JP7450385B2 - Cleaning equipment, polishing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaning device and a polishing device.

In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, various treatments such as film formation, etching, and polishing are performed on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. Before and after these various treatments, it is necessary to keep the surface of the substrate clean, so a cleaning process is performed on the substrate. For cleaning substrates, cleaning machines are widely used that hold the peripheral edge of the substrate with multiple rollers, rotate the substrate by driving the rollers, and press a cleaning member against the rotating substrate. There is.

Patent Document 1 discloses a roll washer using a roll-shaped sponge as a cleaning member. The cleaning machine of Patent Document 1 moves a cleaning member made of a roll-shaped sponge from a cleaning position where the wafer is cleaned to a retreat position outside the wafer by running (in parallel) along a guide rail extending in the X-axis direction. It has a drive mechanism to do this.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-238713

In the cleaning machine of Patent Document 1, a drive mechanism for moving the cleaning member from the cleaning position to the retracted position is provided inside the cleaning tank. Therefore, it is difficult to reduce the footprint of the cleaning tank.

In order to make the cleaning tank sufficiently narrow compared to the size of the wafer, the drive mechanism is placed outside the cleaning tank, and a large opening is installed in the side wall of the cleaning tank to allow the drive mechanism to travel from the cleaning position to the evacuation position. A possible configuration is that the opening is opened and closed by a shutter.

However, in such a configuration, if the chemical liquid is supplied while the shutter is open, there is a risk that the chemical liquid during wafer cleaning or scrub cleaning will scatter outside the tank, so the liquid supply system must be turned off when the shutter is open. It is necessary to bring the machine to a stopped state, resulting in time loss (OHT). In addition, even when the shutter is open and closed, there is some gap between the side wall of the cleaning tank and the shutter, so the chemical atmosphere leaks to the outside of the cleaning tank through this gap. There is a risk.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points. An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device and a polishing device in which a cleaning member can be moved from a retracted position to a cleaning position, in which the footprint of the cleaning tank can be reduced without forming a travel opening in the side wall of the cleaning tank. , to provide a polishing device.

The cleaning device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes:
a cleaning tank defining a cleaning space for cleaning wafers;
a wafer rotation mechanism that is disposed inside the cleaning tank and holds and rotates the wafer;
a cleaning member that contacts and cleans the surface of the wafer and is rotatable around a central axis extending in the lateral direction;
a swinging mechanism that swings the cleaning member around a swing axis located inside the cleaning tank to move it from a retracted position outside the wafer to a cleaning position directly above the wafer;
Equipped with
The length of the cleaning member is longer than the radius of the wafer,
The distance from the center of the cleaning member to the swing axis is smaller than the diameter of the wafer,
When the swing mechanism swings the cleaning member around the swing axis, the cleaning member passes directly above the center of the wafer.

According to this aspect, even if the cleaning member is a long member longer than the radius of the wafer, the distance from the center of the cleaning member to the swing axis is defined to be smaller than the diameter of the wafer, Since the cleaning member is moved from the retracted position to the cleaning position by swinging around the swing axis, it is easier to move the cleaning member from the cleaning position than when the cleaning member is moved (traveled) in a straight line from the retracted position to the cleaning position. The space required to move the cleaning member to the retracted position (the space through which the cleaning member passes) can be reduced. Further, since the swing axis is located inside the cleaning tank, there is no need to form an opening for travel in the side wall of the cleaning tank. Therefore, in a cleaning device that can move the cleaning member from the retracted position to the cleaning position, it is possible to reduce the footprint of the cleaning tank without forming a travel opening in the side wall of the cleaning tank. Furthermore, since there is no need to form a running opening in the side wall of the cleaning tank, leakage of the chemical atmosphere to the outside of the cleaning tank can be improved.

A cleaning device according to a second aspect of the present invention is a cleaning device according to the first aspect, comprising:
The swing axis is located away from an extension of the central axis of the cleaning member.

According to this aspect, since the swing axis is not on an extension of the central axis of the cleaning member, the distance from the center of the cleaning member to the swing axis can be reduced to less than half the length of the cleaning member. The space required to move the cleaning member from the cleaning position to the retracted position (the space through which the cleaning member passes) can be further reduced, and the footprint of the cleaning tank can be further reduced.

A cleaning device according to a third aspect of the present invention is a cleaning device according to the first or second aspect, comprising:
A swing angle when the swing mechanism moves the cleaning member from the retracted position to the cleaning position is smaller than 90°.

According to this aspect, compared to the case where the swinging mechanism moves the cleaning member from the retracted position to the cleaning position, the swinging angle is 90 degrees or more, the cleaning member is moved from the cleaning position to the retracted position. The space required for cleaning (the space through which the cleaning member passes) can be further reduced, and the footprint of the cleaning tank can be made smaller.

A cleaning device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a cleaning device according to any one of the first to third aspects, comprising:
a lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the cleaning member;
a load control mechanism that controls the load applied by the cleaning member to the surface of the wafer;
Furthermore, it is equipped with.

A cleaning device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is a cleaning device according to a fourth aspect, comprising:
The elevating mechanism is
a column extending in the vertical direction and provided to penetrate the wall surface of the cleaning tank;
an arm extending laterally from the pillar;
a driving means provided at an end of the column protruding outside the cleaning tank;
has
The swinging mechanism is provided at the tip of the arm,
The lifting mechanism moves the cleaning member and the swinging mechanism up and down together.

A cleaning device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a cleaning device according to the fifth aspect, comprising:
The arm portion extends laterally so as to straddle above or below the retracted position.

According to this aspect, when the cleaning member is located in the retracted position, the cleaning member is housed in the space below or above the arm, so that the internal space of the cleaning tank can be efficiently utilized. It becomes possible to further reduce the footprint of the cleaning tank.

A polishing apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention includes:
A polishing unit that polishes wafers;
a cleaning unit that cleans the wafer after polishing;
Equipped with
The cleaning unit is
a cleaning tank defining a cleaning space for cleaning wafers;
a wafer rotation mechanism that is disposed inside the cleaning tank and holds and rotates the wafer;
a cleaning member that contacts and cleans the surface of the wafer and is rotatable around a central axis extending in the lateral direction;
a swinging mechanism that swings the cleaning member around a swing axis located inside the cleaning tank to move it from a retracted position outside the wafer to a cleaning position directly above the wafer;
Equipped with
The length of the cleaning member is longer than the radius of the wafer,
The distance from the center of the cleaning member to the swing axis is smaller than the diameter of the wafer,
When the swing mechanism swings the cleaning member around the swing axis, the cleaning member passes directly above the center of the wafer.

According to this aspect, even if the cleaning member is a long member longer than the radius of the wafer, the distance from the center of the cleaning member to the swing axis is defined to be smaller than the diameter of the wafer, Since the cleaning member is moved from the retracted position to the cleaning position by swinging around the swing axis, it is easier to move the cleaning member from the cleaning position than when the cleaning member is moved (traveled) in a straight line from the retracted position to the cleaning position. The space required to move the cleaning member to the retracted position (the space through which the cleaning member passes) can be reduced. Further, since the swing axis is located inside the cleaning tank, there is no need to form an opening for travel in the side wall of the cleaning tank. Therefore, in a polishing apparatus equipped with a cleaning module that can move the cleaning member from the retracted position to the cleaning position, it is possible to reduce the footprint of the cleaning tank without forming a travel opening in the side wall of the cleaning tank. Become. Furthermore, since there is no need to form a running opening in the side wall of the cleaning tank, leakage of the chemical atmosphere to the outside of the cleaning tank can be improved.

A polishing device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is a polishing device according to the seventh aspect, comprising:
The swing axis is located away from an extension of the central axis of the cleaning member.

According to this aspect, since the swing axis is not on an extension of the central axis of the cleaning member, the distance from the center of the cleaning member to the swing axis can be reduced to less than half the length of the cleaning member. The space required to move the cleaning member from the cleaning position to the shelter position (the space through which the cleaning member passes) can be further reduced, and the footprint of the cleaning tank can be further reduced.

A polishing apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is a polishing apparatus according to the seventh or eighth aspect, comprising:
The swinging angle when the swinging mechanism moves the cleaning member from the retreat position to the cleaning position is smaller than 90°.

According to this aspect, compared to the case where the swinging mechanism moves the cleaning member from the retracted position to the cleaning position, the swinging angle is 90 degrees or more, the cleaning member is moved from the cleaning position to the retracted position. The space required for cleaning (the space through which the cleaning member passes) can be further reduced, and the footprint of the cleaning tank can be made smaller.

A polishing apparatus according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is a polishing apparatus according to any one of the seventh to ninth aspects, comprising:
a lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the cleaning member;
a load control mechanism that controls the load applied by the cleaning member to the surface of the wafer;
Furthermore, it is equipped with.

A polishing apparatus according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is a polishing apparatus according to the tenth aspect, comprising:
The elevating mechanism is
a column extending in the vertical direction and provided so as to penetrate the wall surface of the cleaning tank;
an arm extending laterally from the pillar;
a driving means provided at an end of the column protruding outside the housing;
has
The swinging mechanism is provided at the tip of the arm,
The lifting mechanism moves the cleaning member and the swinging mechanism up and down together.

A polishing apparatus according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is a polishing apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, comprising:
The arm portion extends laterally so as to straddle above or below the retracted position.

According to this aspect, when the cleaning member is located in the retracted position, the cleaning member is housed in the space below or above the arm, so that the internal space of the cleaning tank can be efficiently utilized. It becomes possible to further reduce the footprint of the cleaning tank.

According to the present invention, in a cleaning device and a polishing device in which a cleaning member can be moved from a retracted position to a cleaning position, the footprint of the cleaning tank can be reduced without forming a travel opening in the side wall of the cleaning tank.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the cleaning tank of the cleaning device according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the cleaning member is located at the retracted position. FIG. 3 is an internal plan view of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 2 when viewed from above. FIG. 4 is an internal perspective view of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 2 when viewed from the back side. FIG. 5 is an internal perspective view of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 2 when viewed from the left side. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the cleaning tank of the cleaning device according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the cleaning member is located at the cleaning position. FIG. 7 is an internal plan view of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 6 when viewed from above. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the cleaning tank of the cleaning device according to the embodiment, and shows the space required to move the cleaning member from the cleaning position to the retreat position (space through which the cleaning member passes). FIG. FIG. 9 is an internal plan view of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 8 when viewed from above. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the cleaning tank of the cleaning device according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the second cleaning means is located at the cleaning position. FIG. 11 is an internal plan view of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 10 when viewed from above.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that in the following explanation and the drawings used in the following explanation, the same reference numerals are used for parts that can be configured the same, and overlapping explanations are omitted.

<Substrate processing equipment>
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus (also referred to as a polishing apparatus) 1 according to an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a substantially rectangular housing 10 and a load port 12 on which a substrate cassette (not shown) for stocking a plurality of wafers W (see FIG. 2, etc.) is placed. ,have. Load port 12 is located adjacent to housing 10 . The load port 12 can be loaded with an open cassette, a SMIF (Standard Manufacturing Interface) pod, or a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod). SMIF pods and FOUPs are airtight containers that house substrate cassettes inside and can maintain an environment independent of the external space by covering them with partition walls. Examples of the wafer W include a semiconductor wafer.

Inside the housing 10, there are a plurality of (four in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1) polishing units 14a to 14d, a first cleaning unit 16a and a second cleaning unit 16b that clean the wafer W after polishing, and a A drying unit 20 for drying the wafer W is housed therein. The polishing units 14a to 14d are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the housing 10, and the cleaning units 16a, 16b and the drying unit 20 are also arranged along the longitudinal direction of the housing 10.

A first transfer robot 22 is arranged in an area surrounded by the load port 12, the polishing unit 14a located on the load port 12 side, and the drying unit 20. Furthermore, a transport unit 24 is arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 between the area where the polishing units 14a to 14d are arranged and the area where the cleaning units 16a, 16b and drying unit 20 are arranged. There is. The first transfer robot 22 receives the wafer W before polishing from the load port 12 and delivers it to the transfer unit 24, or receives the wafer W after drying taken out from the drying unit 20 from the transfer unit 24.

A second transfer robot 26 that transfers the wafer W between the first cleaning unit 16a and the second cleaning unit 16b is arranged between the first cleaning unit 16a and the second cleaning unit 16b. Further, a third transfer robot 28 is arranged between the second cleaning unit 16b and the drying unit 20, and transfers the wafer W between the second cleaning unit 16b and the drying unit 20.

Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is provided with a control device 30 that controls the movement of each of the devices 14a to 14d, 16a, 16b, 22, 24, 26, and 28. As the control device 30, for example, a programmable logic controller (PLC) is used. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the control device 30 is disposed inside the housing 10, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the control device 30 may be disposed outside the housing 10.

The first cleaning unit 16a and/or the second cleaning unit 16b brings a horizontally extending roll cleaning member into contact with the surface of the wafer W in the presence of a cleaning liquid, and cleans the surface of the wafer W while rotating the roll cleaning member. A roll cleaning device for scrub cleaning (cleaning device 16 according to an embodiment described below) may be used, or a cylindrical pencil cleaning member extending in the vertical direction may be brought into contact with the surface of the wafer W in the presence of a cleaning liquid. A pencil cleaning device (not shown) may be used that scrubs the surface of the wafer W by moving the pencil cleaning member in one direction parallel to the surface of the wafer W while rotating it. Below, a buffing and polishing member having a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction is brought into contact with the surface of the wafer W, and the buffing and polishing member is rotated and moved in one direction parallel to the surface of the wafer W. A buff cleaning and polishing device (not shown) that scrubs and polishes the surface of the wafer W may be used, or a two-fluid jet cleaning device (not shown) that cleans the surface of the wafer W with a two-fluid jet may be used. Further, as the first cleaning unit 16a and/or the second cleaning unit 16b, any two or more of these roll cleaning devices, pencil cleaning devices, buffing cleaning devices, and two-fluid jet cleaning devices are used in combination. Good too.

The cleaning solution includes a rinse solution such as pure water (DIW) and a chemical solution such as ammonia hydrogen peroxide (SC1), hydrochloric acid hydrogen peroxide (SC2), sulfuric acid hydrogen peroxide (SPM), sulfuric acid with water, and hydrofluoric acid. It will be done. In this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, the cleaning liquid means either a rinsing liquid or a chemical solution.

The drying unit 20 dries the wafer W by jetting isopropyl alcohol (IPA) vapor toward the rotating wafer W from a jet nozzle that moves in one direction parallel to the surface of the wafer W, and further dries the wafer W at high speed. A spin drying device that dries the wafer W by centrifugal force by rotating the wafer W may be used.

<Cleaning device>
Next, a cleaning device 16 according to an embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the cleaning tank 41 of the cleaning device 16, showing a state in which the cleaning member 43 is located at the retracted position. FIG. 3 is an internal plan view of the cleaning device 16 shown in FIG. 2 when viewed from above. FIG. 4 is an internal perspective view of the cleaning device 16 shown in FIG. 2 when viewed from the back side. FIG. 5 is an internal perspective view of the cleaning device 16 shown in FIG. 2 when viewed from the left side.

The cleaning apparatus 16 according to this embodiment can be used as the first cleaning unit 16a and/or the second cleaning unit 16b in the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the cleaning device 16 includes a cleaning tank 41 that defines a cleaning space for cleaning wafers W, and a wafer rotation device that is arranged inside the cleaning tank 41 and that holds and rotates the wafer W. A mechanism 42 , a cleaning member 43 that comes into contact with the surface of the wafer W to clean it and is rotatable around a central axis extending in the lateral direction, and the cleaning member 43 are located inside the cleaning tank 41 . A swing mechanism 44 that swings around a swing axis to move the wafer W from a sheltered position on the outside to a cleaning position directly above the wafer W; a lifting mechanism 45 that moves the cleaning member 43 up and down; and a lifting mechanism 45 that moves the cleaning member 43 up and down; It has liquid supply nozzles 46a and 46b.

Among these, the cleaning tank 41 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In the illustrated example, wafer loading/unloading ports 41a, 41b for loading or unloading wafers W into or out of the cleaning tank 41 are formed on the left and right side wall surfaces of the cleaning tank 41, respectively. can be opened and closed by shutters 50a and 50b, respectively.

Inside the cleaning tank 41, a cleaning means 51 extending in the left-right direction is arranged adjacent to the inner side wall surface of the cleaning tank 41. The cleaning means 51 has a cleaning surface against which the cleaning member 43 is pressed. The cleaning surface is made of, for example, quartz and has a planar shape. Note that the material and shape of the cleaning surface may be changed as appropriate depending on the material and shape of the cleaning member 43. For example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) may be used as the material for the cleaning surface.

A chemical liquid pipe, a pure water pipe, etc. (not shown) are arranged on the cleaning surface. The chemical liquid injected from the chemical liquid pipe may be the same as the chemical liquid supplied to the wafer W from the liquid supply nozzles 46a and 46b. With the cleaning member 43 placed in the retracted position, the cleaning member 43 is rotated (rotated) and pressed against the cleaning means 51, and the chemical liquid is sprayed toward the cleaning member 43, so that the chemical liquid adheres to the cleaning member 43. Dirt is removed. In this way, after the cleaning member 43 is rotated (rotated) by a predetermined amount while being pressed against the cleaning means 51, the cleaning member 43 is raised and separated from the cleaning means 51, and then the pure water is poured into the cleaning means 51 and By being sprayed toward the cleaning member 43, dirt on the cleaning means 51 and the cleaning member 43 is removed.

In this embodiment, the wafer rotation mechanism 42 includes a plurality of (four in the illustrated example) rollers 42a to 42d that hold the peripheral edge of the wafer W. The wafers W held by the plurality of rollers 42a to 42d are rotated (rotated) in the same direction by the rotational driving force received by the plurality of rollers 42a to 42 from a rotational drive unit (for example, a motor, not shown), so that the wafer W held by the plurality of rollers 42a to 42d is Due to the frictional force acting between each of the rollers 42a to 42d and the peripheral edge of the wafer W, the wafer W is rotated in a direction opposite to the rotational direction of each of the rollers 42a to 42d.

As the cleaning member 43, a cylindrical roll sponge extending laterally can be used. As the material of the roll sponge, porous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponge, foamed urethane sponge, etc. can be used. The length of the cleaning member 43 in the axial direction is longer than the radius of the wafer W. The length of the cleaning member 43 in the axial direction may be longer than the diameter of the wafer W. With the cleaning member 43 disposed at the cleaning position directly above the wafer W, the chemical solution and/or pure water is sprayed from the liquid supply nozzles 46a and 46b toward the surface of the rotated wafer W, and the cleaning member 43 is sprayed with water around the cleaning member 43. By rotating (rotating) the cleaning member 43 with its surface in contact with the surface of the wafer W, the surface of the wafer W is cleaned.

In the illustrated example, a holder 431 extending parallel to the axial direction of the cleaning member 43 is arranged above the cleaning member 43. The holder 431 holds both ends of the cleaning member 43 rotatably around its central axis (rotation). A motor (not shown) is provided inside the holder 431 to rotate (rotate) the cleaning member 43 about its central axis. Further, a load cell (not shown) may be provided inside the holder 431 to measure the load applied by the cleaning member 43 to the surface of the wafer W. A load control mechanism (not shown) is connected to the load cell. The load control mechanism controls the load applied by the cleaning member 43 to the surface of the wafer W by controlling the operation of the lifting mechanism 45 based on the measurement results of the load cell. The load control mechanism may be provided in the control device 30 (see FIG. 1).

In the present embodiment, the elevating mechanism 45 includes a column portion 45a extending in the vertical direction provided to penetrate the wall surface of the cleaning tank 41, an arm portion 45b extending in the horizontal direction from one end of the column portion 45a, and a cleaning portion 45b. It has a driving means 45c provided at the other end of the column part 45a projecting to the outside of the tank 41. The drive means 45c is, for example, a motor.

In the illustrated example, a recessed portion recessed toward the rear side is formed in the upper left end portion of the side wall surface on the rear side (upper side in FIG. 3) of the cleaning tank 41, and the pillar portion 45a is located in the recessed portion. It is located in The arm portion 45b is provided so as to extend from the upper end of the column portion 45a toward the front side (lower side in FIG. 3) so as to straddle above the retracted position. As a result, when the cleaning member 43 is disposed in the retracted position, the cleaning member 43 is housed in the space below the arm portion 45b, so that the internal space of the cleaning tank 41 can be used efficiently, and the cleaning It becomes possible to further reduce the footprint of the tank 41.

In this embodiment, the swing mechanism 44 is provided at the tip of the arm 45b, and the swing axis A of the swing mechanism 44 is positioned at the tip of the arm 45b inside the cleaning tank 41. has been done. The swing mechanism 44 is, for example, a motor. The end of the holder 431 holding the cleaning member 43 is held at the tip of the arm 45b via the swing mechanism 44.

The column portion 45a of the lifting mechanism 45 is linearly moved in the vertical direction together with the arm portion 45b by a linear driving force received from the driving means 45c. As a result, the swing mechanism 44, holder 431, and cleaning member 43 provided at the distal end of the arm portion 45b are also linearly moved in the vertical direction together with the column portion 45a and the arm portion 45b. Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, when the lifting mechanism 45 is operated with the cleaning member 43 disposed at the retracted position, the cleaning member 43 is moved to a height position where it contacts the cleaning means 51. It is moved up and down between the height position and the height position separated from the height position.

Further, in a state where the cleaning member 43 is disposed at a height position apart from the cleaning means 51, the holder 431 and the cleaning member 43 are positioned at the tip of the arm portion 45b by the rotational driving force received from the swinging mechanism 44. It is swung (swiveled) about the swiveling axis A. Thereby, the cleaning member 43 is moved from the retracted position outside the wafer W (see FIGS. 2 to 5) to the cleaning position directly above the wafer W (see FIGS. 6 and 7). When the swing mechanism 44 swings the cleaning member 43 around the swing axis A, the cleaning member 43 may be configured to pass directly above the center of the wafer W.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the cleaning tank 41 of the cleaning device 16, showing a state in which the cleaning member 43 is located at the cleaning position. FIG. 7 is an internal plan view of the cleaning device 16 shown in FIG. 6 when viewed from above.

6 and 7, when the cleaning member 43 is placed in the cleaning position, the lifting mechanism 45 is operated to move the cleaning member 43 to a height position where it contacts the surface of the wafer W. It is moved up and down between a height position away from the surface of the Then, with the peripheral surface of the cleaning member 43 in contact with the surface of the wafer W, the chemical solution and/or pure water is sprayed from the liquid supply nozzles 46a, 46b toward the surface of the wafer W being rotated, and the cleaning By rotating (rotating) the member 43, the surface of the wafer W is cleaned.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the cleaning tank 41 of the cleaning device 16, and illustrates the space required to move the cleaning member 43 from the cleaning position to the retreat position (space through which the cleaning member passes). This is a diagram for FIG. 9 is an internal plan view of the cleaning device 16 shown in FIG. 8 when viewed from above. In FIGS. 8 and 9, arcuate curves labeled C1 and C2 indicate the space required to move the cleaning member 43 from the cleaning position to the retracted position (i.e., the space through which the cleaning member 43 (holder 431) passes). It shows the outline of the space.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the distance L from the center of the cleaning member 43 to the swing axis A of the swing mechanism 44 (also referred to as the turning radius) is smaller than the diameter of the wafer W. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, even if the cleaning member 43 is a long roll sponge that is longer than the radius of the wafer W, the distance L from the center of the cleaning member 43 to the swing axis A is smaller than the radius of the wafer W. By swinging the cleaning member 43 around the swing axis A and moving it from the retracted position to the cleaning position, the cleaning member 43 can be moved in a straight line from the retracted position to the cleaning position. Compared to the case where the cleaning member 43 is moved (traveled), the space required to move the cleaning member 43 from the cleaning position to the retreat position can be reduced.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the swing axis A of the swing mechanism 44 is located away from the extension of the central axis of the cleaning member 43 (that is, the swing axis A is , is not on an extension of the central axis of the cleaning member 43). If the swing axis A is on the extension of the central axis of the cleaning member 43, the distance L from the center of the cleaning member 43 to the swing axis A should be less than half the length of the cleaning member 43 in the axial direction. It is impossible to shorten the cleaning member 43 (the end of the cleaning member 43 collides with the swing axis A). On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the swing axis A is not on an extension of the central axis of the cleaning member 43, the distance L from the center of the cleaning member 43 to the swing axis A is defined as the axis of the cleaning member 43. It is also possible to reduce the length in the direction to less than half, thereby making it possible to further reduce the space required to move the cleaning member 43 from the cleaning position to the retracted position (the space through which the cleaning member passes). ing.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the swinging angle θ when the swinging mechanism 44 moves the cleaning member 43 from the retreat position to the cleaning position is smaller than 90°. As a result, the space required to move the cleaning member 43 from the cleaning position to the shelter position is greater than when the swing angle θ is 90° or more when moving the cleaning member 43 from the shelter position to the cleaning position. (The space through which the cleaning member passes) can be further reduced.

In the present embodiment, the cleaning device 16 includes a backside cleaning member 47 that comes into contact with and cleans the backside of the wafer W, a second cleaning unit 48 that cleans the front side of the wafer W, and a cleaning tank. a second swing mechanism 49 that swings around a second swing axis located inside the wafer W to move the wafer W from a second shelter position outside the wafer W to a second cleaning position directly above the wafer W; have.

As the back surface cleaning member 47, a cylindrical roll sponge extending in the horizontal direction can be used. As the material of the roll sponge, porous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponge, foamed urethane sponge, etc. can be used. The backside cleaning member 47 is arranged directly below the wafer W. The length of the back surface cleaning member 47 in the axial direction is longer than the radius of the wafer W. The length of the back surface cleaning member 47 in the axial direction may be longer than the diameter of the wafer W. With the circumferential surface of the back surface cleaning member 47 in contact with the back surface of the wafer W, a chemical solution and/or pure water is sprayed from a nozzle (not shown) toward the back surface of the rotated wafer W, and the back surface cleaning member 47 As the wafer W is rotated (rotated), the back surface of the wafer W is cleaned.

In the illustrated example, a holder 471 extending parallel to the axial direction of the back surface cleaning member 47 is arranged below the back surface cleaning member 47 . The holder 471 holds both ends of the back surface cleaning member 47 so as to be rotatable (rotation) about its central axis. A motor (not shown) that rotates (rotates) the back surface cleaning member 47 about its central axis is provided inside the holder 471. Furthermore, a load cell (not shown) may be provided inside the holder 471 to measure the load that the backside cleaning member 47 applies to the front surface of the wafer W. The load cell is connected to the load control mechanism (not shown) described above. The load control mechanism controls the load applied by the backside cleaning member 47 to the backside of the wafer W by controlling the operation of means (not shown) for raising and lowering the backside cleaning member 47 and the holder 471 based on the measurement results of the load cell. control.

As the second cleaning means 48, for example, in the presence of a cleaning liquid, a vertically extending cylindrical pencil cleaning member is brought into contact with the surface of the wafer W, and while the pencil cleaning member is rotated, a line parallel to the surface of the wafer W is attached. A pencil cleaning means that scrubs the surface of the wafer W by being moved (swung) in a direction may be used, or a buffing cleaning means having a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction in the presence of a cleaning liquid may be used. A buff that scrubs and polishes the surface of the wafer W by bringing the member into contact with the surface of the wafer W and moving (swinging) the buff cleaning and polishing member in one direction parallel to the surface of the wafer W while rotating the buffing member. A cleaning polishing means may be used, a two-fluid jet cleaning means for cleaning the surface of the wafer W with a two-fluid jet, or a megasonic (high-frequency ultrasonic) jet may be used to clean the surface of the wafer W. Megasonic jet cleaning means may also be used.

The second swing mechanism 49 includes a column extending in the vertical direction that is provided so as to penetrate the wall surface (in the illustrated example, the floor surface) of the cleaning tank 41, and an arm section extending in the horizontal direction from one end of the column. and a driving means (not shown) provided at the other end of the column projecting outside the cleaning tank 41. The driving means is, for example, a motor.

The column part of the second swing mechanism 49 is arranged on the opposite side of the swing mechanism 44 when viewed from the center of the wafer W, and the pillar part of the second swing mechanism 49 is located on the opposite side of the swing mechanism 44, and the pillar part of the second swing mechanism 49 is located on the opposite side of the swing mechanism 44. is positioned on the opposite side to the swing axis A of the swing mechanism 44 when viewed from the center of the wafer W. The second cleaning means 48 is supported by the tip of the arm of the second swing mechanism 49, and swings (swivels) around the second swing axis by the rotational driving force received from the second swing mechanism 49. be done.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the cleaning tank 41 of the cleaning device 16, showing a state in which the second cleaning means 48 is located at the cleaning position. FIG. 11 is an internal plan view of the cleaning device 16 shown in FIG. 10 when viewed from above.

Next, the operation of the cleaning device 16 having such a configuration will be explained.

First, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5, with the cleaning member 43 disposed at a retracted position outside the wafer W, the shutter 50a is opened, and the wafer W to be cleaned (for example, the wafer W after a polishing process) is opened. ) are carried into the cleaning tank 41 through the wafer carry-in/out port 41a. The wafer W is held and rotated by the wafer rotation mechanism 42.

Next, with the cleaning member 43 separated from the cleaning means 51, the swinging mechanism 44 swings (swivels) the cleaning member 43 around the swing axis A, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. , and move it from the shelter position to the cleaning position directly above the wafer W. When the swing mechanism 44 swings the cleaning member 43 around the swing axis A, the cleaning member 43 passes directly above the center of the wafer W.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, with the cleaning member 43 disposed at the cleaning position, the lifting mechanism 45 moves the cleaning member 43 downward to bring the peripheral surface of the cleaning member 43 onto the surface of the wafer W. contact with. Further, a means (not shown) for raising and lowering the back surface cleaning member 47 moves the back surface cleaning member 47 upward, and brings the circumferential surface of the back surface cleaning member 47 into contact with the back surface of the wafer W.

Then, with the peripheral surface of the cleaning member 43 in contact with the surface of the wafer W, the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the liquid supply nozzles 46a and 46b toward the surface of the wafer W, and the cleaning member 43 is rotated (rotated). By doing so, the surface of the wafer W is cleaned. Similarly, with the circumferential surface of the back surface cleaning member 47 in contact with the back surface of the wafer W, cleaning liquid is sprayed from a nozzle (not shown) toward the back surface of the wafer W, and the back surface cleaning member 47 rotates (rotates). As a result, the back surface of the wafer W is cleaned.

After the cleaning member 43 finishes cleaning the surface of the wafer W, the lifting mechanism 45 moves the cleaning member 43 upward to separate the peripheral surface of the cleaning member 43 from the surface of the wafer W. Then, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the swing mechanism 44 swings (swivels) the cleaning member 43 around the swing axis A to move it from the cleaning position to the shelter position outside the wafer W.

Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the second swing mechanism 49 swings (swivels) the second cleaning means 48 about the second swing axis to a second shelter position outside the wafer W. The wafer W is moved from the wafer W to the second cleaning position directly above the wafer W, and the surface of the wafer W is cleaned by the second cleaning means 48.

After the cleaning of the surface of the wafer W by the second cleaning means 48 is completed, the second swinging mechanism 49 swings (swivels) the second cleaning means 48 around the swing axis A to move it from the second cleaning position. The wafer W is moved to a second retreat position outside the wafer W. Then, the shutter 50b is opened, and the wafer W after the cleaning process is carried out to the outside of the cleaning tank 41 through the wafer loading/unloading port 41b.

According to this embodiment as described above, even if the cleaning member 43 is a long member longer than the radius of the wafer W, the distance L from the center of the cleaning member 43 to the swing axis A of the swing mechanism 44 is is specified to be smaller than the diameter of the wafer W, and the cleaning member 43 is moved from the retreat position to the cleaning position by swinging around the swing axis A. The space required to move the cleaning member 43 from the cleaning position to the retracted position (that is, the space through which the cleaning member 43 passes) can be reduced compared to the case where the cleaning member 43 is moved (traveled) in a straight line up to the cleaning position. Further, since the swing axis A of the swing mechanism 44 is located inside the cleaning tank 41, there is no need to form an opening for travel in the side wall of the cleaning tank 41. Therefore, in the cleaning device 16 that can move the cleaning member 43 from the retracted position to the cleaning position, it is possible to reduce the footprint of the cleaning tank 41 without forming a travel opening in the side wall of the cleaning tank 41. . Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, there is no need to form a running opening in the side wall of the cleaning tank 41, so that leakage of the chemical atmosphere to the outside of the cleaning tank 41 can be improved.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the swing axis A of the swing mechanism 44 is located away from the extension of the central axis of the cleaning member 43 and is not on the extension of the central axis of the cleaning member 43, It is also possible to reduce the distance L from the center of the cleaning member 43 to the swing axis A to less than half the length of the cleaning member 43, and the space required to move the cleaning member 43 from the cleaning position to the retreat position. (The space through which the cleaning member passes) can be further reduced, and the footprint of the cleaning tank 41 can be made smaller.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the swinging angle θ when the swinging mechanism 44 moves the cleaning member 43 from the retreat position to the cleaning position is smaller than 90°, the swinging angle is 90° or more. Compared to the case, the space required to move the cleaning member 43 from the cleaning position to the shelter position (the space through which the cleaning member passes) can be further reduced, and the footprint of the cleaning tank 41 can be made smaller.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the arm portion 45b of the elevating mechanism 45 extends laterally so as to straddle the upper part of the retracted position, and when the cleaning member 43 is located in the retracted position, the arm portion 45b of the elevating mechanism 45 extends below the arm portion 45b. Since the cleaning member 43 is accommodated in the space, the internal space of the cleaning tank 41 can be used efficiently, and the footprint of the cleaning tank 41 can be made smaller.

Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above by way of example, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these, and may be modified or transformed according to the purpose within the scope of the claims. is possible. Moreover, each embodiment and modification example can be combined as appropriate within a range that does not conflict with the processing contents.

1 Substrate processing equipment (polishing equipment)
10 Housing 12 Load ports 14a to 14d Polishing unit 16 Cleaning device 16a First cleaning unit (cleaning device)
16b Second cleaning unit (cleaning device)
20 Drying unit 22 First transfer robot 24 Transfer unit 26 Second transfer robot 28 Third transfer robot 30 Polishing control device 41 Cleaning tanks 41a, 41b Wafer loading/unloading port 42 Wafer rotation mechanism 42a to 42d Roller 43 Cleaning member 431 Holder 44 Swing Mechanism 45 Lifting mechanism 45a Pillar section 45b Arm section 45c Drive means 46a, 46b Liquid supply nozzle 47 Back side cleaning member 471 Holder 48 Second cleaning means 49 Second swinging mechanism 50a, 50b Shutter 51 Cleaning means

Claims (12)

a cleaning tank defining a cleaning space for cleaning wafers;
a wafer rotation mechanism that is disposed inside the cleaning tank and holds and rotates the wafer;
a cleaning member that contacts and cleans the surface of the wafer and is rotatable around a central axis extending in the lateral direction;
a swinging mechanism that swings the cleaning member around a swing axis located inside the cleaning tank to move it from a retracted position outside the wafer to a cleaning position directly above the wafer;
a holder that holds the cleaning member;
a lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the cleaning member;
Equipped with
The length of the cleaning member is longer than the radius of the wafer,
The distance from the center of the cleaning member to the swing axis is smaller than the diameter of the wafer,
When the swing mechanism swings the cleaning member around the swing axis, the cleaning member passes directly above the center of the wafer,
The elevating mechanism is
A column extending in the vertical direction;
and an arm extending laterally from the column,
The lower surface of the arm is located above the upper surface of the holder.
A cleaning device characterized by: The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the swing axis is located away from an extension of the central axis of the cleaning member. 3. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the swinging mechanism moves the cleaning member from the retracted position to the cleaning position through a swinging angle of less than 90°. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a load control mechanism that controls the load applied by the cleaning member to the surface of the wafer. The pillar portion is provided so as to penetrate a wall surface of the cleaning tank,
A driving means is provided at an end of the column projecting outside the cleaning tank,
The swinging mechanism is provided at the tip of the arm,
5. The cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein the lifting mechanism moves the cleaning member and the swinging mechanism up and down together. 6. The cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein the arm extends laterally so as to straddle above or below the retracted position. A polishing unit that polishes wafers;
a cleaning unit that cleans the wafer after polishing;
Equipped with
The cleaning unit is
a cleaning tank defining a cleaning space for cleaning wafers;
a wafer rotation mechanism that is disposed inside the cleaning tank and holds and rotates the wafer;
a cleaning member that contacts and cleans the surface of the wafer and is rotatable around a central axis extending in the lateral direction;
a swinging mechanism that swings the cleaning member around a swing axis located inside the cleaning tank to move it from a retracted position outside the wafer to a cleaning position directly above the wafer;
a holder that holds the cleaning member;
a lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the cleaning member;
Equipped with
The length of the cleaning member is longer than the radius of the wafer,
The distance from the center of the cleaning member to the swing axis is smaller than the diameter of the wafer,
When the swing mechanism swings the cleaning member around the swing axis, the cleaning member passes directly above the center of the wafer,
The elevating mechanism is
A column extending in the vertical direction;
and an arm extending laterally from the column,
The lower surface of the arm is located above the upper surface of the holder.
A polishing device characterized by: 8. The polishing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the swing axis is located away from an extension of the central axis of the cleaning member. 9. The polishing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a swing angle when the swing mechanism moves the cleaning member from the retracted position to the cleaning position is smaller than 90°. The polishing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a load control mechanism that controls the load applied by the cleaning member to the surface of the wafer. The pillar portion is provided so as to penetrate a wall surface of the cleaning tank,
A driving means is provided at an end of the column projecting outside the cleaning tank ,
The swinging mechanism is provided at the tip of the arm,
11. The polishing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the elevating mechanism moves the cleaning member and the swinging mechanism up and down together. 12. The polishing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the arm extends laterally so as to straddle above or below the retracted position.