JPH09312277A - Visualizing device for flow in semiconductor batch cleaning tub - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for visualizing the flow of a cleaning solution in a batch cleaning tub for semiconductor wafers. SOLUTION: A cleaning tub 105, wafers 101 and the like are formed transparent. Particles 110 are diffused into a cleaning solution 103 in the cleaning tub 105 in advance. A slit light 112 is radiated to an observation target region by a light source 111. The thickness (half width) of the slit light 112 is caused to coincide with the gap between the wafer 101 and the wafer 101. The direction of radiating the slit light 112 is in parallel to the wafer 101. Then, a camera 113 is used to take a picture from the direction of x-axis. The camera 113 and the light source 111 are set on a stand 114. The position of the stand 114 in the direction of x-axis is caused to be variable. Thus, the observation region may be changed while the relative position between the camera 113 and the light source 111 is maintained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer cleaning tank flow visualization device for visualizing the flow of a cleaning liquid and a water cleaning liquid in a batch cleaning tank for semiconductor wafers.

[0002]

[Prior art]

1. Necessity of visualization of flow in cleaning tank At present, the mainstream cleaning method for semiconductor wafers is the batch cleaning method. It is believed that this will not change in the near future. The outline of this batch cleaning method will be described below with reference to FIG.

A semiconductor wafer 1101 is generally placed on a wafer chuck 1102 in a cleaning bath 1105 as a set of two batches (ie, 50 wafers).

The cleaning liquid 1103 is supplied to the cleaning tank 1105 by a pump 1106 through a liquid supply port 1107. The supplied cleaning liquid 1103 passes through the straightening vane 1104, so that its flow becomes substantially uniform. After this, cleaning liquid 1
103 passes through the gap of the wafer chuck 1102,
Reaching the semiconductor wafer 1101, each semiconductor wafer 1101
It rises through the space. At this time, the cleaning liquid 1103 peels off the foreign matter adhering to the semiconductor wafer 1101 due to its chemical effect, and puts it on the flow as it is and carries it away. Then, the cleaning liquid 1103 and the foreign matter are finally discharged from the cleaning tank 1105 in such a manner as to overflow. The discharged cleaning liquid 1103 is the drainage tank 1
It is received by 108 and is discharged from the drain port 1109. Thereafter, this is repeated.

In such a batch type cleaning system,
In any part of the cleaning tank 1105, the cleaning liquid 1103
Ideally, would flow upwards at a constant velocity. With such an ideal flow, foreign matter once separated from the semiconductor wafer 1101 will not be reattached to the semiconductor wafer 1101.

However, it is difficult to realize such an ideal flow. Actually, the flow of the cleaning liquid 1103 is turbulent even after passing through the straightening vane 1104, and the flow velocity and flow direction are not uniform. In particular, the flow velocity between the semiconductor wafers 1101 tends to be slower than that in other portions. In addition, the cleaning tank 110
At some locations within 5, the flow is either stalled or vortexing and circulating. In some cases, there is also a backflow. Moreover, these flows are not constant and often change from time to time.

For that purpose, it is attempted to realize an ideal flow by improving the shapes of the wafer chuck 1102, the rectifying plate 1104, and the cleaning tank 1105, and improving the position and size of the liquid supply port 1107. ing. Further, the supply amount of the cleaning liquid 1103 is also adjusted. To make this attempt more effective, the cleaning bath 110
It is important to know the flow state at any place in 5 and at any time. For that purpose, visualization of the flow in the batch cleaning tank is essential.

In recent years, computer simulation technology has been developed, and the state of the computer can be often grasped by computer calculation without actually making a product. However, with respect to the flow in the batch cleaning tank, the computer simulation technology has not reached the level desired by the user in terms of accuracy, price and usability. Therefore, at the present time, the actual observation of the flow state using an experimental device is the fastest and surest way to obtain knowledge about the flow.

[0009] 2. Conventional visualization technology To visualize the flow in the batch cleaning tank using an experimental device, tracer (for example, metal foil such as aluminum) in the cleaning solution
Put many small objects called. Then, on the premise that the movement of the tracer is equal to the flow of the liquid, the movement of the tracer is visually observed. In this case, if some light is applied to the tracer, the area to be observed is limited,
Also, the tracer can be easily identified. Also,
Since it is not possible to quantitatively grasp the flow simply by visually observing it, it has been performed to photograph the movement of the tracer with a camera in order to make the observation more reliable. Then, image processing is performed on the image data obtained by shooting, so that the state of the flow can be displayed on the display in a more easily understandable state. For example, the direction of the flow of the cleaning liquid and the flow velocity are displayed using arrows. When the image processing is performed in this way, a spherical tracer is often used so that the image processing can be executed easily and surely.

As a concrete example of such a conventional technique, a flow visualization device manufactured by Nexus will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 10, a trace substance 1003 is put into a liquid 1002 in a tank 1001. An area on which the slit light 1006 emitted from the light source 1005 is incident becomes a trace area 1004. Light source 1005
Are controlled by the light source control device 1007. The tracing material 1003 in the trace area 1004 illuminated by the slit light 1006 is photographed by the camera 1008. The captured image is processed by the image processing apparatus 1009 and is displayed on the display screen using the arrow as shown in FIG.

The inventor of the present application examined such a conventional technique from various angles. As a result, it has been newly discovered that the following problems, which have not been known in the related art, exist in the prior art, assuming that the application to the batch type semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus is assumed.

(1) The thickness of the slit light 1006 is indefinite.

When the thickness of the slit light is small, the tracing substance 1003 suddenly disappears or appears from the screen imaged by the camera 1008. On the other hand, if the thickness is large,
Trace material 1003 located outside the observation area
You will also be observing. As described above, the slit light having an indefinite thickness cannot accurately visualize the flow between the semiconductor wafers 101.

As shown in FIG. 9, there are a large number of semiconductor wafers in the batch type cleaning tank. Each semiconductor wafer 10
1s are placed at regular intervals. Therefore, slit light 1
It is necessary that the thickness of 006 be equal to the gap between the semiconductor wafers 101. As a result of performing various experiments, the inventor of the present application found that the thickness (half-width) of the slit light coincided with the gap between the semiconductor wafers adjacent to each other (Note: not the gap between adjacent semiconductor wafers). It has been found that it is most preferable to be present. The spacing between the semiconductor wafers is internationally determined, and is 4.375 mm when the diameter of the semiconductor wafer 101 is 6 inches, and 6.35 mm when it is 8 inches. The size of this gap is not fixed internationally. However, since the thickness of the semiconductor wafer is generally about 0.55 to 0.725 mm, this gap is about 3.7 mm when the diameter of the semiconductor wafer 101 is 6 inches, which is 8 inches. In the case, it is about 5.5 mm.

(2) The tracing material 1003 is dark.

To improve the image processing efficiency, the liquid 100
It is necessary to make the tracing material 1003 brighter than 2, that is, to increase the S / N ratio (Signal / Noise ratio). Although the slit light 1006 is irradiated in order to make the tracing material 1003 bright in the above-mentioned conventional technique, this light is also irradiated to the liquid 1002.
Therefore, the S / N ratio could not be made sufficiently high.

(3) The trace area 1004 is narrow.

In the conventional example, since the area of the slit light 1006 is narrow, the actual wafer, for example, the area to be observed in the batch cleaning tank for the diameter of 8 inches (that is, about 300 mm × 300 mm) cannot be used as the trace area.

(4) The tracing substance 1003 moves up and down even when the flow is stationary.

Specific gravity of liquid 1002 and tracing material 10
If the specific gravity of 03 is different, there is a tracing substance 1003 that moves upward or downward even when there is no flow and the fluid is stationary. Therefore, it may be difficult to distinguish whether or not there is a flow. In other words, the observation of the flow tends to be inaccurate.

(5) Only a flow close to a static flow can be observed.

The prior art device (see FIG. 10) does not have a drive which causes the fluid to flow. A simple drive water turbine 100
Although it is possible to create a partial flow by putting it in 1, it is not possible to create a flow equivalent to the actual cleaning tank (including the liquid supply and drain conditions). The flow in the batch cleaning tank is delicate, and the flow changes even if the number of wafers in the tank is insufficient. For this reason, accurate flow observation cannot be performed unless an observation device with the same conditions as the actual condition is created.

(6) It is difficult to change the measurement plane (measurement work is inefficient).

In the conventional apparatus, each time the measurement plane (or the observation area) is changed, the light source 1005 (or
The position of the tank 1001) and the position of the camera 1008 must be adjusted separately. In addition, after the position change, it is necessary to readjust the illuminance, the focus position, and other parameters for capturing an image. In an actual batch cleaning tank, a large number (usually 50 in 2 batches)
Semiconductor wafers 101 are installed in parallel, and all semiconductor wafers 1 can be used to grasp the flow in the entire cleaning tank.
It is necessary to visualize the flow between 01 (see FIG. 9). It takes a lot of time and effort to realize this with conventional equipment,
The flow between a large number of semiconductor wafers 101 cannot be measured efficiently.

(7) In an actual cleaning tank, light cannot be applied from above.

In actual cleaning, there is a mechanism related to the wafer chuck 102 above the cleaning tank. Therefore, unlike the conventional apparatus (see FIG. 10), it is not possible to install the light source 1005 on the cleaning tank or irradiate the slit light 1006 from above the cleaning tank. Further, when illuminated from the lateral direction, the luminous intensity is not symmetrical with respect to the zx plane (see FIG. 9).

(8) The display of the result is fixed.

In the conventional example, the display of the result is simple as shown by the arrow as shown in FIG. Therefore, it is not possible to know how a particular particle moves, or how a particular region moves on average.

It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems and to provide a device for visualizing the flow in a batch cleaning tank for semiconductors, which is suitable for visualizing the flow in a batch type cleaning tank for semiconductor wafers. .

[0031]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and by mixing particles that can move with the flow of the fluid in the fluid, the flow of the fluid can be improved. In a device for visualizing the flow of a fluid in a semiconductor batch cleaning tank, which is visualized as the movement of the particles, a transparent water tank for accommodating the fluid and the particles mixed therein, and a plurality of transparent and disk-shaped A simulated wafer, a transparent simulated wafer chuck that supports the simulated wafers in the water tank while keeping them parallel to each other at a predetermined interval, a flow forming means for generating a flow of the fluid in the water tank, and an inside of the water tank. For the fluid and the particles of
A flow visualization device for a semiconductor wafer cleaning tank, comprising: a light source for irradiating slit light in a direction parallel and horizontal to the simulated wafer held by the simulated wafer chuck.

It is preferable that the half width of the slit light in the thickness direction is substantially the same as the size of the gap between the simulated wafer held by the simulated wafer chuck and the simulated wafer.

It is preferable that the light source is configured to be capable of changing its position in a direction perpendicular to the simulated wafer supported by the simulated wafer chuck.

A separately prepared camera is held in a state in which the optical axis of the camera coincides with the central axis of the simulated wafer supported by the simulated wafer chuck, and the light source moves as the light source moves. It is preferable to have a holding mechanism that moves the camera while maintaining the relative positional relationship between the camera and the camera.

It is preferable that the light sources are provided at two locations on a straight line parallel and horizontal to the simulated wafer so as to face each other with the water tank interposed therebetween.

It is preferable to further include a second light source for irradiating the fluid and the particles in the water tank with slit light in a direction vertical and horizontal to the simulated wafer held by the simulated wafer chuck.

It is preferable that the second light source is configured to be able to change its position in a direction parallel and horizontal to the simulated wafer supported by the simulated wafer chuck.

The second camera prepared separately is held in a state where the optical axis of the second camera is parallel and horizontal to the simulated wafer supported by the simulated wafer chuck, and the second camera is held. It is preferable that the second camera be moved while the relative positional relationship between the second light source and the second camera is maintained with the movement of the light source.

It is preferable that the second light sources are provided at two positions on a plane which is vertical and horizontal to the simulated wafer and are opposed to each other with the water tank interposed therebetween.

The operation of the present invention will be described.

By making the water tank, the simulated wafer, and the simulated wafer chuck transparent, the flow can be observed through the water tank and the like.

By generating the flow of the fluid in the water tank by the flow forming means, the flow can be created like an actual machine. Therefore, more accurate observation is possible.

The light source emits slit light in a direction parallel and horizontal to the simulated wafer held by the simulated wafer chuck. In this case, if the half-width of the slit light in the thickness direction and the size of the gap between the simulated wafer held by the simulated wafer chuck and the simulated wafer are set to be substantially the same, the area between the simulated wafer and the simulated wafer is reduced. When is the observation target area, the light does not reach outside the observation area. In addition, the entire observation area is exposed to light.

By changing the position of the light source in the direction perpendicular to the simulated wafer supported by the simulated wafer chuck, it is possible to irradiate the slit light to the region between the desired simulated wafer and the simulated wafer (that is, the desired one). Can be observed about the gap).

The holding mechanism holds the optical axis of the camera in such a manner that it coincides with the central axis of the simulated wafer supported by the simulated wafer chuck (the axis passing through the center of the simulated wafer and perpendicular to it). Then, as the light source moves, the camera is moved so as to maintain the relative positional relationship between the light source and the camera. As a result, it is possible to shoot while keeping a constant distance from the camera to the observation target area. Therefore, it is not necessary to reset various conditions (light intensity, focus, etc.) every time the position of the light source is changed (in other words, each time the observation target area is changed), and thus the observation work can be performed easily and quickly. .

If the light sources are provided at two places on a plane parallel and horizontal to the simulated wafer, the brightness of the observation area can be made uniform. Further, since the light hits a wider area, the observation area can be set wider.

By providing the second light source and the second holding mechanism, it is possible to easily and accurately observe the direction parallel and horizontal to the simulated wafer.

[0048]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

Actual semiconductor wafer batch cleaning tank (real machine)
It would be ideal if the flow inside could be visualized as it is, but the actual machine is operating in a clean room, and the inside of the tank is set to a higher degree of cleanliness. Therefore, if a visualization device is attached to an actual machine and fine particles and the like are put into the actual machine for observation, foreign matter is generated and the cleaning function itself is adversely affected. Therefore, in reality, it is not possible to make observations using actual equipment.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, a simulated cleaning tank 105 having the same size as the actual product is prepared. At this time, the simulated cleaning tank 105
The y slit light 112 emitted from the y light source 111 installed outside
However, it is necessary to sufficiently illuminate the inside of the simulated cleaning tank 105. Therefore, the simulated cleaning tank 105 has high light transmittance.

The flow of the cleaning liquid or the like in the cleaning tank is, for example,
Even if the number of semiconductor wafers in the cleaning tank is different by one, it is so delicate that the flow of the part and the whole is changed. Therefore, the number of simulated wafers 101,
Not only the shape, but all the parts related to the flow (simulated wafer chuck 102, simulated straightening plate 104) have the same dimensions as the actual product. Further, these (simulated wafer chuck 102, simulated rectifying plate 104) are also made to have high light transmittance so as not to interfere with the observation. As for the simulated wafer 101, the simulated wafer 101, which is located behind the region (observation target region) where the flow is to be observed at that time as viewed from the x-camera 113, is made light opaque and is in front of the observation target region. The simulated wafer 101 located at is light transmissive. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the influence of the light that has been irradiated outside the observation target region as much as possible. However, if the spread of the light emitted from the y light source 111 is sufficiently small and the light can be accurately emitted only to the observation target region at that time, sufficient observation is possible even if all the simulated wafers 101 are transparent.

For the measurement, it is best if the cleaning liquid and cleaning water used in the actual machine can be used, but it takes time and trouble to handle them. Therefore, the simulated cleaning liquid 103 is used. Tap water or the like can be used as the simulated cleaning liquid 103. Even with these alternatives, there is almost no difference in the flow due to the difference in viscosity.

As the particles (trace material) 110,
In order to make the particles 110 stand still when there is no flow, the same specific gravity as that of the simulated cleaning liquid 103 is used. Further, the shape thereof is spherical so as to facilitate image processing of the image photographed by the x camera 113. Furthermore, in order to increase the S / N ratio over the background, the one coated with a fluorescent agent is used. However, it is not necessary to apply the fluorescent agent as long as the S / N ratio can be increased by some other method.

One y light source 111 is provided on each of the left and right sides (two in total). By arranging the light sources in this manner, it becomes easy to make the light distribution bilaterally symmetrical with the zx plane passing through each centerline of the simulated wafer 101 as a plane of symmetry. The number of y light sources 111 does not necessarily have to be two. You may increase the number as needed.

Y slit light 11 emitted from the y light source 111
The thickness of 2 (here, the half-value width) is set to be substantially the same as the gap between adjacent simulated wafers 101. By doing so, the observation target area at that time can be illuminated as a whole, and the portion other than the observation target area (for example, the simulated wafer or the adjacent gap portion) is not illuminated.

The camera 113 is arranged on (or near) the x-axis connecting the center points of the simulated wafer 101 so that the simulated wafer 1 can be photographed from the front.

By appropriately adjusting the light quantity of the y light source 111 and the focus of the x camera 113, the particle 101 in the observation target region at that time can be clearly grasped by the x camera 113.

The y light source 111 and the x camera 113 are mounted on the same x frame 114 so that their relative positional relationship does not change. The relative positional relationship between them is fixed in advance at a position where the above adjustment is appropriately performed.

The x frame 114 is constructed so that its position can be changed in the direction perpendicular to the simulated wafer 101. As a result, the y light source 111 and the x camera 113 can easily change the observation target area while maintaining their relative positional relationship. In other words, even if the observation target area is changed, the size, angle, etc. of the image captured by the x camera 113 are always constant, so that it is easy to compare images of different observation target areas.

The position of the x frame 114 may be changed manually or automatically. The specific structure is not limited at all.

Next, the circulation path of the simulated cleaning liquid 103 will be described.

A mixed liquid of the particles 110 and the simulated cleaning liquid 103 is supplied to the simulated cleaning tank 5 by the pump 106 through the liquid supply port 107. By setting the position, shape, and size of the liquid supply port 107 in the same manner as in the actual machine, the flow can be reproduced more accurately. The simulated cleaning liquid 103 overflowing from the upper edge of the simulated cleaning tank 5 is received by the drainage tank 108. And
It is returned to the pump 106 again through the drainage port 109. In this way, the same flow as the actual product can be realized by having the mixed liquid circulation function as in the actual batch type cleaning tank.
Also, in terms of cost, the flow observation can be performed efficiently. The means for supplying liquid to the simulated cleaning tank 5 is the pump 1
It is not limited to 06. Any other drive source may be used.

Next, an original screen on the yz plane captured by the x camera 113 is shown in FIG. By observing and observing the movement of the particles 111, the mixed liquid (simulated cleaning liquid 103, particles 111) becomes
A state of entering the simulated cleaning tank 5 through the liquid supply port 106, a state of changing the flow due to the effect of the straightening plate 104, the simulated wafer 10
1 shows that the flow is affected by the simulated wafer chuck 102 and the simulated wafer chuck 102, and that the mixed liquid overflows out of the simulated cleaning tank 5.

If the image taken by the x-camera 113 is image-processed by the image processing device 115, as shown in FIG. 3, the flow is displayed as the movement of certain particles existing in the observation area. You can also Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the observation target area is divided into small areas,
It is also possible to show the average value of the flow in the small area. In addition, the maximum flow and the minimum flow within a fixed time can be shown. It is also possible to see whether it is stationary or flowing backwards. Further, by extracting a large number of the images in FIG. 3 at a certain fixed time interval and superimposing them, the subsequent flow of specific particles can be observed. In this case, it can be seen that the more the arrows are superposed, the more the flow concentrates on that portion. It is also possible to stock these images and make them into a database to compare the flows of various cleaning tanks, or to carry out the evaluation quantitatively based on a certain evaluation function.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the flow of the cleaning liquid in the batch type semiconductor wafer cleaning tank can be accurately reproduced and the flow can be visualized and observed. Moreover, the observation target area can be easily changed, and the observation work can be performed easily and efficiently.

The x mount 114 may be simply provided with a camera mounting tool. In this way, the user can attach and use the camera that he already has. The same applies to the y light source.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the second embodiment, the flow can be observed even from the direction parallel to the simulated wafer 101. In order to realize this, in the second embodiment, the first
In addition to the same configuration as that of the above embodiment (see FIG. 1), an x light source 521, a y camera 523, and a y mount 524 are provided (see FIG. 5).

X light source 521, y camera 523, y mount 52
The configuration of 4 is basically the same as the y light source 111, the x camera 113, and the x frame 114 in the first implementation failure. However, x light source 521, y camera 523, y mount 524
Are arranged in different directions. The y mount 524 (that is, the x light source 521, the y camera 523) can change its position in the y axis direction in FIG. For the same purpose as in the case of the first embodiment, this change in position is performed while maintaining the relative positional relationship between the x light source 521 and the y camera 523.

An image on the zx plane taken by the y camera 523 is shown in FIG. The handling of the observed image is the same as in the first embodiment. By processing the image captured by the y camera 523 with the image processing circuit 115,
Visual and quantitative data can be obtained as shown in FIGS.

As described above, in the second embodiment, x
By observing from both the axial direction and the y-axis direction, the flow of the cleaning liquid can be grasped more accurately. It is easy to change the observation area.

The axes (x-axis,
The (y-axis, z-axis) indicates only the direction of the axis.

[0074]

According to the present invention, the flow of the cleaning liquid in the semiconductor wafer cleaning tank can be accurately observed for a desired observation target area. Moreover, the observation target area can be changed easily and quickly. Since the observed data can be processed quantitatively, the results can be put into a database and used as basic data for flow evaluation. Not only can the flow on the plane parallel to the plane of the wafer be observed, but the flow on the plane perpendicular to the plane of the wafer can also be seen. That is, it becomes possible to observe the flow three-dimensionally.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a first visualization device for a flow in a cleaning tank according to the present invention.
It is a perspective view showing an embodiment of.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an image captured by an x camera 113.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a particle tracking process is performed on an image captured by an x camera 113.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state when area averaging processing is performed based on an image captured by an x camera 113.

FIG. 5 is the second visualization device for the flow in the cleaning tank according to the present invention.
It is a perspective view showing an embodiment of.

FIG. 6 is a schematic y-sectional view showing an outline of the flow in the batch type cleaning tank.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which a particle tracking process is performed on an image captured by a y camera 523.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a case where area averaging processing is performed based on an image captured by a y camera 523.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a batch-type cleaning device.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional device.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of image processing in the conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

101 ... Simulated wafer, 102 ... Simulated wafer chuck,
103 ... Simulated cleaning liquid, 104 ... Simulated flow plate, 105
… Simulated cleaning tank, 106… Pump, 107… Liquid supply port,
108 ... Drainage tank, 109 ... Drainage port, 110 ... Particles, 111 ... Y light source, 112 ... Y slit light, 1
13 ... x camera, 114 ... x mount, 115 ... image processing device, 521 ... x light source, 522 ... x slit light,
523 ... y camera, 524 ... y mount, 1101 ...
Semiconductor wafer, 1102 ... Wafer chuck, 110
3 ... Cleaning liquid, 1104 ... Rectifier plate, 1105 ... Cleaning tank, 1106 ... Pump, 1107 ... Liquid supply port, 11
08 ... Drainage tank, 1109 ... Drainage port, 1002 ... Liquid, 1003 ... Trace material, 1004 ... Trace area, 1005 ... Light source, 1006 ... Slit light,
Reference numeral 1007 ... Light source control device, 1008 ... Camera, 10
09 ... Image processing device, 1010 ... Flow velocity vector

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Yoshitaka Tsutsui, Inventor Yoshitaka Tsutsui, 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Pref., Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, Hitachi, Ltd. No. 1 Incorporated company Hitachi Ltd. Semiconductor Division (72) Inventor Akio Saito 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Inside Production Engineering Research Laboratory Hitachi Ltd. (72) Inventor Yuji Noguchi Josui, Kodaira, Tokyo 5-20-1 Honmachi, Ltd. Semiconductor Division, Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Daisuke Noriyuki, 5-20-1, Kamisuihonmachi, Kodaira-shi, Tokyo Hitachi Ltd. Semiconductor Division

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A visualization of a fluid flow in a batch cleaning tank for semiconductors, wherein the fluid flow is visualized as the movement of the particles by mixing particles that can move with the flow of the fluid into the fluid. In the apparatus, a transparent water tank containing the fluid and the particles mixed in the fluid, a plurality of transparent and disk-shaped simulated wafers, and the simulated wafers are kept parallel to each other at a predetermined interval in the water tank. A transparent simulated wafer chuck supported in a closed state, a flow forming means for generating the flow of the fluid in the water tank, the simulated wafer held by the simulated wafer chuck with respect to the fluid and the particles in the water tank A flow visualization device for a semiconductor wafer cleaning tank, comprising: a light source that emits slit light in a direction parallel and horizontal to 2. The half width of the slit light in the thickness direction thereof is substantially the same as the size of the gap between the simulated wafer held by the simulated wafer chuck and the simulated wafer. 1. A flow visualization device for a semiconductor wafer cleaning tank according to 1. 3. The semiconductor wafer according to claim 1, wherein the light source is configured to be capable of changing a position in a direction perpendicular to the simulated wafer supported by the simulated wafer chuck. Cleaning tank flow visualization device. 4. A separately prepared camera is held in a state in which the optical axis of the camera coincides with the central axis of the simulated wafer supported by the simulated wafer chuck, and with the movement of the light source. The flow visualization device for a semiconductor wafer cleaning tank according to claim 3, further comprising a holding mechanism for moving the camera while maintaining a relative positional relationship between the light source and the camera. 5. The light source is provided at two locations on a straight line parallel and horizontal to the simulated wafer so as to face each other with the water tank interposed therebetween. Flow visualization system for semiconductor wafer cleaning tank. 6. A second light source for irradiating the fluid and the particles in the water tank with slit light in a direction vertical and horizontal to the simulated wafer held by the simulated wafer chuck. The flow visualization device for a semiconductor wafer cleaning tank according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. 7. The second light source is configured to be capable of changing its position in a direction parallel and horizontal to the simulated wafer supported by the simulated wafer chuck. Visualization device for semiconductor wafer cleaning tank. 8. A second camera prepared separately is held in a state where the optical axis of the second camera is parallel and horizontal to the simulated wafer supported by the simulated wafer chuck, and 8. The second camera is moved while the relative positional relationship between the second light source and the second camera is maintained in accordance with the movement of the second light source. A flow visualization device of the semiconductor wafer cleaning tank described. 9. The second light source is provided at two positions on a plane which is vertical and horizontal to the simulated wafer, and is provided to face each other with the water tank interposed therebetween. 8. A semiconductor wafer cleaning tank flow visualization device according to item 8.