JPH11163094A - Substrate, chucking device and substrate cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate chucking device being employed in a cassetteless wet cleaning technology for cleaning wafers sheet by sheet in a single cleaning bath. SOLUTION: A substrate chucking and cleaning apparatus comprises a plurality of chucking arms 10 for chucking and supporting the circular circumferential fringe parts of a wafer W in the horizontal state. These chucking arms 10 are arranged radially at a constant angle in the circumferential direction such that they can be opened/closed in the radially outward directions and provided with chucking claws 13 for supporting the circular circumferential fringe parts of the wafer W. The chucking claws 13 are arranged evenly on a chucking circle corresponding to the circumferential fringe parts of the wafer W at the time of chucking and the radial dimensions of the chucking circle is adjustable. Since only the circumferential fringe parts of the wafer W are supported, chemical cleaning is ensured on the surface and rear of the wafer W and the surface of the wafer can be cleaned without causing any contamination on the rear of the wafer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a substrate chucking device and a substrate cleaning device, and more particularly, to a process of forming a thin film by sputtering or CVD, and a process of diffusing or oxidizing in a device manufacturing process of 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 at a stage before a process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional methods for wet cleaning a semiconductor wafer or the like (hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer) include 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. Meanwhile, 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 processed together, (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.

[0005] Further, since the cleaning tank has a wet bench type multi-layer structure, (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.

The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and a main object thereof is to carry out wet cleaning of wafers one by one in a single cleaning tank without using a cassette. Substrate chucks used in substrate cleaning technology that can be cleaned in a high cleanliness atmosphere with high accuracy without particles reattachment, and have a simple and compact device configuration and can effectively cope with multi-product small-lot production. To provide a king device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate cleaning apparatus provided with the above chucking device.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a substrate chucking apparatus of the present invention is provided in a single-wafer type substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning thin disk-shaped wafers one by one. There is provided a plurality of chucking arms for chucking and supporting the circular peripheral portion of the wafer in a horizontal state, and the chucking arms are provided radially at equal angles in the circumferential direction and operable to be opened and closed in the radial direction. , Having a tip chucking portion for supporting a circular peripheral portion of the wafer, and these tip chucking portions,
At the time of chucking, the wafer is uniformly arranged on a chucking circle corresponding to the circular peripheral portion of the wafer, and the diameter of the chucking circle is adjustable.

Further, the substrate cleaning apparatus of the present invention includes a processing tank for accommodating a single thin disk-shaped wafer, and the substrate disposed in the processing tank and supporting one wafer in a horizontal state. A chucking device, a rotating device for horizontally rotating the substrate chucking device, and a spray nozzle for spraying a cleaning liquid onto a wafer supported by the substrate chucking device are provided.

In the substrate chucking apparatus according to the present invention, one thin disk-shaped wafer is circularly formed by a plurality of chucking arms at the tip end of a plurality of chucking arms radially provided at equal angles in a circumferential direction. The periphery is chucked and supported at equal intervals.

As described above, since only the circular peripheral portion of the wafer is supported, the chemical cleaning process for the front and back surfaces of the wafer is ensured, and there is no contamination of the back surface of the wafer due to the cleaning process for the wafer surface.

By adjusting the opening / closing position of the chucking arm in the radial direction, the diameter of the chucking circle by the tip chucking portion, that is, the chucking diameter can be adjusted.
This makes it possible to correct errors such as variations in wafer diameter, dimensional errors of the apparatus itself, and assembly errors.

Further, the substrate cleaning apparatus provided with the chucking device is configured to process wafers one by one. In combination with the support structure by the chucking device, there is almost no reattachment of particles and the like, Precise processing can be performed, the cleaning space of the substrate cleaning apparatus is small, and a small amount of cleaning liquid is required.

[0014]

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

A substrate cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and specific components thereof are shown in FIGS.

The substrate cleaning apparatus A is a single-wafer type which performs a cleaning process of the wafers W one by one by spray cleaning. In addition to constituting a main part of the substrate cleaning system shown in FIG. Is provided as a one-chamber single-wafer type substrate cleaning apparatus for performing a cleaning process with a plurality of types of cleaning liquids one by one in a single processing tank.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate cleaning apparatus A comprises a processing tank 1, a substrate chucking device 2, a rotating device 3, injection nozzles 4a to 4d, a control unit 5, and the like as main components. In addition, it is arranged in a clean room where a clean atmosphere is maintained.

The processing tank 1 is in the form of a single cleaning tank having an open top, which is provided in the upper half of the apparatus main body 6 and in which the substrate chucking device 2 and the injection nozzle 4 are provided.
A cleaning processing configuration such as a to 4d is provided as a main part.

The specific configuration of the processing tank 1 is a cylindrical storage container for storing one thin disk-shaped wafer W, the top of which is open to an external clean room, and the bottom of which is open. It has a conical shape. Wafer W
The loading / unloading of the wafer W into / from the processing tank 1 is performed via the top opening of the processing tank 1. The material of the processing bath 1 is, for example, a lining such as PFA or PTFE (Teflon-based resin) applied to the inner surface of a stainless steel plate. The inner diameter of the processing bath 1 supports the wafer W in a horizontal state. The size is set to be large enough to accommodate the substrate chucking device 2, and the top opening 1a has an upwardly tapered shape.

The substrate chucking device 2 functions as a substrate support for supporting the wafer W. The substrate chucking device 2 is provided at the center of the bottom of the processing tank 1 so as to be horizontally rotatable and supports one wafer W in a horizontal state. It has a configuration.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the substrate chucking apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of chucking arms 10, 10, and 10 for chucking and supporting a circular peripheral portion of a wafer W.
, And an opening / closing section (opening / closing means) 11 for opening and closing these chucking arms 10, 10,.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the substrate chucking apparatus 2 includes three chucking arms 10, 10, and 10 for chucking and supporting the circular peripheral portion of the wafer W.
10 is provided. The number of the chucking arms 10 is appropriately set according to the purpose, such as the size of the wafer W to be handled.

These chucking arms 10, 10, 1
0 is equal to 3 in the circumferential direction as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the operating rods 10a, 10a, and 10a are provided at equal radial angles and inclined upward on the outer diameter side of the wafer W, as described later.
Are reciprocated in the radial direction by the opening / closing section 11 so that the opening / closing operation is possible.

More specifically, a support 14 is attached and fixed to a tip portion of a rotating shaft 38 of the rotating device 3 described later, and three support arms 12, 1 are attached to the support 14.
2 and 12 are provided integrally at equal angles in the circumferential direction and are arranged at equal angles in the radial direction. These support arms 12, 1
2 and 12 are hollow cylindrical, and the insertion holes 1 therein are provided.
2a, 12a and 12a, the chucking arm 10
Are respectively inserted and supported. The support 14
Is formed in a conical shape corresponding to the bottom of the processing tank 2 so as to smoothly discharge the cleaning liquid and the like.

[0025] The support arm 10 has an operating rod 10a inserted and supported so as to be reciprocally slidable in a radial direction through an insertion hole inside a hollow cylindrical arm body 10b, and a chucking claw 13 is integrally formed at the tip of the operating rod 10a. It is provided in.

[0026] The chucking claw 13 is in the form of a chucking claw that supports the circular peripheral portion of the wafer W in a vertical state during chucking. These chucking claws 1
Specifically, 3, 3, 13 have an external appearance shape as shown in FIG. 6 and, as shown in FIG. Is set. Thereby, the chucking claw 1
3, 13 and 13 indicate that the wafer W
Are uniformly arranged on a chucking circle (substantially coincident with the circular peripheral edge of the wafer W) corresponding to the circular peripheral edge of the wafer W to chuck and support a uniform circumferential position of the circular peripheral edge of the wafer W in a horizontal state.

The chucking claws 13, 13,
Reference numeral 13 denotes a configuration capable of correcting errors such as variations in wafer diameter and dimensional errors and assembling errors of the apparatus itself by adjusting the opening and closing positions of the operating rods 10a, 10a, 10a of the chucking arms 10, 10, 10 in the radial direction. Prepare.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, a guide slit 15 is provided at the distal end of the arm body 10b so as to extend in the axial direction of the arm body 10b, that is, in the reciprocating sliding direction of the operating rod 10a. The chucking claw 13 is movably guided and supported in the guide slit 15. The guide slit 15 is provided in the hollow cylindrical arm body 10.
The guide slit 15 is formed so as to penetrate the guide slit 15 so that both ends of the chucking claw 13 are moved and guided. In connection with this, a sliding groove 100a is provided in a part of the outer periphery of the operating rod 10a so as to extend in the reciprocating sliding direction.
A slide guide pin 100b is provided in the insertion hole of the slide rod b, and the slide guide pin 100b is slidably engaged with the slide groove 100a to prevent the operation rod 10a from rotating around the axis and its action. Acts to guide reciprocal sliding. Thus, the guide slit 15 and the chucking claw 13
Is prevented or minimized, and the generation of particles at this portion is effectively prevented. The relative dimensional relationship between the sliding groove 100a and the sliding guide pin 100b is set according to the maximum reciprocating sliding stroke of the operating rod 10a.

The chucking surface 13a of the chucking claw 13 projects upward from the guide slit 15 and has a sectional shape corresponding to the sectional shape of the peripheral portion of the wafer W. In the illustrated embodiment, the chucking surface 13a is a plane orthogonal to the axis of the chucking arm 10 as shown in FIG. And are formed so as to contact in a point contact state or a line contact state. As a result, the actual chucking surface that supports the circular peripheral portion of the wafer W in a constrained state from above and below in the sandwiched state is constituted by the chucking surface 13a of the chucking claw 13 and the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the arm body 10b.

By adjusting the stop position of the chucking claw 13 in the opening / closing direction in the guide slit 15 at the time of chucking, the diameter (chucking diameter) of the chucking circle formed by the chucking claws 13, 13, 13 can be reduced. It is adjustable. In the illustrated embodiment, the minimum diameter of the chucking circle is, as shown in FIG.
When the chucking surface 13a of each chucking claw 13 abuts and engages with the inner end of the guide slit 15,
As shown in FIG. 7 (b), the maximum diameter dimension is determined when the chucking surface 13a of each chucking claw 13 is at the maximum radial position intersecting with the outer end of the guide slit 15, that is, the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the support arm 12. It is. Also, chucking claw 1
Adjustment of the chucking diameters of the chucks 3, 13, 13 is performed by advancing and retreating a driven bolt 26 provided at the base end of the chucking arm 10, as described later.

By the opening and closing operation of the operating rod 10a of the chucking arm 10 in the radial direction, the chucking radius of the chucking surface formed by the chucking surface 13a of the chucking claw 13 and the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the arm body 10b is reduced. 7 (a) and 7 (b) in accordance with the target wafer W, and at the time of chucking at each chucking radius, The circular peripheral portion of the wafer W is supported in a constrained state from above and below in a sandwiching manner. In addition, 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 corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion of the wafer W. Therefore, there is an effect that there is no chipping of the peripheral portion of the wafer W.

Opening / closing section 11 of chucking arm 10
1 includes an opening / closing cam 20 and an elevating mechanism 21 as shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the opening / closing cam 20 has an upwardly truncated conical shape, and its outer surface is an upwardly conical tapered cam surface. This opening / closing cam 20
Are coaxially mounted and fixed to the distal end of the opening / closing rod 25 of the elevating mechanism 21, and the engaging flanges 26a, 26a,... Of the base ends of the operating rods 10a, 10a, 10a are provided on the tapered cam surface of the opening / closing cam 20. Are in contact with each other. Correspondingly, the cross-sectional profile of the tapered cam surface of the opening / closing cam 20 is orthogonal to the axis of the operating rod 10a,
It is set so as to abut and engage with each engagement flange 26a equally.

The engagement flange 26a is, specifically,
The driving rod 10a is constituted by a head of a driven bolt 26 which is screwed coaxially to the base end of the operating rod 10a.
The protrusion / retreat amount of 0a, that is, the chucking radius and the chucking state are adjusted.

The operating rod 1 for the opening / closing cam 20
A structure is provided for ensuring the followability of the protruding / retracting operation of Oa, in particular, the accurate following of the retreating operation. Specifically, the opening / closing cam 20 is provided with an engagement cover 27, and a resilient spring 28 for constantly urging the operating rod 10a in the contracting / closing direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, the engagement cover 27 has a hollow conical shape covering the opening / closing cam 20, and has an elongated hole shape through which the shafts of the driven bolts 26 can be inserted. An insertion groove is provided. Thereby, the head of the driven bolt 26, that is, the engagement flange 26a
Is interposed between the engagement cover 27 and the cam surface of the opening / closing cam 20 to allow the opening / closing cam 20 and the engaging flange 26a to move relative to each other in the vertical direction along the cam surface. In the projecting and retreating direction of the king arm 10, both 27,
26a is an engagement structure that can move integrally.

As shown in FIG. 4, the resilient spring 28 is interposed between the insertion hole of the arm body 10b and the operating rod 10a, and one end of the spring 28 is engaged with the engagement step 29 of the insertion hole.
And the other end of the operating rod 10
a, and abuts on the base flange 30 of FIG. As a result, the operating rod 10a is constantly urged in the contracting / closing direction by the elastic force of the elastic spring 28, and
6a is always in contact with and engaged with the tapered cam surface of the opening / closing cam 20.

When the opening / closing cam 20 is lowered, the operating rod 10a of the chucking arm 10 is moved in a protruding and retracting operation with respect to the opening / closing cam 20 by the cooperation of the engagement cover 27 and the resilient spring 28. Accurate followability is ensured.

The elevating mechanism 21 is in the form of an elevating mechanism for moving the opening / closing cam 20 up and down in the vertical direction. The elevating mechanism 21 includes the opening / closing rod 25, the elevating cylinder 35, and a resilient spring 36 as main components.

The opening / closing rod 25 is inserted and supported by a slide bearing 37 in the rotating shaft 38 of the rotating device 3 so as to be coaxial and movable up and down in the vertical direction. A cam 20 is mounted and fixed coaxially and integrally.

The lifting cylinder 35 is provided with the opening / closing rod 25.
In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the air cylinder is constituted by an air cylinder, and functions as an ascending cylinder for elevating the opening / closing rod 25. The elevating cylinder 35 is attached to and supported by the apparatus main body 6 at a lower position of the opening / closing rod 25. The piston rod 35a of the lifting cylinder 35 is arranged coaxially with the opening / closing rod 25, and presses and moves the opening / closing rod 25 upward by its protruding operation.

On the other hand, the resilient spring 36 functions as a return spring that constantly urges the opening / closing rod 25 in the downward direction. As shown in FIG.
At its lower end, its upper end abuts and engages the base end surface of the rotating shaft 38, specifically, the end surface 37 a of the slide bearing 37, and its lower end is connected to the lower end flange 2 of the opening / closing rod 25.
5a.

In the normal state, that is, when the piston rod 35a is retracted, the spring 3
6, the opening / closing cam 20 is lowered, and the operating rods 10a, 1 of the chucking arms 10, 10, 10 are lowered.
0a and 10a are in the closed state (chucking state),
On the other hand, when the piston rod 35a of the lift cylinder 35 projects, the opening / closing cam 20 rises against the return elasticity of the resilient spring 36, and the operating rods 10a, 10a, 10
a is configured to perform an expanding operation (chucking operation).

Each of the chucking arm 10 and the opening / closing cam 20 is provided with an O-ring 39 and a sealing cover 4.
0, etc., to provide a hermetically sealed structure that maintains airtightness and liquid tightness with respect to the outside of the substrate chucking device 2 (such as a cleaning liquid). Further, for example, the opening / closing rod 25 is made of stainless steel. Further, a member such as the chucking arm 10 which is in direct contact with the cleaning liquid is formed of a peak material.

The rotating device 3 constitutes a substrate rotating portion for horizontally rotating the substrate chucking device 2 during spray cleaning and spin drying. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the rotating shaft 38 and the driving motor 45 are used. The main part is configured.

The rotating shaft 38 is vertically rotatably supported by the apparatus main body 6 by bearings 46, 46,..., And the support 14 of the substrate chucking device 2 is attached and fixed to the upper end thereof. Then, the substrate chucking device 2 is supported in a horizontal state.

The drive motor 45 drives the rotary shaft 38 to rotate. Specifically, the drive motor 45 is composed of a servomotor and is mounted and supported on the apparatus main body 6 so that its main shaft 45a is parallel to the rotary shaft 38. Are located in The main shaft 45a is drivingly connected to the rotary shaft 38 via a power transmission mechanism including a transmission pulley 47a, a transmission belt 47b, and a transmission pulley 47c.

By the rotation of the drive motor 45, the substrate chucking device 2 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.

In response to the rotating operation of the substrate chucking device 2, the sealing structure of the substrate chucking device 2 includes an exhaust portion (an exhaust portion) for forcibly exhausting the air between the rotating side portion and the fixed side portion. Means) 50 are provided.

That is, at the bottom of the processing tank 1 on the fixed side,
A fixed block 55 is fixedly provided opposite to the support 14 of the substrate chucking device 2, and a simple labyrinth seal structure is formed between the two to allow relative rotation. . The fixed block 55
A communication hole 55 communicating with the labyrinth seal space.
a, and the communication hole 55a communicates with a suction / exhaust circuit (not shown) via an exhaust pipe 56.

The cleaning liquid, the reaction gas, and the like that have entered the labyrinth seal space are forcibly discharged to the outside of the processing tank 1 through the exhaust unit 50, and the cleaning shaft and the reaction shaft 38 Corrosion is effectively prevented.

The jet nozzles 4a are for jetting a cleaning liquid onto the front surface (upper surface) of the wafer W supported by the substrate chucking device 2, and four jet nozzles are provided in the drawing. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, four injection nozzles 4a, 4a,... Are arranged in the apparatus main body 6 on the outer periphery of the processing tank 1 so as not to interfere with each other's horizontal turning operation.

The specific support structure of each of the injection nozzles 4a is such that a rotation support shaft 60 is rotatably supported on the apparatus main body 6 in a vertical state, and a horizontal bar 61 is provided on the upper end of the rotation support shaft 60.
The injection nozzle 4a is provided downward at the tip of the horizontal bar 61. Although not shown,
A drive motor is mounted on and supported by the apparatus main body 6, and a drive shaft of the drive motor is coaxially connected to the rotation support shaft 60.

Further, the rotation support shaft 60 and the horizontal bar 61
The cleaning liquid supply path 62 is provided over substantially the entire length of the inside or along the axis of
a, and the base end thereof can communicate with a cleaning liquid supply device E of the substrate cleaning system described later.

As a result, each of the spray nozzles 4a rotates the wafer W supported by the substrate chucking device 2 in a horizontal state.
The post-stationary cleaning liquid is sprayed on the surface of the surface while rotating horizontally from the outer periphery to the center or horizontally.

The spray nozzle 4b sprays a cleaning liquid onto the back surface (lower surface) of the wafer W. In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. At the center position, three injection nozzles 4b, 4
b, 4b are fixedly arranged in an upward state. The injection nozzle 4b can communicate with a cleaning liquid supply device E of a substrate cleaning system described later, similarly to the injection nozzle 4a.

The injection nozzles 4c and 4d are for cleaning the substrate chucking device 2, and one of the injection nozzles 4c is
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two units are fixedly arranged at an upper position on the inner surface of the processing tank 1 so as to face each other and face downward (not shown in FIG. 2). The cleaning liquid is sprayed on 10. Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the other injection nozzle 4d is fixedly arranged in a horizontal state at the center of the inner surface of the processing tank 1 in the vertical direction so as to face each other (only one in FIG. 1). Cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the chucking arm 10 and the support 14 of the substrate chucking device 2 (shown). These injection nozzles 4
are also communicable with the cleaning liquid supply device E of the substrate cleaning system, similarly to the injection nozzles 4a and 4b.

In response to this, a plurality of drain portions 65 are provided at appropriate locations at the bottom of the processing tank 1 to discharge the cleaning liquid and the reaction gas and the like in the processing tank 1 (only one is shown in FIG. 1). The drain portions 65, 65,... Can communicate with the cleaning liquid supply device E and the outside of the device.

In connection with the injection of the cleaning liquid by the injection nozzles 4a to 4d, in addition to the above-described tapered shape of the top opening 1a of the processing tank 1, an HEPA filter (not shown) is provided on the ceiling of the clean room. As shown in FIG. 2, an exhaust duct 63 for forced exhaust is horizontally provided on the side of the processing tank 1. As a result, a downward flow (downflow) of the clean air from the HEPA filter to the exhaust duct 63 in the processing tank 1 is formed, and the cleaning liquid and the reaction gas in the processing tank 1 escape into the clean room. Is effectively prevented.

The control unit 5 includes an opening / closing unit 11 of the substrate chucking device 2, a rotating device 3, and injection nozzles 4a to 4dc.
And the drain section 65 and the like are interlocked and drive-controlled. The controller 5 controls various wet processing steps to the processing tank 1 in conjunction with the driving of the cleaning liquid supply device E as described below. From the time of loading of the wafer W to the time of unloading.

Loading and Support of Wafers W : The wafers W that have been transported from the previous process before cleaning are transferred one by one by a transfer robot D, which will be described later, while remaining horizontal.
Is carried into the processing tank 1.

When the wafer W is loaded onto the substrate chucking device 2 in the processing tank 1, the chucking arms 10, 1
0,... Chuck and support the circular peripheral portion of the wafer W in a horizontal state. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the chucking surface 13a of the chucking claw 13 and the arm body 10b
The cylindrical outer peripheral surface supports only the peripheral portion of the wafer W in the vertical direction in a restrained state, so that a reliable chucking state is obtained, and contamination on the back side of the wafer W and chipping of the peripheral portion of the wafer W are effectively performed. Is prevented.

Wet processing of wafer W: When the substrate chucking device 2 chucks and supports the wafer W, the cleaning processing by the injection nozzles 4a and 4b is executed in a predetermined procedure.

That is, while the substrate chucking device 2 is horizontally rotated at a predetermined rotation speed by the rotating device 3, the injection nozzles 4a, 4b, The cleaning liquid is sprayed from.

During the cleaning process using different types of cleaning liquids, the cleaning liquid is removed and the spray nozzles 4 a to 4
A rinsing process is performed by supplying ultrapure water from d.

When a series of cleaning processes is completed, the rotating device 3
As a result, the substrate chucking device 2 is horizontally rotated at a predetermined rotation speed, and the injection nozzles 4a, 4b,
.. Are sprayed with an inert gas such as nitrogen gas to perform spin drying.

At this time, as described above, by forcibly exhausting air from the exhaust duct 63 of the processing tank 1, the downward flow of clean air (from the HEPA filter to the exhaust duct 63) flows into the processing tank 1. Downflow)
The escape of the cleaning liquid and the reaction gas in the processing tank 1 into the clean room is effectively prevented.

Unloading of the wafers W, W,... : The wafer W having undergone a series of cleaning processing in the substrate cleaning apparatus A is again unloaded from the processing tank 1 by the transfer robot D, and subjected to the next step of sputtering or CVD processing. Is transported to a processing step for forming a thin film.

In the above configuration, the substrate chucking device 2 supports only the circular peripheral portion of the wafer W, so that the chemical cleaning process for the front and back surfaces of the wafer W is ensured, and the wafer W There is no contamination on the back side of the wafer W due to the cleaning process on the front surface.

The chucking arms 10, 1
By adjusting the opening and closing positions of the actuation rods 10a, 10a, 10a in the radial direction, the chucking claws 13, 13,.
13, the chucking diameter can be adjusted, and errors such as variations in wafer diameter and dimensional errors and assembly errors of the apparatus itself can be corrected.

Further, the substrate cleaning apparatus A is of a single-wafer type in which the wafers W are processed one by one. , The cleaning space of the substrate cleaning apparatus 2 is small, the volume of the processing tank 1 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 tank 1, the wafer W is not taken in and out in the cleaning process, and is exposed to the atmosphere, and is affected by metal contamination, ions or oxygen. Therefore, the configuration of the substrate cleaning apparatus A can be simplified and reduced in size.

Subsequently, FIG. 8 provided with the above substrate cleaning apparatus A.
The substrate cleaning system shown in FIG.

More specifically, the substrate cleaning system comprises a single wafer type substrate cleaning apparatus A for cleaning wafers W one by one as a basic unit. ) Are arranged in an annular shape 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, which is a supply source of a cleaning liquid, and each of the apparatuses A to E is configured to be driven and controlled in conjunction with each other by a system controller F. I have.

The substrate carrying-in device B is a part for carrying in the wafer W from the previous process, and includes the wafers W, W. ... are stocked and wait for loading. The substrate unloading device C is a portion that unloads the wafer W to the next step, and includes the wafers W, W. ... are stocked and wait for carry-out.

The substrate transfer device D transfers the wafers W one by one in a horizontal state between the substrate carrying-in 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 device D is, for example, in the form of a transfer robot that chucks a circular peripheral portion of the wafer W, like the substrate chucking device 2, and is provided in a robot chamber 70 in the illustrated example. Then, the wafer W is transferred between a transfer cassette (not shown) in the substrate loading device B or the substrate unloading device C and the substrate chucking device 2 of the substrate cleaning device A.

The system control device 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 wafers W, W,...: The wafers W, W,.
, And is aligned and positioned, and waits for the transfer robot D in the robot room 70.

The transfer robot D chucks and supports the wafers W in the transfer cassette one by one, and sequentially loads the wafers W into the processing tank 1 of each substrate cleaning apparatus A.

When the wafer W is loaded onto the substrate chucking device 2 in the processing tank 1, the chucking arms 10, 1
0,... Chuck and support the circular peripheral portion of the wafer W in a horizontal state (see the above process).

II. Wet processing in substrate cleaning apparatus A
T : When the substrate chucking device 2 chucks and supports the wafer W, the above-described various cleaning processes are performed in a predetermined procedure (see the above-described process).

III. Unloading of wafers W, W,...: A wafer W after a series of cleaning processes in the substrate cleaning apparatus A is completed.
Again by the transfer robot D, it is carried out of each processing tank 1 in a manner reverse to that described above, and is sequentially carried out and stored in a transfer cassette waiting in the substrate carry-out device C in a horizontal state.

When the cleaned wafers W, W,... Are arranged and filled in all the holding grooves inside the transfer cassette, the transfer cassette is formed into a thin film by sputtering or CVD processing in the next step. Transported to the processing step for

In the substrate cleaning system configured as described above, since the substrate cleaning apparatuses A, A,. , And precise processing for each wafer W can be performed.

The above-described embodiment merely shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this, and various design changes can be made within the scope.

For example, the specific structure of the substrate cleaning apparatus A is as follows.
The present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment as long as it has a similar function, and various design changes are possible. As an example, in the illustrated embodiment, the actual chucking surface that supports the circular peripheral portion of the wafer W in a clamped state from above and below is a chucking surface 13 a of the chucking claw 13 and a cylindrical surface of the support arm 11. Although formed by the outer peripheral surface, the chucking claw 13 itself may be formed with a V-shaped chucking surface that supports the circular peripheral portion of the wafer W in a restrained state from above and below.

In the illustrated embodiment, the chucking claw 13 of the operating rod 10a is guided in a non-contact state with respect to the guide slit 15 of the arm body 10, thereby preventing the generation of particles due to sliding at this position. For example, referring to FIG. 6, of the guide slits 15 formed in the hollow cylindrical arm body 10b in the diametric direction with reference to FIG. 6, the chucking surface 13a of the chucking claw 13 is formed. The slit 15 located on the opposite side to the above may have a function of slidingly guiding one end portion of the chucking claw 13 (not shown).

With such a structure, the generation of particles at the chucking portion and the adhesion of the particles to the front and back surfaces of the wafer W are effectively suppressed, while the rotation stopping action of the operating rod 10a around the axis and the reciprocating sliding thereof are performed. The action of guiding the movement can be ensured. In addition, the sliding groove 100a and the sliding guide pin 1 in the illustrated embodiment
By omitting 00b, the number of manufacturing steps, manufacturing cost, and the like can be reduced.

Although not shown, a film thickness gauge may be provided above the processing tank 1 to measure the film thickness of the wafer W. In this case, the thickness gauge is arranged at a position shifted from the center of the wafer W, and the wafer W is measured by rotating the wafer W on the substrate chucking device 2 at a predetermined rotation speed by the rotating device 3. The film thickness at several points of W (on the same circumference) can be measured.

[0091]

As described above in detail, according to the substrate chucking apparatus of the present invention, there are provided a plurality of chucking arms for chucking and supporting the circular peripheral portion of the wafer in a horizontal state. It is provided so as to be capable of opening and closing radially and radially at an equal angle in the circumferential direction, and has a tip chucking portion that supports a circular peripheral portion of the wafer, and these tip chucking portions are
At the time of chucking, the wafers are evenly arranged on the chucking circle corresponding to the circular peripheral portion of the wafer and the diameter of the chucking circle can be adjusted. By performing wet cleaning without using a cassette one by one, it is possible to perform high-precision cleaning in an atmosphere of high cleanliness without reattachment of particles, etc. In addition, the device configuration is simple and compact, and it is effective for multi-product small-quantity production A substrate chucking device used in a compatible substrate cleaning technique can be provided.

That is, one thin disk-shaped wafer is
Only the circular peripheral portion of the wafer is supported by chucking and supporting the circular peripheral portions at equal intervals by the tip chucking portions of a plurality of chucking arms radially provided at equal angles in the circumferential direction. As a result, the chemical cleaning process for the front and back surfaces of the wafer is ensured, and the back surface of the wafer is not contaminated by the cleaning process for the front surface of the wafer.

Further, by adjusting the opening / closing position of the chucking arm in the radial direction, the diameter of the chucking circle by the tip chucking portion, that is, the chucking diameter can be adjusted. Even if there is a dimensional error, an assembly error or the like, the error can be corrected, and the chucking support state of the wafer in an optimal state can always be ensured.

Further, the substrate cleaning apparatus of the present invention provided with the substrate chucking apparatus is configured to process wafers one by one, and in combination with the support configuration by the chucking apparatus, reattachment of particles and the like is almost impossible. Therefore, precise processing can be performed for each wafer, the cleaning space of the substrate cleaning apparatus is small, and a small amount of cleaning liquid is required.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a main configuration of a substrate cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a main structure of the substrate cleaning apparatus, partially cut away.

FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing a substrate chucking device which is a main part of the substrate cleaning device.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front sectional view showing a chucking arm of the substrate chucking device.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view showing a chucking arm of the substrate chucking device.

6 is an enlarged view showing a chucking portion of the chucking arm, wherein FIG. 6 (a) is a front sectional view, FIG. 6 (b) is a plan view, and FIG. 6 (c) is a rear view. .

FIG. 7 is a front sectional view showing an adjustable range of a chucking diameter of the chucking unit, wherein FIG. 7 (a) shows a minimum chucking diameter, and FIG. 7 (b) shows a maximum chucking diameter.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate cleaning system to which the substrate cleaning apparatus of the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

W Wafer A Substrate cleaning device 1 Processing tank 2 Substrate chucking device (substrate support unit) 3 Rotating device (rotating unit) 4a-4d Injection nozzle 5 Control unit 6 Main unit 10 Chucking arm 10a Chucking arm operating rod 10b Chucking Arm body of king arm 11 Opening / closing part (opening / closing means) 12 Support arm 13 Chucking claw (Chucking part) 13a Chucking surface 15 Guide slit 20 Opening / closing cam 21 Lifting mechanism 25 Opening / closing rod 26a Engagement flange 27 Engagement cover 28 Bullet Spring spring 35 Lifting cylinder 36 Spring spring 38 Rotating shaft 45 Drive motor 50 Exhaust unit (exhaust means) 63 Exhaust duct 100a Sliding groove 100b Sliding guide pin

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masami Hanui 48, Jodoji Kamibabacho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of chucks which are provided in a single-wafer substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning a thin disk-shaped substrate one by one, and which chuck and support a circular peripheral portion of the substrate in a horizontal state. These chucking arms are provided so as to be able to open and close radially and radially at equal angles in the circumferential direction, and have a tip chucking portion that supports a circular peripheral portion of the substrate. The tip chucking portion is arranged evenly on a chucking circle corresponding to a circular peripheral portion of the substrate during chucking, and the diameter of the chucking circle is adjustable. Chucking device. 2. The chucking arm is provided radially at an equal angle in the circumferential direction and inclined upwardly on the outer diameter side of the substrate, and is provided so as to be capable of opening and closing in the radial direction. 2. The substrate chucking device according to claim 1, wherein the distal end chucking portion is in the form of a chucking claw that supports the circular peripheral portion of the substrate in a vertical state during chucking. 3. 3. The support arm, wherein a hollow cylindrical arm body is provided radially at an equal angle in a circumferential direction, and an operation rod is slidably inserted and supported in an insertion hole inside the arm body. A guide slit for allowing the chucking claw provided at the distal end of the operating rod to move in the sliding direction is provided at a tip end of the arm body, and the chucking claw and a cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the arm body are provided. 2. A structure for supporting a circular peripheral portion of a substrate in a constrained state from above and below in a sandwiching manner.
Or the substrate chucking device according to 2. 4. A sliding groove is provided on a part of an outer periphery of the operating rod so as to extend in the sliding direction, and a sliding guide pin slidably engaged with the sliding groove is inserted into the arm body. The sliding groove is provided in the hole, and the relative sliding engagement between the sliding groove and the sliding guide pin is configured to stop rotation around the axis of the operating rod and perform reciprocating sliding guide. 4. The substrate chucking device according to claim 3, wherein: 5. A pair of the guide slits are formed through a hollow cylindrical arm body in a diametrical direction, and
Of the pair of guide slits, a slit located on the opposite side of the chucking claw from the chucking surface is configured to slide and guide one end portion of the chucking claw, thereby rotating the operating rod. 4. A stop and a reciprocating slide guide are provided.
A substrate chucking device according to item 1. 6. The opening / closing means for the chucking arm,
An opening / closing cam that moves vertically, and a lifting mechanism that moves the opening / closing cam up and down. The operating rod base end of the chucking arm abuts and engages the cam surface of the opening / closing cam. The operation rod is configured to perform an expanding operation by an ascending operation, and a contracting operation of the operating rod by a lowering operation of an opening / closing cam. A substrate chucking device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 7. The lift mechanism having the opening / closing cam at a distal end thereof, comprising an opening / closing rod that moves vertically and a lifting cylinder that moves the opening / closing rod up and down. 7. The chucking device of the substrate cleaning device according to 6. 8. The elevating mechanism has the opening / closing cam at a distal end thereof, and has an opening / closing rod that moves forward and backward in a vertical direction, a lifting cylinder that raises the opening / closing rod, and constantly urges the opening / closing rod in a downward direction. 7. The substrate chucking device according to claim 6, further comprising: a resilient spring. 9. The opening and closing cam has an upwardly conical tapered cam surface, and a cross-sectional profile of the tapered cam surface is set so as to be orthogonal to an axis of an operating rod of the chucking arm. The substrate chucking device according to claim 6. 10. An engaging flange, which is provided at the base end of the operating rod of the chucking arm and abuts against the tapered cam surface of the opening / closing cam, and is engaged with the opening / closing cam by the engaging flange. A joint cover is provided, whereby when the opening / closing cam is lowered, the operating rod is configured to contract and close by an engagement operation between the engagement cover and the engagement flange. The substrate chucking device according to claim 9. 11. The substrate chucking device according to claim 6, further comprising a resilient spring that constantly urges the operating rod of the chucking arm in the direction of contraction. . 12. A substrate supporting part provided in a processing tank for accommodating one thin disk-shaped substrate and supporting one substrate in a horizontal state, wherein said plurality of chucking arms are provided by said chucking arm. The chucking arm and its opening / closing means are mounted on a tip end of a rotation shaft of a substrate rotating unit that horizontally rotates the substrate supporting unit, and a sealing structure that maintains airtightness and liquid tightness with respect to the outside of the substrate supporting unit. The substrate chucking device according to any one of claims 6 to 11, wherein: 13. The sealing structure according to claim 12, further comprising: exhaust means for forcibly exhausting air between the rotatable substrate support and a fixed-side portion supporting the substrate support. A substrate chucking device according to item 1. 14. A processing tank for accommodating one thin disk-shaped substrate, and disposed in the processing tank to support one substrate in a horizontal state. A substrate chuck comprising: a substrate chucking device according to claim 1; a rotating device that horizontally rotates the substrate chucking device; and a spray nozzle that sprays a cleaning liquid onto a substrate supported by the substrate chucking device. Cleaning equipment.