JP3810499B2 - Spin cleaning method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a spin cleaning method and apparatus for cleaning an object to be cleaned such as a semiconductor wafer and a glass substrate for liquid crystal using a cleaning brush while rotating the object.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus, or the like, there is a lithography process for forming a circuit pattern on a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal glass substrate as an object to be cleaned. In this lithography process, as is well known, a resist is applied to an object to be cleaned, light is irradiated to the resist through a mask on which a circuit pattern is formed, and then a portion of the resist not irradiated with light (or light is irradiated). The circuit pattern is transferred by repeating a series of steps of removing the irradiated portion) and developing, removing or etching the removed portion several tens of times.
[0003]
In each of the series of steps, if the semiconductor wafer or the liquid crystal glass substrate is contaminated, the circuit pattern cannot be accurately formed, which causes defective products. Therefore, when the circuit pattern is formed in each process, the semiconductor wafer or the liquid crystal glass substrate is cleaned in a clean state in which fine particles such as resist and dust do not remain.
[0004]
As an apparatus for cleaning the object to be cleaned, a batch type in which a plurality of semiconductor wafers are immersed in a cleaning tank containing a cleaning liquid and cleaning, and a single object to be cleaned are rotated, and the object to be cleaned is rotated. There is a single-wafer type in which a cleaning liquid is jetted to perform cleaning, and a single-wafer type having a high cleaning effect tends to be used as the size of an object to be cleaned increases.
[0005]
The single wafer cleaning device has a spin cleaning device that cleans the object to be cleaned while rotating it. In this spin cleaning device, in order to further enhance the cleaning effect, the upper surface of the rotationally driven object to be cleaned is cleaned. Cleaning is performed by bringing a brush into contact and supplying a cleaning liquid to the contact portion.
[0006]
The cleaning liquid is supplied by a nozzle body. As the nozzle body, a resin pipe made of fluorine resin or the like is used. The nozzle body is inserted through an arm body provided with the cleaning brush, and a tip portion projects from the arm body toward the cleaning brush. The arm body is driven to rotate in parallel with the plate surface of the object to be cleaned and along the radial direction of the object to be cleaned. Therefore, the entire surface of the object to be cleaned is cleaned by the cleaning brush.
[0007]
By the way, if the cleaning liquid is simply sprayed from the nozzle body toward the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush, the cleaning liquid diffuses on the plate surface of the cleaning object due to the rotation of the cleaning object, and the cleaning brush is radially inward. Almost never enter. For this reason, brush cleaning is performed in a state where the cleaning liquid is hardly interposed in the contact portion between the cleaning brush and the object to be cleaned, so that a sufficient cleaning effect cannot be obtained.
[0008]
Further, since the nozzle body is made of a bendable member such as a resin pipe, the jet direction of the cleaning liquid is set by bending the pipe. For this reason, the direction of the arm body cannot be accurately set, and the direction of the arm body may change depending on the use. In some cases, it is difficult to clean the object to be cleaned by entering inwardly in the direction.
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Thus, conventionally, since the cleaning liquid was simply sprayed toward the cleaning brush, the cleaning liquid could not be efficiently cleaned by entering the cleaning brush radially inward. .
[0010]
Also, since the orientation of the nozzle body could not be set accurately or the set state could not be reliably maintained, the cleaning liquid could not be reliably jetted in the desired direction. was there.
[0011]
An object of the present invention is to provide a spin cleaning method in which an object to be cleaned can be cleaned by entering a cleaning liquid inward in the radial direction of a cleaning brush.
An object of the present invention is to provide a spin cleaning apparatus that can accurately position the nozzle body in a predetermined direction and that can reliably maintain the orientation of the positioned nozzle body. is there.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the object to be cleaned is brought into contact with the cleaning brush provided on the arm body that rotates in the radial direction on the object to be cleaned, and the cleaning liquid is supplied to the object to be cleaned. In the spin cleaning method of cleaning with
The cleaning liquid is supplied to a position that is in front of the arm body in the turning direction, in the vicinity of the radially outer side of the cleaning brush that is in contact with the object to be cleaned, and to be wound on the rotating cleaning brush. And
[0014]
The invention according to claim 2 is a spin cleaning apparatus, wherein a cleaning brush is brought into contact with a rotationally driven object to be cleaned, and a cleaning liquid is supplied to the object to be cleaned from a nozzle body for cleaning.
An arm body which is disposed substantially parallel to the object to be cleaned above the object to be cleaned and in which the cleaning brush is provided at the tip with the rotation axis substantially vertical;
A holder provided at the tip of the arm body and holding the nozzle body;
The holder is
A first member fixed to the arm body;
A second member provided on the first member so as to be adjustable in angle in the horizontal direction;
Proximal end to the second member is the nozzle body is formed by a third member which is held in adjustably mounted tip of the rotation angle around the vertical mounting position and horizontal axis And
The nozzle body is rotated in front of the arm body in the turning direction, in the vicinity of the radially outer side of the cleaning brush in contact with the object to be cleaned, by the second and third members. It positions so that it may supply to the position wound in the said washing | cleaning brush .
[0015]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning brush, the cleaning liquid enters inward in the radial direction of the cleaning brush, so that the cleaning liquid is interposed between the object to be cleaned and the cleaning brush. The object to be cleaned is brush-cleaned in the intervening state.
[0016]
Moreover, the cleaning liquid in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the cleaning brush, from supplied from the turning direction front side of the cleaning brush, the cleaning liquid of the pivot and the object to be cleaned in the cleaning brush before spreading on the plate surface of the cleaning object The rotation hits the cleaning brush and enters inward in the radial direction.
[0017]
According to the invention of claim 2 , since the nozzle body is provided so that the horizontal angle, the vertical position and the vertical angle can be adjusted by the first to third members of the holder. The direction is accurately set in a predetermined direction, and the set state is reliably maintained.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a spin processing apparatus A of the present invention. The spin processing apparatus A includes a spin cup 1. The spin cup 1 includes a bottomed lower cup 1a having an open upper surface, and an upper cup 1b that is slidable with respect to the lower cup 1a and whose upper end of the peripheral wall is inclined radially inward. The upper cup 1b can be lowered by a drive mechanism (not shown) as shown by a chain line in the figure.
[0019]
At the bottom of the lower cup 1a, one end of a plurality of exhaust pipes 2 is connected to the periphery, and an insertion hole 4 is formed in the center with the periphery surrounded by the flange 3. A support shaft 5 is inserted into the insertion hole 4. The upper portion of the support shaft 5 protrudes into the spin cup 1, and the lower end portion is fixed to a base plate 6 disposed below the spin cup 1. The exhaust pipe 2 is connected to a suction pump via a steam / water separator (not shown). When cleaning liquid, mist, and gas are sucked into the exhaust pipe 2, moisture and gas are separated by the steam separator, and the moisture is discharged to a waste liquid tank (not shown).
[0020]
A rotary chuck 11 is rotatably provided on the support shaft 5. The rotary chuck 11 has a disk-like base 12 having a through hole 12a formed at the center. A cylindrical support 13 is suspended from the lower surface of the base 12, that is, at a position corresponding to the through hole 12a. The support portion 13 is fitted on the support shaft 5, and an upper portion and a lower portion are rotatably supported by bearings 14, respectively.
[0021]
A driven pulley 15 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lower end portion of the support portion 13. A motor 16 is provided on the base plate 6, and a driving pulley 17 is fitted on a rotating shaft 16 a of the motor 16. A belt 18 is stretched between the driving pulley 17 and the driven pulley 15. Therefore, when the motor 16 is operated, the rotary chuck 11 is driven to rotate integrally with the support portion 13.
[0022]
Four support columns 19 are erected on the upper surface of the base 12 at intervals of 90 degrees in the circumferential direction. A support pin 21 a and an engagement pin 21 b that is outward from the support pin 21 a and taller than the support pin 21 a are projected from the upper end of each column 19.
[0023]
At the upper end of the support column 19, for example, a semiconductor wafer 22 is detachably held as an object to be cleaned with the lower surface of the peripheral portion supported by the support pins 21 a and the outer peripheral surface engaged with the engagement pins 21 b. Therefore, the semiconductor wafer 22 is rotationally driven integrally with the rotary chuck 11.
[0024]
The support shaft 5 is provided with a conical head portion 5a having a larger diameter than the support shaft 5 at the upper end. The support shaft 5 has a gas supply path 30 for an inert gas such as N ₂ whose tip is opened on the top surface of the head 5a, and the tip is also opened on the top surface of the head 5a through a nozzle hole 32a. The cleaning liquid supply path 30a is formed along the axial direction. The gas supply path 30 communicates with a gas supply source (not shown), and the cleaning liquid supply path communicates with a cleaning liquid supply source (not shown).
[0025]
The inert gas supplied to the gas supply path 30 and the cleaning liquid supplied to the cleaning liquid supply path 30 a are each sprayed toward the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer 22.
[0026]
A cleaning tool 31 is disposed on the upper surface side of the semiconductor wafer 22 held by the rotary chuck 11 in order to clean the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer 22. The cleaning tool 31 has a cleaning brush 31a as shown in FIG. The cleaning brush 31a is detachably attached to the chuck 31b. The chuck 31b is provided with an attachment shaft 31c, and the attachment shaft 31c is coupled to the rotation shaft 31e of the rotation motor 31d via a coupling 31f.
[0027]
The cleaning brush 31 a is driven to rotate along the radial direction of the semiconductor wafer 22 by a revolving mechanism 32.
That is, the turning mechanism 32 has a hollow cylindrical arm body 33 composed of an arm rod 33a and a cover 33b. A rotating motor 31d of the cleaning tool 31 is fixed to the bracket 33c with the rotating shaft 31e perpendicular to the front end of the arm body 33.
[0028]
The mounting shaft 31c is rotatably supported by a bearing 34a provided in the distal end portion of the arm body 33. The bearing 34 a is attached to a block 34 b provided in the distal end portion of the arm body 33.
[0029]
A nozzle body 35 connected to a cleaning liquid supply source (not shown) is inserted into the arm body 33. The tip of the nozzle body 35 is led downward from the tip of the arm body 33 and held by a holder 61 described later, and the tip is directed to the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 31a.
[0030]
That is, the vertical angle θ1 (shown in FIG. 2A) of the nozzle body 35 is set to an angle toward the contact portion between the semiconductor wafer 22 and the cleaning brush 31a, and the horizontal angle θ2 is set in FIG. ), In the vicinity of the outer side in the radial direction of the cleaning brush 31a, on the front side in the turning direction of the arm body 33 indicated by the arrow X in FIG. The angle is set such that the cleaning liquid can be ejected upstream with respect to the rotation direction of the semiconductor wafer 22 indicated by Y.
[0031]
Accordingly, the cleaning liquid sprayed from the nozzle body 35 toward the semiconductor wafer 22 collides with the cleaning brush 31a before being diffused on the plate surface by the turning motion of the arm body 33 and the rotational motion of the semiconductor wafer 22. Thus, the cleaning brush 31a enters inward in the radial direction.
[0032]
The base end portion of the arm body 33 is connected to the upper end of the swivel shaft 36 whose axis is vertical. A lower end portion of the pivot shaft 36 protrudes downward from a through hole 6a formed in the base plate 6.
[0033]
The lower end portion of the pivot shaft 36 is rotatably supported by a support body 37 provided so as to be movable up and down. The support body 37 has a hollow box shape, and an insertion hole 38 for inserting the turning shaft 36 is formed in the upper wall thereof, and the inside of the turning shaft 36 inserted from the insertion hole 38 is formed inside. A bearing 39 is provided to rotatably support the lower end portion. The lower end of the pivot shaft 36 protrudes from the bearing 39, and a driven pulley 40 is fitted there.
[0034]
A pair of guides 41 are provided on one side surface of the support body 37 at predetermined intervals along the vertical direction. The guides 41 are slidably engaged with the rails 43. The rail 43 is provided along the vertical direction on one side surface of the mounting plate 42 that is suspended from the lower surface of the base plate 6.
[0035]
The mounting plate 42 is provided with a vertical drive cylinder 44 as a vertical drive source. The rod 44a of the vertical drive cylinder 44 is connected to the support 37 through a bracket 45 at the lower end surface. Therefore, when the vertical drive cylinder 44 is operated, the arm body 33 is driven up and down within a predetermined range via the support body 37.
[0036]
That is, the arm body 33 descends and pivots outward in the radial direction while the cleaning brush 31a is in contact with the central portion of the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer 22 held by the rotary chuck 11 at a predetermined pressure. When the semiconductor wafer 22 deviates from the upper surface, the revolving motion is repeated such that it rises, returns to the central portion in the radial direction, and descends.
[0037]
On the other side of the support 37, there is provided a swing drive unit 46 that constitutes a drive means with the vertical drive cylinder 44. The swing drive unit 46 has a storage box 47 attached to the other side of the support 37. A motor 48 is provided on the lower surface of the storage box 47. A rotating shaft 48a of the motor 48 projects into the storage box 47 and is connected to a speed reducing portion 49 provided therein. A drive pulley 52 is fitted to the output shaft 51 of the speed reducing portion 49.
[0038]
The internal space between the support 37 and the storage box 47 is communicated with the opening 53. A timing belt 50 stretched between the driving pulley 52 and the driven pulley 40 is inserted into the opening 53.
[0039]
Therefore, when the motor 48 is operated and the output shaft 51 of the speed reducing portion 49 is driven in the forward and reverse directions, the rotation is transmitted to the turning shaft 36 via the timing belt 53. A cleaning brush 31 a provided at the tip of the arm body 33 together with 36 swings the surface of the semiconductor wafer 22.
[0040]
The turning angle of the turning shaft 36 is set by a control device 54 that controls the operation of the entire device.
As shown in FIG. 2A, an annular suction path 56 is formed below the bearing 34 a of the block 34 b provided at the tip of the arm body 33. A suction pipe 57 communicates with the suction path 56. Thereby, the particles generated in the bearing 34a are prevented from flowing out in the direction of the cleaning brush 31a along the mounting shaft 31c of the chuck 31b.
[0041]
The holder 61 that holds the nozzle body 35 on the arm body 33 includes first to third members 62 to 64 shown in FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the first member 62 has a block shape in which a concave curved surface 62 a is formed on the upper surface, and the lower surface of the arm rod 33 a constituting the arm body 33. The concave curved surface 62a is provided by bonding and fixing. A pair of first screw holes 62b are formed in the first member 62 at predetermined intervals along the bending direction of the concave curved surface 62a.
[0042]
As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the second member 63 includes an L-shaped piece 63a and a fan-shaped piece 63b provided at a right angle at one end of the L-shaped piece 63a. A first elongated hole 63c is formed along the vertical direction on the other piece of the L-shaped piece 63a, and a second elongated hole 63d along the horizontal direction and a through hole 63e are formed at predetermined intervals on the fan-shaped piece 63b. Has been.
[0043]
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the second member 63 is formed by passing a pair of first screws 65 through the second elongated hole 63d and the through hole 63e of the fan-shaped piece 63b. The first member 62 is attached by being screwed into a pair of first screw holes 62b. Accordingly, the second member 63 can be rotated in the horizontal direction with the first screw 65 passed through the through hole 63e as a fulcrum.
[0044]
The third member 64 has a prismatic shape as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. A slit 64a is formed on one end of the third member 64, and a second screw hole 64b is formed on the other end. Is formed. The slit 64 a has a distal end opened to one end surface of the third member 64, and a mounting hole 64 c through which the distal end portion of the nozzle body 35 is inserted is formed at the proximal end.
[0045]
Further, a flaw hole 64d and a screw hole 64e are formed at one end of the third member 64 with the slit 64a interposed therebetween. Therefore, when the tip of the nozzle body 35 is inserted into the mounting hole 64c and the second screw 66 (shown in FIG. 2B) is screwed into the screw hole 64e from the flaw hole 64d, the slit 64a is formed. The tip of the nozzle body 35 is fixed by being deformed in the closing direction.
[0046]
The third member 64 is attached to the first elongated hole 63c of the second member 63 approximately horizontally by a third screw 67 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B so that the rotation angle can be adjusted. It has been.
[0047]
Therefore, the tip end portion of the nozzle body 35 held by the third member 64 can adjust the angle θ1 shown in FIG. 2A by changing the rotation angle of the third member 64, and the first By rotating the second member 63 with respect to the member 62 in the horizontal direction, the angle θ2 shown in FIG. 6A can be adjusted, and the third member 64 can be adjusted to the first member 63 of the second member 63. The spraying distance of the cleaning liquid to the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer 22 indicated by L in FIG. 2A can be set by the vertical mounting position with respect to the long hole 63c.
[0048]
In other words, the attachment direction of the tip of the nozzle body 35 can be adjusted in a three-dimensional direction by the holder 61 composed of the first to third members 62 to 64, and can be securely fixed at the attachment position. ing.
[0049]
Next, a case where the semiconductor wafer 22 is cleaned by the spin processing apparatus A having the above configuration will be described.
First, the angle of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the tip of the nozzle body 35 by the holder 61 is set. That is, the vertical angle of the nozzle body 35 is set to an angle θ1 at which the cleaning liquid can be sprayed onto the contact portion between the semiconductor wafer 22 and the cleaning brush 31a as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6 (a), when the cleaning brush 31a is in the vicinity of the radially outer side of the cleaning brush 31a, on the downstream side in the turning direction of the arm body 33 indicated by the arrow X in FIG. The angle θ2 is set so that the cleaning liquid can be ejected upstream of the rotation direction of the semiconductor wafer 22 indicated by the arrow Y in FIG.
[0050]
Next, while rotating the rotary chuck 11 at a low speed, the cleaning brush 31a is brought into contact with the radial center of the semiconductor wafer 22 rotated in the arrow Y direction by the rotary chuck 11, and the cleaning liquid is ejected from the nozzle body 35, The arm body 33 is turned in the arrow X direction. At this time, the cleaning brush 31a is also rotated. The rotation direction of the cleaning brush 31a may be either the same direction as the semiconductor wafer 22 or the reverse direction.
[0051]
In a state where the cleaning brush 31a is positioned at the center of the semiconductor wafer 22 in the radial direction, the nozzle body 35 supplies the cleaning liquid to the position indicated by S1 in FIG. 6A on the semiconductor wafer 22, that is, the outer peripheral portion of the cleaning brush 31a. In the vicinity, the arm body 33 is jetted forward in the turning direction.
[0052]
The cleaning liquid sprayed to the position of S1 is rotated at the contact portion between the semiconductor wafer 22 and the cleaning brush 31a as shown by S2 in FIG. 6 (b) as the semiconductor wafer 22 rotates and the arm body 33 rotates. Will be involved.
[0053]
That is, since the cleaning liquid supplied to the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer 22 does not diffuse on the upper surface and sufficiently enters the contact portion between the semiconductor wafer 22 and the cleaning brush 31a, the synergistic effect of the cleaning brush 31a and the cleaning liquid. The semiconductor wafer 22 can be efficiently and reliably cleaned.
[0054]
The tip of the nozzle body 35 that ejects the cleaning liquid is held by a holder 61. The holder 61 includes first to third members 62 to 64, and the tip of the nozzle body 35 held by the third member 64 can be positioned in a three-dimensional direction.
[0055]
Therefore, the tip of the nozzle body 35 can be reliably directed in a desired direction. That is, the cleaning liquid sprayed from the nozzle body 35 can be reliably sprayed to a position where the cleaning liquid 31 is caught in the cleaning brush 31a.
[0056]
In addition, since the tip of the positioned nozzle body 35 is securely held and fixed by the holder 61, the position does not shift during use. Therefore, the cleaning liquid can be reliably supplied to a desired position over a long period of time.
In the above-described embodiment, a semiconductor wafer is used as an object to be cleaned. However, the present invention can also be applied to cleaning a liquid crystal glass substrate.
[0057]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning brush, the cleaning liquid enters inward in the radial direction of the cleaning brush, so that the cleaning liquid is interposed between the object to be cleaned and the cleaning brush. The object to be cleaned is brush-cleaned in the intervening state. That is, since the cleaning liquid supplied to the object to be cleaned can be interposed between the object to be cleaned and the cleaning brush without diffusing, the cleaning effect can be sufficiently enhanced.
[0058]
Moreover, since the cleaning liquid is supplied to the front side in the swirling direction of the cleaning brush in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the cleaning brush , the cleaning liquid collides with the cleaning brush before diffusing on the plate surface of the object to be cleaned. Will get in.
[0059]
For this reason, the cleaning liquid acts effectively when brushing the object to be cleaned, so that the cleaning effect can be improved.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the nozzle body for injecting the cleaning liquid is provided via the holder that can adjust the horizontal angle, the vertical position, and the vertical angle by the first to third members. I tried to attach to the body.
[0060]
Therefore, since the direction of the nozzle body can be adjusted with respect to the three-dimensional direction, the direction of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the nozzle body can be accurately and reliably set in a desired direction, and the setting state is It can be reliably maintained so as not to shift.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a spin cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A is a cross-sectional view of the tip of the arm body, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG.
FIG. 3A is a front view of the first member of the holder, and FIG. 3B is a side view.
FIG. 4A is a plan view of a second member of the holder, and FIG. 4B is a front view.
FIG. 5A is a front view of the first member of the holder, and FIG. 5B is a side view.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view when a cleaning liquid is supplied to the semiconductor wafer for cleaning.
[Explanation of symbols]
22 ... Semiconductor wafer (object to be cleaned)
31a ... Cleaning brush 33 ... Arm body 35 ... Nozzle body 61 ... Holder 62 ... First member 63 ... Second member 64 ... Third member

Claims (2)

In a spin cleaning method in which a cleaning brush provided on an arm body that rotates in a radial direction on an object to be cleaned is brought into contact with an object to be rotated, and a cleaning liquid is supplied to the object to be cleaned for cleaning. ,
The cleaning liquid is supplied to a position that is in front of the arm body in the turning direction, in the vicinity of the radially outer side of the cleaning brush that is in contact with the object to be cleaned, and to be wound on the rotating cleaning brush. Spin cleaning method. In a spin cleaning apparatus for bringing a cleaning brush into contact with a rotationally driven object to be cleaned and supplying a cleaning liquid to the object to be cleaned from a nozzle body for cleaning,
An arm body which is disposed substantially parallel to the object to be cleaned above the object to be cleaned and in which the cleaning brush is provided at the tip with the rotation axis substantially vertical;
A holder provided at the tip of the arm body and holding the nozzle body;
The holder is
A first member fixed to the arm body;
A second member provided on the first member so as to be adjustable in angle in the horizontal direction;
Proximal end to the second member is the nozzle body is formed by a third member which is held in adjustably mounted tip of the rotation angle around the vertical mounting position and horizontal axis And
The nozzle body is rotated in front of the arm body in the turning direction, in the vicinity of the radially outer side of the cleaning brush in contact with the object to be cleaned, by the second and third members. A spin cleaning apparatus, wherein the spin cleaning apparatus is positioned so as to be supplied to a position to be caught in the cleaning brush .

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