KR100930823B1 - Wet cleaning device and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a wet cleaning apparatus and a substrate treating method capable of improving processing efficiency of a substrate and improving space utilization and design freedom. The wet cleaning device is provided with a loading and unloading part of the unloading part, a cleaning preparation part in which the substrate is prepared from the loaded pool, a support unit for supporting and selectively lifting the substrate, and a rotatable support for the support unit. It includes a rotary cleaning processing unit.

Description

WET STATION AND METHOD FOR TREATING SUBSTRATE}

The present invention relates to a wet cleaning apparatus and a substrate processing method, and more particularly, to a wet cleaning apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of improving processing efficiency of a substrate and improving space utilization and design freedom.

In general, in order to manufacture a semiconductor device, processes such as lithography, deposition, and etching are repeatedly performed. During these processes, various particles, metal impurities, organics, etc. remain on the substrate (eg, silicon wafer). Since such contaminants adversely affect product yield and reliability, a cleaning process for removing contaminants remaining on a substrate is performed in a semiconductor manufacturing process, and a drying process for a wafer is performed after the cleaning process.

As such, the method of cleaning the substrate may be largely classified into a dry cleaning method and a wet cleaning method according to a processing method. Among them, the wet cleaning method refers to a method of cleaning a substrate by immersing the substrate for a predetermined time in a cleaning tank containing a cleaning liquid mixed with various chemical liquids at a predetermined ratio.

On the other hand, the wet cleaning apparatus may be largely classified into a front type and a side type according to the processing method of the substrate. Among them, the front type wet cleaning device is configured such that the substrate to be processed is loaded to one side of the equipment, and the substrate to be processed is unloaded to the other side of the equipment. On the other hand, the side type wet cleaning equipment is configured such that the substrate to be processed is loaded to one side of the equipment, and the substrate which has been processed is unloaded to the loaded side again.

However, the conventional front type wet cleaning device has a problem in that the space utilization is lowered because the loading position and the unloading position of the substrate are different from each other, and it is difficult to improve the work efficiency more than a certain amount.

In addition, in the conventional side-type wet cleaning device, since the substrate is drawn from the front opening unified pod (FOUP), it is transferred from one side of the equipment to the other side, so that the transfer speed of the substrate is constant. It is difficult to raise abnormally, and there is a problem in that it is difficult to stably transfer the substrate without shaking.

Further, in the conventional front type wet cleaning device and side type wet cleaning device, the structure becomes complicated as the transfer path of the transfer device for transferring the substrate along the cleaning processing path is inevitably provided in the cleaning processing section where the substrate cleaning processing is performed. There is a problem that the space efficiency and design freedom is reduced.

In recent years, various studies have been made on various types of wet cleaning apparatuses to improve substrate processing efficiency and simplify equipment.

The present invention can reduce the processing time of a substrate, and provides a wet cleaning apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of improving processing efficiency of a substrate.

In addition, the present invention can improve the space utilization and design freedom, and provides a wet cleaning apparatus and substrate processing method that can simplify the equipment more.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object of the present invention, the wet cleaning device includes a carry-out portion in which a FOUP is loaded and unloaded; A cleaning preparation unit provided adjacent to the carrying-out unit and including a dumping robot for carrying a substrate into and out of the pool, a pusher unit for taking over and aligning the substrate, and a buffer unit for waiting for the substrate; And optionally a support unit for elevating; And a rotation cleaning processing unit rotatably mounted with respect to the support unit and having a plurality of processing tanks, wherein the processing tank includes at least one cleaning tank disposed on the same radius with respect to the rotation center of the rotation cleaning processing unit. And a drying chamber, wherein the treatment tank is connected to a cleaning liquid supply flow path and a cleaning liquid discharge flow path, and the cleaning liquid discharge flow path is selectively opened or blocked depending on whether or not the rotary cleaning processing unit is rotated.

The shape and structure of the rotary cleaning treatment unit may be variously changed according to required conditions and design specifications. For example, the rotational cleaning processing unit may be configured to include a plurality of processing tanks, and each processing tank may be disposed on the same radius with respect to the rotation center of the rotational cleaning processing unit. Here, the treatment tank may include at least one washing zone and a drying zone, and the present invention is not limited or limited by the type and number of treatment tanks.

In addition, according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the FOUP is loaded and unloaded, the loading and unloading unit, the cleaning preparation unit is prepared for preparing the substrate from the loaded pool, the support unit for supporting the substrate and selectively elevating, support unit Substrate processing method of the wet cleaning apparatus including a rotational cleaning processing unit for rotatably provided and processing the supported substrate is prepared by preparing the substrate in the cleaning preparation unit from the pool loaded into the loading and unloading unit, the prepared substrate support unit And supporting the substrate, rotating the rotary cleaning processing unit, and processing the supported substrate in a series of orders; accommodating the processed substrate in a pool and unloading the loading and unloading unit.

According to the wet cleaning apparatus and the substrate processing method according to the present invention, the cleaning processing unit itself is rotated without the need to transfer the substrate separately from the cleaning processing unit, and the cleaning processing of the substrate can be performed in a sequence, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the substrate. You can. In addition, since the cleaning treatment unit itself is rotated and the substrate can be cleaned without the need of separately transferring the substrate to a specific position before or after the cleaning process of the substrate, throughput can be improved.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the substrate does not need to be transported separately during the cleaning process of the substrate, a separate transport path for transporting the transport apparatus can be excluded, the equipment can be simplified more, space utilization and design freedom Can improve.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited or limited by the embodiments. For reference, in the present description, the same numbers refer to substantially the same elements, and may be described by quoting the contents described in other drawings under the above rules, and the contents repeated or deemed apparent to those skilled in the art may be omitted.

1 is a view showing the structure of a wet cleaning device according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a wet cleaning device according to the present invention, a view showing the structure of a rotary cleaning processing unit.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the wet cleaning apparatus according to the present invention includes a carry-out and take-out part 10, a cleaning preparation part 20, a support unit 40, and a rotary cleaning process part 30.

The carrying in / out part 10 is provided so that a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) (not shown) in which a predetermined number of substrates W are accommodated in a group unit can be loaded and unloaded. That is, the carry-out / out unit 10 is provided on one side of the equipment, and the carry-in / out unit 10 may be loaded with a pool accommodating a substrate to be processed or a pool containing a processed substrate unloaded. In addition, one side of the carry-in and out portion 10 may be provided with a pool storage unit, a plurality of pools may be pre-loaded on the shelf of the pool storage unit.

The cleaning preparation part 20 is provided adjacent to the carrying-out part 10, and the substrate to be processed (or processed) may be arranged and arranged in a suitable form. That is, in the cleaning preparation unit 20, the substrate may be prepared in a proper arrangement form before the cleaning process from the pool loaded in the carrying-out and loading unit 10, and the structure and method of the cleaning preparation unit 20 may be a required condition and It can be changed in various ways according to the design environment. For example, in the cleaning preparation unit 20, a dumping robot 22 which takes out a group of substrates to be processed stored inside the pool to the outside of the pool or carries a processed group of boards into the pool, and a pusher which takes over and aligns the group of substrates. The unit 24 may be provided with a buffer unit 26 on which a substrate group is to be processed or on which a processed substrate is waited. With this structure, the substrate to be cleaned can be drawn out by the dumping robot 22 and then waited in the buffer unit 26 via the pusher unit 24, and then a series of the washing units 30 along the rotary cleaning processing unit 30. It goes through the process.

The support unit 40 may be provided to support and receive a substrate prepared from the cleaning preparation unit 20, and may be selectively lifted in the vertical direction while supporting the substrate. As the support unit 40, a conventional robot capable of linearly moving in the vertical direction may be used, and the present invention is not limited or limited by the structure and method of the support unit 40. In the embodiment of the present invention has been described by way of example provided with only one support unit, in some cases a plurality of support units may be provided, each support unit may be integrally connected and interlocked at the same time.

The rotary cleaning processing unit 30 is provided to be connected to the cleaning preparation unit 20 to clean and dry the substrate W taken out from the pool. In addition, the rotational cleaning processing unit 30 is rotatably mounted with respect to the support unit 40, and the substrate is processed in a series of orders as the rotational cleaning processing unit 30 rotates while being supported by the support unit 40. Can be. That is, in the rotary cleaning processor 30, the rotary cleaning processor 30 itself is rotated without the need to separately transport the substrate in a predetermined processing order, and the substrate may be cleaned in a series of orders.

The structure and manner of the rotary cleaning processor 30 may be variously changed according to the required conditions and processing environment. For example, the rotary cleaning processor 30 may be provided in a substantially “O” form including a plurality of treatment tanks, and each treatment tank may be radially disposed on the same radius with respect to the rotation center of the rotation cleaning processor 30. Can be deployed.

In addition, the rotation method of the rotary cleaning processing unit 30 may be variously changed according to required conditions and design specifications. For example, the rotary cleaning processing unit 30 may be disposed on a conventional rotating member 50 such as a kind of rotating plate and rotated together as the rotating member 50 is rotated by a driving motor.

Herein, the treatment tank may include a plurality of washing tanks 32 and a drying chamber 34, and the present invention is not limited or limited by the type and number of treatment tanks. In addition, the substrate cleaning process may be implemented by immersing the substrate in a cleaning tank 32 in which a cleaning liquid containing various chemical liquids is mixed at a predetermined rate for a predetermined time, and the drying process of the substrate may be performed using distilled water. Marangoni effect by pulling the isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and nitrogen gas near the gas-liquid interface on the surface of the substrate at the same time as it is pulled into the drying chamber 34 in the vertical direction in the can be implemented by generating an effect).

On the other hand, the supply and discharge of the cleaning liquid to the treatment tank may be implemented in a variety of ways depending on the required conditions and treatment environment. For example, the cleaning solution supply passage (not shown) of the treatment tank may be spaced apart from the upper portion of the treatment tank to supply the cleaning liquid from a position spaced above the treatment tank, and the cleaning solution discharge passage (not shown) of the treatment tank may rotate the rotary cleaning treatment unit. It can be configured to selectively open and block according to. That is, while the rotary cleaning processing unit is rotated, the discharge passage of each treatment tank may be blocked, and the discharge passage of each treatment tank may be configured to be opened only when the rotation washing processing unit is rotated to a specific treatment position. Such a structure prevents twisting of the cleaning liquid supply passage and the discharge passage as the rotary cleaning processing unit rotates, and enables the cleaning liquid to be stably supplied and discharged.

By such a configuration, the substrate may be sequentially cleaned through each treatment tank as the rotation washing treatment part 30 rotates without separately being transported along each treatment tank of the rotation cleaning treatment part 30. In addition, while the rotational cleaning processing unit 30 is rotated, the substrate may be transported upward by the support unit 40. After the rotation of the rotational cleaning processing unit 30 is completed, that is, the rotational cleaning processing unit 30 is After the rotation is completed to a specific planned processing position, the support unit 40 is lowered and the substrate can be accommodated inside the treatment tank. Subsequently, the cleaned substrate may be unloaded from the carrying-out unit 10 in a state in which it is stored in the pool via the cleaning preparation unit 20 again. As such, the present invention can improve the processing efficiency of the substrate and improve the throughput by allowing the substrate to be processed by rotating the cleaning process itself without having to transfer the substrate to a specific position before or after cleaning the substrate. Can be.

Furthermore, since the substrates do not need to be transported separately along the respective treatment tanks of the rotary cleaning processing unit 30 while the substrate is being cleaned, a separate transport path for transporting the transport apparatus can be excluded, and the equipment can be further simplified. It is possible to improve space utilization and design freedom.

Hereinafter, a substrate processing method using the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described. In addition, the same or the same equivalent parts as the above-described configuration is given the same or identical reference numerals, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The substrate treating method of the wet cleaning apparatus according to the present invention comprises the steps of preparing a substrate in the cleaning preparation unit 20 from the pool loaded in the loading and unloading unit 10, supporting the prepared substrate through the support unit 40, Rotating the rotary cleaning processing unit 30 and processing the supported substrates in a series of orders, accommodating the processed substrate in the pool and unloading from the carrying-out and loading unit 10.

First, the substrate W to be processed is prepared in the cleaning preparation unit 20 from the pool loaded in the carry-out / out unit 10. As described above, the cleaning preparation unit 20 may be provided with a dumping robot 22, a pusher unit 24, and a buffer unit 26, and the substrate to be processed is withdrawn from the pool by the dumping robot 22. The buffer unit 26 may be waited through the pusher unit 24.

Next, the prepared substrate is supported through the support unit 40.

Next, the rotational cleaning processing unit 30 is rotated to process the supported substrate in a series of orders. As described above, the rotation cleaning processing unit 30 may be provided including a plurality of processing tanks disposed on the same radius with respect to the rotation center of the rotation cleaning processing unit 30, and the rotation cleaning processing unit 30 rotates. Accordingly, the substrate may be sequentially processed through the treatment tank.

In addition, the support unit 40 may be transported upward while supporting the substrate while the rotational cleaning processing unit 30 rotates, and after the rotational cleaning processing unit 30 has been rotated to a predetermined specific processing position, the substrate The support is lowered to allow the substrate to be accommodated inside the treatment tank.

As described above, the substrate may be cleaned in a series of orders by the rotating cleaning processing unit 30 which does not need to be transported separately. Thus, this method may shorten the processing time of the substrate and improve throughput. . Furthermore, since it is not necessary to separately transfer the substrates along each treatment tank of the rotary cleaning processing unit 30, a separate transfer path for transferring the transfer apparatus can be excluded, and the equipment can be simplified more, space utilization and design Freedom can be improved.

Thereafter, the processed substrate may be stored in the pool again and unloaded from the carrying-out unit 10.

As described above, although described with reference to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art various modifications and variations of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention described in the claims below I can understand that you can.

1 is a view showing the structure of a wet cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a structure of a rotational cleaning unit as a wet cleaning device according to the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: carrying in / out part 20: cleaning preparation part

30: rotary cleaning processing unit 40: support unit

Claims (5)

A carry-out portion in which a FOUP is loaded and unloaded; A cleaning preparation unit provided adjacent to the carrying-out unit and including a dumping robot for carrying a substrate into and out of the pool, a pusher unit for receiving and aligning the substrate, and a buffer unit for waiting for the substrate; A support unit for supporting the substrate and selectively lifting the substrate; And Includes a rotary cleaning processing unit rotatably mounted to the support unit and having a plurality of treatment tanks, The treatment tank has at least one cleaning tank and a drying chamber disposed on the same radius with respect to the rotation center of the rotary cleaning treatment unit, The treatment tank is connected to a cleaning liquid supply passage and a cleaning liquid discharge passage, wherein the cleaning liquid discharge passage is selectively opened or blocked depending on whether the rotary cleaning processing unit is rotated. The method of claim 1, Wet cleaning device, characterized in that the carry-out and the cleaning preparation is disposed on one side of the rotary cleaning processing unit. The method of claim 2, And when the rotary cleaning processing unit rotates, the cleaning liquid discharge flow path is blocked. In the substrate processing method of the wet cleaning apparatus using the wet cleaning apparatus in any one of Claims 1-3, Preparing a substrate in the cleaning preparation part from the pool loaded in the carrying out part; Supporting the prepared substrate through the support unit; Rotating the rotary cleaning processor and processing the supported substrate in a series of orders; And Storing the processed substrate in the pool and unloading it from the carrying in and out portions. delete

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