Appeal No. 94-3000
Application 07/914,654
Adrian F.M. Leenaars et al. (Appellants) appeal from the
examiner's final rejection of claims 17 through 23, 25 and 26,
which are all the claims remaining in the application.
The subject matter on appeal is directed to a process for
cleaning and drying substrates, such as silicon wafers, and an
apparatus for carrying out the process. Claims 21 and 25 are
representative of the subject matter on appeal and read as
follows:
21. An apparatus for treating substrates comprising
(a) container means for containing a bath of a liquid,
(b) holding means for immersing at least one substrate
into said bath,
(c) lifting means for lifting said at least one substrate
from said bath at a speed such that substantially all of said
liquid remains in said bath, said lifting means including
knife-shaped means for pushing said at least one substrate
upwardly at a lowest portion of said at least one substrate,
(d) gripping means for gripping dried parts of said at
least one substrate above said bath after withdrawal from said
bath, and
(e) means having outlet nozzles for passing vapor of an
organic solvent directly onto said at least one substrate
immediately upon leaving said bath, said vapor being free of
condensation of said at least one substrate, said organic
solvent being chosen from a group of organic solvents which
are miscible with a liquid which is the same as said liquid
2
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