JPH10163148A - Gate apparatus for substrate cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To clean substrates one by one at a high accuracy in a high purity atmosphere and make the apparatus compact by disposing a pair of vertically openable lifting gates with specified spacing along a substrate carry in/out line. SOLUTION: A substrate cleaner A for cleaning wafers W one by one in a chamber 15 with various kinds of cleaning liqs. has a gate 16 which is an openable substrate inlet/outlet of a treating chamber 15 and has a double gate structure having a pair of lift gates 30, 31. Concretely the gate opening of the gate 16 is protrudent horizontally outwards from the side of an upper large diameter 25. In the gate opening, both lift gates 30, 31 are disposed with specified spacing in a horizontal direction. The gate opening has an aperture area enough to pass the hand 10 of a transfer robot D vacuum-holding the wafer W horizontally.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gate device for a substrate cleaning apparatus, and more particularly, to sputtering and CV in a device manufacturing process for semiconductors and electronic parts.
The present invention relates to a wet cleaning technique for performing a wet cleaning process on a semiconductor wafer or the like performed before a processing step for forming a thin film by D processing or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a method of wet cleaning a semiconductor wafer or the like (hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer) includes a wet bench type cleaning tank in which a plurality of cleaning tanks are continuously arranged, and a carrier cassette. So-called batch wet cleaning, in which a plurality of stored wafers are sequentially immersed in a transfer device and processed, has been the mainstream, but in recent years, in order to increase cleaning efficiency, prevent contamination of the cleaning liquid, and increase production efficiency. In addition, a cassetteless batch type wet cleaning in which a carrier cassette is omitted and a plurality of wafers are directly gripped and transported by a transport device is becoming common.

[0003]

However, in such conventional wet cleaning, in addition to the various problems listed below, semiconductor devices have entered the sub-micron era, and such device structures have been developed. With the miniaturization and high integration of wafers, very high cleanliness is also required on the wafer surface.In recent years, there has been a strong demand for the development of wet cleaning technology that satisfies the demand for higher cleanliness. .

That is, since a plurality of wafers are collectively processed, (1) precise processing cannot be performed for each wafer, and high-precision process control is difficult as a whole. (2) Particles from adjacent wafers
There is redeposition. (3) Since each washing tank is large and a large amount of washing liquid is required, the running cost is high, and it is not possible to cope with small-lot production of many kinds.

Further, since the cleaning tank is of a wet bench type multi-layer type, (4) when a wafer is taken in and out of the cleaning tank, the wafer is exposed to the atmosphere to prevent the effects of metal contamination, ions or oxygen. There is a process limit to ensure high cleanliness, such as receiving particles and reattachment of particles after cleaning. (5) The equipment configuration is very complicated and large, the investment efficiency of the clean room is poor, the maintenance is large, troublesome and difficult, and the workability is poor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has as its object to basically carry out a cassetteless wet processing of wafers one by one in a single closed cleaning chamber. By cleaning, a substrate cleaning system that can perform cleaning in a high cleanliness atmosphere with high precision without reattachment of particles, etc., and has a simple and compact device configuration and can effectively cope with low-mix, high-mix production. To provide.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a substrate cleaning system according to the present invention comprises a substrate loading device for stocking a plurality of substrates before cleaning processing and a loading standby, and a plurality of substrates loaded one by one. A plurality of single-wafer-type substrate cleaning devices for performing a cleaning process with a cleaning liquid, a substrate unloading device in which a plurality of substrates after the cleaning process are stocked, and a standby state for unloading; a substrate cleaning device between the substrate loading device and the substrate cleaning device; And a substrate transfer device that transfers substrates one by one between the substrate unloading device and the substrate unloading device, a substrate cleaning device, and a system control device that drives and controls the substrate unloading device in conjunction with each other. The substrate loading device, the substrate cleaning device, and the substrate unloading device are arranged in a ring to form a ring array, and the substrate transfer device is disposed at a center position of the ring array. And wherein the door.

In the present invention, since it is a single-wafer type which basically processes wafers one by one, it is possible to carry out precise processing for each wafer with almost no reattachment of particles and the like. Cleaning space is small, and only a small amount of cleaning liquid is required.

Further, since the cleaning process is performed on a wafer one by one with a plurality of cleaning liquids, that is, the entire cleaning process is performed in one processing tank, the wafer is not taken in and out in the cleaning process, and the wafer is exposed to the atmosphere. Also, the structure of each substrate cleaning apparatus can be simplified and reduced in size without being affected by metal contamination, ions or oxygen.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 shows a substrate cleaning system according to the present invention. Specifically, the substrate cleaning system includes a single-wafer-type substrate cleaning apparatus A for cleaning wafers W one by one as a basic unit, and includes a plurality (four in the illustrated example). The substrate cleaning devices A, A,... Are arranged annularly together with the substrate carry-in device B and the substrate carry-out device C, and the substrate transfer device D is arranged at the center position of these annular arrangement groups A to C.
These are installed in a single clean room. Each of the substrate cleaning apparatuses A is linked to a cleaning liquid supply apparatus E that is a supply source of the cleaning liquid, and each of the above apparatuses A to E
Are driven and controlled by the system controller F in conjunction with each other. Hereinafter, each component device will be sequentially described.

The substrate carrying-in apparatus B is a part for carrying in the wafer W from a previous process, and includes a wafer W, W.W. ... are stocked and wait for loading. Further, the substrate unloading device C is a portion for unloading the wafer W to the next step, and includes the wafers W, W. ... are stocked and wait for carry-out. These two devices B and C
Has the same basic configuration as described below.

That is, the substrate loading device B will be described as an example. As shown in FIG.
The substrate standby chamber 1 can be opened and closed by a first opening and closing shutter 2 with respect to a pre-process side, and can be opened and closed by a second opening and closing shutter 3 with respect to a robot chamber 4.

In the substrate standby chamber 1, a substrate holding portion 5 for holding a plurality of wafers W, W,... In a horizontal state at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction, and moving the substrate holding portion 5 And a positioning unit 6 for positioning the wafers W, W,... For carrying in and out.

The substrate holding unit 5 includes a cassette mounting table 5a having a horizontal mounting surface and a transport cassette 5b removably mounted on the cassette mounting table 5a.
Consists of The transfer cassette 5b is also used for transferring a wafer outside the present system, and although not shown, holding grooves for holding the peripheral portion of the wafer W are provided at a predetermined arrangement pitch therein. When the wafer is transferred, the transfer cassette 5b is handled in a posture in which the wafers W, W,... Are held in a vertical upright position. On the other hand, when the wafers W are mounted on the cassette mounting table 5a, Are handled in a posture where the wafers W, W,.

The substrate holder 5 may have a structure exclusively for the holder in which the cassette mounting table 5a and the transfer cassette 5b are integrally formed. In this case, the wafers W, W,. An apparatus configuration for transferring the wafer from the wafer transfer cassette outside the present system to the substrate holding unit 5 is added.

The positioning section 6 is, specifically, a feed screw mechanism 6a for raising and lowering the cassette mounting table 5a.
And a drive motor 6b for rotating the feed screw mechanism 6a. By the drive of the drive motor 6b interlocked with the operation of the substrate transfer device D described later, the wafers W, W,... In the cassette mounting table 5a and the transfer cassette 5b are moved up and down via the feed screw mechanism 6a. And is positioned for carrying in and out.

Although not shown, the positioning portion 6
A rotation mechanism for horizontally rotating the cassette mounting table 5a is provided, and the opening of the transport cassette 5b on the cassette mounting table 5a is closed by the first and second shutters 2, 3.
May be configured to be positioned so as to face each other.

In connection with the above configuration, a wafer centering section 7 and a wafer number confirmation sensor 8 are provided.

The wafer centering section 7 is for smoothly and surely extracting a wafer W by a substrate transfer device D, which will be described later, and comprises a wafer contact bar 7a and a horizontal cylinder 7b. The wafer contact bar 7a moves forward by the projecting operation of the piston rod, and presses and aligns (centers) the wafers W, W,... In the transfer cassette 5b.

The wafer number confirmation sensor 8 is for controlling the driving of the substrate transfer device D, and comprises a wafer confirmation sensor 8a, an upper and lower cylinder 8b and a horizontal cylinder 8c. The wafer confirmation sensor 8a is positioned so as to face the wafers W, W,... In the transfer cassette 5b by the projecting and retracting operation of the upper and lower cylinders 8b and the horizontal cylinder 8c, and holds these wafers W, W,. The position and presence / absence of the wafers W, W,... Are detected, and the operations of the positioning unit 6 and the substrate transfer device D are controlled.

The substrate unloading device C includes a first opening / closing shutter 2
Has the same basic configuration as that of the substrate loading apparatus B, except that it can be opened and closed with respect to the next process side.

The substrate transfer device D transfers wafers W one by one in a horizontal state between the substrate loading device B and the substrate cleaning device A and between the substrate cleaning device A and the substrate unloading device C. It is listed.

The substrate transfer apparatus D is specifically in the form of a vacuum suction type transfer robot as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, and is provided in the robot chamber 4 in the illustrated embodiment. Then, the wafer W is transferred between the transfer cassette 5b in the substrate carry-in device B or the substrate carry-out device C and the substrate support portion 17 of the substrate cleaning device A described later.

As shown in the figure, the transfer robot D has a hand unit 10 that moves up and down and moves horizontally,
And a substrate suction section 11 for vacuum suction chucking. Specifically, the hand unit 10 is provided on the upper side of the robot body 12 so as to be able to move up and down and rotate via a support shaft 13, and is linked to a drive source (for example, an AC servomotor) inside the robot body 12. I have.

The substrate suction unit 11 is provided at the tip of the hand unit 10 and is in the form of a suction plate as shown in FIG. The suction plate 11 has a substantially U-shaped planar shape as shown in FIG. 4A, and a concave portion 11a for holding the wafer W is formed on the upper surface thereof. In the concave portion 11a, a plurality (four in the illustrated example) of suction protrusions 11b, 11b,
Are provided, and the suction holes of the suction protrusions 11b are connected to a negative pressure source such as a vacuum pump (not shown).

Then, the suction plate 11 is
By the handling operation 0, the wafer W on the transfer cassette 5b or the substrate support unit 17 is extracted in a horizontal state, and rotated and moved by a predetermined angle in the horizontal direction, and then transferred onto the substrate support unit 17 or the transfer cassette 5b. Replace. In this case, the drive of the hand unit 10 is controlled so as to vertically move one pitch when the wafer W is inserted into or removed from the transfer cassette 5b, and then to repeat the same operation as above.

The substrate cleaning apparatus A is a one-chamber single-wafer type cleaning apparatus for cleaning wafers W one by one in a single processing chamber 15 with plural kinds of cleaning liquids. It has both a configuration for processing and a configuration for dip cleaning.

I. Structure for spray cleaning
Composition: As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the substrate cleaning apparatus A includes :
Processing chamber 15, gate section 16, substrate support section 17, substrate rotation section 18, injection nozzle 19, inert gas supply section 2
0, a drain unit 21, a substrate cleaning control unit 22, and the like.

The processing chamber 15 is configured as a sealable single cleaning tank for accommodating one wafer W, and includes an upper large-diameter portion 25 and a lower small-diameter portion 26.

The upper large-diameter portion 25 is a portion where the wafer W is loaded / unloaded and subjected to a drying process.
The gate section 16 for carrying in and out the wafer W is provided, and an injection nozzle 19 for spraying a cleaning liquid onto the surface of the wafer W supported by the substrate support section 17 is provided therein.

The lower small diameter portion 26 is a portion where the wafer W is subjected to a cleaning process, and the inner diameter is set to a size that can accommodate the substrate support portion 17. Also, the lower small diameter portion 26
Inside, a spray nozzle 27 for spraying a cleaning liquid on the back surface of the wafer W is provided.

The gate section 16 is openable and closable constituting a substrate loading / unloading port of the processing chamber 15, and has a double gate structure including a pair of lift gates 30 and 31.

Specifically, the gate opening 3 of the gate section 16
2 is provided so as to protrude outward in the horizontal direction from the side of the upper large-diameter portion 25, and the lift gates 30 and 31 are arranged in the gate opening 32 at predetermined intervals in the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the gate opening 32 has an opening area through which the hand unit 10 of the transfer robot D holding the wafer W by suction in a horizontal state can pass. The inner and outer lift gates 30 and 31 have a structure that can be opened and closed independently in a vertical direction by a drive source such as an air cylinder.

The substrate support section 17 is provided at the center of the bottom in the lower small diameter section 26 of the processing chamber 15 and is configured to support one wafer W in a horizontal state. Specifically, as shown in FIG.
A plurality (four in the illustrated case) of chucking arms 35, 35,...

These chucking arms 35, 35,...
As shown in FIG. 7 (a), are provided radially inclined upward on the outer diameter side of the wafer W, and can be reciprocated in the radial direction by an appropriate driving mechanism (not shown). The chucking claws 36, 36,... Provided at the distal ends of the chucking arms 35, 35,... Are set to be at the same height with each other. The part is chucked and supported in a horizontal state.

The chucking surface 37 of the chucking claw 36 has a sectional shape corresponding to the sectional shape of the peripheral portion of the wafer W. That is, as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 7C, the chucking surface 37 is a right-angled plane inclined in the vertical direction, and the peripheral edge of the rectangular cross section of the wafer W is in point contact with the peripheral edge. It is formed so as to contact and support in a state or a line contact state.

Thus, the chucking arms 35, 3
During chucking of the wafers 5, the peripheral portion of the wafer W is supported by the chucking surfaces 37, 37,. The supporting state is set so that the peripheral portion of the wafer W is not fixed but allows a slight movement of the peripheral portion. With this configuration, since only the peripheral portion of the wafer W is supported, there is no contamination on the back side of the wafer W, and the chucking surface 37 corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion of the wafer W. This has the effect that there is no chipping at the peripheral portion of the wafer W.

The substrate rotating section 18 horizontally rotates the substrate supporting section 17 at the time of spray cleaning and spin drying, and its specific structure is not shown.
The substrate support portion 17 is mounted and supported at the tip of the substrate 8 in a horizontal state.

Although not shown, a substrate elevating unit for raising and lowering the substrate supporting unit 17 between a raised position and a lowered position is also provided.

Thus, the substrate supporting unit 17 uses the substrate elevating unit to move the wafer loading / unloading / drying processing position in the upper large-diameter part 25 at the raised position and the lower small-diameter part 2 at the lowered position.
6 and the wafer is rotated horizontally at a predetermined rotation speed by the substrate rotating unit 18 at both of these positions.

The upper injection nozzle 19 is provided in the upper large-diameter portion 25 of the processing chamber 15 so as to be horizontally pivotable in a downward state, and can communicate with the cleaning liquid supply device E. Thereby, the injection nozzle 19
The cleaning liquid is sprayed on the surface of the wafer W, which is rotatably supported by the substrate support unit 17 in a horizontal state, while horizontally turning from the outer periphery to the center, or after horizontally turning and standing still.

On the other hand, the lower injection nozzle 27 is fixedly provided in an upward state on the side near the bottom in the lower small diameter portion 26 and can communicate with the cleaning liquid supply device E. Accordingly, the spray nozzle 27 sprays the cleaning liquid onto the back surface of the wafer W that is supported by rotation. As a result, the front and back surfaces of the wafer W are simultaneously cleaned in the lower small diameter portion 26.

The inert gas supply unit 20 is provided in the processing chamber 1
It supplies an inert gas for discharging and replacing the cleaning liquid in the nozzle 5. The inert gas is provided at the top of the upper large-diameter portion 25 and can communicate with an inert gas supply source (not shown). The inert gas supply source can be communicated with the injection nozzles 19 and 27 as well.
9 and 27 are also configured to selectively function as an inert gas supply unit. Correspondingly, processing chamber 1
An exhaust part 28 and a drain part 21 are provided at appropriate places of the fifth embodiment.

The inert gas supply unit 20 is also provided at an upper position between the inner and outer lift gates 30 and 31 in the gate opening 32, and an exhaust unit 29 is provided at the bottom of the gate opening 32 facing the gate opening 32. Is provided.

The drain portion 21 is for discharging the cleaning liquid or the inert gas in the processing chamber 15 and has a lower small diameter portion 2.
6 and can communicate with the cleaning liquid supply device E and the outside of the device.

The substrate cleaning controller 22 is provided with the gate 1
6. The substrate rotating unit 18, the injection nozzle 19, the inert gas supply unit 20, the drain unit 21 and the like are drive-controlled in conjunction with each other. Process wet processing process in processing chamber 1
5 from when the wafer W is loaded into the wafer 5 to when it is unloaded.

II. Configuration for Dip Cleaning: The substrate cleaning apparatus A has a configuration for dip cleaning in addition to the configuration for spin cleaning.

That is, the lower small diameter portion 26 of the processing chamber 15 is provided with a cleaning liquid supply section 40 for supplying a cleaning liquid into the lower small diameter portion 26. This cleaning liquid supply unit 4
Numeral 0 is configured to be able to communicate with the cleaning liquid supply device E so as to supply the cleaning liquid to such an extent that the wafer W supported by the substrate support 17 in the lower small diameter portion 26 can be immersed.

In response to this, the lower small diameter portion 26
Is an overflow tank that generates an upward flow of the cleaning liquid,
Alternatively, the structure is such that it can function as a tank that generates a horizontal flow of the cleaning liquid along the front and back surfaces of the wafer.

That is, on the side of the lower small diameter portion 26,
A cleaning liquid overflow section 41 is provided above the cleaning liquid supply section 40. Thus, in the dip cleaning, an upward flow of the cleaning liquid for immersing the wafer W is selectively generated.

As shown in FIG. 8, a horizontal flow unit 4 is provided at a position below the opposite side of the cleaning liquid supply unit 40.
2 are provided. Thereby, in the dip cleaning, a horizontal flow of the cleaning liquid for immersing the wafer W is selectively generated along the front and back surfaces of the wafer W.

The cleaning liquid supply device E is a supply source for supplying a cleaning liquid to the substrate cleaning device A. For example, the cleaning liquid supply device E is configured to selectively perform cleaning with the SC-1 solution shown in FIG. A configuration for performing cleaning with an acid aqueous solution (HF).

The SC-1 liquid supply circuit of the cleaning liquid supply apparatus E shown in FIG. 5 selectively supplies the SC-1 liquid and ultrapure water.

At the time of cleaning the SC-1 solution, a hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) supply source 50 and ammonia (NH ₄ OH)
Hydrogen peroxide, ammonia and ultrapure water supplied from a supply source 51 and an ultrapure water (DIW) supply source 52, respectively,
After being mixed in the mixing tank 53, it is circulated in the circuit by the supply pump 54 via the filter 55 and the heater 56 to generate the SC-1 solution having a predetermined concentration and a predetermined temperature, and to switch valves 57, 57, Are supplied from the jet nozzles 19 and 27 and the cleaning liquid supply unit 40 into the processing chamber 15. Reference numeral 58 denotes an SC-1 concentration meter for detecting the concentration of the SC-1 solution generated in the circuit, and reference numeral 59 denotes a thermometer for detecting the temperature of the SC-1 solution generated in the circuit. The SC-1 solution recovered from the drain part 21, the cleaning liquid overflow part 41 or the horizontal flow part 42 is SC
The -1 liquid supply circuit is circulated again and can be reused.

During rinsing, the switching valve 57,
By the switching operation of 57,..., Ultrapure water supplied from the ultrapure water supply source 52 is supplied from the injection nozzles 19, 27 and the cleaning liquid supply unit 40 into the processing chamber 15.

The hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution supply circuit of the cleaning liquid supply device E shown in FIG. 6 selectively supplies a hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution and ultrapure water.

At the time of cleaning the aqueous hydrofluoric acid solution, the hydrofluoric acid, hydrogen peroxide and ultrapure water supplied from the hydrofluoric acid (HF) supply source 60, the hydrogen peroxide supply source 61 and the ultrapure water supply source 62, respectively, After being mixed in the mixing tank 63, the mixture is circulated through the filter 65 by the supply pump 64 through the filter 65, and a hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution having a predetermined concentration is generated.
It is temporarily stored in the constant temperature bath 66 and is heated to a predetermined temperature. The hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution mixed and generated at the predetermined concentration and the predetermined temperature in this manner is operated by switching the switching valves 67, 67,.
To the processing chamber 15. 68 is a hydrofluoric acid concentration meter for detecting the concentration of hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution generated in the circuit,
Reference numeral 69 denotes a thermometer for detecting the temperature of the hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution generated in the circuit. Drain part 21, cleaning liquid overflow part 4
The hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution recovered from the first or horizontal flow section 42 is circulated again in the hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution supply circuit, and can be reused.

During rinsing, the switching valve 67,
By the switching operation of 67,..., Ultrapure water supplied from the ultrapure water supply source 62 is supplied into the processing chamber 15 from the jet nozzles 19, 27 and the cleaning liquid supply unit 40.
In this case, ultrasonic cleaning using an ultrasonic generator (not shown) can be appropriately performed.

Although a detailed description is omitted, the cleaning liquid supply device E is provided with the above-described SC-1 liquid supply circuit (see FIG. 5).
And hydrofluoric acid solution supply circuit (see Fig. 6), SC-2
Other conventionally known cleaning liquid supply circuits including a liquid supply circuit can be included, so that wet processing with various cleaning liquids can be selectively and continuously performed.

As a method of supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply device E to each substrate cleaning device A, for example, the same cleaning liquid is supplied to all four substrate cleaning devices A, A,. A method of completing the same series of cleaning steps in each substrate cleaning apparatus A, or two substrate cleaning apparatuses A,
A, while supplying the SC-1 solution to A, and supplying a hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution to the other two substrate cleaning apparatuses A, A, etc., each substrate cleaning apparatus A is dedicated to a specific cleaning process, and a plurality of substrate cleaning apparatuses Various cleaning treatment methods, such as a method of completing a series of cleaning steps by the apparatuses A, A,..., Can be adopted. further,
The number of substrate cleaning apparatuses A can be appropriately increased or decreased according to the purpose.

The system control unit F controls the driving of the substrate loading device B, the substrate cleaning device A, and the substrate unloading device C in conjunction with each other. Is automatically performed from the time of loading the wafer W from the previous process to the time of unloading the wafer W to the next process.

I. Loading of the wafers W, W,... Before the cleaning, which are transported from the previous process, are stored in the transport cassette 5b in the cassette of the substrate loading device B as shown in FIG. The transfer robot D in the robot room 4 waits while being loaded on the mounting table 5a and positioned by the positioning unit 6 and aligned by the wafer centering unit 7.

The transfer robot D sucks and supports the wafers W in the transfer cassette 5b one by one in a horizontal state according to the detection signal from the wafer number confirmation sensor 8, and They are sequentially carried into the processing chamber 15.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the wafer W is transferred while the substrate supporter 17 is standing by at the wafer loading / unloading / drying processing position in the upper large-diameter portion 25 of the processing chamber 15. The hand unit 10 of the loading robot D is
6, the wafer W is horizontally moved while holding the wafer W by suction,
After extending to a position above the substrate support 17, the wafer W is lowered and loaded onto the substrate support 17.

At this time, the gate section 16 has a double gate structure consisting of a pair of lift gates 30 and 31, and in addition to the opening / closing operation of the lift gates 30 and 31 between the lift gates 30 and 31. In conjunction with the inert gas supply unit 2
From 0, an inert gas such as nitrogen gas is supplied and exhausted from the exhaust unit 28.
Diffusion of the fumes therein and inflow of particles into the processing chamber 15 are effectively prevented.

When the wafer W is loaded onto the substrate support 17 in the processing chamber 15, the chucking arms 35, 3
5,... Chuck and support the peripheral portion of the wafer W in a horizontal state. In this case, since the chucking surface 37 of the chucking claw 36 supports only the peripheral portion of the wafer W in a vertically restrained state, a reliable chucking state is obtained, and contamination on the back side of the wafer W and the wafer W are prevented. Peripheral chipping is effectively prevented.

II. Wet processing in substrate cleaning apparatus A
T : When the substrate supporting unit 17 chucks and supports the wafer W, it descends to the wafer cleaning processing position in the lower small-diameter portion 26, and executes the above-described various cleaning processes in a predetermined procedure.

For example, in the case of spray cleaning, the substrate supporting unit 17 is horizontally rotated at a predetermined rotation speed by the substrate rotating unit 18 and the wafer W on the substrate supporting unit 17 is sprayed on both front and back surfaces. The cleaning liquid is sprayed from the nozzles 19 and 27.

On the other hand, in the case of dip cleaning, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 40 to such an extent that the wafer W can be immersed. At this time, the cleaning liquid overflow section 41 or the horizontal flow section 42 is selectively opened, and an upward flow or a horizontal flow (see FIG. 8) is generated in the cleaning liquid, and efficient cleaning is performed.

Alternatively, the spray cleaning and the dip cleaning are performed in a combined combination.

During the cleaning process using different types of cleaning liquids, the cleaning liquid is replaced and eliminated by introducing an inert gas such as nitrogen gas from the inert gas supply unit 20.
A rinsing process is performed by supplying ultrapure water from the injection nozzles 19 and 27 or the cleaning liquid supply unit 40.

When a series of cleaning processes is completed, the substrate supporting unit 17 is again moved up to the wafer loading / unloading / drying position in the upper large-diameter portion 25, and then the substrate rotating unit 18 moves the substrate supporting unit 17 to a predetermined position. , And the inert gas, for example, nitrogen gas is injected from the injection nozzles 19 and 27 to perform spin drying.

At this time, the exhaust gas is forcibly exhausted from the drain part 21 at the lower part of the chamber, so that the inert gas supply part 20 at the upper part of the chamber is placed in the processing chamber 15 as shown in FIG.
Then, an airflow is generated along a path leading to the drain portion 21 at the lower portion of the chamber, thereby effectively preventing the mist in the processing chamber 15 from rolling up.

III. Unloading of wafers W, W,...: A wafer W after a series of cleaning processes in the substrate cleaning apparatus A is
Again by the transfer robot D, it is unloaded from each processing chamber 15 in a manner reverse to that described above, and is sequentially unloaded and stored in the transfer cassette 5b waiting in the substrate unloading device C in a horizontal state.

When the wafers W, W,... After cleaning are arranged and filled in all the holding grooves inside the transfer cassette 5b, the transfer cassette 5b is subjected to sputtering or CVD processing in the next step. It is transported to a processing step for forming a thin film.

However, the substrate cleaning system configured as described above is basically of a single wafer type in which the wafers W are processed one by one. , The cleaning space of the substrate cleaning apparatus A, that is, the volume of the processing chamber 15 itself is small, and a small amount of cleaning liquid is required.

Further, since the cleaning process is performed on the wafers W one by one with a plurality of cleaning liquids, that is, the entire cleaning process is performed in the processing chamber 15 as one processing tank, the wafer W is taken in and out in the cleaning process. Therefore, the structure of each substrate cleaning apparatus A can be simplified and reduced in size without being exposed to the atmosphere and being affected by metal contamination, ions or oxygen.

Embodiment 2 This embodiment is shown in FIGS. 10 to 19, and shows the structure of the substrate cleaning apparatus A in Embodiment 1 more specifically. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment indicate the same or similar configurations as the constituent devices and members in the first embodiment.

As will be described below, the substrate cleaning apparatus A according to the present embodiment has a configuration for performing the spray cleaning process and a configuration for performing the dip cleaning, and the substrate cleaning system shown in FIG. One-chamber single-wafer substrate cleaning for cleaning wafers W one by one with a plurality of types of cleaning liquids in a single processing chamber 15 as well as a substrate cleaning apparatus which is a basic unit component of the present invention. It has a configuration that is also used as a device.

I. Configuration for Spray Cleaning Processing: As shown in FIGS. 10 and 6, the substrate cleaning apparatus A includes a processing chamber 15, a gate unit 16, a substrate supporting unit 17, a substrate rotating unit 18, a spray nozzle 19, and an inert gas supply. The main unit includes a unit 20, a drain unit 21, a substrate cleaning control unit 22, and the like.

The processing chamber 15 constituting the processing chamber device of the substrate cleaning apparatus A is, specifically, a cylindrical closed type container, which can seal a single wafer W as shown in FIG. It has a single cleaning tank configuration and comprises an upper large-diameter portion 25 and a lower small-diameter portion 26. The material of the processing chamber 15 is PFA on the inner surface of a stainless steel plate.
(Teflon-based resin) lining.

The upper large-diameter portion 25 is a portion where the wafer W is loaded / unloaded and subjected to a drying process, and is in the form of a large-diameter cylindrical portion. On the side of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 25, the gate portion 16 for carrying in and out the wafer W is provided, and inside the gate portion 16, the wafer W supported by the substrate support portion 17 is provided.
An injection nozzle 19 for injecting the cleaning liquid onto the surface of the nozzle is provided.

In the drawing, the large-diameter cylindrical portion 2
5 has a vertically divided structure including a main body 25a and a lid 25b. The main body 25a has an inverted conical cylinder at the lower part, and is formed integrally with the small-diameter cylindrical portion 26. A lid 25b is detachably attached to an upper end edge of the main body 25a by a mounting bolt 70. Covered with water tightness and air tightness. The inert gas supply unit 20 and the injection nozzle 19 are provided on the lid 25b.

The lower small-diameter portion 26 is a portion where the wafer W is subjected to a cleaning process, and is formed in a small-diameter cylindrical portion. The inner diameter of the lower small diameter portion 26 is set to a size that can accommodate the substrate support portion 17 that supports the wafer W in a horizontal state. As will be described later, the substrate support portion 17 is provided with the small-diameter cylindrical portion 2.
6 is provided at the bottom center so as to be able to move up and down and rotate horizontally. In the lower small diameter portion 26, the wafer W
A jet nozzle 27 for jetting a cleaning liquid is provided on the back surface of the nozzle.

The processing chamber 15 is installed on the apparatus base 200 by supporting legs 250 having a height adjusting function.

The gate section 16 constituting the gate device of the processing chamber 15 is openable and closable constituting the substrate loading / unloading port of the processing chamber 15, and as shown in FIG. A double gate structure is provided that protrudes outward in the horizontal direction and includes a pair of lift gates 30 and 31.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, a gate opening 32 of the gate portion 16 is provided so as to protrude outward from the side of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 25 in the horizontal direction. The two lifting gates 30 and 31 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the horizontal direction, that is, in the substrate loading / unloading direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the gate opening 32 has an opening area through which the hand unit 10 of the transfer robot D, which holds the wafer W by suction in a horizontal state, can pass.

The inner and outer lifting gates 30 and 31 can be opened and closed independently in the vertical direction by the lifting cylinder 100.

Specifically, the lift gates 30 and 31 are formed in a plate shape having a shape and a size capable of closing the gate opening 32, and the guide grooves 32 a and
32a is supported so as to slide vertically.
In addition, the leading end, that is, the lower end 30 of the lift gates 30 and 31.
a, 31a are formed in a wedge shape in which the outer surface is a downward inward inclined surface, and the lower ends 30a, 31a are
The guide grooves 32a can be closed and engaged with the bottoms of the guide grooves 32a, whereby the gate opening 32 is closed airtightly and watertightly.

The elevating cylinder 100 is a rodless cylinder, and a linear guide 100a of the rodless cylinder 100 extends vertically to a gate body (gate apparatus body) 101 supported and fixed to an apparatus base 200 outside the figure. The linear guide 100
The bases of the lift gates 30 and 31 are attached to a cylinder body 100b that moves along the line a.

An exhaust portion 29 is provided at the bottom of the gate opening 32 between the pair of lift gates 30 and 31 so as to forcibly exhaust air from the gate opening 32. Further, a cleaning water supply unit 102 that can communicate with an ultrapure water supply source (not shown) is provided above the gate opening 32 at a position inside the inner lift gate 31.
The cleaning liquid scattered and adhered to the inner surface of the lift gate 31 is configured to be cleaned. In connection with this, a drain portion 103 for discharging a cleaning liquid or an inert gas is provided at the bottom of the guide grooves 32a, 32a in which the front end portions 30a, 31a of the lift gates 30, 31 are closed and engaged. .

Thus, the gate opening 3 at the time of loading / unloading the wafer
The opening operation 2 is performed by first opening the outer lifting gate 30 and then opening the inner lifting gate 31. Conversely, closing the gate opening 32 is performed by first closing the inner lifting gate 31 and then closing The lifting gate 30 on the outside is closed. Further, at the time of opening and closing, the exhaust port 29 causes the gate opening 32.
The inside of the processing chamber 15 is forcibly evacuated to effectively prevent the mist and the like in the processing chamber 15 from diffusing to the outside due to a synergistic effect of the double gate structure and the forced evacuation structure.

The substrate supporting portion 17 constituting the wafer W chucking device is provided at the center of the bottom in the lower small diameter portion 26 of the processing chamber 15, and is configured to support one wafer W in a horizontal state. ing.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 13 to 16, the substrate supporting portion 17 includes four chucking arms 35, 3 for chucking and supporting the peripheral portion of the wafer W.
5, ... are provided. The number of the chucking arms 35 is appropriately set according to the purpose such as the size of the wafer W to be handled.

These chucking arms 35, 35,...
As shown in FIG. 13, 4
As shown in FIG. 14, the wafer W is provided radially equally and inclined upward on the outer diameter side of the wafer W, and can be opened and closed by reciprocating in the radial direction by an opening and closing unit 105 described later.

More specifically, a support body 110 is fixedly mounted on the tip of a rotating shaft 38 of the substrate rotating section 18 which will be described later, and the through holes 110a, 110
At a,..., the chucking arm 35 is held so as to be able to reciprocate in the radial direction.

The chucking arms 35, 35,...
Chucking claw 36, 3 provided at the tip of
Are set so as to be at the same height as each other, thereby chucking and supporting the peripheral portion of the wafer W in a horizontal state during chucking.

The chucking surface 37 of the chucking claw 36 has a sectional shape corresponding to the sectional shape of the peripheral portion of the wafer W. Specifically, as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 15, the chucking surface 37 is a right-angled plane inclined in the vertical direction, and
It is formed so as to abut and support the peripheral corner in a point contact state or a line contact state.

Thus, the chucking arms 35, 3
During chucking of the wafers 5, the peripheral portion of the wafer W is supported by the chucking surfaces 37, 37,. The supporting state is set so that the peripheral portion of the wafer W is not fixed but allows a slight movement of the peripheral portion. With this configuration, since only the peripheral portion of the wafer W is supported, there is no contamination on the back side of the wafer W, and the chucking surface 37 corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion of the wafer W. This has the effect that there is no chipping at the peripheral portion of the wafer W.

Opening / closing section 10 of chucking arm 35
5 includes an opening / closing cam 120 and a drive mechanism 121 as shown in FIGS. 14, 16 and 17.

The opening / closing cam 120 is, as shown in FIG.
It has an upwardly frustoconical shape, and its outer surface is an upwardly conical tapered cam surface. This opening / closing cam 120 is
The chucking arms 35, 35,... Abut against the tapered cam surface of the opening / closing cam 120 with the engaging flanges 124a, 124a,. Is engaged. This engagement flange 124a is, specifically,
The heads of the driven bolts 124, 124,... Are coaxially screwed to the base end of the chucking arm 35. The projecting retreat amount, that is, the chucking state is adjusted.

Further, in order to ensure the followability of the retraction operation of the chucking arm 35 with respect to the opening / closing cam 120, particularly, the accurate following ability during the retraction operation, the opening / closing cam 120 is required.
Is provided with an engagement cover 125. The engagement cover 125 has a hollow conical shape that covers the opening / closing cam 120, and has an elongated hole-shaped insertion groove through which the shafts of the driven bolts 124, 124,. As a result, the head of the driven bolt 124, that is, the engagement flange 124a is connected to the engagement cover 125 and the opening / closing cam 120.
Between the opening / closing cam 120 and the engagement flange 124a in the vertical direction along the cam surface, while the chucking arm 35 projects in the retreating direction. , 120 and 124a are configured to be integrally movable.

The drive mechanism 121 is in the form of an elevating mechanism for vertically moving the opening / closing cam 120, and includes the opening / closing rod 123, the elevating cylinder 126, and the return spring 127 as main components.

The opening / closing rod 123 has a slide bearing 135.
As a result, the opening / closing cam 120 is coaxially and integrally formed at the tip of the rotating shaft 38 of the substrate rotating unit 18 so as to be coaxial and capable of moving up and down in the vertical direction. It is mounted and fixed.

The lifting cylinder 126 is connected to the opening / closing rod 12.
3 which is an air cylinder, and is provided at the lower position of the opening / closing rod 123 on the apparatus base 200 so as to be able to move up and down.
1 is mounted and supported upward. The piston rod 126a of the lifting cylinder 126 is
Arranged coaxially with 23, the opening and closing rod 123 is pressed and moved upward by its protruding operation.

On the other hand, the return spring 127 always urges the opening / closing rod 123 in the downward direction.
As shown in the figure, at the lower end of the opening / closing rod 123, the upper end abuts and engages with the base end surface of the rotating shaft 38, specifically, the end surface 38a of the slide bearing 135, and the lower end thereof has the lower end flange of the opening / closing rod 123. 123a.

In a normal state, that is, in a state where the piston rod 126a is retracted, the opening / closing cam 120 is lowered by the return elasticity of the return spring 127.
When the chucking arms 35, 35,... Are in the contracted state (chucking state), while the piston rod 126a of the elevating cylinder 126
Are raised against the return elasticity of the return spring 127, and the chucking arms 35, 35,... Perform an expanding operation (chucking operation).

An O-ring 130, a sealing cover 131 and the like are provided on each of the chucking arm 35 and the opening / closing section 105 so that the outside of the substrate supporting section 17 (such as a cleaning liquid) is airtight and liquid-tight. It has a hermetic structure that maintains tightness. Further, for example, the opening / closing rod 123 is made of stainless steel, and its outer peripheral surface is covered with a peak material. Further, the members such as the chucking arm 35 that directly contact the cleaning liquid are also formed of the peak material.

The substrate rotating section 18 horizontally rotates the substrate supporting section 17 during spray cleaning and spin drying. As shown in FIGS. 10, 16 and 17, the rotating shaft 38 and the driving motor 140 are rotated. The main part is configured.

The rotating shaft 38 has bearings 141, 141,
.. Are vertically rotatably supported by the elevating table 201, and the substrate support portion 17 is provided at the upper end thereof.
Are mounted and supported in a horizontal state.

The drive motor 140 drives the rotary shaft 38 to rotate. Specifically, the drive motor 140 is composed of a servomotor, is mounted and supported so as to move up and down integrally with the lift table 201, and has a main shaft 140a. The rotating shaft 38
It is arranged so that it may become parallel. The main shaft 140a
It is drivingly connected to the rotating shaft 38 via a power transmission mechanism including a transmission pulley 142a, a transmission belt 142b, and a transmission pulley 142c.

By the rotation of the drive motor 140, the substrate support 17 is horizontally rotated at a predetermined rotation speed via the rotation shaft 38. The rotation speeds correspond to spray cleaning and spin drying, respectively. Is set.

Further, there is provided a substrate elevating part 150 for elevating and lowering the substrate supporting part 17 between an ascending position and a descending position. As shown in FIG.
01 and the lifting cylinder 202 as main parts.

Although not specifically shown, the elevating table 201 is structured to be guided up and down on a linear guide (not shown) provided to extend vertically in the apparatus base 200. The substrate support section 17 and the substrate rotation section 18 are mounted thereon.

The elevating cylinder 202 raises and lowers the elevating table 201 that supports the substrate supporting unit 17, and is specifically formed of an air cylinder. The cylinder body 202a is mounted and supported on the apparatus base 200. The piston rod 202b is connected to the lift 201 via a connection bracket 203.

Thus, the substrate supporting unit 17 moves the wafer loading / unloading / drying processing position in the large-diameter cylindrical portion 25 at the raised position and the wafer loading / unloading processing position in the lower small-diameter portion 26 at the lowered position. It is appropriately positioned at the cleaning processing position, and the substrate rotating unit 18 is positioned at these two positions.
As a result, it is horizontally rotated at a predetermined rotation speed.

17 and FIG. 1 in accordance with the elevating and lowering and rotating operations of the substrate supporting portion 17. As shown in FIG.
A shaft seal structure (shaft seal device) 210 as shown in FIG.

The shaft seal structure 210 seals a shaft portion of the rotating shaft 38 in the processing chamber 15. The shaft seal structure 210 includes an annular seal 211 provided on one of the fixed and rotating shafts. A simple labyrinth seal 212 cooperating with the annular seal 211 is provided.

The annular seal 211 is an annular seal made of Teflon. In the illustrated example, the annular seal 211 is provided on a support base 215 at the bottom of the processing chamber 15 which is a fixed side.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 18, the seal body 211a of the annular seal 211 is
Is fixed in place by an annular attachment member 230 in a sandwiching manner, and a seal collar 216 is attached and fixed to the rotating shaft 38. The tip seal of the annular seal 211 is attached to the axial sealing surface 216a of the seal collar 216. The lip 211b is slidably and closely engageable. The axial direction sealing surface 216 a is a horizontal annular surface perpendicular to the axis of the rotating shaft 38.

The tip seal lip 211b
When the substrate support 17 is lowered, that is, when the seal collar 216 and the support base 215 approach the rotary shaft 38 in the vertical axis direction, the substrate collar 17 is slidably and closely engaged with the opposed axial seal surface 216a. Ensure airtightness and watertightness of parts.

Further, the annular flange 2 is attached to the rotating shaft 38.
17 are attached. This annular flange portion 217
When the seal collar 216 and the support base 215 approach each other in the vertical axis direction, they extend downward on the outer diameter side of the axial seal surface 216a and are provided in a hanging manner. Correspondingly, the support base 215 is provided with an annular groove 218,
The annular flange 217 is inserted into the annular groove 218 in a non-contact manner with a small gap. As a result, a labyrinth seal that is continuous with the seal portion is formed on the outer diameter side of the seal portion of the annular seal 211.

The annular seal 211 may be provided in a configuration opposite to that shown in the figure, that is, on the rotating shaft 38 which is a rotating side.

The upper injection nozzle 19 is provided three in the figure. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the lid 25b of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 25 of the processing chamber 15
In addition, three injection nozzles 19a, 19b, 19c are arranged so as not to interfere with each other's horizontal turning operation.

The injection nozzles 19a, 19b, 19c
Specifically, the rotation support shaft 219 is rotatably supported in a vertical state on the lid 25b, and the rotation support shaft 219 is
A horizontal bar 220 is attached to the lower end of the nozzle 9, and ejection nozzles 19 a, 19 b, and 19 c are provided downward at the tip of the horizontal bar 220.

A drive motor 221 is mounted and supported on the upper outside of the lid 25b.
21 a is drivingly connected coaxially to the rotation support shaft 219 via a shaft coupling 222.

Further, the rotation support shaft 219 and the horizontal bar 2
A cleaning liquid supply passage 223 is provided over substantially the entire length of the inside of the nozzle 20, and the tip of the cleaning liquid supply passage 223 is provided at the injection nozzle 19 a, 1.
9b and 19c, the base end of which can communicate with the cleaning liquid supply device E.

As a result, each injection nozzle 19a, 19
The b and 19c spray the post-stationary cleaning liquid on the surface of the wafer W, which is rotatably supported by the substrate support unit 17 in a horizontal state, while horizontally turning from the outer periphery to the center or horizontally and horizontally.

It should be noted that, in the drawing, the spray nozzles 19a and 19c are structured to spray the cleaning liquid radially. On the other hand, the injection nozzle 19b has a structure in which a cleaning liquid is injected in a curtain shape with a slit-shaped opening,
The configuration is suitable for ultrasonic cleaning. In connection with this, a droplet receiver 240 is provided below the injection nozzle 19b, and is configured to receive a drop of the cleaning liquid that always drops from the injection nozzle 19b to prevent clogging. Further, in a proper position of the rotation support shaft 219 of the injection nozzle 19b,
A tank cleaning nozzle 260 for cleaning the inner wall of the processing chamber 15 is provided. This tank washing nozzle 2
Numeral 60 denotes a spherical shape, which has a structure for spraying the cleaning liquid over the entire circumference.

On the other hand, four lower injection nozzles 27 are provided in the illustrated one. That is, on the side near the bottom in the small-diameter cylindrical portion 26 of the processing chamber 15,
Four injection nozzles 27, 2 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction
Are fixedly provided in an upward state. These injection nozzles 27, 27,.
Like 9b and 19c, it can communicate with the cleaning liquid supply device E. Accordingly, the spray nozzle 27 sprays the cleaning liquid onto the back surface of the wafer W that is supported by rotation.
As a result, the wafer W is
The front and back sides are simultaneously cleaned.

The inert gas supply unit 20 is provided in the processing chamber 1
5 for supplying an inert gas for discharging and replacing the cleaning liquid in the nozzle 5. The inert gas is provided on the top of the lid 25 b in the large-diameter cylindrical portion 25 and can communicate with an inert gas supply source (not shown). I have. The inert gas supply source can be communicated with the injection nozzles 19a to 19c, 27, 27,..., And these injection nozzles are configured to selectively function as an inert gas supply unit. ing.

Correspondingly, a drain portion 21 is provided at an appropriate position in the processing chamber 15. This drain part 21
Are provided at a plurality of locations at the bottom of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 26 to discharge the cleaning liquid and the inert gas, and can communicate with the cleaning liquid supply device E and the outside of the device.
In addition, it is also possible to provide a separate exhaust unit for discharging the inert gas, and to make the drain unit 21 dedicated for discharging the cleaning liquid.

Although not specifically shown, the inert gas supply unit 20 is also provided at an upper position between the inner and outer lift gates 30 and 31 in the gate opening 32, and the gate opening 32 facing the gate opening 32 is provided. The exhaust portion 29 is provided at the bottom of the as described above.

II. Configuration for Dip Cleaning: The substrate cleaning apparatus A has a configuration for dip cleaning in addition to the above configuration for spin cleaning.

That is, the small diameter cylindrical portion 26 of the processing chamber 15 is provided with a cleaning liquid supply section 40 for supplying a cleaning liquid into the small diameter cylindrical portion 26 as shown in FIGS. The cleaning liquid supply unit 40 can communicate with the cleaning liquid supply device E, and supplies the cleaning liquid to the small-diameter cylindrical portion 2.
It is configured to supply the wafer W supported by the substrate support portion 17 to an extent that the wafer W can be immersed therein.

In response to this, the small-diameter cylindrical portion 26
Is an overflow tank that generates an upward flow of the cleaning liquid,
Alternatively, the structure is such that it can function as a tank that generates a horizontal flow of the cleaning liquid along the front and back surfaces of the wafer.

That is, on the side of the small diameter cylindrical portion 26,
A cleaning liquid overflow section 41 is provided above the cleaning liquid supply section 40, in other words, at the boundary between the small diameter cylindrical section 26 and the large diameter cylindrical section 25. Thus, in the dip cleaning, an upward flow of the cleaning liquid for immersing the wafer W is selectively generated.

Although not specifically shown, as shown in FIG. 8 described above, a horizontal flow section is provided below the opposite side of the cleaning liquid supply section 40. Thereby, in the dip cleaning, a horizontal flow of the cleaning liquid for immersing the wafer W is selectively generated along the front and back surfaces of the wafer W.

The substrate cleaning controller 22 is provided with the gate 1
6, the substrate rotating unit 18, the injection nozzles 19a to 19c, the inert gas supply unit 20, the drain unit 21 and the like are interlocked and drive-controlled. As described below, the substrate cleaning control unit 22 In conjunction with the driving of the cleaning liquid supply device E, the above-described various types of wet processing steps are automatically and selectively executed from the time when the wafer W is loaded into the processing chamber 15 to the time when the wafer W is unloaded.

Loading of the wafer W: The wafer W before cleaning, which has been transported from the previous process, is kept horizontal by the transfer robot D as shown in FIG.
Is carried into the processing chamber 15.

At this time, the transfer of the wafer W is performed while the substrate support unit 17 is standing by at the wafer loading / unloading / drying processing position in the large-diameter cylindrical unit 25 of the processing chamber 15 while the hand unit 10 of the transfer robot D is being held. The wafer W moves horizontally via the gate unit 16 while holding the wafer W by suction, extends to a position above the substrate support unit 17 and then descends, and carries the wafer W onto the substrate support unit 17.

At this time, the gate section 16 has a double gate structure consisting of a pair of lift gates 30 and 31, and in addition to the opening / closing operation of the lift gates 30 and 31 between the lift gates 30 and 31. In conjunction with the inert gas supply unit 2
From 0, an inert gas such as nitrogen gas is supplied and exhausted from the exhaust unit 29.
Diffusion of the fumes therein and inflow of particles into the processing chamber 15 are effectively prevented.

When the wafer W is loaded onto the substrate support 17 in the processing chamber 15, the chucking arms 35, 3
5,... Chuck and support the peripheral portion of the wafer W in a horizontal state. In this case, as shown in FIG. 15, the chucking surface 37 of the chucking claw 36 supports only the peripheral portion of the wafer W in the up-down direction, so that a reliable chucking state is obtained and the wafer W , And chipping of the peripheral portion of the wafer W is effectively prevented.

Wet processing: When the substrate supporter 17 chucks and supports the wafer W, it descends to the wafer cleaning processing position in the small-diameter cylindrical part 26, and executes the above-described various cleaning processing in a predetermined procedure. .

For example, in the case of spray cleaning, the substrate supporting unit 17 is horizontally rotated at a predetermined rotation speed by the substrate rotating unit 18 and the wafer W on the substrate supporting unit 17 is sprayed on both front and back surfaces. Nozzles 19a-19
Cleaning liquid is sprayed from c, 27, 27,.

On the other hand, in the case of dip cleaning, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 40 to such an extent that the wafer W can be immersed. At this time, the cleaning liquid overflow section 41 or the horizontal flow section (not shown) is selectively opened, and an upward flow or a horizontal flow is generated in the cleaning liquid, so that efficient cleaning is performed.

Alternatively, the spray cleaning and the dip cleaning are performed in a combined combination.

During the cleaning process using different types of cleaning liquids, the cleaning liquid is replaced and eliminated by introducing an inert gas such as nitrogen gas from the inert gas supply unit 20.
A rinsing process is performed by supplying ultrapure water from the spray nozzles 19a to 19c, 27, 27,.

When a series of cleaning processes is completed, the substrate supporting unit 17 is raised again to the wafer loading / unloading / drying position in the large-diameter cylindrical portion 25, and then the substrate rotating unit 18 moves the substrate supporting unit 17 to a predetermined position. , And an inert gas such as nitrogen gas is injected from the injection nozzles 19a to 19c, 27, 27,... To perform spin drying.

At this time, the drain portions 21 and
The processing chamber 15 is forcibly evacuated from
Inside, as shown in FIG. 9 described above, the inert gas supply unit 20 at the upper part of the chamber and the drain part 21 at the lower part of the chamber,
An airflow along a path leading to 21,... Is generated, and the mist in the processing chamber 15 is effectively prevented from rolling up.

Unloading of wafers W, W,...: The wafer W after a series of cleaning processes in the substrate cleaning apparatus A is again unloaded from the processing chambers 15 by the transfer robot D in a manner reverse to that described above. Next step sputtering and C
It is transported to a processing step for forming a thin film by VD processing or the like.

However, the substrate cleaning apparatus A configured as described above is a single-wafer type in which the wafers W are processed one by one. Processing can be performed, the volume of the processing chamber 15 itself is small, and a small amount of cleaning liquid is required.

Further, since the cleaning process is of a one-chamber type in which the entire cleaning process of the wafer W is performed in the processing chamber 15, the wafer W is not taken in and out in the cleaning process, and is exposed to the atmosphere to be affected by metal contamination, ions or oxygen. Therefore, the configuration of the substrate cleaning apparatus A can be simplified and reduced in size.

The first and second embodiments described above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various design changes can be made within the scope. .

For example, although not shown, the processing chamber 15
A film thickness gauge may be provided on the upper part of the wafer W to measure the film thickness of the wafer W. In this case, the film thickness meter is arranged at a position shifted from the center of the wafer W, and the substrate rotating unit 18
By measuring the wafer W on the substrate support 17 while rotating it horizontally at a predetermined rotation speed, the film thickness at several points (on the same circumference) of the wafer W can be measured.

[0158]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
A substrate loading device in which a plurality of wafers before the cleaning process are stocked and carried in standby, a plurality of single-wafer-type substrate cleaning devices for cleaning the wafers one by one with a plurality of cleaning liquids, and a plurality of wafers after the cleaning process A substrate unloading device that is stocked and waits for unloading, a substrate transfer device that transfers wafers one by one between the substrate loading device and the substrate cleaning device, and between the substrate cleaning device and the substrate unloading device, A system control device that controls the driving of these devices in conjunction with each other, wherein the substrate loading device, the substrate cleaning device, and the substrate unloading device are arranged in a ring to form a ring array group. Since the substrate transfer device is disposed at the center position of the group, and the following configuration is employed as a specific configuration, various effects as listed below can be obtained. It is possible to provide a wafer cleaning technology that can perform cleaning in a high cleanliness atmosphere with high accuracy without reattachment of particles and the like, and that has a simple and compact apparatus configuration and can effectively cope with multi-product small-quantity production. .

Therefore, with the advent of the submicron era of semiconductor devices in recent years, miniaturization of such device structures,
It is possible to sufficiently cope with the extremely high cleanliness required on the surface of the wafer with the high integration.

(1) Basically, since it is a single-wafer processing in which wafers are processed one by one, there is almost no reattachment of particles and the like, and precise processing can be performed for each wafer. The volume of the space is small, and a small amount of cleaning solution is required.

(2) Since the cleaning process is performed one wafer at a time with a plurality of cleaning liquids, that is, the entire cleaning process is performed in one processing tank, the wafer is not taken in and out of the cleaning process and exposed to the atmosphere. Therefore, the configuration of each wafer substrate cleaning apparatus AA can be simplified and reduced in size without being affected by metal contamination, ions or oxygen.

(3) Since wafers are processed one by one, precise processing can be performed for each wafer, and high-precision process control can be performed as a whole.

(4) Since the wafers are cleaned one by one,
There is no redeposition of particles.

(5) Since the wafers are cleaned one by one,
The volume of the washing space is small, the amount of washing liquid is small, and it is possible to cope with high-mix low-volume production.

(6) Since the double gate structure is employed, the discharge of the cleaning liquid and gas in the processing chamber to the outside is effectively prevented, and the diffusion of the atmosphere in the processing chamber to the outside of the chamber (clean room) is prevented. It can be performed.

(7) Since a one-chamber type cleaning device is provided, in-line can be performed in view of clustering.

(8) By making the substrate cleaning apparatus compact and unitized, each unit can be detached and attached.
Maintainability is improved.

(9) By a continuous process from washing, washing and drying, it is possible to control the natural oxide film without contacting the outside air.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a substrate cleaning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a substrate carry-in device and a substrate carry-out device of the substrate cleaning system.

FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view for explaining an operation of carrying a wafer into and out of a substrate cleaning apparatus by a transfer robot of the substrate cleaning system.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a substrate suction unit of the transfer robot.
4A is a plan view, and FIG. 4B is a side view.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a circuit configuration of a substrate cleaning device and a cleaning liquid supply device in the substrate cleaning system.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another example of the circuit configuration of the substrate cleaning device and the cleaning liquid supply device in the same substrate cleaning system.

7A and 7B are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of a chucking arm of a substrate supporting unit in the substrate cleaning apparatus, wherein FIG. 7A is a schematic side view, FIG. 7B is a schematic plan view, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view showing a relationship between a chuck claw and a wafer when the chucking arm is chucked.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a horizontal flow configuration of a cleaning liquid at the time of dip cleaning in the substrate cleaning apparatus. FIG. 8 (a) is a schematic side view,
FIG. 8B is a schematic plan view.

9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating a configuration of the substrate cleaning apparatus at the time of drying, FIG. 9A is a schematic side view illustrating an inert gas injection configuration, and FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating a flow of the inert gas. It is a schematic side view.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of a substrate cleaning apparatus of a substrate cleaning system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a part of the configuration of the substrate cleaning apparatus, partially cut away.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing a gate device in the substrate cleaning apparatus, partially cut away.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a chucking device in the substrate cleaning apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a front sectional view showing a configuration of a main part of the chucking device.

FIG. 15 is a partially sectional side view showing, in an enlarged manner, a relationship between a chuck claw and a wafer during chucking of the chucking device.

FIG. 16 is a front sectional view showing a part of the opening / closing section of the chucking device.

FIG. 17 is a front sectional view showing a shaft sealing device in the substrate cleaning apparatus.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged front sectional view showing a main part of the coaxial seal device.

FIG. 19 is a front sectional view showing a processing chamber device in the substrate cleaning apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

W Wafer A Substrate cleaning device B Substrate loading device C Substrate unloading device D Transfer robot (substrate transfer device) E Cleaning liquid supply device F System control device 10 Hand portion of transfer robot 11 Suction plate of transfer robot (substrate suction unit) 15 Processing chamber of substrate cleaning device 16 Gate unit of substrate cleaning device (gate device) 17 Substrate support unit of substrate cleaning device (chucking device) 18 Substrate rotating unit of substrate cleaning device 19 Injection nozzle of substrate cleaning device 20 Substrate cleaning Inert gas supply section of apparatus 21 Drain section of substrate cleaning apparatus 22 Substrate cleaning control section of substrate cleaning apparatus 25 Large-diameter cylindrical section (upper large-diameter section) of processing chamber 25a Main body of large-diameter cylindrical section 25b Large-diameter cylindrical section Lid 26 Small-diameter cylindrical part of processing chamber (lower small-diameter part) 27 Injection nozzle of substrate cleaning device 29 Exhaust part of gate part 30, 31 Lift gate 30a, 31a Gate end of lift gate 32 Gate opening of gate 35 Chucking arm of substrate support 36 Chucking claw of chucking arm 37 Chucking surface of chucking claw 38 Rotation axis of substrate rotating unit Reference Signs List 40 Cleaning liquid supply section of substrate cleaning apparatus 41 Cleaning liquid overflow section of substrate cleaning apparatus 42 Horizontal flow section of substrate cleaning apparatus 100 Elevating cylinder of gate section 100a Linear guide of elevating cylinder 100b Cylinder main body of elevating cylinder 101 Gate main body (gate main body) 102 Cleaning water supply unit 103 Drain unit 105 Opening / closing unit (opening / closing means) 110 Supporting unit main body 120 Opening / closing cam 121 Drive mechanism 123 Opening / closing rod 125 Engagement cover 126 Elevating cylinder 127 Return spring 140 Drive motor 150 Substrate elevating 201 lifting table 202 lifting cylinder 210 shaft seal structure (shaft seal device) 211 annular seal 211a axial seal surface 217 annular flange portion 218 an annular groove of the labyrinth seal 216a rotational axis of the seal body 211b annular seal of the annular seal

Claims (7)

[Claims] In a single-wafer type cleaning apparatus for cleaning a substrate one by one with a plurality of cleaning liquids, a substrate loading / unloading port of a single process chamber that can be sealed is provided. A gate device for a substrate cleaning apparatus, having a double gate structure including a pair of lift gates that are arranged at predetermined intervals and that can be independently opened and closed in the vertical direction. 2. A gate opening protruding from the side of the processing chamber to the outside in the horizontal direction, and the pair of lift gates are arranged in the gate opening at predetermined intervals in the horizontal direction. A gate device for the substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1. 3. The lift gate can be raised and lowered by a lift cylinder, and a tip end of the lift gate has a wedge shape with an outer surface formed as a downward inward inclined surface. The gate device of the substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. The gate of the substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a drain portion for discharging a cleaning liquid is provided at a bottom portion of the gate opening at which a tip portion of the lifting gate is closed and engaged. apparatus. 5. The substrate according to claim 2, wherein an exhaust portion for exhausting the inside of the gate opening is provided between the pair of lift gates in the gate opening. Gate device for cleaning equipment. 6. A cleaning water supply unit for cleaning an inner surface of the lift gate at an inner portion of the lift gate inside the gate opening. A gate device for a substrate cleaning apparatus according to one of the above aspects. 7. The gate lift main body is a rodless cylinder, and a linear guide of the rodless cylinder is provided in the gate device main body so as to extend in a vertical direction, and the cylinder main body moving along the linear guide is provided on the gate main body. 7. The gate device for a substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a lift gate.