JP3314229B2 - Drying processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a drying apparatus for drying an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate by rotating the object.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in the process of manufacturing semiconductor products and liquid crystal display products by subjecting a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate (hereinafter referred to as a wafer or the like) to various kinds of processing, these wafers or the like are covered. Since various chemicals and the like are allowed to act on the treatment object, cleaning using pure water or the like is performed, for example, in order to remove the chemical solution remaining on the treatment object after the treatment with the chemical solution. A drying process has been carried out to remove.

As a drying apparatus used for this purpose, there is known a so-called revolving type drying apparatus which removes water droplets such as a cleaning liquid adhering to a wafer or the like by using a centrifugal force (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. Sho 63). -180925, JP-A-7-1
No. 76512). 63-180 of these
In the drying apparatus described in No. 925, a pair of box-shaped cassette holders are pivotally supported on a pair of frame walls erected on a rotating body so as to be swingable, and both cassette holders are separated and approached. Is configured. According to this device, after inserting a cassette accommodating a large number of wafers into the cassette holder, the cassette holder is separated horizontally, and then the rotating body is rotated to position the cassette holder horizontally, and the centrifugal force is applied. The cleaning liquid attached to the wafer can be scattered and dried. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-176
In the drying apparatus described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 512, the above-mentioned cassette is used as a mounting table on which one circular arc portion of a plurality of disk-shaped wafers is fitted, and the wafers are arranged and placed. This is a structure provided on both sides of a holding frame in which a groove for holding the other arc portion of the wafer perpendicular to the portion is formed.

[0004]

However, the former, that is, the drying processing apparatus described in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 63-180925, has a structure in which the wafers having been subjected to the cleaning processing are inserted into the cassette holder together with the cassette. Therefore, there is a problem that a large amount of time is required for drying since the cleaning liquid also adheres to a cassette other than the wafer. In addition, since the cassette is inserted into the cassette holder, the flow of the air supplied for drying is disturbed, and the drying efficiency is reduced. In addition, the particles are attached to the wafer due to the disturbed air, thereby causing contamination. There was also.

On the other hand, the latter, that is, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
The drying processing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6512 has a structure in which the mounting table described above is placed in a box-shaped cradle instead of the cassette, so that the volume can be reduced and the size can be reduced. However, since the cradle is formed in a box shape, turbulence occurs when the air supplied for drying passes through the cradle, and the drying efficiency is reduced as in the former case, and the turbulence of the air causes particles to adhere to the wafer. There is a possibility that the toner may adhere and cause contamination.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a drying processing apparatus capable of miniaturizing the apparatus, preventing adhesion of particles and generation of contamination, and improving drying efficiency. It is the purpose.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotating body which is rotated by a rotating means, and is disposed above the rotating body at a position above the rotating body. And a hood having a pair of side walls that linearly cover the sides of the support means, wherein the hood is provided with: The means has a cylindrical shape having a wall portion substantially parallel to the side wall and a vent opening in a radial direction of the rotating body, and is formed on both sides of a plurality of the processing objects.
Having a holding portion for arranging a plurality of holding grooves for holding
A frame and a portion deviated from the lowermost end of the plurality of objects to be processed
And a lower support body in which a plurality of holding grooves for holding are arranged.
And the lower support can be disengaged from the lower support.
It is formed so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the support frame by elevating means
It becomes, characterized in that.

In the first aspect of the present invention, the object support means may be one or two as long as it is disposed at a position above the rotating body and is rotated together with the rotating body. Or three or more. When a plurality of support means are provided, it is preferable to arrange the plurality of support means symmetrically with respect to the rotation center of the rotating body (claim 2). Here, the symmetric position means that it is disposed at the same distance from the center of rotation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus to be dried according to the first or second aspect, a straightening plate parallel to the hood is provided between the side wall of the hood and the wall of the support means. It is characterized by that.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotating body which is rotated by a rotating means, and a supporting means for a workpiece which is disposed above the rotating body at a position above the rotating body and which rotates with the rotating body. And a processing vessel surrounding the rotator and the support means, wherein the rotator is provided with a hood having a pair of side walls that linearly cover the sides of the support means, is no and the side wall substantially parallel to the wall portion, a cylindrical shape having a vent opening in the radial direction of the rotating body, both sides of the plurality of the object to be processed
Having a holding portion for arranging a plurality of holding grooves for holding the portion side
A support frame, and a member that deviates from a lowermost end of the plurality of objects to be processed.
And a lower support having a plurality of holding grooves for holding a place.
The lower support can be disengaged from this lower support
Is formed so that it can be raised and lowered with respect to the support frame
In the processing container, an air intake is provided at a portion facing the rotation center of the rotating body, and a portion of a side wall of the processing container extends from a bottom to at least a top surface of the rotating body. An exhaust port is provided.

In the invention according to claim 4, the object supporting means may be one, or two or three.
There may be more than one. When a plurality of support means are provided, it is preferable to dispose them in a symmetrical position with respect to the rotation center of the rotating body as in the second aspect of the invention (claim 5).

In the present invention, the side wall of the hood is
Any plate may be used as long as it covers the side of the support means in a straight line, but it is preferable that the end of the side wall is formed to be inclined or arcuate along the rotation direction. Further, it is preferable that a drain hole is provided in a portion of the side wall opposite to the rotation direction of the rotating body, so that water droplets scattered from the object can be discharged (claim 6).

The support means may be a box having a wall parallel to the side wall and a vent opening in the radial direction of the rotating body. Preferably, the outermost peripheral part of the support is moved in the rotational direction. It is better to form it in an inclined or arcuate shape along. Further, by projecting a shielding guide plate that covers the exposed surface of the object supported by the support means at the end of the support means, the air flow to the object at the end side can be rectified. This is preferable in point (claim 7).

In addition, at both ends of the side wall of the hood, inclined portions or arc-shaped portions are provided along the rotation direction of the rotating body, and the outermost peripheral portion of the wall portion of the support means is provided with an inclined portion along the rotating direction of the rotating body. It is preferable to provide a portion or an arc-shaped portion (claim 8).

According to the invention, the rotating body is provided with the support means.
Provide a hood having a pair of side walls that cover the sides linearly,
The support means includes a wall portion substantially parallel to the side wall and a radial direction of the rotating body.
A cylindrical shape with a vent opening to the
A holding section that arranges a plurality of holding grooves that hold both sides of the body
A support frame with
Lower support that rows a plurality of holding grooves to hold
Comprising a lower support, which can be disengaged from the lower support.
When the support frame is formed so as to be able to move up and down by the elevating means, the water drop adhering to the object to be processed falls to the lowermost end by its own weight, so that the water can be drained without adhering to the holding rod. In addition, the rotating body rotates while scraping the drying air by the side wall, and the air flowing to the central portion of the rotating body flows between the side wall and the wall of the supporting means and between the workpieces supported by the supporting means. Water flowing in one direction in parallel with the object, and water droplets attached to the object to be processed can be scattered. Furthermore,
Water droplets scattered from the object to be processed can be discharged outward by scraping by the side wall.

The lower support is supported by the lifting means.
The object to be processed and the support frame are raised and lowered with respect to the frame.
Delivery of workpieces without interference with the holding part
Can be performed, and with the lower support lowered
The central portion of the object to be processed can be held by the holding portion .

Further, by arranging a rectifying plate substantially parallel to the side wall of the hood and the wall of the supporting means, the flow of air can be further rectified.
The flow straightening plate can prevent particles from entering the object side.

The processing vessel surrounding the rotating body and the supporting means is provided with an air inlet at a position facing the center of rotation of the rotating body, and at least a portion of the side wall of the processing vessel is provided with at least the rotating body from the bottom. By providing an exhaust port extending to the top surface, drying air can be taken in from the center of the rotating body and can be uniformly flowed to the object to be processed, and water droplets scattered from the object can be discharged to the exhaust port side. Can be discharged. In addition, at both ends of the side wall of the hood, an inclined portion or an arc-shaped portion along the rotation direction of the rotating body is provided, and at the outermost peripheral portion of the wall portion of the support means, an inclined portion or an arc-shaped portion along the rotation direction of the rotating body. By providing the hood, drainage of water droplets adhering to the side wall of the hood and the supporting means can be improved.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case where the present invention is applied to a semiconductor wafer drying processing apparatus will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a drying apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1, and FIG.

The above-mentioned drying apparatus is provided with, for example, a disk-shaped rotating body 2 rotated by a motor 1 as a rotating means, and is mounted on the rotating body 2 and arranged at symmetrical positions with respect to the rotation center of the rotating body 2. At the same time, a plurality of (for example, 25 wafers) supporting a plurality of, for example, 25 semiconductor wafers W (hereinafter referred to as wafers), which rotate together with the rotating body 2 (three cases are shown in the drawing)
, Cradles 10a, 10b as support means for the object to be processed, and rotator 2
And a processing chamber 31 having a bottom and a processing chamber 31 for accommodating the cradle 10a, 10b, and a lid 32 for opening and closing the upper opening 30a of the processing container 30.

The rotating body 2 has a pair of side walls 1 on its upper surface.
A hood 12 having an upper side 1 is erected in parallel, and the side walls 11 linearly cover the sides of the cradle 10a, 10b. The rotating body 2 is connected to a rotating shaft 3 that penetrates the bottom of the processing container 30. A driven pulley 4 is mounted on the rotating shaft 3, and the driven pulley 4 is mounted on a driving shaft 1 a of the motor 1. A timing belt 6 is wound around the driving pulley 5 so that the rotating body 2 can be rotated horizontally by the rotation of the motor 1. In this case, a servo motor is used as the motor 1 so that the starting, stopping, braking, and low-speed rotation of the rotating body 2 and the cradle 10a, 10b can be continuously performed.

The two cradles 10a and 10b are arranged as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, a wall portion 14a parallel to the side wall 11 is formed.
And a grid-like lower support 15 that can be raised and lowered with respect to the support frame 14. Therefore, the cradle 10a, 10b
A tube having a wall portion 14a parallel to the first member 1 and a ventilation opening (specifically, formed by a rectangular cylindrical support frame 14 and a lattice hole 15a of a lower support member 15) that opens in the radial direction of the rotating body 2. It is formed in the shape of a lattice. Further, the support frame 14 is rotatably mounted on the hood 12 of the rotating body 2 with the support shaft 13 in a direction orthogonal to the rotating direction of the rotating body 2 so as to transfer the wafer W, It is configured so that it can be displaced to the horizontal posture.

In this case, an inclined portion 14b is provided in the outermost peripheral portion of the cradle 10a, 10b, that is, the outer end portion of the support frame 14 in a horizontal posture along the rotation direction. Similarly, inclined portions 11b are provided at both ends of the side wall 11 along the rotation direction (see FIGS. 4 to 6). By providing the inclined portions 14b and 11b in this way, it is possible to improve drainage of water droplets attached to the cradle 10a and 10b and the side wall 11. Further, by providing the inclined portions 11 b at both ends of the side wall 11, the hood 12 can have rigidity. Note that an arc-shaped portion may be provided instead of the inclined portions 14b and 11b.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, between the side wall 11 of the hood 12 and the cradle 10a, 10b, a rectifying plate 16 substantially parallel to the side wall 11 is arranged. The side wall 11 and the cradle 10, 10b are formed by the current plate 16.
By flowing air in one direction along the gap, the air is rectified, and particles brought in from the outside can be prevented from entering the wafer W side.

On one end of the cradle 10a, 10b, that is, on the side located at the upper end in the horizontal position, a semicircular shielding plate such as a dummy plate 17 having substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the wafer W is provided.
Are protruded from the opposing surfaces of both cradles 10a and 10b,
The exposed surface of the wafer W held by the cradle 10a, 10b is covered. The air flowing to the end wafer W held by the cradle 10a, 10b can be rectified by the dummy plate 17, and damage to the end wafer W due to turbulence can be prevented.

As described above, the pair of side walls 1 that linearly cover the sides of the cradle 10a, 10b
1 is provided, and cradle 10a, 10
b is a cylindrical structure having a wall portion 14a substantially parallel to the side wall 11 and a ventilation opening that opens in the radial direction of the rotating body 2, so that the rotating body 2 While rotating, the air flowing to the center of the rotating body 2 flows through the side wall 11, the current plate 16, the cradle 10a, 1
0b between the wall 14a and the cradle 10a, 10b
Water flowing in one direction in parallel between the wafers W supported therein can be scattered. Then, the water droplets scattered from the wafer W can be discharged outward by scraping by the side wall 11. in this case,
As shown in FIG. 5, a drain hole 11 a is provided below a portion of the side wall 11 opposite to the rotation direction of the rotating body 2, so that water droplets scattered inside the side wall 11 can be drained.
1a, and the drying efficiency can be further improved.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, a plurality of support frames 14, for example, 25
A plurality of holding grooves 18a are provided in a row, and both sides of the central portion of the wafer W are held by these holding parts 18. Also, the lower support 15
Are two first holding rods 19 for holding two positions offset from the lowermost end of the wafer W, and a second holding rod 20 for holding two positions on the wafer W outside the first holding rods 19.
And a support base 21 for supporting the first holding rod 19 and the second holding rod 20. In this case, the first
Each of the holding rods 19 and 20 has a plurality of, for example, 25 holding grooves 19a, 20a arranged in rows (see FIG. 8). The holding portion 18, the first holding rod 19, and the second holding rod 20 are made of a material having chemical resistance and strength resistance, for example, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or PFA (tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkylvinyl ether). Polymer), quartz or PEEK
(Polyether ether ketone). The support frame 14 and the support base 21 are formed of a member made of an aluminum alloy whose surface is subjected to a tuffram treatment, and the surfaces thereof are impregnated with a fluororesin.
As described above, the support base 21 constituting the main parts of the support frame 14 and the lower support 15 is formed of an aluminum alloy member, and the surface thereof is impregnated with a fluororesin, thereby reducing the weight of the lower support 15. In addition to providing chemical resistance, it is possible to extend the life. Note that at least only the support base 21 may be formed of an aluminum alloy member, and the surface thereof may be impregnated with a fluororesin.

As described above, the first holding rod 19 is
Since the wafer W can be supported at four points by arranging the second holding rod 20 at two points outside the first holding rod by disposing the wafer W at two points offset from the lowermost end of the wafer. The lower side of W can be held in a stable state.
In addition, since the first holding rod 19 is located at a position deviated from the lowermost end of the wafer W, water droplets attached to the wafer W fall to the lowermost end by its own weight and adhere to the first holding rod 19. Drain without draining.

The first holding rod 19 configured as described above
As shown in FIG. 7, the lower support body 15 having the second holding rod 20 and the guide shaft 2
2 is slidably mounted on the supporting frame 14 so as to be vertically movable, that is, capable of moving up and down with respect to the support frame 14, and as shown in FIG.
3 so as to be able to move up and down.

As shown in FIG. 1, the elevating means 23 includes a vertically extending ball screw 23b rotated by a stepping motor 23a and an operation rod 23d connected to a movable element 23c screwed to the ball screw 23b. I have it. When the operating rod 23d rises, the lower support 1
When the operating rod 23d moves down, the lower support 15 moves down. That is, in a state where the cradle 10a and the cradle 10b are placed in the close position in the vertical posture, the lower support 15 is pushed up by raising the operation rod 23d of the lifting / lowering means 23, and 50 wafers W are moved from the wafer chuck 40b. (See FIG. 8).

The operating rod 23d is rotatably connected to the mover 23c.
As a result of being rotated by the rotary chopper 23e connected to the lower end of the lower support d, the hook 23f mounted on the upper end of the operating rod 23d is engaged with the lower surface of the lower support 15 as shown in FIG. It is configured to be disengageable with the part 15a. As described above, by making the lifting / lowering means 23 and the lower support 15 detachable, the operation rod 23d can be raised and lowered by engaging the hook 23f and the engaging portion 15a. After descending
By disengaging the hook 23f from the engagement portion 15a and further lowering the operation rod 23d, the rotation of the rotating body 2 and the cradle 10a, 10b during the drying process is not hindered. It is.

As described above, the first holding rod 19 and the second holding rod 19
The lower support 15 having the holding rod 20 is moved up and down with respect to the support frame 14, so that the wafer W can be transferred to and from the wafer transfer device 40. However, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the wafer W and the holding portion 18 provided on the support frame 14 do not interfere with each other, and when the lower support 15 is lowered, the center side of the wafer W The part can be held by the holding part 18.

A traveling roller 24 is provided on both sides of one of the cradle 10a, 10b, and a guide rail 2 provided on the side wall 11 of the hood 12.
5, that is, it can move toward and away from (relative to) the other cradle 10 b (see FIGS. 6 and 7). Then, one cradle 10a is turned into the other cradle 10 by moving means (not shown).
b.

As shown in FIG. 6, at a position eccentric from the rotation center on one side of both cradles 10a and 10b,
A protruding shaft 27 protrudes. The protruding shaft 27 is pushed up by push-up means (not shown) so that the cradle 10a, 10b is in a vertical position, and the push-up means is lowered to release the engagement with the protruding shaft 27.
The cradle 10a, 10b supporting the wafer W is configured to be inclined by 10 to 40 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane due to its own weight. One cradle 10a, 10b
The reason for the inclination of 0 to 40 degrees is that if the inclination is set to 10 degrees or less, there is a possibility that the wafer W may jump forward when stopped.
If the rotation angle is higher than the degree, the horizontal posture may not be maintained during rotation.

On the other hand, an air inlet 30a is provided in the upper part of the processing vessel 30. In this air intake 30a,
A donut-shaped top plate 34 having a vent hole 34a at the center is arranged, and a donut-shaped filter 35 is disposed above the donut-shaped top plate 34. The provided shielding plate 36 is provided. As described above, the top plate 3 is connected to the air inlet 30a.
4. By arranging the donut-shaped filter 35 and the shielding plate 36, the air flowing from the outer peripheral side through the filter 35 can flow above the center of the processing chamber 31 through the ventilation hole 34 a of the top plate 34.

A lid 32 is attached to the air inlet 30a of the processing container 30 via a hinge 37 so as to be openable and closable, and is opened and closed by a connecting link 38 connected to a pivot 37a of the hinge 37. Cylinder 39 (opening / closing means)
The lid 32 can be opened and closed by the expansion and contraction operation of the piston rod 39a. The lid 32 is provided with a donut-shaped top plate 34, a filter 35, a shielding plate 36, an ionizer 42, and a container cleaning nozzle 43. The lid 32 moves as the lid 32 opens and closes.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the bottom of the processing vessel 30 has a downward slope toward the exhaust port 30c on the outer peripheral side and a downward slope sequentially along the rotational direction.
0b, and a rectangular or elliptical exhaust port 30c extending from the bottom to at least the height position (part) of the upper surface of the rotating body 2 is provided on the side of the processing container 30. An exhaust duct 33 is connected to the exhaust port 30c (see FIGS. 1 and 2). In this case, the exhaust duct 33 is bent in an elbow shape and is connected to the exhaust port 30c.
3b is suspended, and exhaust gas including mist discharged from the processing container 30 collides with the partition plate 33b,
Gas and liquid are separated, and turbulence (vortex flow) of the exhaust flow is suppressed, so that adverse effects on the inside of the processing vessel 30 can be prevented. In addition, the separated drainage is provided in the lower drainage pipe 3.
The exhaust gas flows to 3c and is exhausted to the outside, and the exhaust gas is exhausted to the outside via an exhaust pipe 33d connected to the side.

Further, a filter fan unit 44 having a filter and a fan (not shown) capable of adjusting the air flow is disposed above the drying processing apparatus, and the air supplied into the drying processing apparatus is cleaned. It has become. Furthermore,
During the drying operation, it is designed so that the air velocity and the air volume in the cleaning device including the drying processing device are constant. Specifically, the wind speed and the air volume in the cleaning device on the outside of the processing container 30 are measured based on the rotation speed of the rotating body 2, and the wind speed of the filter fan unit 44 is set to correspond to the rotation speed of the rotating body 2 based on the experimental results. By controlling the air flow and the air flow, the air velocity and the air flow in the cleaning device are kept constant. Of course, a wind speed / air volume sensor may be provided near the outside of the filter, and the wind speed / air volume may be constantly controlled based on the detection result of the wind speed / air volume sensor. In addition, a wafer transfer device 40 is provided outside the drying processing device so as to be able to move and move up and down. The wafer transfer device 40 includes a wafer chuck 40b having two (eg, two) holding arms 40a each having a plurality of (eg, two) holding rods 40a having holding grooves for holding a plurality of, eg, 50 wafers W, and capable of moving in and out of opposing directions. Is moved, and the held wafer W is moved above the drying processing apparatus, and the wafer chuck 40b is moved toward and away from the cradle 10a, 10b. It has become.

Next, the operation of the above-described drying apparatus will be described. First, one cradle 10a is brought close to the other cradle 10b, and the lower support 15 is raised by the lifting operation of the lifting / lowering means 23 so that the wafer W can be received. In this state, the wafer chuck 40b of the wafer transfer device 40 moved above the drying processing device is lowered to place the wafer W on the lower support 15 (specifically, the first and second holding rods 19 and 20). The wafer W is transferred, and the wafer W is transferred by moving the wafer chuck 40b in the opening direction.
Retreats upward. At this time, the operation unit of the elevating means 23 descends, and waits at a position below the processing container 30.

Next, one cradle 10a separates from the other cradle 10b, and both cradles 10a, 10b
Are located at opposing positions with respect to the center of the rotating body 2. At this time, the opening / closing cylinder 39 is simultaneously driven to close the lid 32. In this state, the cradle 10a, 10b is inclined by 10 to 40 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane.

Next, the servo motor 1 is driven to rotate the rotating body 2
When the cradle 10a, 10b rotates horizontally, the cradle 10a, 10b becomes horizontal by centrifugal force,
The air flow flows from the center to the outer peripheral side through the gap between the wafers W, and flows between the side wall 11, the wall 14a of the cradle 10a, 10b, and the rectifying plate 16, so that the rotating body 2
Air flowing into the center of the wafer W is in a rectified state and flows outward, that is, in one direction parallel to the radial direction, so that water droplets attached to the wafer W are scattered and dried.

After rotating the rotator 2 and the cradle 10a, 10b for a predetermined time, the drive of the servo motor 1 is stopped,
The push-up means is driven to bring the cradle 10a, 10b into a vertical position.
0a is close to the other cradle 10b. Next, the lifting / lowering means 23 is driven to move upward to move both cradles 10a and 10b.
Is raised and a plurality of, for example, 50 wafers W supported by the lower supports 15 are raised. Then, the wafer chuck 40b of the wafer transfer device 40 is moved above the drying processing device and lowered to support, for example, 50 wafers W that have been dried by the wafer chuck 40b, and then rise and move laterally. The wafer W is transferred to a predetermined place.

The drying apparatus of the present invention constructed as described above can of course be used as a stand-alone apparatus, but it is used for removing contamination such as particles, organic contaminants and metal impurities on the surface of a semiconductor wafer. It can be used by being incorporated into a cleaning treatment system.

The semiconductor wafer cleaning processing system comprises:
As shown in FIG. 9, a main part is configured by a loading unit 50 that stores an unprocessed wafer W, a cleaning processing unit 60 that performs a cleaning process on the wafer W, and an unloading unit 51 that stores the cleaned wafer W. ing.

The carry-in section 50 is provided with a standby section 53 for waiting a carrier 52 accommodating a predetermined number of wafers W, for example, 25 wafers W before the cleaning processing, taking out the wafer W from the carrier 52, aligning the orientation flat, and detecting the number of wafers W. And a carrier transfer arm for transferring the carrier 52 carried in from outside by a transfer robot or the like to the standby unit 53 and transferring the carrier 52 between the standby unit 53 and the loader unit 54. 55.

The cleaning processing section 60 includes a first chuck cleaning / drying processing chamber 61 for cleaning and drying the wafer chuck 40b of the wafer transfer device 40 in a linear manner from the loading section 50 to the unloading section 51 in order. A first chemical processing chamber 62 and a first chemical processing chamber 6 for cleaning impurities such as organic contaminants, metal impurities, and particles on the W surface with a chemical.
2 cleaning processing chambers 63 and 64 for cleaning the wafer W cleaned in 2 with pure water, a second chemical processing chamber 65 for cleaning with a chemical different from the chemical in the first chemical processing chamber 62,
Two washing processing chambers 66 and 67 for cleaning the wafer W cleaned in the second chemical processing chamber 65 with, for example, pure water, a second chuck cleaning and drying processing chamber 68 for cleaning and drying the wafer chuck 40b, and the impurities described above. A drying processing chamber 69 having a drying processing apparatus of the present embodiment for drying the wafer W from which the quality has been removed is provided.

On the side of the cleaning section 60, a guide section 40c is provided along each of the processing chambers 61 to 69, and is mounted on the guide section 40c to be horizontal (X direction) and vertical (Z direction).
And a wafer chuck 4 provided on the wafer transfer block 40d.
After the wafer W held at 0b is transferred to each of the processing chambers 61 to 68, the wafer W is transferred to the drying processing chamber 69, and is dried by the high-speed rotation of the rotating body 2 described above.

A carrier transport section 70 for transporting empty carriers and full carriers is provided above the cleaning section 60. On the back side of the cleaning processing unit 60, a processing liquid / piping storage chamber 71 including a tank and a piping group for storing a processing liquid such as a chemical solution is provided.

In the above embodiment, the case where the drying apparatus of the present invention is applied to a semiconductor wafer drying apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is also applicable to an object to be processed such as a glass substrate or an LCD substrate other than a semiconductor wafer. Of course, it can be applied.

[0051]

As described above, since the drying apparatus of the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

1) The side of the support means is linearly formed on the rotating body.
A hood having a pair of side walls to cover is provided, and
A wall that is approximately parallel to the wall, and ventilation that opens in the radial direction of the rotating body
It has a cylindrical shape with a mouth,
Support frame having a holding portion for arranging a plurality of holding grooves for holding
And a position deviated from the lowermost end of the plurality of objects to be processed is held.
And a lower support body in which a plurality of holding grooves are arranged in a row.
The support is lifted up and down by the lower support
By being formed to be able to move up and down with respect to the support frame, water droplets adhering to the object to be processed fall to the lowermost end portion by their own weight, so that water can be drained without adhering to the holding rod. Further, the structure can be simplified. In addition, the rotating body rotates while scraping the drying air by the side wall, and the air flowing to the central portion of the rotating body flows between the side wall and the wall of the supporting means and between the workpieces supported by the supporting means. Water flowing in one direction parallel to the surface of the workpiece, and water droplets adhering to the workpiece can be scattered, so that water droplets scattered from the workpiece can be discharged outward by scraping by the side walls, thereby improving drying efficiency. Can be achieved.

The lower support is supported by the lifting means.
The object to be processed and the support frame are raised and lowered with respect to the frame.
Delivery of workpieces without interference with the holding part
Can be performed, and with the lower support lowered
The central portion of the object to be processed can be held by the holding portion .

2) By arranging a rectifying plate substantially parallel to both the side wall of the hood and the wall of the support means, the flow of air can be further rectified, and the rectifying plate allows particles to flow. Can be prevented from entering the object to be processed, so that the drying efficiency can be further improved in addition to the above 1).

3) The processing vessel surrounding the rotating body and the supporting means is provided with an air inlet at a portion opposed to the rotation center of the rotating body, and at least a part of the side wall of the processing vessel is provided with at least the rotating body from the bottom. By providing an exhaust port extending to the top surface, drying air can be taken in from the center of the rotating body and can be uniformly flowed to the object to be processed, and water droplets scattered from the object can be discharged to the exhaust port side. Can be discharged.

4) At both ends of the side wall of the hood, an inclined portion or an arc-shaped portion is provided along the rotating direction of the rotating body, and at the outermost peripheral portion of the wall portion of the support means, an inclined portion or a rotating portion along the rotating direction of the rotating body is provided. By providing the arc-shaped portion, drainage of water droplets adhering to the side wall of the hood and the supporting means can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a drying apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a drying processing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a rotating body and a support means in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another form of the rotating body and the support means.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a main part of the drying processing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a wafer is held by a support means.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a cleaning processing system incorporating the drying processing apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

W Semiconductor wafer (object to be processed) 1 Servo motor (rotating means) 2 Rotating body 10a, 10b Cradle (supporting means) 11 Side wall 11a Drain hole 12 Hood 14 Support frame 14a Wall 15 Lower support 15a Grid hole (vent) 16 Rectifying plate 17 Dummy plate (shielding plate) 18 Holding part 18a Holding groove 19 First holding rod 19a Holding groove 20 Second holding rod 20a Holding groove 23 Elevating means 30 Processing container 30a Air intake 30c Exhaust port

Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-62-166524 (JP, A) JP-A-7-115082 (JP, A) JP-A-1-63134 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int .Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/304 651

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A drying process comprising: a rotating body that is rotated by a rotating means; and a supporting means for an object that is disposed above the rotating body and above the rotating body and that rotates with the rotating body. In the apparatus, the rotator is provided with a hood having a pair of side walls that linearly cover the sides of the support unit, and the support unit has a wall portion substantially parallel to the side wall and a radial direction of the rotator. Forming a tubular shape with an open vent ,
A plurality of holding grooves for holding both sides of the plurality of workpieces
A supporting frame having a holding portion for arranging a plurality of
A plurality of holding grooves to hold the position deviated from the lowermost end of the body
A lower support that is arranged in a line, and the lower support can be disengaged from the lower support.
A drying treatment apparatus characterized by being formed so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the support frame by means of steps . 2. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of workpiece support means at symmetrical positions with respect to the rotation center of the rotating body. 3. The drying processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a straightening plate parallel to both the side wall of the hood and the wall of the supporting means is disposed between the side wall of the hood and the wall of the supporting means. Drying processing equipment. 4. A rotating body that is rotated by the rotating means, and an object-to-be-processed supporting means that is disposed above the rotating body at a position above the rotating body and rotates together with the rotating body.
In drying apparatus comprising a processing chamber surrounding the rotary body and the support means, the said rotary body is provided with a hood having a pair of side walls covering the sides of the support means in a straight line, said supporting means, A wall having a wall substantially parallel to the side wall, and a vent having a vent opening in a radial direction of the rotating body ;
A plurality of holding grooves for holding both sides of the plurality of workpieces
A supporting frame having a holding portion for arranging a plurality of
A plurality of holding grooves to hold the position deviated from the lowermost end of the body
A lower support that is arranged in a line, and the lower support can be disengaged from the lower support.
It is formed so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the support frame by a step, and the processing container is provided with an air intake at a portion facing the rotation center of the rotating body, and a part of the side wall of the processing container, An exhaust port extending from a bottom portion to at least a height portion of the upper surface of the rotating body is provided. 5. The drying apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a plurality of processing object support means at symmetric positions with respect to the rotation center of the rotating body. 6. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a drain hole is provided in a portion of the side wall of the hood facing a rotation direction of the rotating body. Processing equipment. 7. The drying processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a shield guide plate that covers an exposed surface of the object to be processed supported by the support means is protruded from an end of the support means. A drying processing apparatus, comprising: 8. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inclined portion or an arc-shaped portion is provided at both ends of the side wall of the hood along a rotating direction of the rotating body, and the wall of the supporting means is provided. A slanted portion or an arc-shaped portion along the rotation direction of the rotating body is provided at an outermost peripheral portion of the portion.