KR101574645B1 - Continuous cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a continuous cleaning apparatus which can increase an operation pace. According to the present invention, the continuous cleaning apparatus cleans an object to be cleaned by using one or more different types of cleaning solutions. The continuous cleaning apparatus includes: one or more cleaning baths for storing the cleaning solutions individually; a basket for storing the object to be cleaned; and a transporting unit for transporting the basket. The transporting unit can be separated from the basket.

Description

[0001] CONTINUOUS CLEANING APPARATUS [0002]

The present invention relates to a continuous cleaning apparatus, and more particularly, to a continuous cleaning apparatus capable of cleaning components used in a semiconductor manufacturing process.

In general, semiconductors are manufactured through various processes such as an oxidation process, a photolithography process, an etching process, and a cleaning process. Among them, the photolithography process is performed by forming a photosensitive liquid on a wafer, and then performing exposure and development processes. The etching process is a process of removing a film that is not covered with a photoresist protective film formed in a photolithography process, and can be divided into a wet process and a dry process depending on the state of the substance causing the etching reaction. The cleaning process is a process for removing impurities remaining on the substrate after the etching process.

Oxidation process for forming an oxide film on a wafer is a basic step of the semiconductor manufacturing process. A thin film is deposited on the wafer by various materials, and oxygen or water vapor is sprayed on the wafer surface at a high temperature to form a thin and uniform silicon oxide film . The oxide film thus formed serves to protect the silicon surface from contaminants generated during the manufacturing process or impurities generated by chemical substances. Generally, the nozzle for spraying the jetting gas onto the wafer is made of quartz.

In addition, the thin film process refers to a process of stacking molecules or atomic units in order to make the semiconductor have a desired electrical characteristic, and a very thin and thin film must be uniformly deposited on the wafer. Particularly, a method of depositing a thin film is divided into physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Particularly, a chemical vapor deposition method is a method in which particles formed by a chemical reaction of a gas are supplied with external energy It can be used for deposition of conductor, non-conductor and semiconductor thin film by vapor deposition in the form of vapor, which is mainly used in semiconductor processing. In addition, the chemical vapor deposition method can be subdivided into thermal CVD, plasma CVD, and optical CVD. Of these, plasma CVD can be performed at a relatively low temperature, thickness uniformity can be controlled, A lot is applied ..

Particularly, the chambers, tubes, boats and nozzles used in the oxidation process and the thin film process are made of a quartz material having a salt resistance and chemical resistance.

The quartz part does not directly touch the wafer, but it is exposed to the vaporizing gas during the process, so contaminants such as heavy metals and polymers on the surface of the part are adsorbed on the surface and contaminated. Since these contaminants can cause defects in the semiconductor manufacturing process, they must be cleaned regularly to remove contaminants.

The quartz part is cleaned using a cleaning liquid, and the part can be dipped in the cleaning liquid of the cleaning tank, or the cleaning liquid can be sprayed on the part to remove the contaminant.

1 is a view showing a cleaning device according to a conventional technique.

The first cleaning liquid and the second cleaning liquid of different components are used depending on the purpose of cleaning. The first cleaning liquid 20 containing the first cleaning liquid, the second cleaning liquid 30 containing the second cleaning liquid, and the deionized water water is contained in the rinsing tank 40.

The cleaning component 10 to be cleaned is placed in the basket 50 by the operator and the basket 50 is transferred by the transfer arm and immersed in the first cleaning tank 20 for a predetermined time, It is cleaned by the car washing liquid. When the first cleaning is completed, the basket 50 is transferred by the transfer arm and is immersed in the second cleaning tank 30, the cleaning component 10 is cleaned, and finally the cleaning tank 10 is immersed in the rinsing bath 40, Lt; / RTI > That is, the cleaning component 10 is sequentially transferred to the first cleaning tank 20, the second cleaning tank 30, and the rinsing tank 40 to be cleaned.

However, according to the conventional cleaning apparatus, since the basket is fixed to the transfer arm, the first cleaning tank 20, the second cleaning tank 30, and the rinsing tank 40 can not be used at the same time. That is, for example, while the basket is located in the first cleaning tank 20 and the cleaning operation is proceeding, the second cleaning tank 30 and the rinsing tank 40 are not used, and the basket is moved to the second cleaning tank The first washing tub 20 and the rinse bath 40 are not used while the washing tub 30 is being used. Therefore, there is a problem that the working speed is slow and the working efficiency is lowered.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2010-0007461 (2010.01.22.)

An object of the present invention is to provide a continuous cleaning device capable of increasing the working speed and improving the working efficiency.

A continuous cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is a cleaning apparatus for cleaning an object to be cleaned by using at least one different kind of cleaning liquid, comprising: at least one cleaning tank in which the cleaning liquid is stored; A basket for containing the object to be cleaned; And a transfer unit for transferring the basket, wherein the transfer unit can be separated from the basket.

Preferably, the transfer portion includes a transfer arm connected to the basket, a support bar is formed horizontally at an upper portion of the basket, and a hook bar for supporting the support bar from the lower portion extends from the lower portion of the transfer arm .

Preferably, one end of the hooking bar may be opened so that the support bar can be released from the hooking bar by the back and forth movement of the transfer arm.

Preferably, one end of the hook bar may be formed with a step that extends a predetermined length toward the top.

Preferably, the cleaning tank may have an inner space formed therein for containing the cleaning liquid, and the basket may be introduced into the cleaning tank from above the cleaning tank.

Preferably, the plurality of baskets are respectively inserted into the plurality of cleaning tanks by the coupling and separation of the conveying portion and the basket, so that the cleaning operation can be performed at the same time.

The continuous cleaning apparatus according to the present invention has the effect of increasing the working speed and improving the working efficiency since the cleaning operation can be carried out simultaneously in each of the cleaning tanks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 shows a cleaning device according to the prior art,
2 shows a continuous cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention,
3 is a view showing a transfer arm of a continuous cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
4 is a view of a basket of a continuous cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig.
FIGS. 5A through 5F are views showing the basket transportation of the continuous cleaning apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary terms, and the inventor should appropriately interpret the concepts of the terms appropriately It should be interpreted in accordance with the meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that it can be defined. Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, It is to be understood that equivalents and modifications are possible.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a continuous cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a view showing a transfer arm of a continuous cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a view showing a basket of a continuous cleaning apparatus.

The continuous cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first cleaning tank 100, a second cleaning tank 200, a third cleaning tank 300, and a fourth cleaning tank 400.

The first washing tub 100, the second washing tub 200, the third washing tub 300, and the fourth washing tub 400 are arranged side by side with the open top. The first cleaning tank 100 stores the first cleaning liquid and the second cleaning tank 200 stores the second cleaning liquid. The third cleaning tank 300 stores the third cleaning liquid and the fourth cleaning tank 400, the fourth cleaning liquid is stored. The third cleaning liquid and the fourth cleaning liquid may be generally water, and it is particularly preferable to use deionized water.

The transfer part is located above the cleaning baths 100, 200, 300 and 400. The transfer part is for transferring the cleaning parts 10 to the cleaning baths 100, 200, 300 and 400, (Basket) and a transfer arm (600).

The basket 500 has an internal space for accommodating the cleaning component 10 and a support bar 510 is formed at an upper portion of the basket 500 to cross the basket 500.

The transfer arm 600 is connected to a transfer means (not shown), and the transfer means includes a motor, and the transfer arm 600 can be transferred up and down and back and forth by driving the motor. Since the configuration of the conveying means including the motor is merely a well-known conventional technique, the further description will be omitted.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a lower portion of the transfer arm 600 may be connected to the hook 610 to form a hook. The support bar 510 of the basket 500 can be hooked on the hook bar 610 of the transfer arm 600 and the basket 500 can be transferred by the vertical movement and the backward movement of the transfer arm 600 . According to an embodiment of the present invention, the support bar 510 may be supported by the hook bar 610, but is not limited thereto, and any means capable of supporting the support bar 510 such as a hook or rake is possible. Meanwhile, the hooks may be formed in one or a plurality of the transfer arms 600, and in an embodiment of the present invention, two of the hooks are arranged in a line for stable transfer of the basket 500.

FIGS. 5A to 5F are diagrams illustrating the transportation of the basket 500 of the continuous cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5A, in a state in which the basket 500 is not supported, the transfer arm 600 is positioned above the basket 500 for transfer of the basket 500.

Referring to FIG. 5B, the transfer arm 600 moves downward toward the basket 500.

Referring to FIG. 5C, the transfer arm 600 horizontally moves so that the support bar 510 can be caught by the hooking bar 610.

5D, the transfer arm 600 moves upward, and the basket 500 is transferred to the upper portion in a state in which the support bar 510 is supported by the hooking bar 610. The basket 500 transferred to the upper part is transferred to a predetermined position by the horizontal movement of the transfer arm 600 and the basket 500 is transferred to the lower part as the transfer arm 600 moves downward.

Referring to FIG. 5E, after the basket 500 is seated at a predetermined position, the transfer arm 600 horizontally moves.

Referring to FIG. 5F, the transfer arm 600 moves upward for the next operation.

The cleaning process of the continuous cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is as follows.

The cleaning part 10 is inserted into the basket 500 and the basket 500 is transferred to the first cleaning bath 100 by the transfer arm 600. [ The transfer arm 600 is lowered and the basket 500 is inserted into the first cleaning tank 100. When the basket 500 is seated in the first cleaning tank 100, (500). Therefore, the cleaning component 10 is immersed in the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 100 and cleaned.

After the lapse of a predetermined time, when the first cleaning is completed, the basket 500 is transferred to the second washing tub 200 by the transfer arm 600 and then introduced. When the basket 500 is completely inserted into the second washing tub 200, the transfer arm 600 moves away from the basket 500 and moves to the basket 500 into which the new cleaning part 10 is inserted, Is introduced into the first cleaning bath 100 by the transfer arm 600. [ Therefore, the cleaning parts are simultaneously cleaned in the first cleaning bath 100 and the second cleaning bath 200.

When the cleaning of the first washing tub 100 and the washing tub 200 is completed after a predetermined time, the basket 500 of the second washing tub 200 is transferred to the third washing tub 200 by the transfer arm 600, The basket 500 of the first cleaning tank 100 is introduced into the second cleaning tank 200 and the basket 500 containing the new cleaning component is introduced into the first basket 500, do.

When the cleaning is completed in the first cleaning tank 100 and the second cleaning tank 200 after the predetermined period of time, the basket 500 of the second cleaning tank 200 is moved to the fourth The basket 500 of the first cleaning tank 100 is introduced into the second cleaning tank 200 and the basket 500 containing the new cleaning component is introduced into the first basket 500 Newly introduced.

Therefore, the cleaning operation can be performed simultaneously in the first cleaning tank 100, the second cleaning tank 200, the third cleaning tank 300, and the fourth cleaning tank 400. The cleaning component in the third cleaning tank 300 is discharged from the third cleaning tank 300 together with the basket 500 and the cleaning component of the second cleaning tank 200 is discharged from the third cleaning tank 300, and the cleaning component of the first cleaning bath 100 is supplied to the second cleaning bath 200. Further, a new cleaning component is supplied to the first cleaning bath 100.

That is, since the cleaning parts having been subjected to the respective cleaning operations can be continuously moved to the next cleaning position, the cleaning tanks 100, 200, 300, and 400 can be continuously cleaned without waste.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the third cleaning tank 300 and the fourth cleaning tank 400, which are cleaned by the ultra pure water, are composed of two, For example, when the cleaning time required by the primary cleaning liquid and the secondary cleaning liquid is 10 minutes, respectively, and the cleaning time required by the ultrapure water is 10 minutes, the secondary cleaning is completed before the cleaning by the ultra pure water is completed. There is a problem that the washing operation is delayed and delayed because the cleaning component 10 having been subjected to the main cleaning process can not be put into the next cleaning process and must wait.

Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, two third washing baths 300 and a fourth washing tub 400 are provided to prevent the process delay as described above. Further, the number of the cleaning baths for the treatment of the primary cleaning solution, the secondary cleaning solution and the ultra pure water can be adjusted according to the time of each cleaning process.

On the other hand, when the cleaning times of the first cleaning liquid, the second cleaning liquid and the ultrapure water are all the same, the first cleaning tank 100 of the first cleaning liquid, the second cleaning tank 200 of the second cleaning liquid, The washing tub 300 may be provided for each of the washing tub 300 and the washing tub 300, respectively.

The cleaning part 10 is inserted into the basket 500 and the basket 500 is transferred to the first cleaning bath 100 by the transfer arm 600. [ The transfer arm 600 is lowered and the basket 500 is inserted into the first cleaning tank 100. When the basket 500 is seated in the first cleaning tank 100, (500). Therefore, the cleaning component 10 is immersed in the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 100 and cleaned.

After the lapse of a predetermined time, when the first cleaning is completed, the basket 500 is transferred to the second washing tub 200 by the transfer arm 600 and then introduced. When the basket 500 is completely inserted into the second washing tub 200, the transfer arm 600 moves away from the basket 500 and moves to the basket 500 into which the new cleaning part 10 is inserted, Is introduced into the first cleaning bath 100 by the transfer arm 600. [ Therefore, the cleaning parts are simultaneously cleaned in the first cleaning bath 100 and the second cleaning bath 200.

When the cleaning of the first washing tub 100 and the washing tub 200 is completed after a predetermined time, the basket 500 of the second washing tub 200 is transferred to the third washing tub 200 by the transfer arm 600, The basket 500 of the first cleaning tank 100 is introduced into the second cleaning tank 200 and the basket 500 containing the new cleaning component is introduced into the first basket 500, do. Therefore, the cleaning operation can be performed simultaneously in the first cleaning tank 100, the second cleaning tank 200, and the third cleaning tank 300. The cleaning component in the third cleaning tank 300 is discharged from the third cleaning tank 300 together with the basket 500 and the cleaning component of the second cleaning tank 200 is discharged from the third cleaning tank 300, and the cleaning component of the first cleaning bath 100 is supplied to the second cleaning bath 200. Further, a new cleaning component is supplied to the first cleaning bath 100.

That is, since the cleaning parts having been subjected to the respective cleaning operations can be continuously moved to the next cleaning position, the cleaning tanks 100, 200, and 300 can be continuously cleaned without waste.

According to the conventional cleaning apparatus, there is a disadvantage that a cleaning operation can not be performed in another cleaning tank while the cleaning operation is proceeding in one cleaning tank. That is, only one cleaning component can be processed at a time since a new cleaning component can be put into operation after all the cleaning operation of one cleaning component is completed. Therefore, there is a problem that the working speed is slow and the working efficiency is poor.

However, according to the present invention, since the cleaning operation can be performed simultaneously in all the washing tanks, the working speed and the working efficiency can be remarkably improved. For example, when three cleaning parts are constituted of three cleaning parts, three cleaning parts can be processed at the same time, so that the working speed can be improved to about three times, respectively. In the case where four cleaning parts are constituted, So that the working speed can be improved by about four times, respectively.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. Various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

100: 1st washing bath 200: Second washing bath
300: Third washing bath 400: fourth washing bath
500: basket 510: support bar
600: transfer arm 610: hook bar

Claims (6)

A cleaning apparatus for cleaning an object to be cleaned using at least one kind of cleaning liquid,
A plurality of cleaning tanks each storing the cleaning liquid;
A plurality of baskets for containing the objects to be cleaned; And
A transporting part for transporting the basket;
Wherein the transfer unit comprises:
And a transfer arm connected to the basket,
The transfer part can be separated from the basket,
A support bar is formed on an upper portion of the basket in a horizontal direction,
A hook bar for supporting the support bar from a lower portion thereof is formed extending from a lower portion of the transfer arm,
One end of the hook bar is opened so that the support bar can be released from the hook bar by the forward and backward movement of the transfer arm,
Wherein one end of the hooking bar is formed with a stepped portion extending toward the upper portion by a predetermined length.
delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the cleaning tank has an inner space formed therein for containing the cleaning liquid, and the upper portion can be opened, and the basket can be introduced into the cleaning tank from above the cleaning tank.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the plurality of baskets are respectively inserted into the plurality of cleaning vessels by the coupling and separation of the conveying unit and the basket, so that the cleaning operation can be performed at the same time.

Images