US 11,721,563 B2
Non-contact clean module
Jagan Rangarajan, San Jose, CA (US); Adrian Blank, Gilroy, CA (US); Edward Golubovsky, San Jose, CA (US); Balasubramaniam Coimbatore Jaganathan, Mumbai (IN); Steven M. Zuniga, Soquel, CA (US); Ekaterina Mikhaylichenko, San Jose, CA (US); Michael A. Anderson, Santa Clara, CA (US); and Jonathan P. Domin, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/507,450.
Application 17/507,450 is a continuation of application No. 16/532,730, filed on Aug. 6, 2019, granted, now 11,289,347.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/795,816, filed on Jan. 23, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/756,158, filed on Nov. 6, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 201841029454 (IN), filed on Aug. 6, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0044946 A1, Feb. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. H01L 21/67 (2006.01); B08B 3/02 (2006.01); H01L 21/687 (2006.01); H01L 21/02 (2006.01); B08B 5/02 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/67051 (2013.01) [B08B 3/022 (2013.01); B08B 5/023 (2013.01); H01L 21/02057 (2013.01); H01L 21/68764 (2013.01); B08B 2203/0288 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A cleaning module comprising: a wafer gripping device configured to support a wafer in a vertical orientation, the wafer gripping device comprising: a catch cup comprising a wall that has an annular inner surface defining a processing region; and a gripper assembly, the gripper assembly comprising: a first plate assembly comprising a plurality of loading pins, each of the plurality of loading pins configured to support an edge of the wafer that is oriented in the vertical orientation; and a second plate assembly comprising a plurality of gripping pins, each of the plurality of gripping pins configured to be: positioned a first distance from a central axis of the wafer gripping device based on the second plate assembly being positioned a second distance in a horizontal direction from the first plate assembly, wherein each of the plurality of gripping pins is configured to contact the edge of the wafer and hold the wafer in the vertical orientation when positioned the first distance from the central axis; and positioned a third distance from the central axis based on the second plate assembly being positioned a fourth distance in the horizontal direction from the first plate assembly, wherein the third distance is greater than the first distance, and the fourth distance is greater than the second distance.