JP2000012501A - Apparatus and method for treating soln., and semiconductor treating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a space and mix circulation time by mixing a first liq. with mixture of the first liq. and second liq. in piping. SOLUTION: To a mixer unit 10 for mixing chemical liqs., pure water is fed from a pure water feed hole 11 as a main liq., desired chemical liqs. are fed from respective chemical liq. feed holes 12-14. The same pure water as the main liq. is fed from a stirring pure water feed hole 15 for stirring the soln. with the flow of the pure water, thereby obtaining a uniform mixed liq. In pure water and chemical liq. pipings, flow rate control valves are mounted and flow-meters may be provided in the respective piping routes for confirming the flow rates, and he mixed soln. is fed from a mixed liq. outlet 16 via a valve to a processing bed to clean wafers. As a result, it is possible to make the uniform mixing in the pipe of a normal aperture used for pipings and reduce the space and mixing circulation time because a circulation mixing mechanism can be dispersed with.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a solution processing apparatus, a solution processing method, and a semiconductor processing apparatus used for chemical solution processing of a cleaning apparatus in a semiconductor manufacturing process.
The present invention relates to a solution processing apparatus, a solution processing method, and a semiconductor processing apparatus capable of reducing the size of the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Chemical liquid processing in a semiconductor manufacturing process or the like includes:
It is widely used, including processes such as particle removal on the surface of a substrate (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) and oxide film / resist removal. A typical device is a cleaning device. In a cleaning apparatus, a plurality of chemicals are generally mixed as a cleaning liquid to obtain a desired mixed liquid.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the structure of a conventional cleaning apparatus. Conventionally, as a method of weighing and mixing chemicals required for treatment from two or more types of liquids, as shown in FIG. 7, respective chemicals serving as constituent elements, for example, chemicals A and B are stored in respective weighing tanks 54 and 55. The liquid chemicals are guided and measured, and each of the measured liquid chemicals is introduced into the treatment tank 50 together with pure water, and is prepared by mixing and circulating. 56 is a liquid level gauge, and 57 is a valve.

[0004] For mixing, a method is adopted in which a pump 52 and a filter 53 are provided outside the processing tank, and the liquid once discharged from the tank is returned to the tank and agitated. Mixing (circulation) is necessary for performing uniform processing on the surface of the wafer 51, and for uniform mixing, it is necessary to circulate the liquid for a certain period of time. In addition, as a related conventional example, JP-A-4-278530, JP-A-7-7138, JP-A-7-22
369, JP-A-9-38589 and JP-A-10-70101.

[0005]

The diameter of a wafer to be cleaned is expected to be 300 mm around 2000 AD. Therefore, if a similar process / apparatus is adopted, it is easy to imagine that the amount of the chemical used will increase, and it is expected that the weighing system / chemical mixture system will be enlarged. However, the conventional solution processing apparatus or solution processing method as described above has the following problems. (1) In the current weighing / mixing method, a solution processing apparatus is enlarged with an increase in the diameter of a wafer, and the entire apparatus is also enlarged, occupying an expensive clean room. (2) It takes a long time to prepare because a circulating mixture for a certain period of time is required to obtain a uniform mixed solution.

An object of the present invention is to provide a solution processing apparatus, a solution processing method, and a semiconductor processing apparatus capable of solving the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and realizing a reduction in space and mixing circulation time. It is in.

[0007]

According to the present invention, a first pipe through which a first liquid constituting a mixed liquid passes is connected to the first pipe, and the first liquid is connected to the first pipe. A solution processing apparatus or solution comprising: a second pipe supplied to a pipe; and a third pipe connected to one of the first pipe and the second pipe and supplied with a second liquid. There is a feature in the processing method, and also in a semiconductor processing apparatus including the solution processing apparatus. According to the present invention, for example, by mixing the first liquid again with the mixed liquid obtained by mixing the first liquid and the second liquid, the whole liquid is stirred, and the mixing and homogenization of the chemical liquid are performed in the pipe. Can be completed immediately.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a cleaning apparatus as an example of the solution processing apparatus of the present invention. Pure water, which is the main liquid, is supplied to the mixing unit 10 for mixing the chemicals with the pure water supply port 1.
1 and a desired chemical solution is supplied from the chemical solution supply ports 12 to 14, respectively. Further, a pure water supply port 1 for stirring
From 5, the same pure water as the main liquid is supplied, and the solution is stirred by the liquid flow of the pure water to obtain a uniform mixed liquid.

Valves 20 to 24 for adjusting the flow rate are installed in the pipes of the pure water and the respective chemicals. In addition, a flow meter may be provided in each piping path to check the flow rate. Since the liquid supplied to the chemical liquid mixing unit 10 is incompressible, the supplied liquid amount and the discharged liquid amount need to be the same. A flow control valve is attached to each of them to balance the supplied flow and the discharged amount to prevent backflow.

The mixed solution is supplied from a mixed solution output port 16 to a processing tank 26 through a valve 25 to clean the wafer 28. The cleaning liquid 30 overflowing from the processing tank 26 is collected in the recovery tank 2
The waste liquid flows out from the waste liquid pipe 29 through the waste liquid 7 and is subjected to waste liquid treatment. Therefore, in this embodiment, a circulation pump or the like is not required.

FIG. 1 shows a mixing unit 1 to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a)
FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along a vertical plane passing through the center axis of the mixing unit 10, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line AA in FIG. Pure water as a main liquid is supplied to the pure water supply port 11 at a constant pressure and flow rate. One or more chemical liquids to be added to the main liquid are supplied to the chemical liquid supply ports 12 to 14 at a constant pressure and flow rate. Although three supply ports are shown in FIG. 1, any number of supply ports may be provided as needed.

From the pure water supply port 15 for stirring, which is a supply port for the liquid for stirring, pure water same as the main liquid is supplied at a constant pressure and flow rate as the liquid for stirring. The supply port 15 is located downstream in the same direction as the supply ports 12 to 14 for the chemical solution. The ratio of the pure water supplied from the pure water supply port 11 and the pure water supply port 15 for stirring is arbitrary, but for example, the amount of pure water supplied from the pure water supply port 11 from the pure water supply port 15 for stirring is 1 About 50% to 50% of pure water is supplied. The direction of pure water supply is such that the main liquid and the constituent liquid added to it are mixed well.
The angle θ between the central axis of the mixing unit 10 and the central axis of the supply port 15 is set to satisfy 0 ° <θ ≦ 90 °. 90 ° <
If θ is set, there is a possibility of backflow depending on the supply pressure of the stirring liquid, which is not so preferable. Even if the gas does not flow backward, an improvement in the stirring effect can be expected, but the flow is considered to be significantly impaired, so that it is not very preferable.

[0013] Even if the constituent liquid is supplied for mixing to a liquid having a certain flow rate, there is a concern that the constituent liquid is not uniformly diffused into the main liquid in the pipe due to the flow rate of the main liquid. By providing the supply port at the above-described angle, it is possible to form a flow for stirring the main liquid without significantly impairing the flow in the pipe.

The diameter of the piping in the mixing unit 10 is as follows: pure water flowing from the pure water supply port 11, constituent liquid supplied from the chemical liquid supply ports 12 to 14, and stirring water supplied from the pure water supply port 15 for stirring. It is assumed that it has a pipe diameter that allows the total amount of each of the above to flow.

As a material, there is usually PFA (polytetrafluoroethylene perfluoroalkylvinyl ether copolymer resin) as a pipe material used in a semiconductor processing apparatus, and a pipe having a diameter of about 1 inch (25.4 mm) at maximum is available. is there. Therefore, the mixing unit 10
Is manufactured using FPA, the inside diameter is set to 1 inch, and the mixing unit and subsequent pipes are piped with 1-inch FPA pipes, so that mixing can be performed with the mixing unit 10 alone, which is much larger than the conventional method using a weighing tank. It is possible to reduce the size.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a modification of the mixing unit shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 1, the constituent liquid supply ports 12 to 14 and the stirring pure water supply port 15 are configured to be injected from the same direction, but the injection direction of the constituent liquid supply ports 12 to 14 and the stirring pure water supply Even if the angle between the inlet 15 and the injection direction is changed to 90 °, 180 °, and 270 °, a stirring effect can be expected. Further, the angle may be set arbitrarily.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the structure of the mixing unit 10 according to a second embodiment. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along a vertical plane passing through the center axis of the mixing unit 10.
FIG. 4B is a top view of the mixing unit 10, and FIG.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. In this embodiment, mixing of the liquid is promoted by supplying pure water as a stirring liquid in a direction in which a rotational force is applied to the mixed liquid.

The difference from the mixing unit shown in FIG.
The central axis of the stirring pure water supply port 40, which is the supply port of the stirring liquid, is twisted with respect to the center axis of the mixing unit 10 and does not intersect. By configuring the stirring pure water supply port 40 as shown in FIG. 4, the mixed liquid rotates clockwise by the flow rate of the stirring pure water, and is stirred more uniformly. The supply direction of the stirring liquid is set to 0 ° <θ ≦ 90 ° with respect to the flow of the main liquid as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows the second unit of the mixing unit shown in FIG.
It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of the Example of this. In the example of FIG. 4, the angle between the injection direction of the constituent liquid supply ports 12 to 14 and the injection direction of the stirring pure water supply port 40 is 90 °.
The angle between the injection direction of the constituent liquid supply ports 12 to 14 and the injection direction of the stirring pure water supply port 15 is 180 ° (FIG. 5B).
Even if it is changed to 270 ° (FIG. 5 (c)) or 0 °, a stirring effect can be expected. Further, the angle may be set arbitrarily. Also, as shown in FIG. 4C and FIG. 5A, the positions of the supply ports are different between the case where the rotational force is applied clockwise and the case where the rotational force is applied counterclockwise even at the same angle.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the structure of a third embodiment of the mixing unit 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view taken along a vertical plane passing through the center axis of the mixing unit 10, and FIG.
FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.
This embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments shown in FIGS.
This is an example in which a supply port for the stirring liquid of the embodiment is also provided. Downstream of the mixing unit 10 are two pure water supply ports 4 for stirring.
0 and 41 exist.

The respective supply ports 40 and 41 may or may not have their central axes intersecting with the central axis of the mixing unit 10. If they do not intersect, applying a rotational force to the mixed liquid in the same direction increases the rotational force of the mixed liquid and stirs more uniformly. Also,
Even if they are arranged so as to apply a rotational force in different directions, the flows collide and a complicated vortex is generated, which is also agitated.

The positions of the two supply ports may be shifted upstream and downstream as shown in FIG. 6, or provided at the same position in the central axis direction of the mixing unit 10 and at a different position in the direction perpendicular to the axis. Is also good. Further, the number of supply ports may be an arbitrary number of three or more.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed above, the present invention may have the following modifications. In the example, the supply of the stirring liquid is provided after the supply of the constituent liquid by providing the supply of the constituent liquid, but the stirring is performed after the supply of the constituent liquid.However, even if the constituent liquid is supplied immediately after mixing and stirring the main liquids, Since the main liquid moves in a complicated manner, a similar stirring effect can be expected. Therefore, a configuration in which a supply port for the stirring liquid is provided in front of the supply port for the constituent liquid is also conceivable.

In the embodiment, the chemical solution inlets 12 to 14
The center axis of the mixing unit 10 is perpendicularly intersected with the center axis of the mixing unit 10. However, similar to the stirring supply port, the center axis may form an acute angle. The two may not cross each other but have a twisted positional relationship. Further, when the ratio of the chemical liquid mixed with the main liquid is large, the stirring may be performed by supplying the chemical liquid instead of the main liquid from the stirring supply port of the embodiment.

The pipe diameter of the mixing unit 10 may be the same as the pipes before and after it, or may be larger than the pipes before and after. In order to give a stronger rotational force to the mixed liquid, the pressure of the supplied stirring liquid may be increased, or the diameter of the stirring supply port may be reduced to increase the flow rate. Although an example in which the present invention is applied to a semiconductor processing apparatus has been disclosed as an embodiment, the present invention is applicable to any solution mixing apparatus that mixes two or more solutions.

[0026]

As described above, in the present invention,
Uniform mixing is possible in pipes of about the diameter used in ordinary pipes, and the mixing mechanism used in conventional circulation is no longer required, which has the effect of reducing space and reducing mixing circulation time. . Further, in the present invention, no mechanical structure is added in the stirring unit. Therefore, there is no fear of damage to the structure or elution of impurities or the like from the structure, which is a concern when stirring with the addition of a mechanical structure, and there is also an effect that the wafer is not adversely affected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a first embodiment of a mixing unit of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a cleaning apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a modification of the mixing unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the configuration of a second embodiment of the mixing unit.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a modification of the second embodiment of the mixing unit.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the configuration of a third embodiment of the mixing unit.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a conventional cleaning device.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: mixing unit, 11: pure water supply port, 12, 13,
14 ... chemical solution supply pipe, 15 ... pure water supply port for stirring, 16 ...
Mixed liquid output port, 20 to 25: valve, 26: treatment tank, 2
7 ... Recovery tank, 28 ... Wafer, 29 ... Waste liquid piping, 30 ...
Waste liquid

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A first pipe through which a first liquid constituting a mixed liquid passes, and a second pipe connected to the first pipe, wherein the first liquid is supplied to the first pipe. A solution processing apparatus, comprising: a pipe; and a third pipe connected to one of the first pipe and the second pipe and supplied with a second liquid. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the third tube is connected to the first tube upstream of a connection point between the first tube and the second tube. Solution processing equipment. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the third pipe is connected to the first pipe downstream from a connection point between the first pipe and the second pipe. Solution processing equipment. 4. The solution processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third pipe is connected to the second pipe. 5. The second tube is connected to the first tube such that a center axis of the second tube does not intersect with a center axis of the first tube. Item 6. The solution processing apparatus according to Item 1. 6. The solution processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second pipe comprises a plurality of pipes, and the plurality of pipes are individually connected to the first pipe. 7. A first step of mixing a first liquid and a second liquid constituting a mixed liquid, and a second step of mixing the liquid mixed in the first step and the first liquid. 2. A solution processing method comprising: 8. A first step of mixing two liquid streams of a first liquid constituting a mixed liquid, and a second step of mixing a liquid mixed in the first step and a second liquid. And a solution processing method. 9. A first pipe through which a first liquid constituting a mixed liquid passes, and a second pipe connected to the first pipe, wherein the first liquid is supplied to the first pipe. A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising: a solution processing apparatus comprising: a pipe; and a third pipe connected to one of the first pipe and the second pipe and supplied with a second liquid. apparatus.