JP3212508B2 - Cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the process of manufacturing a semiconductor device, particles on the surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as "wafer"),
A cleaning apparatus is used to remove contamination such as organic contaminants and metal impurities. Among them, a wet cleaning apparatus can effectively remove the contamination, and can perform batch processing and has good throughput. Because of this, it is widely used.

In this type of cleaning apparatus, a wafer is subjected to a chemical treatment such as ammonia, hydrofluoric acid, or hydrochloric acid in a chemical tank, and then rinsed with pure water in a rinse tank. As for the apparatus configuration, a set of a chemical solution tank and a rinsing tank is arranged in series for each chemical solution, and a transfer system for sequentially transferring, for example, 50 wafers collectively to each tank is provided. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a main part of a conventional cleaning apparatus. In this cleaning apparatus, for example, 50 wafers W are collectively transferred from a wafer cassette (not shown) to a dedicated resin-made wafer holder 11 in advance. The wafer holder 11 is first immersed in a chemical solution in the chemical solution tank 1A by a transport means (not shown), and a cleaning process, for example, etching is performed while circulating the chemical solution. Next, the wafer holder 11 is pulled up from the chemical solution tank 1A and is immersed in the rinse tank 1B, and the wafer W is rinsed while supplying, for example, pure water from the bottom of the rinse tank 1B.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the wafer holder 11 is provided between a pair of end plates 12 provided opposite to each other in front and rear, and three wafers each having a horizontal bottom surface. The holding members 13, 14, and 15 in a rod shape are constructed. The holding members 13 and 14 hold the left and right sides of the lower side of the wafer, and the holding member 15 holds the lower end of the wafer (prevents falling down).
A large number of holding grooves 13a (14a, 15a) cut across the entire width of (14, 15) are arranged in parallel in the length direction.

[0005]

However, when the wafer is cleaned by the above-described method, there is a problem that particles adhere to the wafer surface. One of the main causes of such particle adhesion is that particles adhered to the back surface of the wafer are transferred to the front surface of another wafer adjacent to the wafer in a series of steps. Can be Although the mechanism of the transfer of particles is not clear, according to the experiment of the present inventors, particles adhering to the back surface of the wafer spread in the chemical solution tank,
It is considered that when the particles adhere to the holding member and are carried into the rinsing bath, and when the wafer is put into the rinsing bath, the particles that have already spread in the rinsing liquid adhere to the wafer surface.

[0006] Assuming that particles adhere by such a mechanism, when the wafer holder 11 is pulled up from the chemical solution, droplets containing particles are discharged from the wafer holder 1.
1 and the particles are brought into the rinsing tank. On the other hand, since the holding members 13, 14, and 15 of the above-described wafer holder 11 hold, for example, as many as 50 wafers W, a large load is applied. Therefore, the width of the holding members 13, 14, and 15 is, for example, about 10 mm. It is necessary to secure the strength by using the rod-shaped material.

Here, in the holding members 13, 14 and 15, the holding grooves 13a, 14a and 15 extend over the entire width.
a, the wafer W and the holding grooves 13a, 1
When the wafer holder 11 is pulled up from the chemical solution, the holding grooves 13a, 14a
a, 15a.
Further, since the bottom surfaces of the holding members 13, 14, and 15 are horizontal, the bottom surface is liable to adhere to the wafer holding device 11 due to the surface tension of the liquid when the wafer holding device 11 is pulled up. Because the structure is easy to adhere, particles tend to adhere to the surface of the wafer that has been rinsed in the rinsing bath.As a result, the line width of devices has recently become increasingly finer, and the allowable range of particles has tended to narrow. , The yield may be reduced. In addition, the amount of the chemical solution brought into the rinsing tank is increased, and there is a possibility that the rinsing efficiency is reduced.

The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and an object thereof is to reduce particle contamination,
An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device capable of improving rinsing efficiency.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first and a second rod-shaped holding member for holding both right and left sides of a wafer and a third rod-shaped holding member for holding a lower end of the wafer.
Preparative holder with having a was immersed in cleaning liquid in a cleaning tank by holding a plurality of wafers in parallel to the holder,
In a cleaning apparatus for performing a cleaning process on the wafer, the first and second holding members include a rod-shaped base portion,
A plurality of holding grooves arranged in the upper part of the base portion, and a plurality of holding grooves are arranged in parallel in the length direction. The base portion has a shoulder portion separated from the comb-shaped portion. And the bottom surface is formed so as to project downward, and the comb-like portion has a width smaller than the width of the base portion and the upper surface faces inward. The holding groove is inclined so as to be lowered, and the bottom of the holding groove is inclined so as to be lowered inward, and the inner end thereof is located higher than the outer end of the shoulder of the base portion through a surface that stands upright. The third holding member is provided so as to protrude above an upper surface of the rod-shaped base portion and an upper surface of the base portion so that the width is shorter than the width of the base portion, and a plurality of holding grooves are provided. And a comb-shaped part arranged in parallel in the length direction, The base portion of the third holding member is formed as a slanted surface that the shoulder portion is inclined downward as the distance from the comb-shaped portion, wherein the bottom surface is formed in a convex shape downward .

[0010] According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the holder has a structure in which a holding member is erected between a pair of end plates, and a lower portion of the end plates and a bottom portion of the cleaning tank are formed in front. It is characterized in that the shape as viewed from above is formed so as to protrude downward.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the holding member for holding the left and right sides of the lower portion of the wafer, even if the width of the comb-shaped portion having the holding groove is reduced, the entire base portion below the comb-shaped portion has a smaller width. Since the strength can be ensured and the length of the holding groove can be shortened, the liquid flow becomes good, and the liquid pool in the holding groove decreases when the wafer holder is pulled up. Furthermore, the bottom of the holding groove is inclined so that it goes down toward the inside,
In addition, by forming the inner end of the base portion at a position higher than the outer end of the shoulder portion of the base portion via the upright surface, the liquid flow in the holding groove is further improved. Further, since the upper surface and the shoulder portion of the holding member are not inclined and the bottom surface is not horizontal, it is difficult for droplets to adhere. Further, a third holding unit for holding the lower end of the wafer
The length of the holding groove can also be shortened for the material.
Since the shoulder and bottom of the holding member are not horizontal,
Hard to wear. However, holding the lower edge of the wafer means that
Support the weight with another holding member, and sandwich the lower end from both sides.
To prevent the wafer from falling down. Chemical
Particles in the tank are captured by droplets adhering to the holding member
Drops are transferred to the rinsing tank,
If it becomes difficult to adhere to the surface of the
Particles from the rinsing bath
Reduced particle contamination of the substrate to be lifted
Wear. In addition, less chemical solution is brought into the rinsing tank
Thus, the rinsing efficiency is also improved.

[0012]

[0013]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire cleaning station including a cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
First, the overall configuration of the washing station will be briefly described. The cleaning station includes a cleaning section 100 and loader sections 20 provided at both ends of the cleaning section 100.
0 and an unloader section 300 constitute a main part. The loader unit 200 includes a mounting unit 21 for loading and mounting a carrier C containing a predetermined number of unprocessed substrates, for example, 25 wafers, for example, 25 wafers, and the mounting unit 21.
Clamps the carrier C placed on the
And a transfer device 23 for transferring the data to the storage device.

The cleaning processing unit 100 includes a transfer stage 20 for collectively transferring wafers in the carrier C placed on the relay unit 22 to a dedicated wafer holder, and an n-th cleaning from the primary cleaning unit U1. A plurality of cleaning units up to the unit Un are provided. Transfer stage 20
Above is a wafer chuck that is not visible in the figure,
For example, 50 wafers in the carrier C are collectively transferred to a dedicated wafer holder, which will be described later, on the transfer stage 20.

Each of the cleaning units U1 to Un is composed of, for example, a chemical tank 24, a primary washing tank 25, and a secondary washing tank 26. After the chemical tank 24 is washed with the chemical, the primary washing tank 25 and the secondary washing tank 26 are purified. After cleaning the chemical liquid attached to the wafer with water, the wafer is transferred to a predetermined cleaning unit among the downstream cleaning units U2 to Un, and is subjected to predetermined processing. The secondary washing tank 26 is located between adjacent cleaning units for cleaning with different kinds of chemicals, and has a function as a buffer for preventing mixing of both chemicals. Holder transfer means 27 for transferring a wafer holder holding a wafer is provided on the side of the cleaning units U1 to Un.

The unloader section 300 includes a mounting section 28 on which a carrier C for storing a wafer cleaned and dried by the above-described cleaning units U1 to Un can be mounted. After the cleaning / drying process is completed, the wafer returned to the carrier C is carried out of the apparatus.
The transfer stage 29 on the front side of the mounting section 28 is a stage for transferring the wafer in the wafer holder into the carrier C by a wafer chuck (not shown).

As described above, in each of the cleaning units, a predetermined treatment is performed with a predetermined chemical solution, and the present invention is applied to such a cleaning unit, for example. Next, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a cleaning apparatus (corresponding to the above-described cleaning unit) in which a natural oxide film on the surface of a wafer is removed using a hydrofluoric acid solution and then rinsed with pure water will be described.

The cleaning apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention comprises a chemical tank 3 and a rinsing tank 4 as shown in FIGS.
(Corresponding to a primary washing tank), a wafer holder 5 for holding a plurality of wafers, and a holder transfer means 50 having a pair of arms 50a for transferring the wafer holder 5.
(Corresponding to the holder carrying means 27 in FIG. 1). The chemical solution tank 3 is formed into a rectangular shape and has an inner tank 31 having a triangular cutout 30 for overflow at the upper edge.
And an outer tank 32 provided outside the upper edge of the inner tank 31 so as to receive the overflowed liquid.

An outer tank is provided outside the inner tank 31 so as to supply the chemical solution in the outer tank 32 to the bottom of the inner tank 31, that is, to circulate the chemical solution overflowing from the inner tank 31 to the bottom of the inner tank 31. A chemical liquid circulation path 33 made of, for example, a resin tube is provided between the bottom of the inner tank 32 and the bottom of the inner tank 31. A pump P1 and a filter F
Is interposed. A rectifying means 3 is provided at the bottom of the inner tank 31.
The rectifying means 34 is opposed to a rectifying plate 36 in which a large number of small holes 35 are formed and a connection port (a supply port of the chemical solution) of the chemical solution circulation path 33 on the bottom surface of the inner tank 31. And a diffusing plate 37 arranged in the same direction.

By providing the rectifying means 34 in this manner, the pure water introduced from the chemical liquid circulation path 33 first collides with the back surface of the diffusion plate 37, and from the peripheral edge of the diffusion plate 37, the entire back surface of the rectification plate 36 Is supplied to the periphery of the wafer W held by the holder 5, so that the wafer W is wrapped at a uniform flow rate without generating a turbulent flow. It is possible to clean the entire wafer W evenly without unevenness. In addition, the chemical solution tank 3
A chemical solution supply unit 38 for supplying a chemical solution, for example, a hydrofluoric acid solution, into the chemical solution tank 3 is provided at a position where the transfer of the wafer holder described later is not hindered.

On the other hand, the wafer holder 5, which is a feature of the first embodiment of the present invention, is provided between a pair of end plates 51, 52 at a lower portion of the wafer W as shown in FIGS. First and second holding members 6, 7 for holding both left and right sides respectively
And a third holding member 8 for holding the lower end of the wafer W. The first and second holding members 6 and 7 are symmetrically formed and have the same configuration. For example, a rod-shaped base portion 6 having a width L1 of 15 mm is provided.
1 (71) and a plurality of, for example, 50 holding grooves 62 (72) which are provided so as to protrude above the upper surface of the base portion 61 (71) and which are cut in the width direction, respectively, are arranged in parallel. And comb-shaped portions 63 (73) arranged in the vertical direction. The shoulder portion 60 (7) of the base portion 61 (71)
0) is inclined so as to decrease as it goes inward, and the lower surface has a V-shaped cross section along the surface of the wafer W and is inclined from both sides toward the center.

The comb-tooth-like portion 63 (73) has a vertical surface (the wafer holder 5) whose outer side surface is flush with the outer side surface of the base portion 61 (71) when viewed from the center of the wafer W. The horizontal width L2 is, for example, 5 millimeters. The width of the comb-like portions 63 (73) is preferably 3 mm or less in order to improve the liquid shortage when the wafer holder 5 is pulled up. The upper surfaces of the comb-shaped portions 63 and 73 are inclined surfaces, and the bottom of the holding groove 62 (72) is also inclined at the same angle as the upper surface of the comb-shaped portions 63 and 73, for example. ). The inclined surfaces of the base portion 61 (71) and the comb-like portions 63 (73) are both inclined with respect to a horizontal plane by, for example, the same angle θ1, and the angle θ1
In order to ensure good liquid drainage when the wafer holder 5 is pulled up, it is preferable that it is, for example, 30 degrees or more.

The third holding member 8 has a bar-shaped base portion 8 having both shoulder portions 80 inclined and left and right vertical surfaces, and a V-shaped cross section at the lower portion.
1 and a plurality of, for example, 50 holding grooves 82, which are provided so as to protrude above the upper surface of the base portion 81, are cut in the width direction, and have a horizontal bottom portion, are arranged in parallel in the length direction. And a comb-shaped portion 83.

The width L of the base portion 81 and the comb-like portion 83
3 and L4 are, for example, 12 millimeters and 3 millimeters, respectively, and the inclined surface forming the shoulder portion 80 and the lower surface of the base portion 81 is preferably inclined at least 30 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane for the reason described above. The holding members 6, 7, 8
The material of the wafer holder 5 is preferably a hydrophobic resin such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or PFA (tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkylvinyl ether copolymer).

The upper portions of the pair of end plates 51 and 52 are respectively bent outward to form supported portions 51a and 51b (see FIG. 3). 51b is conveyed while being supported from below by the arm 50a of the holder conveying means 50.

The rinsing tank 4 includes an inner tank 41, like the chemical tank 3, and an outer tank 42 for receiving the rinsing liquid overflowing from the inner tank 41. At the bottom of the inner tank 41, a pure water supply path 43 made of, for example, a resin tube for supplying a rinsing liquid, for example, pure water, into the inner tank 41, in which a valve VL1 is interposed, is connected. Is
A drain pipe 44 for discharging pure water is connected. A rectifying unit 45 similar to the rectifying unit 34 is provided at the bottom of the inner tank 41.

Next, an example of a cleaning method performed using the above-described cleaning apparatus will be described. First, a chemical solution, for example, a 0.5% hydrofluoric acid solution is supplied from the chemical solution supply unit 38 into the inner tank 31.
The chemical is circulated by the pump P1. Then, for example, the wafer holder 5 in which 50 wafers W are arranged and held in parallel is carried into the inner tank 31 by the holder transferring means 50, and the wafer W is immersed in a chemical solution to perform a cleaning process such as etching for a predetermined time. Do.

After that, the arm 50a is
The wafer holder 5 is lifted up from the chemical solution tank 3 at a speed of mm / sec, transported to a position above the rinsing tank 4 and then lowered to immerse the wafer W in the rinsing liquid in the rinsing tank 4. Then, the valve VL1 is opened, and a rinsing liquid, for example, pure water is supplied from the bottom of the inner tank 41 into the inner tank 41.
Pure water overflowing from the drain pipe 4 through the outer tank 42
Drain from 4 Thus, pure water is supplied into the inner tank 41 at a predetermined flow rate for a predetermined time or until the resistance value of the pure water in the inner tank 41 reaches a predetermined value, and a rinsing process is performed.

According to the above-described embodiment, particles adhering to the wafer W lifted from the rinsing bath 3 are reduced. First, the present inventor considers the fact that considerable particles adhere to the wafer W after the rinsing process, even though the wafer W after the hydrofluoric acid treatment hardly has any particles. Figured out.

Therefore, a mechanism as shown in FIG. 6 can be considered. That is, when the wafer W is immersed in the chemical solution tank 3, the particles PT attached to, for example, the back surface of the wafer W are separated and diffused into the hydrofluoric acid solution, and are held when the wafer W is pulled up from the chemical solution tank 3. When the droplets L adhere to the members 6, 7, and 8 (represented by 6 in FIG. 6 for the sake of convenience), the particles PT are taken into the droplets L. It is carried into the rinsing tank 4 by 7 and 8.

When the wafer holder 5 is immersed in the rinsing tank 4, the particles adhering to the holding members 6, 7, 8 diffuse into pure water, into which the wafer W is charged. Adhere to the wafer W. Thereafter, when the wafer W is pulled up from the pure water, the particles are pulled up while adhering to the wafer W, thus causing particle contamination. The relationship between the fact that particles adhere to the surface of the wafer W pulled up from pure water and the fact that particles hardly adhere to the surface of the wafer W after hydrofluoric acid treatment (this point has been confirmed by experiments) Is not clear, but it is presumed that it is due to the difference in the surface state of the wafer W.

Here, the holder 5 of the above-described embodiment has a structure in which droplets are hardly adhered. That is, first, regarding the holding members 6 and 7 for holding the left and right at the lower portion of the wafer W, since there is no horizontal plane and the angle of the inclined surface with respect to the horizontal plane is 30 degrees or more, the holding when the wafer holder 5 is pulled up is performed. The member runs out of liquid. And the base part 61,
Instead of protruding the comb-shaped portion 63 having a width smaller than 71, that is, not forming a holding groove on the upper surface of the base portions 61 and 71,
As a two-stage configuration of the comb-shaped portions 63 and 73 in which the holding grooves 62 and 72 are formed and the base portions 61 and 71, the base portions 61 and 71
As a result, while the strength of the holding members 6 and 7 as a whole is secured, the length of the holding grooves 62 and 72 is shortened, so that when the wafer holder 5 is pulled up, the V-shaped holding grooves 62 and 72 The liquid does not easily accumulate, and the holding members 6 and 7 are made of a hydrophobic material.

Also, as for the holding member 8 for holding the lower end of the wafer W, the width of the comb-like portion 81 is made shorter than the width of the base portion 83, and the length of the horizontal bottom of the holding groove 82 is made shorter. And the bottom surface is formed in a V-shape to form an inclined surface.

The wafer W which has been rinsed as described above
The number of particles adhering to the wafer W depends on the degree of adhesion of droplets when the holding members 6, 7, 8 are pulled up from the chemical solution. Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to reduce particle contamination of the wafer W. Can be. Furthermore, the holding groove 62,
Since the liquid flow between the wafers 72 and 82 and the wafer W is good,
During the rinsing process, there is also an advantage that the replacement between the chemical solution and the rinsing liquid (pure water) is performed smoothly, and the rinsing efficiency is good. Also, the amount of the chemical solution brought into the rinsing tank is reduced, and the rinsing efficiency is improved.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are views showing another example of the wafer holder 5. This wafer holder 5 is different from the above-described embodiment in that the first and second holding members 6 and 7 are formed such that the comb-shaped portions 63 and 73 are higher than the preceding comb-shaped portions. The point is that the bottoms of the holding grooves 62, 72 are positioned higher than the inclined surfaces 60 of the shoulders of the bases 61, 71. According to such an embodiment, since the lower ends (inner ends) of the bottoms of the holding grooves 62, 72 and the inclined surfaces 60, 70 are stepped, the liquid that has flowed down the holding grooves 62, 72 is directly below. Since it falls, the liquid in the holding grooves 62 and 72 is even better,
Therefore, droplets are less likely to adhere.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This cleaning apparatus is different from the above-described embodiment in that a pair of end plates 9 of the wafer holder 5 are first used.
The lower portions of the end plates 91 and 92 (hereinafter referred to as 91) are formed so that the shape seen from the front (as viewed from the arrangement direction of the wafers W) is V-shaped. According to the shape, the bottom surface of the inner tank 93 of the chemical liquid tank 3 is formed in a convex shape (V-shape) toward the lower side, and the chemical liquid supply pipes 94 and 95 for supplying the chemical liquid in the inner tank 93 are further formed. It is in the point where it was arranged.

That is, in the present embodiment, the shape of the lower surface of the end plate 91 is the first and second holding members 6 and 7 for holding the left and right sides of the wafer W, and the third shape for holding the lower end of the wafer W. Is configured in accordance with the positional relationship of the holding member 8 of the third embodiment.
Since the holding member 8 is located below the first and second holding members 6 and 7, the lower surface of the end plate is the first and second holding members.
From the position supporting the holding members 6 and 7 of the third holding member 8
Is configured to incline toward the position for supporting. Further, in accordance with the shapes of the end plates 91, the bottom surface of the inner tank 93 of the chemical solution tank 3 is also configured such that the cross-sectional shape along the surface of the wafer W is inclined from both left and right sides toward the center.

The chemical supply pipes 94 and 95 are, for example, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 0, a large number of blowing holes 94a and 95a are formed in the tubular body in the length direction at a pitch corresponding to the arrangement pitch of the wafers W so as to blow out the chemical solution toward the center of the wafer W. The wafer holder 5 is disposed along the length of the wafer holder 5 so as to be located near the left and right sides of the wafer holder 5 when the wafer holder 5 is carried into the inner tank 93. In this cleaning apparatus, the chemical solution blown out from the outlet holes 94a and 95a of the chemical solution supply pipes 94 and 95 into the inner tank 93 during wafer cleaning is overflowed from the inner tank.
After flowing into the outer tank 32, it is returned to the chemical solution supply pipes 94 and 95 through a pipe (not shown) and circulates. The cleaning solution after the cleaning is discharged via the drain tube 93a.

According to this embodiment, not only the lower surfaces of the base portions 61, 71, 81 of the first, second and third holding members 6, 7, 8 but also the lower surface of the end plate 91 are V-shaped. Therefore, the end plate 91 is also well drained, and the droplets are less likely to adhere. Therefore, when viewed from the entire wafer holder 5,
Droplets are less likely to adhere.

As shown in FIG. 11, for example, in the cleaning apparatus of the present embodiment (FIG. 11A), the cleaning apparatus having the end plate 51 and the inner tank 31 of the first embodiment (FIG. 11A).
As compared with (b)), the inner tank of the chemical liquid tank 3 is downsized, and the volume of the inner tank is reduced. That is, in the structure of FIG. 11B, since the lower part of the wafer holder 5 is horizontal, even if the bottom surface of the inner tank 93 is V-shaped, both ends of the wafer holder 5 are stretched sideways. Therefore, the bottom surface of the inner tank 93 is located below the both ends so as to evade these ends.
In the structure (a), the lower part of the wafer holder 5 is V-shaped, and the bottom surface of the inner tank 93 can be positioned upward because the underline is inclined obliquely upward. Can be downsized.

Therefore, in the chemical tank 3, the amount of the chemical supplied to the inner tank can be reduced by the reduced volume of the inner tank 93 as compared with the chemical tank 3 of the first embodiment, thereby increasing the cost. Since the consumption amount of the chemical solution is reduced, the processing cost of the cleaning process can be reduced.

Further, since the chemical solution is blown out from the outlet holes 94a, 95a of the chemical solution supply pipes 94, 95 toward the center thereof along the plate surface of the wafer W, the chemical solution is uniformly supplied to the inner tank 93 without providing a rectifying means. Supplied. Further, since there is no need to provide a rectifying means, there is no need to secure an installation space for the rectifying means below the wafer holder 5 in the inner tank 93, and the inner tank 93 can be further downsized.

Further, for example, when the chemical solution supply pipes 94 and 95 are used in combination as a rinse liquid supply pipe and the chemical solution tank and the rinsing tank are formed in the same tank, the inner tank 93 is downsized to remove the rinse liquid from the chemical solution. The replacement performance of the rinsing liquid is improved, whereby the rinsing performance is improved, and the consumption of the rinsing liquid can be reduced.

In this embodiment, the chemical supply pipe 9
Instead of providing 4, 95, the rectifying plate and the diffusing plate of the rectifying means may be disposed so as to be inclined in conformity with the shape of the bottom surface of the inner tank 93, or as shown in FIGS. The present invention may be applied to the wafer holder 5.

Further, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The difference between this cleaning apparatus and the above-described embodiment is that the end plates 51 and 52 of the wafer holder 5 used in the first and second embodiments have the holding members 6, 7, and 8 attached thereto. The left and right edges of the left and right sides are respectively shaped to correspond to the outer edges of the holding members 6 and 7, and the upper side is configured as a narrow plate-like body, which is used in the present embodiment. The end plates 96 and 97 of the wafer holder 5 also have the same width as the part to which the holding members 6, 7, and 8 are attached at the upper part, and are configured as a wide plate-like body as a whole.

According to this embodiment, the end plates 96, 97
Is increased, the volume of the end plate is increased, and the volume of the inner tank 93 when the wafer holder 5 is carried into the inner tank 93 of the chemical solution tank 3 is reduced by the volume of the end plate.
Therefore, the amount of the chemical supplied to the inner tank 93 can be reduced by the volume of the end plate, so that the consumption of the chemical is further reduced, and the processing cost of the cleaning process can be further reduced.

This embodiment may be applied to the wafer holder of the first embodiment or the wafer holder 5 shown in FIGS. Further, the wafer holder 5 of this embodiment may be used in combination with the chemical solution tank 3 of the first embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the case where an oxide film is etched with a hydrofluoric acid solution, but the case where a nitride film is etched with a phosphoric acid solution or aluminum is etched with a mixed solution of phosphoric acid, acetic acid and nitric acid. Also applicable to In addition, A
When removing particles with a PM solution (ammonia + hydrogen peroxide + pure water) When cleaning metal contamination with an HPM solution (hydrochloric acid + hydrogen peroxide + pure water), or using an SPM solution (sulfuric acid + hydrogen peroxide) For example, the organic matter in the resist film may be removed with water.

[0049]

According to the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, particle contamination on a wafer can be reduced, rinsing efficiency can be improved, and the yield can be improved. In addition, the consumption of the cleaning solution can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a cleaning processing station including a cleaning device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view showing an example of the cleaning apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a chemical solution tank and a wafer holder used in the cleaning apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a state where a wafer is held by a holding member of a wafer holder used in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a part of a holding member.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an estimated mechanism of particle contamination of a wafer.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a state where a wafer is held by a holding member of another example of the wafer holder.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a part of another example of the holding member.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a chemical solution tank and a wafer holder used in a cleaning device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a chemical solution tank used in the cleaning device.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for comparing the sizes of the chemical tanks of the cleaning device of the first embodiment and the cleaning device of the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a chemical tank and a wafer holder used in a cleaning apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing a conventional cleaning device.

FIG. 14 is a vertical sectional front view showing a state where a wafer is held by a holding member of a conventional wafer holder.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a part of another example of the conventional holding member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Mounting part 22 Relay part U1-Un cleaning unit 27 Holder conveyance means 3 Chemical tank 31, 93 Inner tank 32 Outer tank 33 Chemical circulation path 4 Rinse tank 5 Wafer holder 51, 52, 91, 92, 96, 97 End plate 6, 7, 8 Holding member 61, 71, 81 Base portion 62, 72, 82 Holding groove 63, 73, 83 Comb-shaped portion 93a Drain tube 94, 95 Chemical solution supply tube 94a, 95a Blow-out hole

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-7-221060 (JP, A) JP-A-7-161678 (JP, A) JP-A-7-6992 (JP, A) JP-A 9-Japanese 74078 (JP, A) JP-A-8-49073 (JP, A) JP-A-9-10709 (JP, A) JP-A-8-107137 (JP, A) JP-A-7-249604 (JP, A) 1-51818 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/304 648 B08B 11/02 H01L 21/68

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A first and a second rod-shaped holding member for holding both right and left sides of the wafer; and a second rod-shaped holding member for holding a lower end of the wafer.
Cleaning using a holder having the rod-shaped holding member of No. 3 and holding the plurality of wafers in parallel in the holder and immersing the wafers in a cleaning solution in a cleaning tank and performing a cleaning process on the wafers In the apparatus, the first and second holding members are provided in a bar-shaped base portion, and a comb-like shape in which a plurality of holding grooves are provided in an upper portion of the base portion toward an outer side, and a plurality of holding grooves are arranged in parallel in a length direction. And the base portion is formed as an inclined surface that is inclined downward as the shoulder portion moves away from the comb-shaped portion, and the bottom surface is formed to be convex downward, and the comb-shaped portion is formed. Is such that the lateral width thereof is shorter than the lateral width of the base portion and the upper surface is inclined so as to be lowered inward, the bottom of the holding groove is inclined so as to be lowered inward, and the inner end thereof is Higher through the upstanding surface than the outer edge of the shoulder Is formed as in location, the third holding member has a base portion of the rod-shaped, its lateral width than the transverse width of the base portion is provided projecting upward from the upper surface of the base portion to be shorter, more And a comb-shaped portion in which the holding grooves are arranged in parallel in the length direction. The base portion of the third holding member has an inclined surface which is inclined downward as the shoulder portion is separated from the comb-shaped portion. A cleaning device, wherein the cleaning device is formed and a bottom surface is formed to be convex downward. 2. The holding tool has a structure in which a holding member is provided between a pair of end plates, and a lower portion of the end plates and a bottom portion of the cleaning tank are formed to have a downwardly convex shape as viewed from the front. The cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning device is used.