JPS61166134A - Processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To assure the excellent result of cleaning processing by a method wherein processing fluid fed from jetting nozzles to a processing vessel is provided with a vortex flow until the fluid reaches a drain nozzle provided on the central part of processing vessel. CONSTITUTION:The ends 5 of multiple jetting nozzles 4 with their sections formed gradually tapering off to the open ends projecting into a processing vessel 1 are formed in one direction along the inner periphery of processing vessel 1 to provide pure water jet-fed to the processing vessel 1 with a vortex flow. Besides, a drain nozzle 6 with an opening at specified level is provided on the central part of processing vessel 1 so that the pure water fed from the jetting nozzles 4 to be brought into contact with wafers 2 contained in wafer cartridge 3 may be drained whenever it overflows the specified water level. Through these procedures, the pure water fed from the jetting nozzles 4 may come into contact with the surface of wafers 2 efficiently and sufficiently until it is drained so that any etchant and foreign matters hardly removed may be cleaned up effectively.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a processing technology, and particularly to a technology that is effective when applied to a wafer cleaning process in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

[Background Art] In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, oxide films, metal films, etc. formed by chemical vapor deposition or vapor deposition are formed on a disk-shaped substrate, that is, a wafer, made of a semiconductor such as silicon by photoetching. Semiconductor elements having a predetermined structure are formed on a wafer by repeating operations for forming an insulating layer, wiring structure, etc. in a predetermined pattern.

For example, in etching to form a wiring structure made of aluminum on a wafer, the wafer is immersed in an etching solution made of acid at a predetermined concentration, and unnecessary parts of the aluminum film formed on the wafer are dissolved and removed. So-called wet etching is performed.

In this case, the etching solution and reaction products remaining on the wafer surface after etching may cause corrosion of the semiconductor elements later, so after etching, a cleaning operation with purified water of a specified purity is performed. be exposed.

This wafer cleaning operation may be carried out by immersing a cartridge containing a predetermined number of wafers in a pure water storage tank, and moving the cartridge ridge as appropriate on the workbench. .

However, the inventor of the present invention has discovered that the above-mentioned cleaning operation has drawbacks, such as, for example, when the viscosity of the etching solution is relatively large, cleaning may be insufficient, which may later cause defects in semiconductor elements. I found it.

The literature explaining wafer processing technology is "Electronic Materials 1 November 1981 Special Issue, P95-P1, published by Kogyo Research Association Co., Ltd., November 1011, 1981.
There is 02.

[Object of the Invention] An object of the present invention is to provide a processing technique that can obtain good processing results.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[1 Summary of the Invention] A brief summary of typical inventions disclosed in this application is as follows.

2 (i.e., at least 4 times the processing fluid is injected into the processing tank in which the object to be processed is placed in the direction along the inner peripheral surface of the processing tank)
) one injection nozzle, and a discharge nozzle that discharges the processing fluid to the outside of the processing tank through an opening placed vertically in the center of the processing tank and set at a predetermined height from the bottom of the processing tank; By providing each jet 14, a vortex is formed between the processing flow supplied into the processing tank from the jet nozzle and the discharge nozzle installed in the center of the processing tank, and The processing fluid is efficiently and sufficiently brought into contact with the object to be processed, thereby obtaining good processing results.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1(a) is a partially cutaway plan view showing a wafer cleaning processing apparatus which is an embodiment of the present invention.
b) is a cross-sectional view of a portion indicated by line BB in FIG.

Inside the processing tank 1, a plurality of wafer cartridges 3 are removably located, which accommodate a predetermined number of wafers 2 (workpieces) in parallel to each other so that their planes are perpendicular.

In this case, the wafer cartridge 3 is positioned within the processing tank 1 such that the plane of the wafer 2 housed therein is substantially perpendicular to the radial direction of the processing tank 1.

Further, a plurality of injection nozzles 4 are provided around the processing tank I by penetrating the peripheral wall surface of the processing tank 1, and are connected to a predetermined pump mechanism (not shown).
The structure is such that, for example, pure water of a predetermined purity is supplied inside.

In this case, the tip portions 5 of the plurality of injection nozzles 4 project into the processing tank 1 and are formed so that the cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward the open end, along the inner circumferential surface of the processing tank 1. They are formed so as to face in the same direction, and the pure water injected 41ζ into the processing tank 1 forms a whirlpool.

Further, in the center of the processing tank 1, there is provided a discharge nozzle 6 having an open section at a predetermined height from the bottom of the processing tank 1. The pure water supplied in a vortex and brought into contact with the wafers 2 housed in the wafer cartridge 3 is configured to be discharged to the outside of the processing tank 1 through the opening when the water reaches a predetermined water level or higher. .

In this way, a predetermined number of wafers 2 stored in the wafer cartridge 3 are exposed to the jets 1 and 1 provided around the inside of the processing tank 1.
Since pure water is supplied from the nozzle 4 in a vortex, the pure water supplied into the processing tank l through the injection nozzle 4 is efficiently applied to the surface of each wafer 2 before being discharged through the discharge nozzle 4. Furthermore, the wafer 2 is sufficiently contacted, and the etching liquid and foreign substances that are difficult to remove due to their relatively high viscosity and adhere to the surface of the wafer 2 are effectively cleaned and removed from the surface of the wafer 2, resulting in a good condition. It is possible to obtain excellent cleaning results.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

First, a plurality of wafer cartridges 3 containing a predetermined number of wafers 2 are placed inside the processing tank 1 .

Next, a plurality of injection nozzles 4 provided around the processing tank J
Pure water of a predetermined purity is supplied into the processing tank 1 through the tip 5 of the tank.

In this case, the tips 5 of the injection nozzles 4 are configured to face in the same direction along the inner peripheral surface of the processing tank 1, and the pure water supplied into the processing tank 1 is directed in the same direction within the processing tank 1. The wafer 2 flows into a vortex and efficiently and sufficiently contacts the surface of the wafer 2 housed in the wafer cartridge 3.

As a result, the etching solution, foreign matter, etc. deposited on the surface of the wafer 2 (=J) are effectively cleaned and the wafer 2
removed from the surface.

The pure water containing the etching solution and foreign matter removed from the surface of the wafer 2 reaches a discharge nozzle 6 provided in the center of the processing tank 1 and is discharged to the outside of the processing tank 1.

After the cleaning operation described in "2" is continued for a predetermined period of time, the supply of pure water from the injection nozzle 4 is stopped, and the wafer cartridge 3 containing the wafer 2 is taken out of the processing tank 1, and the following e.g. Transported to drying process, etc.

-J By repeating the series of operations described in Section 2, the cleaning process for a large number of wafers 2 can be performed efficiently and effectively.

[Effects] (11. A processing tank in which an object to be processed is placed, at least one injection nozzle for spraying and supplying processing fluid in a direction along the inner peripheral surface of the processing tank, and a and a discharge nozzle that discharges the processing fluid to the outside of the processing tank through an opening provided at a predetermined height from the bottom of the processing tank, so that the processing fluid supplied to the object to be processed is discharged. While reaching the nozzle, a vortex is formed and the fluid is supplied to the object to be processed, and the object to be processed and the processing fluid come into contact with each other efficiently and sufficiently, resulting in good processing results.

(2) As a result of the above-mentioned ill, the occurrence of unevenness in processing is prevented and uniform processing becomes possible, so that the yield in the processing process is improved.

(3) As a result of (11 and (21) above, productivity in the treatment process is improved.

Although the invention made by the present invention H has been specifically explained above based on examples, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned examples and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. Nor.

For example, the shape of the processing tank is not limited to a cylindrical shape, but may also have a polygonal cross-sectional shape.

[Field of Application] In the above description, the invention made by the present inventor was mainly applied to the field of application for wafer cleaning, which is the background of the invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, It is also possible to apply wet etching techniques.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1(a) is a partially cutaway plan view of a wafer cleaning processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 1... Processing tank, 2... Wafer (workpiece), 3...
・Wafer cartridge, 4... Injection nozzle, 5...
Tip, 6...Discharge nozzle.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A processing device that performs processing by immersing an object to be processed in a processing fluid, comprising a processing tank in which the object to be processed is placed, and a direction along the inner circumferential surface of the processing tank. at least one injection nozzle for injecting a processing fluid into the processing tank; and an opening located vertically in the center of the processing tank and provided at a predetermined height from the bottom of the processing tank to supply the processing fluid to the outside of the processing tank. A processing device characterized by having a discharge nozzle for discharging. 2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object to be processed is a wafer. 3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing fluid is cleaning water of a predetermined purity.