Particle removal is explored by the motion of individual particles based on laser-induced plasma shock wave

Abstract

Removing particles from the device is a challenging in the micro-field. The traditional method is easy to often result in device damage. Therefore, developing an alternative method to resolve the shortcomings is necessary for micro-contamination removal. In this study, a non-contact method is presented, which is based on the shock wave for removal of particles from substrate surface. A series of experiments of particle removal and simulation mode of shock wave characteristics was performed to investigate the removal mechanisms, particle removal modes, and the influence of relevant parameters (laser energy, particle properties, and gap distance d) on particle removal. By analyzing the experimental and simulation results, the particle removal mechanism is dominated by the shock wave ejection mechanism, which is owned to its strong pressure. The particle removal velocity is closely related to the gap distance d and the laser energy, and the maximum velocity was approximately 0.0138Mach for gap distance d is ∼1.45 mm at the energy of 9.32 mJ. Moreover, it is considered that the detachment will be obtained by the combination of lifting, rolling and sliding modes. Our basic research contributes to a better understanding of the particle removal.