Megasonic cleaner and dryer system
View Patent ↗An apparatus includes a rotatable chuck for supporting a substrate and a splash guard. The splash guard surrounds the chuck and surrounds a substrate mounted on the chuck. The splash guard has a portion that deflects fluid being flung off the substrate by centrifugal action in a manner so as to not splash back onto the substrate. The splash guard is moveable between a process position in which the upper annular edge of the splash guard extends above the chuck and a substrate on the chuck, and a load/unload position in which the splash guard is tilted so that one side of the upper annular edge is below an upper edge of the chuck. The movement of the splash guard facilitates loading and unloading of a substrate.
1. An apparatus for cleaning and drying a substrate comprising: a rotatable substrate support; a process bowl surrounding and spaced outwardly from the substrate support, the process bowl having a slot through which the substrate may be moved; and a splash guard positioned within the process bowl around the substrate support and around the substrate mounted on the substrate support, the splash guard configured to be moveable between at least a first position and a second position, the splash guard having a portion configured to deflect fluid flung off the substrate by centrifugal action so that the fluid does not splash back onto the substrate.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a drying assembly comprising a drying assembly support arm, a drying fluid outlet, and a drying vapor outlet, wherein when the splash guard is in the second position, the drying assembly support arm is at an elevation above the top surface of the splash guard, the fluid applying outlet extends to an elevation below the top surface of the splash guard, and the vapor applying outlet extends to an elevation below the top surface of the splash guard.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein when the splash guard is in the second position it deflects fluids flung off of the substrate by centrifugal action and when the splashguard is in the first position access is provided to the substrate support through the slot.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the splash guard further comprises an annular surface that deflects the fluid when the splash guard is in the second position.
5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the splash guard further comprises a mesh that deflects the fluid when the splashguard is in the second position.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one hinge coupled to the splash guard to move the splash guard at least between the first position and the second position.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the splash guard provides access to the substrate support through the slot in the first position and to block the slot in the second position.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the splash guard further comprises an annular surface facing an area to be occupied by the substrate.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the splash guard further comprises a frame having a mesh mounted thereon, the mesh facing an area to be occupied by the substrate.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the splash guard configured to deflect fluid is formed at an angle that is oriented downwardly from a plane formed by the top of the substrate support and radially outwardly from the center of the substrate support.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the angle is between 20 and 50 degrees.
12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the angle is between 30 and 40 degrees.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a support capable of moving the splash guard between the first position and the second position.
14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the splash guard is round.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising a first support, a second support, and a third support, wherein the second and third supports are mounted at least 90 degrees around the splash guard from the first support.
16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the support comprises a first element that is stationary with respect to the process bowl and a second element that is slideable with respect to the first element, the second element being pivotally connected to the splash guard.
17. A method of processing a substrate in an apparatus, the apparatus having a rotatable substrate support, and a processing device, the method comprising: providing a moveable splash guard; positioning the splash guard so that the substrate can be loaded onto the substrate support; rotating the substrate; processing the substrate with the processing device; and moving the splash guard to a position where it can deflect away from a surface of the substrate fluids flung off of the surface during the processing of the substrate wherein positioning step further comprises positioning the substrate onto the substrate support by moving the substrate through a slot in a process bowl wherein the process bowl is spaced outwardly from the substrate support.
18. A method of drying a substrate comprising: providing a rotatable chuck for supporting a substrate, and a splash guard surrounding the chuck and in position to surround a substrate mounted on the chuck, the splash guard having a portion configured to deflect fluid being flung off the substrate by centrifugal action in a manner so as to not splash back onto the substrate, moving the splash guard to a load/unload position in which the splash guard is tilted so that on side of an upper annular edge is below an upper edge of the chuck; loading the substrate on the rotatable chuck; and moving the splash guard to a process position in which the upper annular edge of the splash guard extends above the chuck and extends above a substrate on the chuck wherein moving step further comprises moving the splash guard to a position where the splash guard blocks a slot in a process bowl spaced outwardly from the substrate support to prevent fluid flung off of the surface of the substrate from being expelled through the slot.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the angle is oriented downwardly from a plane formed by the top of the substrate support and radially outwardly from the center of the substrate support.
20. A method of processing a substrate in a cleaning and drying apparatus, the apparatus having a rotatable substrate support positioned in a process bowl, the process bowl having a slot and being spaced outwardly from the substrate support, a megasonic transmitter, a drying assembly, and a moveable splash guard, the drying assembly comprising a support arm, a fluid dispensing outlet and a vapor dispensing outlet, the method comprising: moving the splash guard to a first position where the top of the splash guard is at an elevation below the slot; loading the substrate onto the substrate support by moving the substrate through the slot; moving the splash guard to a second position where a portion of the splash guard that faces the slot in the process bowl is at the same elevation as the slot and where portion of the splash guard that faces the megasonic transmitter is at an elevation below the megasonic transmitter; moving the megasonic transmitter to a position over the substrate and applying megasonic energy to the substrate through the megasonic transmitter; moving the drying assembly to a position over the substrate; moving the splash guard to a third position where the splashguard can deflect fluids off a surface of the substrate away from the surface during the drying process.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein after the step of moving the splash guard to a third position, a top portion of the splash guard is at an elevation below a bottom portion of the drying assembly support arm, the fluid dispensing outlet extends from the support arm to an elevation below the top portion of splash guard, and the vapor dispensing outlet extends from the support arm to an elevation below the top portion of the splash guard.