Abstract:
A method of displacing a supercritical fluid from a pressure vessel (e.g., in a microelectronic manufacturing process), comprises the steps of: providing an enclosed pressure vessel containing a first supercritical fluid (said supercritical fluid preferably comprising carbon dioxide); adding a second fluid (typically also a supercritical fluid) to said vessel, with said second fluid being added at a pressure greater than the pressure of the first supercritical fluid, and with said second fluid having a density less than that of the first supercritical fluid; forming an interface between the first supercritical fluid and the second fluid; and displacing at least a portion of the first supercritical fluid from the vessel with the pressure of the second, preferably fluid while maintaining the interface therebetween.
Abstract:
Compositions useful for cleaning metal from a substrate or coating metal onto a substrate are described: Such compositions comprise (a) a densified carbon dioxide continuous phase; (b) a polar discrete phase in said carbon dioxide continuous phase; (c) a metal in said discrete phase (i.e., a metal removed from the substrate, or to be coated onto the substrate); (d) at least one ligand in said continuous phase, said discrete phase, or both said continuous and said discrete phase.
Abstract:
A method for carrying out positive tone lithography with a carbon dioxide solvent system is carried out by (a) providing a substrate having a polymer resist layer formed thereon; (b) exposing at least one portion of the polymer resist layer to radiant energy to form at least one light field region in the polymer resist layer; and then (c) contacting the polymer resist layer to a carbon dioxide solvent system, the solvent system preferably comprising a polar group, under conditions in which the at least one light field region is preferentially removed.
Abstract:
A method of cleaning and removing water, entrained solutes and particulate matter during a manufacturing process from a microelectronic device comprises the steps of: (a) providing a partially fabricated integrated circuit, MEM's device, or optoelectronic device having water and entrained solutes on the substrate; (b) providing a densified carbon dioxide cleaning composition, the cleaning composition comprising carbon dioxide and, optionally but preferably, a cleaning adjunct; (c) immersing the surface portion in the densified carbon dioxide drying composition; and then (d) removing the cleaning composition from the surface portion.
Abstract:
A method for dry-cleaning articles such as fabrics and clothing in carbon dioxide. The article includes a stained portion or region, which is pretreated with a pretreatment composition prior to initiating the cleaning cycle. The pretreatment step is followed by contacting the pretreated article to be cleaned with a liquid dry cleaning composition for a time sufficient to clean the article. The liquid dry-cleaning composition comprises a mixture of carbon dioxide, a surfactant, and an organic co-solvent. After the contacting step, the article is separated from the liquid dry cleaning composition. The pretreatment composition, in a preferred embodiment, comprises at least one of (a) a surfactant; (b) d-limonene, and (c) a C12-C15 alkane co-solvent. Preferably the pretreatment composition comprises at least two, and in some particularly preferred embodiments, the pretreatment composition comprises all three, of the aforesaid ingredients.