JP2001038310A - Sheet-fed rinsing by liquid chemical and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently rinse a subject to be rinsed by a liquid chemical uniformly in the whole area while reducing the amount of the liquid chemical to be used per one sheet of the subject. SOLUTION: The plate-shaped subject 1 to be rinsed is set in a subject holding means 13a used for horizontally setting the subject 1 and the outer periphery of the set subject 1 is surrounded with a liquid chemical holding means 16. The set subject 1 is immersed in the liquid chemical by supplying the liquid chemical through the means 16 when rinsed and when the rinsing is finished, the used liquid chemical is discharged through the means 13a.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a single-wafer type chemical solution cleaning method and apparatus for supplying a chemical solution to a cleaning object holding means on which a plate-shaped cleaning object is set horizontally and for cleaning.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacturing process of LSIs and liquid crystal display panels, there are numerous chemical cleaning steps for semiconductor wafers and glass substrates. This chemical cleaning step removes foreign substances and contaminants on the surfaces of semiconductor wafers and glass substrates. Alternatively, as in the removal of a natural oxide film, it greatly affects the production yield and device characteristics such as light wet etching for a later process.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show a chemical cleaning apparatus used in a conventional chemical cleaning step. The chemical cleaning step for a semiconductor wafer will be described below as an example. The chemical cleaning device includes a batch type chemical cleaning device for processing a plurality of objects to be cleaned at a time,
2. Description of the Related Art There is a single-wafer type chemical liquid cleaning apparatus that processes an object to be cleaned one by one. FIG. 4 shows a conventional batch-type chemical cleaning apparatus.

A pre-cleaning cassette place 3 for setting a cassette 2 in which a plurality of semiconductor wafers 1 are vertically stored, a chemical cleaning tank 5 provided with a chemical supply port 9 and a chemical discharge port 10, a pure water supply A pure water cleaning tank 6 provided with an opening 11 and a pure water discharge port 12 and a post-cleaning cassette place 4 for mounting a cassette 2 containing the semiconductor wafer 1 after cleaning are arranged in this order.

[0005] Above the pre-washing cassette place 3, a cassette transporting means 8 which is configured to be able to move up and down and a cassette holding means 7 for moving the cassette transporting means 8 in the horizontal direction are arranged. When the cassette 2 accommodating a plurality of semiconductor wafers 1 is placed in the pre-cleaning cassette place 3, the cassette carrying means 8 moves up and down to take out the cassette 2, and the cassette holding means 7 moves in the horizontal direction to move the cassette 2 horizontally. 2 is transported to the chemical cleaning tank 5.

In the chemical cleaning tank 5, the chemical is supplied from the chemical supply port 9 until the semiconductor wafer 1 set in the cassette 2 is sufficiently immersed in the chemical, and then left for a certain period of time to perform the chemical cleaning. After a certain time has elapsed, the drug solution is discharged from the drug solution outlet 10 to the outside. The cassette 2 after the cleaning with the chemical solution is transported to the pure water cleaning tank 6 by the cassette holding means 7 and the cassette transport means 8.

In the pure water cleaning tank 6, pure water is supplied from the pure water supply port 11 until the semiconductor wafer 1 set in the cassette 2 is sufficiently immersed in pure water, and is left for a certain time to perform pure water cleaning. . The pure water overflowing from the pure water cleaning tank 6 during the pure water cleaning and the pure water in the pure water cleaning tank 6 after being cleaned for a certain time are discharged from the pure water discharge port 12 to the outside. The semiconductor wafer 1 having been subjected to the pure water cleaning is transported to the cassette place 4 after the cleaning by the cassette holding means 7 and the cassette transporting means 8 together with the cassette 2 and the cleaning is completed.

FIG. 5 shows a conventional single-wafer type chemical cleaning apparatus. A stage 13 having a rotation mechanism 15 is disposed in a casing 20 provided with a discharge port 14 for a chemical solution and pure water for cleaning the semiconductor wafer 1. In the upper part of the casing 20, a chemical liquid supply port 9 and a pure water supply port 11 extending to the upper surface of the stage 13 are arranged.

When the semiconductor wafer 1 is set horizontally on the stage 13, a chemical solution is supplied from the chemical solution supply port 9 to the semiconductor wafer 1.
Is supplied to the upper surface of After the supply of the chemical solution for a certain period of time, the supply of the chemical solution is stopped. Then, after rotating the stage 13 by the rotation mechanism 15 to shake off the chemical, pure water is supplied to the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer 1 from the pure water supply port 11 for a certain period of time to wash away the chemical.

The drainage liquid during the chemical cleaning and the pure water cleaning is supplied to a discharge port 14 provided at a lower portion of the casing 20 as needed.
Is discharged from

[0011]

In the batch type chemical liquid cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of semiconductor wafers 1 can be cleaned at a time as described above, so that the productivity is high. However, when the number of processed wafers is small, such as a small-scale production line with many kinds, for example, even when only one semiconductor wafer 1 is set in the cassette 2, the vertically set semiconductor wafer 1 is sufficiently immersed. Requires a chemical solution, which increases the cost. Also, the amount of waste liquid increases,
When a harmful and dangerous chemical solution is used, there is a problem in terms of waste liquid treatment and environmental protection.

For this reason, a single-wafer type chemical cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. In this single-wafer type chemical cleaning apparatus, it is sufficient to supply a liquid amount sufficient to immerse the semiconductor wafer 1 set in the horizontal direction. Can be reduced.

However, since the chemical liquid is always supplied to the semiconductor wafer 1 during the cleaning, more chemical liquid than necessary is used, and the cleaning cannot be performed efficiently with a small amount of the chemical liquid. The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and provides a single-wafer-type chemical solution cleaning method and apparatus that can efficiently clean an object to be cleaned with a small amount of liquid and can uniformly perform chemical liquid cleaning on the entire object to be cleaned. is there.

[0014]

The single-wafer cleaning method and apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the cleaning object holding means on which the cleaning object is set horizontally is provided with the chemical liquid holding means. According to the present invention, an object to be cleaned can be efficiently cleaned with a small amount of a chemical solution.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A single-wafer type chemical cleaning apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is provided in a cleaning object holding means on which a plate-shaped cleaning object is set horizontally, and in the cleaning object holding means. And
A chemical solution holding means surrounding an outer periphery of the set object to be cleaned; a means for supplying a chemical solution to the chemical solution holding means during washing to immerse the set object to be cleaned in the chemical solution; Means for discharging from the holding means.

A single-wafer chemical cleaning apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it has a means for supplying a chemical liquid in the form of a mist or vapor to a plate-shaped object to be cleaned and cleaning the same. The single-wafer chemical cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the set object to be cleaned is rotated while being inclined with respect to the horizontal direction,
Means for supplying a chemical solution to the object to be cleaned for cleaning.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a single-wafer chemical cleaning apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the chemical liquid supply means is disposed at a position facing the object to be cleaned, and the chemical liquid supply port of the chemical liquid supply means is provided with the chemical liquid supply port. It is characterized in that it is configured to be larger than the area. The single-wafer cleaning method according to claim 5, wherein the object to be cleaned is set on the object-to-be-cleaned holding means on which the plate-shaped object to be cleaned is set horizontally, and the set object to be cleaned is cleaned. The outer periphery is surrounded by a chemical solution holding means, the cleaning object is supplied to the chemical solution holding means at the time of cleaning, and the object to be cleaned set is immersed in the chemical solution, and when the cleaning is completed, the chemical solution is discharged from the object to be cleaned holding means. It is characterized by washing.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a single wafer type chemical cleaning method, wherein a chemical is supplied in the form of a mist or a vapor to a plate-like cleaning object set horizontally on the cleaning object holding means. It is characterized by doing. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the single-wafer chemical cleaning method according to the sixth aspect, wherein the chemical is supplied by supplying the chemical so that the spray area of the chemical on the mist or vapor is larger than the area of the plate-shaped object to be cleaned. It is characterized by doing.

In the single wafer type chemical liquid cleaning method according to the present invention, the plate-like cleaning object set horizontally on the cleaning object holding means is rotated while being inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and the cleaning is performed. It is characterized in that a chemical is supplied to an object for cleaning. The single-wafer chemical cleaning method according to claim 9,
In any one of claims 5 to 7, the object to be cleaned set in the object-to-be-cleaned holding means is rotated in the horizontal direction during cleaning.

A single-wafer cleaning method according to a tenth aspect is characterized in that:
The object to be cleaned according to claim 8, wherein the object to be cleaned is at an angle of
It is characterized in that it is inclined within the range of: Claim 11
The single-wafer-type chemical cleaning method described in claim 8 or 9.
Wherein the object to be cleaned is rotated at a rotation speed of 100 to 300 rpm. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The same reference numerals as in FIGS. 4 and 5 showing the above-described conventional example will be used to denote the same parts. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows (Embodiment 1) of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a single-wafer-type chemical cleaning apparatus. The configuration of the object-to-be-cleaned holding means is different from that of the conventional example shown in FIG. 4 so that the object to be cleaned can be cleaned with a small amount of chemical. Hereinafter, in each embodiment, an example in which the semiconductor wafer 1 is used as a plate-like object to be cleaned will be described.

On the stage 13a as the holding means for the object to be cleaned, on which the semiconductor wafer 1 is set horizontally, there is provided an annular wall 16 as a chemical solution holding means surrounding the outer periphery of the set semiconductor wafer 1. Numeral 16 is configured to move relative to the stage 13a by the lifting / lowering means 17. At the time of cleaning the semiconductor wafer 1, the annular wall 16 rises with respect to the stage 13a to surround the entire outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer 1 and the stage 13a is rotated by the rotating mechanism 15 provided on the stage 13a.

When the chemical is supplied from the chemical supply port 9 as the chemical supply means, the chemical is supplied for a certain period of time until a certain amount of the chemical inside the annular wall 16 is held so that the semiconductor wafer 1 is immersed in the chemical. Supplied. At the end of the chemical cleaning, the supply of the chemical is stopped and the annular wall 16 is lowered to discharge the retained chemical to the outside of the stage 13a. At this time, by rotating the stage 13a, the chemical solution can be more efficiently shaken off.

Next, pure water is supplied to the semiconductor wafer 1 from the pure water supply port 11 while rotating the stage 13a. Then, after supplying pure water for a certain period of time, the supply of pure water is stopped. The waste liquid during the cleaning with the chemical solution and during the cleaning with pure water is discharged from the discharge port 14 as needed.

By providing the annular wall 16 surrounding the outer periphery of the set semiconductor wafer 1 on the stage 13a in this manner, the supplied chemical solution is held on the stage 13a in a fixed amount so that the semiconductor wafer 1 is immersed. Since the chemical liquid uniformly contacts the semiconductor wafer 1 even with a small amount of chemical liquid, cleaning can be performed efficiently. The above (Embodiment 1)
In the above, the stage 13a is rotated by the rotation mechanism 15 when supplying the chemical solution. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the chemical solution may be supplied while the stage 13a is stopped.

However, as described above (Embodiment 1),
It is better to supply the chemical while rotating the stage 13a,
The semiconductor wafer 1 can be efficiently immersed in the chemical liquid with a small liquid amount. Further, the rotation speed of the stage 13a is set to 100 to 300.
At rpm, the distribution of the chemical on the stage 13a is improved, so that the semiconductor wafer 1 can be uniformly cleaned with a smaller amount of the chemical. If this rotation speed is less than 100 rpm, the wettability of the semiconductor wafer 1 is reduced and 300 rpm
When the pressure exceeds pm, the chemical liquid jumps out of the stage 13a, so that the required liquid amount increases.

Further, in the above-described (Embodiment 1), the annular wall 16 configured to be able to move up and down with respect to the stage 13a is provided as the chemical solution holding means. Any structure may be used as long as the liquid chemical is stored so that the object to be cleaned is immersed, and the stage 13a may be moved up and down with respect to the annular wall 16. Further, in the above (Embodiment 1), the annular wall 16 is formed as the chemical liquid holding means, but the present invention is not limited to this, and has a shape in which the chemical liquid can be stored around the outer peripheral portion of the object to be cleaned. Any shape may be used as long as it has a rectangular shape, for example. Alternatively, a double wall of an outer wall and an inner wall each having an outlet for a chemical solution is provided, and the inner wall and the outer wall are shifted so that the respective outlets do not overlap at the time of washing, and the chemical solution is stored in the wall. A variety of devices can be used, such as a device configured to discharge a chemical solution by overlapping discharge ports.

(Embodiment 2) In the above (Embodiment 1), a chemical liquid holding means is provided on the stage 13a to supply a chemical liquid. However, in this (Embodiment 2), a chemical liquid is supplied instead of providing the chemical liquid holding means. It differs from the above (Embodiment 1) in that it is configured to be supplied in the form of mist. FIG. 2 shows (Embodiment 2) of the present invention.

A rotating mechanism 15 for rotating the stage 13 is provided on a stage 13 as a means for holding an object to be cleaned on which the semiconductor wafer 1 is mounted. In the upper part of the stage 13, a chemical supply port 9 as a chemical supply means provided at a position where the supply port faces the semiconductor wafer 1.
a is arranged. The chemical solution supply port 9a is connected to the casing 20.
Is connected to a chemical spraying means 18 provided outside of the apparatus, and is configured to supply the chemical in the form of a mist.

When the semiconductor wafer 1 to be cleaned is placed on the stage 13, the rotating mechanism 15 rotates the stage 13.
Is rotated, and a mist of chemical solution is supplied to the semiconductor wafer 1 from the chemical solution supply port 9a. It is preferable that the area of the chemical solution supply port 9a is larger than the area of the semiconductor wafer 1. With such a configuration, the chemical solution can be supplied to the semiconductor wafer 1 in a shorter time.

If the rotation speed of the stage 13 during chemical cleaning is 100 to 300 rpm, the distribution of the chemical on the stage 13 is improved, so that the semiconductor wafer 1 can be uniformly cleaned with a smaller amount of the chemical. This rotation speed is 100r
If it is less than pm, the wettability of the semiconductor wafer 1 will be slightly inferior, and if it exceeds 300 rpm, the supplied chemical solution will scatter more, and the required amount of liquid will increase.

When the chemical liquid is supplied for a certain period of time and the chemical liquid is uniformly supplied to the semiconductor wafer 1, the supply of the chemical liquid is stopped. Next, pure water is supplied to the semiconductor wafer 1 from the pure water supply port 11 while rotating the stage 13 holding the semiconductor wafer 1 by the rotation mechanism 15. After supplying pure water for a certain period of time, supply of pure water is stopped.

The waste liquid at the time of cleaning the chemical or supplying pure water is discharged from the discharge port 14. By configuring the chemical supply means in such a manner as to supply the chemical in the form of a mist, the chemical is uniformly dispersed over the entire surface of the semiconductor wafer 1, so that cleaning can be efficiently performed with a small amount of the chemical.

In the above (Embodiment 2), the chemical is supplied in the form of mist, that is, fine droplets of the chemical by spraying or the like, but the same effect can be obtained by supplying the chemical in the form of vapor (gas). can get. Further, in the above (Embodiment 2), it is preferable that the area of the chemical solution supply port 9a is larger than the area of the semiconductor wafer 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The same effect can be obtained by supplying a chemical solution such that the area of application of the chemical solution is larger than the area of the plate-shaped object to be cleaned.

In the above (Embodiment 2), the chemical liquid is supplied while rotating the stage 13 at the time of supplying the chemical liquid. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the chemical liquid is supplied while the stage 13 is stopped. May be supplied. (Embodiment 3) FIG. 3 shows (Embodiment 3) of the present invention.

In the above (Embodiment 1), the stage 13
Although the liquid holding means is provided at a, this (Embodiment 3) is characterized in that a tilting means for tilting the stage 13b with respect to a horizontal plane is provided instead of the liquid holding means.
The stage 13b is provided with a rotation mechanism 15 for rotating the stage 13b, and a tilt mechanism 19 as tilt means for tilting the stage 13b with respect to a horizontal plane.

When the semiconductor wafer 1 is set horizontally on the stage 13b, the stage 13b is tilted with respect to the horizontal plane by the tilting mechanism 19 and rotated by the rotating mechanism 15. In this state, the chemical liquid is supplied to the semiconductor wafer 1 from the chemical liquid supply port 9, and the chemical liquid is supplied for a predetermined time.

At this time, the rotation speed of the stage 13b is 100
The rotation speed is preferably in the range of 300 rpm. When the rotation speed is less than 100 rpm, the spread of the chemical solution on the stage 13b is slightly inferior. When the rotation speed exceeds 300 rpm, the chemical solution tends to scatter outside the stage 13b. The amount of the chemical increases. If the inclination of the stage 13b is within 10 ° with respect to the horizontal direction,
The chemical solution easily spreads on the b, and the chemical solution can be more uniformly washed. When the inclination of the stage 13b is larger than 10 °, the supplied chemical liquid easily flows to the outside of the stage 13b, so that the amount of the chemical liquid required for cleaning increases.

Thereafter, the supply of the chemical is stopped and the rotation of the stage 13b is stopped, and the stage 13b is returned to the horizontal state by the tilting mechanism 19. Next, pure water is supplied to the semiconductor wafer 1 from the pure water supply port 11 while rotating the stage 13b on which the semiconductor wafer 1 is mounted by the rotation mechanism 15. After the supply of pure water for a certain period of time, the supply of pure water is stopped, and the pure water washing is terminated.

The waste liquid generated by the chemical cleaning and the pure water cleaning is discharged from the discharge port 14 to the outside of the casing 20 as needed. By configuring the semiconductor wafer 1 to rotate while being inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, the supplied chemical liquid spreads uniformly on the surface of the semiconductor wafer 1 before flowing out of the stage 13b. Can be uniformly washed with chemicals.

In each of the above-described embodiments, an example in which the semiconductor wafer 1 is used as an object to be cleaned has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a glass substrate used for a liquid crystal panel or the like may be used. Has the same effect.
Further, the shape is not limited to a disk shape, but may be a rectangular shape.

[0042]

As described above, according to the single-wafer type chemical cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the outer periphery of the object to be cleaned set on the object-to-be-cleaned holding means on which the plate-shaped object to be cleaned is set horizontally. Surrounding chemical solution holding means is provided, and a chemical solution is supplied to the chemical solution holding means at the time of cleaning, the object to be cleaned set is immersed in the chemical solution, and when the cleaning is completed, the chemical solution is discharged from the object to be cleaned holding means. By doing so, the object to be cleaned can be washed by immersing the object to be cleaned in the chemical solution held in a fixed amount by the chemical solution holding means, so that the amount of the chemical solution used per sheet can be reduced, and efficient and uniform cleaning can be performed.

According to the single-wafer type chemical cleaning apparatus of the present invention, a chemical is supplied in the form of a mist or a vapor to a plate-like object to be cleaned which is set horizontally on the object to be cleaned. With such a configuration that the cleaning is performed, the chemical liquid is uniformly dispersed on the surface of the object to be cleaned, and the cleaning can be efficiently performed with a small amount of the chemical liquid.
Further, in the single wafer type chemical cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the object-to-be-cleaned holding means in which the plate-shaped object to be cleaned is set horizontally is rotated while the set object to be cleaned is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. In addition, by supplying a chemical solution to the object to be cleaned and cleaning it, the supplied chemical solution spreads uniformly on the surface of the object to be cleaned before flowing out of the holding means for the object to be cleaned. Even small amounts of chemicals can be efficiently and uniformly washed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a single-wafer chemical cleaning apparatus according to (first embodiment) of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a single-wafer chemical cleaning apparatus according to (Embodiment 2) of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a single-wafer chemical cleaning apparatus according to (Embodiment 3) of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a conventional batch-type chemical cleaning apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a conventional single-wafer type chemical cleaning apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 semiconductor wafer 9a chemical supply port 13a, 13b stage 15 rotation mechanism 16 annular wall 17 elevating means 18 chemical spray means 19 inclining means

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Katsumichi Ito 1006 Oaza Kadoma, Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masaaki Shikai 1-1, Yukicho, Takatsuki-shi, Osaka, Japan Matsushita Electronics Industrial Co., Ltd. Person Keisei Matsushita 1-1, Yukicho, Takatsuki-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electronics Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hideo Nikawa 1-1, Yukicho, Takatsuki-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electronics Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3B201 AA03 AB01 AB34 AB44 BB03 BB21 BB92 BB93 CB12 CC13

Claims (11)

[Claims] An object-to-be-cleaned holding means in which a plate-shaped object to be cleaned is set horizontally; a chemical solution holding means provided on the object-to-be-cleaned holding means and surrounding an outer periphery of the set object to be cleaned; A single-wafer type chemical cleaning apparatus comprising: means for supplying a chemical liquid to the chemical liquid holding means during washing, for dipping the object to be cleaned set in the chemical liquid; and means for discharging the chemical liquid from the object to be cleaned holding means. 2. A single-wafer type chemical cleaning apparatus comprising means for supplying a chemical liquid in the form of a mist or vapor to a plate-like object to be cleaned and cleaning the same. 3. A single-wafer type chemical cleaning apparatus comprising: means for rotating a set object to be cleaned while being inclined with respect to a horizontal direction; and means for supplying a chemical to the object to be cleaned for cleaning. 4. The single wafer type according to claim 2, wherein the chemical solution supply means is arranged at a position facing the object to be cleaned, and a chemical solution supply port of the chemical solution supply means is configured to be larger than the area of the object to be cleaned. Chemical cleaning equipment. 5. The object to be cleaned is set on the object-to-be-cleaned holding means on which the plate-shaped object to be cleaned is set horizontally, and an outer periphery of the set object to be cleaned is surrounded by a chemical solution holding means; A single-wafer type chemical liquid cleaning method in which a chemical liquid is supplied to the chemical liquid holding means during cleaning and the set object is immersed in the chemical liquid, and when the cleaning is completed, the chemical liquid is discharged from the object to be cleaned and washed. . 6. A single-wafer type chemical cleaning method in which a chemical is supplied in the form of a mist or a vapor to a plate-like cleaning target set horizontally on a cleaning target holding means, and the cleaning is performed. 7. A single-wafer chemical cleaning method according to claim 6, wherein the cleaning is performed by supplying the chemical so that the spray area of the chemical on the mist or vapor is larger than the area of the plate-shaped object to be cleaned. 8. A plate-shaped object to be cleaned set horizontally on the object-to-be-cleaned holding means is rotated while being inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and a cleaning solution is supplied to the object to be cleaned for cleaning. Single wafer cleaning method. 9. The cleaning object set in the cleaning object holding means is rotated in the horizontal direction during cleaning.
The single-wafer cleaning method according to claim 7. 10. The single-wafer cleaning method according to claim 8, wherein the object to be cleaned is inclined within a range of 10 ° with respect to the horizontal direction. 11. The single wafer type chemical cleaning method according to claim 8, wherein the object to be cleaned is rotated at a rotation speed of 100 to 300 rpm.