Precision Cleaning and Drying for Semiconductor Wafers
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Summary
Problems
Current methods for cleaning and drying semiconductor wafer substrates are inefficient, often requiring separate chambers and excessive use of chemicals, with challenges in handling hydrophobic surfaces and achieving high precision without introducing secondary contamination.
Innovation solutions
A single-chamber apparatus that uses pulsed-jet cleaning nozzles and a combination of isopropyl alcohol mist and gaseous nitrogen to clean and dry semiconductor wafers in a continuous process, rotating the wafer at varying speeds to form a solution with residual water, which is then evaporated with nitrogen, ensuring precise and contamination-free drying.
TRIZ Analysis
Specific contradictions:
General conflict description:
Principle concept:
If separate chambers are used for cleaning and drying, then cleaning and drying functions are performed, but device complexity increases and processing time is extended
Why choose this principle:
The patent combines cleaning and drying functions into a single chamber, eliminating the need for separate chambers while maintaining both functions. The cleaning nozzle array and drying components share the same working chamber, reducing device complexity and processing time.
Principle concept:
If separate chambers are used for cleaning and drying, then cleaning and drying functions are performed, but device complexity increases and processing time is extended
Why choose this principle:
The patent uses a rotary mechanism that can dynamically adjust between cleaning mode (with cleaning liquid) and drying mode (with nitrogen gas and isopropyl alcohol mist). The system transitions between different operational states within the same chamber, avoiding the need for fixed separate chambers.
Application Domain
Data Source
AI summary:
A single-chamber apparatus that uses pulsed-jet cleaning nozzles and a combination of isopropyl alcohol mist and gaseous nitrogen to clean and dry semiconductor wafers in a continuous process, rotating the wafer at varying speeds to form a solution with residual water, which is then evaporated with nitrogen, ensuring precise and contamination-free drying.
Abstract
Cleaning and drying of semiconductor wafers is carried out in a single-chamber type cleaning/drying apparatus for flat objects such as semiconductor wafer, where cleaning is carried out by impinging both sides of the wafer which rotates at a relatively low speed with jets of a washing liquid and where subsequent drying is carried out in the same chamber by increasing the rotation speed of the wafer and supplying an isopropyl-alcohol (IPA) mist onto the wafer from the top of the chamber. After the IPA forms a solution with the residue of water on the wafer, the drying process is accelerated by supplying gaseous nitrogen through nozzles arranged on both side of the coaxial with the wafer center. As a result, the IPA-water solution quickly evaporates without leaving traces of water drops on the dried surface.