JP6910148B2 - Wafer cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wafer cleaning device.

Waviness is formed on the surface of the wafer cut out from an ingot such as silicon and sliced. In order to remove the waviness, a tape is attached to the surface of the wafer via a liquid resin as a protective member (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, the surface shape of the wafer is transferred to the liquid resin, and the waviness is removed by grinding the opposite surface of the wafer after curing the liquid resin. After grinding, the cured resin and tape (protective member) are peeled off from the wafer.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-167546

By the way, when the protective member is peeled off from the wafer, the protective member may be left unpeeled (particularly the resin after curing) on the outer peripheral edge of the wafer. The resin remaining after peeling not only affects the subsequent process, but can also be a factor in causing a poor thickness of the ground wafer.

The present invention has been made in view of this point, and one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a wafer cleaning device capable of cleaning the outer peripheral edge of the wafer to prevent the occurrence of poor thickness of the wafer.

The waiha cleaning device according to one aspect of the present invention is a waha cleaning device that cleans the outer peripheral edge of the waiha, and is a table having a holding surface that protrudes the outer peripheral portion of the waha and holds the center, and rotates around the center of the table. The cleaning means includes a table rotating means for causing the table to be rotated, a cleaning means for cleaning the outer peripheral edge of the wafer protruding from the table, and a moving means for moving the table and the cleaning means in a direction of relatively approaching and separating from each other. A cleaning chamber that accommodates a part of the outer peripheral edge of the wain, an insertion port that inserts a part of the outer peripheral edge of the waiha into the cleaning chamber, a cleaning member that contacts the outer peripheral edge of the waiha inserted from the insertion port, and a cleaning member that rotates. The rotating means for causing the cleaning member and the cleaning water nozzle for supplying cleaning water to the cleaning member, and the air for injecting air from the insertion port toward the upper surface and the lower surface of the cleaning chamber to partition the cleaning chamber between the inside and the outside. The waiha is provided with a curtain, a drain port for draining the washing water after washing the waiha, and an exhaust port for exhausting the air used for the air curtain. The cleaning member is brought into contact with the outer peripheral edge of the cleaning member, the cleaning member is rotated, the table is rotated, and the outer peripheral edge of the wafer is cleaned.

According to this configuration, the outer peripheral edge of the wafer can be cleaned by rotating the table and the cleaning member in a state where the cleaning member is in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the wafer in the cleaning chamber. At this time, since the cleaning water is supplied to the cleaning means and the wafer, the cleaning effect of the wafer is enhanced. In addition, since the cleaning chamber is partitioned by an air curtain during cleaning, even if the cleaning water is supplied to the wafer in the cleaning chamber, the cleaning water does not scatter directly from the insertion port to the outside of the cleaning chamber from the drain port. It is possible to discharge. As described above, even when dust adheres to the outer peripheral edge of the wafer, the outer peripheral edge of the wafer can be cleaned to prevent the occurrence of poor thickness of the wafer.

Further, in the wafer cleaning device according to one aspect of the present invention, the table cleans the wafer by tilting the portion where the outer peripheral edge of the wafer is inserted into the cleaning chamber low.

Further, in the wafer cleaning device according to one aspect of the present invention, the outer peripheral edge of the wafer is provided with a chamfered portion, and the cleaning member includes an upper cleaning member for cleaning the upper side of the chamfered portion connected to the upper surface of the wafer and the wafer. A lower cleaning member for cleaning the lower side of the chamfered portion connected to the lower surface of the surface is provided.

Further, in the above-mentioned waiha cleaning device according to one aspect of the present invention, the contact surface of the cleaning member in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the waha can be detected from the insertion port, and the detection light that crosses both ends of the insertion port is projected. A transmissive sensor equipped with a light unit and a light receiving unit that receives the detection light, and the cleaning means are moved in a direction approaching the table by the moving means, and the amount of movement of the cleaning means when the detection light is blocked is preset. It is provided with a determination unit for determining that the cleaning member is worn out when the value becomes larger than the set value.

Further, in the above-mentioned waiha cleaning device according to one aspect of the present invention, the contact surface of the cleaning member in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the waha can be detected from the insertion port, and the detection light that crosses both ends of the insertion port is projected. A transmissive sensor having a light unit and a light receiving unit that receives the detection light, and the detection light is shielded by the cleaning member, and when the amount of light received by the light receiving unit becomes larger than a preset set value, the cleaning member It is provided with a judgment unit for determining that the light is exhausted.

According to the present invention, it is possible to clean the outer peripheral edge of the wafer to prevent the occurrence of poor thickness of the wafer.

It is a side schematic of the grinding apparatus to which the wafer cleaning apparatus which concerns on this embodiment is applied. FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of the wafer cleaning device shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the direction of arrow A. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the wafer cleaning device shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the direction of arrow B. It is operation explanatory drawing of the wafer cleaning apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure which detects the wear | wear of the cleaning member in the wafer cleaning apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the wafer cleaning apparatus which concerns on a modification.

Hereinafter, the grinding apparatus to which the wafer cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment is applied will be described with reference to the attached drawings. First, the apparatus configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a grinding device to which the wafer cleaning device according to the present embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the wafer cleaning device shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the direction of arrow A. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the wafer cleaning device shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the direction of arrow B. Note that, in FIGS. 2 and 3, for convenience of explanation, some of the parts constituting the wafer cleaning device are omitted. Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the wafer cleaning device is applied to the grinding device will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The wafer cleaning device may be applied to other processing devices such as a cutting device, or the wafer cleaning device may be configured independently.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the grinding apparatus according to the present embodiment, after grinding the surface of the wafer W, the wafer W is conveyed to the wafer cleaning apparatus 2 by the conveying means 1, and the wafer cleaning apparatus 2 conveys the wafer W. It is configured to clean the outer periphery. The wafer W to be processed is, for example, an as-slice wafer before the device pattern is formed, and is formed by slicing a columnar ingot with a wire saw. Further, an R-shaped chamfered portion C is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W. Although the details will be described later, the upper side of the chamfered portion C connected to the upper surface of the wafer W is referred to as the upper side chamfered portion C1, and the lower side of the chamfered portion C connected to the lower surface of the wafer W is referred to as the lower side chamfered portion C2.

The wafer W is not limited to workpieces such as silicon, gallium hiso, and silicon carbide. For example, ceramic, glass, sapphire-based inorganic material substrates, ductile materials of plate-like metals and resins, and various processed materials that require micron-order to submicron-order flatness (TTV: Total Thickness Variation) can be used as wafer W. good. The flatness referred to here means, for example, the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the heights measured in the thickness direction with the surface to be ground of the wafer W as a reference surface.

In addition, undulations are formed on the surface of the wafer W sliced from the ingot. In the present embodiment, the waviness formed on the surface of the wafer W has been removed in advance by grinding, and a configuration in which the subsequent steps are carried out will be mainly described.

The transport means 1 is configured to hold the upper surface of the wafer W after grinding and transport (carry in) it to the wafer cleaning device 2. Specifically, the transport means 1 is a porous chuck that can suck and hold the wafer W and move it to an arbitrary position, and a holding surface 10 made of a porous material such as ceramics is formed on the lower surface of a disk-shaped frame. It is formed. The negative pressure generated on the holding surface 10 makes it possible to suck and hold the wafer W.

The wafer cleaning device 2 is configured to clean the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W after grinding. Specifically, the wafer cleaning device 2 moves the table 3 that sucks and holds the wafer W to the cleaning means 4, and cleans the wafer W by the cleaning means 4.

The table 3 is composed of a porous chuck that sucks and holds the center of the lower surface of the wafer W. The table 3 has a holding surface 30 made of a porous material such as ceramics on the upper surface of a disk-shaped frame smaller than the outer diameter of the wafer W. The negative pressure generated on the holding surface 30 makes it possible to suck and hold the wafer W. When the wafer W is transported to the table 3 by the transport means 1, the table 3 sucks and holds the center of the lower surface of the wafer W so that the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W protrudes from the outer circumference of the table 3.

A table rotating means 6 composed of a motor or the like is provided on a base 5 that supports the lower part of the table 3. The table rotating means 6 rotates and drives the table 3 around the center of the table 3. Further, the lower end of the base 5 is rotatably supported by the moving portion 80 of the moving means 8 described later.

The rotation shaft 5a of the base 5 extends horizontally from the front side to the back side of the paper surface. The base 5 and the table 3 are configured to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 5a by a drive mechanism (not shown). Thereby, the holding surface 30 of the table 3 can be tilted (adjusted) at an arbitrary angle. That is, the rotation shaft 5a and the drive mechanism (not shown) constitute the tilting means 7 for tilting the holding surface 30 of the table 3. In the state shown in FIG. 1, the angle of the table 3 is adjusted so that the holding surface 30 is horizontal.

Further, below the table 3, a moving means 8 for moving the table 3 in a direction relatively close to and separated from the cleaning means 4 is provided. Specifically, the moving means 8 is composed of a motor-driven guide actuator that moves the moving portion 80 that supports the table 3 and the base 5 along the guide rail 81. The guide rail 81 extends so as to incline downward from one end side (left side of the paper surface in FIG. 1) to the other end side (right side of the paper surface in FIG. 1). The moving means 8 is not limited to the motor-driven guide actuator, and may be composed of, for example, an air-driven guide cylinder.

A cleaning means 4 is provided on the other end side of the guide rail 81. The cleaning means 4 is configured to clean the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W protruding from the table 3. Specifically, the cleaning means 4 includes a housing portion 40 forming the cleaning chamber S of the wafer W and a cleaning member 41 provided in the cleaning chamber S. The housing portion 40 has a hollow cylindrical shape, and its axial direction is tilted corresponding to the tilt angle of the guide rail 81. Specifically, the axial direction of the housing portion 40 is tilted so as to be perpendicular to the extending direction of the guide rail 81. The housing portion 40 is not limited to the hollow cylindrical shape, and can be appropriately changed. Since the housing portion 40 may be provided with the cleaning chamber S, it may have a hollow quadrangular prism shape, for example.

An arcuate slit 40a (insertion port) into which a part of the wafer W can be inserted is formed on the side surface of the housing portion 40. The width of the slit 40a is set to be slightly larger than the thickness of the wafer W. By inserting a part of the wafer W into the slit 40a, a part of the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W is housed in the cleaning chamber S. That is, the cleaning means 4 cleans the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W inserted through the slit 40a in the cleaning chamber S. For convenience of explanation, the wafer W housed in the washing chamber S is indicated by a chain double-dashed line.

Further, the housing portion 40 is provided with an exhaust port 40b for discharging (exhausting) the air in the cleaning chamber S to the outside and a drain port 40c for discharging (draining) the water in the cleaning chamber S. The exhaust port 40b is formed on the upper surface of the housing portion 40 and communicates the cleaning chamber S with the external space. The drain port 40c is formed at the lowermost end of the lower surface of the inclined housing portion 40, and communicates the cleaning chamber S with the external space. The exhaust port 40b does not necessarily have to be provided. Instead of not providing the exhaust port 40b, for example, a drainage port 40c having a relatively large diameter may be formed, and both drainage and exhaust may be performed at the drainage port 40c.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in the cleaning chamber S, a pair of cleaning members 41 that come into contact with the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W to clean the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W, and the cleaning member 41 and the wafer W are provided. A pair of cleaning water nozzles 42 that supply (inject) cleaning water toward the outer peripheral edge, and an air curtain 43 that closes the slit 40a with a layer of air are provided.

The cleaning member 41 is formed of a columnar sponge (roll sponge) having a cushioning property. Further, the cleaning member 41 is provided at the tip of the shaft 45 of the motor 44 as a rotating means for rotating the cleaning member 41. The axial direction of the cleaning member 41 and the axial direction of the motor 44 are the same. As a result, the cleaning member 41 can rotate around the shaft 45 of the motor 44.

Further, as described above, two cleaning members 41 are provided, and the axial directions of the other cleaning member 41b intersect with one cleaning member 41a in a side view and a top view. Further, the side surfaces (cylindrical surface) of the cleaning members 41a and b are arranged so as to overlap the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W in the side view and the top view.

Further, in the side view shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the cleaning members 41a and 41b are arranged so as to intersect each other with respect to the extending direction of the wafer W. Further, in the top view shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning members a and b are arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction with respect to the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W. As a result, the side surfaces of the cleaning member 41 can be brought into contact with each other at two locations on the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W.

Although the details will be described later, one cleaning member 41a constitutes an upper cleaning member for cleaning the upper side surface removing portion C1 of the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W, and the other cleaning member 41b constitutes the lower side surface removing portion of the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W. It constitutes a lower cleaning member for cleaning the portion C2. The arrangement relationship between the two cleaning members 41a and 41b is not limited to the above, and can be changed as appropriate.

The two cleaning water nozzles 42 are arranged so as to face each other so as to sandwich the wafer W housed in the cleaning chamber S at the top and bottom. Further, the tips of the cleaning water nozzles 42 are directed toward the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W and the side surface of the cleaning member 41. A washing water supply source (not shown) is connected to the washing water nozzle 42. As a result, it is possible to inject cleaning water from the tip of the cleaning water nozzle 42.

The air curtain 43 is configured by arranging two air injection nozzles 43a having an arc shape in a top view along the inner wall surface of the housing portion 40 in which the slit 40a is formed so as to face each other in the width direction of the slit 40a. As shown in FIG. 2, the arc length of each air injection nozzle 43a is a length that intersects (overlaps) with respect to both ends of the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W inserted into the slit 40a. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the two air injection nozzles 43a are arranged so as to sandwich the wafer W inserted into the slit 40a in the thickness direction. The injection port of the air injection nozzle 43a is directed to the upper surface or the lower surface of the wafer W, respectively. With a part of the wafer W inserted into the slit 40a, air is injected from each air injection nozzle 43a toward the upper surface and the lower surface of the wafer W, so that the slit 40a is blocked by the air layer and the cleaning chamber. The inside and outside of S are separated by air. It should be noted that the exhaust in the cleaning chamber S is carried out with the amount of exhaust that causes the inside of the cleaning chamber S to be in a negative pressure state even when the air is ejected from the air curtain 43. That is, the exhaust is performed with an exhaust amount equal to or larger than the amount of air ejected from the air curtain 43.

By the way, as described above, undulations are formed on the surface of the wafer W sliced from the ingot. In order to remove this waviness, a tape is attached to the surface of the wafer W as a protective member via a liquid resin. As a result, the surface shape of the wafer W is transferred to the liquid resin, and the waviness is removed by grinding the opposite surface of the wafer W after curing the liquid resin. After grinding, the cured resin and tape are peeled from the wafer W by a peeling device (not shown).

At this time, a part of the resin or the tape may not be completely peeled off and may remain on the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W. If the protective member is left unpeeled in this way, a part of the protective member is sandwiched between the holding table and the wafer when the wafer W is placed on the holding table in a subsequent grinding process, for example. Further, if the wafer W is pressed from the upper surface side by the grinding wheel, not only the lower surface of the wafer W is scratched, but also the finishing thickness of the wafer W may be affected.

Therefore, the present inventor assumes that when the protective member is peeled off from the wafer W from which the waviness has been removed, a peeling residue is generated on the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W, and the peeling residue is washed before proceeding to a subsequent step. I came up with the idea of removing it. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W after the protective member is peeled off is inserted into a predetermined cleaning chamber S, and the protective member remaining on the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W is inserted into the cleaning chamber S by a sponge or the like. The cleaning member 41 was used to scrape it off. As a result, the protective member can be removed in advance before proceeding to a later step (for example, a grinding step), and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of poor thickness of the wafer. Further, by closing the insertion port (slit 40a) of the cleaning chamber S with an air curtain, the water in the cleaning chamber S is not directly discharged to the outside from the insertion port, and the removed protective member becomes the wafer W. It is possible to prevent reattachment.

Next, the operation of the wafer cleaning device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4. FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory view of the wafer cleaning device according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the table 3 is positioned at the carry-in position on one end side (left side of the paper surface) of the guide rail 81. Further, the inclination of the table 3 is adjusted so that the holding surface 30 is horizontal. The transport means 1 carries the wafer W from which the protective member has been peeled off to the table 3. At this time, the wafer W is placed on the holding surface 30 so that the center coincides with the rotation center of the table 3, and is sucked and held.

The inclination of the table 3 is adjusted so that the holding surface 30 is parallel to the extending direction of the guide rail 81 (moving direction of the table 3) (the other end side (right side) of the table 3 is downward). Then, it is moved to the cleaning means 4 on the other end side (right side of the paper surface) by the moving means 8. As shown in FIG. 4, when the table 3 is positioned close to the cleaning means 4, a part of the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W is inserted into the cleaning chamber S through the slit 40a.

In the cleaning chamber S, the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W is pushed into the cleaning member 41, and the cleaning member 41 is slightly recessed. As a result, the upper side surface removing portion C1 of the wafer W is in contact with the side surface of the cleaning member 41a (upper cleaning member), and the lower side surface removing portion C2 of the wafer W is in contact with the side surface of the cleaning member 41b (lower cleaning member). It becomes.

When cleaning is performed, air is injected from the pair of air injection nozzles 43a toward the wafer W, so that an air layer is formed between the slit 40a and the wafer W, and the slit 40a is closed. The air used in the air curtain 43 can be exhausted from the exhaust port 40b.

Then, when the table 3 and the cleaning members 41a and b are rotated while injecting the cleaning water from the cleaning water nozzle 42 toward the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W and the cleaning members 41a and b, the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W is covered over the entire circumference. Can be washed. Specifically, the cleaning member 41a cleans the upper side surface removing portion C1, and the cleaning member 41b cleans the lower side surface removing portion C2. As a result, it is possible to appropriately remove (clean) dust such as protective members adhering to (residual) on the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the table 3 is rotated counterclockwise on the paper surface, the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W at a predetermined position is the end portion of the slit 40a on the front side (lower side of the paper surface) of the wafer W in the rotation direction. Enter the cleaning room S from. In the cleaning chamber S, the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W comes into contact with the cleaning member 41b and then with the cleaning member 41a. Then, the outer peripheral edge of the wafer passes through the air curtain 43 and exits from the end of the slit 40a on the back side (upper side of the paper surface) in the rotation direction of the wafer W to the outside of the cleaning chamber S.

On the outlet side of the slit 40a, the air of the air curtain 43 collides with the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W, so that the washing water or the like adhering to the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W is blown off. As a result, the reattachment of the dust removed by the cleaning members 41a and 41b is prevented. Further, the washing water adhering to the wafer W is blown off to dry the upper surface and the lower surface of the wafer W. In this way, the cleaning effect of the wafer W is enhanced by the air curtain 43.

Further, since the cleaning chamber S is tilted, the cleaning water after cleaning the wafer W flows down toward the bottom surface of the housing portion 40 by its own weight, and is discharged from the drain port which is the lowermost end of the housing portion 40. NS. In this way, by adopting a configuration in which the exhaust gas and the drainage gas are discharged through separate routes, the discharge properties of the air and the washing water are improved.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, a configuration for detecting wear of the cleaning member will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a configuration for detecting wear of a cleaning member in the wafer cleaning device according to the present embodiment. 5A is a schematic top view of the cleaning means corresponding to FIG. 2, and FIG. 5B is a schematic side view of the cleaning means corresponding to FIG. In FIG. 5, for convenience of explanation, a part of the existing configuration is omitted.

As described above, when the side surface of the cleaning member 41 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W and cleaning is repeated, the cleaning member 41 is consumed (weared). Therefore, the inventor of the present invention further conceived to detect the wear of the cleaning member 41 in advance. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the wafer cleaning device 2 (see FIG. 1) has a sensor 46 capable of detecting the contact surface (side surface) of the cleaning member 41 with respect to the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W, and the output of the sensor 46. A determination unit 47 for determining whether or not the cleaning member 41 is worn is provided based on the determination unit 47.

The sensor 46 is composed of a transmissive sensor including a light projecting unit 48 that emits detection light and a light receiving unit 49 that receives the detected light. As shown in FIG. 5A, the light emitting unit 48 and the light receiving unit 49 are provided on the outside of the housing unit 40. Specifically, the light emitting portion 48 and the light receiving portion 49 are arranged so as to face both end portions of the slit 40a formed on the side wall (cylindrical portion) of the housing portion 40. The light projecting unit 48 projects the detection light that crosses both ends of the slit 40a toward the light receiving unit 49. The location of the sensor 46 is not limited to this, and the sensor 46 may be provided at any position as long as the side surface of the cleaning member 41 can be detected. For example, the sensor 46 may be arranged in the cleaning chamber S.

The determination unit 47 is composed of a part of control means (not shown) that collectively controls each unit of the device, and is composed of a processor, a memory, and the like that execute various processes. The memory is composed of one or a plurality of storage media such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory) depending on the intended use. The determination unit 47 stores in advance a set value (threshold value) that serves as a reference for determining the consumption of the cleaning member 41 in the memory.

As shown in FIG. 5B, when the cleaning member 41 is exhausted due to repeated cleaning of the wafer W, the contact position of the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W with respect to the cleaning member 41 is slightly on the back side in the moving direction of the table 3 (lower right of the paper surface). It shifts. In this case, the moving means 8 moves the table 3 in the direction of approaching the cleaning means 4 by the amount of the deviation D. The determination unit 47 stores the movement amount of the table 3 at this time, and when the movement amount becomes larger than the preset value, it is determined that the cleaning member 41 has been consumed. In this case, the cleaning means 4 can urge the operator to replace the cleaning member 41 by notifying the wear of the cleaning member 41 by an alarm or the like.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the wafer W is formed by rotating the table 3 and the cleaning member 41 in a state where the cleaning member 41 is in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W in the cleaning chamber S. The outer periphery can be cleaned. At this time, since the cleaning water is supplied to the cleaning means 4 and the wafer W, the cleaning effect of the wafer W is enhanced. Further, since the cleaning chamber S is partitioned by the air curtain 43 during cleaning, even if the cleaning water is supplied to the wafer W in the cleaning chamber S, the cleaning water is directly discharged from the insertion port (slit 40a) in the cleaning chamber S. It is possible to discharge from the drain port 40c without scattering to the outside of the. As described above, even when dust adheres to the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W, the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W can be cleaned to prevent the occurrence of poor thickness of the wafer W. Further, by watching the contact surface of the cleaning member 41 with respect to the wafer W with the sensor 46, it is possible to recognize the wear of the cleaning member 41.

In the above embodiment, the cleaning means 4 is tilted and arranged, and the table 3 is tilted by the tilting means 7, but the configuration is not limited to this. The cleaning means 4 does not have to be tilted and arranged, and the tilting means 7 does not necessarily have to be provided. The configuration shown in FIG. 6 is also possible. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a wafer cleaning device according to a modified example. In the modified example, for convenience of explanation, the configuration having the same name as that of the present embodiment is indicated by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 6, a rotating shaft 5a of the tilting means 7 is provided on one end side of the guide rail 81, and the table 3 and the cleaning means 4 are configured to be integrally tiltable (see FIG. 6A). Also in this case, it is possible to improve the drainage property of the cleaning water by tilting the table 3 and the cleaning means 4 so that the cleaning means 4 side is downward when cleaning the wafer W (see FIG. 6B). be.

Further, in the above embodiment, the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W is cleaned by the two cleaning members 41a and 41b, but the configuration is not limited to this. As shown in the modified example of FIG. 6, the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W may be cleaned with a single cleaning member 41. In FIG. 6, the cleaning member 41 is arranged so that the axial direction is perpendicular to the surface direction of the wafer W. When the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W is pressed against the cleaning member 41, the upper side surface removing portion C1 and the lower side surface removing portion C2 of the wafer W can be brought into contact with the side surface of the cleaning member 41. Even in this case, it is possible to properly clean the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W.

Further, in the above embodiment, the determination unit 47 is configured to determine the wear of the cleaning member 41 from the amount of movement of the table 3, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, the sensor 46 (light emitting unit 48 and light receiving unit 49) is arranged so that the detected light is shielded by the cleaning member 41, and the determination unit 47 receives the detected light that changes according to the consumption of the cleaning member 41. The wear of the cleaning member 41 may be determined based on the above. In this case, the determination unit 47 can determine that the cleaning member 41 has been consumed when the amount of the detected light received by the light receiving unit 49 becomes larger than a preset value.

Further, in the above embodiment, the sensor 46 is composed of a transmissive sensor, but the present invention is not limited to this, and changes can be made as appropriate. Further, not limited to the sensor 46, for example, a scanner may recognize the side surface shape of the cleaning member 41, and the determination unit 47 may determine the wear of the cleaning member 41 based on the side surface shape.

Further, in the above embodiment, as the cleaning member 41, a sponge having a cushioning property has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The cleaning member 41 can be appropriately changed, for example, a brush, a cloth, a scrubbing brush, or the like.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W is cleaned after the protective member is peeled off has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention is applicable to those for cleaning the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W, and is also applicable to, for example, a configuration for cleaning the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W after edge trimming.

Moreover, although the present embodiment and the modified example have been described, as another embodiment of the present invention, the above-described embodiment and the modified example may be combined in whole or in part.

Further, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be variously modified, replaced, or modified without departing from the spirit of the technical idea of the present invention. Furthermore, if the technical idea of the present invention can be realized in another way by the advancement of technology or another technology derived from it, it may be carried out by using that method. Therefore, the scope of claims covers all embodiments that may be included within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

As described above, the present invention has the effect of cleaning the outer peripheral edge of the wafer to prevent the occurrence of poor thickness of the wafer, and in particular, cleaning the outer peripheral edge of the wafer after removing the waviness. It is useful for wafer cleaning equipment.

2 Wafer cleaning device 3 Table 30 Holding surface 4 Cleaning means 40a Slit (insertion port)
40b Exhaust port 40c Drain port 41 Cleaning member 41a Cleaning member (upper cleaning member)
41b Cleaning member (lower cleaning member)
42 Washing water nozzle 43 Air curtain 44 Motor (rotating means)
46 sensor (transmissive sensor)
47 Judgment part 48 Light emitting part 49 Light receiving part 6 Table rotating means 8 Moving means S Cleaning room W Wafer C Chamfering part C1 Upper side chamfering part (chamfering part)
C2 Lower side chamfer (chamfer)

Claims (4)

A wafer cleaning device that cleans the outer periphery of a wafer.
A table with a holding surface that sticks out the outer peripheral part of the wafer and holds the center,
A table rotating means for rotating the center of the table as an axis,
A cleaning means for cleaning the outer peripheral edge of the wafer protruding from the table, and
The table and the cleaning means are provided with a moving means for moving the table and the cleaning means in a direction of relatively approaching and separating from each other.
The cleaning means is
A cleaning room that houses a part of the outer periphery of the wafer,
An insertion port for inserting a part of the outer peripheral edge of the wafer into the washing chamber,
A cleaning member that comes into contact with the outer peripheral edge of the wafer inserted from the insertion port, and
A rotating means for rotating the cleaning member and
A cleaning water nozzle that supplies cleaning water to the cleaning member and the wafer, and
An air curtain that injects air toward the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer inserted from the insertion port to partition the wafer between the inside and the outside of the cleaning chamber.
A drainage port for draining the washing water after cleaning the wafer,
It is provided with an exhaust port for exhausting the air used for the air curtain.
The contact surface of the cleaning member in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the weight can be detected from the insertion port, and a light projecting unit that emits detection light that traverses both ends of the insertion port and a light receiving unit that receives the detection light. With a transmissive sensor equipped with
The table is moved in a direction approaching the cleaning means by the moving means, and when the moving amount of the table when the detection light is shielded becomes larger than a preset set value, it is determined that the cleaning member has been consumed. The table and the cleaning means are brought close to each other by the moving means, the cleaning member is brought into contact with the outer peripheral edge of the wafer held by the table, the cleaning member is rotated, and the table is rotated. , A waiha cleaning device that cleans the outer periphery of the waha. A wafer cleaning device that cleans the outer periphery of a wafer.
A table with a holding surface that sticks out the outer peripheral part of the wafer and holds the center,
A table rotating means for rotating the center of the table as an axis,
A cleaning means for cleaning the outer peripheral edge of the wafer protruding from the table, and
The table and the cleaning means are provided with a moving means for moving the table and the cleaning means in a direction of relatively approaching and separating from each other.
The cleaning means is
A cleaning room that houses a part of the outer periphery of the wafer,
An insertion port for inserting a part of the outer peripheral edge of the wafer into the washing chamber,
A cleaning member that comes into contact with the outer peripheral edge of the wafer inserted from the insertion port, and
A rotating means for rotating the cleaning member and
A cleaning water nozzle that supplies cleaning water to the cleaning member and the wafer, and
An air curtain that injects air toward the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer inserted from the insertion port to partition the wafer between the inside and the outside of the cleaning chamber.
A drainage port for draining the washing water after cleaning the wafer,
It is provided with an exhaust port for exhausting the air used for the air curtain.
The contact surface of the cleaning member in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the weight can be detected from the insertion port, and a light projecting unit that emits detection light that traverses both ends of the insertion port and a light receiving unit that receives the detection light. With a transmissive sensor equipped with
The detection light is shielded by the cleaning member, and includes a determination unit that determines that the cleaning member has been consumed when the amount of light received by the light receiving unit becomes larger than a preset set value.
The table and the cleaning means are brought close to each other by the moving means, the cleaning member is brought into contact with the outer peripheral edge of the wafer held by the table, the cleaning member is rotated, the table is rotated, and the outer peripheral edge of the wafer is cleaned. Wafer cleaning device. The wafer cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the table is used to clean the wafer by tilting the portion where the outer peripheral edge of the wafer is inserted into the cleaning chamber low. The outer peripheral edge of the wafer has a chamfered part,
The cleaning member is
An upper cleaning member that cleans the upper side of the chamfered part that is connected to the upper surface of the wafer,
The wafer cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a lower cleaning member for cleaning the lower side of the chamfered portion connected to the lower surface of the wafer.

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