JPH0254527A - Spin dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the disorder of an orientation flat when a wafer is dried by mounting the hold down member of the orientation flat at a part of the orientation flat in the installation part of a cassette composing a spin dryer, thereby pressing the foregoing hold down member to the orientation flat part of the wafer which is housed in the cassette. CONSTITUTION:A semiconductor wafer 4 is housed in a cassette 5 and the hold down member 3 of an orientation flat is pressed to a part of the orientation flat 8 by an energized member (spring 1). This configuration prevents the disorder of the orientation flat and eliminates the need for performing an orientation flat alignment process; then, no particle and the like develop. In addition to a platelike orientation flat hold down member, a barlike member as well as the combination of the above members and the like are enumerated as these members. As energized members, various kinds of springs are used.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application 1] The present invention relates to a wafer dryer, and particularly to a spin dryer having a rotation mechanism.

[Conventional technology]

As the LSI manufacturing process progresses in miniaturization, the process becomes more complex and the number of steps increases, and cleaning and drying processes are among the most common processes in the LSI manufacturing process.

Conventionally, spin dryers have been used to dry semiconductor wafers. The spin dryer is one that can process one cassette 5 containing wafers 4, as shown in a plan view in FIG. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the wafer 4 is housed in a cassette 5, and the orientation flat 8 is positioned on the wafer insertion side. Further, the cassette 5 is stored in the cassette storage section 2. In FIG. 4, a turntable 9 for rotating a cassette placed in a drying tank 6 is driven by a shaft lO. The spin dryer dries the wafer using the speed of the drying air flowing along the surface of the urchin and the centrifugal force generated by rotation.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the spin dryer as described above, rotation occurs between the wafers due to centrifugal force during the wafer drying process, and the orientation flat 8 is disturbed. L
In manufacturing SI, it is necessary to align the orientation flats during the entire process of drying the wafer, so not only can the time required to align the orientation flats of the wafers during handling cannot be ignored, but also particles are generated during handling.

The present invention was made in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional technology, and it is possible to align the orientation flat of the wafer after drying without disturbing the orientation flat of the wafer, prevent the generation of particles due to this, and eliminate the time required for aligning the orientation flat. purpose.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides an orientation flat fixing member on the orientation flat portion of a cassette installation part constituting a spin dryer, and provides an urging force that presses the orientation flat fixing member against the orientation flat portion of the sea urchin stored in the cassette. It is characterized by the provision of a member.

Examples of the orientation flat fixing member include a plate-shaped member, a rod-shaped member, and a combination thereof, but the shape is not limited as long as the orientation flat part can be fixed. Further, the number of plates and plates to be installed is not particularly limited, and the material is also not particularly limited as long as it does not generate particles.

Various types of springs can be used as the biasing member, but there is no particular limitation as long as it has the effect of fixing the wafer.

[Function] The basic structure of the bind dryer according to the present invention is shown in FIG.

In this invention, the orientation flat part of the cassette installation part is equipped with a plate as an orientation flat fixing member, and since this fixing member is pressed against the orientation flat part by a biasing member, the orientation flat part does not shift.

Therefore, there is no need for an orientation flat alignment process, and no particles are generated.

[Example] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show an example device of the present invention. The semiconductor wafer 4 is housed in a cassette 5, and the orientation flat fixing member 3 is pressed against the orientation flat 8 by a biasing member (spring 1). Using the apparatus of the above embodiment and the conventional apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an experiment was conducted to dry a wafer after cleaning with pure water.

Table 1 shows the time required for the number of experiments and the number of particles and defects generated. Here, one experiment includes 3 minutes of water washing and 2 minutes of drying. In addition, since particles and flaws are generated after alignment of orientation flats in conventional equipment, the number of these particles is shown.

(1) In one experiment, it took 5 minutes and no particles or flaws in the example device, and 10 minutes and 10 particles, respectively, in the conventional device.

(2) When the example device was used for five experiments, the required time was 25 minutes and the number of particles and defects was zero, whereas with the conventional device, the number of particles and defects was 50 minutes and 100, respectively.

(3) In 10 experiments, it took 50 minutes and 0 particles and 0 defects using the example device, whereas the conventional device required 100 minutes and 200 particles, respectively.

[Effect of the invention 1] When the apparatus of the present invention is used, the wafer drying process is shortened and the generation of particles and scratches that cause disconnection of wiring, generation of bits and uneven film formation, etc., which have the most adverse effect on LSI manufacturing. can be significantly reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a plan view of a one-cassette processing type apparatus;
3 is a plan view of a conventional one-cassette processing apparatus, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional multi-cassette processing apparatus. ■... Spring, 2... Cassette storage section, 3... Orientation flat fixing member, 4... Wafer, 5... Cassette, 6
- Drying tank, 7... - spin dryer, 8... - orientation flat, 9... turntable, IO... axis.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a spin dryer for drying semiconductor wafers, an orientation flat fixing member is provided on the wafer insertion side of a cassette for storing wafers, and an urging member is provided for pressing the orientation flat fixing member against the orientation flat portion of the semiconductor wafer stored in the cassette. A spin dryer featuring: