JP2001057356A - Drying device and drying method for semiconductor substrate and semiconductor device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively dry a lower part of a substrate as well as an upper part thereof in a short time, and restrict an adhesion of particles or a generation of a water mark, by a method wherein a plurality of delivery ports for blowing a volatile organic solvent and an inert gas toward a housed semiconductor substrate are disposed in at least a side wall of a treatment bath. SOLUTION: In order to enhance drying efficiency in a lower part of a semiconductor substrate when setting a semiconductor substrate 14 vertically in a treatment bath 11, a delivery port 17 is fitted on a side wall 12 of the treatment bath 11. Thus, when a pure water level is lowered down to a middle of the semiconductor substrate 14, if isopropyl alcohol and N2 are delivered from the delivery port 17 installed in the side wall 12 toward a semiconductor substrate holding part 15, it becomes possible to dry effectively the vicinity of the holding part 15. In this manner, a plurality of pieces or steps of the delivery port 17 are provided not only in an upper lid pad 13 but also in the side wall 12, and it is contrived to raise the drying efficiency of a circumference of the semiconductor substrate holding part 15 and reduce a drying time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drying apparatus for cleaning and drying a semiconductor substrate, and to an improvement in the drying method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a batch type semiconductor substrate cleaning / drying apparatus, a method of pulling up a semiconductor substrate immersed in a pure water tank (processing tank) or lowering the level of pure water (processing liquid) is used. By gradually evaporating or atomizing a volatile organic solvent (eg, IPA or isopropyl alcohol) into the pure water tank while gradually reducing the area where the pure water contacts the semiconductor substrate surface, Methods and apparatuses for cleaning and drying are becoming common.

Conventionally, in a batch type semiconductor substrate cleaning / drying apparatus, as shown in FIG. 2, a semiconductor substrate 14 is supported upright in a processing tank 21 by a holder 15.
Pure water is introduced from the pure water introduction hole 16 for cleaning. next,
After the cleaning, a volatile organic solvent and an inert gas were introduced from a gas discharge port 18 provided in the upper lid 13 while discharging pure water, and the semiconductor substrate 14 was dried.

In this conventional apparatus, the discharge port 18 (IPA discharge hole) is provided in the upper part of the drying tank 11, in most cases, only in the upper lid 13 of the drying tank. Therefore, the semiconductor substrate 1
The surface of the semiconductor substrate in the vicinity of the holding portion 15 (= lower surface of the semiconductor substrate) has a problem that the dry state is poor, particles are easily attached, and a large number of watermarks are easily generated as compared with the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate. there were.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems. The surface of a semiconductor substrate near the holding portion of the semiconductor substrate (= the lower portion of the semiconductor substrate) is similar to the upper portion of the semiconductor substrate. It is an object of the present invention to obtain a drying apparatus and a drying method for drying efficiently and in a short time to suppress the adhesion of particles and the generation of a watermark.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for drying a semiconductor substrate, comprising: a processing tank for vertically storing a semiconductor substrate; and means for introducing a cleaning liquid (pure water or the like) into the processing tank. And a means for introducing a volatile organic solvent (such as IPA) and an inert gas (such as N ₂ gas) into the treatment tank. Toward the housed semiconductor substrate,
A plurality of outlets for blowing the volatile organic solvent and the inert gas are arranged.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for drying a semiconductor substrate according to the first aspect, wherein the plurality of discharge ports are arranged in the same row in the horizontal direction, and the plurality of discharge ports are arranged vertically. It is characterized by being arranged in a plurality of stages in the direction.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for drying a semiconductor substrate according to the first or second aspect, further comprising a mechanism for opening and closing the plurality of discharge ports. Things.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the apparatus for drying a semiconductor substrate according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the volatile organic solvent and the inert gas blown out from the plurality of discharge ports. Characterized in that a mechanism for controlling the direction of the blowout is provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for drying a semiconductor substrate, wherein the semiconductor substrate immersed vertically in the cleaning liquid is gradually removed from the cleaning liquid, and the volatile organic solvent and the inert gas are removed. Introducing the above and replacing the cleaning liquid, in the method of drying the semiconductor substrate, by blowing the volatile organic solvent and inert gas from the lateral direction of the semiconductor substrate toward the portion where the semiconductor substrate is supported The method includes a step of drying the semiconductor substrate.

A semiconductor device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is manufactured by using the drying method according to the fifth aspect.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of an apparatus for drying a semiconductor substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 11 is a processing tank for cleaning and drying, 12 is a side wall thereof, 13 is an upper lid thereof, 14 is a semiconductor substrate vertically set in the processing tank 1, and 15 is a semiconductor substrate 14 which is set up almost vertically. And 16 is an inlet for pure water provided at the bottom of the processing tank 11, and 17 is a processing tank 1
A plurality of discharge ports (introduction holes) for discharging volatile organic solvents and inert gases into the processing tank 11 are provided on the side wall section 12 of the first processing chamber 11, and 18 are provided on the upper lid section 13 of the processing tank 11. A plurality of discharge ports (introduction holes) for introducing a volatile organic solvent and an inert gas into the treatment tank 11 are shown.

In such a batch type semiconductor substrate cleaning / drying apparatus, when the semiconductor substrate 14 is dried, the semiconductor substrate 14 is first washed with water in the pure water tank (processing tank) 11 (or washed with a cleaning liquid). Then, by lowering the level of pure water or raising the semiconductor substrate 14, while reducing the contact area between the semiconductor substrate 14 and pure water,
Simultaneously, the vaporized or atomized isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is introduced into the processing tank 11 together with the nitrogen gas (N ₂ ), so that the pure water adhering to the semiconductor surface becomes IP
The semiconductor substrate 14 is dried by substituting with A and simultaneously evaporating the IPA.

In this case, in this embodiment, in order to improve the drying efficiency of the lower portion of the semiconductor substrate when the semiconductor substrate 14 is set vertically in the processing bath (drying bath) 11, FIG.
As shown in, the side wall portion of the processing vessel 11 (side wall) in 12, mounting the discharge port 17 (IPA discharge holes and N ₂ discharge hole). Thereby, when the pure water level falls to the middle of the semiconductor substrate 14, the discharge port 17 (IPA discharge hole and N ₂ discharge hole) provided in the side wall portion (side wall surface) 12 faces the semiconductor substrate holding portion 15. By discharging IPA and N ₂ , the vicinity of the holding unit 15 can be efficiently dried.

As described above, in the present invention, the discharge port 17 (IP
A discharge hole and N ₂ discharge hole)
The side wall portion 13 is also provided with a plurality of stages and a plurality of stages to increase the drying efficiency around the semiconductor substrate holding portion 15 and shorten the drying time.

Next, the washing / drying method of the present invention will be described. The semiconductor substrate 14 that has completed the chemical / water washing process (which may be performed without performing the water washing process) is transferred to a pure water tank (processing tank) 11 provided in a processing apparatus (drying apparatus). The upper lid 13 is closed, and the semiconductor substrate 14 is subjected to pure water cleaning for a predetermined time. The supply of pure water stops, the drainage of pure water starts, and the level of pure water drops. In this case, instead of lowering the pure water level, the contact area between the semiconductor substrate 14 and the pure water may be gradually reduced by lifting the semiconductor substrate 14 from the pure water tank (processing tank) 11 at a constant speed. At the same time, the vaporized or atomized IPA is N ₂
At the same time, a predetermined amount of IPA / N ₂ is introduced from the discharge hole 18 of the upper lid 13.

Thereafter, about half of the area of the semiconductor substrate is
A When exposed to the atmosphere, the discharge holes 17 in the side wall 12
Introduce PA / N ₂ . When there are a plurality of discharge holes 17 in the side wall portion 12, they can be opened in order. In the case of a plurality of stages, it is also possible to open the discharge holes 17 only in a single stage by opening all stages or opening and closing. Further, the introduction of IPA from the discharge hole 18 of the upper lid 13 is stopped, or
It is also possible to reduce the discharge flow rate. Further, the IPA and N ₂ discharge holes 17 provided on the side wall portion 12 are variable in angle, and the discharge hole angle is set in the vicinity of the semiconductor substrate holding portion.
It is desirable to discharge.

[0018] After that, when fully deionized water is drained from the processing bath 11, stopping the introduction of the IPA / N _2. Next, only N ₂ is introduced from the side wall portion 12 and the upper lid portion 13. Also, the side wall portion 1
It is also possible to introduce N ₂ only from the upper cover 2 or the upper cover 13. Discharge hole angles IPA / N ₂ discharge holes similar N _2, is variable, it is also desirable to discharge toward the semiconductor substrate holding portion. Here, the temperature of the N ₂ to be used can be selected.

As described above, in the present embodiment,
In the apparatus for cleaning and drying a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of discharge holes for a volatile organic solvent and an inert gas whose angles are variable are provided on the side wall of the pure water tank. As described above, by providing the vaporized or atomized volatile organic solvent introduction section and the inert gas introduction section on the side wall section of the pure water tank provided in the drying apparatus, the efficiency of the vicinity of the holding section and the peripheral section of the semiconductor substrate is improved. Drying can be performed, and the generation of a watermark and the generation of particles attached to the semiconductor substrate after the cleaning and drying of the chemical solution can be significantly reduced.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By providing the IPA and N ₂ discharge hole on a side wall portion of the processing tank, it has the effect of suppressing particles and watermarks near the semiconductor substrate holding portion. Further, by drying the semiconductor substrate using the apparatus of the present invention, there is also an effect that the drying time is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a pure water tank (treatment tank) provided in a drying device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an outline of a pure water tank provided in a conventional drying device.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 processing tank, 12 side wall, 13 top cover, 1
4 Semiconductor substrate, 15 Holder, 16 Inlet for pure water, 17, 18 Discharge port for volatile organic solvent and inert gas.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A semiconductor substrate comprising: a processing tank for vertically storing a semiconductor substrate; means for introducing a cleaning liquid into the processing tank; and means for introducing a volatile organic solvent and an inert gas into the processing tank. In the drying device, at least on the side wall of the processing tank, a plurality of discharge ports for blowing out the volatile organic solvent and an inert gas toward the stored semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate characterized by having been arranged Drying equipment. 2. The apparatus for drying a semiconductor substrate according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of discharge ports are arranged in the same row in the horizontal direction, and are arranged in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction. . 3. The apparatus for drying a semiconductor substrate according to claim 1, further comprising a mechanism for opening and closing the plurality of discharge ports. 4. The semiconductor according to claim 1, further comprising a mechanism for controlling a direction in which the volatile organic solvent and the inert gas blow out from the plurality of discharge ports are blown out. Substrate drying device. 5. A step of gradually removing a semiconductor substrate vertically immersed in a cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid, introducing a volatile organic solvent and an inert gas and replacing the cleaning liquid with the cleaning liquid, and drying the semiconductor substrate. A method of drying the semiconductor substrate by blowing the volatile organic solvent and the inert gas from a lateral direction of the semiconductor substrate toward a portion where the semiconductor substrate is supported. How to dry the substrate. 6. A semiconductor device manufactured by using the drying method according to claim 5.