JP3522912B2 - Cleaning treatment apparatus and control method therefor - 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 processing apparatus for cleaning an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer and a control method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A cleaning process in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device such as an LSI will be described as an example. Conventionally, in order to remove contamination such as particles, organic contaminants and metal impurities on the surface of a semiconductor wafer, Cleaning treatment equipment is used. Among them, the wet type cleaning treatment equipment can remove particles effectively and can perform batch treatment,
Widely used.

In this type of cleaning processing apparatus, a carrier, which stores a predetermined number of semiconductor wafers, for example, 25 semiconductor wafers, is carried into a loader section of the processing apparatus by a transfer robot to perform orientation flat alignment. After that, in the wafer holding unit, the housed semiconductor wafer is taken out of the carrier by the holding tool and placed in a transfer standby state. Then, the semiconductor wafer in the transfer standby state is
A transfer device having a gripping device called a wafer chuck transfers the wafer to a cleaning processing unit where various cleaning processes are performed, and a predetermined cleaning process is performed in the cleaning processing unit.

The cleaning processing section is equipped with SC1 cleaning, SC2 cleaning,
One or more cleaning units for performing various chemical cleaning such as HF cleaning are sequentially arranged, and each cleaning unit includes a chemical tank for chemical cleaning and a water cleaning tank for pure water cleaning. There is. The object to be processed, which has been transferred to a certain cleaning unit by the transfer device, is first cleaned with a chemical solution in a chemical solution tank, and then transferred to a water washing tank disposed downstream of the chemical solution tank. Then, in the water washing tank, the chemical liquid adhering to the surface of the semiconductor wafer is washed away with pure water and then transferred to a cleaning unit using another type of chemical liquid.
In this way, the semiconductor wafer that has undergone a series of cleaning processes is finally cleaned with pure water and then dried.
It is carried out of the processing apparatus via the unloader section.

[0005]

In the cleaning processing apparatus as described above, normally, all lots are sequentially cleaned by the cleaning units arranged in sequence according to a preset processing recipe. However, in the actual process, the same cleaning process may not be required for all lots. For example, if the Nth lot requires cleaning by the primary cleaning unit, but the N + 1th lot does not require cleaning by the primary cleaning unit and only requires cleaning by the secondary cleaning unit or less, In the conventional cleaning apparatus, the N + 1th lot is
Wait until the cleaning of the Nth lot by the primary cleaning unit is completed, and then the cleaning of the secondary cleaning unit is completed, and then the secondary cleaning unit performs cleaning only after the Nth lot is transferred to the tertiary cleaning unit. Since this is possible, a great amount of time was lost.

Further, for example, when the yield due to particles is reduced, it is necessary to identify the cleaning unit causing the trouble by the dummy wafer. In the conventional cleaning processing apparatus, the inspection is sequentially performed from the primary cleaning unit. It was necessary, and it took a lot of time to narrow down the trouble tank, which was a problem.

Furthermore, conventionally, a cleaning processing apparatus using a combination of certain cleaning units is inefficient because it is only possible to perform cleaning processing combining the cleaning units.
Therefore, there has been a demand for the construction of a cleaning processing apparatus that can perform various cleaning processes with a single apparatus and has a higher degree of freedom in design.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional cleaning processing apparatus, and improves the degree of freedom of lot transfer by the transfer apparatus so that a plurality of lots having different processing flows can be provided. It is possible to perform cleaning processing at the same time, and when trouble occurs, it is possible to easily and quickly identify the trouble tank, and it is also possible to perform various processes with one device. The present invention aims to provide a new and improved cleaning apparatus having a higher degree of freedom.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, a loader section for carrying in an object to be processed into the apparatus and an unloader section for carrying out the object to be processed outside the apparatus. And 1 or 2 or more chemical solution tanks for cleaning the object to be processed with the same kind of chemical solution, and 1 or 2 or more water washing tanks arranged downstream of the chemical solution tank for cleaning the object to be processed with pure water 1 Alternatively, two or more cleaning units are sequentially arranged between the loader section and the unloader section, and
Cleaning including one or more transfer devices for transferring the object to be processed between the loader section and the cleaning unit, and / or between adjacent cleaning units, and / or between the cleaning unit and the unloader section In the processing device, each of the above-mentioned transfer devices is placed in the specified chemical solution tank .
While the object to be processed is being processed,
And the object to be processed is located upstream of the chemical tank, cleaning apparatus, characterized in that it is composed as capable of transporting directly to a predetermined washing tank of the downstream skipping chemical bath which is the specific Will be provided. Further, according to the present invention, the object to be processed includes a loader section that is carried into the apparatus, and one or more chemical solution tanks for cleaning the object to be processed with the same kind of chemical solution are provided, and the chemical solution tanks are arranged downstream of the chemical solution tank. 1 or 2 comprising one or more water washing tanks for washing the object to be treated with pure water
One or two or more transfer devices that include a cleaning processing unit in which the above cleaning units are sequentially arranged and that transfer the object to be processed between the loader unit and the cleaning unit and / or between the adjacent cleaning units. in the cleaning apparatus having the respective conveying device, the chemical bath identified
While the object to be processed is being processed,
Cleaning the object to be processed, characterized in that it is composed as capable of transporting directly to a predetermined washing tank of the downstream skipping chemical bath in which the identified located upstream of the chemical bath which is A device is provided.

[0010] As the predetermined washing tank in which the processing object is transferred directly, downstream of the washing tank, i.e. the further mediation of the chemical tank of the cleaning unit downstream performing the respective cleaning units, so-called interface It is preferably a tank.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a loader section for carrying in the object to be processed into the apparatus and an unloader section for carrying out the object to be processed outside the apparatus, and the object to be processed is washed with the same kind of chemical solution. One or two or more cleaning units each including one or more chemical solution tanks and one or more water washing tanks disposed downstream of the chemical solution tanks and cleaning the object to be treated with pure water are provided with the loader section and the load unit. While being sequentially arranged between the unloader section and the loader section and the cleaning unit,
And / or a method for controlling a cleaning processing apparatus provided with one or more transfer devices for transferring the object to be processed between adjacent cleaning units and / or between the cleaning unit and the unloader unit. , Each of the transfer devices can be operated in a chemical liquid tank jump mode, and the chemical liquid tank jump mode is a step of specifying a chemical liquid tank to which the processing target object jumps, and a step in the specified chemical liquid tank.
While the processing of the object to be processed is performed , the step of directly transferring the object to be processed to a predetermined washing tank downstream of the chemical solution tank specified in the previous step by each of the transfer devices. A method for controlling a cleaning treatment apparatus is provided. Further, according to the present invention, the object to be processed includes a loader section that is carried into the apparatus, and one or more chemical solution tanks for cleaning the object to be processed with the same kind of chemical solution are provided, and the chemical solution tanks are arranged downstream of the chemical solution tank. One or two or more cleaning units including one or two or more water cleaning tanks for cleaning the object to be treated with pure water are sequentially arranged, and the cleaning is performed between the loader section and the cleaning units and / or adjacent to each other. A method of controlling a cleaning processing apparatus including one or more transfer devices for transferring the object to be processed between units, wherein each of the transfer devices can be operated in a chemical tank jump mode, and the chemical tank jump is performed. The mode is the step of specifying the chemical solution tank over which the object to be processed jumps, and the specified chemical solution tank.
While the treatment of the preceding object to be treated is being performed, by the respective conveying devices, the object to be treated is directly conveyed to a predetermined washing tank downstream of the chemical liquid tank specified in the previous step. A method for controlling a cleaning treatment apparatus is provided.

Also in this case, the predetermined rinsing tank to which the object to be treated is directly conveyed is an intermediate between the rinsing tank at the most downstream of each of the cleaning units, that is, the chemical liquid tank of the cleaning unit located further downstream. It is preferably a so-called interface tank .

According to the present invention, the object to be processed, which is located upstream of the specified chemical solution tank, is directly transported to the predetermined washing tank downstream of the specified chemical solution tank, for example, the interface tank by the transfer device. It is possible to Therefore, for example, while chemical solution cleaning is being performed in the chemical solution tank of the primary cleaning unit of the Nth lot, the N + 1th lot that does not require cleaning by the primary cleaning unit is skipped over the chemical solution tank of the primary cleaning unit. Since it can be directly transported to an interface tank downstream thereof and transferred to the chemical tank of the secondary cleaning unit via the interface tank, throughput can be improved.

Further, for example, when it is desired to identify a cleaning unit causing a trouble by a dummy wafer, in the conventional cleaning processing apparatus, it is necessary to sequentially inspect from the primary cleaning unit, and it takes a lot of time to narrow down the trouble tank. However, according to the present invention, during the inspection with the dummy wafer in the primary cleaning unit,
A dummy wafer can be sent to the secondary cleaning unit for inspection by overtaking the primary cleaning unit via the interface bath. Similarly, by sending a dummy wafer to the cleaning unit further downstream, it is possible to simultaneously perform inspections in a plurality of cleaning units, and thus it is possible to greatly reduce the time required to narrow down the trouble tank.

Further, according to the present invention, a cleaning processing apparatus is configured by arranging cleaning units of the most common divisor, and the overtaking operation based on the present invention is appropriately performed, so that one cleaning processing apparatus can perform plural operations. Since it is possible to perform the cleaning treatments of types, it is possible to construct a system having a high degree of freedom in design and having excellent cost performance without assembling a cleaning treatment apparatus according to the type of treatment.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, a cleaning treatment apparatus constructed according to the present invention and a control method thereof will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the entire cleaning processing apparatus 1 includes a loader section 100 for accommodating an object to be processed before cleaning, for example, a semiconductor wafer in carrier units, and a cleaning processing section 200 for cleaning the wafer. And an unloader unit 300 for carrying the cleaned wafer out of the apparatus in carrier units.

The loader section 100 includes a mounting section 110 for loading and mounting a carrier C containing a predetermined number, for example, 25 unwashed wafers, and a mounted carrier C.
Is mainly composed of a transfer device 120 for transferring the wafer to the holding parts 133 and 135 shown in an enlarged scale in FIG. 2 and a relay part 130 for taking out the wafer from the carrier C and transferring it to the wafer transfer device 140. . This placing part 110
As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of stations 112a, 112b, ..., 1 each of which has a hollow mounting table 111 and has an opening on the upper surface through which the lower part of the carrier C can be inserted.
12n are arranged in two rows. In addition, in the vicinity of each corner of each station 112, the carrier C
Locking portions 113 that can lock the upper edge corners are respectively provided.

Further, the loader section 100 includes a moving mechanism 11
5, the moving mechanism 115 can be freely driven in the vertical and horizontal directions by a driving mechanism (not shown), and the carrier C held by the clamp member 116 is moved to desired stations 112a, 112b, ..., 112n. It is possible to move up to. This moving mechanism 1
15 also includes an aligning device 117 for aligning the orientation flats of the wafers W stored in the carrier C, so that the orientation flats of the wafers W stored in the carrier C can be aligned.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the transfer device 120 is provided behind the loader section 100. The transfer device 120 includes a pair of arms 121 a and 121 b configured to be movable toward and away from each other and the arms 1 a and 121 b.
21a and 121b are horizontally directed, a Z base 123 for moving the lifter in the vertical direction (Z direction), and the Z base 123 itself is moved in the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the cleaning processing apparatus. And an X base 124 for moving the arms 121a, 1
21b with the upper side edges of the carrier C placed on the arms 121a, 121b.
It is configured so that it can be sandwiched and transferred to the relay section 130 shown in FIG.

The relay section 130, as shown in FIG.
The holding unit 1 fixed on the top plate 132 via the columns 131
33, and a holding portion 135 supported by a movable column 134 that is movable in the Y direction with respect to the top plate 132, respectively, connected in the Y direction. Each of these holding portions 13
Reference numerals 3 and 135 have a shape that allows them to pass through the lower opening of the carrier C. Further, a part of the peripheral edge of the wafer W is inserted into the upper surfaces of the holding portions 133 and 135, respectively, and they are erected substantially vertically. As described above, a predetermined number of arc-shaped holding grooves 136 are formed, for example, 25 corresponding to the number of wafers of the carrier C stored. And the above-mentioned support pillar 1
31 and four locking members 137 for locking the corners of the lower end of the carrier C are provided on the top plate 132 near the bases of the movable column 134.

Then, the wafer transfer device 140 for holding the wafers W held by the holding parts 133 and 135 in a lump and transferring them to the cleaning processing part 200.
Are configured as shown in FIG. That is, the wafer transfer device 140 includes, for example, a pair of left and right gripping members 141a and 141 for collectively gripping 50 wafers.
The wafer chuck 142 configured by b, the support body 143 that supports the wafer chuck 142, and the support body 143 are moved up and down in the vertical direction (Z direction).
A drive mechanism 144 that moves in the front-back direction (Y direction),
This drive mechanism 144 is connected to the longitudinal direction (X
And a transfer base 145 (see FIG. 2) for moving along the direction.

The holding members 141a and 141b of the wafer chuck 142 are symmetrical with each other.
The rotation shafts 146a and 146b are rotatably supported by the support body 143, and can be opened and closed.
Further, the upper ends of the gripping members 141a and 141b made of aluminum are fixed to the rotating shafts 146a and 146b, and between the lower ends of the gripping members 141a and 141b, the upper and lower quartz gripping members are made. Bars 147a, 147b, 1
48a and 148b are passed in parallel. On the surface of each of the gripping rods 147a, 147b, 148a, 148b,
For example, 50 holding grooves 149 into which the peripheral portion of the wafer W is inserted are formed. Then, each gripping member 141a,
By rotating the rotary shafts 146a and 146b, the 141b has gripping bars 147a, 147b, 148a,
The wafer W is gripped at 148b and can be transferred to a desired position in the vertical direction (Z direction) and the longitudinal direction (X direction).

The transporting device 140 includes cleaning units 201a, 201b, ..., 201n, which will be described later.
Is installed corresponding to the above, and by moving the transfer base 145, a lot consisting of a predetermined number of wafers can be transferred.
For example, the wafer transfer device 140a is used to load the loader unit 100.
And the primary cleaning unit 201a of the cleaning processing unit 200
, Between the primary cleaning unit 201a and the secondary cleaning unit 201b, or between the primary cleaning unit and the secondary cleaning unit by the wafer transfer device 104b, or by the wafer transfer device 140n. Wafers can be transferred in lot units between the cleaning tanks 140n and between the nth cleaning unit 201n and the unloader unit 300. Then, via a secondary washing tank (interface tank) 204 described later,
Wafers are transferred between the adjacent cleaning units 140, and a predetermined chemical solution tank 202 or water cleaning tank 2 is used.
Wafer holders 21 to be described later, which are provided in 04 and 205.
2 (see FIG. 4) so that the wafer can be transferred.

Next, the cleaning processing section 200 will be described. In the cleaning processing section 200, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of cleaning units 201a, 201b, ..., 201n are sequentially arranged from a primary cleaning unit to an n-th cleaning unit. Is configured. Each cleaning unit 201 is composed of, for example, a chemical solution tank 202, a primary water cleaning tank 203, and a secondary water cleaning tank 204. After chemical solution cleaning in the chemical solution tank 202, pure water is applied to the wafer W in the primary water cleaning tank 203 and the secondary water cleaning tank 204. After cleaning the attached chemical liquid, the wafer transfer device 140 described above can transfer the chemical liquid to a cleaning unit further downstream. Further, at the most downstream side of the cleaning processing unit 200, a final water cleaning tank 205 for performing final cleaning with pure water and a drying processing tank 206 for drying the cleaned wafers with, for example, IPA (isopropyl alcohol). Are sequentially arranged so that a series of cleaning processes can be performed.

In each cleaning unit, a predetermined chemical solution is introduced and a chemical solution cleaning process is performed according to the type of contamination adhering to the wafer surface, such as organic impurities and metal impurities. For example, so-called SC1 cleaning can be performed with a mixed solution of ammonia water and hydrogen peroxide water with respect to organic matter contamination. In addition, the so-called H
It is possible to remove the natural oxide film and metal impurities by F cleaning. Further, by performing so-called SC2 cleaning with a mixed solution of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide, it is possible to grow a clean natural oxide film while removing metal impurities attached to bare silicon. And a typical cleaning method based on hydrogen peroxide, so-called RC
Speaking of A cleaning, SC1 cleaning → HF cleaning → SC2
It is possible to wash the wafer by sequentially performing the washing by the corresponding washing unit.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the structure of a typical processing tank that can be used in the cleaning apparatus constructed according to the present invention will be described by taking the SC1 cleaning tank 210 as an example. To do. The basic structures of other types of chemical liquid tanks and water washing tanks are the same as those of the SC1 cleaning tank described here, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in the figure, the processing bath 210 is a box-shaped processing bath 211 for containing a SC1 cleaning chemical solution composed of a mixture of ammonia water and hydrogen peroxide solution heated to a high temperature, and the inside of the processing bath 211. And the wafer W is placed on, for example, 50
And a wafer holder 212 for holding the wafer vertically.
Further, a cleaning chemical supply port 214 is opened in the bottom portion 213 of the processing bath 211, and the cleaning liquid introduced into the bath through the supply port 214 is used for holding the holder 212 and the bottom portion 2.
It is uniformly supplied to the periphery of the wafer W via the rectifying means 220 interposed between the wafer W and the wafer 13 without generating a turbulent flow.

That is, the rectifying means 220 includes a rectifying plate 221 arranged horizontally so as to divide the processing tank 211 into upper and lower parts, and a diffusion plate 22 arranged above the supply port 214.
2 and. A large number of small holes 223 are bored in the rectifying plate 221, and the chemical liquid introduced from the supply port 214 first collides with the back surface of the diffusing plate 222, and the rectifying plate 221 moves from the periphery of the diffusing plate 222. The wafer W is diffused over the entire back surface, then passes through the small holes 223 of the rectifying plate 221, and is supplied to the periphery of the wafer W held by the wafer holder 212, so that the wafer W is uniformly flown without causing turbulence. Is configured so that the entire wafer W can be uniformly cleaned.

Further, the processing bath 210 receives the inner bath 215 in which the wafer holder 212 is housed and the wafer W can be immersed in the processing bath, and the processing bath overflowing from the upper end of the inner bath 215. A chemical solution circulation path 218 is connected between the supply port 214 provided at the bottom 213 of the inner tank 215 and the discharge port 217 provided at the bottom of the outer tank 216. It
A circulation pump P and a filter F are interposed in the chemical liquid circulation path 218 so that the chemical liquid overflowing from the outer tank 216 can be cleaned and circulated and supplied to the inner tank 215 again. ing.

Above the processing tank 210, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the wafer W is transferred between the wafer holder 212 and the wafer transfer device 140, the wafer confirmation and detection device 230 for detecting whether or not the wafer W is held securely.
Is provided. This wafer confirmation and detection device 230
For example, the processing bath 210 is composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element which are installed at corresponding positions on the opposite sides in the longitudinal direction, and is configured to be able to confirm whether or not the wafer W is held at an appropriate position. There is.

Furthermore, an openable lid 240 is inserted in the upper opening of the processing bath 210.
By closing 0, it is possible to prevent vaporization and diffusion of the processing liquid during processing, and also to prevent contaminants and dust from mixing into the processing tank 210 from the outside.

The cleaning processing section 200 is configured as described above, and further downstream of the cleaning processing section 200, the unloader section for carrying out the wafer W returned to the carrier C after completion of the cleaning processing to the outside of the apparatus. Although the unloader unit 300 is provided, the unloader unit 300 has the same basic configuration as the loader unit 100, and the processed wafer W is carried out of the apparatus by reversing the steps performed in the loader unit 100. To be done. Therefore, detailed description is omitted here.

The cleaning processing apparatus 1 to which this embodiment is applied is
The normal operation is described below. First, the carriers C1 and C2 each containing 25 unprocessed wafers W are transferred to a transfer robot (not shown).
Thus, the loading unit 110 of the loader unit 100 is placed at the loading position of the station 112.

The carrier C is moved by the moving mechanism 115.
While sequentially clamping C1 and C2 and aligning the orientation flat,
The station 112 is sequentially moved to the transfer position. The transfer device 12 is placed at the transfer position.
The arms 121a and 121b of the carrier C1 and C
The Z base 123 is moved in the X direction to the relay section 130 while holding the two simultaneously, and the holding section 13 of the relay section 130 is held.
3, 135 is moved upward in the Z direction, and carriers C1 and C
The wafer W in 2 is transferred onto the holders 133 and 135.
After that, the transferred wafers W are aligned by the orientation flat aligning unit provided with the aligning device 116, and a predetermined number of wafers W, for example, a row of wafers W, is set as one lot, and the subsequent cleaning process is awaited.

Subsequently, the primary wafer transfer device 1 shown in FIG.
40a moves to the relay unit 130, holds the wafers W aligned by the wafer chuck 142 shown in FIG. 3 in lot units, and conveys them to the SC1 cleaning tank 202a of the primary cleaning unit 201a. Processing tank 21 shown in
The processing solution in 0 is transferred to a holding unit 212 provided in advance in lot units. Then, after introducing a predetermined chemical solution into the processing bath 210 and performing a predetermined SC1 cleaning on the wafer W, the wafer W is taken out again by the wafer chuck 142 and transferred to the primary water washing bath 203a, where It is transferred to the holding part 212 provided in the cleaning tank 203, and primary cleaning with pure water is performed. Then, by the same method, the wafer W after cleaning with pure water is sent to the secondary water cleaning tank 204a (FIG. 1), and secondary cleaning with pure water is performed to completely clean the chemical liquid adhering to the wafer W. The secondary washing tank 204a is also referred to as an interface tank, and is located between adjacent cleaning units where cleaning is performed with another type of chemical solution, and has a function as a buffer for preventing mixing of both chemical solutions. According to the embodiment shown in the drawings, the wafer W that has undergone SC1 cleaning in the chemical solution tank 201a has undergone the primary water rinsing and then the subsequent secondary cleaning in the secondary water rinsing tank 204a which is the interface tank. Wait for HF cleaning in the unit 201b.

Then, the wafer W is taken out of the secondary washing tank 204a of the primary cleaning unit 201a by the secondary wafer transfer device 140b which is in charge of the secondary cleaning unit 201b, and the HF of the secondary cleaning unit 201b for HF cleaning is taken out.
It is transported to the chemical liquid tank 202b. After the predetermined chemical solution treatment, primary cleaning is performed in the primary water washing tank 203b, and further, in the secondary water washing tank 204b which is the interface tank, the emptying of the cleaning process of the subsequent process is waited. Hereinafter, similar steps are repeated to perform SC2 cleaning and other necessary cleaning processing. Next, the wafer W is sent to the final washing tank 205 by the n-th wafer transfer device 140n, where it is subjected to the final washing treatment with pure water, and then to the drying treatment tank 206, where it is subjected to vapor drying treatment with IPA. After that, it is carried out of the apparatus via the unloader unit 300.

The above is the normal processing flow of the cleaning processing apparatus 1 to which the present invention can be applied, and when all lots require the same cleaning processing, such processing is sequentially performed on successive lots. Is possible. However, when a different cleaning process is required for each lot, according to the present invention, it is possible to operate in an interlace mode, which will be described later, and the processing time can be greatly shortened.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10, the interlaced mode that can be implemented based on the present invention will be described. For example, the Nth lot is the nth cleaning unit 201.
(N) chemical solution tank 202 (n) requires cleaning, but the N + 1th lot that follows is the nth cleaning unit 2
Assuming that the cleaning process in 01 (n) is unnecessary, in the conventional cleaning process device, as shown in FIG. 6, while the Nth lot is performing the process in the chemical liquid tank 202 (n),
In the + 1st lot, in the secondary washing tank 204 (n-1) which is the interface tank on the upstream side, in the Nth lot, the chemical cleaning process in the chemical tank 202 (n) is completed, and the primary washing tank 203 (n) is further completed. After the first washing with water, the second washing tank 20
It is necessary to wait until it is secondarily rinsed at 4 (n) and then sent to the chemical solution tank 202 (n + 1) of the n + 1st order cleaning unit 201 (n + 1) by the subsequent n + 1st order wafer transfer device 140 (n + 1), and then only after that. Interface tank 204 (n) of the nth cleaning unit 201 (n)
It is possible to transport the Further, in the interface tank 204 (n), the Nth lot is n
Since it was necessary to wait until the cleaning in the + 1st cleaning unit 201 (n + 1) was completed, a large amount of time had to be wasted.

However, according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, the chemical liquid tank 20 of the n-th cleaning unit 201 (n) is used.
2 (n), during the cleaning process of the Nth lot wafer W, the N + 1th lot wafer W in the interface tank 204 (n-1) of the n-1st cleaning unit 201 (n-1) is As shown in FIG.
Take out by (n), jump over the Nth lot,
Interface tank 20 of the n-th cleaning unit 201 (n)
4 (n) can be transported. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, after returning the n-th order wafer transfer device 140 (n) to the original position, the n + 1th order wafer transfer device 140 (n +
According to 1), the N + 1-th lot cleaning unit 201 (n + 1) of the next process is performed prior to the N-th lot.
Can be sent to. Then, as shown in FIG.
The Nth lot, which has been cleaned in the chemical solution tank 202 (n), is stored in the chemical solution tank 20 as the nth wafer transfer device 140 (n).
After moving to above 2 (n), the wafer of the Nth lot, which has been processed, is loaded into the primary water washing tank 203 (n) and subjected to the primary water washing treatment with pure water. As shown in the figure, it is possible to carry the material to the secondary washing tank 204 (n) and to wait for the next step.

As can be seen from the series of operations described above, according to the present invention, the subsequent lot can overtake the preceding lot and perform the processing, if necessary. It is possible to make the end time much earlier.

In the above embodiment, the process of transporting the subsequent lot in the overtaking mode while the preceding lot is being processed in the preceding chemical liquid tank has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, according to the present invention, even if there is no preceding lot, it is possible to jump over an arbitrary chemical solution tank and convey the lot to a washing tank downstream of the chemical solution tank. Therefore, if a chemical solution tank that does not need to be processed is specified in advance, it is possible to continuously perform a cleaning process flow for skipping only the chemical solution tank. As a result, according to the present invention, by configuring the cleaning processing apparatus from cleaning units of the most common divisor, it is possible to implement the cleaning processing flow with any combination of cleaning units as necessary. ,
It is possible to construct a system with excellent cost performance capable of performing various cleaning processes with one cleaning processing device.

Furthermore, when a trouble occurs in the cleaning processing apparatus, in order to find out which cleaning processing unit is caused by the chemical solution tank, a dummy wafer for inspection is set in each cleaning processing unit by the overtaking mode. Since it can be selectively fed into the chemical liquid tank, the time required for narrowing down the trouble tank can be significantly shortened.

In the above embodiment, the structure in which the primary water washing tank and the secondary water washing tank are installed downstream of the chemical liquid tank has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to such a structure. For example, the present invention is also applicable to a combination of cleaning units in which only one washing tank is installed downstream of the chemical solution tank, and in this case, by using the washing tank as an interface tank, the present invention It is possible to carry in the overtaking mode based on the.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By the transfer device, it is possible to directly transfer the object to be treated located upstream of the specified chemical solution tank to the specified washing tank, for example, the interface tank, over the specified chemical solution tank. Therefore, during the processing of the preceding lot, the succeeding lot that does not require the processing can pass the preceding lot, so that the succeeding lot can be input and the throughput can be improved.

Further, for example, when it is desired to identify the cleaning unit causing the trouble by the dummy wafer, the dummy wafers can be sent to a plurality of cleaning units in the overtaking mode, so that the inspection can be performed at the same time. The time required for narrowing down the trouble tank can be greatly reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, a cleaning processing apparatus is configured by arranging cleaning units of the most common divisor, and by performing an overtaking operation based on the present invention, a plurality of cleaning processing apparatuses can be used. Since it is possible to perform the cleaning treatments of types, it is possible to construct a system having a high degree of freedom in design and having excellent cost performance without assembling a cleaning treatment apparatus according to the type of treatment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of a cleaning processing apparatus configured according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing an example of a loader section of the cleaning processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing an example of a wafer transfer device of the cleaning processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of a cleaning processing tank of the cleaning processing apparatus shown in FIG.

5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state of the cleaning treatment tank shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation in an overtaking mode executed according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation in an overtaking mode executed according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation in an overtaking mode executed according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation in an overtaking mode executed according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation in an overtaking mode executed according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Cleaning equipment 100 loader section 110 Placement section 130 Relay unit 140 Wafer transfer device 200 Cleaning unit 201 cleaning unit 202 chemical tank 203 Primary washing tank 204 Secondary washing tank (interface tank)

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A loader unit for loading an object to be processed into the apparatus, and an unloader section for transferring the object to be processed out of the apparatus. Between the loader section and the unloader section, there is provided one or more cleaning units each including a chemical solution tank and one or more water washing tanks disposed downstream of the chemical solution tank for cleaning the object to be treated with pure water. 1 or 2 or more for sequentially transporting the object to be processed between the loader section and the cleaning unit, and / or between adjacent cleaning units, and / or between the cleaning unit and the unloader section. In the cleaning processing apparatus including the transfer device, each of the transfer devices is an object to be processed in a specified chemical liquid tank .
While the process of being performed, the object to be processed is located upstream of the chemical bath, which is the specified, which can be directly conveyed to a predetermined washing tank of the downstream skipping chemical bath which is the specific A cleaning processing apparatus having the above structure. 2. A to-be-processed object is equipped with a loader part which is carried into the apparatus, one or more chemical solution tanks for cleaning the to-be-processed object with the same kind of chemical solution, and the object to be processed arranged downstream of the chemical solution tank. 1 or 2 or more cleaning units each including one or more water cleaning tanks for cleaning the water with pure water are sequentially arranged, and between the loader section and the cleaning units and / or between the adjacent cleaning units. In a cleaning processing device equipped with one or more transfer devices for transferring the object to be processed, each of the transfer devices is an object to be processed in a specified chemical liquid tank .
While the process of being performed, the object to be processed is located upstream of the chemical bath, which is the specified, which can be directly conveyed to a predetermined washing tank of the downstream skipping chemical bath which is the specific A cleaning processing apparatus having the above structure. 3. A loader unit in which an object to be processed is carried into the apparatus.
And an unloader section for discharging the object to be processed out of the apparatus.
Yes, wash one or more objects to be treated with the same chemical solution.
The chemical solution tank and the object to be processed which is arranged downstream of the chemical solution tank are purified water.
1 or 2 or more washing tanks to be washed by
Or two or more cleaning units are provided for the loader unit and the unloader.
The cleaning unit is sequentially arranged between the loader unit and the cleaning unit, and / or between the loader unit and the cleaning unit.
Between the cleaning units in contact with each other and / or the cleaning
Between the unit and the unloader unit
Cleaning treatment equipment equipped with one or more transport devices for transporting
A method of controlling the storage device , wherein each of the transfer devices can be operated in a chemical solution tank jump mode.
In the chemical liquid tank jumping mode, the step of specifying the chemical liquid tank over which the object to be processed jumps and the processing of the object to be processed preceding in the specified chemical liquid tank
While the process is being performed,
The physical body is specified in the downstream of the chemical bath specified in the previous process.
And a step of directly transferring it to the washing tank of
A method of controlling a cleaning treatment device. 4. A loader section in which an object to be processed is carried into the apparatus.
And one or more of cleaning the object to be treated with the same type of chemical solution.
The chemical solution tank and the object to be processed which is arranged downstream of the chemical solution tank are purified water.
1 or 2 or more washing tanks to be washed by
Or two or more cleaning units are sequentially arranged , and between the loader section and the cleaning unit and / or adjacent to each other.
Carry the object to be processed between the cleaning units in contact with each other.
Cleaning treatment device provided with one or more transport devices for sending
And a method for controlling each of the transfer devices , wherein each of the transfer devices can be operated in a chemical solution tank jump mode.
In the chemical liquid tank jumping mode, the step of specifying the chemical liquid tank over which the object to be processed jumps and the processing of the object to be processed preceding in the specified chemical liquid tank
While the process is being performed,
The physical body is specified in the downstream of the chemical bath specified in the previous process.
And a step of directly transferring it to the washing tank of
A method of controlling a cleaning treatment device.