TWM616282U - Wafer cleaning equipment used in semiconductor manufacturing process - Google Patents

Abstract

A wafer cleaning equipment used in a semiconductor manufacturing process includes a transfer unit, a hot dip module, and a drying module. The transfer unit is used to move the chuck carrying the wafer between the first position and the second position, and the transfer unit moves vertically when in the first position and the second position, respectively. The hot dip module includes a cleaning liquid. The drying module includes a first blowing part, a second blowing part, a rotating element, and a drying space. The drying space includes a positioning area where the card gate is placed. The first blowing part and the second blowing part are respectively arranged above and outside the positioning area. The rotating element is arranged at the bottom of the drying space and includes a shaft extending at the bottom and a protruding piece arranged on the shaft. When the shaft rotates, it contacts the wafer on the chucking gate, thereby driving the wafer to rotate.

Description

Wafer cleaning equipment for semiconductor manufacturing process

The present invention relates to a cleaning equipment, and particularly to a wafer cleaning equipment used in semiconductor manufacturing process.

The semiconductor industry is constantly developing vigorously. Technological advances in semiconductor design and materials have allowed semiconductor devices to have more sophisticated and complex circuits. Smaller and more complex circuits have more stringent requirements for various semiconductor manufacturing processes, and it is more difficult to maintain the process quality and stability of semiconductor devices.

The cleaning of wafers is an extremely important process in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. Existing semiconductor wafer cleaning equipment is often too slow when cleaning multiple wafers and cannot effectively clean the wafers. After the cleaning operation, the wafer may also have various defects. Therefore, as the precision and complexity of semiconductor devices continue to increase, the corresponding development of semiconductor wafer cleaning equipment to improve process quality and stability is an urgent problem to be solved.

The "prior art" paragraph is only used to help understand the content of the new type, so the contents disclosed in the "prior art" paragraph may contain some conventional technologies that do not constitute the common knowledge in the technical field. The content disclosed in the "prior art" paragraph does not represent the content or the problem to be solved by one or more embodiments of the present invention, and has been known or recognized by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field before the application of the present invention.

The invention provides a wafer cleaning equipment for semiconductor manufacturing process, which can improve the efficiency of wafer cleaning, improve the overall product yield and reduce the cost.

The other objectives and advantages of the present invention can be further understood from the technical features disclosed in the present invention.

The new type of wafer cleaning equipment used in semiconductor manufacturing process includes a transfer unit, a hot dip module and a drying module. The transfer unit is used to move a latch carrying a plurality of wafers between a first position and a second position, the first position and the second position are separated by a horizontal distance, and the transfer unit When in the first position and the second position, they move vertically. The hot dipping module is arranged below the first position. The hot dipping module includes a first tank and a first top cover. It is arranged on the first groove body to allow the conveying unit to vertically move and extend into the first groove body to convey the card gate. The drying module is arranged below the second position. The drying module includes a second tank, a second top cover, a first blowing part, a second blowing part, and a rotating element. The second tank defines a drying space, the drying space includes a positioning area where the card gate is placed, and the second top cover is operably installed on the second tank to allow the conveying unit to be vertically Move and extend into the second trough to transfer the card to the positioning area. The first blowing portion and the second blowing portion are respectively disposed on an upper side and an outer side of the positioning area, and the rotating element is disposed on the positioning area. A bottom of the drying space includes a shaft extending at the bottom and a protruding piece arranged on the shaft. The shaft contacts the wafer on the chucking gate when rotating, thereby driving the wafer to rotate.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned wafer cleaning equipment further includes a housing, the housing defines the first position and the second position, and the housing includes a bottom, a top, and between the bottom And a working space between the top, the hot dipping module and the drying module are adjacently arranged on the bottom.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned transfer unit includes a first driving element disposed on the top of the casing and a moving element coupled to the first driving element and controlled by the first driving element , The moving assembly holds the card gate.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned moving assembly includes a rotating shaft and a carrier. The rotating shaft extends along a vertical axis and has a first end coupled to the first driving element and connected to the carrier. A second end of the frame, the supporting frame extends in a horizontal direction and has a protruding column for the card to be mounted on, the rotating shaft is driven by the first driving element to rotate around the vertical axis and along the vertical Axial lifting, in which, when rotating, the buckle moves between the first position and the second position, when lifting in the first position, the buckle moves between entering and exiting the hot dip module , When lifting in the second position, the card gate moves between entering and exiting the drying module.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned heat soak module further includes a second driving element coupled to the first top cover to drive the first top cover to a closed state and a Operate between open states.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned conveying unit operates between a first rising position and a first lowering position when in the first position, and the first top cover allows the rotating shaft to move from The first ascending position is moved down to the first descending position to transfer the card gate to be located in the first tank.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned drying module further includes a third driving element and a swing arm controlled by the third driving element. The swing arm is connected to the second top cover to drive the first The two top covers are operated between a closed state and a raised state.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned transfer unit moves between a second ascending position and a second descending position when in the second position, the second top cover has an opening, and the second top cover In the raised state, the shaft is allowed to move down from the second ascending position to the second descending position to transfer the positioning area where the lock is located in the second tank, and the shaft is allowed to be inserted in the closed state At the opening, the conveying unit must be maintained at the second lowered position.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned first blowing part includes at least one first support member installed on the second top cover and a plurality of first nozzles provided on the first support member, the The second blowing part includes at least one second support member installed on the second top cover and a plurality of second nozzles provided on the second support member, the first nozzle and the second nozzle are aligned with the card brake.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned rotating element further includes a fourth driving element coupled to the shaft to drive the shaft and the protruding member provided on the shaft to rotate, thereby allowing One end edge of the protruding member moves the wafer on the card gate.

Based on the above, the wafer cleaning equipment used in the semiconductor manufacturing process provided by the present invention is provided with a transfer unit, a hot dip module, and a drying module. The transfer unit quickly and effectively moves the shutter that carries the wafer between the hot dip module and the drying module, which can effectively improve the efficiency of wafer cleaning and improve the overall product yield.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific examples are given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings to describe in detail as follows.

The aforementioned and other technical content, features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings. The directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, for example: up, down, left, right, front or back, etc., are only directions for referring to the attached drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are used to illustrate but not to limit the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wafer cleaning device used in a semiconductor process according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a wafer cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention omitting some components. An embodiment of the present invention discloses a wafer cleaning device 1, which includes a housing 10, a transfer unit 20, a hot dipping module 30 and a drying module 40. The housing 10 includes a housing 11, a frame 12, a control panel 13, and a plurality of detachable plates 14. The housing 11 is mounted on the frame 12, and the housing 10 also includes a bottom 15 and A top part 16 defines a working space 17 between the bottom part 15 and the top part 16.

A first part 20a of the conveying unit 20 is disposed on the top 16 of the housing 10, a second part 20b of the conveying unit 20 is disposed on the working space 17, the hot dipping module 30 and the drying The module 40 is disposed on the bottom 15 of the casing 10, the hot dipping module 30 can perform cleaning operations on the wafer W, and the drying module 40 can perform drying operations on the wafer W. The transfer unit 20 can move the wafer W between the hot dipping module 30 and the drying module 40, which can effectively improve the efficiency of the cleaning operation of the wafer W, improve the overall product yield and reduce the cost. The specific structure and operation details will be described in detail below.

Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along A-A in Fig. 2. The transfer unit 20 is used to move a gate 50 carrying a plurality of wafers W between a first position P1 and a second position P2. The first position P1 and the second position P2 correspond to the hot dipping module 30 and the drying module 40, respectively, and the first position P1 and the second position P2 are separated by a horizontal distance D. Further, referring to FIGS. 4A to 4B, which are schematic diagrams of the latch in the first position and the second position, respectively, according to this embodiment, the transfer unit 20 rotates the latch 50 in the first position P1 and Move between the second position P2, and the transfer unit 20 can also move vertically when in the first position P1 and the second position P2. Thereby, the transfer unit 20 can move the wafer W between the hot dipping module 30 and the drying module 40. The structure and form of the transmission unit 20 shown in this embodiment are only an example for illustration, and are not intended to limit the present invention. As long as the transfer unit 20 can move the card gate 50 between the first position P1 and the second position P2, and can move vertically in the first position P1 and the second position P2, it is in the present invention Within the scope covered.

Referring to FIG. 5, a partial perspective view of a wafer cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The transfer unit 20 includes a first driving element 21 disposed on the top 16 of the housing 10 and coupled to the first driving element 21 and a moving assembly 22 controlled by the first driving element 21. The moving component 22 is used to hold the card gate 50.

In this embodiment, the moving assembly 22 includes a rotating shaft 221 and a supporting frame 222. The rotating shaft 221 extends along a vertical axis (z-axis direction) and has a first end 221 a coupled to the first driving element 21 and a second end 221 b connected to the carrier 222. The supporting frame 222 extends along a horizontal direction and has a protruding column 222 a for the card gate 50 to be mounted on. The rotating shaft 221 is driven by the first driving element 21 to rotate around the vertical axis, so that the latch 50 can move between the first position P1 and the second position P2. The rotating shaft 221 can be driven by the first driving element 21 to move up and down along the vertical axis, so that the latch 50 can move up and down vertically in the first position P1 and the second position P2, respectively. When the moving assembly 22 moves up and down at the first position P1, the card gate 50 moves between entering and exiting the hot dipping module 30. When the moving assembly 22 moves up and down at the second position P2, the card gate 50 moves between entering and exiting the drying module 40.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the hot dip module 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The hot dip module 30 is arranged below the first position P1. The hot dip module 30 includes a first tank 31 and a first top cover 32 (shown in FIG. 2). The first tank 131 contains a cleaning liquid. The first top cover 32 is operatively installed on the first tank 31 to allow the transfer unit 20 to vertically move and extend into the first tank 31 to transfer the card gate 50. In detail, the first top cover 32 can be opened or closed to expose or close the first tank 31. FIG. 2 shows the state when the first top cover 32 is closed, and FIG. 5 shows the state when the first top cover 32 is opened. When the first top cover 32 is opened, the transfer unit 20 can vertically move and extend into the first trough 31 to transfer the chuck 50 for cleaning the wafer W.

The hot dip module 30 also includes a second driving element 33. The second driving element 33 is coupled to the first top cover 32 to drive the first top cover 32 to operate between a closed state and an open state. The present invention does not limit the structure and form of the first top cover 32 and the second driving element 33. In an embodiment of the present invention, the second driving element 33 includes a motor and a reel. The first top cover 32 is a rigid roller blind. The rotation of the reel drives the first top cover 32 to move , And switch between the closed state and the open state.

7A to 7B are three-dimensional schematic diagrams of a drying module according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is an internal rear view schematic view of a drying module according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a drying module according to an embodiment of the present invention The internal three-dimensional diagram of the group. The drying module 40 is disposed under the second position P2. The drying module 40 includes a second tank 41, a second top cover 42, a first blowing portion 43, and a second blowing portion 44. At least one rotating element 45, at least one third driving element 46, at least one swing arm 47, and at least one fourth driving element 48. The second tank 41 defines a drying space 411. The drying space 411 includes a positioning area 411 a where the card gate 50 is placed. The second top cover 42 has an opening 421, and the second top cover 42 is operatively installed on the second tank 41 to allow the conveying unit 20 to vertically move and extend into the second tank 41 for conveyance The card gate 50 reaches the positioning area 411a. In detail, the second top cover 42 can be opened or closed to expose or close the second tank 41. When the second top cover 42 is opened, the conveying unit 20 can vertically move and extend into the second trough 41 to convey the card gate 50. Then, the second top cover 42 can be closed to perform the drying operation of the wafer W.

The transfer unit 20 moves between a second ascending position and a second descending position when in the second position P2. The second top cover 42 allows the rotating shaft 221 to move down from the second ascending position to the second descending position when the second top cover 42 is in the raised state to transmit the locking gate 50 to the positioning area 411a in the second tank 41, and When the latch 50 is located in the positioning area 411a in the second tank 41, the rotating shaft 221 has to be inserted into the opening 421 and maintained in the closed state to perform the drying operation of the wafer W.

The first blowing portion 43 and the second blowing portion 44 are respectively disposed on an upper side 411b and an outer side 411c of the positioning area 411a. The first blowing part 43 includes at least one first support 431 installed on the second top cover 42 and a plurality of first nozzles 432 installed on the first support 431. The second blowing part 44 includes at least one second support 441 and a plurality of second nozzles 442 arranged on the second support 441, the first nozzle 432 and the second nozzle 442 are aligned with the latch 50 . The first nozzle 432 and the second nozzle 442 can spray gas for drying the wafer W to perform the drying operation of the wafer W.

The rotating element 45 is disposed at a bottom 411d of the drying space 411, and includes a shaft 451 and a protrusion 452. The fourth driving element 48 is coupled to the shaft 451 to drive the shaft 451 and is disposed on the shaft 451 The protruding member 452 rotates. The protruding member 452 includes a first side wing 452a, a second side wing 452b, a first end edge 452c, and a second end edge 452d. The first side wing 452a and the second side wing 452b are symmetrical The ground protrudes from the radial direction of the shaft 451. The first end edge 452c and/or the second end edge 452d of the protruding member 452 contact and move the wafer W on the latch 50, thereby driving the wafer W to rotate. In this embodiment, the shaft 451 extends and rotates parallel to an arrangement direction of the wafer W to move the wafer W to rotate in the gate 50. Furthermore, with the arrangement of the first side wing 452a and the second side wing 452b, during a rotation period of the shaft 451, the first end edge 452c and/or the second end edge 452d are only part of the time (ie Toggling the wafer W intermittently, instead of continuously rotating the wafer W, can allow the wafer W to be fully dried in a static state between rotations. It can be understood that each time the wafer W is toggled, different areas are exposed in the drying space 411, so the drying operation can be effectively performed.

Referring to FIGS. 11A to 11B, which are a perspective view of an embodiment of the new type, the chuck is in the first position. During operation, the wafer W is first mounted on the carrier 222 of the transfer unit 20, and then the first top When the cover 32 is opened, the conveying unit 20 vertically descends and extends into the first tank body 31, and the card gate 50 is conveyed into the first tank body 31, and the first tank body 31 contains a cleaning liquid. After being soaked for a period of time, the conveying unit 20 rises vertically to make the latch 50 leave the first tank 31. Then, by the rotation of the shaft 221, the locking gate 50 is moved from the first position P1 to the second position P2, as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12B, which is an embodiment of the new type. Three-dimensional diagram of the location. The second top cover 42 of the drying module 40 will be lifted up, the transfer unit 20 will be vertically lowered and extended into the second tank 41, and then the second top cover 42 will be closed for the wafer W's drying operation.

In summary, the wafer cleaning equipment used in the semiconductor manufacturing process of the embodiment of the present invention is provided with a transfer unit, a hot dipping module, and a drying module. The transfer unit quickly and effectively moves the shutter that carries the wafer between the hot dip module and the drying module, which can effectively improve the efficiency of wafer cleaning and improve the overall product yield.

1: Wafer cleaning equipment 10: Shell 11: shell 12: Frame 13: Control Panel 14: Board body 15: bottom 16: top 17: Work space 20: transfer unit 20a: Part One 20b: Part Two 21: The first drive element 22: mobile components 221: Hinge 221a: first end 221b: second end 222: Carrier 222a: convex column 30: Hot dip module 31: The first tank 32: The first top cover 33: second drive element 40: Drying module 41: second tank 411: drying space 411a: positioning area 411b: Above 411c: outside 411d: bottom 42: second top cover 421: open 43: The first blowing part 431: first support 432: first nozzle 44: The second blowing part 441: second support 442: second nozzle 45: Rotating element 451: Axis 452: protruding piece 452a: First Wing 452b: second wing 452c: first edge 452d: second edge 46: third drive element 47: swing arm 48: fourth drive element 50: card gate D: Horizontal distance P1: first position P2: second position W: Wafer

Fig. 1 is a perspective schematic view of a wafer cleaning equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective schematic diagram of a wafer cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention omitting some components. Figure 3, Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view along A-A. 4A to 4B, according to an embodiment of the present invention, schematic diagrams of the latch in the first position and the second position. Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view of a wafer cleaning equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a hot dipping module according to an embodiment of the present invention. 7A to 7B are three-dimensional schematic diagrams of a drying module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of an internal rear view of a drying module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9 is an internal three-dimensional schematic diagram of a drying module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 10 is a schematic side sectional view of a drying module according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11A-11B, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the card in the first position. 12A to 12B, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the latch in the second position.

12: Frame

17: Work space

30: Hot dip module

32: The first top cover

40: Drying module

D: Horizontal distance

P1: first position

P2: second position

Claims (10)

A wafer cleaning equipment used in semiconductor manufacturing process, including: A transfer unit for moving a gate carrying a plurality of wafers between a first position and a second position, the first position and the second position are separated by a horizontal distance, and the transfer The unit moves vertically when in the first position and the second position; A hot dipping module is disposed below the first position. The hot dipping module includes a first tank and a first top cover. The first tank is equipped with a cleaning fluid. The first top cover is operative Installed on the first tank to allow the transfer unit to vertically move and extend into the first tank to transfer the card gate; and A drying module set below the second position, the drying module including a second tank, a second top cover, a first blowing part, a second blowing part and a rotating element, The second tank defines a drying space, the drying space includes a positioning area where the card gate is placed, and the second top cover is operably installed on the second tank to allow the conveying unit to be vertical The ground moves and extends into the second trough to transfer the card to the positioning area. The first blowing portion and the second blowing portion are respectively disposed on an upper side and an outer side of the positioning area, and the rotating element is disposed on A bottom of the drying space includes a shaft extending at the bottom and a protruding piece arranged on the shaft. The shaft contacts the wafer on the chucking gate when rotating, thereby driving the wafer to rotate. The wafer cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, which further includes a housing defining the first position and the second position, and the housing includes a bottom, a top, and between the bottom and the In a working space between the tops, the hot dipping module and the drying module are adjacently arranged on the bottom. The wafer cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transfer unit includes a first driving element disposed on the top of the casing and a first driving element coupled to the first driving element and controlled by the first driving element The moving component holds the card gate. The wafer cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the moving assembly includes a rotating shaft and a carrier, the rotating shaft extending along a vertical axis and having a first end coupled to the first driving element and connected to A second end of the carrying frame, the carrying frame extends in a horizontal direction and has a protruding column for the card to be mounted on, and the rotating shaft is driven by the first driving element to rotate around the vertical axis and move along the vertical axis. The vertical axis rises and falls, wherein when rotating, the sluice moves between the first position and the second position, and when it rises and falls in the first position, the sluice enters and exits the hot dip module When moving up and down in the second position, the card gate moves between entering and exiting the drying module. The wafer cleaning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the hot dipping module further includes a second driving element, and the second driving element is coupled to the first top cover to drive the first top cover to a closed state And operate between an open state. The wafer cleaning apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transfer unit is operated between a first ascending position and a first descending position when the transfer unit is in the first position, and the first top cover allows the The rotating shaft moves down from the first ascending position to the first descending position to transmit the latch to be located in the first groove. The wafer cleaning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the drying module further includes a third driving element and a swing arm controlled by the third driving element, and the swing arm is connected to the second top cover to drive The second top cover is operated between a closed state and a raised state. The wafer cleaning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the transfer unit moves between a second ascending position and a second descending position when the transfer unit is in the second position, the second top cover has an opening, and the second When the top cover is in the raised state, the rotating shaft is allowed to move down from the second ascending position to the second descending position to transfer the positioning area where the lock is located in the second tank, and the rotating shaft is allowed in the closed state Inserted in the opening, so that the conveying unit must be maintained at the second lowered position. The wafer cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first blowing part includes at least one first support member installed on the second top cover and a plurality of first nozzles provided on the first support member , The second blowing part includes at least one second support member installed on the second top cover and a plurality of second nozzles provided on the second support member, the first nozzle and the second nozzle are aligned The card gate. The wafer cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotating element further includes a fourth driving element, and the fourth driving element is coupled to the shaft to drive the shaft and the protruding member provided on the shaft to rotate, And let one end edge of the protruding piece move the wafer on the chuck.

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