KR101262841B1 - Device for arraying wafer in wet station - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wafer sorting apparatus for a wet cleaning apparatus, the wafer sorting apparatus for a wet cleaning apparatus comprising a pusher unit in which each wafer of the first wafer group and the second wafer group is mirror-reversed to each other. The wafer aligning apparatus includes a posture converting unit for converting a first wafer group and a second wafer group which are sequentially supplied in a horizontal position into a vertical posture, wherein the pusher unit includes a first pusher unit for storing and storing a wafer to be cleaned; And a second pusher unit for aligning and storing the cleaned wafer, wherein the first pusher unit is capable of endless rotation control at an arbitrary angle to be aligned with the wafer transfer path. Before receiving the converted first and second wafer groups, the wet process characterized in that the alignment with the wafer transfer path with the posture converting unit It provides wafer alignment device of the machine.

According to the present invention, since the pusher unit rotated for mirror surface reversal enables accurate phase control, there is an effect of preventing damage during wafer transfer.

Wafer, Aligner, Mirror, Face to Face, Align

Description

Device for arraying wafer in wet station

1 is a schematic plan view of a conventional side type wet cleaning equipment.

2a to 2d is a front view showing an embodiment of the wafer alignment apparatus of the wet cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.

Description of the Related Art [0002]

100: dumping robot 110: wafer hand

200: posture change unit 210: wafer hand

300: first pusher unit 400: second pusher unit

310, 410: wafer hand 311, 411: slot

320, 420: motors 330, 430: moving means

340, 440: lifting means 500: motor control unit

The present invention relates to a wafer sorting apparatus of a wet cleaning apparatus, and more particularly, to a wafer sorting apparatus for arranging a pair of adjacent wafers in a wet cleaning apparatus to face each other.

In general, a semiconductor substrate used for manufacturing a semiconductor device, for example, a silicon wafer may be contaminated by various particles, metal impurities, organic matters, and so on, so that the yield and reliability of a product may be seriously degraded. A cleaning process is performed to remove the above contaminants.

In particular, as the design rule of the semiconductor device circuit pattern is refined, the cleaning process for removing such contaminants becomes more important. As such a method of cleaning a semiconductor substrate, a dry cleaning method by plasma treatment or ultraviolet irradiation, and a wet cleaning method using a cleaning solution have been proposed.

The wet cleaning method has the advantages of low device cost and excellent throughput, simultaneous removal of various kinds of contamination, and simultaneous batch processing or front and rear cleaning depending on the installation method. To achieve.

In particular, in the cleaning of the photomask substrate for reduction projection exposure to which the design rule is generally applied five times or more larger than that of the semiconductor substrate, the above-described wet cleaning method is mainly adopted.

Conventional wet cleaning equipment to which the wet cleaning method is applied may be classified into a front type and a side type according to a substrate treatment method.

The front-type wet cleaning equipment loads the substrate to be wet-cleaned to one side of the equipment and unloads the wet-cleaned substrate to the other side of the equipment, while the side-type wet cleaning equipment is used to clean the substrate to be wet-cleaned. Loading on one side of the equipment and unloading the wet-cleaned substrate to the loaded side.

1 is a schematic plan view of a conventional side type wet cleaning equipment.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional side type wet cleaning apparatus is loaded with a fop (not shown) in which a predetermined number of wafer groups to be cleaned are loaded, and the wafer group inside the pool is removed or the corresponding wafer group is cleaned. Wet cleaning of the loading / unloading zone 10 carried in and unloaded into the pool, the transfer section 20 through which the wafer group carried out from the pool passes, and the wafer group passed through the transfer section 20. And a wet cleaning zone 30 to process.

The loading / unloading zone 10 includes a dumping robot 11 for carrying out a group of wafers to be cleaned stored inside the pool to the outside of the pool or a group of wafers to be cleaned into the pool, and the dumping robot 11. ), The posture converting unit 12 receives the horizontal posture wafer group and converts it into the vertical posture, the first pusher unit 13 receives the wafer posture of the vertical posture from the posture converting unit 12, and wet cleaning. The second pusher unit 15 receives the wafer group cleaned in the zone.

The wafer group of the first pusher unit 15 is transferred to the shuttle 14, and the shuttle 14 is horizontally moved from one side to the other side along the transfer path of the transfer unit 20 and mounted on the shuttle 14. The wafer group is transferred to the buffer zone 32, for example, installed at the beginning of the wet cleaning zone by the first transport unit 21.

The wafer group transferred to the buffer zone 32 as described above is wet-washed in each wet clean zone by the second transfer unit 31 and then dried in the final dry zone 33.

The wafer group dried in the dry zone 33 is transferred to the second pusher unit 15 by the second transfer unit 31, and then sequentially passes through the posture change unit 12 and the dumping robot 11. It is loaded into the pool and then unloaded.

As described above, the wafer group is cleaned while being transferred and transferred to each other by various units along a specific transfer path, so that the wafers can be prevented during wafer transfer and transfer only when the alignment between the units is exactly matched.

Meanwhile, the first and second pusher units must implement a face to face method, that is, mirror reversal, between wafers.

Such mirror reversal is a process of continuously arranging face-to-face methods, that is, face-to-face, between the wafers, and is performed to prevent re-contamination by mutual particles between adjacent wafers when collectively cleaning a predetermined number of wafer groups.

In general, the surface of the wafer should be formed as a mirror surface without particles or the like attached thereto, and the back surface may be formed as a mirror surface. That is, the back surface of the wafer is a rough surface, and a large amount of particles may be attached to the surface formed by the mirror surface.

Therefore, when the wafer is taken out and cleaned as it is stored in a multi-stage state, the surface and the back surface are arranged to face each other between adjacent wafers, so that particles separated from the back surface of the wafer during cleaning are attached to the surface of the adjacent wafer. The wafer may be recontaminated.

Accordingly, when the wafers are arranged to face the same surface between adjacent wafers through a mirror surface reversal process, particles separated from the back surface of the wafer during cleaning may not adhere to the surface of the adjacent wafers, thereby preventing recontamination of the wafers.

As described above, the pusher unit is rotated by 180 ° by a pneumatic cylinder to implement mirror reversal. However, due to the characteristics of the pneumatic cylinder device, accurate phase control is not easy, and thus a phase error is likely to occur.

Furthermore, since the pusher unit driven by the pneumatic cylinder has only two phase control phases of 180 ° and 0 °, it is inconvenient to correct the overall alignment of the equipment because it cannot cope with the misalignment of the transfer path of other units. There was a ham.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a wafer sorting apparatus of a wet cleaning apparatus capable of correcting alignment between units while mirror-aligning the wafer.

In the present invention for achieving the above object, in the wafer alignment apparatus of the wet cleaning apparatus including a pusher unit that each wafer of the first wafer group and the second wafer group is mirror-reversed mutually accommodated, the wafer alignment The apparatus includes a posture converting unit for converting a first wafer group and a second wafer group sequentially supplied in a horizontal posture into a vertical posture, wherein the pusher unit includes: a first pusher unit for aligning and storing a wafer to be cleaned; And a second pusher unit to align and hold the processed wafer, wherein the first pusher unit is capable of endless rotation control at an arbitrary angle to be aligned with the wafer transfer path, wherein the first pusher unit is converted into a vertical position in the posture change unit. Before receiving the first and second wafer groups, the wet cleaning equipment is oriented in a wafer transfer path with the posture converting unit. And a sorting device.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the following embodiments are provided to those skilled in the art to fully understand the present invention, and may be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present invention is limited to the embodiments described below. It is not. Wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

2a to 2d is a front view showing an embodiment of the wafer alignment apparatus of the wet cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.

2A to 2D, the wafer sorting apparatus of the wet cleaning apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention may be carried out to the outside of the pool to be cleaned or the group of wafers to be cleaned stored in the pool or the pool of the cleaned wafer group to the inside of the pool Dumping robot 100 to be carried in, a posture switching unit 200 for converting the first wafer group and the second wafer group sequentially supplied in the horizontal posture from the dumping robot 100 to the vertical posture, and the first wafer group And pusher units 300 and 400 capable of endless rotation control at any angle such that each wafer of the second wafer group is mirror-reversed to each other and aligned and aligned with the wafer transfer path.

In the above, the pusher units 300 and 400 receive the wafer to be cleaned, which is converted into a vertical position from the posture converting unit 200, and receive the first pusher unit 300 to align and store the wafer to be cleaned. It is preferable to include a second pusher unit 400 which is received from the conveying unit (refer to reference numeral 31 in FIG. 1 of the prior art) and aligned.

Therefore, since the wafer to be cleaned and the cleaned wafer are processed by the pusher units 300 and 400, the wafer processing process can be simplified, and the transfer lines before the wafer cleaning process and the transfer lines after the cleaning process of the wafer are respectively frozen. There is an advantage that can be corrected.

In the above, the first pusher unit 300 is aligned with the wafer transfer path with the posture converting unit 200 before receiving the first wafer group and the second wafer group converted into the vertical posture in the posture converting unit 200. Preferably, it is configured to be capable of endless rotation control at an arbitrary angle.

Therefore, even if an alignment error occurs between the posture switching unit 200 and the first pusher unit 300, the first pusher unit 300 can be controlled at an arbitrary angle without the need to correct the entire alignment of the equipment. There is an advantage that the alignment can be corrected in response to the wafer transfer path of the posture converting unit 200.

In the above, the second pusher unit 400 is a wafer with the second conveying unit (31 in FIG. 1) before receiving the first wafer group and the second wafer group from the second conveying unit (31 in FIG. 1). It is preferable that the endless rotation control be configured at any angle so as to be aligned with the transmission path.

Therefore, even when an alignment error occurs between the second conveying unit (31 in FIG. 1) and the second pusher unit 400, the second pusher unit 400 is stepped at an arbitrary angle without the need to correct the entire alignment of the equipment. Since rotation control is possible, there is an advantage in that alignment correction can be performed corresponding to the wafer transfer path of the second transfer unit 31 of FIG. 1.

In the above, it is preferable that the first pusher unit 300 further includes a shuttle unit (refer to reference numeral 14 in FIG. 1 of the related art) for receiving the wafer groups aligned by mirror-inverting each other, and the first pusher unit 300. ) Is configured to allow endless rotation control at an arbitrary angle so as to be aligned with the wafer transfer path with the shuttle unit (14 of FIG. 1) before delivering the first and second wafer groups to the shuttle unit (14 of FIG. 1). It is preferable to be.

Therefore, even when an alignment error occurs between the shuttle unit (14 of FIG. 1) and the first pusher unit 300, the first pusher unit 300 is stepped at an arbitrary angle without having to correct the entire alignment of the equipment. Since the rotation control is possible, there is an advantage that the alignment can be corrected in response to the wafer transfer path with the shuttle unit 14 of FIG. 1.

In addition, the first pusher unit 300 and the second pusher unit 400 have the same configuration, and include a plurality of slots 311 capable of vertically accommodating each wafer of the first wafer group and the second wafer group. It is preferable to include the wafer guides 310 and 410 on which the 411 is formed and the stepping motors 320 and 420 to rotate the wafer guides 311 and 411 about the vertical axis.

The stepping motors 320 and 420 are components that are generally advantageous for precise angle control, and when one pulse is input, the stepping motor rotates by the number of pulses input by the motor to rotate by one step and maintains its position. There is an advantage in that the wafer guides 310 and 410 are advantageous for stepless rotation control at an arbitrary angle so that the wafer guides 310 and 410 are aligned with the other unit and the wafer transfer path.

In the above, it is more preferable to further include a motor control unit 500 for controlling the stepping motor (320, 420).

Therefore, the motor control unit 500 controls the rotational drive by 180 ° for the mirror surface reversal of the first pusher unit 300 or the second pusher unit 400 by adjusting the pulse values of the stepping motor (320, 420), In consideration of the degree of alignment, the rotational drive is controlled by adding or subtracting a compensation value.

Since the wafer guides 310 and 410 are loaded with a wafer group, rotation for mirror reversal should be performed at an appropriate speed.

In the above conventional technology, the first pusher unit 300 and the second pusher unit 400 were driven by pneumatic cylinders for mirror mirror inversion, but in the present invention, the motor is driven by mirrors for mirror mirror flip.

Hereinafter, the mirror-inverting process of the wafer alignment device of the wet cleaning device according to the present invention will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the first wafer group of 25 sheets is accommodated in the wafer guide 110 of the dumping robot 100, and the dumping robot 100 includes, for example, horizontal moving means such as a guide rail and a slider. By the horizontal movement to the posture switching unit 200 side. In this case, as described above, the wafer guide 110 has 25 first wafer groups stored therein, and the first wafer groups are spaced apart at predetermined intervals so that the second wafer groups to be described later are positioned therebetween.

The posture converting unit 200 is in a state in which the wafer guide 210 is vertically upright in order to receive the first wafer group from the dumping robot 100, and the posture changer of the first pusher unit 300 is in the posture converting state. The unit 200 is positioned to be spaced apart from the predetermined distance.

In the above state, when the dumping robot 100 is moved horizontally forward, at the time when the horizontal movement is completed, the first wafer group is moved to the wafer guide 210 of the posture switching unit 200 as shown in FIG. And the dumping robot 100 is moved backward to receive the second wafer group.

As described above, when the first wafer group is accommodated in the wafer guide 210 of the posture converting unit 200, the wafer guide 210 is rotated 90 degrees downward so that the first wafer group is converted into a vertical posture.

At this time, the first pusher unit 300 is moved to the posture converting unit 200 by the moving means 330, the movement is completed at a position that can receive the first wafer group is converted to the vertical posture.

Therefore, the lifting means 340 of the first pusher unit 300 is raised to receive the first wafer group into the slot 311 of the wafer guide 310.

When the first wafer group is accommodated in the wafer guide 310 through the above process, the wafer guide 210 of the posture converting unit 200 is rotated upward by 90 degrees and returned to the initial position as shown in FIG. 2C. The wafer guide 310 is lowered by the lifting means 340, and in this state, the wafer guide 310 is rotated 180 degrees about the vertical axis by the motor 320.

At the same time, the posture converting unit 200 receives 25 second wafer groups from the dumping robot 100 as shown in FIG. 2D, and lowers the wafer guide 210 by 90 degrees so that the second wafer groups are converted into vertical postures. Rotate

Thereafter, the wafer guide 310 of the first pusher unit 300 is lifted by the elevating means 340 to receive the second wafer group, and to receive and align the wafer guide 310, wherein the wafer guide 310 is first seated first. Each wafer of the second wafer group is moved forward or rearward by a predetermined pitch by the moving means 330 so as to be seated facing each other between the wafers of the wafer group, and then lifted by the lifting means.

In the above, the first pusher unit 300 is rotated by 180 degrees to implement the mirror surface reversal by the motor 320, as well as corrected by the alignment error value based on 180 degrees by the pulse operation by the motor control unit 500 Can be rotated.

For example, the first pusher unit 300 may be adjusted by the alignment error value with the posture switching unit 200 as well as the alignment error value with the shuttle unit 14 of FIG. 1 in this manner. have.

Such alignment correction is possible between the second pusher unit 400 and the second transfer unit (31 in FIG. 1), and the first pusher unit 300 and the second pusher unit 400 are the same components. Therefore, the description of the alignment correction of the second pusher unit 400 with the second transfer unit (31 in FIG. 1) is replaced with the description of the first pusher unit 300.

In the above description, reference numerals 430 and 440 denote moving means and lifting means of the second pusher unit 400.

Although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and has ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from the concept of the present invention. Various changes and modifications are possible by the user.

As described above, since the pusher unit rotated for mirror surface inversion enables accurate phase control, the present invention has an effect of preventing damage during wafer transfer.

In addition, the present invention, even when the alignment mismatch between the unit pusher unit corresponding to the alignment error between each unit, so that the alignment can be easily corrected, there is an effect that facilitates the maintenance of the equipment.

Claims (8)

In the wafer sorting apparatus of the wet cleaning apparatus comprising a pusher unit in which the wafers of the first wafer group and the second wafer group are mirror-reversed to each other, The wafer alignment device includes a posture converting unit for converting the first and second wafer groups sequentially supplied in a horizontal position into a vertical position, The pusher unit includes a first pusher unit to align and receive the wafer to be cleaned, and a second pusher unit to align and receive the cleaned wafer, and is capable of endless rotation control at an arbitrary angle to be aligned with the wafer transfer path. But  The first pusher unit is aligned with the wafer transfer path with the posture converting unit before receiving the first and second wafer groups that are converted into the vertical posture in the posture converting unit. Device. delete delete The method of claim 1, And a shuttle unit receiving the wafer groups aligned by mirror mirror inversion in the first pusher unit. And the first pusher unit is aligned with a wafer transfer path with the shuttle unit before transferring the first and second wafer groups to the shuttle unit. The method of claim 1, It includes a conveying unit for conveying the cleaned wafer, And the second pusher unit is aligned with a wafer transfer path with the transfer unit before receiving the first and second wafer groups from the transfer unit. The method according to claim 1 or 4 or 5, The pusher unit, A wafer guide having a plurality of slots for vertically aligning and accommodating each wafer of the first wafer group and the second wafer group; And And a motor for rotating the wafer guide about a vertical axis. The method of claim 6, The motor is a wafer alignment device of the wet cleaning equipment, characterized in that the stepping motor. The method of claim 7, wherein And a motor control unit for controlling the motor.

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