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If you're looking for a top-notch prospect, this mares it! She's smart, athletic, willing, and is a total power house! Paycheck is ranch raised, had 60…SOLD
Dolly is a very sweet Welsh Halflinger Cross mare. Dolly is a typical pony mare she has a lot of energy and she is tons of fun to ride! She is very responsive…SOLD
Tick is a 7 year old gelding that has been used for ranch work, hunting and started roping. He has been riden to gather cattle and has dragged cavles during…SOLD
Lucie is a tall, beautiful mare with a great disposition. Sweet, quiet, smart. She is ready to be started/finished your way. Excellent bloodlines. …SOLD
Very calm no bad habits, safe sound and nice to ride outside. Easy keeper, hauls great, easy to catch, she will be the first one to come to you out in…SOLD
Ellie is a cute 13 year old draft cross mare, she is 14.1 hands high, about 1100 pounds built very thick, and a beautiful grey! She has very cute moment…SOLD
This is a deep bodied, stout, big hipped filly. She has a real nice head and clean neck as well. Her dam is stout and correct, with explosive athletic…SOLD
This 5-year-old mare is a gorgeous gray Shire/Thoroughbred cross. She was in training with an Amish farmer in Missouri. She is riding well under saddle…SOLD


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Sure there are bathroom signs, but do you ever wonder if your hands were cleaned properly? A new device can call you out on sub-par sessions at the sink.
ANALYSIS: NYC Installing Touchscreen Subway Maps
A high-tech bracelet made by a startup based in Sarasota, Fla., called IntelligentM tracks what you're doing and will buzz a certain way if you fail to wash up correctly. The bracelet reads special RFID tags located at sanitation and hand washing stations. It also contains an accelerometer to sense how long the wearer is standing at one of those stations, according to Technology Review's Susan Young.
The company says its devices are so smart they can sense whether the person washing hands or dispensing sanitizer is following the proper procedures. When the bracelet wearer does everything right, the device will buzz once. Mess it up and the thing will buzz three times.
IntelligentM bracelets were designed to be used by healthcare workers in hospitals as a way to prevent healthcare acquired infections, which are a deadly and extremely expensive problem nationwide. Usually — and I didn't know this — secret observers monitor hospital workers' hand washing practices. But that can be expensive and observing someone once a day isn't always indicative of what's going on.
ANALYSIS: Secondhand Smoke Detector Outs Puffers
So far the bracelets are being used at a hospital in Sarasota and the startup is hoping to expand to more locations. IntelligentM thinks its technology could be ideal for food service settings, too. As some fast food customers find out the hard way, a stern bathroom sign can only do so much.
Image credits: Corbis (top) and IntelligentM (bottom).

subset: commoncrawl


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WATCH: Fan throws box of trash at Victor Ortiz after fight
Victor Ortiz was hit in the head with a box of trash thrown by a fan after his defeat to Andre Berto at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. on Saturday night. Ortiz lost his rematch with Berto after being knocked out in the fourth round. The fans in attendance, who initially backed the SoCal-based fighter, turned on him after they felt like he quit following the second knockdown of...
Via Larry Brown Sports
May 02, 2016 | Discuss
Floyd Mayweather flaunts his title belt collection
While Floyd Mayweather Jr. (49-0) may be hanging up his gloves for good after defeating Andre Berto in his retirement fight last month, his social media game remains strong. He recently posted a photo on Instagram which shows his 23 title belts laid out on a pool table. The best part is that Mayweather is standing over the table, with two Golden Globes just hanging out behind him...
Via The Sports Daily
October 21, 2015 | Discuss
The pay-per-view numbers for Mayweather-Berto are not good
Following his last pay per view with Manny Pacquiao in May which generated a record 4.6 million buys, you would expect Floyd Maywether's next fight to average less than that. That is exactly what happened with his "final" fight with Andre Berto last weekend. According to boxing maven Dan Rafael of ESPN, the buys for Mayweather-Berto were extremely disappointing: PPV industry...
Via Awful Announcing
September 17, 2015 | Discuss
Report: Mayweather-Berto fight might not have topped 550,000 pay-per-view buys
Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s fight against Andre Berto was every bit the flop we all thought it would be, and apparently the numbers prove it. ESPN boxing reporter Dan Rafael reports that the fight, which Mayweather won by unanimous decision, might not have topped 550,000 pay-per-view buys. PPV industry source on #MayweatherBerto numbers tells me they're very poor relatively speaking...
Via Larry Brown Sports
September 16, 2015 | Discuss
Andre Berto rips Mayweather: I should have worn track shoes
Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s fighting style again has been questioned. Mayweather improved to 49-0 when he defeated Andre Berto by unanimous decision Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The undefeated champion won decisively, but Berto wasn't thrilled with his opponent's unwillingness to go toe to toe in the ring. "I didn't know I was going to have to wear...
Showtime, CBS to stream PPV broadcast of Mayweather-Berto fight
Shelling out $100 for the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight last May was too steep a price for many fans (and sports bars that also had to pay exorbitant fees). But even those who were willing to buy the pay-per-view broadcast ran into issues as cable companies were overwhelmed by the volume of orders within a short period of time, freaking out customers who had just paid a hundred...
Via Awful Announcing
September 11, 2015 | Discuss
Report: MGM cancels closed circuit viewing parties for Mayweather fight
The MGM reportedly cancelled all of their closed circuit viewing parties for Saturday's Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Andre Berto fight over a lack of interest. Mitch Moss, a host at ESPN 1100 in Las Vegas, reported the news over Twitter Wednesday. Per sources: MGM canceled all their closed circuit viewing parties for the Mayweather fight this weekend. — Mitch Moss (@MitchMossRadio...
Via Larry Brown Sports
September 10, 2015 | Discuss
We'll all (begrudgingly) watch Mayweather vs. Berto
By Eddie Maisonet I was sitting in my Sport Law class on a Tuesday night at the University of San Francisco halfway paying attention to my jolly professor detail the nuances of vicarious liability in leadership when my notifications started lighting up at the top of my iPad. I took a sip of my lukewarm coffee and right-swiped the screen of my tablet to be informed of the following...
Via The Sports Fan Journal
July 15, 2015 | Discuss
Floyd Mayweather to fight Andre Berto in September
By Darryn Albert For all the talk about Floyd Mayweather supposedly wanting an "easy" fight come September, it looks like he may be getting his wish. Michael Woods of The Sweet Science broke the news Tuesday that the five-division champion is officially slated to fight Andre Berto on September 12. The bout will be broadcasted on CBS instead of on pay-per-view. The fight...
Via Larry Brown Sports
July 15, 2015 | Discuss
Berto Vs. Lopez leads Premier Boxing Champions debut on Spike
It's time for round 2 of Premier Boxing Champions, and this time it's on Spike TV. Don't miss the action! The post Berto Vs. Lopez: Premier Boxing Champions Debuts On Spike This Friday appeared first on The Sports Fan Journal.
Via The Sports Fan Journal
March 12, 2015 | Discuss
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Society & Culture, Places & TravelFollow
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The best of BBC Radio 3's flagship arts and ideas programme Free Thinking - featuring in-depth interviews and debates with artists, scientists and public figures.
March 26th, 2015
Episode 919 of 1249 episodes
Philip Dodd continues his exploration of the culture wars by investigating the tension between cosmopolitanism and the nation state and how this is playing out in Europe. He speaks to Dr Ayça Çubukçu from the LSE, writer Agata Pyzik, Phillip Blond from think-tank ResPublica and Dr Andrew Dowling from the University of Cardiff.
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Precision News > Top Stories
Race Recap: World Cup Finals: Imports vs Domestics (November 2-4, 2012)
Coverage from the November 2-4, 2012 World Cup Finals: Imports vs Domestics drag racing event.
Posted By Precision | Published November 5, 2012
Jorge Lazcano and Jorge Juarbe
Race Recap: World Cup Finals: Imports vs Domestics - Mechanicsville, MD
With a final score of 9 to 3, the domestics brought home the title for the twelfth straight year in a row.
Outlaw vs. Extreme
Jorge Lazcano driving his Precision boosted Nissan 350Z took the number one qualifier spot for the import team with his 6.405 at 218.90 MPH pass but it was Kevin Fiscus representing the domestics in fifth who set the Top Speed number with his 6.681 at 240.98 MPH run.
In eliminations, the two Precision turbo drivers battled it out against the rest of the field, with Lazcano ultimately winding up in the winner's circle taking home top honors with a 6.525 at 216.38 MPH run. Congratulations to Jorge Lazcano and team on their fantastic first place finish!
Congratulations are also in order to Precision boosted Kevin Fiscus who set a new ET and MPH record for a radial tire car in the quarter mile, going 6.483 at 236.58 MPH.
Radial vs Modified
The competition was tough between domestics and imports and of the Precision turbocharged crew, Jorge Juarbe ranked highest during qualifying in second with his PTE-equipped Corolla, going 6.835 at 210.31 MPH.
In eliminations, Juarbe took out challenger after challenger, including some seriously heavy hitters, until he was the only contender left standing. Congratulations to Jorge Juarbe on his win!
X275 vs Hot Rod
Jose Besosa rocked the second qualifier position in his Precision turbocharged Honda S2000 with a 7.324 at 192.85 MPH while Mo Choudhury of Swift Racing Technologies went 7.360 at 198.96 MPH for third. The rest of qualifying featured tons of other Precision boosted drivers all fighting to take the win in their name.
Choudhury turned up the heat in eliminations and sent every car he lined up against back to the pits. In the final round, leaving early at the tree ensured a second-place podium for Mo. Congratulations to the team on their runner up finish.


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Archive for Poseidon Adventure
HAP-peee New Year! (Toot! Splash! Scream!)Posted in HOLIDAYS/ FESTIVALS/ MEMORIALS/ PARADES, Hollywood (History), Movies, New Year's Eve with tags New Year's Eve, Poseidon Adventure on December 31, 2015 by travsd
Tonight on TCM: Tales of Leaky BoatsPosted in CRITICISM/ REVIEWS, disaster movies, Hollywood (History), Movies, PLUGS with tags Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, boats, disaster movies, Irwin Allen, Juggernaut, Night to Remember, Poseidon Adventure, ships, The Last Voyage, Titanic on May 21, 2015 by travsd
Tonight on TCM: a program of films from one of my favorite cinematic subgenres: the sinking ship flick.
8:oopm (EST) The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
The first movie I ever saw in a cinema and my second favorite movie of all time. I've already written my thoughts about it here. I've probably seen it 20 times, most recently about a month ago, so I'll likely skip the honor tonight. However, I most certainly will watch —
10:15pm (EST) Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
Believe it or not, I've NEVER seen this one (apart from a few minutes on television)! It tanked (pun intended) upon release and seldom gets shown. A brilliant producer, Irwin Allen was a terrible director, and this was during his period of hubris when he was doing both. (Have you seen The Swarm? It's almost totally incoherent). At any rate the plot of this one has the crew of a tugboat jumping aboard the doomed ship to claim salvage rights, and a bunch of Greek medics (secretly looters) jumping aboard to "save lives". Along the way they meet surviving crew and passengers of The Poseidon we never met in the first film: The cast includes Michael Caine, Telly Savalas, Sally Field, Karl Malden, Shirley Jones, Peter Boyle, Mark Harmon and Slim Pickens as a Texas millionaire! Wild seahorses couldn't drag me away.
12:15am (EST) Juggernaut (1974)
This one doesn't fit in the program at all — it's not so much a ship disaster movie as a bomb disposal and defusing suspense thriller, and like most ticking time bomb movies, it's a whopping bore. Richard Harris is the bomb expert, Anthony Hopkins a detective whose family just happens to be on board the ship, Omar Sharif the ship's captain, and Ian Holm is the guy who runs the shipping company. All they do is sweat a lot and look real nervous for two hours. And I suppose this amounts to a spoiler, right? Because if the bombs sink the ship the movie wouldn't be…a whopping bore, right?
2:15am (EST) A Night to Remember (1958)
This British film is the least best known of all the Titanic films nowadays, yet happens to be one of the best in quality, for it is quite true to Walter Lord's incredible book of the same name. Naturally everyone knows James Cameron's 1997 love story. Before that, the one Americans knew best (I think) was the 1953 film of the same name with Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb. At least that was one I knew best until then.
I never got to see A Night to Remember until about two years ago, when they screened it at Loew's Jersey City on a double bill with The Poseidon Adventure. And it is indeed incredible. It's told pretty much from the point of view of Second Officer Lightoller (Kenneth More), the most senior officer to survive the disaster. One bit I recall loving in the film, is a recurring shot of an old man sitting in a chair reading a book all through the ship's last moments. His identity and the identity of the book are enigmatic. It's just how he is choosing to spend his last minutes. Not with craziness, but with calm. You can be sure I'll watch this one again. As I will this one:
4:30am (EST) The Last Voyage (1960)
This is an amazing movie! I had never heard of it til I saw it on TCM in 2010. It seems seminal to me, solving a lot of the technical and special effects problems that would later come into play in The Poseidon Adventure, Towering Inferno and Earthquake. Furthermore it was shot on a real ocean liner so it actually looks more realistic than the The Poseidon Adventure. (Yes, I know parts of TPA were shot on the Queen Mary, but the rest was done on Hollywood sound stages. ALL of this one was shot on a real ship)
The predicament: a fire breaks out on an ocean liner. The stubborn and foolish captain (George Sanders) scoffs at certain safety measures (like stopping so the crew can see to some things). Meanwhile some safety valves have fused shut, causing a boiler explosion that rips through several floors and puts a fatal hole in the hull. A woman (Dorothy Malone) is trapped under wreckage. Much of the film concerns the efforts of her husband Robert Stack to free her, aided by stoker Woody Strode, and later an engineer played by Edmund O'Brien (who spends most of the film trying to save the ship itself.) Malone and Stack's daughter is a creepy-devil child…very strange casting.
Student film-makers! This movie teaches an interesting cinematic lesson. Sometimes realism is NOT the best solution. A case in point: Whereas, yes, in real life an explosion only takes a second, in a film, it has to be stretched out into several shots and take a little bit of time, otherwise it lacks drama. In this film the explosion only takes a second and thus seems underwhelming though the plot informs us that it's really catastrophic. But otherwise there are so many amazing scenes in the film done right on the ship. It bears repeated viewing.
Hall of Hams #82: Roddy McDowellPosted in Child Stars, Hollywood (History), Movies, The Hall of Hams with tags Planet of the Apes, Poseidon Adventure, Roddy McDowell on September 17, 2014 by travsd
Today is the birthday of the late Roddy McDowell (1928-1998), one of the few child performers to weather the career doldrums of adolescence and enjoy a successful career in adulthood. A second generation actor, he appeared in some films in his native Britain before the advent of WWII prompted his family to move to the U.S. Fame came early with his roles in How Green Was My Valley (1941), Lassie Come Home (1943) and My Friend Flicka (1943). During the fallow years he gained stage experience; a notable film role from this time was Malcolm in Orson Welles' MacBeth (1948).
McDowell had a unique screen presence: lithe and lean and cat-like, with a voice in such a high register that it was more like a small boy's than a woman's. It was kind of like the whine of a dog; a perfect quality when he was later to portray a long series of talking simians. His eyes were large, warm and expressive: they would roll and pop and squint and dance — sort of like a magician's sleight of hand to draw attention away from his rather homely physiognomy. Somehow, despite his strangeness, he was was very castable, ideal for dressing up large ensembles in costume dramas like Cleopatra (1963) and murder mysteries like Evil Under the Sun (1982). No one could be arch and insinuating and say "tsk, tsk, tsk" like Roddy McDowell. Those melodramatic chops made him ideal for television guest starring roles; I think of him especially as a murderous photographer in the 1972 Columbo episode "A Short Fuse".
As it happens McDowell was one of the first actors I ever saw on a movie screen, in The Poseidon Adventure (1972), a formative experience for me.
More rarely he would get a lead role, as he did in another of my favorites the swinging psychedelic George Axelrod romp Lord Love a Duck (1966) where the nearly 40 McDowell plays a guy about half his age. And then of course the Planet of the Apes franchise (1968-1974), which kept him employed for many years. And on that topic, another post to follow in just a few minutes. Until then, an example of one of the many ways he "dined out" on Apes:
Hall of Hams #48: Shelley WintersPosted in Art Models/ Bathing Beauties/ Beauty Queens/ Burlesque Dancers/ Chorines/ Pin-Ups/ Sexpots/ Vamps, Hollywood (History), Jews/ Show Biz, Movies, The Hall of Hams, Women with tags pin-up, Poseidon Adventure, Shelley Winters on August 18, 2013 by travsd
Today is the birthday of the stupendous, the colossal (quit it!) Shelley Winters (Shirley Schrift, 1920-2006). Her screen career has always held a lot of personal meaning for me, starring as she did in the first movie I ever saw in a cinema The Poseidon Adventure (1972). I've long considered it my second favorite film (behind The Wizard of Oz). Winter's heroic martyrdom in the film hit me hard emotionally at the age of seven, and it still does every time I see the movie.
Unfortunately the role became sort of iconic, and it became the version of Winters that's remained in everyone's minds: fat, ugly, old, annoying, complaining. A pity because when she was young and just starting out (it may surprise you to learn) she was flipping GORGEOUS. In fact when she broke into pictures her experience consisted of a handful of acting classes, some small stage roles and modelling work. It was her LOOKS (and her earthy sexiness) that got her cast. Lest ye think I exaggerate:
I know the Duchess will forgive me for apparently getting carried away by all this Shelley Winters cheesecake. I'm hoping to erase from your mind what you think you already know about her (while looking at legs).
But there was more to Winters than good looks; she wanted to be a serious actress. After years of playing bit parts (usually as eye candy) she took Shakespeare classes with Charles Laughton and method acting at the Actor's Studio. Then we begin to get her starring parts, often as a sexy but hapless "other woman" or "otherwise inconvenient woman" who must die for merely existing, as she played in The Great Gatsby (1949), A Place in the Sun (1951), Night of the Hunter (1955) and Lolita (1960). She was to remain beautiful if increasingly zaftig at least through the early 60s, but what made her castable was a quality of vulnerablity that could even be painful to watch. This was a quality she shared with Judy Garland and interestingly Charles Laughton, her teacher. Winters was willing to make herself ugly and embarrassing for a role, to go way out on a limb and this resulted in some truly memorable work.
Her willingness to be big in every sense of the word meant that by the 1970s she was to star in some other sorts of "classics" (in this she was no different than many another major movie star): horror and other related schlock, and so we cherish her doubly: for her true excellence…and for her…mm…zeal in acting in more…outre vehicles. This phase began with the title role in Roger Corman's Bloody Mama (1970), in which she played lady bank robber Ma Barker; then continued with What's the Matter with Helen (1971) by Henry Farrell, author of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?; then Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972) also directed by Curtis Harrington for AIP. In 1973 she was in The Devil's Daughter as well as the blaxploitation flick Cleopatra Jones. In 1977, she was in the Jaws rip-off Tentacles, in which at age 57 she played a woman who was clearly meant to be about 20 years younger than herself (whose child gets eaten by a killer octopus.) In 1978 she played the housemother of a satanic sorority in The Initiation of Sarah (1978). In 1979, the disaster movie City on Fire. She was also occasionally still in good stuff. King of the Gypsies (1978) was a terrific film, although Winters didn't get many lines. In the 90s, she got some excellent valedictory moments in Portrait of a Lady (1996) and as Roseanne's grandmother on Roseanne, some truly brilliant stunt casting.
Winters was also a famous pistol, an entertaining loose cannon in interviews and in her three tell-all autobiographies. She liked the attention that resulted from saying outrageous things. Here she is in 1996 on the Tom Snyder show:
To learn more about show business, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever nutty books are sold.
And check out my new book: Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, just released by Bear Manor Media, also available from amazon.com etc etc etc
Stars of Vaudeville #485: Jack AlbertsonPosted in Comedy, Hollywood (History), Sit Coms, Television, Vaudeville etc. with tags Chico and the Man, Jack Albertson, Poseidon Adventure, Willie Wonka on June 16, 2012 by travsd
For someone of my age, Jack Albertson was VERY present in the early 1970s: Grandpa Joe in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971, pictured above), Manny Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure (1972, the first movie I ever saw in a theatre) and Ed Brown in the hit tv series Chico and the Man (1974-78), which co-starred him with Freddy Prinze. The casting of the latter was a stroke of genius, juxtaposing as it did the new show business with the old.
Albertson had started out with a vaudeville dance act called the Dancing Verselle Sisters (one assumes he wasn't one of the sisters). In burlesque and in the Catskills he partnered with Phil Silvers, and from there went on to Broadway, films and television. He is one of the few people to win a Tony, an Oscar and an Emmy. He is also one of the few people (George Burns was another) to enjoy his greatest fame as a senior citizen. He passed away in 1981.
To find out more about the history of vaudeville, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever nutty books are sold.
Of Poseidon and the AdventurePosted in CRITICISM/ REVIEWS, CULTURE & POLITICS, disaster movies, Hollywood (History), Movies (Contemporary) with tags Loew's Jersey, Poseidon Adventure on April 29, 2012 by travsd
I had a moving experience last night. The Countess and I went to Loews Jersey to see a double bill of A Night to Remember and The Poseidon Adventure. I'll probably scribble a few notes about the former film here today or tomorrow, but in the meantime, a few remarks about the latter. It has always held a lot of meaning for me, being the first film I ever saw in a cinema (I was 7 when it came out). It turns 40 years old this year — rather a wake-up call. I'll undoubtedly spill a bunch more on the topic this December when the actual anniversary rolls around, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share an article I wrote for Liberty magazine back in 2006 when the dreadful "remake" Poseidon came out:
* * * * *
Let's get one thing straight: Poseidon is in not a remake of the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure. The only thing the two movies have in common is the situation of a luxury liner capsizing, compelling a group of passengers to make a dangerous climb to the upturned hull. If that is all that constitutes a remake, then all westerns are a remake of Gunfight at the OK Corral.
The other thing I must confess is that your reviewer is biased. I am a member of that rabid cult of Poseidon Adventure freaks who watch the film and re-read the novel on an annual basis with the reverence and regularity that some bestow on Christmas (make that New Year's Eve).
Most of the critics who've trashed Wolfgang Petersen's mislabeled remake have been fairly (or unfairly) dismissive of the original, an unfortunate lapse, because in every area where Poseidon fails, The Poseidon Adventure succeeds. There is no better way to talk about the poverty of contemporary Hollywood filmmaking – or of American culture in general – then to look at how low this ship has sunk in the intervening thirty-four years.
First, while it may be pulp, the film (and the book that inspired it), much like a lot of science fiction or the work of Ayn Rand (here comes the hate mail) is pulp that contains ideas.
That's the quality that I think inspires such irrational devotion from its followers. A powerful metaphor is at work. A group of ordinary people are thrust into the unknown. Everything they've ever known has literally been turned upside-down. They can either stay where they are, cling to the past, and die…or they can make the difficult and painful climb up to life, which "always matters very much". The terrain of their many layered journey resembles Dante's Inferno in reverse. Furthermore, they are led by a vaguely Mephistophelean preacher (Gene Hackman) who spouts Christian heresies that most libertarians would recognize as equal parts Walt Whitman, Ayn Rand and Neitzsche. "Don't pray to God," he says at one point, "Pray to that part of God within you." Unlike a Catholic priest (Arthur O'Connell) who elects to remain behind to die with the dead, the wounded and the weak-willed majority, Hackman's credo is a variation of Poor Richard's: "The Lord Helps Those Who Help Themselves." What makes him very American, and what makes the film inspirational, is that Hackman's preacher (unlike, say, a Rand character) doesn't just want to save his own neck. He makes it a point of pride – a mania, really – to convince as many people as possible to join him. Then he proceeds to kick their asses, morally, spiritually and physically, in a word inspiring them to save themselves. It is a victory of reason over blind faith and a most generous, humane application of "selfishness." Hackman's character is a Christ-like anti-Christ, whose greatest sorrow is the loss of a fat old lady (Shelley Winters) whom he helped transform from a whining lump into the highest type of hero. In retrospect, I'm certain that the philosophy of this Darwinian Preacher character, whispered into my impressionable six-year old ear during a Saturday matinee, was my first step on the journey to libertarianism.
So: the original Poseidon Adventure, an inspirational, emotionally affecting suspense picture. Now let's look at Poseidon. As we know from Das Boot and A Perfect Storm, Wolfgang Peterson is an expert at photographing sinking tubs and the people who drown in them. Unlike those more successful, earlier outings however, this time Peterson forgot to put any people on the boat. If you made a silent movie about rats trapped in an upside down model sailboat (say, Stuart Little's) and the rats managed to scramble somehow to the top of the boat, the results would be exactly like Poseidon. It is as though Petersen decided to take the last five minutes of A Perfect Storm and expand it to two hours. It may very well be that Petersen has done his science homework and a capsized ocean liner only has minutes before it goes down. That would be all very well and good in a documentary. But a fiction film needs air pockets if we're to form any attachment to the characters…and we ought to form attachments to the characters if the film is going to have any meaning…and a film should have meaning, shouldn't it? Poseidon is a large screen video game, less important to us than the accompanying popcorn. We neither know nor care anything about the little band of anonymous ciphers who inhabit this story beyond their names and occupational and familial titles. They are no more important to us than the hundreds of extras who are ritually drowned, crushed, shattered, burned and electrocuted in this mildly violent ballet of death.
And the little we know, we don't like. Josh Lucas is a cynical gambler and former Navy SEAL who resembles a catalog model. Kurt Russell is a former Mayor of New Yorkand former New Yorkfireman with a really good tan. Emmy Rossum is his pretty daughter who resembles a fashion model. There's another 6 or 8 like this but it hardly matters; none of them are members of the human race as you or I know it. The original film was about a group of highly imperfect people, people you might not peg as survivors or team players, summoning the strength and the character to go on. They were played by such sex symbols as Shelly Winters, Jack Albertson, Red Buttons and Ernest Borgnine (Marty, for god's sake). Along the way, you got to know these vulnerable people, like them, and consequently, root for them. Lately modern Hollywood repeatedly makes the mistake of thinking we want to root for invulnerable people, and I hope to God they're wrong because the technical name for that philosophy is fascism. The modern hero is a vigilante on steroids dispatching dozens of bad guys with an AK-47 (or in the case of Poseidon it's Josh Lucas leaping 100 feet through a burning oil slick into the water beneath in order to rig a special rescue device with a fire hose). But in my book, if the hero is superman the stakes are zero. And why on earth is Kurt Russell a former New York Mayor? It is as though the creators, perceiving that they could not write any characters we could like, opted to replace them with symbolic shorthand for concepts with high Q score. It scans more like a football playbook than what you would call a script. But, contrary to popular belief, you need a script. Without one, all sorts of moral questions go unasked. Stay or go? Live or die? Help the hopeless or save myself? At one point in Poseidon, Richard Dreyfus, as a gay millionaire, is forced to shake off a man who is clinging to his legs for dear life over a burning precipice. Once accomplished, this action, which would be traumatic for any person with a conscience, is never referred to in the film again. This is not good. In these treacherous times, the cinema – all culture – has a role to play in helping us process new realities, and in helping us as citizens of a presumably democratic nation to think and decide the questions of the day. Questions with life-and-death implications for all of us. In light of this, the question on everyone's lips should not be, "Are we ready for Flight 93?" (we undoubtedly are), but "Are we still able to stomach Poseidon?" Me, I was puking over the rail.


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IFSC Code of STATE BANK OF INDIA (SBI) Chodavaram branch - Vishakapatnam. Contact phone number and address
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IFSC Code Details and Chodavaram Branch Information
STATE BANK OF INDIA - CHODAVARAM is located at ANDHRA PRADESH state, VISHAKAPATNAM district, CHODAVARAM city and the bank branch's address is [DIST VISAKHAPATNAM, ANDHRA PRADESH 531036]. Contact phone number / numbers - IP 992133, 08934-245055. The IFSC Code is SBIN0000255. Branch code is the last six characters of the IFSC Code - 000255. Individual bank branch's details are listed below.
Bank :
State Bank Of India
State :
Andhra Pradesh
District :
Branch :
IFSC Code :
SBIN0000255 (5th character is zero)
MICR Code :
Branch Code :
000255 (Last 6 Characters of the IFSC Code)
City :
Address :
Dist Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh 531036
Contact :
Nearest State Bank Of India branches in Vishakapatnam
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Banks List with IFSC Code
Chodavaram branch information
Indian Financial System Code, Magnetic Ink Character Recognition, SWIFT Code, Address and Contact number of STATE BANK OF INDIA (SBI) - Chodavaram branch. Branch office / ATM location : Dist Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh 531036
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text: 0 Dzesviro April 20, 2016 by Dr Sviro · Published April 20, 2016 Kurova zvinhu kwandakaita imwe Sugar Momz Loading… I was an ordinary teacher at a certain school in town . we organized a school trip to manicaland to chimanimani bridal falls. I was chosen to accompany students. It was a cluster... Share this:FacebookRedditTwitterTumblrGooglePinterestLinkedInEmailPrint


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Top 5 MMA stories of 2012
There was great action in the cage in 2012, from Ronda Rousey winning the Strikeforce title to Tito Ortiz fighting the final fight of his Hall of Fame career, but it seemed that much of the notable news in 2012 wasn't about the fights.
UFC president Dana White seemed to be updating an ever-growing injury list on an hourly basis. Here are the top five stories in MMA in 2012: – By Kevin Iole
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3900 sq ft Stone house situated above a one acre lake. Of matching materials and craftsmanship is a7,100 sq ft 8 horse stall barn with generous stalls, hot and cold wash racks, saddle room, living quarters/ office space and excellent turnouts. Ideally the bar...
Beautiful rolling hills, great views, large hardwood trees. The property is ready for weekend cabin or main home site. Abundant Wildlife, White Tail Deer, Axis Deer, Wild Hogs, Turkey. Additional acreage available.
Serious hunters will recognize this land as the PERFECT HABITAT for small game, deer and waterfowl! Meadows in front with scattered apple trees and hardwood forest in back with 1,500 feet of frontage on A 64 acre lake which is LOADED WITH TROPHY LARGEMOUGH BASS! A huge bea...
Working Equestrian Center Online-Only Auction
Statesboro, GA 53 Acres
Starting Bid $500,000 Previously Listed at $1.6M 2% Broker Co-Op
Ends Tuesday, March 28 7 PM ET
Property Location: 407 Bruce Groover Rd, Statesboro, GA, 30461
Broker-Only Open House: Februar...
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Windows Mobile Developer
This project received 23 bids from talented freelancers with an average bid price of £4317 GBP.Get free quotes for a project like this
Project Budget£3000 - £5000 GBP
Total Bids23
Project Description
Windows Mobile Developer required to port an existing IOS app to windows mobile 7 platform. And potentially work on other applications.
Skills required include Windows Mobile 7 , silverlight, xml., web services
Any IOS or Android skills will help
Skills Required
Looking to make some money?
- Set your budget and the timeframe
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Logo, Banner & Website Header for Auction Website
This project received 15 bids from talented freelancers with an average bid price of $157 USD.Get free quotes for a project like this
Project Budget$30 - $250 USD
Total Bids15
Project Description
I have awarded a project for an Auction Website on Freelancer this week.
The basic coding and Database work has started.
I now need High Quality Design for LOGO, 4 BANNER ADS, WEBSITE HEADER TEMPLATE.
Please suggest good colour scheme, and grahics as appropriate.
The auction site is called:
[url removed, login to view]
Tag Line - lowest unique bid wins the auction
We will auction Electronics, Computer, Mobiles, Automobiles, Real Estate
Skills Required
Looking to make some money?
- Set your budget and the timeframe
- Outline your proposal
- Get paid for your work
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- Time
- Wall Street Journal
- Times Online


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Our hallway accessories are high on function and most offer a choice in colour. Go with sculptural coat hooks in cool colours or warm wood, lots of clever storage and a nice little seat.
Free interior design serviceBook here →
Order the BoConcept catalogue here
Send your question to BoConcept
Send your idea to the BoConcept idea box
All prices are recommended retail prices in SGD ($) and include GST.


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The museum is closed for redevelopment until late-2016.
The displays at the National Army Museum concentrate more on telling the story of the individual soldier's life than on chronicling campaigns and battles. Among the exhibits is the pencil-written scrap of paper that launched the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854, sending more than 600 men charging in the wrong direction to attack the Russian Army. The National Army Museum's art gallery traces the history of the British Army from the 16th century to the Kosovo peace-keeping operation in 2000. The Redcoats gallery contains displays on the Army's formative years under leaders such as Oliver Cromwell and the 'Butcher of Culloden.' Uniformed presenters in role as soldiers from the past bring the museum's galleries to life at weekends. 'National Service' is a new, permanent display exploring the contribution of Britain's post-war service conscripts in eight conflicts over 20 years, as they moved from civilian to soldier.
|Venue name:
|National Army Museum
Royal Hospital Rd
|Opening hours:
|The museum is closed for redevelopment until 2016
|Tube: Sloane Square
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Navigator MN3508 Outrunner Brushless Multi-Rotor Motor (580kV) by T-Motor
This is the 580kV T-Motor Navigator MN3508 Outrunner Brushless Multi-Rotor Motor. The T-Motor Navigator MN3508 series is an excellent choice for multirotor UAV applications. MN3508 motors feature custom assembly methods and unique materials to provide the power and reliability necessary for a dependable aerial platform.
Navigator MN3508 motors include high quality Japanese EZO bearings that are twice the size of similar size motors, for smooth low speed operation and a lifespan of more than 60 hours. An M6 CW prop adapter, T-Motor plate cover for carbon fiber props and prop mounting hardware are included to make prop installation easy, and standard 25x25mm mounting holes make the motor compatible with any kind of frame.
These features combined make the Navigator series an incredible value that delivers impressive performance, with the reliability required for a dependable aerial platform.
- Incredible flight time and performance
- Reduced vibration
- Sleek design
- Pre-lubricated EZO ball bearings from Japan
- Oxygen-free copper wire
- CNC Machined aluminum front and rear housing is vented to reduce operating temperatures
Configuration: 12N14P
Stator Diameter: 35mm
Stator Length: 8mm
Shaft Diameter: 4mm
Motor Dimensions (Dia.*Len): Φ41.8×26.5mm
Weight (g): 82g
ldle current(10)@10v(A): 0.4A
No. of Cells (Lipo): 3-4S
Max. Continuous current (A) 180s: 18A
Max. Continuous Power (W) 180s: 400W
Max. Efficiency Current: (3-9A)>82%
Internal Resistance: 110mΩ
This product was added to our catalog on April 3, 2014.


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STARmeterSEE RANK
Up 15,401 this week
Nicholas R. Grava
Nicholas Grava is an actor, host, and proud Boston native. He developed his BIG personality while growing up around his loud, Italian, no BS family. He began modeling at the young age of 12 when he made his National debut on Toys R' Us shelves appearing on multiple toy boxes and in advertisements. Prior to making the move to LA, he studied Acting ... See full bio »
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High fidelity Tube phono preamplifier
Our Perla Musica is a meticulously crafted tube phono preamp stage. You realized high demands on analog audiophile music reproduction.
Our Perla Musica is now available in an improved SE Version. With constructive modifications like optimized absorber feet and even better electronic components we have improved the preamplifier regarding three-dimensionality, accuracy and dynamic.
|Output impedance: 600 Ω
Gain MM: 46 dB
Gain MC: 66 dB
Input impedance, MM: 47 kΩ
Input capacitance MM: 100 pF
Input MC: Transformers up to 0, 7mV
Tube assembly: 3 x 12AX7 and 1 x EZ 90
Voltage: 230 V / 50 Hz
Power consumption: 20 VA
Dimensions: HxWxD: 112 x 250 x 250 mm
Weight: approx. 4 kg
|Tip Echipament
|Phono Stage (Preamp)


text:
Home > Eyeglasses > JosEschenbach > JE 981002 (40)
New Releases
Free outbound and return shipping
30-day money-back guarantee
Low prices
Free outbound and return shipping
30-day money-back guarantee
Low prices
JE 981002/40 Eyewear
With these designer eyeglasses, you are always perfectly dressed. The JE 981002 is available in the Edel-Optics online shop in other styles from JosEschenbach collections 2015 and 2016.
This frame was specially designed for genuine power women. Graceful design and expressiveness are interspersed with classical chic. Full rim frames completely enclose the lenses within the frame. For a convinced eyeglass wearer, any other frame style is ruled out, with very few exceptions. The square shape accentuates the face shape, making it the perfect style element for self-confident personalities. Frames made of titanium are particularly elegant. They lend the appearance a certain lightness, because they have up to 50% less weight than comparable eyewear made of other materials. They are also extremely stable, independent of the thickness of the frame. Whether natural or extravagant - the colour green makes you stand out from the crowd and makes your eyeglasses the perfect accessory.
Moreover, we can also provide you with the correct prescription lenses at an incredibly low price. The only thing you need to provide us with are your current dioptre values determined by your ophthalmologist. Together with our digital dispensing optician, you can choose between reasonably priced brand lenses from Germany or premium brands such as Seiko, Hoya and Rodenstock. Edel-Optics' plastic lenses have many features such as anti-reflection coating, lotus effect, cleaning coating, antistatic and hard coating at no extra charge.
The model has already been ordered and will shortly be back in stock. If you order now, you will get the reduced price and once the goods arrive, we will send you your new JosEschenbach on the same day. If you buy at Edel-Optics you get the best price, because "in the sale" is our standard.
New Releases
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In a message dated 10/19/2004 3:19:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
firstname.lastname@example.com writes:
Any chance you have the causative organism of verticillium wilt in your
soil? I made the mistake of planting Monkshood in a spot where a
Japanese maple previously died of the disease -- not realizing that
Aconitum is succeptible.
Don't think so. Haven't had any particular trouble with it. I suspect
Gene is right that it is a matter of being too dry. Both plants are in
dry spots - and it has been dry all summer.
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When is the final paycheck due when an employee is fired under Michigan law?
As per Mich. Comp. Laws §§408.474, 408.475, when an employee is fired, the employer must give him or her a final paycheck no later than the next regularly scheduled pay date.
The information on this page is meant to provide a general overview of the law. The laws in your state and/or city may deviate significantly from those described here. If you have specific questions related to your situation you should speak with a local attorney.
Additional Wage and Hour Articles
- When is the final paycheck due when an employee quits under Michigan law?
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- What deductions may an employer make from an employee's final paycheck under Michigan law?
- Under what circumstances can a final paycheck be withheld under Michigan law?
- What recourse does an employee have under Michigan law if he or she is unable to obtain his or her final paycheck from a former employer?


text:
This material is for MERLOT Partners only. Click here for more information on becoming a partner.
Material Type: Collection
Technical Format: HTML/Text
Date Added to MERLOT: November 02, 2012
Date Modified in MERLOT: November 15, 2012
Submitter: ALEX POBLETE OPAZO
Keywords: micrometro, medicion, reloj comparador de caratulas, pie de metro, instrumentos de medicion, instrumentos, goniometro, medidas
Reviewed by members of Editorial board for inclusion in MERLOT.Editor ReviewVery good quality; in queue to be peer reviewedavg:
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Pick a Bookmark Collection or Course ePortfolio to put this material in or scroll to the bottom to create a new Bookmark CollectionName the Bookmark Collection to represent the materials you will addDescribe the Bookmark Collection so other MERLOT users will know what it contains and if it has value for their work or teaching. Other users can copy your Bookmark Collection to their own profile and modify it to save time.Edit the information about the material in this {0}Submitting Bookmarks...Select this link to open drop down to add material INSTRUMENTOS DE MEDICION to your Bookmark Collection or Course ePortfolioSelect this link to close drop down of your Bookmark Collection or Course ePortfolio for material INSTRUMENTOS DE MEDICIONSelect this link to open drop down to add material INSTRUMENTOS DE MEDICION to your Bookmark Collection or Course ePortfolio
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4 years ago
DARIO ISLA (Consultant)
Muy buenas fotos, pero me falta que se explique cual es el uso de los instrumentos que en el pdf se detalla.


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See the preparation, the interactions, the celebrations and the heartache of the participants of Bellator 153. Go inside the locker rooms of Michael "Venom" Page, Brennan Ward, Pitbull Freire, Benson watch video >>
TOP 5 Who's victory will you be celebrating? Place your bets at betXchange.com now! Best victory celebrations ahead of next Saturday's highly anticipated night of fights. watch video >>
One of the world's best celebrations by one of the EFC's best! Can it be done again? Book your tickets now. Tumisang Madiba faces the tough challenge of Barend Nienaber next Saturday at the massive watch video >>
Michael Bisping, Kenny Florian and Brendan Schaub list their top 5 celebrations in this segment of UFC Now, episode 204. Watch the full episode on UFC FIGHT PASS: http://www.ufc.tv/category/ufc-now watch video >>
MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant sits down with former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and hears what he has to say about his upcoming fight with Dan Henderson, set to take place at UFC 157 o watch video >>


text:
I damaged the cable that goes to the left side, and the plug on my Grados pretty badly, but the headphones themselves are fine. Would it be best for me to buy cables and solder them on myself, send them back go Grado, or to find someone who repairs headphones and send the cans to them?
post #1 of 7
1/14/07 at 10:58pm
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text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Jul 8, 2003
|Filing date
|Jul 24, 2002
|Priority date
|Oct 5, 1998
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|D'Arcy Harold Lorimer
|Original Assignee
|Lorimer D'arcy Harold
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (7), Referenced by (17), Classifications (19), Legal Events (6)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This application is a divisional application of copending application Ser. No. 09/166,819 filed Oct. 5, 1998 U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,552 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING FLAT WORKPIECES, and claims benefit thereof.
This invention relates generally to semiconductor manufacturing systems, more particularly to cleaning apparatus forming a part of semiconductor manufacturing systems, and most particularly to high-purity cleaning systems for flat workpieces.
The production of integrated circuits requires very clean systems and processes. This is because integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices often have line-widths in the submicron range. Even very tiny particles adhering to the surface of a semiconductor wafer during the integrated circuit manufacturing process have the potential of destroying the functionality of integrated circuits on the wafer. The semiconductor manufacturing industry therefore goes to great lengths to keep the semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and the surrounding environment, in a very clean condition.
Semiconductor manufacturing is typically accomplished within "clean rooms" which are categorized by "Class." For example, a Class 100 clean room will have no more than 100 airborne particles of a certain size per cubic foot. A Class 10 clean room will have only 10 such particles per cubic foot, a Class 1 clean room will have only 1 particle per cubic foot, etc. In modern semiconductor manufacturing plants, Class 1 clean rooms are often used.
Integrated circuits are typically formed in multiple copies on a single semiconductor wafer. This semiconductor wafer used most frequently is made from a very pure silicon material; and are typically 6-12 inches in diameter. These wafers, as received from the manufacturer, are very clean. They may, for example, have fewer than a dozen particles of a given sub-micron size per wafer. Ultimately, these wafers are processed by a series of deposition, masking, etching, implantation, etc. operations in order to form a number of integrated circuits on a surface. The wafer is then cut into "die", each of which includes a single integrated circuit chip. Operative die are packaged and sold as the final integrated circuits.
The "yield" from a semiconductor wafer is defined as the total number of operative die divided by the total number of die on the wafer. The cost-per-integrated circuit is directly related to the yield of the wafer. Since a leading cause of inoperative die are particles that were present on the surface of the wafer during the manufacturing process, it is imperative to keep the wafer surface as clean as possible during the manufacturing process.
Unfortunately, many of the processes to which a wafer is exposed during the manufacturing process are inherently dirty. For example, an etching process can create a large number of particles on the surface of a wafer. As another example, chemi-mechanical polishing (CMP), which is increasingly used to replace isotropic etching processes, uses chemicals and fine particles to grind the surface of a wafer. Chemi-mechanical polishing is also sometimes referred to as "chemi-mechanical planarization", since it is often used for planarization purposes. It-will therefore be appreciated that CMP processes generate a great many particles on the surface of the wafer which must be removed to maintain a reasonable yield from the wafer.
The prior art teaches a number of methods for cleaning wafers. The most common is an aqueous or chemical bath into which the wafer is dipped. However, these "wet" or "dip" processes have a number of deficiencies. For one, wet processes are generally incompatible with cluster tool processing. Wet cleaning processes have traditionally been batch processes where a group or batch (usually 25) wafers was cleaned, rinsed, and dried together in a cassette. Since cluster tools process wafers singly (in series), wafers from cluster tools must be loaded into cassettes and then transported to cleaning areas by human operators. This requires that the wafers be loaded into plastic cassettes that are placed into dip tanks for chemical processing. These cassettes are then placed into spin/rinse dryers for final rinsing and drying. This process consumes time, costs money, and exposes the wafers to the possibility of contamination during transport. As wafer sizes get larger, the transportation and handling of wafers in cassette batches becomes much more difficult and less practical.
To aid in the removal of particles, traditional wet cleaning equipment has used ultrasonic (or Megasonic) high frequency agitation, rotating brushes, or high velocity liquid jets. High frequency agitation has been proven effective at removing particles, but the difficulty lies in preventing redeposit of particles from the solution once the ultrasound energy stops. Since the wafer must often be removed from the solution through a gas liquid interface, it must be removed through a zone where particles may concentrate, recontaminating the wafer upon exit. To avoid this, it has been proposed to provide continuous liquid flow at the interface, but high overflow rates are required to keep particle counts low and this may result in excessive water or chemical consumption.
Rotating brushes have also been used, where the bristles have been chemically treated to modify solution Zeta potential, therefore attracting particles from the wafer surface to the brush. However, for these to work, the nature of the particles must be such that they are attracted to the charge on the brushes. In addition, cleaning the brushes may be critical since dirty brushes (having accumulated a lot of particles) will eventually recontaminate the wafer surfaces, reducing cleaning effectiveness. Liquid jets must be very high velocity in order to result in a fluid boundary layer on the order of the particle sizes (well below 0.5 micron). These high velocities can damage surfaces due to erosion, especially with patterned substrates with various surface topography.
Wet processes do not tend to be very effective at removing all particles, and will actually add particles to the surface of the wafer when the cleaning solution becomes dirty. In addition, the aqueous or liquid phase contains particles that are about 3 orders of magnitude higher (per cubic meter) than those found in the gas phase. This is in part due to the fact that filtration technology is about two to three orders of magnitude less effective for the liquid phase than for the gas phase. Further, even the purest of water has the propensity to grow contaminating microorganisms. Because of these factors, there has been a dedicated focus for many years on "dry" processing utilizing gas phase processes.
The number of particles added to a wafer by the solution is dependent on the concentration equilibrium between the particles in the solution immediately in contact with the wafer and those on the surface. Soaps and surfactants will effectively reduce the "apparent" particle concentration by tying or solvating the particles to organic components in solution. Soaps are not widely used in the semiconductor industry for cleaning of high purity Si wafers because these same surfactants will also contaminate the wafer surfaces. In the case of very dirty wafers and very clean solutions, there will be a tendency for particles to move into solution (assuming charge effects and solution chemistry permits this). In the case of clean wafers and dirty solutions, the opposite can occur. The ultimate baseline test of a cleaning system is to measure particles added to or removed from "virgin prime" substrates which have very few particles on their surface. The better the cleaning system, the fewer the particle adders will be seen.
A typical commercial wafer cleaning apparatus (such as a spin rinse dryer) will always add particles to prime substrates, even when using ultra pure deionized water. This is because, no matter how pure the water source, there is always present particle and bacterial contamination. Only the very sophisticated and highly proprietary final cleaning processes used by the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of the silicon substrates, i.e. the wafer manufacturers themselves, can actually remove particles from prime quality wafers. These processes are too complex and expensive to be used in the production fabs.
For the foregoing reasons, wet wafer process cleaning has always been deemed by production fabs as a necessary evil, and for many years effort was focused on developing so called dry cleaning processes which used reactive gasses and plasmas to try and remove particle contaminates. With the advent of CMP, the practicality of using dry processes to remove large levels of contamination has been considerably reduced.
The use of high purity steam has some potential advantages when compared to conventional wet cleaning. If done correctly, high purity water can be vaporized into a high purity gas (steam), then condensed directly onto the wafer surface. UHP steam is potentially devoid of any ions and contaminates, including bacteria and particles, and will be a very aggressive solvent for surface contaminants. However, it is very important that adequate amounts of steam are applied to the wafer surface, and that the contaminants are flushed uniformly from the surface. Condensing steam at 1 atmosphere pressure will also raise the wafer temperature to nearly 100� C., making residue free drying a possibility.
The prior art has taught the possibility of using steam to clean silicon wafers for a number of years. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,032 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,522, mention the use of an inclined heat sink to process wafers one at a time by condensing steam on the wafer surface and allowing the condensate to drain off by gravity. However, this method will not produce uniformly clean wafers due to the fixed orientation of the wafer being cleaned, resulting in potential particle gradients bottom to top. Further, the process as described is quite lengthy, requiring many minutes per wafer. In addition, the technique has no provision for backside cleaning (i.e. the cleaning of the surface of the wafer opposite from the active surface of the wafer) that would not recontaminate the front surface. There is also no mention of purifying the steam prior to condensation, which is critical for particle free performance, since steam (like any gas) can contain aerosols and particles that will contaminate the wafer surface upon condensation.
The prior art discloses the use of steam or condensing water vapor to clean silicon wafers. Typically, such prior art discloses the contact of a wafer cassette or single wafer with saturated steam. The prior art therefore typically ignores the requirement to provide adequate "heat sinking" behind the wafer to condense sufficient steam to clean. Without the heat sink, only enough steam will condense to raise the temperature of the wafer from its input temperature to 100� C., e.g. only a few cubic cm. To condense sufficient quantities of water for adequate cleaning, on the order of a 100-200 cc/min of condensate, a heat sinking of many kilowatts is required. This is perhaps the reason condensing steam has not been utilized for conventional batch cassette processing. It is not easy or practical to heat sink each wafer adequately in a cassette.
It would therefore be desirable to have a cleaning method and apparatus which is both more effective than cleaning methods and apparatus of the prior art and which can become an integral part of a semiconductor manufacturing system.
One aspect of the present invention applies filtered, high purity steam to an active surface of a wafer to clean particles from the active surface. Preferably, a relatively cooler liquid is simultaneously applied to the back of the wafer to heat sink the large heat of vaporization and provide backside cleaning. Due to the elevated temperature produced by the condensing steam, the wafer can be dried quickly in situ. Because the invention does not use the "wet" batch (cassette) cleaning technology of the prior art, the clean wafer can exit from the system in a dry state, enabling a "dry in/dry out" single wafer processing strategy. Consequently, the cleaning apparatus of the present invention can be tightly integrated and form a part of a semiconductor processing system.
In one aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor processing system includes at least one semiconductor fabrication process apparatus operative to perform a semiconductor fabrication process on a surface of a semiconductor wafer, and a wafer cleaning device for cleaning the wafer surface preceding or subsequent to the semiconductor fabrication process. Such semiconductor fabrication processes include thermal oxidation, chemical vapor deposition, epitaxial deposition, physical vapor deposition, copper deposition, etch, or chemi-mechanical polishing. Preferably, the wafer cleaning device includes a wafer rotating mechanism, a steam inlet for applying steam directly to an active surface of a rotating wafer, and a liquid inlet for simultaneously applying a liquid to the backside of the wafer. In one embodiment, one or more wafer cleaning devices may be part of a cluster tool sharing a common transfer chamber and a common wafer transport arm with single or multiple semiconductor fabrication process apparatus. In another embodiment, one or more wafer cleaning devices may reside by themselves on a cluster tool separate from the cluster tool to which the semiconductor fabrication process apparatus are attached.
The present invention further includes a method for manufacturing an integrated circuit including subjecting an active surface of a wafer to a plurality of processes, and cleaning the active surface of the wafer before, during, or after the plurality of processes. As used herein, the term "plurality of processes" refers to two or more processes selected from a group including thermal oxidation, deposition, patterning, doping, planarization, etching, and ashing processes. For example, the planarization process can be a chemi-mechanical polishing (CMP) process. Cleaning the wafer further includes rotating the wafer, applying a vapor phase to the active surface at a first temperature, and applying a second liquid to the backside surface at a second temperature lower than the first temperature. The vapor phase may include steam, mixtures of steam and isopropyl alcohol, or mixtures of steam and hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen bromide, and ammonia. The vapor phase may be filtered prior to application to the wafer surface. After subjecting the active surface to the plurality of front end semiconductor manufacturing processes, the wafer is cut into a plurality (i.e. two or more) of integrated circuit die, and the die are packaged to form a plurality of integrated circuits.
A work piece cleaning system in accordance with the present invention includes a work piece holder including a plurality of work piece gripping members, a rotator mechanism coupled to the gripping members to rotate the work piece, a vapor phase inlet positioned to apply a vapor phase at a first temperature to a first surface of the work piece, and a liquid phase inlet positioned, to apply a liquid phase at a second temperature lower than the first temperature to a second surface of the work piece. The liquid phase cools the work piece such that there is substantial condensation of the vapor phase when it contacts the first surface of the wafer. Preferably, the system further includes a liquid supply, and a vapor phase generator and filter coupling the vapor generator to the cleaning chamber. The liquid supply preferably comprises deionized water, and/or isopropyl alcohol solution, or other suitable aqueous and non-aqueous cleaning agents.
A work piece cleaning system in accordance with other aspects of the present invention includes a supply of an aqueous solution, a steam generator coupled to the supply of aqueous solution and operative to generate a vapor phase of the aqueous solution, a filter coupled to the steam generator to filter the vapor phase, a rotating wafer holding mechanism, and a nozzle coupled to the filter to direct the vapor phase to a surface of the wafer that is held and rotated by the wafer holding mechanism. Some of the vapor phase becomes liquefied upon contacting the wafer, and is urged outwardly toward the edge of the wafer by the rapid rotation of the wafer. Preferably, a liquid phase of an aqueous solution is applied to the other surface of the wafer to clean the backside of the wafer and to cool the wafer to aid in the condensation process. An ultrasonic transducer or other vibration mechanism can be coupled to the system to further aid in the cleaning process.
An advantage of the present invention is that it can be characterized as a "dry" process, even though various fluids are applied to the wafer during the cleaning process. This is because the wafer is heated during the cleaning process, and can be removed from the cleaning system in a dry state. As such, it can form an integral part of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, such as a cluster tool.
Another advantage of the invention is that the active side and the back side of the wafer can be cleaned simultaneously. This is advantageous in that processes of the prior art that only clean the active side of the wafer leave particles and residue on the back side of the wafer that can, itself, become a source of contamination for the active side.
A still further advantage of using a vapor phase, such as steam, to clean the active side of a wafer is that it is an inherently cleaner process than the wet clean processes of the prior art. This is due, in great part, to the extremely high purity that can be achieved with steam, especially when it is passed through a filter in its vapor phase. As such, the steam cleaning agent introduces virtually no particles or contaminants to the surface of the wafer.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following descriptions of the invention and a study of the several figures of the drawing.
FIG. 1a is a block diagram view of a manufacturing system for making integrated circuits in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 1b is a flow diagram of a manufacturing process of the present invention that can be implemented with the system illustrated in FIG. 1a;
FIG. 2a is a diagram illustrating the operation of a semiconductor processing cluster tool in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2b is a flow diagram of a process for operating the cluster tool of FIG. 2a in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a partially sectioned, top plan view of a wafer cleaner in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view take along line 4—4 of FIG. 3 in accordance with the present invention;
FIGS. 5a and 5 b illustrate the movement of a fluid over the surface of a semiconductor wafer as the wafer is rotated both with reference to ground (FIG. 5a) and with respect to the wafer (FIG. 5b) in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a cleaning chamber of the present invention illustrating the loading and unloading of a wafer;
FIG. 7a is a diagram illustrating the vapor phase delivery system and liquid phase delivery system of the present invention; and
FIG. 7b illustrates a process flow of the present invention.
In FIG. 1a, a semiconductor manufacturing system 10 includes a fabrication facility or "fab" 12 including a number of semiconductor processing apparatus and tools. Typically, the fab 12 is enclosed within a clean room 14, e.g. a Class 10 or Class 1 clean room. The fab 12 includes one or more Ultra High Purity (UHP) wafer cleaners 16 (e.g. 16 a, 16 b, 16 c) in accordance with the present invention in addition to front end processing apparatus 20. As used herein, "front end" processing apparatus include systems, machines, apparatus, tools, etc. which operate at the wafer level to perform such functions as thermal oxidation, deposition, etch, photolithography, chemi-mechanical polishing (CMP), etc.
As is well known to those skilled in the art, a series of front end processing operations are used to build the multiple layers of an integrated circuit structure. Some of these front end processing equipment are shown generically in blocks 22 (e.g. 22 a, 22 b), while a particular front end processing apparatus is illustrated by CMP apparatus 24. Also illustrated is a "coarse clean" apparatus 26 that is inserted into the process flow between CMP apparatus 24 and an UHP cleaning apparatus 16 a. This "coarse clean" apparatus can be a "wet", "dip" or brush cleaning apparatus as described previously, wherein one or more wafers are dipped into a vat of liquid cleaning solution or cleaned with brushes and liquid sprays. The coarse clean can also be an integrated module in the CaM machine itself, and/or a part of a cluster tool.
The semiconductor manufacturing system 10 may further include a backend processing system 28. As used herein, "backend processing" includes systems, machines, apparatus, tools, etc. involved in the finishing work of manufacturing integrated circuits. Such backend processing systems includes the saws for cutting a process wafer into individual die, apparatus for testing the wafer in the die, apparatus for wire and packaging the die, etc.
A process for making an integrated circuit in accordance with the present invention is as follows. A semiconductor (usually silicon) wafer 30 is obtained from a wafer manufacturer. As noted previously, these wafers are provided in a very clean state, and are often referred to as "OEM Prime Virgin" wafers. Nevertheless, these wafers may have particles that need removing. The wafers 30 are entered into the fab 12 (typically through an air or load lock), and may be cleaned in a first Ultra High Purity (UHP) clean apparatus 16 a. From there, the wafer 30 progresses through a number of front end processing apparatus forming a part of the front end processing system 20. For example, the wafer 30 may be processed through one or more thermal, etch, epitaxial ("epi"), physical vapor deposition ("PVD"), etc. semiconductor processing systems 22 a, and may be passed through an UHIP cleaner 16 b at various times during these processes.
Chemi-mechanical polishing (CMP) is becoming an increasingly popular method for planarizing and etching layers during semiconductor manufacturing. The CMP apparatus 24, however, generates a large number of particles on the wafer 30 that must be removed prior to further processing. These particles are produced by the combination of chemical and abrasive actions caused by the CMP process. It is therefore desirable to have a first or "coarse" clean in an apparatus 26 immediately after a CMP operation.
A problem with simply cleaning a wafer 30 within a coarse cleaner 26 after a CMP operation is that there are still many particles left on the active and back surfaces of the wafer. Therefore, a UHP cleaning operation of the present invention is performed in a UHP clean apparatus 16 c after the wafer 30 has been cleaned within the coarse cleaning apparatus 26. After the cleaning within the UHP cleaning apparatus 16 c, additional semiconductor manufacturing operations such as etch, PVD, chemical vapor deposition ("CVD"), etc. can be performed within the semiconductor processing systems 22 b.
After the completion of the front end processing, a processed wafer 30′ is typically removed from the fab 12 to other locations for further processing. As noted earlier, the "backend" processing system 28 performs such functions as testing the wafer 30′, cutting the wafer into individual integrated circuits die, packaging the die, etc. The end result of the semiconductor manufacturing system 10 is to produce a number of integrated circuits, shown generally at 32, from the wafers 30 passing through the system.
FIG. 1b summarizes a process 34 for making integrated circuits in accordance with the present invention. The: process 34 begins with the obtaining of prime OEM wafers in an operation 36, and a "dirty" processing operation 38 is performed. This dirty processing operation is performed in one of the aforementioned semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, or in other tools or environments related to the fabricated process, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. However, it should be noted that some processing operations are "dirtier" than other processing operations, and that cleaning may not be required after every operation which may leave some particles or other contaminants on the wafer surfaces.
After the performing of the dirty processing operation 38 the wafer is cleaned with in a UHP clean apparatus of the present invention. Preferably, the wafer is cleaned with steam on the active side of the wafer, and deionized water on the back side of the wafer in an operation 40. Isopropol alcohol ("IPA") can be added to the steam, the deionized water, or both, to aid in the cleaning process. Concentrations of between 0.1 to 25 volume % EPA are suitable. Next, in an operation 42, the back end processing is completed. Operation 44 accomplishes the front end processing of the wafer to result in one or more packaged integrated circuits.
In FIG. 2a, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 36 is in the form of a cluster tool including a number of chambers. More particularly, the cluster tool 36 includes a load station 38, a robot chamber 40 and a number of processing chambers 42, 44, 46, and 48. The transfer chamber 38 and the processing chambers 42-48 are coupled to the robot chamber 40 by slit or gate valves 50-58, respectively. A robot arm assembly 60 within the robot chamber 40 is used to transfer wafers between the various chambers 38-48. The design and operation of cluster tools of the type of cluster tool 36 is well known to those skilled in the art.
Load station 38 includes a door 62 which can opened to a load cassette 64 including a number of wafers 30. The cassette 64 is preferably placed on top of an elevator 66 within the transfer chamber 38 so that it can be moved vertically up and down (i.e. into and out of the plane of the paper in this figure). The load station 38 can be operated at atmospheric pressure or under vacuum. If operated at atmospheric pressure, the load station is preferably purged with dry, filtered nitrogen or filtered air via a hepa filter placed above the cassette 64 (not shown). In other embodiments of the invention, the cluster tool operates at absolute pressures lower than atmospheric, and can be evacuated by a vacuum system (not shown).
To begin processing the wafers within the cassette 64, the slit or gate valve 50 is opened and the robot arm 60 removes one of the wafers 30 from the cassette 64. This is accomplished by properly coordinating the movements between the robot arm assembly 60 and the vertical position of the cassette 64 as controlled by the elevator 66. The design and use of robot wafer transfer systems is well known to those skilled in the art.
Once a wafer 30 has been removed from the cassette 64 and is within the robot chamber 40 as illustrated at 30′ it can be placed within a first processing chamber 42 by opening the gate valve 52. The gate valve 52 is then closed to allow the wafer 30 to be processed within the chamber 42. The wafer then can be removed from the processing chamber 42 and inserted into, for example, a CMP chamber 44 for chemi-mechanical polishing. The robot movement of the wafer is accomplished as described previously, i.e. opening the appropriate gate valve leaving the wafer behind the chamber and closing the gate valve for subsequent processing.
It is assumed that the wafer leaves the CMP process chamber 44 in a reasonably clean state, i.e. with less than 200-500 particles per wafer, to prevent contamination of the robot transfer components. This contamination may degrade the performance of the UHP cleaning chamber 48 by contaminating wafers as they are removed. It is common to find "coarse" cleaning modules attached to the dirtier CMP process units, and if needed, these modules are assumed to be part of chamber 44. As will be discussed in greater detail subsequently, the chamber 48 is provided with nitrogen (N2), deionized (DI), water, and filtered steam to support the UHP cleaning process.
After being cleaned within the UHP cleaning chamber 48 of the present invention, the wafer can be removed from a chamber 48 and replaced within the cassette 64 to be transferred to other apparatus. Therefore, the cluster tool 36 provides a processed, clean and dry wafer suitable for additional processing.
There, of course, may be other suitable configurations for the process chambers illustrated in FIG. 2a. For example, chambers 42, 44, or 46 can be photoresist strip chambers or more CMP or UHIP steam cleaning chambers. Having multiple chambers on the same cluster tool can be advantageous for increased wafer throughput.
It should be noted that while, in the forgoing example, the UHP cleaning system is show to be a part of a cluster tool, that the UHP cleaning system can also be a stand-alone apparatus. That is, the cleaning system does not need to be integrated with other processing chamber, and can provide single or multiple wafer cleaning by utilizing the cleaning processes of the present invention. The UHP cleaning system of the present invention can also be implemented with multiple chambers in a cluster tool. That is, a plurality (i.e. two or more) UHP cleaning chambers can be provided on a single cluster tool to increase cleaned wafer throughput.
In FIG. 2b, a process 68 that can be implemented by the cluster tool 36 is illustrated in flow-diagram form. The process 68 begins at 70 with the loading of a wafer into a cluster machine. The wafer is then loaded into a cleaning chamber in an operation 72, and operation 74 cleans one side of the wafer with steam and the other side with water. The wafer is then removed from the cleaning chamber in operation 76 and is removed from the cluster tool in an operation 78.
In FIG. 3, a partially sectioned top plan view of the chamber 48 of FIG. 2a is illustrated in greater detail. The chamber includes an outer enclosure 80 made from, for example, welded aluminum. Within the chamber 48 is a cleaning apparatus 81 including a chuck 82 having a steam inlet 84, a annular passage 86, and annular a lip 88, and an annular outlet or drain 90. The top portion of the chamber 48 is not illustrated in this figure, but can be viewed in cross-section in FIG. 4.
In FIG. 4, it can be seen that the cleaning apparatus 81 within the enclosure 80 includes a side wall structure 92 a, 92 b, and a lid assembly 94. The side walls 92 a are preferably formed from a conventional material such as aluminum or stainless steel, while the annular liquid drainage bowl 90 composed of outer wall section 92 b and inner section 122, is preferably made from a chemical resistant fluoropolymer such as PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride), teflon (TFE, PFA, FEP), teflon NXT, Halar (ECTFE), or Kel-F (PCTFE). Polysulfone and PEEK may also be used, as well as stainless steel. The lid assembly 94 includes sections 94 a, 94 b, and 94 c. Section 94 a lies over the wafer and any particles created by this material will fall directly on the wafer surface. For this reason, it is preferably made from PEEK, teflon PFA, or teflon NXT. Section 94 c is preferably made from the same materials as section 92 b, but they need not be the same in each component. Section 94 b is preferably made from the same materials as section 92 a.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the chuck 82 includes an upper platen portion 96 and an integral shaft portion 98. A wafer 30 is held above the upper surface 97 of the platen portion 96 by pins 100. Preferably, at least 3 notched pins 100 are used to hold the wafer 30 securely to the chuck 82. A flow channel is provided within the shaft portion 98 and platen portion 96 for the passage of fluids, as will be discussed in greater detail subsequently.
The chuck 82 is supported for rotation by bearing assemblies 102 which engage the shaft portion 98 of the chuck 82. These bearings 102 are supported for up and down vertical movements by carriage 104 for the purpose of loading and unloading the wafer 30 from the chuck 82. The up and down movement of the carriage 104 is controlled by a motor 106.
Optionally attached to the underside of the platen portion 98 are a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 108. As used herein "plurality" means two or more transducers. Alternatively or additionally, an ultrasonic transducer 110 can be coupled to the lower end of the shaft portion 98 of the chuck 82, or in other locations. The entire chuck 82 is rotated by a motor 120 with the use of a drive belt and pulley 121, or by direct connection with motor 120, or by some other suitable transmission mechanism. A frame (not shown) is provided and is preferably connected to the side wall structure 92 of the enclosure 80. The frame includes a purge vent 124 into which a nitrogen (N2) purge can flow. The nitrogen flows through the vent 124 into the space 125 between the drainage bowl 122 and chuck 82. An upper portion of the drainage bowl 122 forms the annular lip 88 which surrounds the perimeter of the platen portion 96 of the chuck 82. Preferably, the lip 88 is provided with a relatively sharp edge 126. When nitrogen flows through vent 124, it divides into two main routes. Some of the nitrogen flows through the space 125, and down through the bearing assemblies 102. This flow prevents particles generated in the bearings from contaminating the process chamber. The other component of nitrogen flowing from vent 124 flows around the platen portion 96 of the chuck 82 and over the sharp edge 126 of the annular lip 88. This prevents liquid from flowing into the space 125 and, instead, urges any liquid towards the drain portion 90.
N2 purging is also provided in the lid assembly 94, through an annular shaped passageway 127, preferably exiting at or near the outer diameter of wafer 30. This purge aids in the reduction or elimination of recirculation eddies (caused by rotation) which can contaminate the edge of the water.
The lid 94 is provided with a steam inlet 84. This allows a vapor phase to be applied to an upper or "active" surface 130 (i.e. the surface that has integrated circuit devices being formed thereon) of the wafer 30 and a aqueous or liquid phase be applied to the back side surface 132 of the wafer 30. Preferably, heat traces 134 (e.g. electrical resistance tape or blankets) are used to maintain an elevated temperature on the sidewalls structure 92 a and the lid 94 b to prevent condensation, particularly on components 94 a,c and 92 b.
In operation, the lid 94 is lifted and the chuck 82 is caused to move in a vertical direction by the carriage 104 moving under the controller motor 106. A wafer is then placed on the platen portion 96 of the chuck 82 by the robot arm assembly, and the pins 100 engage the edge of the wafer 30. The chuck 82 is then retracted within the chamber 48 and the lid 94 is closed and sealed via seals 136. The chuck 82 is caused to rotate by motor 120 and transmission 121, the purge nitrogen is caused to flow through vent 124, and between 94 a and 94 c, deionized water is caused to flow through the channel 136 of the chuck 82 and through the liquid inlet 84, and steam is introduced to the surface 130 of the wafer 30 through the steam inlet 138. The water flowing on the back side 132 of the wafer 30 draws heat away from the wafer (i.e. provides a "heat sink") and also cleans the back side of the wafer 30. The water flows from the center of the wafer 30 to the edges of the wafer and is then directed by the lip 126 and the nitrogen purge into the drain 90 of the system. The steam entering nozzle area 138 impinges on the wafer 30 near the center, and is quickly condensed as it proceeds toward the outer diameter by the relatively cool wafer. The rotation of the chuck 82 causes the condensed steam to spin off of the surface of the wafer and to flow into the drain 90. The rotation enhances the heat and mass transfer processes required to provide significant condensation for effective cleaning and purging of the wafer surface.
In FIG. 5a, the flow of fluid with respect to "ground" illustrates a spiral path 140 of the cleaning fluid from the center C to the edge E of wafer 30. That is, steam released onto the active surface of the wafer is condensed on the wafer surface and spirals or otherwise moves from the center C towards the edge E of the wafer. This movement of the cleaning fluid is caused, to some extent, by the fluid build up of condensate on the active surface of the wafer and, to a greater extent, by the rotation of the wafer 30. The wafer 30 is held by the pins 100 to enable this rotation.
FIG. 5b is the same view of the wafer 30 as in FIG. 5a, except the movement of the cleaning fluid 142 is shown with respect the surface of the wafer 30. As can be seen, the fluid 142 moves essentially radially from the center C to the edge E of the wafer, when taken from the perspective of the surface of the wafer 30. This radial movement is, again, due to the fluid accumulation during the condensation from the center C outward of the wafer 30, and due to centrifugal forces created by the rotation of the wafer 30. The wafer 30 is held by the pins 100, as discussed previously, to enable this rotation.
While the FIGS. 5a and 5 b illustrate the movement of the cleaning fluid from central regions of the wafer 30 towards the edge regions of wafer 30, it is to be understood that the fluid paths 140 and 142 are for conceptual purposes only. The actual paths will vary dependent upon a variety of factors including the wetting of the wafer, irregularities in the wafer surface, droplet formation, etc. The key, however, is that the cleaning fluid tends to flow across the surface of the wafer and to be spun off of the edges of the wafer as it travels from the central regions of the wafer to the edge of the wafer.
In FIG. 6, the apparatus is illustrated in a pictorial fashion to facilitate a description of the loading and unloading of wafers. Assuming that the gate valve 58 is opened, the robot arm 60 places a wafer 30 within the chamber in alignment with the chuck 82. At this point in time the chuck 82 is in a lower or retracted position 82′ such that the wafer 30 is held above the chuck 82. The chuck 82 is then raised such that pins 100 engage with the edge of the wafer 30 to firmly hold the wafer 30 to the chuck 82. Typically, at this time, the robot arm 60 is withdrawn and the gate valve 58 is then closed. The chuck 82 is then lowered again to 82′ such that the lid 94 can be closed over the chuck. After cleaning, the process is reversed to remove the wafer 30 from the pins 100 of the chuck 82.
FIG. 7a illustrates both a stand-alone flat workpiece cleaning system and the support systems for a cleaning chamber 48 of a cluster tool system. The chamber 48 has a number of inlets 146, 148, and 150, and an outlet or drain 152. There may also be a gaseous pressure outlet or drain (not shown here) for the N2 purge gasses. A steam generator 154 is preferably coupled to the inlet 146 by a valve system 156 and a filter 158. A preferred steam generator 154 construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,609 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Preferably, the tubing 160 coupling the steam generator 154 to the valve system 156, the valve system 156, and tubing 162 coupling the valve system 156 to the filter 158 are made from PFA Teflon to minimize contamination of the steam. Alternatively, these aforementioned components can be made of teflon FEP, teflon NXT, PEEK, or PVDF. Heat traces 164 are preferably provided around at least tubing 162, and preferably tubing 160, valve assembly 156, and filter 158, to prevent the steam from condensing. Thermal insulation (not shown) may also be utilized on the aforementioned components. Various gas tanks such as a gas tank 166 for N2, a gas tank 168 for HF, a gas tank 170 for HCL, and a gas tank 185 for NH3 are coupled to the valve system 156 such that one or more of these gasses can be mixed with the steam generated by steam generator 154.
The filter 158 forms an important part of the purification of the steam created by steam generator 154. While steam, in general, is a very clean form of water, it can still carry minute particles, aerosols, and impurities which can be deposited upon the active wafer surface. The present invention preferably employs a 100% Teflon microporous filter, such a filter made by Millipore Corporation as model number Chem-Line II PF40. The steam is filtered in its gaseous phase, and then is applied to the active wafer surface via the inlet 146 of the chamber 48. This is very advantageous since filtering efficiency is much higher for the gaseous phase of water versus the liquid phase of water. This filtering of the gaseous phase therefore ensures a very high purity steam being applied to the active surface of the, wafer.
A source of deionized (DI) water 172 and a source of heated N2 purge gas 174 are coupled to inlet port 148 by valve 176 and tee 178. The DI water 172 is applied to the backside of the wafer 30 (not shown) to both wash the backside of the wafer and to carry heat away from the wafer, i.e. to provide a "heat sink." The heated N2 purge gas 174, coupled with nitrogen from tank 166 fed through heated components valve 156, line 162, and filter 158, is used to dry the wafer after cleaning. A drain is coupled to the valve assembly 178 by a drain valve 182. An additional (unheated) N2 purge 184 is coupled to the inlet 150.
In FIG. 7b, a process 190 for cleaning flat workpieces such as semiconductor wafers, disk drive platters, optical blanks, etc. begin at an operation 192 wherein a wafer is loaded into the cleaner and the lid is closed. In an operation 194, the chuck is then caused to rotate to rotate the loaded wafer. The cleaner is purged with N2 gas to force out air, CO2, etc. in an operation 196. The backside water flow is then started in an operation 198. Subsequently, the front or "active side" steam flow is stared in an operation 200. Ultrasonics (if any) can then be started in an operation 202. Any process chemicals (e.g. HCL, HF, HBr, NH3) used to enhance the cleaning process can be added in an operation 204. There is no requirement, however, that any process chemicals be used. If process chemicals are used, they are then stopped in an operation 206. Operation 208 then performs a steam rinse to remove any remaining process chemicals. Optionally, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is then added to the water used to generate the steam in an operation 210. While IPA is useful in the cleaning process under many circumstances, it may not always be desirable to add EPA to the steam generator water. Both sides of the wafer then continue to be cleaned in an operation 212. That is, the top or active side of the wafer continues to be cleaned by the steam and steam condensate, while the bottom side of the wafer continues to be cleaned by the DI water. Such cleaning can continue, for example, for about 30 seconds.
After the main portion of the cleaning cycle has been completed, the ultrasonics are turned off and the back side water flow is stopped in an operation 214. The cleaner is then drained of the cleaning fluids that were accumulated during the back side rinsing of the wafer in an operation 216. In an operation 218, the top side steam is stopped, and a top side N2 purge is started. Subsequently, a backside N2 purge with heated N2 gas is commenced in an operation 220. After the wafer (or other workpiece) is dry, an operation 222 terminates the purges, stops the rotation of the wafer, opens the lid, and removes the clean, dry wafer from the cleaning system.
While this invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments, it is contemplated that alternatives, modifications, permutations and equivalents thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the specification and study of the drawings. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims include all such alternatives, modifications, permutations and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
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|U.S. Classification
|438/704, 134/1.3, 438/714, 134/3, 438/706, 438/745, 134/1.2, 438/715
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Dec 14, 2006
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Jan 11, 2011
|Surcharge for late payment
Year of fee payment: 7
|Jan 11, 2011
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Feb 13, 2015
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|Jul 8, 2015
|Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees
|Aug 25, 2015
|Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee
Effective date: 20150708