Apparatus for fluid processing a workpiece
View Patent ↗A method of fluid processing a semiconductor workpiece, including disposing a workpiece holder with a housing capable of containing a fluid, the workpiece holder retaining the workpiece, providing an agitation system connected to the housing and comprising a member disposed within the housing adjacent the workpiece holder, and agitating the fluid by moving the member substantially parallel to a surface of the workpiece with a non-uniform oscillatory motion, the non-uniform oscillatory motion being a series of substantially continuous geometrically asymmetric oscillations wherein each consecutive oscillation of the series is geometrically asymmetric having at least two substantially continuous opposing strokes wherein reversal positions of each substantially continuous stroke of the substantially continuous asymmetric oscillation are disposed asymmetrically with respect to a center point of each immediately preceding substantially continuous stroke of the oscillation.
1. An apparatus for fluid processing a workpiece, comprising:
an agitation system configured to be disposed within a fluid processing system adjacent a workpiece holder and agitate a fluid in said fluid processing system for treating microelectronic workpieces, said agitation system comprising a fluid agitation member having at least one fluid agitation hole therein;
an agitation drive system comprising a motor operatively connected to said agitation member; and
a controller operatively coupled to said agitation drive system, and programmed to effect movement of said agitation member relative to and substantially parallel with a workpiece supporting surface of said workpiece holder with an oscillatory motion, the oscillatory motion being a series of substantially continuous oscillations, wherein each consecutive oscillation of the series includes a first stroke and an opposing second stroke and wherein the first stroke includes a starting point and an ending point, and the second stroke includes a starting point and an ending point, and the ending point of the first stroke coincides with the starting point of the second stroke to thereby define a reversal position, and further wherein the second stroke is not symmetrical to the first stroke with respect to the reversal position such that each oscillation is asymmetrical, and further wherein the starting point of the first stroke is offset from the ending point of the second stroke,
wherein said agitation member comprises two agitation plates spaced apart from and adjoined to one another by a spacer such that said agitation member together with said two agitation plates form a single assembly, wherein said workpiece holder is configured to include at least a first workpiece and a second workpiece, wherein said workpiece holder is insertable between said two agitation plates such that the first workpiece faces one of said two agitation plates and the second workpiece, arranged in an opposing direction to said first workpiece, faces another of said two agitation plates.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said agitation member defines a plurality of spaced apart openings.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said agitation member comprises a plurality of spaced apart blades.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a cross-sectional profile of at least one of said plurality of spaced apart blades comprises a concave profile.
5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a cross-sectional profile of at least one of said plurality of spaced apart blades comprises an angled profile relative to normal incidence at said workpiece supporting surface of said workpiece holder.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a field-shaping plate disposed adjacent said agitation member, and configured to vary a property of an electric field extending through said field-shaping plate towards said workpiece supporting surface.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein a body of said field-shaping plate defines a plurality of holes, and wherein diameters of said plurality of holes vary across a surface of said field-shaping plate.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein said plurality of holes vary according to a substantially radial pattern extending from a substantially central portion of said field-shaping plate to a substantially peripheral portion of said field-shaping plate.