JP2001351894A - Wafer carrier, method of cleaning wafer, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wafer carrier which can be used suitably for a batch type spin cleaner which prevents the formation of water marks on the surface of a wafer by effectively removing a liquid chemical from the surface, a method of cleaning wafer, and a method of manufacturing semiconductor device. SOLUTION: In a wafer carrier 1, a plurality of guide grooves 15 are formed in a state where the grooves 15 are oppositely arranged on the internal wall surface of a case body 11 having an opening 13, and wafers W are housed in the case body 11 in a laminated state by respectively putting the wafers W in the facing guide grooves 15. The partition walls 17 among the grooves 15 support the wafers W in inclined states, so that the opening 13 of the case body 11 may become higher than the bottom face of the case body 11 in a state where the case body 11 is arranged while one external wall surface 19a of the case body 11 in the arranging direction of the grooves 15 is maintained in a horizontal state. The case body 11 is fixed on the turntable 203 of the wafer cleaner under the condition such that the opening 13 is directed to a rotating shaft while the external wall surface 19a is maintained in a horizontal state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wafer carrier used for cleaning a wafer by a batch type spin cleaning apparatus, a wafer cleaning method using the batch type spin cleaning apparatus, and a batch type spin cleaning apparatus. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a wafer cleaning step.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, wafer cleaning is performed for the purpose of removing various contaminants and photoresist existing on the wafer surface. In this wafer cleaning, a batch-type spin cleaning device (hereinafter, referred to as a cleaning device) for cleaning a plurality of wafers stored in a wafer carrier at a time is used.

[0003] This cleaning apparatus is composed of a turntable that rotates around a vertical rotation axis, pure water as a cleaning liquid and a rinsing liquid (hereinafter collectively referred to as a cleaning liquid), and nitrogen gas for drying. And a spray nozzle for supply in the processing chamber. The turntable is, for example, a dehydrating basket, and fixes the wafer carrier at a bottom portion perpendicular to the rotation axis to revolve the wafer stored in the wafer carrier about the rotation axis. Also, the spray nozzle is provided along the axis of rotation on the same axis as the axis of rotation and outside the turntable,
A processing chemical or nitrogen gas is supplied in a horizontal direction from each height position.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram for explaining an example of a wafer carrier used in this cleaning apparatus. The wafer carrier 101 shown in this figure is provided with an opening 103 for taking in and out the wafer W on one surface side of a case main body 102, and a plurality of wafers arranged on the inner wall surface of the case main body 102 in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the opening 103. The guide grooves 105 are formed in an array. These guide grooves 105 are provided facing the inner wall of the case main body 102. One wafer W is stretched between a pair of guide grooves 105 disposed opposite to each other (disposed in the depth direction in the drawing) on the wafer carrier, and a partition 107 between the guide grooves 105 is provided.
Are arranged such that a plurality of wafers W are stored in a stacked manner via the. These guide grooves 105 and partition walls 1 between them
Reference numeral 07 is arranged in parallel to the outer wall surfaces 109a and 109b of the case body 102 in the arrangement direction of the guide grooves 105. A member for fixing the case main body 102 to the turntable of the cleaning device, for example, an H bar end (not shown) is formed on one outer wall surface 109a.

[0005] The thus configured wafer carrier 10
1 is fixed to the cleaning device, the opening 103 is provided on the side of the spray nozzle 201 provided coaxially with the rotation axis of the cleaning device.
Facing the outer wall surface 10 provided with the H bar end.
At 9a, it is fixed to the bottom surface of the turntable 203 of the cleaning device. Therefore, when the wafer carrier 101 is fixed to the cleaning apparatus, the wafer carrier 1
The plurality of wafers W accommodated in 01 are kept horizontal while being supported on the partition walls 107 between the guide grooves 105.

In wafer cleaning using such a cleaning apparatus, a mist sprayed from the spray nozzle 201 is applied to the surface of the wafer W revolving around the spray nozzle 201 by the rotation of the turntable 203. The cleaning liquid L is supplied. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7A, a mist-like cleaning liquid L is supplied to the surface of the wafer W revolving around the spray nozzle 201 in the initial state. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the cleaning chemical supplied to the surface of the wafer W
Due to the centrifugal force caused by the revolving, the wafer W is caused to flow in the outer peripheral direction as shown by the arrow in the figure, thereby cleaning the surface of the wafer W. At this time, on the surface of the wafer W, the mist-like cleaning liquid L flows on the surface of the wafer W as it is or while being combined. Further, the cleaning solution L flowing on the surface of the wafer W is moved by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wafer W to cause the wafer W
The wafer W is revolved while the supply of the cleaning liquid L from the spray nozzle 201 is stopped, so that the wafer W is rotated and dried.
The drying of the wafer W is effected by spraying nitrogen gas from the spray nozzle 201.

[0007]

Meanwhile, a wafer to be cleaned by such a cleaning apparatus may have a pattern formed on the surface thereof. In cleaning a wafer having such a pattern, the flow of the processing chemical on the wafer surface is blocked by the pattern, and a chemical liquid pool is formed on the wafer surface. In this medicine pool,
Water marks are likely to remain after the wafer is dried, which may cause image defects in a solid-state imaging device, for example.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a wafer carrier for a batch type spin cleaning apparatus, a wafer cleaning method, and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, which enable cleaning of a wafer without forming a watermark. And

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a wafer carrier according to the present invention has an arrangement in which a plurality of guide grooves are opposed to an inner wall surface of a case body having an opening for taking in and out a wafer. In a wafer carrier that stores a plurality of wafers in a stacked state in a state of being bridged between the guide grooves arranged opposite to each other, the partition wall between the guide grooves is formed on one side in the arrangement direction of the guide grooves. With the outer wall of the case horizontal and the case body arranged,
The wafer is inclined and supported such that the opening side of the case main body is higher than the bottom side facing the opening side.

In the wafer carrier having such a configuration, when the case main body is arranged with the outer wall on one side in the arrangement direction of the guide grooves being horizontal, the opening side of the case main body is higher than the bottom side of the case main body. The wafer is supported in such an inclined state. For this reason, with respect to the turntable of the wafer cleaning apparatus which rotates around the vertical rotation axis, the outer wall surface on one side is horizontal, and the opening of the case body is oriented in the rotation axis direction. Is fixed, the wafer accommodated in the wafer carrier is arranged with its surface inclined in the direction of centrifugal force due to the revolution of the wafer.

According to the wafer cleaning method and the semiconductor device manufacturing method of the present invention, when the wafer is cleaned with the wafer revolving around a vertical rotation axis, the wafer is rotated in the direction of centrifugal force caused by the revolving of the wafer. The present invention is characterized in that the wafer is revolved while the surface of the wafer is inclined.

In such a method for cleaning a wafer and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, since the surface of the wafer is inclined in the direction of centrifugal force due to the revolution of the wafer, even if a pattern is formed on the wafer surface, the wafer surface Of the cleaning chemicals can easily flow in the direction of centrifugal force over this pattern. Therefore, removal of the cleaning solution from the wafer surface is facilitated.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a wafer carrier according to the present invention will be described.
Embodiments of a wafer cleaning method and a semiconductor device manufacturing method will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a wafer carrier according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a state in which the wafer carrier stores a wafer and a state in which the wafer is supported, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram for describing features of the configuration. The wafer carriers shown in these figures are used for storing and holding wafers during wafer cleaning using a batch-type spin cleaning apparatus. This batch-type spin cleaning apparatus is the same as that described in the related art, and a duplicate description thereof will be omitted.

The wafer carrier 1 shown in these figures has an opening 13 on one side of the case body 11 for taking in and out the wafer W, and a plurality of guide grooves 15 facing the inner wall surface of the case body 11. By inserting the peripheral edges of the wafers W into a pair of guide grooves 15 provided on the inner wall surfaces facing each other, a plurality of wafers W are stacked in a stacked manner via partition walls 17 between the guide grooves 15. It is configured to be stored.

For example, in a wafer carrier for accommodating an 8-inch semiconductor wafer, 25 or 26 pairs of guide grooves 15 have a size of about 1.65 ± 0.13 mm so as to accommodate 25 or 26 wafers W. They are provided substantially parallel with a width T.

The case body 11 has a peripheral wall surface area as small as possible so that a cleaning chemical solution (both shown only in FIG. 3) sprayed from a spray nozzle 201 of the cleaning apparatus is easily supplied to and removed from the wafer W. I'm dripping. For this reason, the bottom of the guide groove 15 is punched out while leaving an area large enough to store and support the wafer W in a stable state, and the outer wall surface 19 of the case body 11 in the direction in which the guide grooves 15 are arranged.
The entire opening area on the peripheral wall surface of the case body 11 may be ensured by forming the a and 19b into, for example, a belt shape. Further, when the wafer W is stored in the wafer carrier 1, as shown in FIG.
In addition to the Low-type model in which the peripheral wall of the case body 11 is formed so that the height of the wafer W projects from the opening 13, a High-Type model in which the wafer W does not project from the opening 13 may be used.

One of the outer wall surfaces 19a and 19b (here, the outer wall surface 19a) of the case body 11 in the arrangement direction of the guide grooves 15 is provided with a turntable 203 (shown only in FIG. 3) of the cleaning device. For example, a member for fixing the case main body 11, for example, an H bar end (not shown) is formed.

As a feature of the wafer carrier of the present embodiment, the partition walls 17 between the guide grooves 15 are arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the outer wall surfaces 19a and 19b. The inclination direction of the partition wall 17 is such that, when the outer wall surface 19a provided with the H bar end is horizontally arranged with the downward direction facing downward, the bottom surface side facing the opening 13 side is lower than the opening 13 side of the case main body 11. There is. In other words, the partition wall 17 between the guide grooves 15 has the opening 13 side of the case main body 11 higher than the corresponding bottom surface side in a state where the case main body 11 is arranged with the outer wall surface 19a on one side facing down and horizontal. Thus, the wafer W is configured to be inclined and supported. Here, when the case main body 11 is arranged as described above, the partition wall 17 is provided on the outer wall surface 19a so that the inclination θ of the wafer W preferably does not exceed 15 ° with respect to the horizontal. And that.

Further, two rows of legs 21 are provided on the outer wall on the bottom surface side of the case body 11 along the direction in which the guide grooves 15 are arranged. These legs 21 support the case body 11 when the wafer carrier 1 is placed on a predetermined surface with the opening 13 facing upward.

The legs 21 may have supporting surfaces perpendicular to the direction in which the partition walls 17 are arranged, as shown by the two-dot line in FIG. In addition, the case body 11 has, for example, the handle 2 on the outer wall surface 19b on the other side.
3 (see FIGS. 1 and 3), and a flange 25 (see FIG. 1) for the automatic transporter is provided around the opening 13 along the direction in which the guide grooves 15 are arranged. It is assumed that an omitted barcode pocket and the like are provided as appropriate.

The wafer carrier 1 configured as above is
For example, it is made of a fluororesin such as PFA (perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer resin), PEEK (polyetheretherketone), PBT (polybutylterephthalate), and other resin materials. In particular, when a wafer carrier is required to have chemical resistance and heat resistance, PF is used as a constituent material of the wafer carrier.
It is preferable to use A. PFA has a higher molding shrinkage of 7% than other resin materials (for example, PEEK is about 1%).
%, PBT is about 2.5%). Although it lacks dimensional stability due to processing accuracy and thermal aging, it is a material with excellent chemical resistance and heat resistance, and is a material for wafer carriers for batch spin cleaning equipment. Widely used as. However, the constituent material of the wafer carrier is not limited to this, and is configured by using a resin material appropriately selected depending on a chemical used for cleaning.

Next, an embodiment of a wafer cleaning method using a batch type spin cleaning apparatus using the wafer carrier 1 and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device for performing such cleaning will be described. Here, the wafer cleaning is performed, for example, in order to remove the photoresist on the wafer surface in the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device, and the wafer surface under the photoresist is etched using, for example, the photoresist as a mask. Is formed.

First, a wafer W is inserted into the case body 11 from the opening 13 side along each guide groove 15, and a plurality of wafers W are stored in the wafer carrier 1. At this time, for example, the wafer W is stored in the wafer carrier 1 with the opening 13 facing upward. Further, the wafer W is stored in the wafer carrier 1 such that the front surface (that is, the pattern forming surface) of the wafer W is directed toward the outer wall surface 19b on which the handle 23 is formed.

Next, the wafer carrier 1 is inserted into the chamber of the cleaning device, and the wafer carrier 1 is fixed to the turntable 203 of the cleaning device. At this time, the outer wall surface 19a on which the handle 23 is formed is directed upward, and the outer wall surface 19a on which the H bar end is formed is directed downward.
No. 03 spray nozzle 201 provided coaxially with the rotation axis
The wafer carrier 1 is fixed to the turntable 203 at the H bar end with the opening 13 facing the side. by this,
The outer wall surface 19a of the case body 11 is
It is kept horizontal as well as the bottom.

Next, according to a series of cleaning sequences, the turntable 203 is rotated at a predetermined number of revolutions while various treatment liquids L are discharged from the spray nozzle 201 and other spray nozzles not shown here. As a result, the wafer W is cleaned while revolving around the spray nozzle 201. When the wafer W is dried in accordance with the cleaning sequence, the turntable 203 is rotated at a predetermined number of revolutions while the ejection of the processing liquid L from each spray nozzle is stopped. At this time, an inert gas such as nitrogen gas may be ejected as a drying gas from a predetermined spray nozzle.

In such a wafer cleaning method, the wafer W is cleaned in a state where the surface of the wafer W is inclined in the direction of the centrifugal force caused by the revolution of the wafer W with respect to the horizontal. Therefore, the cleaning liquid L on the surface of the wafer W is easily flowed in the centrifugal direction. For example, even if a pattern is formed on the surface of the wafer W, the cleaning liquid L easily flows over the pattern and flows in the centrifugal direction. Become. Therefore, the cleaning liquid is easily removed from the surface of the wafer W, and accumulation of the cleaning liquid and remaining mist on the surface of the wafer W are less likely to occur. As a result,
The formation of a watermark on the surface of the wafer W is prevented, and highly accurate cleaning can be performed. In addition, when the semiconductor device formed by a series of manufacturing processes including the cleaning process is a solid-state imaging device, it is possible to obtain a solid-state imaging device without image defects due to watermarks, and the like.
The yield of semiconductor devices can be improved.

In addition, since the cleaning solution is easily removed from the surface of the wafer W, the cleaning efficiency ΔTAT (Turn Aroun
d Time) 向上 can be improved, and a replacement medium solution (for example, a rinsing solution such as pure water) for the cleaning chemical solution and a drying gas (for example, nitrogen gas) sprayed from the spray nozzle 201 when the wafer is dried are reduced. And manufacturing costs can be reduced.

When the wafer carrier 1 is fixed to the cleaning apparatus, the wafer W is held so that the opening 13 side of the wafer carrier 1 is higher than the bottom side, so that the rotation of the cleaning apparatus is stopped. Even in such a case, the wafer W does not slide off the wafer carrier 1. Further, when the rotation of the cleaning device is stopped, the state where the cleaning liquid is filled on the surface of the wafer W can be maintained. Moreover, the inclination θ of the wafer W is
° spray nozzle 2
The supply of the cleaning solution from 01 to the surface of the wafer W is not hindered.

The legs 2 of the wafer carrier 1 are arranged such that the support surface is formed perpendicular to the direction in which the partition walls 17 are arranged.
In the configuration where the wafer carrier 1 is inclined, when the wafer carrier 1 is placed with the opening 13 upward on a horizontal predetermined surface as shown in FIG. 4, the guide grooves 15 and the partition walls 17 are provided vertically. . For this reason, the wafer W
The operation of storing the wafer W in the wafer carrier 1 can be performed without changing the setting of the wafer transfer machine used for storing the wafer W.

In the above embodiment, the guide groove 15
The description has been given of the wafer carrier 1 in which the partition wall 17 between them is inclined with respect to the outer wall surface 19a, the wafer cleaning method using the same, and the semiconductor device manufacturing method. However, in the wafer carrier of the present invention, the partition wall between the guide grooves 15 is arranged such that the outer wall surface 19b is horizontal and the case body 11 is arranged, and the opening side of the case body 11 is
The configuration described above is not limited as long as the wafer W is inclined and supported so as to be higher than the bottom side of the device. For example, a configuration shown in FIG. 5 may be used.

The wafer carrier 1 'shown in FIG.
The difference from the wafer carrier described with reference to FIG. 3 lies in the configuration of the partition wall 17 ′ between the guide grooves 15, and the other configuration is the same. That is, in the wafer carrier 1 ', the outer wall surface 19a on which the H bar end is formed is formed.
A part of the partition wall 17 ′ arranged in parallel to the projection protrudes into the guide groove 15.

The protrusion 17 which is a protruding portion of the partition wall 17 '.
“a” is provided so as to protrude upward (ie, protrude toward the outer wall surface 19b) in a state where the case main body 11 is arranged with the outer wall surface 19a facing downward and horizontal. Partition wall 17 '
The projection position of the projection 17a in the wafer carrier 1 '
It is a position closer to the opening 13 in a range in which the wafer W accommodated therein is supported by the partition wall 17 '. Then, the case main body 11 is arranged in a state where the outer wall surface 19a is directed downward and the wafer W is supported on the partition wall 17 'including the projection 17a. The height of the projection 17a is set so as not to exceed 15 °.

In the wafer carrier 1 'having such a structure, when the case main body 11 is arranged with one outer wall surface 19a being horizontal, the opening 13 side of the case main body 11 is higher than the bottom side of the case main body 11. The wafer W can be supported in an inclined state. For this reason,
The same effect as that of the wafer carrier shown in FIG. 3 can be obtained. The wafer cleaning using the wafer carrier 1 'is the same as in the above-described embodiment, and the same effects can be obtained.

Further, also in the wafer carrier 1 ', the legs 21 may be inclined similarly to the wafer carrier shown in FIG. 3, and the same effect can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, the case where a circular semiconductor wafer is cleaned has been described. However, the present invention is directed to cleaning a wafer (ie, a thin plate-shaped object) to be cleaned using a batch-type spin cleaning apparatus. Wafer carrier to store,
Widely applied to wafer cleaning methods and semiconductor device manufacturing methods.

[0037]

As described above, according to the wafer carrier of the present invention, the wafer carrier is used for supporting the wafer in the batch type spin cleaning apparatus, so that the cleaning solution is not formed on the surface of the wafer. And the wafer can be cleaned and dried.

Further, according to the method of cleaning a wafer and the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device of the present invention, the wafer can be revolved and the wafer can be cleaned and dried without forming a pool of the cleaning solution on the wafer surface. Become. Therefore, the formation of a watermark can be prevented, and for example, in the manufacture of a solid-state imaging device, a product free from image defects due to the watermark can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a wafer carrier of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a wafer storage state and a wafer support state in the wafer carrier of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram for explaining features of the wafer carrier of FIG. 1 in more detail;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an effect when the legs of the wafer carrier of FIG. 1 are inclined.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing another example of the wafer carrier of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a conventional wafer carrier.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining wafer cleaning by a batch type spin cleaning apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1 ': wafer carrier, 11: case body, 13 ...
Opening, 15: Guide groove, 17, 17 ': Partition wall, 27: Projection, 19b: Outer wall surface, 201: Spray nozzle (rotary shaft), 203: Turntable, W: Wafer

Claims (6)

[Claims] A plurality of guide grooves are formed in an array on the inner wall surface of a case body having an opening for taking in and out a wafer, and the guide grooves are arranged between the guide grooves arranged opposite to each other. In a wafer carrier for accommodating a plurality of wafers in a stacked manner, the partition between the guide grooves is arranged such that the outer wall on one side in the arrangement direction of the guide grooves is horizontal and the case body is disposed. A wafer carrier that tilts and supports the wafer such that an opening side of the wafer is higher than a bottom side facing the opening side. 2. The wafer carrier according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall between each of the guide grooves is arranged to be inclined with respect to the one outer wall surface. 3. The wafer carrier according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall between the guide grooves is arranged in parallel with the one outer wall surface and makes the one outer wall horizontal. A wafer carrier, wherein a part of the case body projects upward in a state where the case body is arranged. 4. The wafer carrier according to claim 1, wherein the case body is configured such that the outer wall on one side is horizontal with respect to a turntable of a wafer cleaning apparatus that rotates about a vertical rotation axis. A wafer carrier, wherein the wafer carrier is fixed with an opening of the main body directed in the direction of the rotation axis. 5. A wafer cleaning method for cleaning a wafer in a state where the wafer revolves around a vertical rotation axis, wherein the surface of the wafer is inclined in a direction of centrifugal force due to the revolution of the wafer. A wafer cleaning method comprising revolving a wafer. 6. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising a step of cleaning a wafer while revolving the wafer around a vertical rotation axis, wherein the step of cleaning the wafer includes the step of cleaning the wafer. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, characterized in that the wafer is revolved while the surface of the wafer is tilted in the direction of centrifugal force caused by the revolving.