JPS61174722A - Semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent generation of dust by intervention of operator and improve the manufacuturing yield of semiconductor device by automatically supplying a wafer carrier housing the wafers having completed the cleaning process to the diffusion apparatus with a transfer means. CONSTITUTION:A cleaning and diffusion module 200 is constitured by providing a carrier transfer apparatus 100 to the one side and two diffusion apparatuses 102 and 103 to the other side sandwiching the semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus 101. Within the cleaning apparatus 101, a throwing station 26 which is mounting the wafers before cleaning process and a transfer station 28 which stockes wafers after the cleaning process are provided and a liquid tank 32 and a drying apparatus 33 are provided between these stations. Next, an wafer carrier 20 within the station 26 is moved within such apparatus using a transfers robot 30 and the carrier 20 is housed to the send/receive buffers 34 and 36 by the rotation lifts 22 and 24. Thereafter, the carrier 20 is then moved to the transfer forks 39 and 40 therefrom and the desired diffusion processing is carried here.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus having means for automatically supplying wafers that have been cleaned to a diffusion apparatus.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, in a cleaning device that sets a semiconductor wafer on a wafer carrier and performs etching, resist removal, cleaning, etc., the wafer carrier set in an input station is transferred to a cleaning transfer robot using multiple liquids. After dipping across the tank,
It is being sent to the unloading station. The unloading station is usually capable of storing 3 to 5 wafer carriers, and an alarm buzzer or other device detects when the wafer carrier is full, allowing the operator to remove the wafer carriers. . This taken out wafer carrier is carried by an operator to the next process, a diffusion process.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, the above-mentioned cleaning apparatus has a problem in that the wafer that has been cleaned must be carried by the operator to the diffusion apparatus, and dust may adhere to the wafer. Ta.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a semiconductor wafer cleaning device in which wafers that have been cleaned are automatically transferred to a diffusion device under computer control. A means for supplying the water is provided.

(Function) According to the present invention, in the semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus,
Since the wafers that have been cleaned are automatically supplied to the diffusion device, it is possible to prevent the generation of dust due to operator intervention.

(Example) An example of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of each device. In FIG. 2, a cleaning apparatus 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention forms a U-shape with diffusion apparatuses 102 and 103 for performing a diffusion process on semiconductor wafers, and constitutes a cleaning/diffusion module 200. Normally, the processing capacity of automatic cleaning equipment is about 6 times that of diffusion equipment.
One cleaning device can support multiple diffusion devices. In this example, two diffusion devices are arranged in a U-shape for one cleaning device, taking into consideration the bath preparation time of the cleaning device and the possibility that the device goes down due to trouble. Further, the supply and recovery of wafers to the cleaning/diffusion module 200 is carried out by a carrier transport device 1 that transports wafer carriers through multiple steps.
I am going to 00.

Next, the configuration of the cleaning device 101 will be explained with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 1, the cleaning device 101 has, on the front side, a loading station 26 for loading wafers before cleaning processing, an unloading station 28 for stocking wafers after cleaning processing, and a liquid tank 32 for cleaning wafers (developing, etching, resist removal).
, a drying device 33 for drying the wafer, and a wafer carrier 2
A cleaning transfer robot 3 that lifts 0 from the input station 26 and lowers it to the unloading station 28 after cleaning and drying.
0. Also, on the rear side, a diffusion device 102.10
Transfer buffer 34 of wafer carrier 20 corresponding to 3.
．． 36, and a transport line 38 which is located above these and transports the wafer carrier 20 from the transfer buffer 34 side to the transfer buffer 36 side. Furthermore, the cleaning device 101
is equipped with rotary lifts 22 and 24 on the left and right sides for transferring wafer carriers between the front side and the rear side and transferring wafer carriers to and from the carrier transport device 100.

The urethane transported to the cleaning/diffusion monomer 200 includes:
After coating and exposure, a cleaning device 101 performs development, etching, and resist removal.

For this purpose, the liquid tank 32 contains (a) a mixed solution of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide, (b) a hydrofluoric acid solution, and (C) a mixed solution of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Further, a liquid tank 32 containing pure water for rinsing is arranged next to the liquid tank 32 containing these chemical solutions.

Here, the flow of the wafer carrier 2σ when a wafer is processed in the cleaning/diffusion module 200 will be explained. Wafer carrier 200 lot management, carrier transport device 10
0 to the cleaning device 101, transportation from the cleaning device 101 to the diffusion devices 102 and 103, and setting of cleaning and diffusion conditions are all realized by computer control. The centrally managed wafer carrier 20 is transported from the carrier transport device 100 to a transfer position (not shown) above the rotary lift 22 in response to a lot request signal from the cleaning device 101. The rotary lift 22 rises to receive the wafer carrier 20;
The wafer carrier 20 is lowered to the loading station 26. The cleaning port 30 lifts the wafer carrier 20 from the loading station, and connects the liquid tank 32 and the drying device 3.
After processing the wafer in the wafer carrier 20 in step 3,
The wafer carrier 20 is unloaded to the unloading station 28.

The ueno carrier 20 that has undergone the cleaning process is transported to the diffusion device 102 or the diffusion device 103.

(1) Transferring the wafer carrier 20 to the spreading device 102 The rotating lift 24 receives the wafer carrier 20 from the unloading station 28, rotates it 180 degrees, slides it to the rear side, and places it on the transfer buffer 34. The wafer carrier 20 is transported to the spreading device 102 by the transfer fork 39 of the spreading device 102 .

(2) Transferring the wafer carrier 20 to the spreading device 103 The rotary lift 24 receives the wafer carrier 20 from the unloading station 28, raises it, rotates it 180 degrees, slides it to the rear side, and places it on the transfer line 38. The conveyance line 38 conveys the ueno carrier 20 to the transfer buffer 36 side and then stops. The rotary lift 22 rises and the wafer carrier 2
0 is taken from the conveyance line 38, lowered, and placed on the transfer buffer 36. Transfer fork 40 of the spreading device 103
The wafer carrier 20 is then transported to the diffusion device 103.

The wafer carrier 20 that has undergone the diffusion process is transferred to the diffusion device 1
From 02, the carrier is returned to the carrier transport device 100 via the transfer fork 39, the delivery buffer 34, and the rotary lift 24. From the spreading device 103, the carrier is returned to the carrier transport device 100 via the transfer fork 40, the transfer buffer 36, and the rotary lift 22. The carrier transport device 100 transports the returned wafer carrier 20 to the next process.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus according to the present invention has the following effects by providing means for automatically transporting the wafer carrier to the diffusion apparatus.

(1) It is possible to prevent the generation of dust due to operator intervention and improve the yield υ.

(2) The wafer that has been subjected to the diffusion process in the diffusion device can be stored in a wafer carrier and recovered to the carrier transport device via the above-mentioned means. That is, the supply and collection of wafers to the cleaning/diffusion module can be fully automated.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a semiconductor wafer cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the cleaning device, the diffusion device, and the carrier transport device. 20... Wafer carrier, 22. 24... Rotating lift, 26... Loading station, 28... Carrying out station, 30... Cleaning transfer robot, 32...
Liquid tank, 33... Drying device, 34.36... Delivery buffer, 38... Conveyance line, 39, 40... Transfer fork. 100... Carrier transport device, 101... Semiconductor wafer cleaning device, 102, 103... Diffusion device, 20
0...Cleaning/diffusion module.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus having a plurality of stations on which wafer carriers containing wafers before or after cleaning processing are mounted, the apparatus comprising: (a) parallel to the cleaning apparatus in a perpendicular direction; (b) a plurality of transfer buffer sections on which wafer carriers are temporarily mounted in order to supply wafer carriers to the plurality of dispersion devices arranged; (b) from one transfer buffer section side to another transfer buffer section; (c) a plurality of transfer means for freely transferring the wafer carrier between three points: the station, the buffer section, and the transfer means; (d) each of the above. A semiconductor wafer cleaning device comprising a computer device that adjusts and controls the processing status of the device and the transportation of a wafer carrier.