A wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of wafer processing and cleaning equipment technology, specifically to a wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing. The machine includes a wafer cleaning apparatus with several cleaning tanks and a vibration system. Limiting components are symmetrically arranged within the cleaning tanks. A wafer hopper is located below the vibration system, and a driving component is installed within the hopper. Several wafers are placed on the driving component, which also has several sets of rotating components symmetrically arranged, each corresponding to the number of wafers. A spraying component is positioned between every two sets of rotating components on the driving component. The driving component achieves high-speed rotation of the rotating components and reciprocating spraying of the spraying components through up-and-down vibration of the vibration system in conjunction with the limiting components. This solution effectively overcomes the shortcomings of existing tank-type cleaning technologies in removing stubborn contaminants through the synergistic design of high-pressure jets, vibration-rotation conversion, and reciprocating spraying.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wafer processing and cleaning equipment technology, and more specifically, to a wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing. Background Technology

[0002] According to CN117894712A, a cleaning system and method for a chemical tank in wafer processing is disclosed. This system and method replaces the conventional ammonia solution with a new MC1 solution in the final cleaning machine. By effectively utilizing the chemical tank cleaning process and coordinating with subsequent handling and sealing devices, particle and metal contamination is reduced. By installing two quickly switchable nozzles on each corresponding cleaning tank, if one nozzle becomes clogged or damaged during the cleaning process, the other spare nozzle can be quickly switched to continue the cleaning work. The equipment does not need to be stopped immediately; instead, the nozzles can be uniformly treated after processing is completed. This greatly improves the responsiveness of the equipment, saves downtime, and increases production efficiency.

[0003] The aforementioned patent still has shortcomings in practical use. In existing tank cleaning equipment, multiple wafers are typically placed in a container and sequentially immersed in cleaning tanks containing different chemical cleaning solutions, supplemented by container vibration or ultrasonic waves within the tank to achieve cleaning. Although this method has batch processing capabilities and high cleaning efficiency, because it mainly relies on the physical action generated by vibration or ultrasonic waves, it is difficult to apply sufficient external force during the cleaning process. This results in limited ability to remove certain stubborn contaminants (such as particles, organic residues, or metallic impurities), and the cleaning effect is significantly limited.

[0004] Based on this, the present invention discloses a wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the problem that while tank cleaning technology in the background art can process wafers in batches, it is difficult to effectively remove stubborn contaminants by relying solely on vibration or ultrasound, resulting in limited cleaning effects, this invention provides a wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing. The machine includes a wafer cleaning device with several cleaning tanks and a vibration system. The vibration system includes a moving device positioned above the cleaning tanks and a vibration device positioned below the moving device. Limiting components are symmetrically arranged within the cleaning tanks. A wafer hopper is positioned below the vibration system, and a driving component is installed within the wafer hopper. Several wafers are placed on the driving component. Several sets of rotating components, each corresponding to the number of wafers, are symmetrically arranged on the driving component. A spraying component is positioned between every two sets of rotating components on the driving component. The driving component achieves high-speed rotation of the rotating components and reciprocating spraying of the spraying components through up-and-down vibration of the vibration system in conjunction with the limiting components.

[0006] To ensure that the wafers can rotate at high speed and generate high pressure jets within the limited space of the cleaning tank after the cassette is immersed in the cleaning tank, and because the presence of cleaning fluid in the tank makes it inconvenient to add an additional cleaning pump, a simple physical principle is needed to drive the wafers to rotate at high speed and generate high pressure jets. Therefore, this invention uses the principle that the cleaning fluid at the bottom of the cleaning tank has a large pressure to provide the power source for the water jets. Secondly, by utilizing the vibration process of the cleaning equipment itself, the vibration of the cassette is converted into high-speed rotation of the wafers in batches, thereby generating centrifugal force in the wafers and further enhancing the cleaning effect.

[0007] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the first step is to provide a power source for the high-pressure jet. Utilizing the physical principle that the pressure at the bottom of the cleaning tank is greater than that at the top, the traditional wafer cassette is designed as a closed space. This allows the cassette to displace some space after being immersed in the cleaning tank, thereby creating a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cassette. This allows the cleaning fluid to be sprayed into the cassette at high speed. Specifically, the wafer cassette includes a cassette body with a concave bottom. Drainage grooves are symmetrically provided on both sides of the bottom of the cassette body. A one-way valve plate is provided on the outside of the cassette body on the drainage grooves to restrict the liquid in the cassette body to flow out but not in. One end of the cassette body has several water inlet holes that correspond one-to-one with the number of wafers that can be placed on the drive assembly.

[0008] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the limiting component includes a limiting plate fixed to the inner wall of the cleaning tank, and a first driving groove is formed inside the limiting plate; a second driving groove is also formed inside the first driving groove on the limiting plate, the second driving groove is adapted to the position of the elastic telescopic rod, and the first driving groove and the second driving groove are in a circular structure; a limiting plate is also fixed to the top of the limiting plate, and a guide groove is formed on the same side of the limiting plate as the first driving groove. The guide groove is in a conical structure, and both the top and bottom of the guide groove are open, with the top opening being larger than the bottom opening. The bottom opening of the guide groove and the first driving groove are adapted to the diameter of the elastic telescopic rod, and the bottom of the guide groove is connected to the first driving groove.

[0009] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the driving component includes cams that rotate on both sides of the wafer cassette. Each cam has an elastic telescopic rod adapted to a first driving slot. A speed-changing gear section, powered by the cams, is located inside the wafer cassette. The driving component also includes a support frame fixed within the cassette body. Mounting boxes are symmetrically fixed on both sides of the support frame, and U-shaped mounting tubes are symmetrically fixed at both ends of the support frame. Several bases adapted to the wafer structure are uniformly fixed at the bottom of the support frame. The speed-changing gear section is located inside the mounting boxes and one of the mounting tubes. The speed-changing gear section includes two sets of bevel gears of different sizes located inside the mounting boxes for speed change and power transmission. The speed-changing gear section also includes several transmission rods and transmission bevel gears adapted to the U-shaped mounting tubes. The top of the elastic telescopic rod has a rounded structure.

[0010] Based on this, in order to enable the wafer to rotate at high speed without the need for an additional power source, and at the same time to limit and fix the wafer, so as to ensure the stability of the wafer after it is inserted into the base, the present invention adopts the method of transmitting the power of the speed-changing gear to the end of the rotating component, relying on the high-speed rotation of the end to drive the wafer to rotate at high speed, and the end also has extensibility to provide clamping stability for the wafer.

[0011] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the rotating assembly includes a drive roller poweredly connected to the transmission gear section. The rotating assembly also includes a first worm gear poweredly connected to the transmission gear section. A first worm wheel meshes with the first worm gear, and a transmission assembly is fixedly mounted on the first worm wheel. A first support tube, corresponding to the transmission assembly, is fixedly mounted on the mounting tube. A support clamp is fixedly mounted at the bottom of the first support tube. The support clamp is adapted to the wafer structure. The two support clamps and the base together form a triangular support structure. The transmission assembly includes a rotating rod and a telescopic rod. One end of the rotating rod is connected to the first worm gear... The telescopic rod is fixedly connected to the wheel. One end of the telescopic rod is fixedly provided with a cross bar. The rotating rod has a groove adapted to the cross bar. A return spring is provided in the groove. The cross bar is slidably connected to the groove through the return spring. The other end of the telescopic rod is provided with a transmission bevel gear set. The rotating rod is rotatably connected to the first support tube and the mounting tube. One end of the drive roller is poweredly connected to the telescopic rod through the transmission bevel gear set. The other end of the drive roller is fixedly provided with a connecting rod. The end of the connecting rod away from the drive roller is rotatably connected to the telescopic rod. A sliding rod is fixedly provided on the connecting rod. The sliding rod is slidably connected to the first support tube.

[0012] In another approach, in order to utilize the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the bottom of the material box to generate a high-speed jet, and at the same time allow the cleaning fluid to reciprocate along the radial direction of the wafer during spraying, thus achieving all-round spraying of the wafer by means of the wafer's own rotation, this invention adopts Bernoulli's principle to further increase the flow rate of the high-speed water flow entering through the water inlet through the narrow opening, and secondly to make the nozzle have a fan-shaped spray structure to increase the spraying area, and then to make the nozzle reciprocate along the radial direction of the wafer to achieve back-and-forth spraying.

[0013] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the spray washing assembly includes a second support tube fixedly mounted on one of the mounting tubes. A reciprocating lead screw is rotatably connected inside the second support tube. The spray washing assembly also includes a second worm gear poweredly connected to a transmission gear unit. A second turbine meshes with the second worm gear. One end of the reciprocating lead screw is fixedly connected to the second turbine. A limiting rod adapted to the length of the threaded section of the reciprocating lead screw is fixedly mounted on the end of the second support tube away from the mounting tube. A nozzle is threadedly connected to the reciprocating lead screw. The nozzle and the limiting rod... The system features a sliding connection; one end of the water inlet pipe is connected to the water inlet hole, and the other end of the water inlet pipe is connected to a telescopic pipe. The diameter of the end of the water inlet pipe connected to the water inlet hole is larger than the diameter of the end of the water inlet pipe connected to the telescopic pipe. Furthermore, several spray channels are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the nozzle, and the spray channels are arranged in a fan-shaped, equidistant pattern. The other end of the telescopic pipe is connected to the spray channels. The spray end of the spray channel faces the wafer surface, and the reciprocating motion path of the nozzle is along the radial direction of the wafer. The reciprocating thread area of ​​the reciprocating screw matches the radius of the wafer.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0015] 1. In a wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing, a concave structure and water inlet are set at the bottom of the wafer cassette, and the static pressure difference generated by the liquid level depth in the cleaning tank is used as a power source to automatically form a high-speed jet of cleaning fluid during immersion. This design can achieve high-pressure spray cleaning without the need for an additional pumping system, which is beneficial to significantly enhance the flushing ability of stubborn contaminants such as particles and organic residues, thereby overcoming the problem of insufficient cleaning power caused by traditional tank cleaning relying solely on ultrasound or vibration.

[0016] 2. In a wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing, the original up-and-down vibration motion of the equipment is converted into high-speed rotation motion of the wafer by the cooperation of the limiting component and the elastic telescopic structure in the drive component. This mechanical conversion mechanism makes full use of the energy of the existing vibration process, which is conducive to achieving uniform surface cleaning of the wafer under the action of centrifugal force without adding a complex drive device, effectively improving the cleaning coverage and cleanliness.

[0017] 3. In a wafer cleaning machine used for semiconductor device manufacturing, the spray cleaning component is linked with the speed transmission mechanism to drive the nozzle to reciprocate along the radial direction of the wafer. Combined with the fan-shaped nozzle and Bernoulli acceleration structure, it achieves a high-speed, wide-range, and dynamically covered spray cleaning effect. This design works in conjunction with the wafer's rotation to ensure that the cleaning fluid can completely sweep across both sides of the wafer, avoiding dead corner residues, thereby achieving a highly efficient and thorough dual cleaning effect, namely the dual effect of spraying and centrifugation. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the cleaning tank of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a second schematic diagram of the cleaning tank of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a third schematic diagram of the cleaning tank structure of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the limiting component of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the wafer cassette of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a second schematic diagram of the structure of the wafer cassette of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8This is a cross-sectional view of the material box body of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the driving component of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 10 This is a top view of the cross-sectional structure of the mounting tube of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 11 This is a cross-sectional view of the installation tube of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 12 This is a front view of the cleaning unit of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 13 This is a front view of the cleaning unit of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the rotating component of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 15 This is a cross-sectional view of the rotating rod of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 16 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the spray washing assembly of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 17 This is a second schematic diagram of the structure of the spray washing assembly of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 18 for Figure 17 Enlarged view of the structure at point A in the middle.

[0036] The meanings of the labels in the diagram are as follows:

[0037] 1. Wafer cleaning equipment; 2. Cleaning tank; 3. Moving device; 4. Vibration device; 5. Wafer hopper; 6. Limiting component; 7. Drive component; 8. Rotating component; 9. Spraying component;

[0038] 51. Material box body; 52. Drainage groove; 53. One-way valve plate; 54. Water inlet;

[0039] 61. Limiting plate; 62. First drive slot; 63. Second drive slot; 64. Limiting plate; 65. Guide slot;

[0040] 71. Cam; 72. Elastic telescopic rod; 73. Support frame; 74. Mounting box; 75. Mounting tube; 76. Base; 77. Transmission gear section;

[0041] 81. First support tube; 82. Support clamp; 83. First worm gear; 84. First worm wheel; 85. Transmission assembly; 86. Connecting rod; 87. Slide rod; 88. Drive roller; 89. Transmission bevel gear set;

[0042] 851. Rotating rod; 852. Telescopic rod; 853. Cross rod; 854. Slide groove; 855. Return spring;

[0043] 91. Second worm gear; 92. Second turbine; 93. Reciprocating screw; 94. Second support tube; 95. Limiting rod; 96. Nozzle; 97. Water spray trough; 98. Water inlet pipe; 99. Telescopic pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0044] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0045] While existing tank cleaning technologies can process wafers in batches, relying solely on vibration or ultrasound makes it difficult to effectively remove stubborn contaminants, thus limiting the cleaning effect.

[0046] Therefore, the present invention provides a wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing. See [link to relevant documentation]. Figures 1-4 As shown, it includes a wafer cleaning equipment 1, which contains several cleaning tanks 2. The wafer cleaning equipment 1 also contains a vibration system, which includes a moving device 3 located above the cleaning tanks 2 and a vibration device 4 located below the moving device 3. Limiting components 6 are symmetrically arranged in the cleaning tanks 2. A wafer hopper 5 is located below the vibration system. A driving component 7 is installed in the wafer hopper 5. Several wafers are placed on the driving component 7. Several sets of rotating components 8, which are symmetrically arranged on the driving component 7 and are adapted to the number of wafers, are arranged on the driving component 7. A spraying component 9 is located between every two sets of rotating components 8 on the driving component 7. The driving component 7 achieves high-speed rotation of the rotating components 8 and reciprocating spraying of the spraying components 9 by vibrating up and down with the vibration system in conjunction with the limiting components 6.

[0047] It should be noted that all structures in this invention are made of special corrosion-resistant materials, not simple metal materials, such as Teflon PTFE, PFA perfluoroalkoxy resin, and similar materials are used in actual applications.

[0048] During operation, several wafers are placed one by one onto the drive assembly 7 inside the wafer cassette 5. Then, the wafer cassette 5 is clamped by the vibration device 4, and then the wafer cassette 5 is moved above the designated cleaning tank 2 by the moving device 3. Then, the vibration device 4 drives the wafer cassette 5 to be lowered. During the lowering process, the wafer cassette 5 will displace the cleaning fluid in the cleaning tank 2. As the wafer cassette 5 is gradually lowered, the pressure around the spray cleaning assembly 9 located near the bottom of the wafer cassette 5 will increase, that is, a static pressure difference will be generated. Then the water pressure will also increase accordingly, and a high-speed cleaning fluid flow will be sprayed out.

[0049] Secondly, during the process of the wafer cassette 5 being lowered, the drive component 7 will enter the limiting area of ​​the limiting component 6. Then, until the wafer cassette 5 reaches the specified depth in the cleaning tank 2, the drive component 7 will enter the drive area of ​​the limiting component 6. As the vibration device 4 drives the wafer cassette 5 to vibrate up and down, the up and down vibration of the wafer cassette 5 is converted into high-speed rotational motion through the cooperation of the limiting component 6 and the drive component 7. Then, the rotation component 8 drives several wafers located on the drive component 7 to rotate at high speed. At this time, the spray cleaning component 9 also sprays cleaning fluid at high speed on the wafer surfaces on both sides between the two wafers.

[0050] Moreover, under the linkage of the drive component 7, the spray cleaning component 9 will reciprocate along the radial direction of the wafer. This, combined with the high-speed rotation of the wafer driven by the rotating component 8 and the high-speed spray cleaning liquid sprayed onto the wafers on both sides by the spray cleaning component 9, makes the wafer surface uniformly sprayed with high-pressure cleaning liquid. The centrifugal force generated by the high-speed rotation of the wafer further cleans the wafer surface.

[0051] After cleaning is completed, the wafer cassette 5 is lifted by the wafer cassette 5, and the cleaning solution in the wafer cassette 5 will automatically flow out. After the cleaning solution is drained, the wafer cassette 5 is transferred to the next cleaning tank 2 by the moving device 3 to repeat the above operation. In this way, not only can batch cleaning be achieved, but also multiple cleaning effects can be achieved by high-speed spraying and centrifugal cleaning.

[0052] For details, see Figures 4-11 As shown, in order to achieve high-speed rotation and high-pressure jetting of the wafers within a limited space after the material box is immersed in the cleaning tank 2, and because it is inconvenient to add an additional cleaning pump due to the presence of cleaning fluid in the cleaning tank 2, it is necessary to rely on simple physical principles to drive the wafers to rotate at high speed and spray high pressure. Therefore, this invention adopts the principle that the cleaning fluid at the bottom of the cleaning tank 2 has a large pressure to provide the power source for the water spraying. Secondly, by utilizing the working program of the cleaning equipment itself to generate vibration of the material box, the up and down vibration is converted into high-speed rotation of the wafers in batches, thereby generating centrifugal force for the wafers to rotate at high speed, further increasing the cleaning effect.

[0053] Specifically, refer to Figures 6-8 As shown, the first step is to provide a power source for the high-pressure jet. Utilizing the physical principle that the pressure at the bottom of the cleaning tank 2 is greater than that at the top, the traditional wafer cassette is designed as a closed space. This allows the cassette to displace some space after being immersed in the cleaning tank 2, thereby creating a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cassette. This allows the cleaning fluid to be sprayed into the cassette at high speed. Specifically, the wafer cassette 5 includes a cassette body 51. The bottom of the cassette body 51 has a concave structure. Drainage grooves 52 are symmetrically provided on both sides of the bottom of the cassette body 51. A one-way valve plate 53 is provided on the outside of the cassette body 51 on the drainage grooves 52 to restrict the liquid in the cassette body 51 to flow out but not in. One end of the cassette body 51 has several water inlet holes 54 that correspond one-to-one with the number of wafers that can be placed on the drive assembly 7.

[0054] Secondly, refer to Figures 4-5 As shown, the limiting component 6 includes a limiting plate 61 fixed on the inner wall of the cleaning tank 2, and a first driving groove 62 is formed inside the limiting plate 61; a second driving groove 63 is also formed inside the first driving groove 62 on the limiting plate 61, the second driving groove 63 is adapted to the position of the elastic telescopic rod 72, and the first driving groove 62 and the second driving groove 63 are in a circular structure; a limiting plate 64 is also fixed on the top of the limiting plate 61, and a guide groove 65 is formed on the limiting plate 64 at the same position as the first driving groove 62. The guide groove 65 is in a conical structure, and both the top and bottom of the guide groove 65 are open, with the top opening of the guide groove 65 being larger than the bottom opening. The bottom opening of the guide groove 65 and the diameter of the first driving groove 62 are adapted to the diameter of the elastic telescopic rod 72, and the bottom of the guide groove 65 is connected to the first driving groove 62.

[0055] Finally, refer to Figures 9-11 As shown, the drive assembly 7 includes cams 71 that rotate on both sides of the wafer cassette 5. The cams 71 are equipped with elastic telescopic rods 72 that are adapted to the first drive groove 62. The wafer cassette 5 is equipped with a speed-changing gear section 77 that is poweredly connected to the cams 71. The drive assembly 7 also includes a support frame 73 fixed in the cassette body 51. Mounting boxes 74 are symmetrically fixed on both sides of the support frame 73. U-shaped mounting tubes 75 are symmetrically fixed at both ends of the support frame 73. Several bases 76 adapted to the wafer structure are uniformly fixed at the bottom of the support frame 73. The speed-changing gear section 77 is located in the mounting box 74 and one of the mounting tubes 75. The speed-changing gear section 77 includes two sets of bevel gears of different sizes located in the mounting box 74 for speed change and power transmission. The speed-changing gear section 77 also includes several transmission rods and transmission bevel gears adapted to the U-shaped mounting tubes 75. The top of the elastic telescopic rod 72 has a rounded structure.

[0056] During operation, the material box body 51 is fixed by the vibration device 4, and then the material box body 51 is moved to the top of the designated cleaning tank 2 by the moving device 3. Then, the vibration device 4 drives the material box body 51 to be lowered. During the lowering process, the material box body 51 will displace the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 2, so that a pressure difference is generated inside and outside the material box body 51. The bottom of the material box body 51 has a concave structure, so that the cleaning liquid that enters the material box body 51 can flow to the two sides of the bottom of the material box body 51. The two sides of the bottom of the material box body 51 are equipped with a structure similar to a one-way valve, namely a drain trough 52 and a one-way valve plate 53 set outside the drain trough 52. In this way, when the material box body 51 is immersed, the cleaning liquid will not enter, but when the material box body 51 is lifted, that is, when it leaves the cleaning tank 2, the cleaning liquid at the bottom of the material box body 51 will flow out from the drain trough 52 and flow back into the cleaning tank 2.

[0057] Next, when the material box body 51 descends to a certain position, the elastic telescopic rod 72 will slide into the guide groove 65. The inverted conical structure of the guide groove 65 allows the elastic telescopic rod 72 to slide into the guide groove 65 regardless of the position of the cam 71. Finally, guided by the guide groove 65, it smoothly slides into the first drive groove 62. Since the elastic telescopic rod 72 has a built-in elastic telescopic structure, that is, the top of the elastic telescopic rod 72 is the telescopic end and has an elastic telescopic effect, which is an existing mature technology, the structure is not expanded. When the elastic telescopic rod 72 slides into the first drive groove 62, its originally compressed telescopic end will extend and the telescopic end will enter the second drive groove 63. In this way, when the subsequent vibration device 4 drives the material box body 51 to vibrate up and down, it can be ensured that the elastic telescopic rod 72 will not accidentally enter the guide groove 65.

[0058] The vibration device 4 descends to the depth where the elastic telescopic rod 72 just reaches the top of the second drive groove 63 in the first stage. In the second stage, it reciprocates up and down, with an amplitude equal to the diameter of the second drive groove 63. Under the limiting effect of the annular structure of the second drive groove 63, the elastic telescopic rod 72 rotates within the second drive groove 63, thereby driving the cam 71 to rotate, converting the up and down vibration of the material box body 51 into rotational motion. After cleaning, when the vibration device 4 drives the material box body 51 to rise, since the top of the elastic telescopic rod 72 is retractable, the elastic telescopic rod 72 will automatically return to the top position of the second drive groove 63 as the material box body 51 continues to rise. Then, as it continues to rise, the retractable end of the elastic telescopic rod 72 will be squeezed and can slide out from the bottom of the guide groove 65, completing the separation.

[0059] When the cam 71 rotates, the speed is changed by the large and small bevel gears located in the mounting box 74 in the speed change gear section 77, further increasing the rotational speed, and then by... Figure 11The bevel gear and transmission rod inside the mounting tube 75 on the right side drive the rotating component 8 to rotate at high speed. The wafer placed on the base 76 will be driven by the rotating component 8 to rotate at high speed. At the same time, the cleaning fluid entering the spray cleaning component 9 through the water inlet 54 will be sprayed out at high speed. Meanwhile, the spray cleaning component 9 will also spray back and forth to achieve the dual cleaning effect of high pressure jet and centrifugal cleaning.

[0060] It should be noted that, Figure 11 As can be seen, only one set of the symmetrical mounting tubes 75 contains the transmission structure of the gear section 77. In other words, only one mounting tube 75 needs to contain a transmission structure. Alternatively, additional gears could be added so that all symmetrical mounting tubes 75 contain a transmission structure, thus providing a rotational power source for both opposite sides of the wafer. However, considering the wafer's thinness and lightness, fewer driving sources are needed to achieve high-speed rotation. Furthermore, symmetrically arranging transmission structures could easily cause jamming. Nevertheless, the working principle is the same and falls within the scope of this invention.

[0061] Further, see Figures 12-15 As shown, in order to enable the wafer to rotate at high speed without an additional power source, and at the same time to limit and fix the wafer, ensuring the stability of the wafer after it is inserted into the base 76, the present invention uses the power of the speed-changing gear 77 to transmit to the end of the rotating assembly 8, relying on the high-speed rotation of the end to drive the wafer to rotate at high speed. At the same time, the end also has extensibility to provide clamping stability for the wafer. Specifically, the rotating assembly 8 includes a drive roller 88 that is poweredly connected to the speed-changing gear 77, and the rotating assembly 8 also includes a first worm gear 83 that is poweredly connected to the speed-changing gear 77. A first worm wheel 84 meshes on the first worm gear 83, and a transmission assembly 85 is fixed on the first worm wheel 84. A first support tube 81 corresponding to the transmission assembly 85 is fixed on the mounting tube 75. A support clamp 82 is fixed at the bottom of the first support tube 81. The support clamp 82 is adapted to the wafer structure. The two support clamps 82 and the base 76 together form a triangular support structure.

[0062] Secondly, the transmission assembly 85 includes a rotating rod 851 and a telescopic rod 852. One end of the rotating rod 851 is fixedly connected to the first worm gear 84. One end of the telescopic rod 852 is fixedly provided with a cross rod 853. A sliding groove 854 adapted to the cross rod 853 is opened in the rotating rod 851. A return spring 855 is provided in the sliding groove 854. The cross rod 853 is slidably connected to the sliding groove 854 through the return spring 855. The other end of the telescopic rod 852 is provided with a transmission bevel gear set 89. The rotating rod 851 is rotatably connected to the first support tube 81 and the mounting tube 75. One end of the drive roller 88 is poweredly connected to the telescopic rod 852 through the transmission bevel gear set 89. The other end of the drive roller 88 is fixedly provided with a connecting rod 86. The end of the connecting rod 86 away from the drive roller 88 is rotatably connected to the telescopic rod 852. A sliding rod 87 is fixedly provided on the connecting rod 86. The sliding rod 87 is slidably connected to the first support tube 81.

[0063] During operation, the transmission rod inside the mounting tube 75 drives the rotating rod 851 to rotate at high speed via the transmission of the first worm gear 83 and the first worm wheel 84. The rotating rod 851 then transmits power to the telescopic rod 852 through the cross-shaped limiting structure of the cross rod 853. This power, combined with the reversing transmission of the transmission bevel gear set 89, drives the drive roller 88 to rotate at high speed. Figure 12 As can be seen, the drive roller 88 can drive the wafer to rotate at high speed through friction. When the wafer is inserted into the base 76, the triangular support structure formed by the base 76 at the bottom and the support plates 82 on both sides ensures stable support for the wafer. When the wafer is inserted, the drive roller 88 can be compressed. When the wafer insertion is complete, the drive roller 88 resets to limit the wafer's movement and ensures that the drive roller 88 is in close contact with the outer ring of the wafer, facilitating high-speed rotation. The drive roller 88 is located slightly above the wafer at the three o'clock position, ensuring that the wafer is limited and will not detach from the base 76 due to high-speed rotation. Figure 14 It can be seen that the slide bar 87 provides a limiting function during the extension, retraction and rotation of the drive roller 88.

[0064] Furthermore, see Figures 16-18As shown, in order to generate a high-speed jet by utilizing the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the bottom of the material box body 51, and to allow the cleaning fluid to reciprocate along the radial direction of the wafer during spraying, thus achieving all-round spraying of the wafer by means of its own rotation, this invention adopts Bernoulli's principle. The high-speed water flow entering through the water inlet 54 is further increased by flowing out through a narrow opening. Secondly, the nozzle is arranged in a fan-shaped spray structure to increase the spraying area. Then, the nozzle reciprocates along the radial direction of the wafer to achieve back-and-forth spraying. Specifically, the spraying assembly 9 includes a second support tube 94 fixed to one of the mounting tubes 75, with a reciprocating screw 93 rotatably connected inside the second support tube 94. The spraying assembly 9 also includes a second worm gear 91 poweredly connected to the transmission gear 77, with a second turbine 92 meshing on the second worm gear 91. One end of the second support pipe 94 is fixedly connected to the second turbine 92. The end of the second support pipe 94 away from the mounting pipe 75 is fixedly provided with a limiting rod 95 that matches the length of the threaded area of ​​the reciprocating screw 93. A nozzle 96 is threadedly connected to the reciprocating screw 93, and the nozzle 96 is slidably connected to the limiting rod 95. One end of the water inlet pipe 98 is connected to the water inlet hole 54, and the other end of the water inlet pipe 98 is connected to the telescopic pipe 99. The diameter of the end of the water inlet pipe 98 connected to the water inlet hole 54 is larger than the diameter of the end of the water inlet pipe 98 connected to the telescopic pipe 99. Secondly, several water spray grooves 97 are symmetrically opened on both sides of the nozzle 96. The water spray grooves 97 are arranged in a fan shape at equal intervals. The other end of the telescopic pipe 99 is connected to the water spray grooves 97. The water spray end of the water spray groove 97 is facing the wafer surface, and the reciprocating motion path of the nozzle 96 is along the radial direction of the wafer. The reciprocating threaded area of ​​the reciprocating screw 93 matches the radius of the wafer.

[0065] During operation, after the material box body 51 is immersed deep into the cleaning tank 2, the cleaning fluid enters the water inlet pipe 98 through the water inlet hole 54. Since the inlet and outlet diameters of the water inlet pipe 98 differ significantly, according to Bernoulli's principle, the flow velocity at the outlet end of the water inlet pipe 98 will further increase. Then, through the extensibility of the telescopic tube 99, it is ensured that the spray nozzle 96 maintains communication between the spray tank 97 and the water inlet pipe 98 during reciprocating motion. Similarly, the drive roller 88 is driven by a transmission gear 77 via a second worm gear 91 and a second turbine 92. The reciprocating screw 93 rotates, causing the nozzle 96 to reciprocate on the screw. Even though the screw 93 rotates at high speed, the thread pitch setting in the threaded area allows the nozzle 96 to maintain a suitable reciprocating speed. Then, the high-speed cleaning fluid sprayed from the telescopic tube 99 is sprayed through the spray tank 97 onto the wafer surface located on both sides of the nozzle 96. The spray tank 97 sprays in a fan shape, which can increase the spray area. Combined with the high-speed rotation of the wafer, the dual cleaning effect of wafer spray cleaning and centrifugal cleaning is achieved.

[0066] In summary, this invention, through the synergistic design of high-pressure jetting, vibration-to-rotation conversion, and reciprocating spraying, effectively overcomes the shortcomings of existing tank cleaning technologies in removing stubborn contaminants, achieving high efficiency, uniformity, and reliability in wafer cleaning, and significantly improving the cleaning quality in semiconductor manufacturing processes. Furthermore, it effectively solves the problem that while existing tank cleaning technologies can process wafers in batches, relying solely on vibration or ultrasound is insufficient to effectively remove stubborn contaminants, resulting in limited cleaning effects.

[0067] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0068] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing, comprising a wafer cleaning device (1), wherein the wafer cleaning device (1) is provided with a plurality of cleaning tanks (2), and the wafer cleaning device (1) is further provided with a vibration system, characterized in that: A limiting component (6) is symmetrically arranged inside the cleaning tank (2). A wafer cassette (5) is arranged below the vibration system. A drive component (7) is arranged inside the wafer cassette (5). Several wafers are placed on the drive component (7). Several sets of rotating components (8) corresponding to the number of wafers and adapted to the phase are symmetrically arranged on the drive component (7). A spray washing component (9) is arranged between every two sets of rotating components (8) on the drive component (7). The drive component (7) achieves high-speed rotation of the rotating components (8) and reciprocating spraying of the spray washing component (9) by vibrating up and down through the vibration system in conjunction with the limiting component (6). The limiting component (6) includes a limiting plate (61) fixed on the inner wall of the cleaning tank (2), and a first driving groove (62) is provided in the limiting plate (61). The drive assembly (7) includes cams (71) that rotate and set both sides of the wafer cassette (5). The cams (71) are provided with elastic telescopic rods (72) that are adapted to the first drive groove (62). The wafer cassette (5) is provided with a speed-changing gear part (77) that is powered by the cams (71). The rotating assembly (8) includes a drive roller (88) that is poweredly connected to the transmission gear section (77); The spray washing assembly (9) includes a water inlet pipe (98) whose end is connected to the cleaning tank (2), and a nozzle (96) connected to the front end of the water inlet pipe (98). The nozzle (96) is mounted on a reciprocating screw (93), and the reciprocating screw (93) is poweredly connected to the speed change gear (77).

2. The wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vibration system includes a moving device (3) located above the cleaning tank (2) in the wafer cleaning equipment (1), and a vibration device (4) located below the moving device (3).

3. The wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer cassette (5) includes a cassette body (51), the bottom of the cassette body (51) has a concave structure, and drainage grooves (52) are symmetrically opened on both sides of the bottom of the cassette body (51). A one-way valve plate (53) is provided on the outside of the cassette body (51) on the drainage grooves (52) to restrict the liquid in the cassette body (51) to only flow out and not flow in. The material box body (51) has several water inlet holes (54) at one end, which correspond one-to-one with the number of wafers that can be placed on the drive component (7).

4. The wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The limiting plate (61) is provided with a second driving groove (63) inside the first driving groove (62). The second driving groove (63) is adapted to the position of the elastic telescopic rod (72), and the first driving groove (62) and the second driving groove (63) are in a circular structure. The top of the limiting plate (61) is also fixed with a limiting plate (64). A guide groove (65) is opened on the limiting plate (64) at the same side as the first driving groove (62). The guide groove (65) has a conical structure. The top and bottom of the guide groove (65) are open. The top opening of the guide groove (65) is larger than the bottom opening. The bottom opening of the guide groove (65) and the diameter of the first driving groove (62) and the elastic telescopic rod (72) are matched. The bottom of the guide groove (65) is connected to the first driving groove (62). The top of the elastic telescopic rod (72) has a smooth structure.

5. The wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing according to claim 4, characterized in that: The drive assembly (7) also includes a support frame (73) fixed in the material box body (51). The support frame (73) has mounting boxes (74) symmetrically fixed on both sides. The support frame (73) has mounting tubes (75) with a U-shaped structure symmetrically fixed at both ends. The support frame (73) has several bases (76) uniformly fixed at the bottom of the support frame (73) that are adapted to the wafer structure. The speed change gear section (77) is disposed in the mounting box (74) and one of the mounting tubes (75). The speed change gear section (77) includes two sets of bevel gears of different sizes disposed in the mounting box (74) for speed change and power transmission. The speed-changing gear section (77) also includes several transmission rods and transmission bevel gears adapted to the mounting tube (75) of the U-shaped structure.

6. The wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing according to claim 5, characterized in that: The rotating assembly (8) further includes a first worm (83) that is poweredly connected to the transmission gear (77). A first worm wheel (84) meshes with the first worm (83). A transmission assembly (85) is fixed on the first worm wheel (84). A first support tube (81) corresponding to the transmission assembly (85) is fixed on the mounting tube (75). A support clamp (82) is fixed at the bottom of the first support tube (81). The support clamp (82) is adapted to the wafer structure. The two support clamps (82) and the base (76) together form a triangular support structure.

7. The wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing according to claim 6, characterized in that: The transmission assembly (85) includes a rotating rod (851) and a telescopic rod (852). One end of the rotating rod (851) is fixedly connected to the first worm gear (84). One end of the telescopic rod (852) is fixedly provided with a cross rod (853). A sliding groove (854) adapted to the cross rod (853) is opened in the rotating rod (851). A return spring (855) is provided in the sliding groove (854). The cross rod (853) is slidably connected to the sliding groove (854) through the return spring (855). A transmission bevel gear set (89) is provided at the other end of the telescopic rod (852). The rotating rod (851) is rotatably connected to the first support tube (81) and the mounting tube (75). One end of the drive roller (88) is poweredly connected to the telescopic rod (852) through a transmission bevel gear set (89). The other end of the drive roller (88) is fixedly provided with a connecting rod (86). The end of the connecting rod (86) away from the drive roller (88) is rotatably connected to the telescopic rod (852). A sliding rod (87) is fixedly provided on the connecting rod (86). The sliding rod (87) is slidably connected to the first support tube (81).

8. The wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spray washing assembly (9) includes a second support tube (94) fixed on one of the mounting tubes (75), a reciprocating screw (93) is rotatably connected inside the second support tube (94), the spray washing assembly (9) also includes a second worm (91) poweredly connected to the transmission gear (77), a second turbine (92) meshing on the second worm (91), one end of the reciprocating screw (93) is fixedly connected to the second turbine (92), a limiting rod (95) adapted to the thread length of the reciprocating screw (93) is fixedly provided at the end of the second support tube (94) away from the mounting tube (75), and a nozzle (96) is threadedly connected to the reciprocating screw (93), the nozzle (96) is slidably connected to the limiting rod (95).

9. The wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing according to claim 8, characterized in that: One end of the water inlet pipe (98) is connected to the water inlet hole (54), and the other end of the water inlet pipe (98) is connected to the telescopic pipe (99). The diameter of the end of the water inlet pipe (98) connected to the water inlet hole (54) is larger than the diameter of the end of the water inlet pipe (98) connected to the telescopic pipe (99).

10. The wafer cleaning machine for semiconductor device manufacturing according to claim 9, characterized in that: The nozzle (96) has several water spray grooves (97) symmetrically arranged on both sides. The water spray grooves (97) are arranged in a fan shape at equal intervals. The other end of the telescopic tube (99) is connected to the water spray groove (97). The water spray end of the water spray groove (97) is facing the wafer surface. The reciprocating motion path of the nozzle (96) is along the radial direction of the wafer. The reciprocating thread area of ​​the reciprocating screw (93) matches the radius of the wafer.

Images