JP2011054785A - Spin cup of wafer cleaning/drying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a spin cup of a wafer cleaning/drying device, which can facilitate the temperature adjustment of the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup. <P>SOLUTION: A spin cup of a wafer cleaning/drying device is arranged in the circumference of a chuck table mounting a wafer and is provided to prevent the splashing and outflow of a wafer cleaning solution. The spin cup is constituted in a double structure comprising an inner cup and an outer cup. Between the inner cup and the outer cup, a gap is formed. The spin cup is configured such that a fluid can circulate in the gap. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a spin cup of a wafer cleaning / drying apparatus, and more particularly to a spin cup of a wafer cleaning / drying apparatus capable of adjusting the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup.

  In the wafer cleaning process by the wafer cleaning / drying apparatus, the wafer cleaning liquid is discharged onto the wafer surface while the chuck table on which the wafer is placed is rotated at a high speed. At this time, a spin cup is disposed around the chuck table to prevent the wafer cleaning liquid discharged on the wafer surface from being scattered by the centrifugal force of the wafer rotating at high speed.

  Since the wafer cleaning liquid generally contains hydrofluoric acid or ammonium fluoride, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) having excellent chemical resistance is used on the inner wall of the spin cup to which the scattered wafer cleaning liquid adheres. (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-172950: Patent Document 1).

  In addition, the invention in which the inner peripheral wall of the spin cup is formed of an antistatic material containing a conductive filler and a fluororesin in order to prevent static electricity generated during the cleaning of the wafer from being charged in the spin cup is disclosed in the present application. It is disclosed by a person (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-4762: Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-172950 JP 2008-4762 A

  By the way, in the wafer cleaning process by the wafer cleaning / drying apparatus described above, a high-temperature wafer cleaning liquid may be used in order to improve cleaning efficiency. As described above, when a high-temperature wafer cleaning solution is used, the inner wall of the spin cup formed of fluororesin or the like is deformed by thermal expansion, and the spin cup may be damaged in some cases.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and can easily adjust the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup, and the inner wall of the spin cup may be deformed or damaged by thermal expansion. An object of the present invention is to provide a spin cup for a wafer cleaning / drying apparatus.

The present invention was invented in order to achieve the above-described problems and objects in the prior art, and the spin cup of the wafer cleaning / drying apparatus of the present invention comprises:
A spin cup of a wafer cleaning / drying apparatus disposed around a chuck table on which a wafer is placed and provided to prevent scattering and outflow of wafer cleaning liquid,
The spin cup is composed of a double structure including an inner cup and an outer cup,
A gap is formed between the inner cup and the outer cup, and fluid is configured to flow through the gap.

  In this way, a gap is formed between the inner cup and the outer cup, and the fluid can flow through the gap. Therefore, a fluid having a temperature higher or lower than the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup is passed through the gap. It is possible to provide a spin cup of a wafer cleaning / drying apparatus that can be freely distributed and can easily adjust the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup.

  For example, by circulating a fluid having a temperature lower than the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup through the gap, the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup can be easily cooled, so that the spin cup is deformed or damaged by thermal expansion. Can be prevented.

  Further, for example, by circulating a fluid having a temperature higher than the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup through the gap, the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup can be easily heated. Therefore, for example, in the wafer drying process by the wafer cleaning / drying apparatus, the inside of the spin cup can be heated to improve the efficiency of the drying operation.

In the above invention, the inner cup and the outer cup are each composed of a rising portion extending vertically and a cap portion extending obliquely with respect to the rising portion,
A spiral convex portion is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the rising portion of the inner cup,
A spiral recess is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the rising portion of the outer cup,
Thereby, the inner cup and the outer cup are configured to be screwed together at the rising portion,
It is desirable that when the inner cup and the outer cup are screwed together, a spiral gap (a) is formed between the convex portion of the inner cup and the concave portion of the outer cup.

  Thus, since the inner cup and the outer cup are configured to be screwed together at the rising portion, the spin cup of the present invention in which the inner cup and the outer cup are configured as separate members can be easily assembled. Can do.

  In addition, when the inner cup and the outer cup are screwed together, a spiral gap (a) is formed between the convex portion of the inner cup and the concave portion of the outer cup. By arbitrarily flowing a fluid having a temperature higher or lower than the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup through the gap (a), the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup rising portion can be adjusted uniformly and easily.

In the above invention, the inner circumferential wall of the cap portion of the outer cup is formed with a spiral groove that is continuous with the spiral recess formed in the inner circumferential wall of the rising portion of the outer cup,
As a result, when the inner cup and the outer cup are screwed together, a spiral shape continuous with the spiral gap (a) is formed between the outer peripheral wall of the inner cup and the spiral groove portion of the outer cup. It is desirable that the gap is formed.

  In this way, a spiral gap (A) continuous with the spiral gap (A) is formed between the outer peripheral wall of the inner cup and the spiral groove of the outer cup. By allowing a fluid having a temperature higher or lower than the temperature of the inner peripheral wall of the spin cup to flow freely through the spiral gap (a), the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup rising portion and the cap portion can be adjusted uniformly and easily. Can do.

Moreover, in the said invention, it is desirable that the inner peripheral wall of the said inner cup consists of a fluororesin.
Thus, since the inner peripheral wall of the inner cup is made of a fluororesin that can be deformed at a high temperature, the effect of the present invention that the temperature adjustment of the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup is easy is exhibited more suitably.

  According to the present invention, the spin cup is configured by a double structure including an inner cup and an outer cup, and a gap is formed between the inner cup and the outer cup, and a fluid can be circulated through the gap. Therefore, it is possible to easily adjust the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup, and to provide the spin cup of the wafer cleaning / drying apparatus in which the inner wall of the spin cup is not deformed or damaged by thermal expansion.

It is sectional drawing which showed the wafer washing | cleaning drying apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a side view of the inner cup which concerns on the spin cup of this invention. It is side sectional drawing of the outer side cup which concerns on the spin cup of this invention. It is the elements on larger scale in the A section of Drawing 1, and is a figure showing the standup part of a spin cup. It is the elements on larger scale in the B section of Drawing 1, and is a figure showing the shade part of a spin cup.

  Hereinafter, in order to describe the embodiment of the spin cup of the wafer drying and cleaning apparatus of the present invention in detail, the wafer cleaning and drying apparatus 1 and the spin cup 10 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Wafer cleaning and drying equipment 1]
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a wafer cleaning / drying apparatus 1 according to the present invention.
The wafer cleaning / drying apparatus 1 according to the present invention is a so-called single wafer cleaning / drying apparatus, and its configuration is as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a chuck table 70 on which a wafer W is placed is provided at the center, and the spin cup 10 of the present invention is disposed around the chuck table 70 so as to cover the chuck table 70. In addition, a base material portion 60 is disposed below the chuck table 70.

  When the wafer W is cleaned, the spin cup 10 prevents the wafer cleaning liquid discharged on the surface of the wafer W from being scattered by the centrifugal force of the wafer W rotating at high speed, as shown in FIG. The rising portion 10A extends and the shade portion 10B extends obliquely from the upper end of the rising portion 10A toward the central portion, and is formed in a substantially dome shape with an opening 30 formed at the top. Further, by arranging the opening 30 so as to be directly above the chuck table 70, the wafer W is carried in and out of the opening 30, and the wafer cleaning liquid is supplied to the wafer by a nozzle (not shown) disposed above the opening 30. It can be discharged onto the surface of W.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the chuck table 70 includes a mounting table 72 on which the wafer W is mounted, and a rotary shaft 74 having one end connected to the center of the mounting table 72 and the other end connected to the motor 80. Thus, the rotating shaft 74 is rotated by the rotational force generated by the motor 80, and thereby the mounting table 72 on which the wafer W is mounted is configured to rotate at high speed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the base material portion 60 has a recovery tank 62 formed on the outer periphery thereof, and a discharge hole 64 formed in the center of the bottom surface of the recovery tank 62. The collection tank 62 is disposed below the outer peripheral end 32 of the spin cup 10 so that the wafer cleaning liquid scattered and adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup 10 can be collected and discharged out of the apparatus from the discharge hole 64. It has become.

  The material of the base member 60 is preferably a fluororesin from the viewpoint of chemical resistance. As fluororesin, in addition to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer resin (FEP), trifluorochloroethylene resin (PCTFE), and modified products thereof should be used. However, among these, PTFE is desirable because it is less likely to contaminate the cleaning liquid, has excellent cleanliness (pureness), chemical resistance, and heat resistance.

  The wafer cleaning / drying apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a structure in which the spin cup 10 and the base material portion 60 are separated from each other. However, in the wafer cleaning / drying apparatus 1 according to the present invention, The spin cup 10 may be disposed at the upper end of the outer peripheral portion of the portion 60, and both may be integrated by a method such as welding.

[Spin cup 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the spin cup 10 according to the present invention has a double structure including an inner cup 20 and an outer cup 40. 2 is a side view of the inner cup 20 according to the spin cup 10 of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the outer cup 40 according to the spin cup 10 of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the inner cup 20 includes a rising portion 20A extending vertically and a shade portion 20B extending obliquely from the upper end of the rising portion 20A toward the central portion, and an opening 20c is formed at the top. It has a generally domed shape. A spiral convex portion 22 is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the rising portion 20A.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the outer cup 40 includes a rising portion 40A extending vertically and a cap portion 40B extending obliquely from the upper end of the rising portion 40A toward the central portion, and an opening 40c is formed at the top. It has a generally domed shape. In addition, a spiral concave portion 42 that is screwed with the spiral convex portion 22 of the inner cup 20 is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the rising portion 40A. Further, a spiral groove 44 is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the cap portion 40B and is continuous with the spiral recess 42 formed on the inner peripheral wall of the rising portion 40A.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer cup 40 is formed with an inflow port 48 and an outflow port 46 as an outflow port for the fluid. The inflow port 48 is formed at the lower end portion of the rising portion 40A, and is configured to be connected to a spiral gap (a) described later. Moreover, the outflow port 46 is formed in the upper end part of the cap part 40B, and is comprised so that it may connect with the helical clearance gap (a) mentioned later. In this embodiment, since the fluid flows in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, the inlet 48 and the outlet 46 are arranged as shown in FIG. 3, but the fluid of the spin cup 10 of the present invention is arranged. The distribution direction is not particularly limited. When the fluid flow direction is opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1, the positions of the inlet 48 and the outlet 46 are opposite to the positions shown in FIG. 3, and the inlet 48 shown in FIG. The outlet 46 is disposed at the position, and the inlet 48 is disposed at the position of the outlet 46 shown in FIG.

  Further, the outer dimensions of the inner cup 20 and the outer cup 40 are such that the inner cup 20 and the outer cup 40 are threadedly engaged with each other at the rising portions 20A and 40A. The inner diameter dimension D2 is substantially the same diameter.

  The external dimensions of the spin cup 10 vary depending on the wafer cleaning / drying apparatus 1 and the diameter size of the wafer W, and are not particularly limited, but have a margin of about 200 to 300 mm with respect to the diameter size of the wafer W. Is set. Therefore, for example, if the diameter size of the wafer W is 300 mm, the diameter of the spin cup 10 is about 500 to 600 mm.

  As described above, the spin cup 10 of the present invention is configured such that the inner cup 20 and the outer cup 40 are screwed together at the respective rising portions 20A and 40A, and therefore when the spin cup 10 of the present invention is assembled. Simply insert the inner cup 20 into the outer cup 40, screw it in, and if necessary, weld the joint surface 23 of the inner cup 20 and the joint surface 43 of the outer cup 40. Can do.

Next, the gap formed between the inner cup 20 and the outer cup 40 when the spin cup 10 is assembled will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion A in FIG. 1 and shows a rising portion 10A of the spin cup 10. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion B in FIG. 1 and shows the shade portion 10B of the spin cup 10.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the inner cup 20 and the outer cup 40 are screwed together, the spiral convex portion 22 formed on the outer peripheral wall of the rising portion 20 </ b> A of the inner cup 20 and the rising portion of the outer cup 40. The spiral groove portion 42 formed on the inner peripheral wall of 40A engages. At this time, the width W1 of the spiral groove portion 42 formed in the outer cup 40 is wider than the width W3 of the spiral protrusion portion 22 formed in the inner cup 20, so that the protrusion 22 and the groove portion are formed. A spiral gap (a) is formed between the two.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the inner cup 20 and the outer cup 40 are screwed together, the inner peripheral wall of the cap portion 40 </ b> A of the outer cup 40 is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the rising portion 40 </ b> A of the outer cup 40. Since the spiral groove 44 is formed continuously with the spiral recess 42, the spiral formed on the outer peripheral wall of the cap portion 20B of the inner cup 20 and the inner peripheral wall of the cap portion 40B of the outer cup 40. A spiral gap (A) continuous with the spiral gap (A) is formed between the groove 44 and the groove 44.

  The above-described “spiral groove 44 that is continuous with the spiral recess 42” means that the spiral groove 44 and the spiral recess 42 are not interrupted in a planar manner on the inner peripheral wall of the outer cup 40. This does not mean that the width W2 of the groove 44 and the width W1 of the recess 42 are the same. The width W1 of the groove 44 may be configured so as to be continuous with the spiral gap (a), that is, so as to form an unbroken spiral gap (a). There is no particular limitation. However, since the flow in the case where the fluid is circulated through the gap is smoother when the width of the spiral gap (A) is the same as the width of the spiral gap (A), in this embodiment, the groove portion The width W2 of 44, the width W1 of the concave portion 42, and the width W3 of the convex portion 22 have a relationship of W2 = W1-W3.

  Thus, since a spiral gap (a) is formed between the convex portion 22 of the inner cup 20 and the concave portion 42 of the outer cup 40, the inner space of the spin cup 10 is formed in the spiral gap (a). By arbitrarily flowing a fluid having a temperature higher or lower than the temperature of the peripheral surface, the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the rising portion 10A of the spin cup 10 can be easily adjusted. Further, since the gap (a) is formed in a spiral shape, the fluid and the inner cup 20 are almost uniformly in contact with the entire outer peripheral wall of the rising portion 20A, and therefore the inner peripheral surface of the rising portion 10A of the spin cup 10 The temperature can be adjusted uniformly.

  In addition, a spiral gap (A) continuous with the spiral gap (A) is formed between the outer peripheral wall of the inner cup 20 and the spiral groove portion 44 of the outer cup 40. By arbitrarily flowing a fluid having a temperature higher or lower than the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup 10 in the gap (A), it is easy to adjust the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the rising portion 10A and the cap portion 10B of the spin cup 10. It can be carried out. Further, since the gap (A) is formed in a spiral shape as in the case of the gap (A), the fluid and the inner cup 20 are almost uniformly in contact with the entire outer peripheral wall of the shade portion 20B. The temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the cap portion 10B can be adjusted uniformly.

  In the present invention, the kind of liquid flowing through the spiral gaps (a) and (b) is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include water and oil as the liquid and air as the gas.

  In addition, the material of the inner cup 20 is preferably made of a fluororesin, at least for the inner peripheral wall, from the viewpoint of chemical resistance. As fluororesin, in addition to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer resin (FEP), trifluorochloroethylene resin (PCTFE), and modified products thereof should be used. However, among these, PTFE is desirable because it is less likely to contaminate the cleaning liquid, has excellent cleanliness (pureness), chemical resistance, and heat resistance.

  Further, the material of the inner peripheral wall of the inner cup 20 can be an antistatic material containing a conductive filler and a fluororesin, as in the conventional case. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent static electricity generated during the cleaning of the wafer W from being charged in the spin cup 10.

  The material of the outer cup 40 is not particularly limited as long as it is a material that can ensure a predetermined strength as the spin cup 10, but has a higher strength than a fluororesin, such as glass fiber or carbon fiber. It is preferably made of a fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) made of a fiber material and a fluororesin.

  By configuring in this way, in the spin cup 10 of the present invention in which the inner cup 20 and the outer cup 40 are configured as separate members, the outer cup 40 has a higher strength than the inner cup 20, so that Compared with a spin cup made of a fluororesin, the spin cup 10 can have higher strength.

  The shape of the spin cup 10 of the present embodiment is formed in a substantially dome shape with the opening 30 formed at the top, but the shape of the spin cup 10 of the present invention is not limited to this, and the wafer cleaning liquid is not limited to this. For example, a cylindrical shape or the like may be used as long as the shape can prevent scattering. Further, the opening 30 may not be formed as long as the wafer W can be carried in and out and the wafer cleaning liquid can be discharged by other means.

  Further, in the spin cup 10 of this embodiment, a spiral gap (a) and (b) is formed between the inner cup 20 and the outer cup 40, and a fluid is circulated through the gap. However, the spin cup 10 of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the gap formed between the inner cup 20 and the outer cup 40 can easily adjust the temperature of the inner peripheral surface of the spin cup 10 if the fluid can flow through the gap. .

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the object of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wafer washing | cleaning drying apparatus 10 Spin cup 10A, 20A, 40A Stand-up part 10B, 20B, 40B Cap part 20 Inner cup 20c, 30, 40c Outflow port 48 Inlet port 60 Base material portion 62 Recovery tank 64 Discharge hole 70 Chuck table 72 Mounting table 74 Rotating shaft 80 Motor (A), (A) Spiral gap W Wafer W1 Recess width W2 Groove width W3 Protrusion Width D1 Inner cup outer diameter D2 Outer cup inner diameter

Claims (4)

A spin cup of a wafer cleaning / drying apparatus disposed around a chuck table on which a wafer is placed and provided to prevent scattering and outflow of wafer cleaning liquid,
The spin cup is composed of a double structure including an inner cup and an outer cup,
A spin cup of a wafer cleaning / drying apparatus, wherein a gap is formed between the inner cup and the outer cup so that fluid can flow through the gap. The inner cup and the outer cup are each composed of a rising part extending vertically and a cap part extending obliquely with respect to the rising part,
A spiral convex portion is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the rising portion of the inner cup,
A spiral recess is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the rising portion of the outer cup,
Thereby, the inner cup and the outer cup are configured to be screwed together at the rising portion,
When the inner cup and the outer cup are screwed together, a spiral gap (a) is formed between the convex portion of the inner cup and the concave portion of the outer cup. The spin cup of the wafer cleaning / drying apparatus according to claim 1. On the inner peripheral wall of the shade portion of the outer cup, a spiral groove portion is formed which is continuous with the spiral recess formed on the inner peripheral wall of the rising portion of the outer cup,
As a result, when the inner cup and the outer cup are screwed together, a spiral shape continuous with the spiral gap (a) is formed between the outer peripheral wall of the inner cup and the spiral groove portion of the outer cup. The spin cup of the wafer cleaning / drying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a gap (b) is formed.   The spin cup of the wafer cleaning / drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inner peripheral wall of the inner cup is made of a fluororesin.

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