JPH08195368A - Cleaning method and device, and transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enable an intermediate holder to hold substrates as works at 1/n of an arrangement pitch in a container so as to lessen a processing tank in size by a method wherein a first transfer process and a moving process are alternately performed, and the first transfer process is repeatedly carried out n times. CONSTITUTION: An intermediate holder 6 of pitch P/2 is provided, and wafers located inside a wafer cassette C are held by a first wafer chuck 4 at the same pitch as they are. The intermediate holder 6 and the wafer chuck 4 are controlled in a relative positional relation between them, and a transfer operation is carried out n times, for instance, twice, whereby the wafers are arranged on the intermediate holder 6 at a pitch P/n or P/2. Thereafter, the wafers on the intermediate holder 6 are transferred into a processing tank 8 by a second wafer chuck, so that the wafers are changed in arrangement pitch without specially modifying the wafer chuck 4 in structure. Therefore, wafers arranged at a narrow pitch are capable of being subjected to a cleaning process.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning method for cleaning a substrate to be processed, an apparatus therefor, and a transfer apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the process of manufacturing semiconductor devices, particles on the surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as "wafer"),
Cleaning equipment is used to remove contaminants such as organic contaminants and metallic impurities. Among them, the wet cleaning equipment can effectively remove the contamination, and batch processing is also possible with good throughput. Therefore, it is widely used.

In this type of cleaning apparatus, a wafer is subjected to a chemical treatment with ammonia, hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid or the like in a chemical bath, and then rinsed in the rinse bath with, for example, pure water. With respect to the apparatus configuration, a set of a chemical solution tank and a rinse tank is arranged in series for each chemical solution, and a transfer system for sequentially transferring, for example, 50 wafers collectively to each tank is provided. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a main part of a conventional cleaning apparatus. In this cleaning apparatus, for example, 50 wafers W transferred from a wafer cassette (not shown) to a jig in advance.
The wafer cassette 11 from both sides in a lump,
First, the wafer W is transferred to the wafer boat 12 in the chemical tank 1A and immersed in the chemical solution, and a cleaning process such as etching is performed while circulating the chemical solution. Then, the wafer W on the wafer boat 12 is held by the wafer chuck 11, and the rinse tank 1B The wafer boat 13 is transferred to and immersed in the wafer boat 13 and rinsed, for example, while supplying pure water from the bottom of the rinse tank 1B.

[0004]

By the way, when the wafers are carried into the cleaning apparatus, usually 25 wafers are arranged and stored in a wafer cassette, which is a container made of resin.
In the case of batch processing of 0 wafers, the wafer chuck 11 holds wafers for two cassettes. Here, the wafer cassette is configured to hold the wafer at a uniform pitch, for example, 6.35 mm for an 8-inch diameter wafer and 4.76 mm for a 6-inch diameter wafer in order to enhance versatility, and is held by the wafer chuck 11. The front and rear lengths of the formed wafer row are the sum of the thickness of the wafer and the total pitch. On the other hand, to improve throughput,
Since it is necessary to increase the number of wafers to be immersed in the processing tank at one time, each processing tank (chemical solution tank and rinse tank)
The dimension before and after (the dimension in the wafer arrangement direction) becomes longer,
The size of the wafer is increasing, and the size of the processing tank is increasing. When the size of the processing tank is increased in this way, the size of the entire apparatus is increased and the cost is increased, and the amounts of the chemical liquid and the rinse liquid are increased, which also causes an increase in the cost.

The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus and a method thereof which can downsize a processing tank.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning method in which a plurality of substrates to be processed are vertically held in parallel by holding members in a processing tank and are cleaned by a cleaning liquid. First, the substrate to be processed in the storage container for storing the substrate to be processed is transferred to the intermediate holding unit by the first gripping means at the arrangement pitch of the substrates to be processed in the storage container.
And the first gripping means and the intermediate holding part with respect to the relative position at the time of the transferring step, the array pitch is m / n (n is 2) in the array direction of the substrates to be processed.
The above integer, m is an integer greater than or equal to 1) A moving step of relatively moving to a position shifted by a multiple, and a second gripping of the substrate to be processed from the intermediate holding unit at a pitch of 1 / n times the array pitch. A second transfer step of transferring to the holding member in the processing tank by means, and repeating the first transfer step and the transfer step to perform the first transfer step n times. A cleaning method characterized in that the substrate to be processed is held by the intermediate holding portion at a pitch of 1 / n times the arrangement pitch in the storage container.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning device for removing a substrate to be processed from a container for storing a plurality of substrates to be processed and cleaning the substrate with a cleaning liquid in a processing tank. 1 / n of pitch (n is 2
An intermediate holding part in which holding grooves are formed so as to hold the substrate to be processed at an array pitch of (the above integer), a pushing-up means for pushing up the substrate to be processed in the storage container, and a peripheral portion of the substrate to be processed. The holding grooves for forming are formed at the arrangement pitch of the substrates to be processed in the storage container, and between the holding grooves adjacent to each other, in order to avoid interference with the substrates to be processed held in the intermediate holding portion. A notch portion is formed, and the first holding means for holding the substrate to be pushed up by the push-up means and transferring it to the intermediate holding portion n times and the intermediate holding portion once. Movement for relatively moving to a position displaced by m (m is an integer of 1 or more) times the arrangement pitch of the holding grooves with respect to the relative position with the first gripping means at the time of the previous transfer. Part and the substrate to be treated in the treatment tank. A holding member each other is provided to hold in parallel with the 1 / n times the pitch of the arrangement pitch,
Second gripping means for gripping the substrate to be processed held by the intermediate holding part at a pitch of 1 / n times the arrangement pitch and transferring it to a holding member in the processing bath, The substrate to be processed is transferred to the intermediate holding unit n times by the first gripping means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a cleaning method in which a plurality of substrates to be processed are held vertically in parallel by holders and cleaned with a cleaning treatment liquid, a container for storing a plurality of substrates to be processed is provided. The substrate to be processed, a transfer step of transferring to the holder by the gripping means at the arrangement pitch of the substrate to be processed in the storage container, the gripping means and the holder, relative position at the time of the transfer step, A moving step of relatively moving in a direction in which the substrates to be processed are displaced by a multiple of m / n (n is an integer of 2 or more, m is an integer of 1 or more) times the array pitch. By repeating the step and the moving step, and performing the transferring step n times, after the substrate to be processed is held by the holder at a pitch of 1 / n times the arrangement pitch in the storage container, the holder is held. In the processing tank Characterized in that it enter.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning device for taking out a substrate to be processed from a container for storing a plurality of substrates to be processed and cleaning the substrate with a cleaning liquid in a processing tank. 1 / n of pitch (n is 2
A holder in which holding grooves are formed so as to hold the substrates to be processed in parallel with each other at an array pitch of (the above integer), a pushing-up means for pushing up the substrates to be processed in the storage container, and a peripheral edge of the substrate to be processed. The gripping grooves for gripping the parts are formed at the arrangement pitch of the substrates to be processed in the storage container, and the gripping grooves adjacent to each other may interfere with the substrate to be processed held by the holder. A notch portion for avoiding is formed, and a gripping means for gripping the substrate to be processed pushed up by the push-up means and transferring it to the holding part n times, and a transfer of the holding tool one time before Of the arrangement pitch of the holding grooves relative to the gripping means at the time
(M is an integer greater than or equal to 1) a moving unit for relatively moving to a position displaced by a multiple of times, and a transport unit for transporting the holder holding the substrate to be processed into the processing bath, It is characterized in that the substrate to be processed is transferred to the holder n times by the gripping means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning device for removing a substrate to be processed from a container for storing a plurality of substrates to be processed and cleaning the substrate with a cleaning treatment liquid in a processing tank. 1 / n of pitch (n is 2
An integer holding unit having a holding groove formed so as to hold the substrates to be processed in parallel with each other at an array pitch of (the above integer) and the substrates to be processed at a pitch of 1 / n times the array pitch. The holding groove is formed so that a passage space of the intermediate holding portion is formed, and the holder to which the substrate to be processed on the intermediate holding portion is delivered by the lowering of the intermediate holding portion, and the inside of the storage container. And a holding groove for holding the peripheral portion of the substrate to be processed is formed at the arrangement pitch of the substrate to be processed in the storage container, and between the holding grooves adjacent to each other. A notch is formed for avoiding interference with the substrate to be processed held by the intermediate holding unit, and the substrate to be processed pushed up by the pushing-up means is gripped and transferred to the intermediate holding unit n times. A grip to put Relatively means, the intermediate holding portion with respect to the gripping means, m the array pitch of the retaining groove
(M is an integer of 1 or more) times, a moving unit for moving the substrate to be processed is carried by the holding unit holding the substrate to be processed into the processing tank, and the substrate to be processed is held by the gripping unit. It is characterized in that it is transferred to the intermediate holding section n times.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in a transfer device that takes out a substrate to be processed from a storage container that stores a plurality of substrates to be processed and transfers it to a holding means, the holding means is a substrate to be processed in the storage container. 1 / n (n is 2)
A holding groove is formed so as to hold the substrates to be processed in parallel with each other at an array pitch of (the above integer), and a push-up means for pushing up the substrates to be processed in the storage container and a peripheral portion of the substrate to be processed are provided. Gripping grooves for gripping are formed at the arrangement pitch of the substrates to be processed in the storage container,
A notch for avoiding interference with the substrate to be processed held by the holder is formed between the gripping grooves adjacent to each other, and the substrate to be processed pushed up by the push-up means is gripped. The arrangement pitch of the holding grooves is m relative to the holding means for transferring the holding means to the holding means n times and the holding means at the time of transferring the holding tool one time before.
(M is an integer of 1 or more), and a moving unit for relatively moving to a position displaced by a factor of multiple times, and the substrate to be processed is transferred to the holding unit n times by the gripping unit. .

[0012]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the intermediate holding portion having the holding grooves formed at the pitch of, for example, ½ of the arrangement pitch of the substrates to be processed in the storage container is prepared, and the storage container is held by the first gripping means. When the substrate to be processed therein is transferred to the intermediate holding unit, the substrate to be processed is held in every other holding groove of the intermediate holding unit. Then, in the next transfer to the intermediate holding portion, the substrate to be processed is held in the holding groove that has been removed, and thus the substrate to be processed is held at the intermediate holding portion at a pitch of 1/2 of the parallel pitch, and Since the substrate to be processed is transferred into the processing bath in this state, the length of the entire array of substrates to be processed is reduced, and the size of the processing bath can be reduced. The first gripping means is configured to grip the substrate to be processed at a so-called normal pitch (arrangement pitch of the substrates to be processed), and the relative position between the first gripping means and the intermediate holding unit is adjusted to process the substrate to be processed. Since the arrangement pitch is converted, the first gripping means can be modified to the extent that a notch is formed between gripping grooves adjacent to each other, so that the structure is simple and the arrangement pitch can be easily converted. Can be done.

Further, in the inventions of claims 3 to 5, instead of the intermediate holding portion, a dedicated holding tool having holding grooves having a narrow pitch is also used, and the substrate to be processed in the storage container is similarly held by the holding means. Is transferred to a holder, and the holder in which the substrates to be processed are arranged at a narrow pitch is immersed in the processing tank. Therefore, also in this case, the size of the processing tank can be reduced, and the array pitch can be easily converted. According to the invention of claim 6,
Not only the cleaning apparatus but also the above-mentioned method is adopted when the substrate to be processed in the storage container is transferred to the holding means having the holding groove with a narrow pitch, and the array pitch can be easily converted. .

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Before describing the main parts of a cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the entire apparatus including a transport system will be briefly described with reference to FIG. A carry-in section A for accommodating processed substrates such as wafers in cassette units, and a cleaning processing section B for cleaning the wafers.
And a carry-out section C for taking out the wafer after cleaning processing in cassette units.

In the carry-in section A, a cassette C containing, for example, 25 wafers is once carried into the standby section 21 from the outside by the cassette carrying means 20 and then carried to the loader section 22, which is not visible in the figure. The wafers in the cassette C are transferred to the intermediate holding unit by the first wafer chuck. In the cleaning processing section B, for example, three wafer transfer mechanisms R1 to R3 are provided along a line connecting the carry-in section A and the carry-out section C, and the wafer transfer mechanisms R1 to R3 are the wafers held by the intermediate holding section. Is provided in the processing tank. In addition, the second wafer chuck 23 of the wafer transfer mechanism R1 is cleaned in order from the loading section A side,
Cleaning / drying tank T1 for drying, three processing tanks T2 to T4,
A cleaning / drying tank T5 for cleaning and drying the second wafer chuck 24 of the wafer transfer mechanism R3 and a wafer drying tank T6 for steam-drying the wafer are provided.

The processing tanks T2 to T4 are provided with holding members for holding, for example, 50 wafers, as will be described later, and are configured to wash these wafers with a washing treatment liquid and to rinse each with, for example, pure water. Has been done. Then, for example, 50 wafers are collectively loaded into the processing tank by the second wafer chuck, and the cleaning processing is performed in the processing tanks T2 to T4. A cleaning / drying line 25 for cleaning and drying the empty cassette C after the wafer is taken out by the wafer chuck is provided above the cleaning processing section B. The cassette C to the cleaning / drying line is provided. Is supplied by the loader unit 22 and the elevating mechanism 26.

The loader unit 22 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. In the container, for example, the wafer cassette C, for example, 25 objects to be processed, for example, wafers W are arranged at intervals of the pitch P. It is placed on a mounting table 31 in which a passage space 30 through which a push-up member 32 described later passes is formed. A push-up member 32 for the wafer W is disposed below the mounting table 31, and the push-up member 32 is used for one cassette of wafers, for example, two wafers.
The holding groove 33 formed at the pitch P is provided so as to hold the five wafers at the pitch P, and the lifting unit 3 is provided.
4 and rises to the passing space 30 from the lower side of the cassette C.
25 wafers W are collectively pushed up and held.

On the upper side of the wafer cassette C, there is arranged a first wafer chuck 4 which serves as a first holding means for transferring a wafer from the cassette C to an intermediate holding section 6 which will be described later. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the wafer chuck 4, the gripping grooves 42 are arranged at the same pitch P as the arrangement pitch P of the wafers W in the cassette C inside the opening / closing member 41 that opens and closes to the left and right. A notch 43 is formed between the gripping grooves 42 adjacent to each other so that one wafer W can pass through between the wafers W when gripping the wafer W. That is, the distance between the center of the notch 43 in the width direction and the center of the grip groove 42 is 1 / n times, for example, 1/2 times the arrangement pitch P of the wafers W in the cassette C, and the notch 43 is formed such that, when the wafer is gripped by the opening / closing member 41, the distance between the ends facing each other in the opening / closing direction is larger than the diameter of the wafer.

The wafer chuck 4 is not shown,
An opening / closing mechanism 51 for opening / closing the opening / closing member 41 and a drive mechanism for driving the chuck body in the X direction (direction orthogonal to the wafer array direction), the Y direction, and the Z direction are provided. This drive mechanism includes a Z drive unit 52 and an X drive unit 53 which are visible in FIG.
Including etc.

The intermediate holding portion 6 has, for example, 50 holding grooves 62 formed at a pitch (P / 2) that is 1 / n times, for example, 1/2 times the arrangement pitch P of the wafers in the wafer cassette C.
The holding unit body 61 is provided with a holding unit body 61, and an elevating unit 63 arranged at the lower end side of the holding unit body 61 to move the holding unit body 61 in the vertical direction. The wafer held by 4 is transferred. On the upper side of the intermediate holding unit 6, a second wafer chuck 7 serving as a second holding means for transferring the wafer from the intermediate holding unit 6 to a processing tank 8 described later is arranged. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the wafer chuck 7 has a holding groove 72 inside the opening / closing member 71 that opens / closes to the left / right, which is 1 / n times the arrangement pitch of the wafers W in the wafer cassette C, for example, 1
For example, 50 lines are arranged so as to have a pitch (/ 2) times as large as / 2. Also, this wafer chuck 7
Is an opening / closing mechanism (not shown) similar to the wafer chuck 4,
A drive mechanism (in this embodiment, the drive mechanism corresponds to the moving unit) for driving the chuck body in the X, Y, and Z directions is provided.

The processing tank 8 is formed, for example, in a rectangular shape, and a triangular notch 80 for overflow is formed in the upper edge portion, and the overflowed liquid is outside the upper edge portion of the processing tank 8. A receiving tank 81 for receiving is provided. A wafer boat 82, which is a holding member for holding a wafer in the processing tank, is arranged inside the processing tank 8. The wafer boat 82 has, for example, three holding rods 83a, 83b, 83c for holding a wafer, the holding rod 83a holds the lower end of the wafer, and the holding rods 83b, 83c hold both lower sides of the wafer. In addition, both ends are attached to the inner wall surface of the processing tank 8 on the short side. These holding rods 83
For example, 50 holding grooves 84 for holding the wafers W are formed in the a, 83b, and 83c at an arrangement pitch of 1 / n times, for example, 1/2 times the arrangement pitch of the wafers W in the wafer cassette C. There is.

As shown in FIG. 5, a rinsing liquid supply pipe 84a for supplying a rinsing liquid such as pure water is connected to the bottom of the processing bath 8, and the bottom of the processing bath 8 and the wafer boat 82 are connected to each other. A rectifying means 85 is provided between them. The rinse liquid supply pipe 84a also serves as a part of the circulation path A for the cleaning treatment liquid, and is connected to a pure water supply source (not shown) via a valve V1. The circulation path A is provided between the bottom of the receiving tank 81 and the bottom of the processing tank 8, and is provided with a valve V2, a pump P, a filter F and a valve V3. Further, pure water is discharged to the receiving tank 81 during the rinsing process,
A discharge pipe 84b having a valve V4 is connected.

The rectifying means 85 is, for example, a diffusion plate 85a provided to face the supply port of the rinse liquid supply pipe 84a and has a diameter substantially the same as that of the supply port, and a supporting leg (not shown) above the diffusion plate 85a. And a partial straightening plate 85b provided along the bottom surface of the processing tank 8 and having slits, holes, and the like. Further, a cleaning processing liquid supply unit 86 is provided above the processing bath 8 at a position where it does not interfere with the second wafer chuck 7.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. First, for example, in the loader unit 22 shown in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 6, after the first cassette C1 is mounted on the mounting table 31, the push-up member 32 is lifted from below the cassette C1 and the arrangement pitch in the cassette C1 is increased. Wafers W1 stored in P are collectively pushed up. Then, the first wafer chuck 4 grips the pushed-up wafer W1 at the pitch P, the push-up member 32 descends and separates from the wafer W1, and then the wafer chuck 4 moves to a position above the intermediate holding unit 6, and then As shown in FIG. 7, the intermediate holding unit 6 moves up and holds the wafer W1 held by the wafer chuck 4 and then transfers the wafer W1 to the intermediate holding unit 6 at the pitch P (first transfer operation). . At this time, since the holding grooves 62 are formed in the intermediate holding portion 6 at the pitch P / 2 as described above, the wafer W1 is held in every other holding groove 62 as shown in FIG.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the second cassette C2 is placed on the mounting table 31, and the 25 wafers W2 housed in the cassette C2 are similarly pushed up by the push-up member 32, and then the first The wafer chuck 4 grips these wafers W2 and transfers them to the intermediate holding unit 6. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10, the wafer chuck 4 holds the wafer W2 with respect to the position at the time of the first transfer operation. The wafers W already stored in the cassette C1 by the first transfer operation when the array pitch P of the wafers W in the wafer cassette C is accurately displaced in the array direction of 1) by 1 / n times, for example, 1/2 times. The wafer W2 is transferred to the holding groove adjacent to the holding groove 62 in which W1 is housed (second transfer operation).

An opening / closing member 41 is attached to the wafer chuck 4.
Since the cutout portion 43 is formed at a position P / 2 moved from the center portion of the wafer W2, the wafer W2 stored in the second cassette C2 from the wafer chuck 4 to the intermediate holding portion 6 is formed.
There is no risk of the wafer chuck 4 coming into contact with the wafer W1 already held by the intermediate holding unit 6 when the wafer chuck 4 is handed over.
By performing the transfer operation n times, for example, twice in this way, the wafer W1 of the cassette C1 is set in the intermediate holding unit 6 at a pitch (P / 2) that is 1/2 times the arrangement pitch P of the wafers W in the cassette C. And the wafers W2 in the cassette C2 are alternately arranged to hold 50 wafers W.

On the other hand, in the processing tank 8, a cleaning processing liquid supply section 8 is provided.
A cleaning treatment liquid such as a hydrofluoric acid solution is supplied from 6 and valves V2 and V3 are opened to circulate the cleaning treatment liquid by the pump P. Next, as shown in FIG. 11, the intermediate holding unit 6 is lifted and the 50 wafers W held by the intermediate holding unit 6 are held.
When the second wafer chuck 7 has this pitch (P / 2)
12, the wafer boat 82 in the processing tank 8 has a pitch (P / P) that is 1/2 times the arrangement pitch P, as shown in FIG.
The wafer W is transferred in 2), and thus 50 wafers W are immersed in the hydrofluoric acid solution, for example, and the oxide film on the surface of the wafer W is etched.

Then, the rinse tank is supplied from the rinse liquid supply pipe 84a.
A rinse liquid, for example, pure water, is supplied from the bottom of the. The pure water supplied from the rinse liquid supply port is first diffused by the diffusion plate 85a, rectified by the rectification plate 85b, and rises from the lower side of the wafer W. As a result, the cleaning treatment liquid is expelled and the inside of the treatment tank 8 is emptied. Replaced by pure water. Thereafter, pure water is continuously supplied from the rinse liquid supply pipe 84a until the specific resistance of the liquid is restored to the value of pure water, the rinse treatment is completed, and the liquid in the treatment tank 8 is discharged from the drain pipe (not shown).

According to the above-described embodiment, the intermediate holding unit 6 having the pitch P / 2 is prepared, and the wafer in the wafer cassette C is first held at the pitch by the first wafer chuck 4 as it is, and the intermediate holding unit 6 and the wafer are held. By adjusting the relative position with respect to the chuck 4 and transferring it twice when n times, it is arranged on the intermediate holding portion 6 at the pitch P / n, for example, the pitch P / 2, and then the second wafer. Since the wafers on the intermediate holding unit 6 are transferred into the processing bath 8 by the chuck, the wafer arrangement pitch can be changed on the wafer chuck 4 side without adopting a special structure. Therefore, the array pitch can be converted with a simple method,
The cleaning process can be performed by arranging the wafers at a narrow pitch.

Since the wafers W can be held on the wafer boat 82 at a pitch that is 1/2 times the unified array pitch P in this manner, the processing tank can be downsized, and thus the apparatus can be downsized. And the cost can be reduced, the consumption of the cleaning treatment liquid and pure water can be reduced, and the time required for replacing the cleaning treatment liquid with pure water can be shortened, so that the rinse efficiency can be improved. As a result, since the rinse time can be shortened, the throughput is improved, and the tact time (the time from the processing of one wafer to the processing of the next wafer) can be shortened.

Further, in the above embodiment, the intermediate holding portion 6
Although the side of the wafer W is raised and lowered, the side of the first wafer chuck 4 may be raised and lowered to transfer the wafer W from the first wafer chuck 4 to the intermediate holding unit 6. In this case, the intermediate holding unit 6 moves up to the position of the wafer chuck 4 and receives the wafer W held by the wafer chuck 4,
The grip portion 41 of the wafer chuck 4 is opened left and right, and the wafer W is transferred from the wafer chuck 4 to the intermediate holding portion 6.
The relative positions of the intermediate holding unit 6 and the wafer chuck 4 when moving in the direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the wafers W are not limited to the case where the wafer chuck 4 side is moved, but the intermediate holding unit 6 side is moved. You may let me. In this case, the mechanism for moving the intermediate holding unit 6 corresponds to the moving unit.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The present embodiment is a method in which a dedicated wafer holder is provided and the wafer is transferred into the processing tank together with the wafer holder. As shown in FIG. 13, the wafer holder 9 includes a holder body 90 provided with a holding rod 91a for holding the lower end of the wafer W and holding rods 91b, 91c for holding both lower sides of the wafer W. These holding rods 91a
To 91c, for example, 50 holding grooves 92 for holding the wafers W at an arrangement pitch of 1 / n times, for example, 1/2 times the arrangement pitch of the wafers W in the wafer cassette C are formed.

The wafer holder 9 is carried by the holder carrying means 93. The holder carrying means 93
As shown in FIG. 13, for example, a pair of arms 94a and 94b for supporting the lower surfaces of the supported portions 90a and 90b, respectively, which are horizontally bent back and forth above the wafer holder 9, are provided.

The structure for transferring the wafers from the wafer cassette C to the wafer holder 9 in the second embodiment is exactly the same as that in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. A push-up member 32 for pushing up the wafer W therein and a wafer chuck 4 are provided, and an elevating table 95 for raising and lowering the wafer holder 9 so as to transfer the wafer W between the wafer chuck 4 and the wafer holder 9 is provided. ing. Reference numeral 96 is a lifting mechanism.

In this embodiment, the wafers W in the wafer cassette C have the pitch P with the pitch P as in the first embodiment.
It is converted to / 2 and transferred to the wafer holder 9. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, the wafer W in the wafer cassette C is gripped by the wafer chuck 4 and conveyed to a position above the wafer holder 9, and as shown in FIG. Then, it is transferred from the wafer chuck 4 to the wafer holder 4. The wafers in the next wafer cassette are similarly processed, except that the position of the wafer chuck 4 is displaced from the position at the time of the previous transfer by an amount corresponding to the pitch P / 2 in the wafer arrangement direction. 4, the wafer W is transferred to the wafer holder 9, and thus the wafer W is transferred to the wafer holder 9 as shown in FIG.
Wafers W are held in parallel at a pitch of / 2. When the wafer W is transferred from the wafer chuck 4 to the wafer holder 9, the wafer chuck 4 may be lowered.

After that, the wafer holder 9 holding the wafer W in this way is transferred into the processing bath 8 by the wafer holder transfer means 93, and the wafer W is held in the wafer holder 9 similarly. Is washed. The processing tank 8 has a structure in which the wafer boat 82 is omitted from the processing tank 8 of the first embodiment described above.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 18, the wafer holder 97 used in this embodiment is provided with holder bars 98a and 98b for holding both lower sides of a wafer W on a holder body 98. , Holding grooves 98 for holding the wafers at an array pitch (P / 2) that is 1 / n times, for example, 1/2 times the array pitch P of the wafers W in the wafer cassette C.
For example, 50 c are formed. The lower side of the wafer holder 97 is similar to that of the first embodiment described above.
An intermediate holding portion 65 having 50 holding grooves 64 formed at a pitch of P / 2 is provided so as to be able to move up and down by an elevating mechanism 66. A space through which the intermediate holding unit 65 passes is formed between the holding rods 98a and 98b of the wafer holder 97.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the held wafer chuck 4 in the wafer cassette C1 moves to a position above the wafer holder 97, and then the intermediate holding portion 65.
However, as shown in FIG. 20, the elevating part 66 penetrates through the passing space between the holding rods 98a and 98b of the wafer holder 96 and ascends to receive and hold the wafer W1 held by the wafer chuck 4. Next, the intermediate holding portion 65
Moves down through the passage space, and the wafer W
1 is held by the holding rods 98a and 98b of the wafer holder 97, and the intermediate holding portion 65 descends to a position below the wafer holder 97. After that, the wafer W2 in the second wafer cassette C2 from the wafer chuck 4 is transferred to the wafer holder 97 in the same manner. In this case, the wafer W is arranged with respect to the position of the first transfer. 1 of the wafer arrangement pitch in the wafer cassette C in the direction
/ Stopped at the position moved by 2 times and transferred,
In this way, 50 wafers W are transferred to the intermediate holding unit 65.

Further, in this embodiment, after the first wafer is received by the intermediate holding unit 65, the intermediate holding unit 65 is received.
Alternatively, the second transfer may be performed by making the wafer stand by above the wafer holder 97.

In the above, when the wafer in the wafer cassette is pushed up by the push-up member, P /
When a wafer arranged at a pitch of n is held by a wafer chuck, or when a wafer after cleaning is transferred from the wafer holder to a wafer cassette by the wafer chuck, the wafer cassette, the intermediate holder, the wafer holder, etc. As shown in FIG. 22 (the intermediate holding portion 6 is shown in the example of this figure), the wafer chuck may be tilted slightly forward and backward, and the wafer chuck may be pulled up along the standing direction of the wafer. Then, the wafers W fall toward one side (one of the front inner surface and the rear inner surface) of the holding groove in the same direction, so that the wafer arrangement pitch becomes uniform,
There is an advantage that the delivery by the wafer chuck becomes reliable. 22. In FIG. 22, H is a horizontal line and V is a perpendicular line of the intermediate holding unit axis.

In the present invention, the holding grooves 6, 64, 9 formed in the intermediate holding portions 6, 65 or the wafer holding members 9, 97.
The pitch of 2,98c is not limited to 1/2 the arrangement pitch of the wafers in the wafer cassette C, but is 1 / n times (n is 2
The above integer) may be used. In this case, the operation of transferring the wafers to the intermediate holding units 6 and 65 or the wafer holding members 9 and 97 by the wafer chuck 4 is performed n times, and the wafer chuck and the intermediate holding unit or the wafer holding device are arranged. The relative position in the direction is set so as to be a position shifted by a pitch of P / n during each transfer operation. Further, the number of wafers transferred once is 2
The number of wafers accommodated in the process is not limited to 50, and is not limited to 50.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the case of etching an oxide film with a hydrofluoric acid solution, but is also applicable to the case of etching a nitride film with a phosphoric acid solution or aluminum with a mixed solution of phosphoric acid, acetic acid and nitric acid. Can also be applied. Other cleaning processes include APM solution (ammonia + hydrogen peroxide water + pure water) for removing particles, HPM solution (hydrochloric acid + hydrogen peroxide water + pure water) for cleaning metal contamination, or SP
The case where the organic matter of the resist film is removed by the M solution (sulfuric acid + hydrogen peroxide solution) may be used. The substrate to be processed may be a liquid crystal substrate or a printed circuit board. Further, the present invention is not limited to the case where the chemical solution treatment and the rinse treatment are performed in a common tank as in the above-described embodiment, but the case where the chemical solution treatment and the rinse are performed in separate processing tanks, that is, for example, wafer holding in the chemical solution tank. Hold the wafer in the tool and immerse it
After performing the chemical treatment for a predetermined time, it may be applied to a device that transfers the rinse treatment to another rinse tank (in this case, the chemical liquid and the rinse liquid correspond to the cleaning treatment liquid), and a device other than the cleaning device In the above, it may be configured as a transfer device applied when transferring from the storage container to the holding means of the substrate to be processed.

[0043]

According to the cleaning method and the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the objects to be processed are carried into the processing tank by a simple method at an array pitch of 1 / n times the array pitch of the objects to be processed in the storage container. In addition, the processing tank can be downsized. Further, according to the transfer device of the present invention, the objects to be processed can be transferred to the holding means at an array pitch of 1 / n times the array pitch of the objects to be processed in the storage container by a simple method.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an overall configuration of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a wafer cassette, a first wafer chuck, an intermediate holding unit, a second wafer chuck and a processing tank.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a first wafer chuck.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a second wafer chuck.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a processing tank used in an example of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a processing tank and a wafer holder used in another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a wafer cassette, a first wafer chuck, and a wafer holder used in another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory view showing the operation of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a wafer holder used in still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory view showing the operation of still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory view showing the operation of still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory view showing the operation of still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional cleaning device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 32 Push-up member 4 First wafer chuck 41,71 Opening / closing member 42,72 Gripping groove 6,65 Intermediate holding part 62,64 Holding groove 7 Second wafer chuck 8 Processing tank 82 Wafer boat 83a-c, 91a-c , 98a, b holding rods 84, 92, 98c holding grooves 9, 97 wafer holding portion

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication H01L 21/68 D

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning method for holding a plurality of substrates to be processed in parallel in a holding member in a processing tank in a vertical direction and performing a cleaning treatment with a cleaning treatment liquid, in a storage container for storing a plurality of substrates to be processed. A first transfer step of transferring the substrate to be processed to the intermediate holding unit by the first holding means at the arrangement pitch of the substrate to be processed in the storage container; and the first holding unit and the intermediate holding unit, M / n of the array pitch (n is an integer of 2 or more, m is 1 in the array direction of the substrates to be processed with respect to the relative position during the transfer step.
A moving step of relatively moving to a position deviated by the above integer) times;
a second transfer step of transferring to a holding member in the processing tank by a second gripping means at a pitch of n times, and repeating the first transfer step and the moving step to perform the first transfer step. By performing the transfer step n times, the substrates to be processed are placed in the intermediate holding unit at an arrangement pitch of 1 in the storage container.
The cleaning method is characterized in that it is held at a pitch of / n times. 2. A cleaning apparatus for removing a substrate to be processed from a container for storing a plurality of substrates to be processed and cleaning the substrate with a cleaning liquid in a processing tank, wherein the arrangement pitch of the substrates to be processed in the container is 1 / n.
(N is an integer of 2 or more), an intermediate holding portion in which holding grooves are formed so as to hold the substrate to be processed, a pushing-up means for pushing up the substrate to be processed in the storage container, and a peripheral edge of the substrate to be processed. The gripping grooves for gripping the portions are formed at the arrangement pitch of the substrates to be processed in the storage container, and the gripping grooves adjacent to each other interfere with the substrate to be processed held by the intermediate holding portion. A notch portion for avoiding the above-mentioned problem, the first holding means for holding the substrate to be processed pushed up by the pushing-up means and transferring it to the intermediate holding part n times, and the intermediate holding part. The relative position to the first gripping means at the time of the previous transfer is relatively moved to a position displaced by m (m is an integer of 1 or more) times the arrangement pitch of the holding grooves. And a moving part for A holding member provided so as to hold the processing substrates in parallel with each other at a pitch of 1 / n times the array pitch, and the substrate to be processed held by the intermediate holding unit at 1 / n times the array pitch. Second gripping means for gripping at a pitch and transferring to a holding member in the processing tank, and transferring the substrate to be processed to the intermediate holding part n times by the first gripping means. Cleaning device characterized by. 3. A cleaning method in which a plurality of substrates to be processed are vertically held in parallel in a holder and cleaned with a cleaning liquid, wherein the substrates to be processed in a storage container for storing the plurality of substrates to be processed are: A transfer step of transferring the substrate to be processed in the storage container to the holder by the arrangement pitch of the substrate to be processed, and the arrangement of the substrate to be processed with respect to the relative position of the holding means and the holder at the time of the transfer step. And a moving step of relatively moving the array pitch by m / n (n is an integer of 2 or more and m is an integer of 1 or more) times the array pitch.
By repeating the transfer step and the transfer step and performing the transfer step n times, the substrate to be processed is held in the holder at a pitch of 1 / n times the arrangement pitch in the storage container. After that, the holder is carried into the processing tank, which is a cleaning method. 4. A cleaning apparatus for taking out a substrate to be processed from a storage container for storing a plurality of substrates to be processed and cleaning it with a cleaning treatment liquid in a processing tank, wherein 1 / n of an arrangement pitch of the substrates to be processed in the storage container is used.
A holder in which holding grooves are formed so as to hold the substrates to be processed in parallel with each other at an arrangement pitch of (n is an integer of 2 or more); a push-up unit that pushes up the substrates to be processed in the storage container; The gripping grooves for gripping the peripheral portion of the processing substrate are formed at the arrangement pitch of the processing target substrates in the storage container, and the processing target substrate held by the holder is between the gripping grooves adjacent to each other. A holding means for holding the substrate to be processed pushed up by the pushing-up means and transferring it to the holding portion n times, and a holding means for holding the holding tool once. A moving part for relatively moving to a position displaced by m (m is an integer of 1 or more) times the arrangement pitch of the holding grooves relative to the gripping means at the time of the previous transfer; The holder holding the substrate to be processed is A cleaning means for transferring the substrate to be processed to the holding tool n times by the gripping means. 5. A cleaning apparatus for removing a substrate to be processed from a container for storing a plurality of substrates to be processed and cleaning the substrate with a cleaning liquid in a processing tank, wherein 1 / n of an arrangement pitch of the substrates to be processed in the container.
A vertically movable intermediate holding part in which holding grooves are formed so as to hold the substrates to be processed in parallel with each other (n is an integer of 2 or more), and the substrates to be processed are 1 / n times the array pitch. While holding grooves are formed so as to hold at a pitch of, a passing space of the intermediate holding portion is formed, and a holder on which the substrate to be processed on the intermediate holding portion is delivered by the lowering of the intermediate holding portion, Push-up means for pushing up the substrate to be processed in the storage container, and holding grooves for holding the peripheral edge of the substrate to be processed are formed at the arrangement pitch of the substrates to be processed in the storage container, and are adjacent to each other. A notch for avoiding interference with the substrate to be processed held by the intermediate holding part is formed between the intermediate holding part and the intermediate holding part by holding the substrate to be processed pushed up by the pushing-up means. Reprinted n times Gripping means for moving the intermediate holding portion relative to the gripping means by a distance m (m is an integer of 1 or more) times the arrangement pitch of the holding grooves, and the processing target. A cleaning device comprising: a carrier that transports a holder holding a substrate into the processing bath, and the substrate to be processed is transferred to the intermediate holder by n times by the gripping means. 6. A transfer device for picking up a substrate to be processed from a storage container that stores a plurality of substrates to be processed and transferring it to a holding means, wherein the holding means has an arrangement pitch of 1 of the processing substrates in the storage container. / N (n is an integer greater than or equal to 2) is arranged such that holding grooves are formed so as to hold the substrates to be processed in parallel with each other, and a pushing-up means for pushing up the substrates to be processed in the storage container; The gripping grooves for gripping the peripheral portion of the processing substrate are formed at the arrangement pitch of the processing target substrates in the storage container, and the processing target substrate held by the holder is between the gripping grooves adjacent to each other. A notch portion for avoiding interference with the holding means, a holding means for holding the substrate to be processed pushed up by the pushing up means and transferring it to the holding means n times, and the holding tool once. Previous transfer And a moving unit for relatively moving the holding means to a position displaced by m (m is an integer of 1 or more) times the arrangement pitch of the holding grooves with respect to the holding means at the time. A transfer device, wherein the substrate to be processed is transferred to the holding means n times by means.