BARRIER STRUCTURE AND NOZZLE DEVICE FOR USE IN TOOLS USED TO TREAT MICROELECTRONIC WORKPIECES WITH ONE OR MORE TREATMENT FLUIDS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for treating microelectronic workpieces with one or more treatment fluids including liquids, gases, fluidized solids, dispersions, combinations of these, and the like.SOLUTION: The apparatus includes: a barrier plate 102 having a lower surface 106 that overlies and at least partially covers a workpiece under a treatment, where the distance between the lower surface 106 of the barrier plate 102 and the workpiece decreases in a radially outward direction of the barrier plate 102; an aspirating pathway provided within a barrier structure 14 in fluid communication with the lower surface 106 of the barrier plate 102 so as to allow liquid on the lower surface 106 of the barrier plate 102 to be aspiratingly withdrawn from the lower surface 106 of the barrier plate 102; and a vacuum source in fluid communication with the aspirating pathway. The vacuum source and the aspirating pathway are configured such that the liquid on the lower surface 106 of the barrier plate 102 is aspiratingly withdrawn from the lower surface 106 of the barrier plate 102 when the vacuum source is applied to the aspirating pathway.