CN116921374A

CN116921374A - Cleaning device, wafer processing equipment and cleaning method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN116921374A
Application number: CN202210373214.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陶剑峰; 蒋国彪; 杨哲闵; 王建忠
Original assignee: Changxin Memory Technologies Inc
Current assignee: Changxin Memory Technologies Inc
Priority date: 2022-04-11
Filing date: 2022-04-11
Publication date: 2023-10-24

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a cleaning device, a wafer processing apparatus, and a cleaning method thereof, wherein when a control valve is in a first operating state, an exhaust pipe is communicated with a nozzle, so that acid gas inside the nozzle can be extracted out through the exhaust pipe and output to a waste discharge mechanism; when the control valve is in the second working state, the cleaning pipeline is communicated with the exhaust pipeline, the first cleaning liquid introduced into the cleaning pipeline enters the exhaust pipeline through the first end, particles attached to the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline are cleaned, and the first cleaning liquid is discharged into the waste discharge mechanism through the second end. Therefore, particles attached to the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline can be cleaned by the cleaning pipeline in time, the defect of cyclone-shaped patterns caused by entering the surface of the semiconductor wafer along with the process liquid preparation process is avoided, the number of tiny dust particles can be reduced, and the product yield is improved.

Description

Cleaning device, wafer processing equipment and cleaning method thereof

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to the technical field of semiconductor cleaning, and in particular relates to a cleaning device, wafer processing equipment and a cleaning method thereof.

Background

In the semiconductor wafer manufacturing process, various organic compounds, metal impurities, particles and the like are adhered to the surface of the semiconductor wafer, and the cleanliness of the surface of the semiconductor wafer (for example, a wafer) is one of important factors affecting the reliability of the semiconductor wafer, and if the semiconductor wafer is not cleaned, the performance and the qualification rate of the semiconductor wafer are greatly reduced, so that the semiconductor wafer is cleaned, namely, the contaminants such as the organic compounds, the metal impurities, the particles and the like adhered to the surface of the semiconductor wafer are removed, and the performance and the qualification rate of semiconductor devices are improved. The prior art generally performs wet etching on a semiconductor wafer using, for example, an SPM cleaning solution that includes sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide, which is capable of removing photoresist residues on the semiconductor wafer.

In the cleaning process, after the ejection of the cleaning liquid from the nozzle is finished, the cleaning liquid still remains in the nozzle, so that the residual liquid in the nozzle is usually pumped out through the back suction operation, and the semiconductor wafer is prevented from being polluted due to the drop theft of the residual liquid in the semiconductor wafer processing process. In addition, the exhaust pipeline can synchronously exhaust the acid gas in the nozzle during the process. However, during the process of dispensing liquid, the semiconductor wafer still has the defect of cyclone-like pattern caused by particle contamination.

Disclosure of Invention

Based on the above, it is necessary to solve the problem of cyclone-like patterns caused by particle pollution in the process of spraying and dispensing liquid in the prior art, and provide a cleaning device, a wafer processing apparatus and a cleaning method thereof, which can reduce the number of dust particles and improve the product yield.

The technical scheme is as follows: a cleaning device, the cleaning device comprising:

a nozzle;

an exhaust line comprising a first end and a second end, the second end being connected to a waste discharge mechanism;

the cleaning pipeline is used for introducing a first cleaning liquid;

the control valve is respectively connected with the nozzle, the first end and the cleaning pipeline and is provided with a first working state and a second working state; when the control valve is in a first working state, the exhaust pipeline is communicated with the nozzle; when the control valve is in the second working state, the cleaning pipeline is communicated with the exhaust pipeline.

In one embodiment, the cleaning device further comprises a drying pipeline, the drying pipeline is used for introducing drying gas, the control valve is further communicated with the drying pipeline, the control valve is further provided with a third working state, and when the control valve is in the third working state, the drying pipeline is communicated with the exhaust pipeline.

In one embodiment, the control valve comprises two three-way valves disposed in series between the first end and the nozzle; one of the three-way valves is connected with the cleaning pipeline, and the other three-way valve is connected with the drying pipeline.

In one embodiment, the cleaning pipeline is provided with a first switch valve and/or a flow control valve in series.

In one embodiment, the drying pipeline is provided with at least one of a second switch valve, a gas flowmeter and a gas pressure gauge in series.

In one embodiment, the first cleaning solution comprises deionized water; the drying gas includes an inert gas.

In one embodiment, the cleaning device further comprises a first suction line, a third switch valve, and a first aspirator; one end of the first suction pipeline is communicated with the exhaust pipeline, and the other end of the first suction pipeline is used for being connected to a waste discharge mechanism; the third switch valve and the first aspirator are arranged on the first aspiration pipeline in series.

In one embodiment, the cleaning apparatus further comprises a drain container for receiving waste liquid from semiconductor wafer cleaning and outputting the waste liquid to the waste discharge mechanism.

In one embodiment, the drain container is provided with a drain pipe, both connected to a common pipe for connection to the waste drain, the common pipe being provided with a fourth switching valve in series.

In one embodiment, the cleaning device further comprises an infusion pipeline, one end of the infusion pipeline is used for introducing the second cleaning solution, and the other end of the infusion pipeline is connected with the nozzle; the infusion pipeline is provided with a fifth switch valve in series.

In one embodiment, the cleaning device further comprises a second suction line, a sixth switching valve, and a second aspirator; one end of the second suction pipeline is communicated with the infusion tube and/or the nozzle, the other end of the second suction pipeline is communicated with the waste discharge mechanism, and the fifth switch valve and the second aspirator are all arranged on the second suction pipeline in series.

A wafer processing apparatus comprising the cleaning device.

A method of cleaning a wafer processing apparatus, comprising:

the cleaning pipeline is communicated with the exhaust pipeline by controlling a control valve;

and the first cleaning liquid introduced into the cleaning pipeline enters the exhaust pipeline through the first end, and is discharged into the waste discharge mechanism through the second end after cleaning the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline.

In one embodiment, the first cleaning solution is introduced into the exhaust pipeline at a flow rate of 1000ml/s-3000ml/s, and the liquid introduction time period is maintained for 2min-4 min.

In one embodiment, the method for cleaning a wafer processing apparatus further includes the steps of:

after the first cleaning liquid in the cleaning pipeline cleans the exhaust pipeline, the control valve is switched from the second working state to the third working state, dry gas is introduced into the exhaust pipeline through the drying pipeline, and the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline is dried through the dry gas.

In one embodiment, the drying gas is introduced into the exhaust pipeline at a flow rate of 40-60L/min, and the ventilation time period of 2-4 min is maintained.

According to the cleaning device, the wafer processing equipment and the cleaning method thereof, when the control valve is in the first working state, the exhaust pipeline is communicated with the nozzle, so that acid gas in the nozzle can be extracted outwards through the exhaust pipeline and output to the waste discharge mechanism; when the control valve is in the second working state, the cleaning pipeline is communicated with the exhaust pipeline, the first cleaning liquid introduced into the cleaning pipeline enters the exhaust pipeline through the first end, particles attached to the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline are cleaned, and the first cleaning liquid is discharged into the waste discharge mechanism through the second end. Therefore, particles attached to the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline can be cleaned by the cleaning pipeline in time, the defect of cyclone-shaped patterns caused by entering the surface of the semiconductor wafer along with the process liquid preparation process is avoided, the number of tiny dust particles can be reduced, and the product yield is improved.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, illustrate and explain the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the disclosure, and do not constitute an undue limitation on the disclosure.

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings required for the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the processing effect of a conventional cleaning apparatus on a semiconductor wafer;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a cleaning apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a cleaning apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the comparison between the processing effect of the cleaning device on the semiconductor wafer and the processing effect of the semiconductor wafer in the conventional technology;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the comparison between the processing effect of the cleaning device on the semiconductor wafer and the processing effect of the semiconductor wafer in the conventional technology.

10. A nozzle; 20. an exhaust line; 30. cleaning a pipeline; 31. a first switching valve; 32. a flow control valve; 40. a control valve; 41. a three-way valve; 50. a waste discharge mechanism; 51. a first waste discharge tank; 52. a communicating pipe; 53. a second waste discharge tank; 61. a first providing device; 62. a second providing device; 63. a third providing device; 70. a drying pipeline; 71. a second switching valve; 72. a gas flow meter; 73. a gas pressure gauge; 80. a first suction line; 81. a third switching valve; 82. a first aspirator; 91. a liquid discharge container; 92. a liquid discharge pipe; 93. a common pipe; 931. a fourth switching valve; 94. an infusion pipeline; 941. a fifth switching valve; 95. a second suction line; 951. a sixth switching valve; 952. a second aspirator.

Detailed Description

In order that the above-recited objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more readily apparent, a more particular description of the disclosure will be rendered by reference to the appended drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. The present disclosure may be embodied in many other forms than described herein and similarly modified by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the disclosure, and therefore the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

In the traditional process, in the process of synchronously pumping and discharging the acid gas in the nozzle outwards through the exhaust pipeline, the back suction pressure of the exhaust pipeline to the acid gas in the nozzle is overlarge, so that cleaning liquid is refilled into the exhaust pipeline, and after the exhaust pipeline is dried, residual liquid on the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline can form particles attached to the pipe wall; in addition, in the process of discharging the waste liquid through the pot drain pipe after the process, as the pot drain pipe and the exhaust pipeline are connected in parallel to the waste liquid collecting tank, wet acid gas mixed with the waste liquid in the pot drain pipe can enter the exhaust pipeline, and particulate matters are adhered to the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline.

In the process of preparing the liquid, particularly when the ejection amount of the cleaning liquid is large, the flow rate of the cleaning liquid is large, and the high flow rate can suck the particles attached to the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline into the cleaning liquid and then spray the particles on the surface of the semiconductor wafer; in addition, in the moving process of the nozzle, particles at the joint position of the air injection pipeline and the nozzle head can fall along with rapid rotation. Therefore, the particles adhered to the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline can enter the surface of the semiconductor wafer along with the process liquid preparation process, so that the defect of the cyclone pattern is caused, as shown in fig. 1, the treatment effect of the conventional cleaning device on the semiconductor wafer is shown in fig. 1, and the treatment effect of the conventional cleaning device on the semiconductor wafer is still defective as shown in fig. 1.

Based on the method, the forming reason of the cyclone-shaped graph is accurately found, so that the time for an engineer to check abnormality and downtime of a machine is greatly reduced, the process chamber is effectively reset, the productivity is improved, the number of spinning particles is reduced, and the yield loss is reduced. Referring to fig. 2, fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a cleaning device, the cleaning device includes: nozzle 10, exhaust line 20, purge line 30, and control valve 40. The exhaust line 20 is provided with a first end and a second end for connection to a waste discharge mechanism 50. The cleaning line 30 is used for introducing a first cleaning liquid. The control valve 40 is connected to the nozzle 10, the first end and the cleaning pipe 30, respectively, and the control valve 40 is provided with a first working state and a second working state. When the control valve 40 is in the first working state, the exhaust pipeline 20 is communicated with the nozzle 10; when the control valve 40 is in the second operating state, the purge line 30 is in communication with the exhaust line 20.

In the above cleaning device, when the control valve 40 is in the first working state, the exhaust pipeline 20 is communicated with the nozzle 10, so that the acid gas in the nozzle 10 can be pumped out through the exhaust pipeline 20 and output to the waste discharging mechanism 50; when the control valve 40 is in the second working state, the cleaning pipeline 30 is communicated with the exhaust pipeline 20, the first cleaning liquid introduced into the cleaning pipeline 30 enters the exhaust pipeline 20 through the first end, the particles attached to the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline 20 are cleaned, and the first cleaning liquid is discharged to the waste discharging mechanism 50 through the second end. Therefore, the particles adhered to the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline 20 can be cleaned by the cleaning pipeline 30 in time, so that the defect of cyclone-shaped patterns caused by entering the surface of the semiconductor wafer in the process of preparing liquid in the process can be avoided, the number of tiny dust particles can be reduced, and the product yield can be improved.

Referring to fig. 5, fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a comparison between the processing effect of the cleaning device on the semiconductor wafer according to an embodiment and the processing effect of the semiconductor wafer according to the prior art, wherein the dashed line in fig. 5 is taken as a dividing line, the curve on the left side of the dashed line in fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the processing effect of the semiconductor wafer according to the prior art, and the curve on the right side of the dashed line in fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the processing effect of the semiconductor wafer according to the embodiment. The horizontal axis in fig. 5 represents the wafer lot, and the vertical axis in fig. 5 represents the number of defect particles measured on the wafer. As can be seen from fig. 5, the process chambers of the prior art receive a relatively large amount of particulate matter at the tester, often exceeding the required specification level. The amount of the particulate matters received by the process chamber in the measuring machine is relatively reduced, and the amount of the particulate matters is obviously reduced, so that the improvement of the process yield is facilitated.

Similarly, referring to fig. 6, fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the processing effect of the cleaning device for semiconductor wafers according to another embodiment compared with the processing effect of semiconductor wafers in the conventional technology. As can also be seen in fig. 6, the process chambers of the prior art receive a relatively large amount of particulate matter at the tester, often exceeding the required specification level. The amount of the particulate matters received by the process chamber in the measuring machine is relatively reduced, and the amount of the particulate matters is obviously reduced, so that the improvement of the process yield is facilitated.

The cleaning line 30 is used to introduce the first cleaning liquid, for example, the cleaning line 30 is in communication with a first supply device 61 for containing the first cleaning liquid, and the first supply device 61 supplies the first cleaning liquid to the cleaning line 30. Thus, the first cleaning liquid is output to the exhaust line 20 through the cleaning line 30 via the control valve 40.

It should be noted that, the control valve 40 is mainly used for connecting and combining the nozzle 10, the first end and the cleaning pipeline 30 together, so as to achieve the function that the first end is selectively communicated with the nozzle 10 or communicated with the cleaning pipeline 30, the specific structural form and the setting mode of the control valve 40 are more and more flexible, and the control valve can be flexibly set and adjusted according to actual requirements, which is not limited in detail herein. In one embodiment, the control valve 40 includes, but is not limited to, a multi-way valve such as a three-way valve, a four-way valve, a five-way valve, etc., and may also include, for example, a three-way pipe, and two switch members respectively disposed on the three-way pipe for connecting the nozzle 10 and two of the pipes of the cleaning liquid. The control valve 40 may be a manual valve, an electric valve, or a combination of both.

Referring to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the cleaning apparatus further includes a drying line 70. The drying pipeline 70 is used for introducing drying gas, the control valve 40 is also communicated with the drying pipeline 70, the control valve 40 is also provided with a third working state, and when the control valve 40 is in the third working state, the drying pipeline 70 is communicated with the exhaust pipeline 20. In this way, after the first cleaning solution in the cleaning pipeline 30 cleans the exhaust pipeline 20, the control valve 40 is switched from the second operating state to the third operating state, that is, the drying gas is introduced into the exhaust pipeline 20 through the drying pipeline 70, and the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline 20 is dried by the drying gas.

The manner in which the drying duct 70 is used to introduce the drying gas is, for example, that the drying duct 70 communicates with the second supply device 62 for supplying the drying gas, and the drying gas can be supplied to the drying duct 70 by the second supply device 62. In this way, the dry gas is output to the exhaust line 20 through the control valve 40 via the dry line 70.

Referring to fig. 2, in one embodiment, the control valve 40 includes two three-way valves 41 disposed in series between the first end and the nozzle 10. One of the three-way valves 41 is connected to the purge line 30, and the other three-way valve 41 is connected to the dry line 70.

Of course, as an alternative, the control valve 40 may also be a multi-way valve, and the number of ports of the multi-way valve is at least four. Four of the ports of the multi-way valve are connected to the nozzle 10, the first end, the purge line 30, and the dry line 70, respectively.

Referring to fig. 2, in one embodiment, a first on-off valve 31 and/or a flow regulating valve 32 are provided in series on the purge line 30. Thus, by providing the first on-off valve 31 in series to the cleaning line 30, whether the cleaning line 30 is supplied with the first cleaning liquid is controlled by the first on-off valve 31, and when the cleaning line 30 is not supplied with the first cleaning liquid, the first on-off valve 31 is kept closed. In addition, through setting up flow control valve 32 in series on wash pipeline 30, flow control valve 32 can control the flow of first washing liquid to predetermineeing the scope to guarantee to exhaust pipeline 20 better cleaning performance.

Specifically, the first cleaning liquid is introduced into the exhaust pipeline 20 at a flow rate of 1000ml/s to 3000ml/s, and the liquid-introducing duration of 2min to 4min is maintained, so that a good cleaning effect on the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline 20 can be realized.

As an example, the first cleaning fluid includes, but is not limited to, being introduced into the exhaust line 20 at a flow rate of 1500ml/s, 2000ml/s, 2500ml/s, the specific flow rate of which is flexibly adjusted and set according to actual needs, and is not specifically limited herein. The liquid passing time length of the first cleaning liquid includes, but is not limited to, 150s, 180s and 210s, and the specific time length is flexibly adjusted and set according to actual requirements, which is not limited herein.

Referring to fig. 2, in one embodiment, at least one of a second on-off valve 71, a gas flow meter 72, and a gas pressure meter 73 is disposed in series on the drying line 70. Thus, by providing the second switching valve 71 in series to the drying duct 70, whether the drying duct 70 is supplied with the drying gas is controlled by the second switching valve 71, and when the drying duct 70 does not supply the drying gas, the second switching valve 71 is kept closed. Further, by providing the gas flowmeter 72 and the gas pressure gauge 73 in series to the drying pipe 70, the gas flowmeter 72 can detect the flow rate of the introduced drying gas. The gas pressure gauge 73 can detect the pressure of the introduced dry gas. Thus, the pressure and flow rate of the introduced drying gas can be well controlled to ensure a good drying effect on the exhaust pipeline 20.

Specifically, the drying gas is introduced into the exhaust pipe 20 at a flow rate of, for example, 40L/min to 60L/min, and the ventilation time period of 2min to 4min is maintained, so that a good drying effect on the inner wall of the exhaust pipe 20 can be achieved.

In one embodiment, the first cleaning solution includes, but is not limited to, deionized water. In practice, the specific kind of the first cleaning liquid may be set as required, as long as the first cleaning liquid does not react with chemicals and products.

In one embodiment, the drying gas includes, but is not limited to, nitrogen. In practice, the specific type of the dry gas may be set as required, for example, as another inert gas such as neon or helium. The main principle of drying the drying gas is to bring the first cleaning liquid of the inner wall surface of the transfer line away from the inner wall surface.

Referring to fig. 2, in one embodiment, the cleaning apparatus further includes a first suction line 80, a third switch valve 81, and a first aspirator 82. The first suction line 80 communicates at one end with the exhaust line 20 and the other end of the first suction line 80 is adapted to be connected to the waste discharge mechanism 50. The third switching valve 81 is disposed in series on the first suction line 80, and the first aspirator 82 is disposed in series on the first suction line 80. Thus, when the supply of the second cleaning liquid to the nozzle 10 is stopped, the control valve 40 controls the discharge pipe 20 to be connected to the nozzle 10, and opens the third switching valve 81 to open the first aspirator 82, so that the acid gas in the nozzle 10 can be drawn out to the discharge pipe 20 by the power of the first aspirator 82, and the acid gas in the discharge pipe 20 enters the first suction pipe 80 and is discharged to the waste discharging mechanism 50 through the first suction pipe 80.

Referring to fig. 2, in one embodiment, the cleaning apparatus further includes a drain container 91. The liquid discharge container 91 is for receiving the waste liquid discharged from the cleaning of the semiconductor wafer and outputting the waste liquid to the waste discharging mechanism 50.

Referring to fig. 2, in one embodiment, the drain container 91 is provided with a drain pipe 92, the drain pipe 92 and the second end of the exhaust line 20 are both connected to a common pipe 93, the common pipe 93 is used for connection to the waste discharging mechanism 50, and a fourth switching valve 931 is provided in series on the common pipe 93. In this way, both the drain pipe 92 and the exhaust pipe 20 are connected to the waste discharging mechanism 50 through the common pipe 93, which can simplify the structure, save pipes, and reduce the cost. In addition, whether the common pipe 93 is turned on or off can be controlled by the fourth switching valve 931, and when the fourth switching valve 931 is opened, the common pipe 93 can convey the waste liquid to the waste discharging mechanism 50.

Referring to fig. 3, fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning device according to another embodiment of the disclosure. In one embodiment, the cleaning device further includes an infusion line 94. One end of the infusion line 94 is used for introducing the second cleaning liquid, and the other end of the infusion line 94 is connected with the nozzle 10. The infusion line 94 is provided with a fifth on-off valve 941 in series. In this way, in the process of Cheng Peiyao, the fifth on-off valve 941 is opened according to the actual demand, the second cleaning liquid is supplied into the nozzle 10 through the liquid supply line 94, and the nozzle 10 ejects the second cleaning liquid onto the surface of the semiconductor wafer, thereby performing the cleaning operation on the semiconductor wafer. When the process dispensing operation is completed, the fifth on-off valve 941 is closed and the infusion line 94 stops outputting the second cleaning liquid.

One end of the infusion line 94 is used to introduce a second cleaning solution, for example, the infusion line 94 is connected to the third supply device 63 for containing the second cleaning solution, and the third supply device 63 supplies the second cleaning solution to the infusion line 94. Thus, the second cleaning liquid is delivered into the nozzle 10 through the delivery line 94.

Referring to fig. 3, in one embodiment, the cleaning apparatus further includes a second suction line 95, a sixth switch valve 951, and a second aspirator 952. A second suction line 95 communicates at one end with the infusion tube and/or nozzle 10, the second suction line 95 communicates at the other end with the waste discharge mechanism 50, and a fifth switch valve 941 and a second aspirator 952 are provided in series on the second suction line 95. Thus, when the process dispensing operation is completed, the process enters the step of pumping the nozzle 10, the sixth switch valve 951 and the second aspirator 952 are opened, and the liquid in the nozzle 10 and the liquid in the part of the tube section of the infusion tube are pumped out through the second pumping pipeline 95 under the power action of the second aspirator 952 and discharged into the waste discharging mechanism 50.

In one embodiment, when the number of infusion lines is one, the second aspiration line 95, the second aspirator 952, and the sixth switch valve 951 are each one. Of course, the infusion tube may be provided in two, three or other numbers according to the actual needs, and accordingly, the second suction line 95, the second aspirator 952 and the sixth switch valve 951 may be provided in two, three or other numbers as long as they are consistent with the infusion tube.

Referring to fig. 4, fig. 4 shows a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning device according to another embodiment of the disclosure, in this embodiment, two infusion tubes are specifically provided, wherein one infusion tube is used for introducing hydrogen peroxide, and the other infusion tube is used for introducing sulfuric acid. Accordingly, the second suction line 95, the second aspirator 952, and the sixth switch valve 951 are provided in two and are provided in one-to-one correspondence to the two infusion tubes.

Referring to fig. 4, in an embodiment, in the case of providing the first aspirator 82, in order to simplify the structure and reduce the cost, one of the second aspirators 952 and the first aspirator 82 are shared with each other, that is, by changing the pipe arrangement, one of the second aspiration pipes 95 and the first aspiration pipe 80 are connected to the waste discharging mechanism 50 in parallel, and one aspirator is provided on the parallel pipe section, and the aspirators serve as one of the second aspirators 952 and the first aspirator 82, respectively, thereby achieving the effects of simplifying the structure and reducing the cost.

In one embodiment, the cleaning apparatus further comprises a controller (not shown). The controller is electrically connected to the control valve 40, the flow rate regulating valve, the first switching valve 31, the second switching valve 71, the third switching valve 81, the fourth switching valve 931, the fifth switching valve 941, the sixth switching valve 951, the first aspirator 82, and the second aspirator 952, respectively. Thus, under the control of the controller, the respective devices are separately operated, and the cleaning operation of the semiconductor wafer, the residual acid liquid in the suction nozzle 10, the acid gas in the suction nozzle 10, the cleaning operation of the exhaust pipeline 20, and the drying operation of the exhaust pipeline 20 can be sequentially completed. The automation degree is higher, and the labor cost can be greatly reduced.

Referring to fig. 4, in one embodiment, the waste discharge mechanism 50 includes a first waste discharge tank 51 and a second waste discharge tank 53 connected in series by a communication pipe 52. The first waste discharge tank 51 communicates with the first suction line 80 and the second suction line 95, respectively. The second waste discharge tank 53 communicates with the second end of the exhaust line 20, the drain tank 91, respectively. The waste liquid of the first waste discharge tank 51 is concentrated and then introduced into the second waste discharge tank 53, and the second waste discharge tank 53 concentrates and then conveys the waste liquid to the FAC plant for recovery treatment. Of course, as an alternative, the waste discharging mechanism 50 may be a waste discharging tank, or other number of waste discharging tanks, which may be flexibly adjusted and set according to actual needs, and is not limited herein.

It should be noted that the second cleaning solution used in the present embodiment for semiconductor wafers of different materials may be different, for example, when cleaning silicon wafers, the second cleaning solution may be DHF, HF or HF and HNO with a concentration of 49% ₃ And the like; when cleaning the non-pure silicon wafer, the second cleaning solution may be SPM (sulfuric acid+hydrogen peroxide+pure water), SOM (sulfuric acid+odor+pure water), APM (ammonium hydroxide+hydrogen peroxide+pure water/diluted ammonium hydroxide), HPM (hydrochloric acid+hydrogen peroxide+pure water), etc., and the chemical components of the second cleaning solution are not specifically limited in this embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the second cleaning liquid is specifically, for example, an SPM solution, and the SPM solution is composed of H ₂ SO ₄ Solution(sulfuric acid) and H ₂ O ₂ The solution (hydrogen peroxide) is prepared according to a proportion, and the SPM solution has strong oxidizing capability, can be dissolved in the second cleaning solution after the metal is oxidized, and oxidizes the organic pollutant into CO ₂ (carbon dioxide) and H ₂ O (water), and the organic dirt and part of metal on the surface of the silicon wafer can be removed by cleaning the silicon wafer with SPM. The object to be cleaned in this embodiment is photoresist residue on a semiconductor wafer, the cleaning solution to be prepared is sulfuric acid, H ₂ SO ₄ And H is ₂ O ₂ Through controlling the flow and the flow stability in the pipeline, the mixing proportion required by the SPM solution is achieved, and the SPM solution meeting the requirement is synthesized.

As an example, the present embodiment can achieve control of flow and flow stability by means of dynamic direct injection (Dynamic Direct Injection, DDI), in particular in H ₂ SO ₄ And H is ₂ O ₂ Under the condition that the premixing time is not too long, the DDI mode is utilized, so that on one hand, the premixing effect is very good, the problem that the premixing time is too long is avoided, and meanwhile, the chemical distribution flow rate is controlled to achieve the desired mixing proportion. Referring to FIG. 4, one of the infusion tubes is used for injecting H ₂ SO ₄ Another infusion tube is used for injecting H ₂ O ₂ 。

Of course, the second cleaning solution in this embodiment may be SC ₁ 、SC ₂ And cleaning the liquid.

In one embodiment, the cleaning device further includes a cleaning mechanism (not shown) in communication with the infusion line 94. The cleaning mechanism is used for introducing the third cleaning liquid into the infusion line 94 and the nozzle 10 to clean the infusion line 94 and the nozzle 10 so that the second cleaning liquid attached to the infusion line 94 and the nozzle 10 is completely removed. In a specific operation, after the semiconductor wafer cleaning process step using the second cleaning liquid in both the liquid supply line 94 and the nozzle 10, the cleaning mechanism is controlled to operate so that the third cleaning liquid is supplied to the liquid supply line 94 and the nozzle 10 by the cleaning mechanism to clean the liquid supply line 94 and the nozzle 10, and the second cleaning liquid adhering to the liquid supply line 94 and the nozzle 10 is completely removed. Optionally, the third cleaning solution is the same as the first cleaning solution, i.e., includes, for example, but is not limited to, deionized water. Similarly, the specific type of third cleaning liquid may be set as desired, as long as the first cleaning liquid does not react with chemicals and products.

In one embodiment, the cleaning mechanism is further configured to introduce a drying gas into the infusion line 94 and the nozzle 10 to dry the infusion line 94 and the nozzle 10, so that the third cleaning solution attached to the infusion line 94 and the nozzle 10 is removed by drying. In a specific operation, the third cleaning liquid is selectively introduced into the infusion line 94 and the nozzle 10, and after the cleaning step is performed on the infusion line 94 and the nozzle 10, the cleaning mechanism is controlled to operate, so that the cleaning mechanism introduces the dry gas into the infusion line 94 and the nozzle 10 to perform the drying treatment on the infusion line 94 and the nozzle 10, and the third cleaning liquid adhering to the infusion line 94 and the nozzle 10 is removed by drying. Wherein the drying gas includes, but is not limited to, inert gas, such as nitrogen.

When the number of the infusion lines 94 is two or more, the cleaning mechanism can flexibly and selectively supply the third cleaning liquid and the dry gas to the two or more infusion lines 94 individually or simultaneously according to actual needs.

In one embodiment, the purge mechanism may be separate from the purge line 30 and the dry line 70 in the above embodiments, i.e., the third purge fluid and/or dry gas may be provided separately to the infusion line 94.

Of course, the purge structure may be shared with the purge line 30 and the dry line 70 of the above embodiments to simplify the apparatus structure and reduce cost, and in such shared embodiments, the control valve is also connected to the infusion line 94. The control valve is also provided with a fourth working state and a fifth working state, when the control valve is in the fourth working state, the cleaning pipeline 30 is communicated with the infusion pipeline 94, and at the moment, the infusion pipeline 94 stops introducing the second cleaning liquid and also stops pumping action; when the control valve is in the fifth operating state, the dry line 70 is in communication with the infusion line 94, and at this time, the infusion line 94 stops the introduction of the second cleaning liquid and also stops the suction operation.

Referring to fig. 2, in one embodiment, a wafer processing apparatus includes a cleaning device according to any of the above embodiments.

In the above-mentioned wafer processing apparatus, when the control valve 40 is in the first working state, the exhaust pipeline 20 is communicated with the nozzle 10, so that the acid gas in the nozzle 10 can be pumped out through the exhaust pipeline 20 and output to the waste discharging mechanism 50; when the control valve 40 is in the second working state, the cleaning pipeline 30 is communicated with the exhaust pipeline 20, the first cleaning liquid introduced into the cleaning pipeline 30 enters the exhaust pipeline 20 through the first end, the particles attached to the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline 20 are cleaned, and the first cleaning liquid is discharged to the waste discharging mechanism 50 through the second end. Therefore, the particles adhered to the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline 20 can be cleaned by the cleaning pipeline 30 in time, so that the defect of cyclone-shaped patterns caused by entering the surface of the semiconductor wafer in the process of preparing liquid in the process can be avoided, the number of tiny dust particles can be reduced, and the product yield can be improved.

In one embodiment, a method for cleaning a wafer processing apparatus in the above embodiment includes the steps of:

step S100, the control valve 40 is controlled to enable the cleaning pipeline 30 to be communicated with the exhaust pipeline 20;

in step S200, the first cleaning solution introduced into the cleaning pipeline 30 enters the exhaust pipeline 20 through the first end, and is discharged into the waste discharging mechanism 50 through the second end after cleaning the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline 20.

According to the cleaning method of the wafer processing equipment, the particles attached to the inner wall of the exhaust pipeline 20 can be cleaned by the cleaning pipeline 30 in time, so that the defect of cyclone-shaped patterns caused by entering the surface of the semiconductor chip in the process of preparing liquid in the process can be avoided, the quantity of dust particles can be reduced, and the product yield can be improved.

In one embodiment, in step S200, the first cleaning fluid is introduced into the exhaust line 20 at a flow rate of 1000ml/S to 3000ml/S for a duration of 2min to 4 min. Thus, it was found that the amount of the first cleaning liquid introduced was sufficiently large to achieve good drying of the inner wall of the exhaust line 20. Meanwhile, the amount of the first cleaning liquid is not excessively large, so that waste is avoided.

In one embodiment, the cleaning method of the wafer processing apparatus further includes step S300: after the first cleaning liquid in the cleaning line 30 cleans the exhaust line 20, the control valve 40 is switched from the second operation state to the third operation state, and the drying gas is introduced into the exhaust line 20 through the drying line 70, and the inner wall of the exhaust line 20 is dried by the drying gas.

In one embodiment, at step S300, a drying gas is introduced into the exhaust line 20 at a flow rate of 40L/min-60L/min, and for a ventilation period of 2min-4 min. Thus, it was found that the ventilation time period was long enough to achieve a good drying effect on the inner wall of the exhaust line 20. In addition, the ventilation time is not too long, so that the waste of air sources is avoided.

The technical features of the above embodiments may be arbitrarily combined, and all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are not described for brevity of description, however, as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features, they should be considered as the scope of the description.

The foregoing examples merely represent several embodiments of the present disclosure, which are described in more detail and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that variations and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the disclosure, which are within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be determined by the following claims.

In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings are merely for convenience in describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present disclosure, the meaning of "a plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless explicitly specified otherwise.

In the present disclosure, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly, and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed; can be mechanically or electrically connected; either directly or indirectly, through intermediaries, or both, may be in communication with each other or in interaction with each other, unless expressly defined otherwise. The specific meaning of the terms in this disclosure will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as the case may be.

In this disclosure, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, a first feature "up" or "down" a second feature may be the first and second features in direct contact, or the first and second features in indirect contact through an intervening medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "over" and "on" a second feature may be a first feature being directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is level higher than the second feature. The first feature being "under", "below" and "beneath" the second feature may be the first feature being directly under or obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is less level than the second feature.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "fixed" or "disposed" on another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and the like are used herein for illustrative purposes only and are not meant to be the only embodiment.

Claims

1. A cleaning device, the cleaning device comprising:

a nozzle;

the cleaning pipeline is used for introducing a first cleaning liquid;

2. The cleaning device of claim 1, further comprising a drying line for introducing a drying gas, wherein the control valve is further in communication with the drying line, wherein the control valve is further provided with a third operating state, and wherein the drying line is in communication with the exhaust line when the control valve is in the third operating state.

3. The cleaning device of claim 2, wherein the control valve comprises two three-way valves disposed in series between the first end and the nozzle; one of the three-way valves is connected with the cleaning pipeline, and the other three-way valve is connected with the drying pipeline.

4. A cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cleaning line is provided with a first switching valve and/or a flow regulating valve in series.

5. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the drying line is provided with at least one of a second on-off valve, a gas flowmeter, and a gas pressure gauge in series.

6. The cleaning device of claim 2, wherein the first cleaning fluid comprises deionized water; the drying gas includes an inert gas.

7. The cleaning device of claim 1, further comprising a first aspiration line, a third switch valve, and a first aspirator; one end of the first suction pipeline is communicated with the exhaust pipeline, and the other end of the first suction pipeline is used for being connected to a waste discharge mechanism; the third switch valve and the first aspirator are arranged on the first aspiration pipeline in series.

8. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a drain container for receiving waste liquid from semiconductor wafer cleaning and outputting the waste liquid to the waste discharge mechanism.

9. The cleaning apparatus defined in claim 8, wherein the drain container is provided with a drain, both the drain and the second end being connected to a common tube for connection to the waste drain, the common tube having a fourth switching valve disposed in series thereon.

10. The cleaning device according to claim 1, further comprising an infusion line, one end of the infusion line being for introducing a second cleaning liquid, the other end of the infusion line being connected to the nozzle; the infusion pipeline is provided with a fifth switch valve in series.

11. The cleaning apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a second suction line, a sixth switching valve, and a second aspirator; one end of the second suction pipeline is communicated with the infusion tube and/or the nozzle, the other end of the second suction pipeline is communicated with the waste discharge mechanism, and the fifth switch valve and the second aspirator are all arranged on the second suction pipeline in series.

12. A wafer processing apparatus, characterized in that the wafer processing apparatus comprises a cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A method of cleaning a wafer processing apparatus according to claim 12, comprising the steps of:

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first cleaning liquid is introduced into the exhaust line at a flow rate of 1000ml/s to 3000ml/s for a liquid introduction period of 2min to 4 min.

15. The method of cleaning a wafer processing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the drying gas is introduced into the exhaust line at a flow rate of 40-60L/min for a duration of 2-4 min.