Channel-type scan nozzle for scanning material surfaces

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for introducing and removing one or more fluid streams from a nozzle having one or more shaped channels to one or more material surfaces to scan for a chemical species of interest, the nozzle including, but not limited to, a nozzle body configured to couple to a positionable nozzle arm support for positioning the nozzle relative to the material surface, and a nozzle hood coupled to the nozzle body, the nozzle body defining at least one fluid port for receiving a fluid, the nozzle hood defining an elongated shaped channel having a first fluid channel and a second fluid channel extending from the at least one fluid port, the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel configured to direct the fluid along the material surface within at least a portion of each fluid channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Cross - Reference to Related Applications] This application claims the benefit of 35 U.S.C.§ 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 137,873, filed on January 15, 2021, entitled "Channel - Shaped Scan Nozzle for Scanning a Semiconductor Wafer". U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 137,873 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Background Art

[0002] Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopy is an analytical technique commonly used for measuring the concentration and isotope ratio of trace elements in liquid samples. In ICP spectroscopy, an electromagnetically generated partially ionized argon plasma that reaches a temperature of about 7000 K is used. When a sample is introduced into the plasma, the high temperature causes the sample atoms to ionize or emit light. Since each chemical element produces a characteristic mass or emission spectrum, the elemental composition of the original sample can be determined by measuring the spectrum of the emitted mass or light.

[0003] A sample introduction system can be used to introduce a liquid sample into an ICP spectroscopy instrument (e.g., an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP / ICP - MS), an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP - AES), etc.) for analysis. For example, a sample introduction system transports some of the sample to a nebulizer, which can convert the sample into a polydisperse aerosol suitable for ionization in the plasma by the ICP spectroscopy instrument. The aerosol generated by the nebulizer is sorted in a spray chamber to remove relatively large aerosol particles. When exiting the spray chamber, the aerosol is introduced into the plasma by the plasma torch assembly of an ICP - MS instrument or an ICP - AES instrument for analysis.

Summary of Invention

[0004] <00000!8>A system and method are disclosed for introducing one or more fluid flows from a nozzle having one or more molded channels to one or more material surfaces for scanning for a target chemical species, and for removing the fluid flow. In one embodiment, the nozzle of the Disclosure comprises a nozzle body having at least one fluid port to receive fluid into the nozzle, configured to be coupled to a positionable nozzle arm support for positioning the nozzle with respect to a material surface, and a nozzle hood having an elongated channel having at least a first fluid channel and a second fluid channel extending from the at least one fluid port, wherein the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel are configured to guide fluid along the material surface within at least a portion of each of the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel.

[0005] In one embodiment, the nozzle of the present disclosure comprises a nozzle body that defines an internal region having a fluid port configured to receive fluid into the nozzle and a vacuum port configured to be coupled to a vacuum source, and configured to be coupled to a positionable nozzle arm support for positioning the nozzle with respect to a material surface, the nozzle body comprising a nozzle hood having an outer wall and an inner wall, wherein a first fluid channel and a second fluid channel are defined between the outer wall and the inner wall, communicating with the fluid port, the inner wall forming a boundary with at least a portion of the internal region, and the outlet of the fluid port is located between the outer wall and the inner wall to introduce fluid from the fluid port into at least a portion of the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel, respectively, during the application of vacuum to the vacuum port by the vacuum source, and to guide the fluid along the material surface within at least a portion of the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel, respectively.

[0006] In one embodiment, the method of the present disclosure, though not limiting, comprises a nozzle body having an internal region having a fluid port configured to receive fluid into the nozzle and a vacuum port configured to be coupled to a vacuum source, wherein the nozzle is configured to be coupled to a positionable nozzle arm support for positioning the nozzle relative to a material surface; and a nozzle hood having an outer wall and an inner wall, wherein a first fluid channel and a second fluid channel are defined between the outer wall and the inner wall, communicating fluid to the fluid port, the inner wall forming a boundary with at least a portion of the internal region, and the outlet of the fluid port is configured to allow fluid from the fluid port to at least the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel during the application of vacuum to the vacuum port by the vacuum source. The nozzle is positioned between the outer wall and the inner wall to introduce fluid in part and guide the fluid along the surface of the material in at least a portion of each of the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel, and the method comprises the steps of introducing a scan fluid to the surface of the material through the nozzle; guiding the scan fluid along the surface of the material through the nozzle such that at least a portion of the scan fluid is held in each of the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel; converging the scan fluid from the first fluid channel and the scan fluid from the second fluid channel in a region of the nozzle hood different from the fluid port; and removing the scan fluid from the surface of the material through the nozzle.

[0007] The above-mentioned summary of the invention is provided to simplify and selectively introduce concepts that will be further described in the following detailed description. The above-mentioned summary of the invention is not intended to identify any major or essential features of the claims, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the claims. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] A detailed explanation will be given with reference to the attached drawings below. In the following explanation and drawings, the use of the same reference numerals in various examples may indicate similar or identical items.

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a system for integrated disassembly and scanning of semiconductor wafers according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the system with semiconductor wafers placed inside the chamber. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the system with the scan arm positioning the nozzle on the surface of the semiconductor wafer. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the underside of the scan arm of the system in Figure 1, along with the scan fluid discharged from the nozzle. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view of the underside of the nozzle in Figure 4, where the scanning fluid is not shown. [Figure 6] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the underside of the nozzle, along with directional arrows indicating the flow of the scanning fluid during the filling operation. [Figure 7] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the underside of the nozzle, along with directional arrows indicating the flow of the scanning fluid during the recovery operation. [Figure 8A] This is a bottom view showing the pattern of the scanning fluid flowing through the nozzle channel on the wafer surface according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8B] This is a bottom view showing the pattern of the scanning fluid flowing through the nozzle channel on the wafer surface according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8C] This is a bottom view showing the pattern of the scanning fluid flowing through the nozzle channel on the wafer surface according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8D] This is a bottom view showing the pattern of the scanning fluid flowing through the nozzle channel on the wafer surface according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8E] This is a bottom view showing the pattern of the scanning fluid flowing through the nozzle channel on the wafer surface according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8F] This is a bottom view showing the pattern of the scanning fluid flowing through the nozzle channel on the wafer surface according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] Figure 1 is a partial perspective view of the system with the scan arm positioned at the nozzle rinsing station. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] [overview]

[0011] Measuring the concentration or amount of trace elements in a sample can serve as an indicator of the sample's purity or its acceptance for use as a reagent or reaction component. For example, in certain production or manufacturing processes (e.g., mining, metallurgy, semiconductor manufacturing, pharmaceutical processing), the tolerance levels for impurities are extremely strict, sometimes as low as parts per billion. In semiconductor wafer processing, wafers are inspected for impurities such as metallic impurities that could degrade wafer functionality or render the wafer inoperable by reducing carrier lifetime or causing dielectric breakdown of wafer components.

[0012] Vapor-phase decomposition (VPD) and subsequent wafer scanning are techniques for analyzing the composition of a wafer to determine the presence of metallic impurities. Conventional VPD and scanning techniques have limited processing capacity to facilitate the processing and scanning of silicon wafers for impurity analysis. For example, in many cases, systems use separate chambers for VPD processing and scanning. In the VPD chamber, silicon dioxide and other metallic impurities present on the surface come into contact with vapor (e.g., hydrofluoric acid (HF), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), or a combination thereof) and are removed from the surface as vapor (e.g., silicon tetrafluoride (SiF4)). The VPD-treated wafer is transported to another chamber for scanning, where droplets are introduced onto the wafer surface to collect the residue after the reaction of the decomposition vapors with the wafer. The scanning process may include the steps of holding droplets on the wafer surface using a scan head and rotating the wafer while moving the scan head, or while moving the droplets on the wafer surface with the scan head stationary. After the wafer has been rotated multiple times, the droplets interact with a desired surface area of ​​the wafer to extract the residue from the wafer surface they have come into contact with. However, conventional wafer processing techniques require considerable time and equipment to process wafers. This is because the wafer is moved from the disassembly chamber to the scanning chamber and rinsing chamber (cleaning chamber) during processing, and the interaction of the droplets with the wafer surface is limited by the use of the scanning nozzle during scanning (i.e., the wafer needs to be rotated multiple times to allow the droplets to interact with the entire surface area or a portion of it). Furthermore, such wafer handling can expose technicians and other personnel to toxic hydrofluoric acid and increase the risk of environmental contamination of wafers during transport between various process chambers. In addition, considerable physical process footprint is required to simplify the equipment and the transport mechanisms between equipment.

[0013] Accordingly, this disclosure covers, at least in part, the following systems and methods for disassembling and scanning semiconductor wafers: A chamber facilitates the disassembly and scanning of a semiconductor wafer in a single chamber footprint. A nozzle guides one or more fluid flows along one or more surfaces of a semiconductor wafer, guided by a nozzle hood defining one or more elongated channels. The elongated channels are configured to be linear, curved, or a combination thereof to provide a geometric structure for the scanning fluid during nozzle filling, thereby guiding the scanning fluid across the entire surface of the wafer. The nozzle may have one or more vacuum ports to facilitate a vacuum applied to the nozzle to maintain the scanning fluid in the elongated channels, within an internal region of the nozzle, or a combination thereof. In embodiments, the nozzle has a narrow region defined by at least one elongated channel in the region of the nozzle opposite to the location of the filling port where the scanning fluid is introduced to the wafer surface. In this case, the narrow region can facilitate control of the fluid flow recovery during recovery through a recovery port. In embodiments, the recovery port is adjacent to the filling port. In embodiments, filling and recovery of the fluid flow are facilitated through a single port.

[0014] The chamber may provide zones for disassembly and rinsing while controlling the movement of fluids within the chamber for purposes such as discharge and preventing cross-contamination. The motor system can control the vertical position of the wafer support relative to the chamber body to move the semiconductor within the chamber body while positioning it on the chamber body supported by the motor system for loading and unloading wafers, thereby providing access to nozzles, etc. The chamber may further incorporate a nebulizer. This allows the wafer support to position the semiconductor wafer within the internal region of the chamber while the nebulizer directs aerosolized disassembly fluid directly onto the surface of the semiconductor wafer. The chamber may incorporate a lid that can be opened and closed relative to the chamber. This allows the chamber to isolate its internal region from the external region during the disassembly process, for example. The nozzle may be positioned relative to the chamber by a rotatable scanning arm. This allows the nozzle to be positioned away from the chamber to facilitate closing the lid (for example, during disassembly) or to facilitate cleaning (rinsing) the nozzle at a rinsing station. Furthermore, the scanning arm can position the nozzle on the semiconductor wafer during the scanning procedure, for example, by rotating the nozzle relative to the wafer surface. The system of this embodiment may utilize a fluid handling system including a switchable selector valve and a pump. This allows control over the introduction of fluid from the wafer surface to the nozzle for purposes such as blank preparation and cleaning of system components. After or during the scanning process, the scanning fluid may be collected and sent to an analytical instrument (e.g., an ICP-MS instrument) for analytical determination of the composition of the scanning fluid.

[0015] [Examples] Figures 1 to 9 illustrate aspects of a system ("System 100") for integrating disassembly and scanning of a semiconductor wafer according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. While System 100 is described with reference to a semiconductor wafer, System 100 is not limited to such materials and may be used with any material, such as a material having a substantially flat surface. System 100 generally comprises a chamber 102 and a scan arm assembly 104 supported by a fluid handling system and a motor system. Thus, System 100 facilitates at least the disassembly and scanning processes of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter also simply referred to as "wafer") 108 through the introduction of disassembly fluid and the introduction and removal of scanning fluid (scanning fluid) on one or more surfaces of the wafer 108. The chamber 102 provides environments for wafer disassembly and wafer scanning, respectively, within a single chamber footprint. Chamber 102 includes a wafer support 110 for holding a wafer 108, and a motor system for controlling the vertical position of the wafer support 110 relative to the chamber 102 (e.g., position within the chamber 102, position above the chamber 102, etc.) for positioning the wafer 108 during disassembly and scanning processes, or other processes of the system 100. The motor system further provides rotational control of the wafer support 110 to rotate the wafer 108 during various processes of the system 100, and provides rotational and vertical movement control of the scan arm assembly 104 to move the nozzle of the scan arm assembly 104 to a position above the wafer 108 (e.g., shown in Figure 3) during scanning processes, or to a position at a rinse station (cleaning station) 114 (e.g., shown in Figure 9) for nozzle cleaning. In embodiments, the wafer support 110 includes a vacuum table for holding the wafer 108 fixed to the wafer support 110, etc., during movement of the wafer support 110.

[0016] Chamber 102 has a chamber body 116 that defines an internal area 118 for receiving wafer 108 for processing. During the operation example shown in FIG. 1, system 100 can receive semiconductor wafer 108 on wafer support 110. The receiving of this semiconductor wafer 108 is performed through operations such as an automated arm 50 that selects wafer 108 from a wafer storage pod (front-end unified pod (FOUP)) or other location and introduces the selected wafer 108 onto wafer support 110 (e.g., so as to be disposed at the center of wafer support 110). The motor system can dispose wafer support 110 on top of or adjacent to upper portion 122 of chamber body 116. Thereby, access to wafer support 110 by automated arm 50 is enabled to set wafer 108 on wafer support 110. For example, wafer support 110 can be disposed adjacent to an opening 126 at the upper portion of chamber 102 during loading of wafer 108.

[0017] The system 100 may include a lid 130 for isolating the internal region 118 from the external region 132 to facilitate wafer disassembly while limiting the exposure of disassembly fluids to the external region 132. For example, the lid 130 may have a size and shape that covers the opening 126 when positioned over it. The lid 130 is configurable between an open position (e.g., shown in Figure 1) and a closed position (e.g., shown in Figure 2). The open position may be used during wafer loading to provide access to the automated arm 50, or during scanning and wafer removal processes. In an embodiment, the lid 130 is in the open position when the wafer support 110 is in a first position adjacent to the opening 126, providing access to the wafer 108 by the nozzle of the scan arm assembly 104. The closed position may be used during wafer disassembly to prevent disassembly fluids from flowing out of the chamber 102 through the opening 126. In this embodiment, at least a portion of the lid 130 contacts the chamber body 116 to isolate the internal region 118 from the external region 132. The wafer 108 is moved within the internal region 118 through control of the vertical position of the wafer support 110 to a second position by a motor system.

[0018] After the wafer 108 is placed on the wafer support 110, the system 100 may transition to a disintegration mode to facilitate the disintegration of one or more surfaces or edges of the wafer 108. In one embodiment, the chamber 102 has a nebulizer (sprayer) positioned within the chamber body 116 to spray a disintegration fluid onto the surface of the wafer 108 when it is on the wafer support 110. The disintegration fluid may be sprayed directly into the chamber 102 by the nebulizer.

[0019] Following the decomposition of the wafer 108, the system 100 can transition to a scan mode (scanning mode) that allows access to one or more surfaces of the wafer 108 by the scan arm assembly 104 without transferring the wafer 108 to a separate scanning system. To transition to the scan mode, the motor system positions the wafer support 110 at a position adjacent to the opening 126 or at a position adjacent to the upper part of the chamber body 116, enabling access to the surface of the wafer 108 by the scan arm assembly 104. The scan arm assembly 104 generally has a rotatable arm support (nozzle arm support) 300 coupled to a nozzle housing 302 that supports the nozzle 304. The nozzle 304 is configured to introduce a scan fluid onto the surface of the wafer 108 and recover the scan fluid from the surface of the wafer 108. The motor system can control the rotation of the rotatable arm support 300, the vertical positioning of the rotatable arm support 300, or a combination thereof to position the nozzle housing 302 and the nozzle 304 over a plurality of positions within the system 100. For example, the motor system can move the nozzle housing 302 and the nozzle 304 between one or more positions at a rinse station (cleaning station) 306 (e.g., shown in FIG. 9) and one or more positions adjacent to or above the wafer 108 (e.g., shown in FIG. 3). Referring to FIGS. 4-8, embodiments of the nozzle 304 are further described. In an embodiment, the rotatable arm support 300 rotates or moves the nozzle 304 so as to position the nozzle 304 adjacent to the wafer 108 when the wafer support 110 is positioned at the upper part of the chamber 102 and outside the path of the lid 130 from the open position to the closed position when the wafer support 110 is positioned inside the chamber 102 (e.g., during decomposition).

[0020] With the nozzle 304 positioned adjacent to or above the wafer 108 (for example, as shown in Figure 3), the fluid handling system can control the introduction of scanning fluid into and out of the nozzle 304 to facilitate scanning of the wafer surface 108. Embodiments of the nozzle 304 are shown with reference to Figures 4–7. The nozzle 304 is configured to deliver one or more fluid flows (reference numeral 400 shown in Figure 4) across the entire surface of the wafer 108. This allows for covering a larger surface area of ​​the wafer 108 in less time than moving spot-sized droplets across the wafer 108. The fluid flow is guided by the nozzle 304 over the surface of the wafer 108 to controllly scan a desired surface area of ​​the wafer 108. In embodiments, the nozzle 304 guides the fluid flow over substantially the entire surface of the wafer 108 in one rotation of the wafer 108. In embodiments, a wedge on the surface (e.g., a sector or part thereof of wafer 108) can be scanned in fractions of a rotation of wafer 108. The scanning area of ​​wafer 108 generally depends on the shape of the nozzle 304 and the amount of rotation of wafer 108, and by varying the nozzle shape (as further described with reference to Figures 8A to 8F, for example), the scanning pattern or scanning range of wafer 108 can be varied.

[0021] The nozzle 304 may have a nozzle body 500 defining a nozzle hood 502 and an internal region 504 that guides the flow of fluid received by the nozzle 304 through one or more fluid ports for scanning a wafer. An example of a port configuration is shown, which includes a first fluid port 506, a second fluid port 508, and a vacuum port 510. For example, the nozzle 304 receives fluid through the operation of a pump (e.g., a syringe pump, diaphragm pump, etc.) that pushes fluid into the nozzle 304 from a holding line or holding loop (e.g., a sample holding loop). The fluid is then guided to the first fluid port 506 through one or more channels defined by the nozzle hood 502. For example, the nozzle hood 502 is shown to form a first channel 512 and a second channel 514 through which at least a portion of the fluid exiting the first fluid port 506 is guided. In the embodiment, the first fluid port 506 provides an outlet into the nozzle hood 502 so that the fluid exiting the first fluid port 506 is directly introduced into the nozzle hood 502 from the nozzle body 500 and guided along the surface of the wafer 108 by the nozzle hood 502. The first channel 512 and the second channel 514 may be formed by the wall or other structure of the nozzle hood 502 to fluidize the first channel 512 and the second channel 514 to the port that receives the fluid for distribution. For example, the first channel 512 and the second channel 514 are formed between the outer wall 516 and the inner wall 518 of the nozzle hood 502.

[0022] In this embodiment, the fluid is deposited on the surface of the wafer 108 through the first fluid port 506 and guided along the surface of the wafer 108 as a substantially continuous fluid flow guided by the nozzle hood 502. For example, Figure 6 shows that once the fluid is deposited on the surface of the wafer 108, the nozzle hood 502 guides the first fluid portion 600 into the first channel 512 and the second fluid portion 602 into the second channel 514, where the first fluid portion 600 and the second fluid portion 602 may remain connected via adhesion or other fluid properties. The system 100 can introduce a sufficient amount of fluid into the nozzle 304 so that the first fluid portion 600 and the second fluid portion 602 flow through the channels 512 and 514 until the channels 512 and 514 are filled, or the first fluid portion 600 and the second fluid portion 602 are coupled to each other, or a combination thereof is made. For example, the first fluid portion 600 and the second fluid portion 602 can flow through the first channel 512 and the second channel 514, respectively, until their leading ends merge in region 520 of the nozzle 304, which forms a single continuous shape of fluid (as shown, for example, in Figure 4). Thus, the fluid can come into contact with the wafer 108 while moving from the first fluid port 506 to region 520 (for example, while moving along channels 512 and 514). In this embodiment, region 520 is part of the nozzle hood 502, the portion of the nozzle hood 502 where the first channel 512 connects to the second channel 514 on the opposite side of the first fluid port 506.

[0023] While the nozzle 304 is being filled and fluid is being distributed onto the surface of the wafer 108, while fluid is being collected from the surface of the wafer 108, and while a combination of these is taking place, a vacuum may be applied to the internal region 504 of the nozzle body 500 (e.g., via the vacuum port 510). The vacuum can help maintain fluid tension, which can help maintain a continuous fluid flow (e.g., by avoiding gaps or breaks in the fluid flow as the fluid traverses the surface of the wafer 108). Alternatively or additionally, to prevent uncontrolled fluid from escaping from the nozzle hood 502 and spilling onto areas of the wafer 108 outside the control of the nozzle 304 (e.g., spilling laterally over the outer wall 516), the vacuum can divert excess fluid from channels 512, 514 into the internal region 504 of the nozzle body. Therefore, during the scanning operation, when the nozzle is positioned above the wafer 108, the scanning fluid can be introduced from the nozzle 304 through the filling port onto the surface of the wafer 108 in the nozzle hood 502 and guided through channels 512, 514 to converge in the region 520 opposite the filling port. The wafer 108 is rotated during the scanning operation, and the nozzle housing 302 can rotate the nozzle 304 relative to the wafer 108 by the operation of the rotatable arm support 300. If enough fluid is introduced to fill the nozzle hood 502, any excess fluid may flow into the internal region 504.

[0024] During or after the scanning process, the fluid introduced into the wafer 108 can be removed from the surface of the wafer 108 via the nozzle 304. For example, the fluid can be removed from the surface 146 by the operation of a pump (e.g., a syringe pump, a diaphragm pump, etc.) that draws the fluid through the fluid port of the nozzle. In an embodiment, the fluid is drawn in through a second fluid port 508, where the fluid flow splits into two fluid portions in region 520, and the fluid is drawn back through the first channel 512 and the second channel 514 respectively, and flows back toward the second fluid port 508 (e.g., as shown in Figure 7). The nozzle may have an opening 522 in the inner wall 518 of the nozzle hood 502, a constriction 524 of the nozzle hood 502 (e.g., a portion having a narrower cross-section compared to the first channel 512 and the second channel 514), or a combination thereof. This provides areas for the fluid flow to enter the first fluid section 600 and the second fluid section 602 during recovery. Any excess fluid that may be present in the internal region 504 is drawn back into the nozzle hood 502 and guided to the recovery port, for example, by entering the first channel 512 or the second channel 514 through the opening 522 in the inner wall 518 of the nozzle hood 502.

[0025] In the embodiment, the nozzle 304 has a region 526 adjacent to a fluid recovery port (e.g., a second fluid port 508). Region 526 has a wider cross-section than one or more of the first channel 512, the second channel 514, and region 520. This allows a large volume of fluid to be supplied to the fluid recovery port to aid in fluid intake (e.g., by avoiding interruption of the fluid flow at the fluid recovery port). In the embodiment, the nozzle 304 is shown to have a single vacuum port and two fluid ports, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration and may also include configurations without a vacuum port, configurations with multiple vacuum ports, configurations with a single fluid port (in which case, e.g., fluid introduction and removal are performed through the same port), or configurations with three or more fluid ports.

[0026] The first channel 512 and the second channel 514, assisted by the nozzle hood 502, allow a large volume of fluid to move across the wafer 108. In an embodiment, the nozzle hood 502 has a volume of about 50 μL (microliters) to about 5000 μL. However, the volume of the nozzle hood 502 is not limited to this range and may have a volume of less than 50 μL or a volume of more than 5000 μL. For example, the volumes of channels 512, 514 may depend on the size of the wafer 108 being processed by the system 100 in order to provide a desired amount of fluid (e.g., scanning fluid) to the surface of the wafer 108. In an embodiment, the nozzle hood 502 may support a fluid with a volume of about 100 μL to about 500 μL on the wafer 108. The dimensions of the nozzle 304 may be selected based on the size of the wafer 108 being processed by the system 100. In the implementation configuration, the nozzle 304 has a width approximately equal to the diameter of the wafer 108. In the embodiment, the length of the nozzle 304 may be about 20 mm to about 500 mm. In the embodiment, the nozzle 304 has a width approximately the same as the radius of the wafer 108. In this case, rotation of the wafer 108 relative to the nozzle can cover the fluid from the nozzle 304 supported by the nozzle hood 502.

[0027] The nozzle 304 can be formed from a single, integrated component, or parts of the nozzle 304 can be formed separately and then fused or joined together. In embodiments, the nozzle 304 is formed from chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), or a combination thereof.

[0028] While the nozzle 304 is described in relation to a nozzle hood 502 that defines a substantially circular fluid channel for the fluid flow maintained on the wafer 108 by the nozzle 304, the present invention is not limited to a substantially circular fluid channel. For example, the nozzle 304 may have, but is not limited to, an annular fluid channel including one or more linear fluid channels, a circular fluid channel, an elliptical fluid channel, a linear fluid channel, an irregular fluid channel, a square fluid channel, a rectangular fluid channel, and combinations thereof. For example, Figure 8A shows a fluid channel formed by a nozzle 304 having as its geometric structure an annular (circular) portion 800, a first linear portion 802 that abuts (intersects) the annular portion 800, and a second linear portion 804 that abuts (intersects) the annular portion 800 and the first linear portion 802, respectively. As another example, Figure 8B shows a fluid flow path formed by a nozzle 304 having an annular (circular) portion 806, a first straight portion 808 that abuts against (intersects) the annular portion 806, a second straight portion 810 that abuts against (intersects) the annular portion 806, and a third straight portion 812 that abuts against (intersects) the annular portion 806 as geometric structural elements. As another example, Figure 8C shows a fluid flow path formed by a nozzle 304 having an elliptical portion 814 as geometric structural elements. As yet another example, Figure 8D shows a fluid flow path formed by a nozzle 304 having a square portion 816 as geometric structural elements. As yet another example, Figure 8E shows a fluid flow path formed by a nozzle 304 having a square portion 818, a first straight portion 820 that abuts against (intersects) the square portion 818, and a second straight portion 822 that abuts against (intersects) both the square portion 818 and the first straight portion 820 as geometric structural elements. As another example, Figure 8F shows a fluid channel formed by a nozzle 304 having a rectangular section 824 as a geometric structure.

[0029] Electromechanical devices (e.g., electric motors, servos, actuators, etc.) may be coupled to or incorporated into components of system 100. This may facilitate automated operation via control circuits that are mounted inside system 100 or drive system 100 from the outside. Electromechanical devices may be configured to cause movement of devices and fluids according to various processes, such as those described herein. System 100 may comprise or be controlled by a computing system having a processor or other controller configured to execute computer-readable program instructions (i.e., control logic) from a non-transient transport medium (e.g., a storage medium such as a flash drive, hard disk drive, solid-state disk drive, SD card, or optical disc). The computing system may be connected to various components of system 100 by direct connection or via one or more network connections (e.g., local area networking (LAN), wireless area networking (WAN or WLAN), one or more hub connections (e.g., USB hubs)). For example, the computing system may be communicably connected to the chamber 102, the motor system, the valves described herein, the pumps described herein, other components described herein, components that instruct the control of these, or a combination thereof. When program instructions are executed by a processor or other controller, the computing system may cause the system 100 (e.g., control pump, selection valve, actuator, spray nozzle, positioning device, etc.) to be controlled by the computing system according to one or more operating modes as described herein.

[0030] It should be recognized that the various functions, control operations, processing blocks, or steps described through this disclosure may be performed by any combination of hardware, software, or firmware. In some embodiments, the various steps or functions are performed by one or more of the following: electronic circuits, logic gates, multiplexers, programmable logic devices, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), controllers / microcontrollers, or computing systems. Computing systems include, but are not limited to, personal computing systems, mobile computing devices, mainframe computing systems, workstations, image computers, parallel processors, or any other devices known in the art. Generally, the term “computing system” is broadly defined to encompass any device having one or more processors or other controllers that execute instructions from a carrier medium.

[0031] Program instructions that perform functions, control operations, processing blocks, or steps, as expressed by the embodiments described herein, may be transmitted or stored on a carrier medium. The carrier medium may be, but is not limited to, a transmission medium such as a wired, cable, or wireless transmission link. The carrier medium may also include non-temporary signal-holding or storage media. Examples of such media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory, random-access memory, magnetic disks or optical disks, solid-state memory devices or flash memory devices, or magnetic tapes.

[0032] Furthermore, it should be understood that the present invention is defined by the appended claims. Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A nozzle for scanning the surface of a material using a fluid, A nozzle body having an internal region having a fluid port configured to receive fluid into the nozzle and a vacuum port configured to connect to a vacuum source, configured to be coupled to a positionable nozzle arm support for positioning the nozzle relative to a material surface, The nozzle body is coupled to a nozzle hood having an outer wall and an inner wall, A first fluid channel and a second fluid channel are defined between the outer wall and the inner wall, which are in fluid communication with the fluid port. The inner wall forms a boundary with at least a portion of the internal region such that, when the direction away from the material surface is considered upward, the vacuum port is positioned outside and above the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel, respectively. The outlet of the fluid port is located between the outer wall and the inner wall such that, while a vacuum is being applied to the vacuum port by the vacuum source, fluid is introduced from the fluid port into at least a portion of the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel, and the fluid is guided along the material surface within at least a portion of the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel. The nozzle is configured to remove the fluid from the material surface through the nozzle via at least one of the fluid port and a second fluid port located adjacent to the fluid port within the nozzle hood. nozzle.

2. The inner wall has an opening in the region of the nozzle hood opposite the fluid port, which provides access for fluid to the internal region. The nozzle according to claim 1.

3. At least one of the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel has a constricted portion in the region of the nozzle hood opposite the fluid port. The nozzle according to claim 1.

4. The inner wall has an opening in the region of the nozzle hood opposite the fluid port, providing access for fluid to the internal region. The nozzle according to claim 3.

5. At least one of the first fluid channel or the second fluid channel defines a region adjacent to the fluid port. The region adjacent to the fluid port has a larger area than the remaining portion of at least one of the first fluid channel or the second fluid channel. The nozzle according to claim 1.

6. A method for scanning the surface of a material using a molded nozzle, The aforementioned nozzle is A nozzle body having an internal region having a fluid port configured to receive fluid into the nozzle and a vacuum port configured to connect to a vacuum source, configured to be coupled to a positionable nozzle arm support for positioning the nozzle relative to a material surface, The nozzle body is coupled to a nozzle hood having an outer wall and an inner wall, A first fluid channel and a second fluid channel are defined between the outer wall and the inner wall, which are in fluid communication with the fluid port. The inner wall forms a boundary with at least a portion of the internal region such that, when the direction away from the material surface is considered upward, the vacuum port is positioned outside and above the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel, respectively. The outlet of the fluid port is located between the outer wall and the inner wall such that, while a vacuum is applied to the vacuum port by the vacuum source, fluid is introduced from the fluid port into at least a portion of the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel, and the fluid is guided along the material surface within at least a portion of the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel. The aforementioned method, The steps include introducing a scanning fluid to the surface of the material through the nozzle, The steps include guiding the scan fluid along the surface of the material through the nozzle such that at least a portion of the scan fluid is held in the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel, The steps include: merging the scan fluid from the first fluid channel and the scan fluid from the second fluid channel in a region of the nozzle hood different from the fluid port; The steps include removing the scan fluid from the surface of the material through the nozzle via at least one of the fluid port and a second fluid port located adjacent to the fluid port within the nozzle hood, Equipped with, method.

7. The inner wall has an opening in the region of the nozzle hood opposite the fluid port, which provides access for fluid to the internal region. The method according to claim 6.

8. At least one of the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel has a constricted portion in the region of the nozzle hood opposite the fluid port. The method according to claim 6.

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