JP3171821B2 - Cleaning device and cleaning method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method for immersing a substrate to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for an LCD, in a chemical solution or a rinsing liquid and drying the substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a description will be given of a cleaning process in a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device such as an LSI. A cleaning device is used to remove
Among them, a wet cleaning apparatus is widely used because it can effectively remove the above-mentioned contamination, can perform batch processing, and has good throughput.

In such a wet cleaning apparatus, a wafer to be cleaned is subjected to a chemical liquid cleaning treatment such as an ammonia treatment, a hydrofluoric acid treatment, a sulfuric acid treatment, a water washing treatment with pure water or the like, and an isopropyl alcohol (hereinafter referred to as “IPA”). ) Is performed, for example, and a chemical solution, pure water, and IPA are supplied to a processing tank and a drying chamber arranged in the processing order, for example, in units of 50 sheets. A batch processing method in which wafers are sequentially immersed in a processing tank and dried is widely used.

However, providing a processing tank or a drying chamber for each processing increases the size of the apparatus, and moreover, there are many opportunities to transfer the wafer, that is, to expose the wafer to the atmosphere, so that there is a high possibility that particles will adhere. .

[0005] Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-81230
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 6-326073 and the like,
A cleaning apparatus has been proposed in which a treatment tank and a drying chamber are integrated to perform a chemical solution treatment and a drying treatment in the same chamber.
In brief, as shown in FIG. 26, these cleaning apparatuses store a chemical solution 202 and the like in a lower portion 201 of a chamber 200 and immerse the wafer W, then pull up the wafer W, and dry the wafer W in an upper portion 203 of the chamber 200 using IPA or the like. The processing is performed.

Meanwhile, in the above-mentioned drying treatment by IPA, as described in the above-mentioned JP-A-64-81230 and JP-A-6-326073,
It is common to use a process steam obtained by heating and boiling IPA and heat the inside of the chamber with a heater or the like to promote the replacement of IPA with water and perform drying more rapidly.

[0007]

However, when the drying treatment is performed while heating as described above, the IP
While the replacement of A with water is promoted, the reaction between water and Si on the wafer surface is promoted, and the wafer surface is oxidized, which may cause a defect due to the watermark.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method capable of minimizing generation of a watermark on the surface of a substrate to be processed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method which are not adversely affected by a chemical solution treatment during a drying treatment.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method which have a high degree of freedom in design and which can optimize the cleaning process and further downsize the apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method that can perform a drying process more efficiently.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method in which a mist of a processing liquid is prevented from entering a drying chamber by separating a processing tank section and a drying section, and stable drying performance is obtained. Is to provide.

[0012]

[0013]

Means for Solving the Problems To achieve the above object,
Because, according to claim 1, and cooling and rinsing means for rinsing with liquid rinsing the target substrate, a mixed gas of an organic solvent and inert gas against the substrate to be processed rinsed by the rinsing means gaseous Means for spraying, a drying means for spraying a cooled gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate to be dried, and a room temperature containing an inert gas for the substrate dried by the drying means. And a normal temperature means for spraying the above-mentioned gas to normal temperature.

[0014]

According to the second aspect , a step of rinsing the substrate to be processed with a rinsing liquid, and a step of blowing a gas obtained by cooling a mixed gas of an organic solvent and an inert gas to the rinsed substrate to be processed. Spraying a cooled gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate to be dried, and blowing a room temperature gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate dried with the inert gas. And bringing the temperature to room temperature.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a processing tank for storing a processing liquid, and a substrate to be processed is immersed in the stored processing liquid, and a substrate to be processed disposed between the processing tank and the processing tank. A drying chamber provided with an openable and closable opening for transferring
A transfer unit for transferring the substrate to be processed between the processing tank and the drying chamber through the opening; and an inert gas disposed in the drying chamber and cooled with respect to the substrate to be processed. A gas blowing means for blowing a gas.

In this case, as described in claim 4 , the inert gas is disposed between the processing tank and the drying chamber and is cooled with respect to the substrate to be processed transferred from the processing tank to the drying chamber. Means for blowing a gas containing gas may be further provided.

Further, as described in claim 5 , a cooling means disposed in the drying chamber may be further provided.

Further, as set forth in claim 6 , the gas blowing means blows a gas containing an inert gas cooled onto the substrate to be processed into a downflow state from an upper portion in the drying chamber. Further, there may be further provided a gas discharging means for discharging a gas containing an inert gas blown out from the gas blowing means from a discharge port provided at a lower portion in the drying chamber. In this case, as described in claim 7 , a plurality of intakes communicating with the outlet and taking in the gas containing the cooled inert gas blown out from the gas blowing means from the lower part of the drying chamber. A flow straightening means having a mouth may be further provided.

[0020] in the produced cleaning apparatus as above, as described in claim 8, the process liquid reserved in the processing tank is preferably deaerated treated rinse. Further, as described in claim 9, the process liquid reserved in the processing bath is preferably cooled a rinse.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the processing liquid is stored, and the substrate to be processed is immersed in the stored processing liquid, and the processing liquid is disposed between the processing tank and the processing tank. a drying chamber closable opening is provided for transporting and a transfer means for transferring the target substrate between the drying chamber and the processing bath through the opening, receiving from the processing bath
Dried by blowing only passed the organic solvent with respect to the substrate to be processed and blowing means for blowing a gas having cooled the mixed gas of an inert gas, the cooled gas containing the inert gas against the target substrate A cleaning device, comprising: a drying unit that performs normal temperature gas including an inert gas on the substrate to be processed dried by the drying unit; You.

According to the eleventh aspect , (a) a step of immersing the substrate to be processed in the processing tank storing the processing liquid, and (b) an opening which can be opened and closed into a drying chamber disposed above the processing tank. Transferring the substrate to be processed from the processing tank through a unit, (c) closing the opening after transferring the substrate to the drying chamber, and (d) transferring the substrate to the drying chamber. Spraying a gas containing an inert gas that has been cooled against the processing substrate.
A cleaning method is provided.

According to the twelfth aspect , (a) a step of immersing a substrate to be processed in a processing tank in which a processing liquid is stored, and (b) an opening which can be opened and closed into a drying chamber disposed above the processing tank. Transferring the substrate to be processed from the processing tank through a unit, (c) closing the opening after transferring the substrate to the drying chamber, and (d) transferring the substrate to the drying chamber. A step of spraying a gas obtained by cooling a mixed gas of an organic solvent and an inert gas onto the processing substrate; and (e) a step of blowing a cooled gas containing the inert gas onto the substrate to be processed and drying the same. (F) spraying a normal temperature gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate to be processed dried with the inert gas to cool the substrate to a normal temperature, thereby providing a cleaning method.

In this case, as described in claim 13 , it is preferable that before the step (b), the drying chamber is set to an atmosphere of a diluted and cooled organic solvent beforehand.

[0025]

According to the first and second aspects, the substrate to be processed rinsed with the rinsing liquid is dried in the cooling system. For example, the reaction between water and Si on the wafer surface is slowed, and the wafer surface is Oxidation hardly occurs, and generation of watermarks can be suppressed as much as possible. Further, after the substrate to be processed is replaced with a rinsing liquid to some extent by the cooled gas-mixed gas, the rinsing liquid is blown off by a cooled gas containing an inert gas. For example, a reaction between water and Si on the wafer surface is performed. And the surface of the wafer is less likely to be oxidized, and generation of watermarks can be suppressed as much as possible. This is because a cooled gas containing an inert gas can suppress oxidation. Further, since the room temperature is blown to the dried substrate to be processed by blowing the room temperature gas containing an inert gas, it is possible to prevent moisture from adhering to the surface of the substrate to be processed.

According to the third and eleventh aspects of the present invention, the substrate to be processed rinsed with the rinsing liquid is blown with a gas containing a cooled inert gas to be dried. The reaction with Si is slowed down and the surface of the wafer is hardly oxidized, so that generation of a watermark can be suppressed as much as possible. In addition, since the drying chamber and the processing tank are vertically separated from each other, and the space in the drying chamber and the processing tank can be shielded by an openable and closable opening, the drying processing may be adversely affected by the chemical solution processing. Can not be.

According to the fourth aspect , the means for spraying a gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate to be processed transferred from the processing tank to the drying chamber plays an auxiliary role of drying the substrate to be processed. Drying can be performed more efficiently. Moreover, since a cooled gas containing an inert gas is used, the surface of the wafer is hardly oxidized, and generation of a watermark can be suppressed as much as possible.

According to the fifth aspect , since the temperature in the drying chamber can be lowered, the wafer surface is hardly oxidized, and the generation of watermarks can be suppressed as much as possible.

According to the sixth aspect , the processing liquid on the surface of the substrate to be processed can be blown off by the gas containing the downflow inert gas, so that the drying process can be performed more efficiently.

According to the seventh aspect , the gas containing the downflowing inert gas can be uniformly poured into each of the substrates to be processed by the rectifying means, and the drying process can be performed more efficiently.

According to the eighth aspect , since the processing liquid stored in the processing tank is a degassed rinsing liquid, for example, when the processing target substrate is made of Si, the surface of the processing target substrate is oxidized. Can be prevented.

According to the ninth aspect , since the processing liquid stored in the processing tank is a cooled rinsing liquid, the drying processing can be performed more efficiently while minimizing the generation of watermarks.

According to the tenth and twelfth aspects, the substrate to be processed rinsed with the rinsing liquid is blown with a gas containing a cooled inert gas to be dried. The reaction with Si is slowed down and the surface of the wafer is hardly oxidized, so that generation of a watermark can be suppressed as much as possible. Further, after the substrate to be processed is replaced with a rinsing liquid to some extent by the cooled gas-mixed gas, the rinsing liquid is blown off by a cooled gas containing an inert gas. For example, a reaction between water and Si on the wafer surface is performed. And the surface of the wafer is less likely to be oxidized, and generation of watermarks can be suppressed as much as possible. Furthermore, since the room temperature is blown to the dried substrate to be processed by blowing the room temperature gas containing an inert gas, it is possible to prevent frost from adhering to the surface of the substrate to be processed. In addition, the drying chamber and the processing tank are separated vertically, and the space in the drying chamber and the space in the processing tank can be shielded by an openable and closable opening. Never.
Further, preparation for processing in the next processing tank at the time of drying processing can be performed, and throughput can be improved. In addition, since the drying chamber and the processing tank can be designed under different conditions, the degree of freedom of design is high, and the cleaning process can be optimized and the apparatus can be further downsized. Furthermore, since the processing liquid on the surface of the substrate to be processed is blown off by blowing the gas containing the cooled inert gas onto the substrate to be processed, the drying process can be performed more efficiently. Since the space for spraying and drying the substrate to be processed is separated from the space for the processing tank, the space can be made smaller and the drying process can be performed more efficiently.

According to the thirteenth aspect , since the inside of the drying chamber is set to the atmosphere of the organic solvent which has been diluted and cooled before the substrate to be processed is transferred to the drying chamber, the drying process can be performed more efficiently. . In addition, since the solvent is a thin vapor, the solvent does not condense.

[0036]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment is an example applied to a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as "wafer") cleaning apparatus. The cleaning apparatus will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cleaning apparatus 1 as a whole performs a loading section 2 for accommodating a wafer before cleaning in a carrier unit and a wafer cleaning process. The cleaning unit 3 includes a cleaning processing unit 3 and an unloading unit 4 for taking out wafers after the cleaning processing in cassette units.

The carry-in section 2 has a standby section 6 for holding a carrier 5 containing a predetermined number of wafers before cleaning processing, for example, 25 wafers, and taking out wafers from the carrier 5.
A loader unit 7 for aligning the orientation flat and detecting a single wafer is provided. Further, the carrier 5 carried from outside by a transfer robot or the like is transported to the standby unit 6, and the standby unit 6 and the loader unit 7 A transfer arm 8 for transferring the carrier 5 is provided therebetween.

The cleaning section 3 has a front side (FIG. 1).
, Three wafer transfer devices 11, 12,
In addition, a tank 13 for storing a processing liquid such as a chemical solution and a piping area 14 for storing various piping groups are formed on the back side thereof through a partition wall.

On the other hand, the unloading section 4 includes an unloader section 15 for storing the wafers cleaned by the cleaning processing section 3 in the carrier 5 and a standby section 16 for holding the carriers 5 storing the wafers after the cleaning processing. , Unloader unit 15 and standby unit 1
6, a transfer arm 17 for transferring the carrier 5 is provided.

The cleaning apparatus 1 is provided with a carrier transport section 18 for transporting the carrier 5 emptied at the loading section 2 to the unloading section 4. The carrier transport unit 18 includes a carrier conveyor 19 provided above the cleaning unit 3,
A carrier stock 20 which receives empty carriers 5 from the loader unit 7 by the transfer arm 8 in the loading unit 2 and stores carriers containing wafers and carriers not containing wafers, and a carrier conveyor 1 in the unloading unit 4.
And a carrier transfer unit (not shown) for receiving an empty carrier 5 from the transfer arm 9 and transferring the empty carrier 5 to the unloader unit 15.

The cleaning section 3 cleans the wafer chuck 21 of the wafer transfer device 11 in order from the loader section 7 side.
A chuck cleaning / drying processing tank 22 for drying, a chemical cleaning processing tank 23 for cleaning impurities such as organic contaminants, metal impurities, and particles on the wafer surface with a chemical solution, for example, a mixed solution of NH ₄ / H ₂ O ₂ / H ₂ O. A water washing / cleaning tank 24 for cleaning the wafers cleaned in the chemical liquid cleaning tank 23 with pure water, for example, and a metal liquid on the wafer surface to remove metal contamination, for example, a mixed liquid of HCl / H ₂ O ₂ / H ₂ O. Chemical cleaning tank 25, water cleaning cleaning tank 26 for cleaning the wafers cleaned in chemical cleaning tank 25, for example, with pure water, and a chemical such as HF / H for removing an oxide film on the wafer surface.
_The cleaning device 27 and the wafer transfer device 13 according to the present invention perform the cleaning process with the 2O mixed solution, clean the washed wafer with a rinsing liquid, for example, pure water, and further perform the drying process on the rinsed wafer. A chuck cleaning / drying processing tank 28 for cleaning and drying a chuck (not shown).
Are arranged respectively.

Incidentally, between the loader section 7 and the chuck cleaning / drying processing tank 22, between the water cleaning / cleaning processing tank 24 and the chemical liquid cleaning processing tank 25, between the water cleaning / cleaning processing tank 26 and the cleaning device 27, and to perform chuck cleaning.・ Drying treatment tank 28 and unloader section 15
And a partition plate 2 that separates them.
9, 30, 31, and 32 are provided. The partition plates 29, 30, 31, and 32 are opened and closed by a drive mechanism (not shown), for example, at the time of wafer transfer. Thereby, diffusion of the atmosphere of the chemical solution into the adjacent space can be prevented.

The structure of the cleaning device 27 according to the present invention is shown in FIGS.
Referring to FIG. 11, the cleaning device 27 stores a processing solution, for example, a chemical solution such as an HF / H ₂ O mixed solution or a rinsing solution such as pure water, and stores the wafer as a substrate to be processed in the stored processing solution. A cleaning tank 41 as a processing tank in which W is immersed, and a cylindrical drying chamber 42 disposed above the cleaning tank 41 and performing a drying process on the wafer W transferred from the cleaning tank 41 are provided.

The cleaning tank 41 accommodates, for example, 50 wafers W held by the wafer guide 43 together with a wafer guide 43 described later. On both sides of the bottom of the cleaning tank 41,
Nozzle 4 for injecting the processing liquid toward each accommodated wafer W
4 and 45 are provided. The nozzles 44 and 45
Can be constituted by pipes having ejection holes provided at the same pitch as the interval between adjacent wafers W, for example, along the arrangement direction of the wafers W. Nozzle 4
4 and 45 are provided by switching the switching valve 46 in FIGS.
One of a chemical solution such as an HF / H ₂ O mixed solution and a rinse solution such as cooled pure water (DIW: deionized water) is supplied from a pipe region 14 shown in FIG. The switching control of the switching valve 46 is performed at a predetermined timing by, for example, a control unit (not shown). It is preferable to use degassed DIW as a rinsing liquid in order to prevent oxidation of the wafer W.

A recovery tank 47 is provided around the cleaning tank 41 for collecting the processing liquid overflowing from the cleaning tank 41. The processing liquid recovered in the recovery tank 47 is circulated to the nozzles 44 and 45 via the switching valve 48, the pump 49, the filter 50, and the switching valve 51. The switching valve 48 switches between circulating or discharging the processing liquid recovered in the recovery tank 47 as described above. The switching valve 51 is
It is switched between circulating the processing liquid recovered in the recovery tank 47 as described above or supplying DIW cooled to a temperature of 0 ° C. to normal temperature, more preferably about 5 ° C. to the nozzles 44 and 45 by the cooler 55. Note that a damper 52 is provided between the pump 49 and the filter 50. A discharge port 53 for discharging the processing liquid is provided at the lowermost part of the cleaning tank 41, and whether or not the processing liquid is discharged from the discharge port 53 is switched by a switching valve 54.

On the other hand, in the upper and lower portions of the drying chamber 42, for example, rectangular openings 61 and 62 for transferring the wafer W are provided, and a lid 63 is disposed in the upper opening 61. A sliding door mechanism 64 is provided in the lower opening 62. The lid 63 is made of a resin such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or PP (polypropylene),
As shown in FIG. 5, both inside and outside have a shape obtained by cutting a cylinder in the vertical direction. Thereby, the inside of the drying chamber 42 closed by the lid 63 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a turbulent flow of nitrogen gas or the like blown to the wafers W described later is prevented, and the wafers W are uniformly distributed. Nitrogen gas or the like is blown. As shown in FIG. 6, an O-ring 65 is arranged along the periphery of the opening 61,
The sealing property when the cover 1 is closed with the lid 63 is enhanced.

In the vicinity of the drying chamber 42, a lid driving section 66 for driving the lid 63 to open and close is provided. Lid drive unit 6
As shown in FIG. 7, 6 includes a cylinder 68 that rotationally drives a rotary arm 67 that fixes the lid 63 to the tip, and a cylinder 69 that moves the lid 63 and these rotating mechanisms up and down. The lid driving unit 66 first moves the lid 63 closing the opening 61 upward (FIG. 7), and rotates the rear lid 63 to a position outside the opening 61 (FIG. 7).
3 is moved downward (FIG. 7). Opening 61 with lid 63
The reverse operation is performed when closing with (see FIG. 7 →→).
).

As shown in FIG. 8, the sliding door mechanism 64 has a rectangular flange 70 disposed between the cleaning tank 41 and the drying chamber 42 and a flange 70 which is inserted and withdrawn through an opening 71 provided in the flange 70. Sliding door 72 that opens and closes inside
And a cylinder 73 for driving the slide door 72 to be inserted and withdrawn. The slide door 72 is made of a resin such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or PP (polypropylene), like the lid 63, and has a rectangular shape substantially the same shape as the opening 62.

As shown in FIG. 9, the wafer guide 43 is provided at the lower end of a support member 74 with a wafer holding portion 75 for holding, for example, 50 wafers W. Wafer holder 75
A central holding rod 76 provided at the lower end of the center, and two side holding rods 77 provided parallel to each other at both left and right end portions,
78 are fixed at both ends thereof. One end is fixed to the lower end of the support member 74, and the other end is fixed by the fixing portion member 79. Central holding rod 76 and side holding rods 77, 78
Are provided with a plurality of, for example, 50 wafer holding grooves 80 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction. The wafer guide 43 is made of a material having excellent corrosion resistance, heat resistance, and strength resistance, for example, PEEK (polyetheretherketone), Qz, or the like.

The upper and lower guide rods 81 are fixed to the upper end of the wafer guide 43. This guide bar 8
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, 1 protrudes outward and vertically through a hole 82 provided in the upper part of the drying chamber 42. The upper end of the guide upper and lower bars 81 is connected to a wafer guide Z-axis mechanism 83 provided behind the drying chamber 42.
The wafer guide Z-axis mechanism 83 moves the guide vertical bar 81 up and down to move the wafer W held by the wafer guide 43 between the cleaning tank 41 and the drying chamber 42 through the lower opening 62.
Is transported. Further, as shown in FIG.
The wafer transfer device 13 shown in FIG. The wafer chuck 84 provided in the wafer transfer device 13 receives, for example, 50 wafers W from the adjacent washing / cleaning processing tank 26 as shown in FIG.
2, and receives, for example, 50 wafers W from the wafer guide 43 in the drying chamber 42 and transfers the wafer W to the unloader section 15 of the unloading section 4.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
On both sides of the upper part of the inside, a wafer guide 43 in the drying chamber 42
Nozzles 85 and 86 are provided for spraying a cooled nitrogen gas or the like to the down flow on the wafer W held in the wafer W. The nozzles 85 and 86 can be configured by pipes 88 having ejection holes 87 provided at the same pitch as, for example, the interval between adjacent wafers W along the arrangement direction of the wafers W. Nozzles 44 and 45 have IP
A mixed gas of IPA and nitrogen cooled to a temperature of 0 ° C. to normal temperature, more preferably about 5 ° C. is supplied from the A evaporator 89 via a control valve 90 and a filter 91. Here, “normal temperature” refers to an environmental temperature, for example, the temperature of a clean room, and specifically, 23 ° C. corresponds to this.

The cooled IPA is supplied to the IPA evaporator 89 via a nitrogen cooler 92 and a control valve 93.
IPA is supplied from a tank 94 via a control valve 95. A control valve 96 is provided in the IPA tank 94.
, And IPA via a control valve 97. The control of these control valves is
The control is performed by a control unit (not shown).

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, outlets 98, 99 for discharging nitrogen gas and the like blown out from the nozzles 85, 86 are provided on both sides of the lower part in the drying chamber 42.
Is provided. The outlets 98 and 99 are connected to an exhaust pump (not shown). Also, outlets 98, 99
Are provided with rectifying plates 101 and 102 as rectifying means having a plurality of intake ports 100, 100... For uniformly taking in nitrogen gas and the like blown out from the nozzles 85 and 86 from respective lower portions in the drying chamber 42, respectively. Communicating. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11, the nitrogen gas or the like blown out from each of the ejection holes 87 of each of the nozzles 85 and 86 passes through the surface of each of the wafers W as indicated by the dotted lines in FIG.
2 through the inlet 100. That is, turbulence does not occur in the flow of the nitrogen gas or the like. In addition,
A discharge port (not shown) for discharging the liquid is provided at a lower portion in the drying chamber 42.

As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of panel coolers 103 and 104 are provided on both sides of the middle portion in the drying chamber 42. A panel controller 105 is connected to these panel coolers 103 and 104 to perform temperature control. Thereby, the inside of the drying chamber 42 is controlled to a temperature of, for example, 0 ° C. to normal temperature, more preferably about 5 ° C.

As shown in FIG. 3, the wafer W transferred from the cleaning tank 41 to the drying chamber 42 is provided between the cleaning tank 41 and the drying chamber 42, for example, on both sides above the liquid level of the cleaning tank 41. For example, nozzles 106 and 107 for blowing a mixed gas of IPA and nitrogen are provided. These nozzles 106 and 107 have substantially the same configuration as the nozzles 85 and 86 described above. The nozzles 106 and 107 are supplied with IPA and nitrogen cooled to a temperature of 0 ° C. to normal temperature, more preferably about 5 ° C., via a cooler 108 and a control valve 109. Therefore, nitrogen gas and I
The mixed gas of PA is sprayed and supplied from the nozzles 106 and 107 to form an atmosphere of a mixed gas of nitrogen and IPA in a space above the liquid level of the cleaning tank 41.

Similarly, a mixed gas of nitrogen gas and IPA can be sprayed and dropped from the nozzles 106 and 107 to form an IPA film on the liquid surface of the cleaning tank 41. Next, the operation of the cleaning device 27 configured as described above will be described based on the processing flow shown in FIG. The following operation control is performed by, for example, a control unit not shown.

First, with the slide door 72 below the drying chamber 42 closed, the lid 63 above the drying chamber 42 is opened (step 1201, FIG. 13). In this state, nitrogen gas is supplied, and the inside of the drying chamber 42 is purged with nitrogen gas. The purging with the nitrogen gas may be performed before the upper air lid 63 is opened.

Next, the wafer chuck 84 descends into the drying chamber 42, and the wafer W is inserted into the wafer guide 43 in the drying chamber 42.
(Step 1202, FIG. 14). Next, the lid 63 at the top of the drying chamber 42 is closed, and the slide door 72 at the bottom of the drying chamber 42 is opened (step 1203, FIG. 15). Then, the wafer guide 43 holding the wafer W is lowered,
The wafer W is transferred into the cleaning tank 41 (Step 1204,
16), the sliding door 72 below the drying chamber 42 is closed (step 1205, FIG. 17).

Thereafter, in the cleaning layer 41, HF / H ₂ O
The mixture was ejected from the nozzle 44, 45 storing the HF / H ₂ O mixture, reserving the HF / H ₂ O mixture to the wafer W
(Step 1206).
(FIG. 18).

In this embodiment, the HF / H ₂ O mixed solution is transferred to the cleaning layer 41 after the wafer W is transferred into the cleaning tank 41.
However, as another method, the inside of the cleaning tank 41 is filled with an HF / H ₂ O mixed solution in advance,
In this, a method of transferring the wafer W into the cleaning tank 41 can also be adopted. At this time, in either method,
The HF / H ₂ O mixed liquid ejected from the nozzles 44 and 45 forms a convection toward the wafer W in the cleaning layer 41, and promotes chemical cleaning.

Next, the HF / H ₂ O mixture is discharged, and then the cooled DIW is ejected from the nozzles 44 and 45.
A rinsing process is performed (step 1207, FIG. 18). Similarly, the DIW ejected from the nozzles 44 and 45 is
A convection toward the wafer W is formed therein, and the rinsing process is promoted. Note that the HF / H ₂ O mixed solution is discharged without discharging the HF / H ₂ O mixed solution.
The HF / H ₂ O mixture may be gradually thinned by ejecting IW. On the other hand, while such a cleaning process is being performed, the cooled IPA is blown out from the nozzles 85 and 86 in the drying chamber 42, and the IP in the drying chamber 42 is diluted.
A is set to the atmosphere of steam A (step 1208, FIG.
8).

Thereafter, the sliding door 72 below the drying chamber 42
Is opened (Step 1209, FIG. 19), the wafer guide 43 holding the wafer W is raised, and the wafer W is
2 (step 1210, FIG. 20). At this time, the cleaning chamber 41 is connected to the drying chamber 4 through the nozzles 106 and 107.
The cooled nitrogen gas or the mixed gas of the nitrogen gas and the IPA is sprayed on the wafer W transferred to the wafer 2.
Next, the slide door 72 at the lower part of the drying chamber 42 is closed (step 1211, FIG. 21), and nitrogen gas or the like is blown down from the nozzles 85 and 86 to the wafer W in the drying chamber 42 (steps 1212-1214). , FIG. 2
2). Specifically, first, I
A mixed gas of PA and nitrogen is blown (step 121).
2) A cooled nitrogen gas is blown (step 1)
213) Finally, a normal temperature nitrogen gas is blown (step 1214). In the step of spraying the cooled nitrogen gas, natural exhaust is performed. Step 121
At 0, the blowing of the mixed gas of IPA and nitrogen in step 1212 may be started before the wafer W is transferred into the drying chamber 42.

Thereafter, the lid 63 above the drying chamber 42 is opened (step 1215, FIG. 23), and the wafer chuck 84 is opened.
Descends into the drying chamber 42 and receives the wafer W from the wafer guide 43 in the drying chamber 42 (step 1216, FIG. 2).
4), the wafer chuck 84 rises and carries the wafer W out of the drying chamber 42 (step 1217, FIG. 25).
As described above, in the cleaning apparatus 27 according to the present embodiment, the wafer W rinsed with DIW in the drying chamber 42 is dried by the cooling system, so that, for example, the reaction between DIW and Si on the surface of the wafer W slows down. As a result, the wafer surface is hardly oxidized, and the generation of watermarks can be suppressed as much as possible. Further, since the wafer W is replaced with DIW to some extent by a mixed gas of cooled IPA and nitrogen, the DIW on the surface of the wafer W is blown off by the cooled nitrogen gas. As a result, the wafer surface is hardly oxidized and the generation of watermarks can be suppressed as much as possible. Further, since the normal temperature nitrogen gas is blown onto the dried wafer W to make it normal temperature, it is possible to prevent the frost from adhering to the surface of the wafer W, thereby suppressing the generation of the watermark. Further, the drying chamber 42 and the cleaning tank 41 are vertically separated from each other, and the space of the drying chamber 42 and the cleaning tank 4 are separated.
The space 1 can be shielded by the slide door 72, and each process is shielded by the slide door 72, so that the drying chamber 42 and the cleaning tank 41 have an adverse effect due to a chemical solution or the like. Never. In addition, since the drying chamber 42 and the cleaning tank 41 can be designed under different conditions, the degree of freedom of design is high, and the cleaning process can be optimized and the apparatus can be further downsized.
For example, the panel coolers 103 and 104 can be attached to the inside of the drying chamber 42 to cool the inside of the drying chamber 42 so that the drying process can be performed without any trouble. It is also possible to replace the inside of the drying chamber 42 with IPA vapor while performing the drying process in a short time. Further, since the drying chamber 42 can be made smaller than in a conventional cleaning apparatus in which the processing tank and the drying chamber are performed in the same room, the drying process can be performed more efficiently.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical concept.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, nitrogen is used as the inert gas, but other inert gases such as argon and helium can be used.

In the above-described embodiment, IPA is used as the organic solvent that is water-soluble and has the effect of reducing the surface tension of pure water with respect to the substrate to be processed.
In addition to such alcohols, ketones such as diethyl ketone, ethers such as methyl ether and ethyl ether, and organic solvents such as polyhydric alcohols such as ethylene glycol can be used.

In the above embodiment, the cleaning device 2
7, the chemical treatment with the HF / H ₂ O mixed solution, the rinsing treatment with pure water, and the drying treatment are performed, but at least the drying treatment and at least one other treatment are carried out in the technical aspect of the present invention. It is included in the range. Other treatments include chemical treatment with HF / H ₂ O mixed solution, rinsing treatment with pure water, chemical treatment with NH ₄ / H ₂ O ₂ / H ₂ O mixed solution, HCl / H ₂ O ₂ / H ₂ O There is a chemical solution treatment with a mixed solution. Accordingly, in the cleaning device according to the present invention, a chemical treatment with e.g. _{NH 4 / H 2 O 2 /} H 2 O mixture H
Chemical treatment with Cl / H ₂ O ₂ / H ₂ O mixture and HF /
Of course, a chemical solution treatment with an H ₂ O mixed solution, a rinsing treatment with pure water, and a drying treatment may be performed.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example is described in which the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is combined with the cleaning apparatus in which the processing tanks are connected in the processing order. However, the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is used as a stand-alone type apparatus. It is also possible to use. In this case, for example, the transport unit serving as the loader unit and the unloader unit can be connected to the cleaning device according to the present invention.

The substrate to be processed is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, but may be an LCD substrate, a glass substrate, a CD substrate, a photomask, a printed substrate, a ceramic substrate, or the like.

[0070]

[0071]

As described above in detail , according to the first aspect , the rinsing means for rinsing the substrate to be treated with the rinsing liquid and the organic solvent are not applied to the substrate to be treated rinsed by the rinsing means. Spraying means for blowing a gas obtained by cooling a gas mixture with an active gas; drying means for blowing a cooled gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate to be dried; and a processing object dried by the drying means. Room temperature means for blowing a room temperature gas including an inert gas onto the substrate to cool the substrate to a room temperature is provided, so that generation of watermarks can be suppressed as much as possible, and frost adheres to the surface of the substrate to be processed. Can be prevented.

[0072]

According to the second aspect , a step of rinsing the substrate to be processed with a rinsing liquid, and blowing a gas obtained by cooling a mixed gas of an organic solvent and an inert gas onto the rinsed substrate to be processed. A step of drying; a step of spraying a cooled gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate to be processed dried with the mixed gas to dry the substrate; and a step of drying the substrate to be dried with the inert gas. Since the method includes a step of spraying a normal-temperature gas including an active gas to cool to a normal temperature, generation of a watermark can be suppressed as much as possible, and frost can be prevented from adhering to the surface of the substrate to be processed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the processing liquid is stored, and the substrate to be processed is immersed in the stored processing liquid; and the processing liquid is disposed between the processing tank and the processing tank. A drying chamber provided with an openable and closable opening for transferring
Transfer means for transferring a substrate to be processed between the processing tank and the drying chamber through the opening, and a gas disposed in the drying chamber and for blowing a cooled inert gas against the substrate to be processed Since spraying means is provided, the generation of watermarks can be suppressed as much as possible, and there is no adverse effect of the chemical treatment during the drying process. The size can be further reduced, and the drying process can be performed more efficiently.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a means disposed between the processing tank and the drying chamber for blowing a cooled inert gas to the substrate to be processed transferred from the processing tank to the drying chamber. Because of this, the drying process can be performed efficiently, and the surface of the wafer is hardly oxidized, so that the generation of the watermark can be suppressed as much as possible.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the cooling means disposed in the drying chamber is further provided, it is possible to minimize the generation of the watermark.

According to the sixth aspect , the gas blowing means comprises:
An inert gas cooled against the substrate to be processed is blown in a downflow state from an upper portion in the drying chamber, and the inert gas blown out from the gas blowing means is provided in a lower portion in the drying chamber. Since the gas discharge means for discharging the gas from the discharge port is further provided, the drying process can be performed more efficiently.

According to the seventh aspect , the discharge port communicates with the discharge port,
Since a rectifying unit having a plurality of intake ports for taking in the cooled inert gas blown out from the gas blowing unit from a lower portion in the drying chamber is further provided, the drying process can be performed more efficiently.

According to the eighth aspect , since the processing liquid stored in the processing tank is a deaerated rinsing liquid, the surface of the substrate to be processed can be prevented from being oxidized.

According to the ninth aspect , since the processing liquid stored in the processing tank is a cooled rinsing liquid, it is possible to more efficiently perform the drying processing while minimizing the generation of watermarks.

According to the tenth aspect , the processing liquid is stored between the processing tank and the processing tank in which the substrate is immersed in the stored processing liquid, and the processing liquid is disposed between the processing tank and the processing tank. A drying chamber provided with an openable and closable opening for transferring the substrate; transfer means for transferring the substrate to be processed between the processing tank and the drying chamber through the opening; Spraying means for spraying a gas obtained by cooling a mixed gas of an organic solvent and an inert gas onto the passed substrate to be processed; and blowing and drying a cooled gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate to be processed. Since the drying means and the normal temperature means for spraying a normal temperature gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate to be processed dried by the drying means to cool to a normal temperature are provided, it is possible to minimize the occurrence of a watermark. ,
Frost can be prevented from adhering to the surface of the substrate to be processed, and there is no adverse effect of chemical treatment during the drying process.The degree of freedom in design is high, and optimization of the cleaning process and further miniaturization of the equipment are possible. The drying process can be performed more efficiently.

According to the eleventh aspect , (a) a step of immersing the substrate to be processed in the processing tank in which the processing liquid is stored, and (b) an opening which can be opened and closed into a drying chamber disposed above the processing tank. Transferring the substrate to be processed from the processing tank through a unit, (c) closing the opening after transferring the substrate to the drying chamber, and (d) transferring the substrate to the drying chamber. A process of spraying a cooled inert gas onto the substrate to be processed, so that the generation of a watermark can be suppressed as much as possible. High degree,
The cleaning process can be optimized, the apparatus can be further downsized, and the drying process can be performed more efficiently.

According to the twelfth aspect , (a) the step of immersing the substrate to be processed in the processing tank in which the processing liquid is stored, and (b) the opening which can be opened and closed into a drying chamber disposed above the processing tank. Transferring the substrate to be processed from the processing tank through a unit, (c) closing the opening after transferring the substrate to the drying chamber, and (d) transferring the substrate to the drying chamber. A step of spraying a gas obtained by cooling a mixed gas of an organic solvent and an inert gas onto the processing substrate; and (e) a step of blowing a cooled gas containing the inert gas onto the substrate to be processed and drying the same. (F) spraying a room temperature gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate to be processed dried with the inert gas to cool the substrate to a normal temperature, so that the generation of a watermark can be suppressed as much as possible; Frost adheres to the surface of the substrate to be processed Can be prevented from being adversely affected by the chemical solution treatment during the drying process, and the degree of freedom in design is high, so that the cleaning process can be optimized and the apparatus can be further miniaturized. Processing can be performed.

According to claim 13 , before the step (b), the drying chamber is kept in a diluted and cooled atmosphere of an organic solvent, so that the drying treatment can be performed more efficiently. The solvent does not condense.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional front view of the cleaning apparatus in the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 3;

5 is a perspective view of the cleaning device shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of an upper lid of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a lid driving unit of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 3;

8 is a perspective view showing a sliding door mechanism of the cleaning device shown in FIG.

9 is a perspective view showing a wafer guide of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG.

10 is a perspective view showing a nozzle and a discharge port of the cleaning device shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a view for explaining the operation of the current plate of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 12 is a processing flow showing the operation of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (corresponding to step 1201 in FIG. 12).

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (corresponding to step 1202 in FIG. 12).

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (corresponding to step 1203 in FIG. 12).

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (corresponding to step 1204 in FIG. 12).

17 is a schematic view showing the operation of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (corresponding to step 1205 in FIG. 12).

18 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (corresponding to steps 1206 to 1208 in FIG. 12).

FIG. 19 is a schematic view showing the operation of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (corresponding to step 1209 in FIG. 12).

20 is a schematic view showing the operation of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (corresponding to step 1210 in FIG. 12).

21 is a schematic view showing the operation of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (corresponding to step 1211 in FIG. 12).

FIG. 22 is a schematic view showing the operation of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (corresponding to steps 1212 to 1214 in FIG. 12).

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (corresponding to step 1215 in FIG. 12).

24 is a schematic view showing the operation of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (corresponding to step 1216 in FIG. 12).

25 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (corresponding to step 1217 in FIG. 12).

FIG. 26 is a schematic view showing a conventional cleaning device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 27 Cleaning Device 41 Cleaning Tank 42 Drying Chamber 42 Wafer Guide 44, 45 Nozzle 61 Opening Upper Drying Chamber 62 Opening Lower Drying Chamber 63 Lid 64 Slide Door Mechanism 66 Lid Driver 72 Slide Doors 85, 86 Nozzles 98, 99 Discharge ports 101, 102 Rectifier plates 103, 104 Panel coolers 106, 107 Nozzles

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-62-155982 (JP, A) JP-A-64-12230 (JP, A) JP-A-4-20967 (JP, A) JP-A-3-3 246940 (JP, A) JP-A-1-300525 (JP, A) JP-A-10-22257 (JP, A) JP-A-6-77203 (JP, A) JP-A-4-251930 (JP, A) JP-A-6-283497 (JP, A) JP-A-2-156531 (JP, A) JP-A-6-283496 (JP, A) JP-A-6-326607 (JP, A) JP-A-7-130699 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/304 651 B08B 3/04

Claims (13)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rinsing means for rinsing a substrate to be processed with a rinsing liquid, and a spraying means for blowing a gas obtained by cooling a mixed gas of an organic solvent and an inert gas to the substrate to be processed rinsed by the rinsing means. Drying means for blowing a cooled gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate to be dried, and blowing a room temperature gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate dried by the drying means. Cleaning means, comprising: a normal temperature means for raising the temperature to room temperature. 2. A step of rinsing a substrate to be processed with a rinsing liquid; a step of blowing a gas obtained by cooling a mixed gas of an organic solvent and an inert gas to the rinsed substrate to be processed; A step of spraying a cooled gas containing an inert gas on the substrate to dry it, and a step of spraying a room temperature gas containing an inert gas on the substrate to be processed dried by the inert gas to cool the substrate to room temperature A cleaning method comprising: 3. A processing tank for storing a processing liquid and a substrate to be processed being immersed in the stored processing liquid; and a processing tank disposed above the processing tank and transferring the processing substrate between the processing tank and the processing tank. A drying chamber having an openable and closable opening; transfer means for transferring a substrate to be processed between the processing tank and the drying chamber through the opening; A cleaning apparatus, comprising: a gas blowing means for blowing a gas containing an inert gas cooled to a substrate. 4. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the inert gas disposed between the processing tank and the drying chamber is cooled with respect to a substrate to be processed transferred from the processing tank to the drying chamber. A cleaning apparatus, further comprising means for blowing a gas containing the cleaning gas. 5. The cleaning device according to claim 3 , further comprising a cooling unit disposed in the drying chamber. 6. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the gas blowing means blows a gas containing an inert gas cooled onto the substrate to be processed in a downflow state from an upper portion in the drying chamber. And a gas discharging means for discharging a gas containing an inert gas blown from the gas blowing means from a discharge port provided at a lower portion in the drying chamber. 7. The cleaning device according to claim 6 , wherein a plurality of the plurality of gas communicating with the outlet and containing a cooled inert gas blown out from the gas blowing means are taken in from a lower portion in the drying chamber. A cleaning device further comprising a rectifying means having an inlet for the cleaning device. 8. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the processing liquid stored in the processing tank is a degassed rinsing liquid. 9. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the processing liquid stored in the processing tank is a cooled rinsing liquid. 10. A processing tank in which a processing liquid is stored and a substrate to be processed is immersed in the stored processing liquid; and a processing tank disposed above the processing tank and for transferring the processing substrate to and from the processing tank. A drying chamber having an openable and closable opening; transfer means for transferring a substrate to be processed between the processing tank and the drying chamber through the opening; and a processing object transferred from the processing tank. Spraying means for spraying a gas obtained by cooling a mixed gas of an organic solvent and an inert gas onto a substrate; drying means for spraying a cooled gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate to be processed and drying; A cleaning device, comprising: a normal-temperature unit for spraying a normal-temperature gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate to be processed, dried by the drying unit, so as to cool the substrate to a normal temperature. 11. A step of: (a) immersing a substrate to be processed in a processing tank in which a processing liquid is stored; and (b) the step of opening and closing the drying chamber disposed above the processing tank through an opening that can be opened and closed. A step of transferring the substrate to be processed from the processing tank; (c) a step of closing the opening after transferring the substrate to the drying chamber; and (d) a step of transferring the substrate to the drying chamber. Spraying a gas containing a cooled inert gas. (A) a step of immersing a substrate to be processed in a processing tank in which a processing liquid is stored; and (b) a step of opening and closing the drying chamber disposed above the processing tank through an opening that can be opened and closed. A step of transferring the substrate to be processed from the processing tank; (c) a step of closing the opening after transferring the substrate to the drying chamber; and (d) a step of transferring the substrate to the drying chamber. A step of spraying a cooled gas of a mixed gas of an organic solvent and an inert gas, (e) a step of spraying a cooled gas containing an inert gas on the substrate to be processed, and drying; Spraying a room temperature gas containing an inert gas onto the substrate to be processed dried with the inert gas to cool the substrate to a normal temperature. 13. The method of cleaning according to claim 11 or 12, wherein (b) prior to the step, a washing method characterized in that keep the atmosphere of the organic solvents described beforehand dilute cool the drying chamber.