JP4606294B2 - Wafer carrier and method of manufacturing semiconductor device using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wafer carrier used during wafer cleaning in the process of manufacturing a semiconductor device.

JP-A-6-37081

  2A and 2B are configuration diagrams of the conventional wafer drying apparatus described in Patent Document 1, wherein FIG. 2A is a plan view seen through from the top, and FIG. 2B is the same. It is sectional drawing of the part which follows the AA line in figure (a).

  This wafer drying apparatus is for drying off water droplets adhering to a cleaned wafer by centrifugal force, and has a fixed cylindrical main body container 1 and a turntable 2 provided therein. The main body container 1 is composed of a lid part 1a and a container part 1b. The bottom plate of the container part 1b forms an inclined surface, and a drain port 1c is provided at the lowest part. The turntable 2 is fixedly supported on the upper end of the rotary shaft 3 that passes through a hole provided in the center of the bottom plate of the container portion 1b.

A plurality of wafer carriers 4 are fixed on the turntable 2.
The wafer carrier 4 has a cradle 5 in which a plurality of grooves sandwiching the outer peripheral portion of the inserted wafer W are formed in order to hold the plurality of wafers W horizontally at a constant interval. The entrance of the cradle 5 is wide open so that the wafer W can be inserted, and the back is narrow so that the wafer W does not fall out. Furthermore, a stopper 6 made of a metal rod is attached to the center of the entrance of the wafer carrier 4 in order to prevent the wafer W from jumping out due to centrifugal force.

  In the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device, a plurality of wafers W that need to be cleaned are accommodated in the wafer carrier 4, fixed by the stopper 6 so as not to drop off, and then collectively cleaned with pure water or the like. .

  The cleaned wafer W is set on the turntable 2 of the wafer drying apparatus while being accommodated in the wafer carrier 4. At this time, the stopper 6 of the wafer carrier 4 is fixed to the turntable 2 so as to be outside (that is, a position where centrifugal force is applied).

  Thereafter, when the rotary shaft 3 is rotated at a high speed of 800 to 1200 rpm, water droplets adhering to the wafer W and the wafer carrier 4 jump out to the outside by centrifugal force, and the surface of the wafer W is dried.

  However, the wafer drying apparatus has the following problems. That is, when the rotating shaft 3 is rotated at a high speed, a centrifugal force is applied not only to water droplets attached to the wafer W but also to the wafer W itself. Therefore, the wafer W is pressed against the stopper 6 with a strong centrifugal force. Since the stopper 6 is made of a metal rod, the outer periphery of the wafer W and the stopper 6 come into contact with each other at a single point. There was a problem to do.

  In order to avoid such a problem, a metal leaf spring is used in place of the stopper 6 made of a metal rod, and there is a case where the contact area with the wafer W is increased to prevent chipping or cracking of the contact portion. However, when a leaf spring is used, water droplets blown off by centrifugal force are obstructed by the leaf spring and remain in the wafer carrier 4 and reattach to the dried wafer W, causing a watermark or the like. There was a thing.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a wafer carrier that can reliably remove water droplets without damaging the wafer during cleaning.

  The present invention is a wafer carrier for storing a plurality of wafers in order to separate and dry the water droplets adhering to the wafers by an apparatus using centrifugal force, and hold the plurality of wafers in parallel at a predetermined interval. A set of holding portions each having a plurality of grooves, a support portion that fixes and supports the one set of holding portions, and the wafer does not protrude from the holding portion when the centrifugal force is applied. The stopper has a stopper, and the stopper forms a contact portion with the wafer in a plate shape, and the elastic portion other than the contact portion has a plurality of holes formed in a lattice shape and has elasticity. It is characterized by comprising a metal plate.

  In the present invention, the stopper that locks the wafer so that it does not pop out when a centrifugal force is applied is formed of an elastic metal plate, and the contact portion with the wafer is formed in a plate shape. A plurality of holes are formed in a lattice shape in the elastic portion. As a result, the contact area between the wafer and the stopper is increased and the pressure applied to the wafer is dispersed, so that there is no possibility that the contact portion of the wafer will be chipped or cracked. Furthermore, since the elastic portion has a plurality of holes formed in a lattice shape, there is an effect that water droplets in the wafer carrier can be completely removed to the outside by centrifugal force.

  The holes in the elastic part of the stopper are formed with a square staggered pitch of approximately 2 mm in diameter and approximately 5 mm.

  The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become more fully apparent when the following description of the preferred embodiment is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are for explanation only, and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

  1A to 1D are configuration diagrams of a wafer carrier showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a top view, FIG. 1B is a front view, and FIG. A perspective view of the stopper and FIG. 4D are enlarged views of a portion A in FIG.

  The wafer carrier holds a plurality of wafers W in parallel at a predetermined interval when cleaning the wafers during the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the wafer carrier 10 is configured so that a plurality of wafers W can be inserted vertically from above, and the inserted wafers W are held in parallel at a constant interval. In order to achieve this, a pair of holding portions 11a and 11b in which a plurality of grooves sandwiching the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W are formed in the central portion. The holding portions 11a and 11b are connected so as to face each other at a predetermined interval by support portions 12a, 12b, and 12c that are fixed to substantially central portions at both ends thereof. Further, in order to lock the wafers W inserted into the grooves from the upper side of the holding portions 11a and 11b so as not to fall, the lower portions of the holding portions 11a and 11b are made of metal leaf spring type stoppers 13a and 13b, respectively. 13b is fixed.

  The stoppers 13a and 13b are formed by processing an elastic flat plate such as stainless steel. The stoppers 13a and 13b are composed of a contact portion C with the wafer W and an elastic portion S other than that, and the contact portion C remains plate-like, but a large number of holes are formed in the elastic portion S. ing.

  The holes vacated in the elastic portions S of the stoppers 13a and 13b have a diameter of about 2 mm as shown in FIG. 1D, for example, and are vacated in a grid pattern with a square staggered pitch of 5 mm. About 25%. The holding portions 11a and 11b and the support portions 12a and 12b other than the stoppers 13a and 13b of the wafer carrier are made of the same metal as the stoppers 13a and 13b.

This wafer carrier is used as follows.
The wafer carrier is installed so that the opening of the wafer carrier is on the upper side and the stoppers 13a and 13b are on the lower side, and the wafer W to be cleaned is inserted vertically along the grooves of the holding units 11a and 11b. Thereby, the lower side of the inserted wafer W comes into contact with the contact portion C of the stoppers 13a and 13b and is held at a predetermined position.

  The wafer carrier into which the wafer W has been inserted is transferred to the cleaning device as it is, and the wafer carrier is cleaned together with pure water or the like.

  The cleaned wafer W is transferred to the wafer drying apparatus while being inserted into the wafer carrier. Incidentally, the wafer drying apparatus is for drying off water droplets by centrifugal force, as in the case shown in FIG.

  The wafer carrier into which the wafer W is inserted is placed on the turntable of the wafer drying apparatus so that the wafer W is horizontal. Then, the wafer carrier stoppers 13a and 13b are fixed to the turntable so as to be outside (that is, a position to which a centrifugal force is applied).

  Thereafter, when the turntable is rotated at a high speed, water droplets adhering to the wafer W and the wafer carrier jump out to the outside by centrifugal force, and the surface of the wafer W is dried. At this time, a centrifugal force is also applied to the wafer W itself, and the wafer W is pressed against the stoppers 13a and 13b with a strong centrifugal force. However, since the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W is brought into surface contact with the contact surfaces C of the stoppers 13a and 13b and locked, the contact pressure is dispersed, and the contact portion of the wafer W is not damaged. On the other hand, some of the water droplets that have jumped to the outside collide with the elastic portions S of the stoppers 13a and 13b. However, since the water droplets jump to the outside through a large number of holes opened in the elastic portions S, water droplets remain in the wafer carrier. There is no.

  As described above, since the wafer carrier of this embodiment has a leaf spring type stopper having a large number of holes in a lattice shape, water droplets in the wafer carrier can be completely removed to the outside by centrifugal force. it can. In addition, the contact portion where the stopper comes into contact with the wafer remains in the form of a plate with no holes, so even if a strong centrifugal force is applied, there is no interference from the holes, and damage such as chipping or cracking occurs. There is no risk of occurrence.

  Furthermore, since this wafer carrier can be used as it is during wafer cleaning and drying, it is not necessary to transfer the wafer from the cleaning carrier to the drying carrier after cleaning the wafer, simplifying the manufacturing process. There is an advantage that you can.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, A various deformation | transformation is possible. Examples of this modification include the following.
(1) The shapes and structures of the holding portions 11a and 11b and the support portions 12a and 12b other than the stoppers 13a and 13b are not limited to those illustrated, and conventional ones can be used.
(2) The material of the holding portions 11a and 11b and the support portions 12a and 12b is not limited to metal, and plastic or the like can be used.
(3) The holes provided in the elastic portions S of the stoppers 13a and 13b are an example, and the size and arrangement of the holes are arbitrary.

It is a block diagram of the wafer carrier which shows the Example of this invention. It is a block diagram of the conventional wafer drying apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

11a, 11b Holding part 12a-12c Support part 13a, 13b Stopper C Contact part S Elastic part W Wafer

Claims (3)

A wafer carrier for accommodating a plurality of wafers in order to separate and dry the water droplets adhering to the wafer by a device using centrifugal force,
When a set of holding portions having a plurality of grooves for holding the plurality of wafers in parallel at a predetermined interval, a supporting portion for fixing and supporting the one set of holding portions, and the centrifugal force are applied. A stopper for locking the wafer so that it does not jump out of the holding portion,
The stopper includes a resilient metal plate in which a contact portion with the wafer is formed in a plate shape, and a plurality of holes are formed in a lattice shape in an elastic portion other than the contact portion. Wafer carrier.   2. The wafer carrier according to claim 1, wherein the holes formed in the elastic portion of the stopper have a diameter of about 2 mm and a square staggered pitch of about 5 mm. During wafer cleaning in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices,
A set of holding portions having a plurality of grooves for holding a plurality of wafers in parallel at a predetermined interval; a support portion for fixing and supporting the one set of holding portions; and when a centrifugal force is applied, The stopper has a stopper for preventing the wafer from jumping out from the holding portion, and the stopper has a plate-like contact portion with the wafer, and a plurality of holes are formed in the elastic portion other than the contact portion. A process of holding a wafer to be cleaned using a wafer carrier made of a resilient metal plate vacated in a shape;
Cleaning the wafer to be cleaned together with the wafer carrier;
A drying device that uses centrifugal force, and a process of separating the washing was adhered wafers ended the wafer is mounted by the wafer carrier water droplets,
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, which is performed sequentially.

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