JP3200291B2 - Cleaning equipment - 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.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a cleaning process in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device such as an LSI will be described. Conventionally, contamination of particles, organic contaminants, metal impurities, and the like on the surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as "wafer") is considered. A cleaning treatment device is used to remove
Among these, a wet type cleaning apparatus is in great demand because it can effectively remove the contamination and has good throughput.

Conventionally, in a wet-type cleaning apparatus of this type, a processing of performing a chemical cleaning treatment with a chemical liquid such as ammonia or hydrofluoric acid, or a water cleaning treatment with pure water in each tank is performed. A plurality of tanks are arranged. The wafer to be processed is
The wafers are sequentially transported by a transport device disposed on the front side of the processing tank, and are alternately subjected to, for example, chemical cleaning and water cleaning.

[0004] Incidentally, such a cleaning apparatus generally has side plates on four sides and a top plate on the upper side to prevent the mist of the chemical solution from scattering to the outside of the apparatus. Is planned to some extent. Also, inside the apparatus, the top plate is further provided with, for example, an FFU so that particles and a chemical mist from a chemical solution tank do not diffuse throughout the apparatus and contaminate the wafer and other apparatus members.
(Fan Filter Unit) or the like to provide an air flow to the lower processing tank and exhaust air from the lower part around the processing tank at the same time to always create a down-flow atmosphere.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional cleaning apparatus, since there is no shield or the like for separating the upper part of the processing tank and the moving space of the transfer device located in front of the processing tank, the whole inside of the apparatus is not provided. Since the atmosphere is a single atmosphere, the amount of air supply from the FFU and the amount of exhaust air corresponding thereto must be increased in order to prevent the particles and the chemical mist from diffusing.

Further, since the processing tank is located in the same atmosphere as the moving space of the transfer device, the air flow is disturbed by the movement of the transfer device, and the effect of the downflow described above is diminished. Particles generated in the space were sometimes caught in the processing tank.

Further, there is another problem that the chemical mist adhering to the wafer is diffused when the wafer is transferred from the processing tank to the processing tank.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is possible to reduce the required amount of supply and exhaust air and to effectively suppress the diffusion of chemical mist and particles. By separating each atmosphere of the equipment movement space and the processing tank side to some extent,
An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method that can prevent particles from flowing into the processing tank and the like, and to solve the above-described problems.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a processing tank for cleaning an object to be processed is arranged in a region formed by a side plate, and a front surface of the processing tank is provided. A cleaning device having, in the region, a transfer device that is positioned on a side and transfers the object to be processed along the arrangement direction, and further includes a blowing device configured to blow out an air current from above toward at least the processing tank. In the apparatus, a shielding plate having a cutout recess from the upper end is provided above the front end of the processing tank, a partition plate is provided above the rear end of the processing tank, and a liquid receiving member is provided between the upper ends of adjacent processing tanks. A cleaning device is provided.

[0010] As described in claim 2, the partition plate
Further, a rear plate is disposed on the rear side, and the rear plate and the rear side are provided.
A space may be formed between the side plates.

According to the third aspect, the side plates are formed.
A processing tank for cleaning the object to be processed is arranged in the
The object to be processed is arranged on the front side of the processing tank
A transport device for transporting along the
Blow air stream from above toward at least the treatment tank
Cleaning device having a blowing device so configured
And a notch recess from the top at the top of the front end of the treatment tank.
Shield plate, and furthermore, this shield plate and the front side plate
Therefore, the airflow blows from above also in the area formed.
So that the liquid is received between the upper ends of adjacent processing tanks.
A cleaning device is provided, wherein the member is provided.
It is.

[0012] In each of the cleaning devices, a fourth aspect is provided.
As described above, formed by the shielding plate and the front side plate
An exhaust mechanism that exhausts the area to be exhausted may be provided separately.
No.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a processing tank for cleaning an object to be processed is arranged in a region formed by the side plate, and the object to be processed is positioned in front of the processing tank and is arranged in the arrangement direction. A cleaning device having a transfer device for transferring along the inside of the region, and further including a blowing device configured to blow out an air current from above toward at least the processing tank ; Provided, this partition plate
To evacuate the surrounding workpiece drawn up from the process tank
A cleaning device is provided, wherein an opening is provided, and a liquid receiving member is provided between upper ends of adjacent processing tanks.

According to the present invention, a processing tank for cleaning the object to be processed is arranged in a region formed by the side plate, and the object to be processed is positioned in front of the processing tank and is arranged in the arrangement direction. A cleaning device having a transfer device for transferring along the inside of the region, and further including a blowing device configured to blow out an air current from above toward at least the processing tank, wherein a partition plate is provided at an upper rear end side of the processing tank. This partition
Open performing exhaust around the object to be processed is located in the processing tank top to the plate
A cleaning device is provided, wherein a port is provided, and a liquid receiving member is provided between upper ends of adjacent processing tanks.

According to the present invention, a processing tank for cleaning the object to be processed is arranged in an area formed by the side plates, and the object to be processed is positioned in front of the processing tank and is arranged in the arrangement direction. A cleaning device having a transfer device for transferring along the inside of the area, and further including a blowing device configured to blow out an air current from above toward at least the processing tank, wherein a notch recess is formed at an upper front end of the processing tank. In addition to providing a shielding plate from the upper end, a finish
A cutting plate is provided, and the partition plate is provided with an opening for exhausting around the object to be processed located at the upper part of the processing tank or / and the object to be processed lifted from the processing tank, and a liquid receiving member is provided between upper ends of adjacent processing tanks. A cleaning device is provided, wherein a cleaning device is provided.

According to the present invention, a processing tank for cleaning an object to be processed is arranged in an area formed by the side plates, and the object to be processed is positioned in front of the processing tank and is arranged in the arrangement direction. A cleaning device having a transfer device for transferring along the inside of the region, and further including a blowing device configured to blow out an air current from above toward at least the processing tank, wherein a partition plate is provided at an upper rear end side of the processing tank. This partition
The plate is provided with an opening for exhausting the object located at the upper part of the processing tank or / and around the object lifted from the processing tank, and a shielding plate having a notched recess from the upper end is provided at the upper front end of the processing tank. In addition, the airflow is blown from above to the area formed by the shielding plate and the front side plate, and the liquid receiving member is provided between the upper ends of the adjacent processing tanks. A cleaning device is provided, characterized in that:

Further, as described in claim 9, claim 7
Alternatively, in the cleaning apparatus described in Item 8, an exhaust mechanism that exhausts an area formed by the shielding plate and the front side plate may be provided.

According to claim 10, the side plate is formed.
Processing tanks for cleaning the object to be processed are arranged in the
The object to be processed is arranged at the front side of the processing tank.
A transport device for transporting along the direction in the area,
Blow an air stream from above toward at least the treatment tank.
Cleaning device having a blowing device configured to discharge
The liquid receiving member was provided between the upper ends of adjacent processing tanks.
A cleaning device is provided. This claim 1
In the cleaning apparatus of No. 0, as described in claim 11,
A shielding plate may be provided above the front end of the processing tank.

[0019]

[0020]

[0021]

[0022]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a shielding plate is provided above the front end of the processing tank disposed in the area formed by the side plates, and a partition plate is also provided above the rear end of the processing tank. The airflow blown out by the blowing device is blocked by these partition plates at least to the front and rear of the processing tank, and a downflow is formed without waste to the processing tank. Further, since the shielding plate and the partition plate are provided at the upper front and rear ends of the processing tank, the mist of the processing tank does not diffuse from the front and the rear. Therefore, diffusion of the chemical liquid atmosphere can be prevented with a smaller amount of air supply and exhaust than before. Furthermore, the upper end of the processing tank
By providing a liquid receiving member between them, the transfer device
When transporting a workpiece such as a wafer,
Accepts drops of chemicals that fall on
It is easy to transport. Moreover, this liquid receiving member is processed
Since it is provided between the upper ends of the tanks,
If there is a gap, the gap will be closed.
It also contributes to reducing the volume.

The transfer device disposed on the front surface of the processing tank and transferring the wafer is generally configured to lower a holding device such as a wafer chuck into the processing tank at a predetermined position in front of the processing tank. However, as described above, the shielding plate provided on the upper front end of the processing tank has a cutout recess from its upper end, so that a support member such as an arm in the gripping device can move up and down in the cutout recess. , Such a descent is not impeded.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the partition plate
Further, a rear plate is disposed on the rear side, and the rear plate and the rear side are provided.
A space is formed between the side plates. This back plate and back
The space between the front side plate and the side plate should be
Used.

According to the third aspect, the transfer device on the front side of the processing tank is provided.
Area and the processing tank side area are shielded
The atmosphere is separated to some extent, and it is not only
Airflow blows from above also to an area with
Particles, etc. in the area
It is held down inside. Therefore, the partition to the processing tank side area
Vehicle intrusion is prevented. When transporting the object
Accepts drops of chemicals and other substances that adhere to the workpiece and fall
This facilitates the reduction of the displacement.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the area is evacuated.
If an exhaust mechanism for performing
Particles generated in the air can be exhausted separately,
Airflow control in this area is possible independently of the physical tank side.
And the balance between air supply and exhaust as the entire cleaning device
It is possible to operate the device with
You.

According to the fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention, the partition plate is provided at the upper rear end of the processing tank, and the partition plate is provided with an opening. The exhaust around the object to be processed lifted from the processing tank and the processing object can be exhausted from the vicinity of the object to be processed. It can be suppressed effectively. Further, when transporting the object to be processed, it becomes easy to receive a drop of a chemical solution or the like attached to the object to be dropped, which also contributes to a reduction in the exhaust amount.

According to claim 7, at the upper part of the front end of the processing tank,
A shielding plate having a notched concave portion from the upper end is provided, and a partition plate is provided on an upper portion of a rear end side of the processing tank, and an opening is provided in the partition plate, so that the mist of the processing tank diffuses from before and after. Can be prevented, and the area around the object can be exhausted from behind the object lifted from the processing tank. Further, when transporting the object to be processed, it becomes easy to receive a drop of a chemical solution or the like attached to the object to be dropped, which also contributes to a reduction in the exhaust amount.

According to the present invention, an exhaust port is provided at an upper portion of a rear end of the processing tank, and a partition plate is provided at an upper portion of a front end of the processing tank.
An opening is provided in the partition plate, a shielding plate having a cutout recess from the upper end is provided, and an airflow is blown from above also to an area formed by the shielding plate and the front side plate. With this configuration, not only is it possible to prevent particles from entering the processing tank side area, but also in the processing tank side area, a partition plate is provided on the upper rear end side of the processing tank.
With the opening , it is possible to exhaust air around the object from the vicinity of the object lifted from the processing tank. Further, when transporting the object to be processed, it becomes easy to receive a drop of a chemical solution or the like attached to the object to be dropped, which also contributes to a reduction in the exhaust amount.

According to the ninth aspect, an exhaust mechanism for exhausting an area formed by the shielding plate and the front side plate is provided, so that not only particles generated in the area can be separately exhausted, but also from the processing tank. Exhaust around the object to be processed can be exhausted also from the vicinity of the object to be lifted, and the diffusion of mainly the chemical mist during the lifting can be effectively prevented. Also, when transporting the workpiece,
Receiving drops of chemicals etc. that adhere to the object and fall
And it contributes to the reduction of the displacement.

According to the tenth and eleventh aspects, when the object to be processed such as a wafer is transferred by the transfer device, a drop of a chemical solution or the like attached to the object to be dropped is received and a predetermined drainage system is received. It is easy to transfer to In addition, since the liquid receiving member is provided between the upper ends of the processing tanks, if there is a gap between the upper ends, the gap is closed, thereby contributing to a reduction in the amount of exhaust gas.

[0032]

[0033]

[0034]

[0035]

[0036]

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 device 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, a loading unit 2 into which wafers before cleaning processing are loaded in units of carriers, a cleaning processing unit 3 in which wafer cleaning processing is performed, and a wafer after cleaning processing It is constituted by a total of three zones of the carry-out section 4 for taking out in units.

A carrier C containing a predetermined number of uncleaned wafers, for example, 25, is loaded into the carry-in section 2.
A placement unit 5 on which the carrier is placed and a transfer device 7 for transferring the placed carrier C to the holding device 6 are provided. The cleaning unit 3 has three transfer units 11, 12, and 13 arranged on the front side (front side in FIG. 1), and each of the transfer units 11, 12, and 13 has a corresponding wafer. Chucks 14, 15, 16 are provided. The wafer chuck 14 of the transfer device 11
The configuration is such that two wafers (50 wafers) for two carriers are gripped from the holding device 6, and then these wafers are transported to a cleaning tank described later.

Further, in the carrying-out section 4, the placing section 8 having substantially the same configuration as the placing section 5, and the holding device 6
And a transfer device (not shown) having the same configuration as the transfer device 7 are provided.

A front plate 17 is disposed on the front side of the cleaning section 3, and a side plate 18 and a side plate 1 on the mounting section 8 side of the entire cleaning apparatus 1.
9 is provided, and a back plate 20 is provided on the back side of the cleaning device 1.

The cleaning processing unit 3 includes a chuck cleaning / drying processing tank 21 for cleaning and drying the wafer chuck 14 of the transfer device 11, an organic contaminant on the wafer surface, and metal impurities in order from the placement unit 5 side. Chemical cleaning tank 22 for cleaning impurities such as particles with a chemical liquid, two water cleaning cleaning tanks 23 and 24 for cleaning the wafers cleaned in the chemical cleaning tank 22 with pure water, for example, and the chemical cleaning processing. A chemical cleaning tank 25 for cleaning with a chemical different from the chemical in the tank 22, two water cleaning tanks 26 and 27 for cleaning the wafers cleaned in the chemical cleaning tank 25 with pure water, for example, The chuck cleaning / drying processing tank 28 for cleaning and drying the 13 wafer chucks 16 and the wafer from which the impurities have been removed are, for example, IPA (I Drying tank 29 for causing the steam drying propyl alcohol) or the like are respectively disposed.

The chemical cleaning tanks 22 and 25 are
Each cleaning treatment liquid overflows and circulates, and the impurities accumulated in each cleaning treatment liquid during this circulation are removed.

A fan that blows clean air supplied from a separately provided air conditioner downward into the cleaning section 3 of the cleaning device 1 is provided on the ceiling of the cleaning device 1.
Filter units _{(Fan Filter Unit) F 1 ~F} 9 is provided. That is, each of the fan filter units F _{1 to} F ₉ is provided above and corresponding to each of the cleaning tanks. And each of these fans, filters,
The units F _{1 to} F ₉ are disposed, for example, over the chemical solution cleaning tank 25 and the transport device 12 as shown in the fan filter unit F ₅ shown in FIG. · balloon stream from unit F _5, as shown in the figure, each chemical cleaning tank 2
It is blown out toward the 5 side and the transport device 12 side.

Further, the chemical cleaning tank 2 shown in FIG.
5 and washing / washing tanks 24 and 26 located on both sides thereof
The configuration around each of the cleaning processing tanks will be described by way of example. The chemical cleaning processing tank 25 is configured by an outer outer tank 25a and an inner tank 25b into which a chemical is supplied and the wafer W is immersed therein. You.

A partition plate 31 is located at the rear end of the outer tank 25a, and a shielding plate (mist separator) 32 is provided at the front end. The partition plate 31, as shown in FIG. 2, is suspended from the fan filter unit F ₅ located in the ceiling portion and said shielding plate 32 is fixed by bolts or the like on the outside of the outer tub 25a I have. These partition plate 31 and shielding plate 32 are made of a material having excellent chemical resistance. Further, on the back side of the partition plate 31, a rear plate 33 is disposed between the rear plate 20 and the front rear plate 20, and the space between the rear plate 33 and the rear plate 20 is a space for various piping. and it has a S _1.

The shielding plate 32 is formed in a substantially U-shape as a whole, and has a cutout recess 32a at a substantially central portion thereof. The size of the notch 32a is adjusted to the vertical movement of the wafer chuck 15 of the transfer device 12. The corners and corners of the cutout recess 32a are
For example, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 3, the wafer chuck 15 of the transfer device 12 can move efficiently if it is formed with R.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transfer device 12 includes a wafer chuck 15 composed of a pair of left and right gripping members for gripping, for example, 50 wafers W at one time.
And a support body 41 for supporting the wafer chuck 15;
A drive mechanism 42 that moves the support 41 up and down in the vertical direction (Z direction) and also moves in the front and rear direction (Y direction).
And a transport base 43 (FIG. 1, FIG. 1) for moving the driving mechanism 42 along the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the cleaning section 3.
(Illustrated in FIG. 2).
The wafer W held by the wafer chuck 15 is transferred to the inner tank 2.
The wafer W is held by a holder called a boat in 5b, and the wafer W is cleaned with a chemical solution supplied into the inner tank 25b. In this case, since the notch recess 32 a is formed in the shielding plate 32, the wafer chuck 15
Can be lowered in the notch 32a.

Regarding the form of the shielding plate 32, a substantially U-shaped narrower than the cutout recess 32a is formed so that each of the pair of arm portions of the wafer chuck 15 can move up and down independently. May be formed at two places, for example, to form a substantially W-shape as a whole. In such a case, the area of the notched concave portion is minimized, and the separation of atmosphere and prevention of mist diffusion can be improved.

Drain pans 44, 44 are provided at the upper edges of both sides of the outer tank 25a, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4, the drain pan 44 has side plates 46, 47, 48, and 49 on four sides of a bottom plate 45 inclined toward one side.
Further, a pair of locking portions 50 are provided on the back surface of the bottom plate 45, and a suitable number of drain holes 51 are formed at an inclined lower end portion of the bottom plate 45. Then, the drain pans 44 are respectively connected to the drain holes 51.
Is positioned above a drainage tank (not shown) in the adjacent rinsing / washing processing tanks 24 and 26 so that the locking portions 50 are locked and fixed to upper edges of both side ends of the outer tank 25a. It is. Therefore, the liquid dropped onto the drain pans 44, 44 is discharged from the drain holes 51 at the lower end of the inclined bottom plate 45 through the drain tanks in the washing / washing processing tanks 24, 26, respectively. ing. In addition, the drain pan 44 extends to above the chemical processing tanks 22 and 25, thereby improving the exhaust efficiency and preventing the chemical mist from scattering.

Receiving small tanks 52 and 53 for receiving the chemical liquid overflowing from the inner tank 25b are respectively provided outside the front and rear ends of the inner tank 25b of the chemical cleaning tank 25, and the left and right sides of the inner tank 25b are further provided. Auto covers 54 and 55 are provided on both outer sides. During the chemical cleaning process, the upper surfaces of the inner tub 25b are covered by the auto covers 54 and 55, and the chemical mist is prevented from being scattered outside. It is configured as follows. As shown in FIG. 2, provided on the outer bottom surface of the inner tank 25b is a heating device 56 for controlling the temperature of the chemical supplied into the inner tank 25b.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a space P exists below the inner tank 25b. In this space P, a water-based pipe for supplying and recovering the above-mentioned chemical solution is accommodated. However, this space P is exhausted from a centralized exhaust device (not shown) through an exhaust port 61 provided below the outer tank 25a and an exhaust port 62 provided below the back plate 20. Is configured.

An exhaust plate 63 as shown in FIG. 6 is provided near the upper side of the outer tub 25a (on the side of the transfer device 12). The exhaust plate 63 has a plurality of exhaust holes 64, as shown in the figure, and further, the exhaust holes 64 are provided with a slidable shutter 65. Therefore, by appropriately sliding the shutter 65, the degree of opening of the exhaust holes 64 can be adjusted to any value between 0 and 100%.

On the other hand, each of the washing and cleaning treatment tanks 24, 26
Basically, it has the same configuration as the above-mentioned chemical cleaning tank 25, and each of the water cleaning tanks 24 and 26 has the same configuration as each other. At the front and rear ends of the rinsing / washing tank 24 , there are provided shielding plates 71 and partitioning plates 72 having the same configurations as the above-mentioned shielding plates 32 and partitioning plates 31, respectively. Also, a shielding plate 73 and a partition plate 74 are provided.

The shielding plates 32, 71, and 73 are air-tightly connected to each other, and the partition plates 31, 72, and 74 are air-tightly connected to each other. The shielding plates 32, 71, 73 are also provided before and after the tank.
In the same manner as the partition plates 31, 72, and 74, a shielding plate and a partition plate are provided, respectively. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, in the cleaning processing section 3 of the cleaning apparatus 1, the front side has a drive area X of a space area where the transfer device moves, and the rear side has each processing tank. And the atmosphere is separated.

The cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above. Next, the operation thereof will be described.
First, a carrier C containing 25 unprocessed wafers W each
As shown in FIG. 1, when is mounted at a predetermined position on the receiver 5 by a transfer robot (not shown), a moving mechanism (not shown) housed in the receiver 5 The carrier C is moved backward, and the next carrier C
Is moved to the rear side similarly, and the two carriers C are arranged in front and rear. From this state, these two carriers C are simultaneously held by the transfer device 7 and the holding portion (not shown) of the holding device 6
, And only the wafer W (50 wafers) is held by the holder in an aligned state. After that, each of the transport devices 11, 12,
By 13, these wafers W are sequentially transferred to the respective cleaning processing tanks, and predetermined cleaning processing is performed.

At this time, for example, the above-mentioned medicine cleaning tank 25
Referring to the atmosphere in the vicinity of, the front and rear of the first inner tank 25b, positioned and the respective shield plate 32 and the partition plate 31, clean air downward further from upward by the fan filter unit F ₅ blown Therefore, the chemical mist generated when the wafer chuck 15 moves up and down, etc., flows through the gap between the outer tank 25a and the inner tank 25b, and
The gas is efficiently exhausted from the exhaust port 62 through the space P below b. Therefore, the chemical mist is prevented from diffusing into the device.

At this time, the rear of the inner tank 25b is completely shielded by the partition plate 31 and the front side is also shielded to a considerable extent by the shield plate 32, so that the chemical mist is exhausted very efficiently together with the air flow. In other words, compared to the case where the partition plate 31 and the shielding plate 32 are not provided, the amount of air supply and exhaust for exhausting the chemical mist can be reduced. Thus, for example, fan filter unit F
_{As for 5} itself, it is possible to use a small one having a smaller rating than before.

Further, as described above, the atmosphere in the cleaning section 3 in which each processing tank is present is separated into a driving area X and a processing area Y by a row of shielding plates. unit F ₅ while being air supply from the driving area X is exhausted from the exhaust plate 63, also processing area Y outer tank 2 as described above for
Air is exhausted from the gap between the inner tank 5a and the inner tank 25b. Therefore, it is possible to control the air supply / exhaust amount for each area to create an optimum atmosphere in each area. Therefore, by controlling the atmosphere in the cleaning device 1, it is possible to realize a smooth airflow atmosphere, and it is possible to effectively prevent the chemical mist and particles from diffusing into the cleaning device 1.

[0058] In such a case, the fan filter unit not only the adjustment of F ₅ side air charge, for example, be implemented such a control by the opening adjustment by the shutter 65 of the exhaust plate 63. Of course, further fine adjustment is possible by providing a valve for adjusting the opening on the exhaust port 61 side.

When the wafer W is gripped by the wafer chuck 15 and transported, for example, when the wafer W after the chemical cleaning process in the chemical cleaning tank 25 is completed, the surface of the wafer W is Is attached,
Drops of the chemical solution may drop during transportation to the next washing / washing tank 26 and adhere to the surfaces of the outer tanks 25a and 26a, or may be scattered as they are and diffused into the apparatus to cause contamination. is there.

However, since a drain pan 44 is provided between the chemical liquid cleaning processing tank 25 and the water cleaning and cleaning processing tank 26, the dropped droplets are received by the drain pan 44, and the exhaust holes 51 of the bottom plate 45 are kept as they are. From the washing / washing treatment tank 26 to the drain tank. Therefore, the above-mentioned contamination can be prevented.

In addition, the drain pan is used in the chemical cleaning tank 2.
5 and the outer tubs 25a, 26 in the rinsing / washing processing tank 26
The gap between the inner tank 25a and the inner tanks 25b and 26b is substantially closed, and as a result, the amount of exhaust in such a region is reduced. In other words, the amount of exhaust from the gap is suppressed more than necessary. Therefore, in combination with the above-described effects of the shield plates 32 and 73 and the partition plates 31 and 74,
Further, the required supply / discharge amount is reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the atmosphere of the cleaning section 3 is separated into the driving area X and the processing area Y by the row of shielding plates. However, as shown in FIG. if suspended further upper shielding plate 81 opens the moving space of the wafer chuck 15 from the fan filter unit F _5, the processing a drive area X area Y
And the degree of atmosphere separation is further increased. Moreover the upper shielding plate 81, so that also functions as a rectifying plate of the fan filter unit F _5, the driving area X and the processing area Y
The airflow blown out does not interfere with each other,
Further, airflow control in each area can be performed more favorably.

In the above-described embodiment, the exhaust plate 63 for exhausting the drive area X is provided, for example, on the front side of the outer tank 25a of the chemical cleaning tank 25. The outer tank 25a is not limited to this.
May be provided at the lower portion on the front side of the front plate 17 or, for example, as shown in FIG.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, portions corresponding to those in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, a partition plate 34 is provided at the rear end of the outer tub 25a, and the partition plate 34 is provided with an opening 35 that can be opened and closed. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the opening 35, the exhaust port through the space S ₂ between the outer tank 25a and the back plate 20 6
It is communicated with 2. The openable and closable opening 35 may be constituted by a double door which opens rearward, or may be constituted by a shutter, a double door, a sliding door or a double sliding door. The openable and closable opening 35 is appropriately selected in consideration of a mounting space, with less generation of particles. The opening 35 moves the wafer chuck 15 downward, and the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 15 is moved to the inner tank 25b.
When it is in the cleaning solution inside, as shown in FIG.
6 and is controlled to a closed state. In this closed state, the chemical mist is prevented from diffusing into the device, as in the embodiment of FIG.

Next, when the wafer chuck 15 is moved upward and the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 15 comes out of the cleaning liquid in the inner tank 25b and is located above, as shown in FIG. In the embodiment, the lid 36 of the double door is the opening 35.
From the closed state to the open state. Then, the chemical mist around the lifted wafer W is passed through the opening 35 and the space S.
₂ and exhaust through the exhaust port 62. In this open state, the wafer W lifted from the inner tank 25b
The periphery can also be evacuated from behind the wafer W,
The diffusion of the chemical mist and particles mainly due to the evaporation of the chemical attached to the surface of the wafer W and the wafer chuck 15 with the lifting of the wafer W can be effectively suppressed. In this embodiment, the rear plate 33 provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is omitted, and the partition plate 34 also serves as the rear plate.

When the wafer W is lifted, for example, by stopping the wafer chuck 15 for a predetermined time, the wafer chuck 15 and the wafer W are retained in the upper space of the processing tank 25 from which the wafer W has been lifted. The chemical mist due to the evaporation of the chemical attached to the chuck 15 and the wafer W can be sufficiently exhausted. After that, the wafer W is transferred to the next area. The stop of the predetermined time is set to end before the chemical liquid attached to the wafer runs out of liquid and the surface of the wafer W is exposed and touches the atmosphere. The wafer chuck 1
As long as the wafer 5 and the wafer W can stay in the same area for a predetermined time, the wafer W and the wafer chuck 15 may move slowly without stopping.

[0067] Further, when the wafer W is raised, instead of stopping the wafer chuck 15 a predetermined time, for example, increasing the amount of exhaust increases the air charge from the stage where the wafer W is lifted fan filter unit F ₅ By doing so, the chemical mist due to the evaporation of the chemical attached to the wafer chuck 15 and the wafer W can be sufficiently exhausted.

Such retention of the wafer W for a predetermined time and an increase in the amount of exhaust are preferably performed by a high temperature treatment (100 ° C. or more) of a heated chemical solution for scattering harmful gas, for example, sulfated water, or fuming nitric acid (normal temperature).゜ 50 ° C.). Further, it is preferable to provide a partition 67 having an exhaust port 66 formed substantially at the center below the inner tank 25b. The reason is that the periphery of the wafer W can be evenly evacuated.

Although the above embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to a wafer cleaning apparatus, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to other cleaning apparatuses, for example, cleaning apparatuses for cleaning LCD glass substrates. It is possible.

[0070]

According to the cleaning device of the first aspect, it is possible to prevent the chemical mist from diffusing in the cleaning device while reducing the amount of supplied air and the amount of exhaust air as compared with the conventional case. Therefore, the object to be processed can be efficiently and effectively cleaned. The object to be processed after being immersed in the processing solution and washed
When transporting equipment, contamination inside the equipment due to dropping of chemicals etc. is prevented.
As well as the supply and exhaust air volume of the entire cleaning device.
It is possible to further reduce.

According to the second aspect, the back of the partition plate is further
A rear side plate is arranged on the front side, and this rear side plate and the rear side
A space is formed between them. This back plate and the back side
The space between the plates is used for various piping spaces.
You.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transfer device in which
Area where particles are likely to occur is separated from the processing tank side area.
Separate the area of the processing tank for particles and other substances in the area.
It is possible to prevent intrusion into the
Purification can be performed in a cleaner atmosphere. Ma
Also, transport the workpiece after being immersed and washed in the processing solution
At this time, if the contamination inside the device due to the drop of chemicals etc. is prevented,
In both cases, the air supply and exhaust volumes in the entire cleaning device are further reduced
It is possible to

According to the fourth aspect, the error occurring in the area is generated.
I can separate the exhausted particles
However, airflow control in the area can be performed independently,
In addition, the balance between air supply and exhaust as the entire cleaning device is optimized.
The device can be operated in an appropriate state.

According to the fifth aspect, the diffusion of the chemical mist or particles generated from the object to be processed as the object to be processed is lifted can be effectively suppressed. It is possible to suppress diffusion of chemical mist and particles generated from the object to be processed transferred from another processing tank. After immersion in the processing solution and cleaning,
When transporting the treated object, contamination inside the device due to the drop of chemicals etc.
Dyeing is prevented, and the air supply and exhaust
It is possible to further reduce the air volume.

According to the seventh aspect, the area around the object to be processed can be evacuated from the vicinity of the object to be processed lifted from the processing tank, so that the diffusion of mainly the chemical mist and particles during the lifting can be effectively performed. Can be prevented. Ma
Also, transport the workpiece after being immersed and washed in the processing solution
At this time, if the contamination inside the device due to the drop of chemicals etc. is prevented,
In both cases, the air supply and exhaust volumes in the entire cleaning device are further reduced
It is possible to

According to the eighth aspect, in addition to the effect of the third aspect , the processing target raised from the processing tank is opened by the opening provided in the upper partition plate on the rear end side of the processing tank. Since the exhaust around the object to be processed can be exhausted from the vicinity of the body, diffusion of mainly the chemical mist and particles during the lifting can be effectively prevented.

According to the ninth aspect, in addition to the effects of the seventh and eighth aspects, the vicinity of the object to be processed can be evacuated from the vicinity of the object to be processed lifted from the processing tank. Mainly, diffusion of the chemical mist can be effectively prevented.

According to the tenth and eleventh aspects, when the object to be processed, which has been immersed and cleaned in the processing liquid, is transported, contamination in the apparatus due to dropping of a chemical solution or the like is prevented, and the cleaning apparatus as a whole is It is possible to further reduce the amount of air supply and exhaust.

[0079]

[0080]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view schematically showing a cross section of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a chemical treatment tank in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a drain pan used in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of an airflow in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the exhaust plate used in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view schematically showing a cross section of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view schematically showing a cross section of another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning apparatus 3 Cleaning processing part 11, 12, 13 Transport apparatus 17 Front plate 18, 19 Side plate 20 Back plate 22, 25 Chemical cleaning tank 31, 72, 74 Partition plate 32, 71, 73 Shield plate 32a Notch recess 35 Exhaust mouth 44 drain pan 61, 62 exhaust port 63 exhaust plate F ₁ to F ₉ fan filter unit W wafer

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-62-216233 (JP, A) JP-A-3-129733 (JP, A) JP-A-1-265519 (JP, A) JP-A-2- 10728 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model 4-116131 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/304 B08B 3/08

Claims (11)

(57) [Claims] 1. A processing tank for cleaning an object to be processed is arranged in a region formed by a side plate, and the processing object is located at a front side of the processing tank and is transported along the arrangement direction. A cleaning apparatus having an apparatus in said area and further comprising a blowing device configured to blow out an air current from above toward at least said processing tank, wherein a shielding plate having a cutout recess from an upper end above a front end of said processing tank. A cleaning plate, wherein a partition plate is provided on an upper rear end of the processing tank, and a liquid receiving member is provided between upper ends of adjacent processing tanks. 2. A rear plate is disposed on the further back side of the partition plate, and a space is formed between the after side plate and the rear side of the plate, according to claim 1 Cleaning equipment. 3. A transfer tank for arranging a processing tank for cleaning an object to be processed in an area formed by a side plate, and transporting the object to be processed along the arrangement direction at a front side of the processing tank. A cleaning apparatus having an apparatus in said area and further comprising a blowing device configured to blow out an air current from above toward at least said processing tank, wherein a shielding plate having a cutout recess from an upper end above a front end of said processing tank. And an airflow is blown from above to the area formed by the shielding plate and the front side plate, and a liquid receiving member is provided between the upper ends of the adjacent processing tanks. A cleaning device, characterized by the following. 4. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an exhaust mechanism for exhausting an area formed by the shielding plate and the front side plate. 5. A transfer for arranging a processing tank for cleaning an object to be processed in a region formed by the side plate, and for transferring the object to be processed along the arrangement direction at a front side of the processing tank. A cleaning device having an apparatus in the region, and further including a blowing device configured to blow out an air current from above toward at least the processing tank, wherein a partition plate is provided at an upper rear end of the processing tank; An opening for exhausting around the object to be processed lifted from the processing tank, and a liquid receiving member provided between upper ends of adjacent processing tanks. apparatus. 6. A transfer for arranging a processing tank for cleaning an object to be processed in an area formed by the side plates, and for conveying the object to be processed along the arrangement direction at a front side of the processing tank. A cleaning device having an apparatus in the area, and further comprising a blowing device configured to blow out an air stream from above toward at least the processing tank, wherein a partition plate is provided at an upper portion on a rear end side of the processing tank; A cleaning apparatus comprising: a plate provided with an opening for exhausting around a processing object located above a processing tank; and a liquid receiving member provided between upper ends of adjacent processing tanks. 7. A transfer for arranging processing tanks for cleaning an object to be processed in an area formed by the side plates, and for conveying the object to be processed along the arrangement direction at a front side of the processing tank. A cleaning device having an apparatus in said area and further comprising a blowing device configured to blow out an air current from above toward at least said processing tank, wherein a shielding plate having a cutout recess from an upper end above a front end of said processing tank. And a partition plate on the upper rear end of the processing tank.
The partition plate is provided with an opening for exhausting around the object to be processed located at the upper part of the processing tank or / and the object to be processed lifted from the processing tank, and a liquid receiving member is provided between the upper ends of adjacent processing tanks. A cleaning device, characterized in that it has been performed. 8. A transfer for arranging processing tanks for cleaning an object to be processed in an area formed by the side plates, and for conveying the object to be processed along the arrangement direction at a front side of the processing tank. A cleaning device having an apparatus in the area, and further comprising a blowing device configured to blow out an air stream from above toward at least the processing tank, wherein a partition plate is provided at an upper portion on a rear end side of the processing tank; The plate is provided with an opening for exhausting the object located at the upper part of the processing tank or / and around the object lifted from the processing tank, and a notch recess is formed at the top of the front end of the processing tank from the upper end. A shield plate is provided, and an air flow is blown from above also to an area formed by the shield plate and the front side plate, and a liquid receiving member is provided between upper ends of adjacent processing tanks. Features that were Cleaning device. 9. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an exhaust mechanism for exhausting an area formed by the shielding plate and the front side plate. 10. A transfer tank for arranging a processing tank for cleaning an object to be processed in a region formed by a side plate, and transporting the object to be processed along the arrangement direction at a front side of the processing tank. In a cleaning apparatus having an apparatus in the area, and further including a blowing device configured to blow out an air current from above toward at least the processing tank, a liquid receiving member is provided between upper ends of adjacent processing tanks. A cleaning device, characterized by the following. 11. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a shielding plate is provided on an upper part of a front end of the processing tank.