KR200181400Y1 - Wet type etching, washing, and rinsing apparatus for semiconductor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention can improve the etching rate by circulating the etching solution and the washing water in the process chamber, and by reducing the amount of ultrapure water in accordance with the improvement of the cleaning rate, to provide an economically advantageous wet semiconductor etching cleaning rinsing device. do.

The present invention provides an etching bath (1) which is a container for storing an etching solution, a cassette (2) capable of vertically fixing a plurality of wafers (6) in the center of the etching bath (1), and the cassette A wet type comprising a pedestal (3) for holding (2) against the bottom of the etch tank (1), and an ultrapure water injector (4) provided with a plurality of nozzles for distributing and spraying the ultrapure water from the upper portion of the etch tank (1). In the semiconductor etching cleaning rinsing apparatus, the etching bath (1) is a separate circulation means for circulating the etching liquid or ultrapure water filled in the etching bath (1) in the etching bath to increase the efficiency of the etching, cleaning or rinsing process (6, 7).

Description

Wet Semiconductor Etch Cleaning Rinsing Equipment

The present invention relates to a wet semiconductor etching cleaning rinsing apparatus, and more specifically, it is possible to improve the etching rate by circulating the etching solution and the washing water in the process chamber, and the amount of ultrapure water is reduced according to the improvement of the cleaning rate. It also relates to an advantageous wet semiconductor etch cleaning rinse apparatus.

Integrated circuits (ICs) form patterns on various types of thin films, such as silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, or metal, and stack them. Formed by stacking). In such a process, a pattern mask is applied to a thin film by PR and an unmasked portion is removed by chemical or physical reactions.

These etching methods can be largely divided into wet (Wet) and dry (Dry) etching, each method has advantages and disadvantages according to its characteristics. Therefore, the etching process should be used according to the characteristics of the thin film to be processed and the shape and integration of the pattern applied to the device.

Among them, the wet etching method can be used for a wide range of materials, has a large selection ratio, and can be processed in large quantities, thus providing high productivity and removing foreign substances such as impurities and dust. Has been.

A wet etching apparatus is a method of immersing a wafer in an appropriate etching solution to remove a thin film on the surface of the wafer by chemical reaction of the solution, which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings. have.

1 and 2 show the internal structure of the etching apparatus according to the etching process sequence in the same apparatus.

As shown, the etching apparatus is an etch tank (1) which is a container for storing an etching solution (Chemical solution) made of a combination of chemicals and a plurality of wafers in the center in the etch tank (1) vertically And a cassette (2) which can be fixed, a pedestal (3) supporting the cassette (2), and an ultrapure water injector (4) for evenly distributing and supplying ultrapure water to the etching bath (1).

FIG. 1 illustrates an etching bath used to etch a thin film of a semiconductor wafer to a predetermined thickness, to clean the thermal process before or after the thermal process, or to rinse the chemical after chemical treatment, and all three types of wet processes are used. The chemical reaction between the solution and the wafer surface or mechanical force is used, but in the conventional etching apparatus, the etching process fills a certain amount of the etching solution, and the wafer is immersed for a certain period of time without any circulation to the chemicals. Dipping waits. In addition, the rinse process also uses a quick dumping rinse (QD R) method to fill the etching bath with ultra pure water (DI Water), and then uses a kind of shower mechanism to suddenly open and drain the drain valve (5). Was done.

However, in the conventional etching cleaning method as described above, when the etching solution reacts with the surface of the semiconductor during etching, the etching solution is in a stagnant state, and thus the reaction rate is not only slow but also the circulating force is insufficient, and the etching effect is quite inefficient.

In addition, the rinsing process also has a problem in that expensive ultrapure water is wasted by repeating water supply and drainage because wafer surface cleaning is not effective as a result of simply filling the ultrapure water and then draining it instantaneously. In addition, due to the excessive discharge of ultrapure water, the problem of environmental pollution has also emerged.

Therefore, in the conventional wet semiconductor etching cleaning rinsing apparatus, a solution pump is installed outside and a solution is circulated by discharging the solution into the etching bath through a hose. However, such a circulation method has a large effect due to a leak problem or temperature change. Not desirable

Accordingly, the present invention solves the problems of the conventional wet semiconductor etch cleaning rinsing device. A solution circulating device is installed inside the wafer, and the wafer cleaning process is performed without being affected by external rick problems or temperature. It is an object of the present invention to provide an economically advantageous wet semiconductor etching cleaning rinsing device by increasing the etching effect and the cleaning effect by circulation of the etching solution or ultrapure water in the etching bath during the rinsing process.

1 is a side cross-sectional view of the conventional wet semiconductor etching cleaning rinsing apparatus during the etching process.

2 is a side cross-sectional view of the conventional wet semiconductor etch cleaning rinsing apparatus in the rinsing process.

3 is a view showing the structure of a wet semiconductor etching cleaning rinsing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,

(a) is a side cross-sectional view.

(b) is a plan view.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawing>

1: etching tank 2: cassette

3: pedestal 4: ultrapure water sprayer

5: drain valve 6: wafer

7: bellows tube 8: top plate

9: vent pipe

The present invention for achieving the above object is a container etch bath for storing the etching solution, a cassette capable of vertically fixing a plurality of wafers in the center of the etch bath, and the cassette to the bottom of the etch bath In the wet semiconductor etching cleaning rinsing apparatus comprising a striking pedestal, and a plurality of nozzles for distributing and spraying ultrapure water evenly in the upper portion of the etching bath, the etching bath is, in order to increase the efficiency of the etching, cleaning or rinsing process And, characterized in that it comprises a separate circulation means for circulating the etching liquid or ultrapure water filled in the etching bath in the etching bath.

On the other hand, the circulation means, a plurality of bellows tube is installed at the bottom of the etch bath around the cassette, including a vent pipe that can discharge or receive air, and is vertically displaced by the supply and exhaust of air through the vent pipe ( Bellows Tube) and a top plate attached to the upper end of the tube and swinging up and down by the bellows displacement of the tube to impart a circulation force to the solution in the etching bath.

In addition, the circulation means, in order to smooth the circulation while minimizing the generation of the vortex of the solution, it is preferable to allow each of the bellows tubes arranged between the cassettes to alternately swing up and down.

In addition, by controlling the amount and pressure of the air flowing into and out of the bellows tube by an electronic control method, it is possible to change the circulation of the solution to the optimum conditions according to the process type.

EXAMPLE

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of the present invention having the configuration as described above will be described in detail.

In describing the present embodiment, the same reference numerals as the conventional ones are used for the configuration of the present invention, which is the same as the conventional technology described at the beginning of the specification. Explain.

3 of the accompanying drawings shows a structure of a wet semiconductor etching cleaning rinsing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a side cross-sectional view, (b) is a plan view.

In the wet semiconductor etching cleaning rinsing apparatus of the present invention, as shown in (a), an etching bath (1) for storing an etching solution (Chemical solution) and a plurality of wafers are vertically centered in the etching bath (1). It consists of a cassette (2) installed so as to be fixed to the stand, a pedestal (3) for supporting the cassette (2), and an ultrapure water injector (4) for distributing and supplying ultrapure water evenly to the etching bath (1) Here, bellows tubes 7 are additionally installed around the cassette 2.

The bellows tube (7) is attached to the bottom of the etching tank (1) in which the vent pipe (9) is installed, and has a structure that is contracted and expanded by the inlet and outlet of air through the vent pipe (9), As shown in (b), four pieces are provided, one on each side of the etching bath 1 around the cassette 2.

Therefore, in the etching cleaning process or the rinsing process, two of the bellows tubes 7 adjacent to each other among the four bellows tubes 7 are arranged in one pair so that two opposed bellows tubes 7 are alternately contracted. As it expands, the etching solution or ultrapure water, etc., filled in the etching bath 1 are actively circulated in the etching bath 1.

And the air inflow and outflow into the bellows for shrinkage expansion of each of these bellows tubes 7 is controlled by an electronic control method so as to be displaced together with the adjacent bellows tubes 7. Therefore, the degree of circulation of the etching solution or the like may be adjusted according to the type of the wafer 6 by changing the electronic control program.

The wet semiconductor etch cleaning rinsing apparatus of the present invention will be briefly described according to the operating sequence.

First, when a robot arm (not shown) places a cassette 2 containing a wafer 6 on a pedestal 3 inside the etching bath 1, two bellows tubes 7 adjacent to each other are placed. 2 groups are divided into contraction and expansion. Therefore, the etching solution or the ultrapure water in the etching bath 1 is circulated in the vertical motion of the upper plate 8 due to the contraction and expansion of the bellows tubes 7. The etching, washing, and rinsing of the wafer 6 are more effectively performed by the circulation of the etching solution and the ultrapure water.

On the other hand, as the material of the bellows tube 7 of the circulator as described above, PTFE or PFA, which is a wear-resistant material, was used, which is installed inside the etching bath 1, and unlike the conventional circulator, the wafer 6 ) Is not affected by external rick or temperature.

According to the present invention as described in detail above, during the etching and cleaning rinsing of the wafer, the etching solution in the etching bath during the etching cleaning hole and the rinsing process for the wafer, while the wafer is not affected by external rick problems or temperature Alternatively, by circulating ultrapure water, it is possible to maximize the etching effect and the cleaning effect on the wafer.

In addition, as the cleaning effect is improved, the amount of expensive ultrapure water used is reduced, which is economically advantageous, and environmental pollution can also be reduced.

While the present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the present invention belongs without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the utility model registration claims. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the field will be able to make various changes.

Claims (2)

A vessel etching bath in which an etching solution is stored; Pedestal installed on the bottom of the etching bath; A cassette installed on the pedestal, the plurality of wafers vertically fixed to each other; An ultrapure water injector disposed above the etching bath and provided with a plurality of nozzles for injecting ultrapure water into the etching bath; A plurality of bellows tubes disposed on the bottom surface of the etch bath around the cassette, having a vent pipe through which air is discharged or supplied, and which are vertically displaced by supply and exhaust of air through the vent pipe; And a top plate attached to an upper end of the bellows tube to impart a circulation force to the solution in the etching bath while swinging up and down by displacing the bellows tube up and down. The wet semiconductor etch cleaning rinse apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the bellows tubes is alternately swinged up and down to minimize solution vortex and smooth solution circulation.