JPH0336729A - Drying method and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable an object H to be treated such as an washed IC chip to be dried securely and rapidly by washing the object to be treated, setting the inside of a tank for treating the object to be treated to approximately a vacuum state, and then dehumidified circulating air into the treatment tank. CONSTITUTION:After washing an object H to be treated, this object H is stored in a treatment tank S in closed state. Then, by operating a vacuum pump 1 and opening a valve V1, the inside of the treatment tank S is set to nearly vacuum state. Then, a dehumidifier 3 and a fan 4 are operated and valves V2 and V3 are opened, and a dehumidified air is allowed to circulate within the treatment tank S, thus enabling the object H to be treated to be dried forcedly. After drying the object H to be treated, the valve V4 is opened and external air is introduced into the treatment tank from an air vent, thus enabling the object H to be treated to be taken out.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a drying method and a drying apparatus for reliably and quickly drying a processed object such as a cleaned IC chip.

(Prior art) Conventionally, during the manufacture of semiconductors, etc., objects to be processed such as IC chips are cleaned with ultrapure water, etc. to remove dirt on the circuit patterns of the chips, and then chlorofluorocarbon gas, etc. is used. This is then dried.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, recently, air pollution (depletion of the ozone layer) due to the use of fluorocarbon gases has become a worldwide problem, and there is a trend toward a complete ban on the use of fluorocarbon gases. be.

For this reason, for example, it is possible to perform a drying process after washing an object to be processed, such as an IC chip, without using fluorocarbon gas or the like, and to achieve the same or higher level of drying process, while reducing the cost of the drying process. There is an urgent need to develop methods that can suppress the

(Means for Solving the Problems) Therefore, in the drying method of the present invention,
After washing, the object to be processed H is sealed in the processing tank S.

Then, the inside of this processing tank S is brought into a substantially vacuum state. Next, by circulating dehumidified air in the processing tank S and forcibly drying the object H, the object H such as a cleaned IC chip can be dried reliably. The process can be carried out quickly, the object to be processed H can be dried in a good condition, and the cost of the drying process can be sufficiently suppressed, thereby solving the above-mentioned problems.

In addition, in the drying apparatus of the present invention, a processing tank S is formed in which the object to be processed H can be appropriately accommodated in a sealed manner.

A vacuum pump 1 is connected to the processing tank S via a valve V1, so that the inside of the processing tank S can be substantially evacuated. Furthermore, pulp V2. To provide an apparatus that is optimal for carrying out the above-described drying method by connecting a dehumidifier 3 and a fan 4 via V3 and employing a means configured to circulate dehumidified air within the processing tank S. We made it possible to achieve this.

(Function) However, in the drying method, the material to be processed H is in the processing tank S.
When the inside of this processing tank S is brought into a substantially vacuum state using the vacuum pump 1 and the tank 2, the workpiece H
Water droplets adhering to narrow gaps etc. also collect on the surface of the object to be treated 8, and these water droplets are evaporated into the dehumidified air circulating inside the treatment tank S by the dehumidifier 3 and fan 4. Water droplets etc. adhering to the processed material H are reliably removed, resulting in a dry state.

In addition, in the drying device, a vacuum pump 1 is provided in the processing tank S.
is connected, and the inside of the processing tank S is brought into a substantially vacuum state by the operation of the valve v1 and the vacuum pump 1.

A dehumidifier 3 and a fan 4 are connected to the processing tank S, and the pulp V2. By operating V3, the dehumidifier 3, and the fan 4, dehumidified air is forced to circulate within the processing Is.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained with reference to illustrated examples.

First, the drying apparatus of the present invention includes, for example, a processing tank S formed to be able to hermetically store an IC chip or other appropriate processing object H, a vacuum pump 1 connected to this processing tank S,
It has a configuration including a dehumidifier 3 connected to the processing tank S, and an air vent 5 connected to the processing tank S.

The processing tank S is configured to be able to store the objects H to be processed in and out of the tank as appropriate, and to maintain a closed state during storage. In the illustrated example, the processing tank S is composed of a substantially box-shaped processing tank base with an open top and a lid that can cover the upper opening of the processing tank base. , but can be freely set as appropriate without being limited to this.

The vacuum pump 1 is connected to the processing tank S via a valve v1 and a tank 2, and is configured to be able to bring the inside of the processing tank S into a substantially vacuum state by its operation.

The dehumidifier 3 has a fan 4 and valves V2 and v3 in the processing tank S.
connected via valve V2. It is configured to dehumidify the humid air in the processing tank S by opening and closing V3.

The fan 4 forcibly feeds the air dehumidified by the dehumidifier 3 into the processing tank S, and also forcibly feeds the humid air in the processing tank S to the dehumidifier 3. It is configured so that it can be cycled continuously.

The air vent 5 is connected to the upper part of the processing tank S via a valve v4, and is configured to introduce air into the processing tank S by opening and closing the valve V4.

By the way, the specific structure, shape, dimensions, material, and
Specific configuration, shape, and dimensions of the vacuum pump 1 and tank 2,
The installation state, the specific configuration of the dehumidifier 3 and the fan 4, the location of the installation to the processing tank S, the specific configuration of the air vent 5, the location of the installation to the processing tank S, valves Vl, V2. V3. The specific configuration, mounting position, etc. of V4 are not limited to those shown in the illustrations, and can be freely set as appropriate.

Further, in the drying method of the present invention, after the object to be processed H is appropriately washed, the object to be processed H is stored in the processing tank S in a sealed state.

Then, the vacuum pump 1 is operated and the valve v1 is opened to bring the interior of the treated Fe3 into a substantially vacuum state. Next, the dehumidifier 3 and fan 4 are activated, and the valve V2. V3 is opened to circulate dehumidified air in the processing tank S and forcefully dry the object H to be processed. After drying the object H, the valve V4 is opened to introduce outside air into the processing tank S from the air vent 5, and the object H is taken out.

In addition, an appropriate tank for cleaning liquid is connected to the processing tank S via a valve, and a drain is connected via a valve.
It may be configured such that cleaning work of the object to be processed H can be performed within the processing tank S (not shown). That is, the inside of the processing tank S is brought into a substantially vacuum state by the vacuum pump 1, the pulp V1 is closed, the valve is opened, a suitable cleaning liquid in the tank is poured into the processing tank S, and the object to be processed H is immersed in this cleaning liquid. Wash.

Then, the valve is opened and the cleaning liquid in the processing tank S is discharged from the drain.

By the way, the objects to be processed H include, in addition to ultra-small chips such as ICs, objects made of synthetic resin materials, rubber materials, metal materials, etc. Available.

(Effects of the Invention) Therefore, in the drying method of the present invention, after washing the object H as appropriate, the object H is hermetically sealed in the processing tank S, the inside of the processing tank S is brought into a substantially vacuum state, and then, Since dehumidified air is circulated in the processing tank S to forcibly dry the object H, the object H such as a cleaned IC chip can be dried reliably and quickly. The drying condition is also good, and the cost of drying treatment can be sufficiently suppressed.

That is, the drying process can be performed to the same degree or higher without using fluorocarbon gas or the like, and is suitable for drying various objects to be processed H, and is a highly versatile drying method.

In particular, since the inside of the processing tank S is kept in a substantially vacuum state and the dehumidified air is circulated within the processing tank S for drying, the processing object H can be dried in a low-temperature state, and unlike drying methods using heating, it is possible to dry the processing object H. There is no risk of deterioration or deformation of the object H, and the object H can be reliably dried in the best condition.

Furthermore, since the inside of the processing tank S is kept in a substantially vacuum state, for example, water droplets for cleaning in the narrow space of the object to be processed H can be reliably removed from the narrow space and dried. This also helps shorten processing time.

In other words, it becomes possible to reliably remove cleaning water droplets that tend to remain in narrow spaces such as extremely small holes and narrow grooves, and it also becomes possible to reliably dry these narrow spaces. This makes it possible to significantly reduce the incidence of defective products during the drying process during manufacturing. Moreover, the efficiency of drying work can be greatly improved.

In addition, the drying apparatus of the present invention forms a processing tank S that can hermetically store the object to be processed H, and connects a vacuum pump 1 to this processing tank S via a pulp v1 to operate the inside of the processing tank S. The pulp V2. Since the dehumidifier 3 and the fan 4 are connected via V3 and the dehumidified air is circulated in the processing tank S, the material to be processed H can be stored in the processing tank S in a sealed manner, and the pulp v1 and By operating the vacuum pump 1, the inside of the processing tank S can be brought into a substantially vacuum state, and the pulp V2. By operating V3, the dehumidifier 3, and the fan 4, dehumidified air can be easily and reliably continuously fed into the processing tank S, making the apparatus ideal for drying processing of objects H having narrow spaces and the like. Moreover, the device itself has a simple configuration, is easy to manufacture, is difficult to break down, has excellent durability, and can be provided at low cost. In other words, it becomes an optimal drying apparatus when carrying out the drying method as described above.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawing is a schematic representation of the device of the invention. S...Processing tank, 1...Vacuum pump, 2...Tank, 3...Dehumidifier, 4...Fan, 5...Air bleed, Vl...Valve, v2... Valve, v3...
Valve, v4... Valve, H... Object to be processed.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. After washing the object to be treated as appropriate, the object to be treated is sealed in a processing tank, the inside of this processing tank is brought into a substantially vacuum state, and then dehumidified air is circulated in the processing tank. , a drying method characterized by forcibly drying the object to be processed. 2. A processing tank is formed in which the material to be processed can be hermetically stored, a vacuum pump is connected to the processing tank via a valve to create a substantially vacuum inside the processing tank, and a vacuum pump is connected to the processing tank via a valve. 1. A drying device characterized in that it is configured to connect a dehumidifier and a fan to circulate dehumidified air within a processing tank.