CN116705677A

CN116705677A - Substrate processing apparatus and method for manufacturing semiconductor device

Info

Publication number: CN116705677A
Application number: CN202211025010.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 三上徹; 神田直树; 冨田宽
Original assignee: Kioxia Corp
Current assignee: Kioxia Corp
Priority date: 2022-02-28
Filing date: 2022-08-25
Publication date: 2023-09-05
Also published as: TW202336895A; JP2023126087A; TWI829309B

Abstract

The application provides a miniaturized cleaning and drying unit, a substrate processing device with the same and a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, wherein the cleaning and drying unit can remove residual gas components on a wafer generated in a main processing unit and can be arranged in an EFEM unit or a loading port connecting part of the EFEM unit. The small-sized water cleaning/drying module (6) includes a transfer robot (10) and a cleaning/drying chamber (14), and the transfer robot (10) supplies and recovers the wafer (7) between the EFEM unit (3) and the dry etching chamber (1). The purge drying chamber (14) is provided with a wafer holding table (16) and a transfer arm (12) for transferring the wafer (7) from the EFEM unit (3) to the wafer holding table (16). The cleaning and drying chamber (14) is also provided with a liquid and drying gas supply module (15) for supplying cleaning liquid and gas to the wafer (7) held on the wafer holding base (16). Furthermore, a small water cleaning/drying module (6) is connected to the EFEM unit (3) side by side with the load port unit (5).

Description

Substrate processing apparatus and method for manufacturing semiconductor device

[ related application ]

The present application enjoys priority over Japanese patent application No. 2022-029734 (application date: 28 of 2 nd year 2022). The present application includes the entire contents of the basic application by reference to the basic application.

Technical Field

The present embodiment relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device.

Background

In a process of dry etching a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) with a corrosive gas such as hydrogen bromide or chlorine, a quality defect occurs in which a device constituent material is deteriorated or particles are generated due to a reaction of the corrosive gas in a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod ). In addition, in a processing unit (for example, a dry etching unit) using a corrosive gas and other processing units (for example, a film forming unit) carried in via a FOUP, measures must be taken against corrosion degradation and the like.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a miniaturized purge and dry unit capable of removing a residual gas component on a wafer generated in a main processing unit and capable of being provided in an EFEM unit or a load port connection portion of the EFEM unit, a substrate processing apparatus having the purge and dry unit, and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device.

The substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment includes a transfer module, a cleaning unit, and a load port. The cleaning unit includes: a processed substrate holding mechanism capable of holding a processed substrate; a cleaning liquid supply mechanism configured to supply a cleaning liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism; and a gas supply mechanism configured to supply a gas to the substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism; and the transfer module includes a processed substrate transfer mechanism capable of transferring the processed substrate between the load port and the cleaning unit, the cleaning unit being connected to the transfer module in parallel with the load port.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the overall structure of the apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the substrate processing apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a cleaning and drying unit in the case where a plurality of wafer holding mechanisms and cleaning and drying mechanisms are provided in the longitudinal direction.

Fig. 4 (a) - (b) are diagrams illustrating wafer storage locations in the load port unit and the purge drying unit.

Fig. 5 (a) - (b) are diagrams illustrating wafer storage locations in the load port unit and the purge drying unit.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a setting adjustment mechanism of the washing and drying unit.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of a wafer holding mechanism of the purge drying unit.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view of the wafer holding mechanism.

Fig. 9 (a) to (b) are diagrams illustrating an example of the wafer holding mechanism.

Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a wafer is transported above the wafer holding mechanism.

Fig. 11 (a) to (d) are diagrams illustrating a series of processes from the time of conveying the wafer to the cleaning and drying unit until the wafer is cleaned.

Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a small module having 3 functions of cleaning liquid supply, drying gas supply, and liquid and gas suction.

Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of the cleaning and drying mechanism according to the modification.

Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating the flow of water and dry gas during wafer cleaning in a variation.

Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the overall structure of the apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the substrate processing apparatus according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of the washing and drying unit according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sensor for measuring physical properties of a processing liquid and its peripheral configuration in embodiment 3.

Fig. 19 is a graph illustrating a relationship between a cleaning time and a conductivity of a processing liquid.

Fig. 20 is a schematic view of a wafer holding mechanism with a heater in a cleaning and drying unit according to embodiment 4.

Fig. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wafer holding mechanism with a heater according to embodiment 4.

Fig. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of cleaning according to embodiment 4.

Fig. 23 is a plan view showing the configuration of a manufacturing system including a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses according to embodiment 5.

Fig. 24 is a cross-sectional view showing example 1 of the main process unit included in the manufacturing apparatus according to embodiment 5.

Fig. 25 is a cross-sectional view showing example 2 of the main process unit included in the manufacturing apparatus according to embodiment 5.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of a manufacturing apparatus for a semiconductor device including a main processing unit, a water-washing drying unit, and the like will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The main processing unit is, for example, a dry etching unit, but is not limited thereto. For example, a CVD (Chemical Etching Deposition) unit, a sputtering unit, a wet etching unit, an annealing unit, a CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing ) unit, an ion implantation unit, or the like, which is related to other processes, may be used as the main processing unit.

(embodiment 1)

Embodiment 1 will be described below. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the overall structure of the apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to embodiment 1. The manufacturing apparatus of the semiconductor device includes a dry etching unit (dry etching chamber) 1 as a main processing unit, a vacuum transfer robot chamber 2, an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module, equipment front module) unit 3 for taking and placing a wafer 7 with respect to a FOUP13 and supplying and collecting the wafer 7 with respect to the main processing unit 1, a load lock chamber 4 for transferring the wafer 7 between the vacuum transfer robot chamber 2 and the EFEM unit 3, a load port unit (load port) 5 for placing the FOUP13 thereon and bringing the wafer 7 into a state in which it can be transferred into the EFEM unit 3, and a purge/dry unit (purge unit) 6.

The vacuum transfer robot chamber 2 has a transfer robot 8. A transfer arm 9 is attached to the transfer robot 8. The transfer robot 8 and the transfer arm 9 function as a processed substrate transfer mechanism. The EFEM unit 3 is provided with a transfer robot 10. The transfer robot 10 is movable on the guide rail 11. A transfer arm 12 is attached to the transfer robot 10. The transfer robot 10 and the transfer arm 12 function as a processed substrate transfer mechanism.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the purge drying unit 6 and the load port unit 5 are disposed on the same side of the EFEM unit 3. That is, in the present embodiment, the plurality of load port units 5 and the 1 purge drying unit 6 are regularly arranged on one side surface side of the EFEM unit 3. In other words, it is understood that in the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment, in the configuration in which the EFEM unit 3 is provided with a plurality of load port units 5, any load port unit 5 is replaced by the purge/dry unit 6. Alternatively, it is also understood that the EFEM unit 3 has a plurality of load port unit connection portions 5A each configured to be capable of connecting the load port unit 5, at least one of the plurality of load port unit connection portions 5A is connected to the load port unit 5, and at least another of the plurality of load port unit connection portions 5A is connected to the purge drying unit 6.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of (2) load port units 5 are regularly arranged on one side surface side of the EFEM unit 3. Here, the purge drying unit 6 is instead placed at a position where the load port unit 5 adjacent to the EFEM unit 3 is provided. In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the EFEM unit 3 and the direction in which the rail 11 described below extends are referred to as the 1 st direction in the direction horizontal to the floor surface on which the substrate processing apparatus is installed. In addition, in a direction horizontal to a floor surface on which the substrate processing apparatus is provided, a direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction is set as the 2 nd direction. Further, the direction perpendicular to the floor surface on which the substrate processing apparatus is installed is set to the 3 rd direction.

Here, in a manufacturing apparatus of a semiconductor device including a dry etching unit for processing a wafer having a diameter of 300mm, an example will be described in which an EFEM unit 3 is used, and the EFEM unit 3 is designed so that 3 load port units 5 can be provided. The EFEM unit 3 as a transfer module has 3 load port unit connection parts 5A capable of equipping the load port unit 5. The load port unit 5 is mounted to the load port unit connection part 5A at 2 of the load port unit connection parts 5A at 3, and the purge and dry unit 6 is provided to the load port unit connection part 5A at the remaining 1 instead of the load port unit 5. The purge drying unit 6 (purge unit) is designed in such a manner as to be capable of being replaced with the load port unit 5 and mated with the EFEM unit 3. The width of the purge drying unit 6 is set to be not larger than the width of the load port unit 5 (for example, about 50 cm), and is designed so as not to interfere with the adjacent load port unit 5 in the 1 st direction of fig. 1. In addition, in the 2 nd direction, the position where the transfer robot 10 in the EFEM unit 3 places the wafer 7 on the wafer holder in the FOUP and the support stage of the purge drying unit 6 are designed in the same manner as the relative position of the load port access reference surface of the EFEM unit 3. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the entire substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the washing and drying unit according to embodiment 1. The purge and dry unit 6 is disposed adjacent to the EFEM unit 3 and side by side with the load port unit 5. In addition, the cleaning and drying chamber 14 is configured to have the same height as the FOUP13 on the load port unit 5 in the 3 rd direction, and the wafer 7 can be directly picked up and placed by using the transfer robot 10 of the EFEM unit 3.

The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus includes a dry etching unit, and when the process time of dry etching is not long, the processing time in the cleaning and drying unit 6 may affect the processing capacity of the entire semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus (for example, may become a bottleneck). In this case, a plurality of wafer holding mechanisms 16 as processed substrate holding mechanisms may be provided in the longitudinal direction (3 rd direction). A cleaning and drying mechanism 15 is provided above each wafer holding mechanism 16. Therefore, the wafers 7 placed on the wafer holding mechanisms 16 can be simultaneously cleaned and dried. That is, by simultaneously performing the single-wafer processing on the plurality of wafers 7, the influence of the throughput of the entire semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus can be reduced. Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the cleaning and drying unit 6 in the case where a plurality of wafer holding mechanisms 16 and cleaning and drying mechanisms 15 are provided in the longitudinal direction. Here, 3 wafer holding mechanisms 16a, 16b, 16c are shown, respectively. In the present embodiment, the wafer holding mechanism 16 does not rise and fall in the cleaning and drying chamber 14. Therefore, a complicated operation mechanism is not required. Furthermore, only the plurality of wafer holding mechanisms 16 are provided, so that the processing time in the cleaning and drying unit 6 can be prevented from affecting the processing capacity of the entire semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus. Although fig. 3 shows an example in which 3 wafer holding mechanisms 16a, 16b, and 16c are provided, more wafer holding mechanisms 16 may be provided as long as they are controlled within a predetermined range. The specified range may be, for example, a range corresponding to the length from the lowermost rack (slot 1) to the uppermost rack (slot 25) in the FOUP. By simplifying the wafer holding mechanisms 16 in the manner described below, more, for example, 6 wafer holding mechanisms 16 may also be provided. In addition, in order to correspond to the configuration provided with the wafer holding mechanism 16 of a larger number of stages, the stroke of the transfer arm 12 of the transfer robot 10 in the EFEM unit 3 may be extended in the 3 rd direction.

Semiconductor devices are fabricated using wafers comprising semiconductor materials. The wafer has a diameter of 300mm, for example. A plurality of 300mm wafers are stored in the FOUP13, and the FOUP13 is automatically transferred between the plurality of main processing apparatuses. The wafer position in the FOUP and the wafer position on the load port unit 5 are in accordance with SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International, international association of semiconductor equipment and materials industry) standards, and 300mm wafers are automatically transferred from the FOUP13. Thus, the FOUP13, the load port unit 5, and the EFEM unit 3 can be combined with compatibility even if they are products of different manufacturers, respectively. The wafer position herein means the lateral direction (direction 1), the depth (direction 2), and the height (direction 3). In the present embodiment, the purge drying unit 6 is disposed in the EFEM unit 3 in such a manner as to have compatibility with the load port unit 5. Thus, the purge drying unit 6 according to the present embodiment can be used in a form compatible with the FOUP13, the load port unit 5, and the EFEM unit 3 corresponding to the SEMI standard.

Fig. 4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating the wafer storage locations in the FOUP and purge drying units on the load port unit. In fig. 4, (a) is a wafer position in the FOUP13 on the load port unit 5, and (b) is a wafer position in the purge drying chamber 14 of the purge drying unit 6. Fig. 4 shows a comparison of both in a plan view. The FOUP13 has a pair of guides 17a defining the lateral position of the wafer, and a guide 17b defining the depth of the wafer. The lateral position of the wafer in the purge drying chamber 14 corresponds to the lateral position of the wafer in the FOUP13. In addition, the depth position of the wafer in the purge drying chamber 14 also corresponds to the depth position of the wafer in the FOUP13. That is, when the virtual plane passing through the boundary when the load port unit 5 is mounted on the EFEM unit 3 is the FOUP end reference plane 18, the distance from the FOUP end reference plane 18 to the center 19 of the wafer in the FOUP13 in the 2 nd direction is approximately equal to the distance from the FOUP end reference plane 18 to the wafer center position 20 in the purge drying chamber 14 in the 2 nd direction. That is, the wafer center 20 in the purge drying chamber 14 is substantially geometrically identical to the center 19 of the wafer in the FOUP13 when viewed from the 3 rd direction. The extension amount of the transfer arm 12 (transfer fork 304) of the transfer robot 10 in the 2 nd direction when the wafer is stored in the FOUP13 is substantially the same as the extension amount of the transfer arm 12 (transfer fork 304) of the transfer robot 10 in the 2 nd direction when the wafer is stored in the cleaning/drying chamber 14 of the cleaning/drying unit 6. In addition, the movement of the transfer robot may be adjusted according to individual differences of the load port (such as differences due to manufacturers). Similarly, the operation of the conveyance robot may be adjusted to the cleaning and drying unit 6 according to individual differences. In the present specification, "substantially geometrically identical positions as viewed from the 3 rd direction" means a concept including an adjustment range corresponding to individual differences of the load port or the purge drying unit.

The wafer position in the purge drying chamber 14 is laterally the same as the wafer position in the FOUP13, and is laterally symmetrical, and the distance from the FOUP end reference surface 18 when the load port unit 5 is mounted is generally the same with respect to depth. That is, the wafer center position 20 within the purge drying chamber 14 coincides with the center 19 of the wafer within the FOUP 13. Here, the same position is the same as the adjustment range of the transfer robot required for individual differences of the load port and manufacturer differences, and the adjustment range is also required for the cleaning and drying unit of the present embodiment.

Next, in fig. 5, (a) is a wafer position in the FOUP13 on the load port unit 5, and (b) is a wafer position in the purge drying chamber 14 of the purge drying unit 6. Fig. 5 shows a comparison of the front view and the rear view. In fig. 5, "S" represents a groove. For example, "S5" indicates slot 5. As shown in fig. 5 (a). The FOUP13 is provided with a plurality of guides 17a that are paired right and left. In the present embodiment, 25 pairs of guides 17a are provided, and grooves 1 to 25 for storing wafers 7 are formed by these guides 17a. As shown in fig. 5 (b), the cleaning and drying chamber 14 has a plurality of wafer holding mechanisms 16. In the present embodiment, 3 wafer holding mechanisms 16 are provided, and the upper surfaces of the wafer holding mechanisms 16 correspond to the positions of the grooves 8, 13, 21, respectively. Here, the conveyance adjustment is easily performed by making the distance from the FOUP bottom reference surface 22 equal to the FOUP 13. As long as the tank position is not interfered by the cleaning and drying means 15 (cleaning liquid supply means and gas supply means), any one of the tanks 1 to 25 can be used, and the conveyance height can be determined individually, so that the conveyance robot height can be freely selected as the tank position or the intermediate position thereof.

By matching the width, depth, and height with the wafer position in the FOUP, the wafer can be transferred and pulled back by specifying only the slot position, as in the transfer to the other load port unit 5, without requiring a special function for the transfer from the EFEM unit 3 to the purge and dry unit 6.

The load port unit 5 is configured to be capable of adjusting the relative position with the EFEM unit 3. In addition, the purge drying unit 6 is also provided to be able to adjust the relative position to the EFEM unit 3. More specifically, the purge drying unit 6 of the present embodiment has the same setting adjustment mechanism as the load port unit 5, in place of the load port unit 5, provided in the EFEM unit 3. The load port unit 5 needs to be transferred to all the tanks by using 1 transfer robot 10, and therefore, it is necessary to make the distance and the slope from the transfer robot 10 uniform. In the present embodiment, the cleaning and drying unit 6 also has a setting adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the distance and the slope when the device is installed in the EFEM unit 3. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a setting adjustment mechanism of the washing and drying unit. The cleaning and drying unit 6 of the present embodiment has a depth adjustment mechanism 23 and a slope adjustment mechanism 24 as installation adjustment mechanisms. Specifically, when the purge drying unit 6 is mounted on the EFEM unit 3, the purge drying unit is fixed by screws at the upper, lower, left and right positions 4, but the tightening degree can be adjusted. Further, as shown in fig. 6 and 4, the purge drying chamber 14 needs to be larger than 300mm wafer, so that the purge drying unit 6 is not placed only on the side of the load port unit 5, but is designed in such a way that a part of the purge drying chamber 14 enters the EFEM unit 3. The wafer end face is designed in such a way as to correspond to the FOUP end horizontal reference line 18. Further, the wafer center position may be brought from the EFEM unit 3 to a position beyond the load port unit 5 by extending the stroke in the Y direction (the 2 nd direction) of the transfer robot 10 in the EFEM unit 3. However, if the distance is too large, the expansion and contraction amount of the transfer arm 12 of the transfer robot 10 needs to be increased, and the size of the EFEM unit 3 itself needs to be increased, which is not preferable, and therefore, the cleaning and drying chamber 14 is preferably located so as to be directly attached to the front surface panel of the EFEM. In addition, the setting adjustment mechanism may be disposed in the EFEM unit 3, or may be disposed in the purge drying unit 6 and the EFEM unit 3.

Next, a process sequence in the present dry etching unit 1 will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2. A container (FOUP) 13 with a wafer placed therein is placed on the load port unit 5, and the door is opened after docking with the EFEM unit 3. The wafer 7 in the FOUP13 is taken out by the transfer robot 10 located in the EFEM unit 3, transferred to the load lock chamber 4, and transferred to the vacuum transfer robot chamber 2. Then, the wafer is transported to the dry etching unit (dry etching chamber) 1 by the transport robot 8. The transfer robot 10 is movable in a horizontal direction (1 st direction) on the guide rail 11, and is capable of moving the wafer 7 to the load port unit 5, the purge drying unit 6, and the load lock chamber 4 by rotating about the 3 rd direction as a central axis. The transfer robot 10 is provided with a transfer arm 12, and the transfer arm 12 is vertically movable, so that the wafer 7 can be placed at a predetermined position by expanding and descending the transfer arm 12 in a state where the wafer 7 is placed, and placing the wafer 7 on the wafer holding mechanism 16.

In dry etching units (dry etching chambers) 1, e.g. flow CF ₄ 、CH ₂ Cl ₂ Halogen gas such as HBr is decomposed by plasma, and active ions are irradiated onto the wafer 7, thereby etching Si or the like. After the processing, unreacted gas and decomposed halogen molecules are adsorbed on the wafer 7.

Here, as a comparative example, it is considered to perform ashing treatment to remove the residual gas component, that is, O is removed by plasma in the dry etching unit (dry etching chamber) 1 ₂ The gas is decomposed and oxidized to be removed. However, in this case, si, siN, W, and the like may be unintentionally oxidized in the wafer 7, and contact resistance may increase. Further, the chemical liquid cleaning such as HF performed to remove the oxide may not be of a desired size, and thus, ashing required for sufficiently removing the residual halogen may not be sufficiently performed. In this case, the wafer 7, on which the residual halogen is attached by the processing performed by the dry etching unit (dry etching chamber) 1, is returned to the EFEM unit 3 directly through the vacuum transfer robot chamber 2. In addition, the wafer 7 with the residual halogen attached thereto is returned to the original FOUP13 located on the load port unit 5. Thus, for example, the residual halogen component volatilizes from the processed wafer 7 and fills the FOUP13, and the volatilized residual halogen component may diffuse into the EFEM unit 3 when the wafer 7 is transported to another manufacturing apparatus by the FOUP 13. The diffused residual halogen component may react with moisture contained in the atmosphere in the EFEM unit 3 to form a corrosive gas such as hydrochloric acid, and rust metallic EFEM inner walls and conveying robot parts.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the wafer 7 is processed in the purge drying unit 6 before the processed wafer 7 is returned from the EFEM unit 3 to the FOUP13 on the load port unit 5. Thereby, the residual halogen on the wafer 7 is completely removed by the process performed by the dry etching unit (dry etching chamber) 1. Residual halogen and ammonia are easily dissolved in water, and therefore can be sufficiently removed by water or warm water used as a cleaning liquid.

Next, a method of conveying the wafer to the purge drying unit 6 will be described with reference to fig. 3. The wafer 7 is placed on the wafer holding mechanism 16 of the purge drying chamber 14 using the transfer robot 10 within the EFEM unit 3. At this time, the wafer 7 is carried out of the wafer holding mechanism 16 by the transfer robot 10 and the transfer arm 12 in the EFEM unit 3, and the wafer holding mechanism 16 itself is fixed and does not move. As described below, the wafer lift and the cleaning and drying mechanism 15 need to be moved up and down, but a large driving mechanism for moving them up and down is not required.

Details of the washing and drying method will be described with reference to fig. 7. The purge drying unit 6 has at least one wafer holding mechanism 16 and a purge drying mechanism 15. Fig. 7 is a schematic view of the wafer holding mechanism 16 and the purge drying mechanism 15. The wafer holding mechanism 16 includes a wafer holding stage 31. The purge drying mechanism 15 includes an opposing member 33. An opposing member 33 is provided above the wafer holding stage 31. The opposing member 33 is formed in a disk shape, for example. The bottom surface of the opposing member 33 is opposed in parallel to the upper surface of the wafer 32. In this case, the bottom surface of the opposing member 33 functions as the 1 st surface. In addition, the wafer holding table 31 is configured to hold the wafer 32 downward, and when the opposing member 33 is provided below the wafer holding table 31, the upper surface of the opposing member 33 functions as the 1 st surface. The wafer 32 is set on the wafer holding table 31 by being lowered downward after being inserted between the wafer holding table 31 and the opposing member 33 by the transfer robot 10 of the EFEM unit 3. Therefore, the wafer 32 can be set on the wafer holding stage 31 without moving the wafer holding stage 31.

Water as a cleaning liquid is supplied to the center portion of the upper surface of the wafer 32 from a cleaning liquid supply nozzle 34 provided at the center portion of the bottom surface of the opposing member 33. The water 35 supplied to the wafer 32 spreads between the gap 38a between the upper surface of the wafer 32 and the bottom surface of the opposing member 33 and is pushed out to the outer periphery. The water 35 coming out from the outermost periphery of the wafer 32 passes through the gap 38b between the guide 37 and the wafer 32 and the gap between the wafer holding stage 31 and the guide 37And discharged downward. Thereafter, N as a gas is supplied from a gas supply nozzle 36 provided at the center of the bottom surface of the opposing member 33 to the center of the upper surface of the wafer 32 ₂ And (3) gas. Thereby, the water 35 remaining on the upper surface of the wafer 32 is driven out in the outer circumferential direction, and is discharged from the gap 38b between the guide 37 and the wafer 32 and the gap between the wafer holding table 31 and the guide 37. Thus by flowing N ₂ The gas evaporates and dries the moisture remaining on the wafer 32.

Warm water may also be used as water 35. When warm water is used, the solubility of the residual halogen is improved, and the removability of the residual halogen is improved. For example, in the case of supplying warm water in a manufacturing factory, warm water may be directly supplied to the cleaning and drying unit 6, and the warm water may be supplied from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 34 to the upper surface of the wafer 32. In the case where warm water is not supplied in the manufacturing plant, a water supply tank or piping for supplying water to the washing and drying unit 6 may be heated. Specifically, for example, the water supplied to the washing and drying unit 6 may be heated by winding the heater around a pipe for supplying water to the washing and drying unit 6.

In addition, as N ₂ The gas may also be N at high temperature ₂ And (3) gas. At high temperature N ₂ In the case of a gas, the time for evaporation drying can be shortened. For example, N supplied at a high temperature in a manufacturing plant ₂ In the case of gas, high-temperature N may be directly supplied to the purge drying unit 6 ₂ Gas, high temperature N is supplied from the gas supply nozzle 36 ₂ Gas is supplied to the upper surface of the wafer 32. In addition, high temperature N is not supplied in the manufacturing plant ₂ In the case of gas, N may be supplied to the purge drying unit 6 ₂ N of (2) ₂ The supply tank or piping is heated. Specifically, for example, the heater may be wound around the drum to supply N to the washing and drying unit 6 ₂ N supplied to the purge/drying unit 6 through the gas pipe ₂ And heating the gas.

The water 35, which is pushed out from the outermost periphery of the wafer 32 and is discharged from the gap 38b between the guide 37 and the wafer 32 and the gap between the wafer holding table 31 and the guide 37, is temporarily dischargedStored in a waste liquid tank 25 (see fig. 6) provided in the lower portion of the washing and drying chamber 14. The treatment liquid stored in the waste liquid tank 25 is discarded at an appropriate timing (see fig. 6). At this time, the halogen gas component adhering to the surface of the wafer 32 is dissolved in water and discarded. N supplied from the gas supply nozzle 36 ₂ The gas also flows through the same path as the water 35 and is discharged. Thus, the moisture remaining on the wafer 32 can be evaporated and dried. In FIG. 7 and the above description, the nozzle 35 and the nozzle 36 are formed of double-layer pipes, and the water 35 flows from the outside to the inside and N flows from the inside ₂ The gas is not limited thereto. For example, the water 35 and the water N may be supplied from the same nozzle by sharing the nozzles 35 and 36 and providing a switching mechanism in the middle of the piping ₂ And (3) gas.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view of the wafer holding stage 31. Fig. 8 is a schematic view of the wafer holding table 31 when viewed from above the opposing member 33. The opposing member 33 is provided with a hole corresponding to the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 34, and the cleaning liquid supply tube 341 is connected to the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 34. One end of the supply tube 341 is connected to the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 34. The other end of the supply tube 341 is connected to a water supply tank 26 (see fig. 6) provided at the lower portion of the washing and drying chamber 14. The opposing member 33 is also provided with a hole corresponding to the gas supply nozzle 36, and the gas supply pipe 361 is connected to the gas supply nozzle 36. One end of the supply pipe 361 is connected to the gas supply nozzle 36. The other end of the supply pipe 361 is connected to a drying N provided in the lower portion of the cleaning and drying chamber 14 ₂ A gas line 27 (see fig. 6).

Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the wafer holding stage 31. Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the wafer 32 is transported above the wafer holding table 31. Fig. 9 (a) shows an example of the case where the wafer holding stage 31 is viewed from above. A wafer lift 301 for receiving a wafer from the EFEM unit 3 by the transfer robot 10 is provided at the center of the wafer holding table 31. The wafer lift 301 is configured to move up and down, thereby placing and receiving the wafer 32 from a transfer fork 304 attached to the front end of the transfer robot arm 12 shown in fig. 10. A lip seal 306 is provided between the opposing member 33 and the outer guide 37 to prevent the water 35 flowing through the gap 38a between the wafer 32 and the opposing member 33 from turning into the back side of the outer guide 37. In addition, a plurality of annular lip seals 302 having different radii are concentrically provided on the upper surface of the wafer holding table 31 around the wafer lift table 301, so as to prevent the water 35 flowing through the gap 38b between the wafer 32 and the outer guide 37 from being transferred to the back surface of the wafer 32. The lip seals 302 are provided with wafer slope adjustment mechanisms 39, respectively, to adjust the slope and position (height) of the wafer 32 relative to the opposing member 33. The outermost lip seal 302 also has the function of preventing water penetration. The lip seal 302 located further inward has a function of preventing the wafer 32 from warping. Therefore, as shown in fig. 9 (b), only the outer lip seal 302 may have a position (height) adjusting function. In the present embodiment, the space between the opposing member 33 and the wafer holding table 31 is sealed by the pressure of the water 35 discharged from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 34 provided at the center portion of the lower surface of the opposing member 33, but in order to further improve the sealing property, a mechanism may be provided in which the wafer 32 is vacuum-sucked and held on the wafer holding table 31.

A series of processes from the time of conveying the wafer to the cleaning and drying chamber 14 to the time of cleaning will be described with reference to fig. 10 and 11. The wafer 32 is placed on a carrier fork 304 attached to the front end of the carrier robot arm 12 shown in fig. 10. Here, the wafer 32 is pressed from the side by the wafer holding jig 305 attached to the transfer fork 304 so that the wafer 32 does not fall off the transfer fork 304. Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating a series of processes from the time of conveying the wafer to the cleaning and drying unit 6 until the wafer is cleaned. First, as shown in fig. 11 (a), a carrier fork 304 holding a wafer 32 is placed in the cleaning and drying chamber 14. At this time, the opposing member 33 is located above to form a space into which the conveying fork 304 enters. Next, as shown in fig. 11 (b), the carrier fork 304 is lowered to place the wafer 32 on the wafer lift table 301. Then, as shown in fig. 11 (c), after the EFEM unit 3 is pulled back by the carrier fork 304 separated from the wafer 32, the wafer lift table 301 is lowered by the wafer lift table lifting mechanism 307, and the wafer 32 is placed on the lip seal 302 provided on the wafer holding table 31. Finally, as shown in fig. 11 (d), the counter member 33 is lowered to narrow the distance from the wafer 32, and water from the central nozzle flows. The water flows from the center to the outer periphery of the wafer 32 as indicated by the arrow, flows downward from the wafer 32, and is discharged from the cleaning and drying chamber 14 through the drain pipe 303. As described above, the cleaning and drying chamber 14 is constituted by the multi-stage wafer holding stages 31, and the wafer holding stages 31 each have the height adjustment and drainage mechanism of the wafer lift stage 301, so that the counter member 33 can be easily moved up and down, but the distance between the wafer holding stages 31 and the wafer 32 can be adjusted by increasing the height of the wafer holding stages 31.

In using N ₂ When the gas is dried, if water droplets remain on the bottom surface of the opposing member 33 of the cleaning and drying chamber 14, the water droplets may drop onto the wafer 32, and therefore a hydrophobic material such as a fluororesin is used for the bottom surface of the opposing member 33.

In addition, heated N is used in drying ₂ This can shorten the drying time. In addition, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) may be flowed after water 35 is supplied to the upper surface of the wafer 32 in order to clean the wafer 32. Thus, the use of N can be further shortened ₂ The time required for the gas to dry.

In the present embodiment, the washing and drying mechanism 15 does not rotate or revolve. In other words, in the present embodiment, the relative positions of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 34 and the wafer 32 are fixed when the wafer 32 is cleaned. In the present embodiment, the relative positions of the gas supply nozzle 36 and the wafer 32 are fixed when the wafer 32 is dried. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is not necessary to move the wafer or the nozzle to efficiently clean and dry the entire surface of the 300mm large-diameter wafer. Further, for example, a teaching mechanism may be provided to finely adjust the facing distance and the facing angle between the wafer 32 and the facing member 33 of the cleaning and drying mechanism 15.

In the present embodiment, the gap 38a between the opposing member 33 and the wafer 32 is set so that the opposing distance between the opposing member 33 and the wafer 32 is fixed in-plane. More specifically, the height and the slope of the wafer 32 are adjusted using a wafer slope adjustment mechanism 39 mounted on the wafer holding stage 31. As shown in fig. 9, the wafer 32 is supported at 3 points by the wafer slope adjustment mechanism 39 provided on the lip seal 302 near the outer periphery of the wafer 32 at substantially equal intervals, whereby the height and slope of the wafer 32 can be adjusted, and the gap (interval) between the wafer 32 and the opposing member 33 can be made uniform in plane. In the present description, the height of the wafer 32 is directly adjusted, but a method of adjusting the height of the holding table and a part thereof to adjust the wafer position may be used as long as the method has a function of adjusting the gap.

Next, a comparative example of the present embodiment will be described. In the comparative example, O was used after dry etching ₂ The gas plasma is cleaned. In the comparative example, O is used at a high temperature of 300℃or higher ₂ When the gas plasma is cleaned, an effect of removing the corrosive gas adsorbed on the substrate by sputtering can be expected. However, if the processing is performed at a high temperature, si and metal materials in the wafer may be accidentally oxidized, thereby affecting the shape change and electrical characteristics of the device. Therefore, there are cases where such cleaning cannot be applied. In addition, there is a possibility that the corrosive gas enclosed when the oxide film is removed in the subsequent process is released to cause poor quality, or that the gas permeates into the polymer that is the material of the FOUP and is transferred to the wafer when used in another process. Namely, in using O ₂ When the gas plasma is used for cleaning, it is difficult to completely remove the deposit on the substrate.

As another comparative example, a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus is considered in which a cleaning process unit (cleaning process chamber) is provided in addition to a dry etching unit (dry etching chamber) 1 in a vacuum transfer robot chamber 2 (a so-called clustering apparatus is considered). However, the clustering apparatus has a low wafer processing capability or a very large apparatus size compared with a configuration in which only the dry etching unit (dry etching chamber) 1 is provided.

As another comparative example, a rotary type water washing unit is also considered to be provided on the side of the EFEM unit 3. The rotary cleaning unit rotates the wafer at a high speed for example in order to improve dust removal performance when water or chemical liquid is supplied and for spin drying. However, in order to rotate the wafer at a high speed, a rotation shaft having a relatively high rigidity is required so as not to deviate from the rotation shaft. In addition, a wafer suction and protection mechanism is also required to prevent the wafer from being damaged by flying out due to high-speed rotation. In addition, since water or chemical liquid scattered outside the wafer during high-speed rotation may collide with the inner wall of the cleaning processing unit (cleaning chamber) and bounce to adhere to the wafer again, it is necessary to make the distance between the wafer and the inner wall of the cleaning processing unit (cleaning chamber) long or to provide a splash guard in order to prevent this.

As another comparative example, a configuration in which the cleaning nozzle is moved instead of the wafer rotation to uniformly perform cleaning is also considered. However, in this case, the constitution also increases in size. That is, in any of the above comparative examples, the cleaning process unit (cleaning chamber) is not reduced in size, and therefore it is difficult to dispose such a cleaning unit directly in the vicinity of the EFEM unit 3.

For example, in the case where 2 or more dry etching units (dry etching chambers) are provided in the manufacturing apparatus of the semiconductor device, the capability of only 1 of the cleaning and drying units 6 may be insufficient, and the wafer processing time may be prolonged. As a comparative example in view of this, it is also considered to uniformly clean a plurality of horizontally placed substrates stacked in the up-down direction. However, in this case, since the wafer holding member is rotated at a high speed while the chemical liquid is supplied, the cleaning chamber becomes large in size.

In the above embodiment, the capability of the purge drying unit 6 is limited to the minimum capability required for removing the residual gas component, not dust on the wafer, and thus the wafer rotating mechanism, the holding member lifting and lowering, and the nozzle turning functions are omitted from the purge drying unit 6. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the washing and drying unit 6 can be miniaturized. Thereby, the cleaning and drying unit 6 having the cleaning ability of removing the residual gas component on the wafer generated in the dry etching unit (dry etching chamber) 1 as the main processing unit and being miniaturized to the extent that it can be provided in the EFEM unit 3 or the load port unit connection part 5A can be realized.

Next, a configuration example of a cleaning and drying unit according to a modification of embodiment 1 is shown. The cleaning and drying unit of the modified example has a cleaning liquid supplying function, a drying gas supplying function, and a pumping function as shown in FIG. 12The small modules with liquid and gas sucking functions are combined in a plurality of ways. As shown in fig. 12, the cleaning and drying unit of the modified example includes a fixed wafer holding stage 41 and a plurality of fixed small cleaning and drying modules (small modules) 43. The upper surface of the small module 43 is connected with water and a dry gas (N ₂ Gas) supply tube 441 and drain tube 461 for water and air discharge.

The plurality of small modules 43 are arranged close to and directly above the wafer holding table 41 and the wafer 42, and function as a cleaning and drying mechanism (a cleaning liquid supply mechanism and a gas supply mechanism). The plurality of small modules 43 do not rotate or revolve. For example, as shown in fig. 13, the plurality of small modules 43 are arranged in a lattice shape so as to cover the entire surface of the wafer 42. Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of the cleaning and drying mechanism according to the modification. Fig. 13 is a schematic view of the wafer holding stage 41 viewed from above the small module 43.

The flow of water will be described with reference to fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating the flow of water and dry gas during wafer cleaning in a variation. The small module 43 has a central nozzle 44 and a suction nozzle 46. The center nozzle 44 extending in the 3 rd direction has an opening at one end facing the wafer 42, and is disposed in the center of the surface of the small module 43 facing the wafer 42. The other end of the central nozzle 44 is connected to a supply tube 441. The suction nozzle 46 extending in the 3 rd direction has an opening at one end facing the wafer 42, and is disposed so as to surround the central nozzle 44 on the surface of the small module 43 facing the wafer 42. The other end of the suction nozzle 46 is connected to a drain pipe 461. Water flows from a central nozzle 44 connected to the supply pipe 441, and water 45 on the wafer 42 is discharged from a suction nozzle 46 connected to the discharge pipe 461. Next, N flows from the central nozzle 44 ₂ Gas, and is exhausted from the suction nozzle 46.

A supply switching unit (not shown) is connected to one end of the supply pipe 441, which is not connected to the central nozzle 44, and a water supply pipe (not shown) for supplying the cleaning water and a gas supply pipe (not shown) for supplying the drying gas are connected to the supply switching unit. When the supply switching section switches the connection of the pipes in such a manner that the water flows from the central nozzle 44, the supply pipe 441 is connected to the water supply pipeFlows N from the central nozzle 44 ₂ In the case of gas, the gas supply tube 441 is connected to the gas supply tube. The drain tube 461 has the same structure as that of the drain tube, and is used for discharging water N ₂ When the gas is supplied, the connection target of the drain tube 461 is switched. Each small module 43 individually cleans and dries the wafer 42 only at a portion of the gap with the wafer 42, that is, at a surface facing the wafer 42. The water wash flow may also be adjusted individually for each small module 43 or for each block comprising a plurality of small modules 43.

(embodiment 2)

Embodiment 2 will be described below. Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the overall structure of the apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. Embodiment 2 differs from embodiment 1 in that the purge drying unit 6' is not provided in the load port unit connection portion 5A of the EFEM unit 3, but is provided in the EFEM unit 3. Other components and processing procedures are the same as those in embodiment 1. Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus. Fig. 17 is a side view illustrating an example of the arrangement of the washing and drying unit 6'. In embodiment 2, the purge drying unit 6' is disposed within the EFEM unit 3 in a converging manner.

In fig. 17, the purge drying unit 6 'is provided near the center in the paper surface direction (2 nd direction) of the EFEM unit 3, but the purge drying unit 6' may be provided at the left end (load port unit 5 side) in the paper surface direction of the EFEM unit 3 or at the right end (vacuum transfer robot chamber 2 side) in the paper surface direction of the EFEM unit 3. The cleaning and drying unit 6' is preferably sized to be 50cm wide and 80cm deep, for example, and can be incorporated into a commercially available EFEM unit without special modification, and therefore, is not designed to be usable.

When the purge drying unit 6' is provided in the EFEM unit 3 as in embodiment 2, unlike embodiment 1, the number of load port units 5 connected to the EFEM unit 3 is not reduced, and a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus can be configured. Therefore, the semiconductor device can be manufactured more efficiently.

(embodiment 3)

Embodiment 3 will be described below. In the cleaning and drying unit according to embodiment 3, a sensor (e.g., a conductivity meter, a PH meter, etc.) for measuring physical properties (Physical Property, e.g., conductivity, PH, etc.) of a processing liquid (e.g., a cleaning liquid after cleaning a wafer) is provided. The sensor is used to measure physical properties of the processing liquid, and the processing state (for example, the progress state of the wafer cleaning process) is determined based on the measured physical properties, so that the end of the wafer cleaning process can be detected based on the measured physical properties. As the configuration of the washing and drying unit other than the sensor, any of the configurations of embodiment 1 and embodiment 2 may be applied.

Hereinafter, the procedure of measurement will be described focusing on differences from embodiment 1 and embodiment 2 with reference to fig. 18. Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a sensor for measuring physical properties of a processing liquid and the vicinity thereof according to embodiment 3. As shown in fig. 18, in the cleaning and drying unit according to embodiment 3, a cleaning liquid flowing from the cleaning and drying unit 51 onto the upper surface of the wafer flows through a drain pipe 52 and flows into a sensor (conductivity meter) 53.

Fig. 19 is a graph illustrating a relationship between a cleaning time and a conductivity of a processing liquid. In the case of using water as the cleaning liquid, as shown in fig. 19, since a large amount of halogen (Cl, F, br) is dissolved immediately after the start of the cleaning process, the conductivity measured by the sensor 53 is high, but as the cleaning process proceeds, the residual halogen on the wafer is reduced, and therefore the conductivity measured by the sensor 53 gradually approaches the conductivity of pure water. When the conductivity measured by the sensor 53 is equal to or lower than the determination threshold value, a control signal is sent via the control signal line 54, and the cleaning process is terminated. As described above, according to the cleaning and drying unit of embodiment 3, the cleaning process can be automatically ended according to the progress state by measuring the physical properties of the treatment liquid. Thus, for example, the period of the cleaning process for the wafer having a large amount of residual halogen can be made longer, and the period of the cleaning process for the wafer having a relatively small amount of residual halogen can be made shorter, so that the amount and time of the cleaning liquid required for the cleaning process can be controlled without impairing the cleaning effect.

(embodiment 4)

Embodiment 4 will be described below.

Fig. 20 is a schematic view showing a wafer holding mechanism with a heater according to embodiment 4. Fig. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wafer holding mechanism with a heater. Fig. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of cleaning in the case of using the wafer holding mechanism with a heater.

As shown in fig. 20, the wafer holding mechanism of embodiment 4 is provided with a plurality of heaters 311 on the upper surface of the wafer holding stage 31. As shown in fig. 21, the plurality of heaters 311 are provided at positions that do not interfere with the lip seal 302, for example.

As shown in fig. 22, water 35 is supplied to the upper surface of the wafer 32 to clean the wafer 32. Thereafter, N is ₂ Gas is supplied to the upper surface of the wafer 32 to dry the moisture remaining on the wafer 32. In embodiment 4, in the case where N ₂ When the gas is supplied to the upper surface of the wafer 32, the wafer 32 is heated by the heater 311. Thus, the time required for drying can be shortened.

In embodiment 4, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) may be flowed after water 35 is supplied to the upper surface of wafer 32 in order to clean wafer 32. Thus, the use of N can be further shortened ₂ The time required for the gas to dry.

(embodiment 5)

Fig. 23 is a plan view showing a configuration of a system for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to embodiment 5.

The manufacturing system of the present embodiment includes a rail (ceiling rail) 601, a conveyance vehicle (suspended traveling conveyance vehicle) 602 movable along the rail 601, and a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses 603 arranged close to the rail 601.

The rail 601 is provided on, for example, a ceiling of a manufacturing factory. In this case, the conveyance vehicle 602 functions as a suspended traveling conveyance vehicle. However, the installation position of the rail 601 is not limited to the ceiling. For example, the rail 601 may be provided on a floor (ground) of a manufacturing plant, or may be provided on a wall surface of the manufacturing plant. The conveyance vehicle 602 may not have wheels. In this case, the conveyance carriage 602 may be driven by a linear motor, for example.

Each manufacturing apparatus 603 has the same configuration as the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus described in embodiment 1, for example. However, the configuration of each manufacturing apparatus 603 is not limited to this, and for example, the same configuration as the manufacturing apparatus of the semiconductor device and/or the cleaning/drying unit described in other embodiments may be applied.

For example, 1 manufacturing apparatus 603A includes a dry etching unit capable of performing dry etching as the 1 st process as the main processing unit 1, and the other manufacturing apparatus 603B includes a film forming unit (sputtering unit or CVD unit) capable of performing film formation as the 2 nd process as the main processing unit 2. The combination of the 1 st process and the 2 nd process is not limited thereto. The 1 st and 2 nd processes may be any one of wet etching, annealing, CMP, ion implantation, for example. In addition, for example, the 1 st process and the 2 nd process may be the same kind of process. For example, the 1 st process may be a film formation using the 1 st material, and the 2 nd process may be a film formation using the 2 nd material.

Fig. 24 shows a dry etching unit of example 1 as the main processing unit 1. The dry etching unit includes, for example, a chamber 81, a wafer holder 82, and an ion source 83. The wafer holder 82 holds the wafer 7 accommodated in the chamber 81. The ion source 83 irradiates the wafer 7 with ions to dry-etch the wafer 7.

Fig. 25 shows a film forming unit (sputtering unit) of example 2 as the main processing unit 1. The film forming unit (sputtering unit) includes a chamber 91, a wafer holder 92, and a target holder 93. The chamber 91 includes an air supply port 91a for supplying a film forming gas and an air exhaust port 91b for exhausting an excessive gas. The wafer holder 92 holds the wafer 7 accommodated in the chamber 91. The target holder 93 holds the target 78 for film formation.

The FOUP13 is mounted on the carrier vehicle 602 in a state where the wafer 7 is stored. The FOUP13 mounted on the carrier vehicle 602 is carried along the rail 601, and is mounted from the carrier vehicle 602 to the load port unit 5 of each manufacturing apparatus 603 (for example, the manufacturing apparatus 603A including the dry etching unit as the main processing unit 1). For example, as described in embodiment 1, the wafer 7 is taken out from the FOUP13 placed on the load port unit 5 by the transfer robot 10, and transferred to the vacuum transfer robot chamber 2 through the load lock chamber 4. The wafer 7 transferred to the vacuum transfer robot chamber 2 is transferred to the main processing unit 1 by the transfer robot 8, and a process (for example, dry etching) is performed by the main processing unit 1. The wafer 7 processed by the main processing unit 1 is transferred to the cleaning and drying unit 6 by the transfer robot 8 and the transfer robot 10, and is cleaned and dried by the cleaning and drying unit 6. The wafer 7 cleaned and dried by the cleaning and drying unit 6 is stored in the FOUP13 placed on the load port unit 5 by the transfer robot 10.

The FOUP13 is mounted on a carrier 602 in a state where the wafers 7 washed and dried by the washing and drying unit 6 are stored, is carried along a track 601, and is mounted on a load port unit 5 of another manufacturing apparatus 603 (for example, a manufacturing apparatus 603B including a film forming unit as the main processing unit 1). The wafer 7 is transferred from the FOUP13 placed on the load port unit 5 to the main processing unit 1 by the transfer robot 10 and the transfer robot 8, and a process (for example, sputtering) is performed by the main processing unit 1. The wafer 7 processed by the main processing unit 1 is transferred to the cleaning and drying unit 6 by the transfer robot 8 and the transfer robot 10, and is cleaned and dried by the cleaning and drying unit 6. The wafer 7 cleaned and dried by the cleaning and drying unit 6 is stored in the FOUP13 placed on the load port unit 5 by the transfer robot 10.

The FOUP13 is mounted on a carrier vehicle 602 in a state where the wafers 7 washed and dried by the washing and drying unit 6 are stored, is carried along a track 601, and is mounted on, for example, a load port unit 5 of another manufacturing apparatus 603.

According to the present embodiment, after the wafer 7 is processed by the main processing unit 1 in each manufacturing apparatus 603, a simple cleaning and drying process can be performed by the cleaning and drying unit 6 before the wafer 7 is stored in the FOUP 13. This can maintain the FOUP13 and other manufacturing apparatuses 6 in a clean state.

While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are shown by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in other various modes, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and variations thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the scope similar thereto.

[ description of symbols ]

1. Dry etching chamber

3 EFEM unit (transportation module)

5. Load port unit (load port)

5A load port unit connection

6,6' cleaning and drying unit (cleaning unit)

7. Wafer with a plurality of wafers

10. Conveying robot

11. Guide rail

12. Conveying arm

13 FOUP

14. Cleaning and drying chamber

15,15a,15b,15c cleaning and drying mechanism

16. Wafer holding mechanism

23. Depth adjusting mechanism

24. Slope adjusting mechanism

31. Wafer holding table

32. Wafer with a plurality of wafers

33. Opposing member

34. Cleaning liquid (water) supply nozzle

36. Gas (N) ₂ Gas) is supplied to the nozzle.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

a transport module;

a cleaning unit; and

a load port;

the cleaning unit includes:

a processed substrate holding mechanism capable of holding a processed substrate;

a cleaning liquid supply mechanism configured to supply a cleaning liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism; and

a gas supply mechanism configured to supply a gas to the substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism; and is also provided with

The transport module includes:

a processed substrate conveying mechanism capable of conveying the processed substrate between the load port and the cleaning unit;

the cleaning unit is connected to the transfer module in parallel with the load port.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the transport module further includes:

a rail extending in the 1 st direction,

the substrate conveyance mechanism includes:

a base movable on the rail;

a telescopic arm rotatably attached to the base and capable of adjusting a projecting amount from the base in a 2 nd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction; and

A holding unit provided at a distal end side of the telescopic arm and configured to hold a substrate to be processed; and at the position of the carrying module,

is connected to at least one of the load ports,

setting the storage position of the processed substrate in the state that the processed substrate container is mounted on the loading port as the 1 st storage position, and

when the storage position of the processed substrate in the state of being cleaned by the cleaning unit is set to the 2 nd storage position,

the distance in the 2 nd direction from the rail to the 1 st storage location,

equal to the distance from the rail to the 2 nd storage location in the 2 nd direction.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein: the transfer module has a plurality of load port connections,

the load port is connected with at least one of the plurality of load port connections,

the cleaning unit is connected with at least one other of the plurality of load port connections,

the processed substrate conveying mechanism is capable of conveying the substrate from the load port to the processed substrate holding mechanism.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the cleaning unit is configured to be able to adjust a relative position to the transport module.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

an elongation in the 2 nd direction of the holding portion when storing the substrate to be processed in the substrate container to be processed,

The same as the elongation of the holding portion in the 2 nd direction when storing the processed substrate in the cleaning unit.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

in a 3 rd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction and the 2 nd direction, there are a plurality of the 1 st storage positions, and a position of the 2 nd storage position in the 3 rd direction is equal to a position of any one of the plurality of the 1 st storage positions in the 3 rd direction.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the cleaning unit further has:

a 2 nd processed substrate holding mechanism provided at a position separated from the processed substrate holding mechanism in a 3 rd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction and the 2 nd direction;

a 2 nd cleaning liquid supply mechanism configured to supply the cleaning liquid to the 2 nd substrate to be processed held by the 2 nd substrate holding mechanism; and

a 2 nd gas supply mechanism configured to supply the gas to the 2 nd substrate to be processed held by the 2 nd substrate holding mechanism; and is also provided with

The substrate to be processed held by the substrate holding mechanism can be simultaneously cleaned,

the 2 nd processed substrate held by the 2 nd processed substrate holding mechanism can be cleaned when the processed substrate is cleaned.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the cleaning liquid supply mechanism is capable of supplying the cleaning liquid to the upper surface of the substrate to be processed during the designation period 1 in a state where the relative position to the substrate to be processed is fixed,

the gas supply mechanism may supply the gas to the upper surface of the substrate to be processed during a period designated by 2 in a state where a relative position to the substrate to be processed is fixed.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the cleaning unit further comprises a functional part,

the functional part comprises:

the cleaning liquid supply mechanism;

the gas supply mechanism; and

a suction mechanism capable of sucking the cleaning liquid and the gas; and is also provided with

The functional parts are disposed in plural so as to face the upper surface of the substrate to be processed at least during the 1 st or 2 nd designation period.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the cleaning liquid supply means is capable of supplying isopropyl alcohol after supplying the cleaning liquid to the substrate to be processed.

11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the gas comprises nitrogen.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit further comprises: an opposing member having a 1 st surface opposing an upper surface of the substrate to be processed when the substrate to be processed is stored in the cleaning unit,

the cleaning liquid supply means and the gas supply means are capable of supplying the cleaning liquid and the gas, respectively, between the 1 st surface of the opposing member and the upper surface of the substrate to be processed,

the 1 st face of the opposing member is formed of a hydrophobic material.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit further comprises: and an adjusting mechanism for adjusting a slope of the processed substrate when the processed substrate is stored in the cleaning unit.

14. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor capable of measuring physical properties of the cleaning liquid after being supplied onto the substrate to be processed by the cleaning liquid supply mechanism.

15. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

a transport module;

a cleaning unit disposed in the transport module; and

a load port connected to the transfer module; and is also provided with

The cleaning unit includes:

The transport module includes:

a processed substrate conveying mechanism capable of conveying the processed substrate between the load port and the cleaning unit.

16. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the conveying module further comprises

A rail extending in the 1 st direction,

the substrate conveyance mechanism includes:

a base movable on the rail;

a holding unit provided on a distal end side of the telescopic arm and configured to hold the substrate to be processed; and is also provided with

The cleaning unit further has:

The substrate to be processed held by the substrate holding mechanism can be cleaned,

17. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein: the cleaning liquid supply mechanism is capable of supplying the cleaning liquid to the upper surface of the substrate to be processed during the designation period 1 in a state where the relative position to the substrate to be processed is fixed,

18. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein:

the cleaning unit further comprises a functional part,

the functional part comprises:

the cleaning liquid supply mechanism;

the gas supply mechanism; and

19. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein: the cleaning liquid supply means is capable of supplying isopropyl alcohol after supplying the cleaning liquid to the substrate to be processed.

20. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the gas comprises nitrogen.

21. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the cleaning unit further comprises: an opposing member having a 1 st surface opposing an upper surface of the substrate to be processed when the substrate to be processed is stored in the cleaning unit;

the cleaning liquid supply mechanism and the gas supply mechanism are capable of supplying the cleaning liquid and the gas, respectively, between the 1 st surface of the opposing member and the upper surface of the substrate to be processed;

The 1 st face of the opposing member is formed of a hydrophobic material.

22. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the cleaning unit further comprises: and an adjusting mechanism for adjusting a slope of the processed substrate when the processed substrate is stored in the cleaning unit.

23. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein: the substrate processing apparatus further includes a sensor capable of measuring physical properties of the cleaning liquid after being supplied onto the substrate to be processed by the cleaning liquid supply mechanism.

24. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, using a 1 st device, a 2 nd device, and a suspended ceiling-based traveling vehicle, the 1 st device comprising:

a 1 st unit capable of performing the 1 st process;

a 1 st conveying module;

a 1 st load port mounted on the 1 st transfer module; and

a cleaning unit mounted on the 1 st conveying module; and is also provided with

The 2 nd device includes:

a 2 nd unit capable of performing the 2 nd process;

a 2 nd conveying module; and

a 2 nd load port mounted on the 2 nd transfer module;

the cleaning unit is capable of performing a cleaning process using:

The method for manufacturing the semiconductor device comprises the following steps:

performing the 1 st process on the processed substrate using the 1 st unit;

using the 1 st transfer module, transferring the processed substrate on which the 1 st process has been performed from the 1 st unit to the cleaning unit;

performing the cleaning process on the processed substrate on which the 1 st process has been performed using the cleaning unit;

using the 1 st transfer module, transferring the processed substrate, on which the cleaning process has been performed, from the cleaning unit to the 1 st load port;

using the ceiling-mounted traveling carrier vehicle to carry the processed substrate on which the cleaning process has been performed from the 1 st load port to the 2 nd load port;

using the 2 nd transfer module to transfer the processed substrate on which the cleaning process has been performed from a 2 nd load port to the 2 nd unit; and

and using the 2 nd unit to execute the 2 nd process on the processed substrate on which the cleaning process has been executed.