Wafer supporting device and wafer cleaning device

Abstract

The present invention discloses a wafer support device and a wafer cleaning device. The wafer support device includes a support assembly that moves to horizontally support a wafer; at least one support assembly can swing relative to its movement direction to adjust the position of the support assembly. The wafer support device of the present invention ensures that the support rollers are in uniform contact with the outer edge of the wafer, ensuring reliable support of the wafer. A cleaning brush positioned on the side of the wafer effectively removes debris from the wafer surface, achieving surface cleaning of the wafer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of wafer post-processing, and in particular relates to a wafer supporting device and a wafer cleaning device. Background Art

[0002] Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) is an ultra-precision surface finishing technology that achieves global planarization. Because the CMP process uses a large number of chemicals and abrasives, which can contaminate the wafer surface, post-processing is required. This process typically consists of cleaning and drying to provide a smooth and clean wafer surface.

[0003] Horizontal cleaning is a common post-processing technique. The wafer to be cleaned is positioned horizontally, with cleaning brushes positioned on either side of the wafer. Horizontal wet cleaning utilizes mechanical action to dislodge contaminants from the wafer surface and dissolve them into the cleaning solution. Furthermore, the cleaning solution chemically reacts with contaminants on the wafer surface, dissolving them into the cleaning solution and removing them.

[0004] In the prior art, the wafer is supported horizontally by support rollers, such as Figure 1 As shown in (a), the support roller 12' contacts the outer edge of the wafer W. Some support rollers are equipped with a device that drives the support roller to rotate. The wafer rotates under the action of the friction between the support roller 12' and the outer edge of the wafer W, and then the cleaning brush set on the side of the wafer removes contaminants on the wafer surface. Due to errors in the assembly process of the support roller, the support roller 12' and the outer edge of the wafer W may have uneven contact or no contact. Figure 1 As shown in (b), in this embodiment, one of the support rollers 12' is not in contact with the outer edge of the wafer W, causing the wafer to wobble during rotation. This means the wafer cannot remain level during the scrubbing process, resulting in uneven contact between the cleaning brush and the rotating wafer, which in turn affects the wafer cleaning effect. Furthermore, after a period of use, the support rollers may age and deform, which can also result in uneven or no contact between the support roller and the outer edge of the wafer. This aging of the support rollers can also affect the wafer cleaning effect.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a wafer supporting device and a wafer cleaning device to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to at least partially address one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, a first aspect of the present invention provides a wafer support device comprising a support assembly that moves to horizontally support a wafer; at least one support assembly is capable of swinging relative to its direction of movement to adjust its position.

[0007] Preferably, the support assembly includes a support roller located thereon, and the support assembly swings to adjust the gap between the support roller and the outer edge of the wafer.

[0008] Preferably, the support assembly includes a swivel assembly, and the swivel assembly enables the support assembly to swing adaptively.

[0009] Preferably, the support assembly is configured with an active support roller and / or a driven support roller, and the support assembly swings adaptively to adjust the position of the active support roller and / or the driven support roller.

[0010] Preferably, the support assembly includes a support plate on which an active support roller and a driven support roller are provided; the support plate is connected to a moving assembly through a rotating assembly, and the moving assembly drives the support plate and the support rollers thereon to move toward each other to horizontally support the wafer.

[0011] Preferably, the support assembly includes a support plate, an active support roller, a driven support roller and a rotating assembly. The active support roller and / or the driven support roller are connected to the support plate through a rotating assembly. The rotating assembly enables the support roller to swing adaptively to adjust the gap between it and the outer edge of the wafer.

[0012] Preferably, the rotary assembly includes a connecting shaft and a sleeve, one end of the connecting shaft is connected to the supporting assembly, and the other end of the connecting shaft is pivotally connected to the sleeve provided on the moving assembly.

[0013] Preferably, the support roller includes a connecting part and a supporting part located on the top of the connecting part, the supporting part includes an upper support body, a gasket and a lower support body, the gasket is arranged in a groove formed by the upper support body and the lower support body; a gap is provided on the outer side surface and / or part of the top surface of the gasket that contacts the upper support body and the lower support body.

[0014] A second aspect of the present invention provides a wafer cleaning device, which includes the wafer supporting device described above, wherein the wafer supporting device horizontally supports the wafer, and the upper surface and / or lower surface of the wafer is provided with a cleaning brush for removing impurities on the wafer surface.

[0015] Preferably, the cleaning brush is arranged non-parallel to the side of the horizontally supported wafer.

[0016] The present invention discloses a wafer support device equipped with at least one support assembly that adaptively swings to adjust the gap between the support roller and the outer edge of the wafer W, ensuring uniform contact between the support roller and the outer edge of the wafer W and ensuring stable rotation of the horizontally mounted wafer W. The present invention also discloses a wafer cleaning device, comprising the aforementioned wafer support device. A cleaning brush is provided on the side of the horizontally supported wafer W to remove impurities from the wafer surface, providing excellent cleaning results. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The advantages of the present invention will become clearer and easier to understand through the detailed description made in conjunction with the following drawings, which are only exemplary and do not limit the scope of protection of the present invention, wherein:

[0018] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer support device in the prior art;

[0019] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer supporting device according to the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the connection between the rotary assembly, the moving assembly and the supporting assembly of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A partial enlarged view of the

[0022] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the support roller of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A partial enlarged view of the support body;

[0024] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer cleaning device described in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The technical solutions of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described herein are specific embodiments of the present invention and are used to illustrate the concept of the present invention; these descriptions are explanatory and exemplary and should not be understood as limiting the embodiments of the present invention and the scope of protection of the present invention. In addition to the embodiments described herein, those skilled in the art can also adopt other obvious technical solutions based on the contents disclosed in the claims of this application and its specification, including technical solutions that adopt any obvious replacements and modifications to the embodiments described herein.

[0026] The drawings in this specification are schematic diagrams that assist in illustrating the concepts of the present invention and schematically illustrate the shapes of the various components and their interrelationships. It should be understood that in order to clearly illustrate the structures of the various components of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not drawn to the same scale, and the same reference numerals are used to represent the same parts in the drawings.

[0027] As one aspect of the present invention, the present invention discloses a wafer supporting device for horizontally supporting a wafer. Figure 2It is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer support device 100 described in the present invention, which includes a support component 10. The support component 10 is equipped with a moving component 20. The moving component 20 is arranged at the lower part of the support component 10. The moving component 20 drives the support component 10 to move to support the wafer W horizontally.

[0028] exist Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, there are two support assemblies 10, which move toward each other to support the wafer W so that the wafer W is horizontally disposed. It is understood that the support assemblies 10 may also be of other numbers, such as three, four, or other numbers, as long as the moving assembly 20 drives the support assemblies 10 to move toward the outer edge of the wafer W to support the wafer W.

[0029] As one aspect of this embodiment, the support assembly 10 includes a support plate 11 and a support roller 12, and the support roller 12 is disposed on the upper portion of the support plate 11. Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, there are two support rollers 12 , and the contact points between the support rollers 12 and the outer edge of the wafer W are arranged at the same horizontal plane to ensure horizontal support of the wafer W. It is understood that the number of support rollers 12 arranged on the upper portion of the support plate 11 may be one, three, or another number, as long as the contact points between the support rollers 12 and the outer edge of the wafer W are arranged at the same horizontal plane.

[0030] exist Figure 2 In the embodiment shown, the wafer support device also includes a rotating assembly 30, which is arranged between the support assembly 10 and the moving assembly 20. The rotating assembly 30 causes the support assembly 10 connected thereto to swing relative to the moving direction to adjust the position of the support assembly 10, thereby achieving uniform contact between the support roller 12 and the outer edge of the wafer W, and avoiding swinging during the horizontal rotation of the wafer, which affects the cleaning effect of the wafer.

[0031] As an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2As shown, the wafer support device includes two support assemblies 10, and a rotary assembly 30 is provided at the bottom of each support assembly 10. The setting of the rotary assembly 30 allows the support assembly 10 to swing relative to the moving direction of the support assembly 10 to adjust the position of the support assembly, that is, the gap between the support roller 12 and the outer edge of the wafer W is adjusted by the swing of the support assembly 10, so that the support roller 12 is in uniform contact with the outer edge of the wafer W, ensuring a good cleaning effect of the wafer. As a variation of this embodiment, the rotary assembly 30 is provided at the bottom of one support assembly 10, while the rotary assembly 30 may not be provided at the other support assembly 10. That is, one of the support assemblies 10 can swing relative to its moving direction to ensure that the support roller 12 is in uniform contact with the outside of the wafer W. In some embodiments, the wafer support device includes a plurality of support assemblies 10, and the support assemblies 10 can move along the position of the wafer W to support the wafer W. To ensure uniform contact between the support roller and the outer edge of the wafer W, at least one support assembly 10 can swing relative to its moving direction to adjust the gap between the support roller 12 and the outer edge of the wafer so that the support roller is in full contact with the outer edge of the wafer W.

[0032] Figure 3 3 is a connection diagram of the rotary assembly 30 of the present invention, and the rotary assembly 30 includes a connecting shaft 31 and a sleeve 32. One end of the connecting shaft 10 is connected to the support plate 11 of the support assembly 10, and the other end of the connecting shaft 10 is pivotally connected to the sleeve 32 provided on the moving assembly 20. A bushing 33 is provided inside the sleeve 32, and the end of the connecting shaft 31 is clearance-fitted with the bushing 33, so that the connecting shaft 31 can adaptively rotate around the bushing 33 inside the sleeve 32 to drive the support assembly 10 connected to the connecting shaft 31 to swing in the horizontal direction. The bushing 33 is made of a material with good wear resistance and self-lubricating properties, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and / or polypropylene (PP), to ensure that the connecting shaft 31 can adaptively rotate along the sleeve 32. Figure 4 It is a partial enlarged view of the connection between the connecting shaft 31 and the bushing 33. In this embodiment, the bushing 33 is made of PTFE, and the connecting shaft 31 can adaptively rotate along the bushing 33.

[0033] As an embodiment of the present invention, the support plate 11 of the support assembly 10 is provided with an active support roller 12a and a driven support roller 12b. Figure 2As shown. The active support roller 12a and the driven support roller 12b are arranged at the end of the support plate 11 so that the contact point between the active support roller 12a and the wafer W and the contact point between the driven support roller 12b and the wafer W are separated, thereby forming a reliable support for the wafer W. The active support roller 12a is equipped with a direct drive motor. Under the electric power of the direct drive motor, the active support roller 12a rotates around the axis of the support roller. Under the action of friction, the support roller drives the wafer W to rotate. The driven support roller 12b does not need to be equipped with a driving device. The wafer W is in full contact with the driven support roller 12b. The rotating wafer W can drive the driven support roller 12b to rotate. The driven support roller 12b can reliably limit the rotating wafer W to ensure the smooth rotation of the wafer W. As another embodiment of the present invention, the active support roller 12a and the driven support roller 12b are arranged around the outer peripheral side of the wafer W, wherein the active support roller 12a and the driven support roller 12b are arranged at intervals to ensure the smooth rotation of the wafer W.

[0034] As a variation of this embodiment, an active support roller 12a and / or a driven support roller 12b may be provided on the support plate 11 of the support assembly 10, and the support assembly 10 swings adaptively, and the active support roller 12a and / or the driven support roller 12b thereon moves in position, so that the support roller 12 is in full contact with the outer edge of the wafer W, thereby ensuring the smooth rotation of the wafer.

[0035] As one aspect of this embodiment, the driven support roller 12b may be equipped with a speed measuring device to measure corresponding rotational parameters of the driven support roller 12b, such as whether it is rotating and its rotational speed. In this way, the operating status of the driven support roller 12b can be monitored in real time through the speed measuring device, thereby indirectly monitoring the rotational status of the horizontally positioned wafer W.

[0036] As an embodiment of the present invention, the active support roller 12a and the driven support roller 12b on the support plate 11 can be connected by a transmission device to realize the rotation of the support roller 12. The transmission device can be a conveyor belt, a transmission chain or other transmission mechanism.

[0037] As another embodiment of the present invention, the support assembly 10 includes a support plate 11, an active support roller 12a, a driven support roller 12b and a rotating assembly 30. The active support roller 12a and / or the driven support roller 12b are connected to the support plate 11 through the rotating assembly 30. The rotating assembly 30 enables the support roller 12 to swing adaptively to adjust the gap between it and the outer edge of the wafer W. As one aspect of this embodiment, the wafer support device includes four support assemblies 10, and the support assembly 10 is arranged along the radial direction of the wafer W to be supported. The support assembly 10 includes a support plate 11, and an active support roller 12a is provided on the support plate 11. The active support roller 12a is connected to the support plate 11 through the rotating assembly 30. The moving assembly 20 is connected to the rotating assembly 30 and moves along the radial direction of the wafer W. Under the action of the swivel assembly 30, the support plate 11 and the active support rollers 12a thereon can swing relative to the movement direction of the support assembly 10 to adjust the gap between the active support rollers 12a and the outer edge of the wafer W, ensuring uniform contact between the support rollers and the outer edge of the wafer W. As a variation of this embodiment, at least one support assembly 10 is equipped with a swivel assembly 30 to enhance the adaptability of the wafer support device.

[0038] Figure 5 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the support roller 12 of the present invention, which includes a connecting portion 121 and a supporting portion 122 located on top of the connecting portion 121. The connecting body 121 is connected to the support plate 11, and the connecting body 121 may be provided with a driving motor or a speed measuring device.

[0039] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A partial enlarged view of the middle support portion 122 shows that the support portion 122 includes an upper support body 1221, a washer 1222, and a lower support body 1223. The washer 1222 is disposed in the groove formed by the upper support body 1221 and the lower support body 1223. The outer side of the washer 1222 is provided with a V-shaped groove that matches the thickness of the wafer W. To ensure that the wafer W is accurately inserted into the V-shaped groove of the washer 1222, the top surface of the lower support body 1223 is provided with a first inclined surface that is parallel to the lower inclined surface corresponding to the V-shaped groove. Simultaneously, a second inclined surface is provided on the bottom surface of the upper support body 1221, and the second inclined surface is parallel to the lower inclined surface corresponding to the V-shaped groove.

[0040] As an embodiment of the present invention, the gasket 1222 is made of polyurethane, which has good chemical resistance, resilience and mechanical properties and can absorb vibrations. The gasket 1222 made of polyurethane can reliably fix the wafer W, and a pair of outer edges of the wafer W form a reliable support. It can be understood that the gasket 1222 can also be made of other materials with good chemical resistance, resilience and mechanical properties. Since the support portion 122 needs to be in contact with the cleaning liquid for a long time, the upper support body 1221 and the lower support body 1223 are made of materials that are relatively inert to chemical reactions, such as PPS, PTFE, PP, PET and / or PEEK. Figure 5 and Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, the upper support body 1221 and the lower support body 1223 are made of PPS.

[0041] In order to weaken the influence of aging and deformation of the gasket 1222 on the support of the wafer W, a gap is provided on the outer side of the gasket 1222 in contact with the upper support body 1221 and the lower support body 1223, such as Figure 6 As shown. The aged and deformed gasket 1222 can fill the reserved gap without being squeezed by the upper support body 1221 and / or the lower support body 1223, which affects the V-shaped groove on the outer side of the gasket 1222. As a variation of this embodiment, a gap can also be provided on the top surface of the gasket 1222 that contacts the upper support body 1221 and the lower support body 1223 to reserve space for the gasket 1222 to age and deform, thereby ensuring the structural problem of the V-shaped groove supporting the wafer W. Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, gaps are provided between the outer side surfaces and a portion of the top surface of the gasket 1222 in contact with the upper support body 1221 and the lower support body 1223 to allow for deformation due to aging of the gasket 1222. As one aspect of this embodiment, the gaps between the outer side surfaces of the gasket 1222 in contact with the upper support body 1221 and the lower support body 1223 are 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, and the gaps between the top surfaces of the gasket 1222 in contact with the upper support body 1221 and the lower support body 1223 are 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm.

[0042] As another aspect of the present invention, the present invention also discloses a wafer cleaning device 1000. Figure 7 As shown, it includes the wafer support device 100 described above. The wafer support device 100 horizontally supports the wafer W. The upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W are provided with cleaning brushes 200 for removing impurities from the wafer surface. The cleaning brushes 200 are connected to a support assembly 300 located on the side to provide support and rotational power for the cleaning brushes 200. Multiple sets of nozzles (not shown) are arranged in parallel above the support assembly 300 to spray cleaning liquid toward the cleaning brushes 200. The rotating cleaning brushes 200 contact the side of the wafer W to remove impurities from the wafer surface.

[0043] As one embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning brush 200 is positioned non-parallel to the side of the horizontally supported wafer W, and the axis of the cleaning brush 200 forms a certain angle with the horizontal plane of the wafer W. This creates a certain rolling force on the wafer W between the cleaning brushes 200, promotes the rotation of the wafer W, and ensures a good cleaning effect. As one aspect of this embodiment, the angle between the axis of the cleaning brush 200 and the horizontal plane of the wafer W is 0.1-5°, and preferably, the angle between the axis of the cleaning brush 200 and the horizontal plane of the wafer W is 0.5°.

[0044] Throughout this specification, reference to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples" means that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in conjunction with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, illustrative uses of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0045] While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A wafer support device, characterized in that: The device comprises a support assembly that moves to horizontally support the wafer; at least one support assembly can swing relative to its moving direction to adjust the position of the support assembly; The support assembly includes a support plate and a support roller, an active support roller and a driven support roller are provided on the support plate, and the support assembly swings to adjust the gap between the support roller and the outer edge of the wafer; the support plate is connected to the movable assembly through a rotary assembly, and the movable assembly drives the support plate and the support roller to move toward each other to horizontally support the wafer; the rotary assembly includes a connecting shaft and a sleeve, one end of the connecting shaft is connected to the support assembly, and the other end thereof is pivotally connected to the sleeve provided in the movable assembly; the end of the connecting shaft is in clearance fit with a bushing in the sleeve, and it rotates adaptively around the bushing to drive the support assembly to swing in the horizontal direction; the bushing is made of polytetrafluoroethylene; The support roller includes a connecting part and a supporting part located on the top of the connecting part, the supporting part includes an upper supporting body, a gasket and a lower supporting body, the gasket is arranged in a groove formed by the upper supporting body and the lower supporting body; the outer side surface and / or part of the top surface of the gasket in contact with the upper supporting body and the lower supporting body are provided with a gap; the gap between the outer side surface of the gasket in contact with the upper supporting body and the lower supporting body is 0.1mm-0.5mm.

2. The wafer support device according to claim 1, wherein: The support assembly includes a swivel assembly, and the swivel assembly enables the support assembly to swing adaptively.

3. The wafer support device according to claim 1, wherein: The support assembly is configured with an active support roller and / or a driven support roller, and the support assembly swings adaptively to adjust the position of the active support roller and / or the driven support roller.

4. The wafer support device according to claim 1, wherein: The support assembly includes a support plate, an active support roller, a driven support roller and a rotating assembly. The active support roller and / or the driven support roller are connected to the support plate through the rotating assembly. The rotating assembly enables the support roller to swing adaptively to adjust the gap between it and the outer edge of the wafer.

5. A wafer cleaning device, characterized in that: The wafer support device comprises the wafer support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the wafer support device horizontally supports the wafer, and the upper surface and / or lower surface of the wafer is provided with a cleaning brush for removing impurities on the wafer surface.

6. The wafer cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein: The cleaning brush is arranged non-parallel to the side surface of the horizontally supported wafer.

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