting member extends through the container and through the opening; and a cover for obstructing a flow of clean air from flowing directly from an air cleaner disposed over the container into the container through the opening. In addition, the apparatus may include an inert gas supplying member to supply an inert gas onto the substrates to prevent native oxide films from forming on the substrates.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a chamber for containing a fluid, a guide seated in the chamber, and a transfer robot for loading and/or unloading a plurality of wafers to and/or from the guide. The wafers are located on the guide. The guide has a supporting member for supporting a wafer and a stopper member for preventing the wafer from being inclined over a predetermined range. The stopper member is in contact with a wafer edge disposed at a higher position than a wafer edge supported by the supporting member. A wafer guide has a stopper member to prevent adjacent wafers from being inclined and coming in contact with each other. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a poor drying such as water spots (or watermarks) produced when wafers are adhered to each other in a drying process.

Abstract: An apparatus of drying semiconductor substrate using azeotrope effect and a drying method using the apparatus are provided. The apparatus includes a bath for storing a fluid, a chamber located above the bath and an apparatus for supplying an organic solvent onto the surface of the fluid in the bath for forming an azeotrope layer at the surface of the fluid and for forming an organic solvent layer over the azeotrope layer. The organic solvent layer and the atmosphere thereon are heated by a heater. The apparatus may further include a drying gas conduit for introducing a drying gas into the chamber.

Abstract: A drying system for drying a semiconductor substrate is provided. The drying system includes: a chamber for housing a vapor distributor and a fluid bath, said fluid bath being disposed in a lower portion of the chamber and said distributor being disposed in an upper portion of the chamber for distributing vapor for drying the substrate; and a fluid flow system for supplying fluid flow into said fluid bath for cleaning and drying the substrate and for draining said fluid from the fluid bath, wherein the chamber includes a plurality of exhaust vents disposed at the upper portion for venting the vapor.

Abstract: A drying system for drying a semiconductor substrate is provided. The drying system includes: a chamber for housing a vapor distributor and a fluid bath, said fluid bath being disposed in a lower portion of the chamber and said distributor being disposed in an upper portion of the chamber for distributing vapor for drying the substrate; and a fluid flow system for supplying fluid flow into said fluid bath for cleaning and drying the substrate and for draining said fluid from the fluid bath, wherein the chamber includes a plurality of exhaust vents disposed at the upper portion for venting the vapor.

Abstract: An etching end point detector and its related method of use detect a point of time when an etching process ends by using plasma light generated during a plasma process in a chamber of plasma etching equipment. The detector comprises an optical device receiving light generated in a chamber during the etching process and producing from the light a plurality of optical signals having different corresponding wavelengths; signal converting means receiving the plurality of optical signals and converting the plurality of optical signals into corresponding light intensity values indicating an intensity of the corresponding optical signal; and a signal processor accumulating selected ones of the light intensity values corresponding to predetermined wavelengths to produce an EPD value, and in response to the EPD value, determining an end point of the etching process.

Abstract: Disclosed is a non-thermal plasma method for treating a toxic compounds-containing gas; the method comprising the steps of: filling alkali earth metal catalysts and dielectrics within a plasma reactor; the alkali earth metal catalysts being made by substituting alkali earth metal cations for cations of aluminum/silicon molecular sieves used as carriers; introducing a toxic compounds-containing gas into the plasma reactor; and supplying AC power or pulse power to the plasma reactor generating a non-thermal plasma and thus decomposing or oxidizing the toxic compounds. Also to stabilize the plasma more during the non-thermal plasma process and to enhance treatment efficiency of the toxic compounds, the catalysts substituted by the alkali earth metal are filled together with the well-known dielectrics within the plasma reactor; the alkali earth metal catalysts being electrically less conductive and inexpensive.