An apparatus for cleaning wafer surfaces

Abstract

This invention discloses an apparatus for cleaning wafer surfaces, comprising a housing with a base at its bottom; a rotating mechanism mounted on the base for placing and rotating wafers; and a cleaning mechanism at the top of the housing, including a lifting plate, a power mechanism for moving the lifting plate up and down above the wafers, and multiple spray pipes; the lifting plate has a circular cross-section; several nozzles are mounted on the lifting plate, facing the base, for spraying cleaning media onto the wafer surface; the nozzles are arranged in multiple rings around the center of the lifting plate; each spray pipe is connected to at least one nozzle and is used to deliver different cleaning media. This invention allows for rapid switching of cleaning media, saving operation time and improving cleaning efficiency; furthermore, the recovery component has a certain temperature, allowing the splashed cleaning liquid to quickly slide down the inner wall of the recovery component, preventing backsplashing and improving wafer yield.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor cleaning technology, and more particularly to an apparatus for cleaning wafer surfaces. Background Technology

[0002] A wafer is the carrier used to produce integrated circuits. Generally speaking, a wafer usually refers to a single-crystal silicon wafer. Single-crystal silicon wafers are made by drawing and refining ordinary silicon sand, and then dissolving, purifying, and distilling it to produce single-crystal silicon rods. After polishing and slicing, the single-crystal silicon rods become wafers.

[0003] During wafer fabrication, processes such as etching and polishing generate contaminants on the wafer surface. To ensure wafer surface cleanliness and eliminate these contaminants from various processes, wafer cleaning is necessary. Therefore, designing a wafer cleaning system that is efficient, fast, and yields high efficiency is a problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing an apparatus for cleaning wafer surfaces.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] An apparatus for cleaning wafer surfaces is provided, including an apparatus housing.

[0007] The bottom of the device housing is a base;

[0008] The base is provided with a rotating mechanism, which is used to place the wafer and drive the wafer to rotate.

[0009] The top of the device housing is equipped with a cleaning mechanism, which includes a lifting plate, a power mechanism that drives the lifting plate to move up and down above the wafer, and multiple spray pipes; the lifting plate has a circular cross-section.

[0010] The lifting plate is equipped with several nozzles, which face the base and are used to spray cleaning medium onto the surface of the wafer; the nozzles are distributed in multiple rings along the center of the lifting plate.

[0011] Each of the spray lines is connected to at least one of the spray heads, and the spray lines are used to deliver different cleaning media.

[0012] Furthermore, the nozzles are divided into multiple nozzle groups, and the number of spray pipes is the same as the number of nozzle groups, and they correspond one-to-one.

[0013] Furthermore, at least two of the nozzles in each ring-shaped distribution belong to the same group of nozzles.

[0014] Furthermore, the extension line of each of the nozzles is aligned with the center point of the platform of the rotating mechanism.

[0015] Furthermore, each of the spray pipes is connected to a different cleaning medium delivery mechanism.

[0016] Furthermore, the cleaning medium includes cleaning gas or cleaning spray.

[0017] Furthermore, a recycling assembly is also provided inside the device housing. The recycling assembly includes a baffle and a heating element, and the baffle is arranged to surround the rotating mechanism.

[0018] Furthermore, the heating element is embedded within the baffle to heat the baffle.

[0019] The present invention adopts the above technical solution and has the following technical effects compared with the prior art:

[0020] The device of the present invention can quickly switch cleaning media, save operation time, and improve cleaning efficiency; and the recovery component is equipped with a certain temperature, so the sputtered cleaning liquid can slide down quickly along the inner wall of the recovery component to prevent back splashing, which can effectively improve the yield of wafers. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the device of the present invention;

[0022] The reference numerals in the attached figures are:

[0023] Device housing 1, base 2, rotating mechanism 3, wafer 4, lifting plate 5, power mechanism 6, nozzle 7, platform 8, baffle 9. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but this is not intended to limit the invention. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0025] Please see Figure 1 This embodiment provides an apparatus for cleaning the surface of a wafer, including an apparatus housing 1, the bottom of which is a base 2; a rotating mechanism 3 is provided on the base 2, the rotating mechanism 3 is used to place the wafer 4 and drive the wafer 4 to rotate; a cleaning mechanism is provided on the top of the apparatus housing 1, the cleaning mechanism includes a lifting plate 5, a power mechanism 6 that drives the lifting plate 5 to move up and down above the wafer 4, and multiple spray pipes; the lifting plate 5 has a circular cross-section;

[0026] The lifting plate 5 is equipped with several nozzles 7 facing the base 2, which are used to spray cleaning media onto the surface of the wafer 4. The nozzles 7 are arranged in multiple rings along the center of the lifting plate 5. Each spray pipe is connected to at least one nozzle 7. The spray pipe is used to transport different cleaning media to quickly switch the type of cleaning media sprayed onto the surface of the wafer 4.

[0027] In this invention, each spray pipe is connected to a different cleaning medium delivery mechanism. By controlling the opening or closing of the cleaning medium delivery mechanism, different types of cleaning media can be quickly switched and selectively sprayed onto the surface of the wafer 4 through the nozzle 7, saving operation time and improving cleaning efficiency.

[0028] In this embodiment, the nozzles 7 are divided into multiple nozzle groups, and the number of spray pipes is the same as the number of nozzle groups, and they correspond one-to-one; at least two of the nozzles 7 in each ring belong to the same nozzle group; the extension line of each nozzle 7 is aligned with the center point of the platform 8 of the rotating mechanism 3. The above design allows the nozzles 7 to spray the cleaning medium onto the surface of the wafer 4 better and more evenly, preventing the generation of spray dead zones.

[0029] In practical applications, each spray pipe is designed to deliver a fixed medium to avoid the media from reacting with each other and affecting the cleaning effect. Furthermore, the above design can be customized according to the physical and chemical properties of the cleaning medium, including the material of the spray pipe and the type and model of the cleaning medium delivery mechanism.

[0030] In this embodiment, the cleaning medium includes cleaning gas or cleaning spray, or high-temperature dry air, which is sprayed onto the surface of the wafer 4 through the nozzle 7 to dry the wafer 4.

[0031] The device in this embodiment also includes a recycling component, which is disposed inside the device housing 1. It includes a cylindrical baffle 9 and a heating element. The heating element is embedded in the cylindrical baffle 9 to heat the cylindrical baffle 9.

[0032] The cylindrical baffle 9 is arranged to surround the rotating mechanism 3. The cylindrical baffle 9 is divided into a lower straight section and an upper constricted section. The bottom end of the straight section is fixedly connected to the base 2, and the constricted section is away from the base 2. The diameter of the constricted section gradually decreases in the upward direction. In addition, the height of the cylindrical baffle 9 is not lower than the horizontal height of the surface of the wafer 4.

[0033] In other embodiments, the shape of the baffle 9 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, but can be other shapes, which are not limited here.

[0034] In this embodiment, the heating element is embedded in the baffle 9 to heat the baffle 9 so that the temperature of the baffle 9 is 50-60°C. At this temperature, the liquid cleaning medium remains in a liquid state and is not easy to solidify. Therefore, it is not easy to adhere to the inner wall of the baffle 9. The splashed cleaning liquid can slide down quickly along the inner wall of the baffle 9 to prevent back splashing, which can effectively improve the yield of the wafer.

[0035] The heating element mentioned above can be a resistance temperature detector (RTD) or a heating element, or other heating methods, which are not limited here.

[0036] The device in this embodiment also includes two waste liquid discharge channels opened inside the base 2, which are respectively connected to the space enclosed by the baffle 9 and the space enclosed by the baffle 9 and the inner wall of the device housing 1.

[0037] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the implementation and protection scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should realize that any equivalent substitutions and obvious changes made based on the content and illustrations of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An apparatus for cleaning wafer surfaces, comprising an apparatus housing, characterized in that, The bottom of the device housing is a base; The base is provided with a rotating mechanism, which is used to place the wafer and drive the wafer to rotate. The top of the device housing is equipped with a cleaning mechanism, which includes a lifting plate, a power mechanism that drives the lifting plate to move up and down above the wafer, and multiple spray pipes; the lifting plate has a circular cross-section. The lifting plate is equipped with several nozzles, which face the base and are used to spray cleaning medium onto the surface of the wafer; the nozzles are distributed in multiple rings along the center of the lifting plate. Each of the spray pipes is connected to at least one of the spray heads, and the spray pipes are used to deliver different cleaning media; The nozzles are divided into multiple nozzle groups, and the number of spray pipes is the same as the number of nozzle groups, and they correspond one-to-one; at least two of the nozzles in each ring belong to the same nozzle group; the extension line of each nozzle is aligned with the center point of the platform of the rotating mechanism. The device housing also includes a recycling assembly, which comprises a baffle and a heating element. The baffle is arranged to surround the rotating mechanism, and the heating element is embedded in the baffle to heat the baffle. The baffle is cylindrical, divided into a straight section at the bottom and a narrowed section at the top. The bottom end of the straight section is fixedly connected to the base. The narrowed section is far from the base and its diameter gradually decreases at one end in the upward direction. The height of the baffle is not lower than the horizontal height of the wafer surface.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the spray pipes is connected to a different cleaning medium delivery mechanism.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning medium includes cleaning gas or cleaning spray.

Images