Appeal No. 2000-1164 Page 2
Application No. 08/899,176
BACKGROUND
Appellants' invention relates to a method for cleaning
wafers with ionized water. The ionized water is obtained by
adding ions to a deionized (DI) water, that is, a regular DI
water is doped with ions such as OH-, F-, Cl-, NH4- and H+. See
page 7, line 10 through page 8, line 10 of appellants’
specification. Claims 8, 10 and 13 are reproduced below.
8. A method for cleaning a wafer in a scrubber
comprising the steps of:
providing a quantity of deionized water to a scrubber,
doping said quantity of deionized water with at least
one species of ions such that the resistivity of the water
is less than 18x106 Ohm-cm, and
scrubbing a surface of said wafer with said doped
deionized water.
10. A method according to claim 8, wherein said at
least one species of ions is added to said quantity of
deionized water by adding carboxylic acid at a mixing ratio
of not smaller than 1:100 (acid/water).
13. A method according to claim 8, wherein said doped
deionized water contacting said wafer under a pressure of
not less than 1000 psi.
In addition to alleged admitted prior art in appellants’
specification (Background of the Invention, especially page 2,
lines 10-13),2 the prior art references of record relied upon by
the examiner in rejecting the appealed claims are:
2 See answer, page 7.
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