Method and system for cleaning semiconductor wafer

Abstract

A method and a system are provided for cleaning a surface of a wafer. The method starts by scrubbing the surface of the wafer with a cleaning brush that applies a chemical solution to the surface of the wafer. In one example, the cleaning brush implements a through the brush (TTB) technique to apply the chemicals. The scrubbing is generally performed in a brush box, with a top cleaning brush and a bottom cleaning brush. The top cleaning brush is then removed from contact with the surface of the wafer. The chemical concentration in the top brush may be maintained at substantially the same concentration that was in the brush during the scrubbing operation. Next, a flow of water (preferably de-ionized water) is delivered to the surface of the wafer. The delivery of water is preferably configured to remove substantially all of the chemical solution from the surface of the wafer before proceeding to a next cleaning operation.

Description

technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to cleaning of semiconductor wafers, and more particularly to techniques for applying cleaning liquid to wafers more efficiently and improving wafer cleaning capabilities. Background technique

[0002] In the manufacture of semiconductor wafers, it is well known that unnecessary residues left on the wafer surface by the manufacturing operations that have been performed must be cleaned. Examples of such manufacturing operations include plasma etching (eg, tungsten etch back (WEB)) and chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). If unwanted residues and particles are left on the surface of the wafer during successive manufacturing operations, these residues and particles can cause defects such as scratches on the wafer surface and improper interactions between metallization features. In some cases, such defects can cause devices on the wafer to become non-functional. To avoid the additional cost of discarding wafers with non-func...

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