Dry media recovery system and semiconductor drying apparatus

By designing a drying medium recovery system, the carbon dioxide in the supercritical carbon dioxide drying process is condensed and separated using condensation pipelines and separation devices, thus solving the problem of carbon dioxide recovery and realizing the efficient recovery and recycling of the drying medium.

CN119146719BActive Publication Date: 2026-02-24ACM RES (SHANGHAI) INC
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202310725044.X
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-06-16
Publication Date
2026-02-24
Estimated Expiration
2043-06-16

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In existing technologies, the supercritical carbon dioxide drying process for wafers uses a large amount of carbon dioxide, leading to environmental pollution and resource waste, and making effective recycling difficult.

Method used

Design a dry medium recovery system, including a condenser pipeline and a separation device. The condenser pipeline condenses the dry medium containing organic solvent into a liquid state, and the separation device separates and recovers the organic solvent and the dry medium. Specifically, it includes a condenser pipeline, a first chamber, a purification device, and a filtration device.

Benefits of technology

This achieves efficient recovery of the drying medium, reduces carbon dioxide pollution and resource waste, and improves the recycling rate of the drying medium.

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Abstract

The application relates to a supercritical drying medium recovery system and a semiconductor wafer drying device. The supercritical drying medium recovery system comprises a separation device, the separation device comprises a condensing pipeline and a first cavity, a lower side wall of the condensing pipeline is provided with a liquid discharge port, the liquid discharge port is communicated with the first cavity, an inlet of the condensing pipeline is used for receiving a drying medium containing an organic solvent, and an outlet of the condensing pipeline is used for discharging the drying medium after separation so as to be recovered; wherein the condensing pipeline is used for condensing the organic solvent in the drying medium containing the organic solvent, so that the organic solvent is condensed into a liquid state and flows into the first cavity from the liquid discharge port. The application solves the problem of how to recover carbon dioxide in the drying wafer process in the related art, and realizes carbon dioxide recovery in the drying wafer process.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to drying media recovery systems and semiconductor drying equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In the manufacturing process of integrated circuits, the feature size of semiconductor devices is constantly shrinking, and the aspect ratio of the pattern structure is becoming larger and larger, which in turn puts higher and higher demands on wafer cleaning technology.

[0003] Traditional wafer cleaning processes typically involve rinsing the wafer with large amounts of high-purity water followed by drying with isopropanol (IPA). However, as the aspect ratios of the patterns formed on wafers increase, traditional wafer cleaning processes struggle to meet production demands. This is primarily because the surface tension at the gas-liquid interface during IPA drying easily leads to the adhesion and collapse of high aspect ratio patterns. To address this issue, supercritical carbon dioxide drying technology has been increasingly applied to wafer cleaning processes. This technology uses supercritical carbon dioxide, which has zero surface tension, to dry the cleaned wafer surface. Leveraging the high solubility, high diffusivity, and low viscosity of supercritical carbon dioxide, both carbon dioxide and isopropanol in a supercritical state are fully dissolved. Finally, the release of carbon dioxide removes the isopropanol from the wafer surface, achieving drying without damaging the wafer's pattern structure. However, research has shown that the amount of carbon dioxide used in supercritical carbon dioxide wafer drying is very large. If the used carbon dioxide is not treated and directly released into the atmosphere, it not only causes environmental pollution but also leads to significant waste. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a supercritical drying medium recovery system and a semiconductor drying device to at least solve the problem of how to recover the drying medium (e.g., carbon dioxide) in the wafer drying process in related technologies.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a drying medium recovery system applied to a semiconductor drying equipment. The semiconductor drying equipment includes a drying device for dissolving organic solvents on a wafer using a supercritical drying medium. The drying medium recovery system is used to recover the drying medium containing organic solvents discharged from the drying device. The drying medium recovery system includes a separation device, which includes a condenser pipe and a first chamber. The lower side wall of the condenser pipe has a drain port connected to the first chamber. The inlet of the condenser pipe receives the drying medium containing organic solvents, and the outlet of the condenser pipe discharges the separated drying medium for recovery.

[0006] The condenser pipe is used to condense the organic solvent in the drying medium containing organic solvent, so that the organic solvent is condensed into a liquid state and flows into the first cavity from the drain port.

[0007] In some of these embodiments, the condenser conduit is spiral-shaped.

[0008] In some embodiments, the inlet and outlet of the condenser line are located at different heights in the vertical direction.

[0009] In some embodiments, the condenser line is disposed within the first cavity, or outside the first cavity.

[0010] In some embodiments, a first liquid outlet is provided at the bottom of the first cavity, which is used to discharge the organic solvent in the first cavity.

[0011] In some embodiments, the sidewall of the first cavity is provided with a first vent for discharging the dry medium inside the first cavity for recycling.

[0012] In some embodiments, the drying medium recovery system further includes a first cooling device connected to the condenser line for maintaining the temperature of the condenser line within a preset temperature range.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first cooling device is spirally wound around the condenser line.

[0014] In some embodiments, the drying medium recovery system further includes a purification device, which includes a second cavity with a second outlet, an inlet pipe, and a drying medium filter membrane. The drying medium filter membrane is disposed in the second cavity and divides the second cavity into an upper space and a lower space. The lower space of the second cavity is used to contain the purification solvent. The inlet end of the inlet pipe is connected to the outlet of the condenser pipe, and the outlet end of the inlet pipe is inserted into the second cavity. The second outlet is disposed in the upper space and is used to discharge the purified drying medium for recovery.

[0015] In some embodiments, the drying medium recovery system further includes a first pipeline, a second pipeline, a detection device, a switching device, and a controller, wherein the pipeline through which the drying device discharges the drying medium containing organic solvent is connected to the first pipeline and the second pipeline respectively via the switching device; the first pipeline is connected to the separation device; and the second pipeline is connected to the purification device; wherein...

[0016] The detection device is used to detect the concentration of organic solvent in the drying medium containing organic solvent discharged by the drying device; the controller is used to control the switching device to switch the first pipeline and the second pipeline according to the concentration of organic solvent detected by the detection device.

[0017] When the concentration of the organic solvent detected by the detection device is greater than the preset concentration, the controller controls the switching device to connect the first pipeline; when the concentration of the organic solvent detected by the detection device is less than the preset concentration, the controller controls the switching device to connect the second pipeline.

[0018] In some embodiments, the drying medium recovery system further includes a dehumidification device connected to the outlet or second outlet of the condensate line.

[0019] In some embodiments, the drying medium recovery system further includes a filtration device connected to the dehumidification device.

[0020] Secondly, this application embodiment also provides a semiconductor drying apparatus comprising: a drying medium recovery system, a storage device, a supercritical drying medium preparation device, and a drying device as described in the first aspect, wherein the drying medium recovery system, the storage device, the supercritical drying medium preparation device, and the drying device are sequentially connected and form a circulation loop, wherein...

[0021] The storage device is used to store the dry medium recovered in the dry medium recovery system;

[0022] The supercritical drying medium preparation device is used to prepare the drying medium discharged from the storage device into a supercritical drying medium.

[0023] The drying apparatus is configured to dissolve organic solvents on the wafer surface using the supercritical drying medium to dry the wafer, and to discharge the drying medium containing organic solvents to the drying medium recovery system for recovery of the drying medium.

[0024] In some embodiments, the supercritical drying medium preparation apparatus includes:

[0025] The second cooling device is used to cool the dry medium discharged from the storage device into a liquid state;

[0026] A pressurization device for pressurizing the liquid drying medium to a pressure exceeding the critical pressure of the drying medium;

[0027] A heating device is used to heat a drying medium that exceeds its critical pressure to a temperature exceeding its critical temperature, thereby obtaining a supercritical drying medium.

[0028] Compared to related technologies, the drying medium recovery system and semiconductor drying equipment provided in this application embodiment, wherein the semiconductor drying equipment includes a drying device for dissolving organic solvents on the wafer using a supercritical drying medium; and the drying medium recovery system is used to recover the drying medium containing organic solvents discharged from the drying device. By setting a separation device in the drying medium recovery system, the separation device includes a condensation pipe and a first chamber. A drain port is provided on the lower side wall of the condensation pipe, and the drain port is connected to the first chamber. The inlet of the condensation pipe is used to receive the drying medium containing organic solvents, and the outlet of the condensation pipe is used to discharge the separated drying medium for recovery. The condensation pipe is used to condense the organic solvents in the drying medium containing organic solvents, so that the organic solvents condense into a liquid and flow into the first chamber from the drain port. This solves the problem of how to recover carbon dioxide during the wafer drying process in related technologies, and realizes carbon dioxide recovery during the wafer drying process.

[0029] Details of one or more embodiments of this application are set forth in the following drawings and description to make other features, objects and advantages of this application more readily apparent. Attached Figure Description

[0030] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first embodiment of the dry media recovery system provided in this application;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a second embodiment of the dry media recovery system provided in this application;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the third embodiment of the drying medium recovery system provided in this application;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the fourth embodiment of the drying medium recovery system provided in this application;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the fifth embodiment of the drying medium recovery system provided in this application;

[0036] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the sixth embodiment of the dry media recovery system provided in this application;

[0037] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of the seventh embodiment of the dry media recovery system provided in this application;

[0038] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the eighth embodiment of the dry media recovery system provided in this application;

[0039] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor drying apparatus according to an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 10 This is a structural block diagram of a semiconductor drying apparatus according to an embodiment of this application.

[0041] Reference numerals: 10. Separation device; 11. First chamber; 111. First liquid outlet; 112. First gas outlet; 12. Condensation pipe; 121. Liquid drain; 122. Inlet of condensation pipe; 123. Outlet of condensation pipe; 124. First cooling device; 30. Purification device; 31. Second chamber; 311. Second gas outlet; 312. Second liquid outlet; 313. Third gas outlet; 314. Upper space; 315. Lower space; 32. Inlet pipe; 33. Drying medium Filter membrane; 20, controller; 40, first pipeline; 50, second pipeline; 60, switching device; 70, detection device; 80, dehumidification device; 90, filtration device; 100, drying medium recovery system; 200, supercritical drying medium preparation device; 201, second cooling device; 202, pressurization device; 203, heating device; 300, drying device; 400, third pipeline; 500, fourth pipeline; 600, fifth pipeline; 700, storage device; 800, sixth pipeline. Detailed Implementation

[0042] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application is described and illustrated below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments provided in this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application. Furthermore, it is understood that although the efforts made in such a development process may be complex and lengthy, for those skilled in the art related to the content disclosed in this application, modifications to design, manufacturing, or production based on the technical content disclosed in this application are merely conventional technical means and should not be construed as insufficient disclosure of the content of this application.

[0043] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this application shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The terms “a,” “an,” “an,” “the,” and similar words used in this application do not indicate quantity limitation and may indicate singular or plural. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and any variations thereof used in this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or modules (units) is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may also include steps or units not listed, or may include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices. The terms “connected,” “linked,” “coupled,” and similar words used in this application are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. “Multiple” used in this application means two or more. “And / or” describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships may exist; for example, “A and / or B” can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., used in this application are merely to distinguish similar objects and do not represent a specific ordering of the objects.

[0044] First embodiment:

[0045] Please see Figure 1 This embodiment proposes a drying medium recovery system 100, which is applied to semiconductor drying equipment.

[0046] To facilitate understanding, let's first combine Figure 9 A brief description of a semiconductor drying apparatus including a drying medium recovery system 100 is provided. For example... Figure 9 As shown, the semiconductor drying equipment includes a drying medium recovery system 100, a storage device 700, a supercritical drying medium preparation device 200, and a drying device 300 connected in sequence and forming a circulation loop. The drying medium recovery system 100 stores the recovered drying medium in the storage device 700 through a sixth pipe 800. The storage device 700 introduces the stored drying medium into the supercritical drying medium preparation device 200 through a fourth pipe 500 to prepare a supercritical drying medium. The supercritical drying medium preparation device 200 introduces the supercritical drying medium into the drying device 300 through a fifth pipe 600 to dissolve residual organic solvents on the wafer and dry the wafer. The drying device 200 discharges the drying medium containing organic solvents into the drying medium recovery system 100 through a third pipe 400, thereby achieving the recycling of the drying medium.

[0047] In this embodiment, the drying medium containing organic solvent discharged by the drying device 300 is basically in a gaseous state because a pressure reducing valve is usually installed on the third pipeline 400 to reduce the pressure so that most of the drying medium becomes gaseous.

[0048] Next, combined Figure 1 and Figure 10 The drying medium recovery system 100 provided in this embodiment will be described in detail.

[0049] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a dry media recovery system 100 according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the drying medium recovery system 100 includes a separation device 10. The separation device 10 includes a condenser pipe 12 and a first chamber 11. The condenser pipe 12 is used to receive the drying medium containing organic solvent and to cool and liquefy the organic solvent. The lower side wall of the condenser pipe 12 is provided with a drain port 121, which is connected to the first chamber 11 so that the liquefied organic solvent is discharged into the first chamber 11.

[0050] Specifically, the inlet 122 of the condenser line is used to receive the drying medium containing organic solvents. Combined with... Figure 1 and Figure 9 The inlet 122 of the condenser line can be connected to the drying unit 300 via a third line 400 to receive the drying medium containing organic solvents discharged from the drying unit 300. The outlet 123 of the condenser line is used to discharge the separated drying medium for recycling. Figure 1 and Figure 9 The outlet 123 of the condenser pipe can be connected to the storage device 700 through the sixth pipe 800, so as to recover and store the separated dry medium and realize the reuse of the dry medium.

[0051] The third pipeline 400 discharges a mixture containing organic solvent and drying medium, such as a mixture of isopropanol and carbon dioxide, into the drying medium recovery system 100. Therefore, in this embodiment, by cooling the drying medium containing organic solvent through the condenser pipeline 12 in the separation device 10, the organic solvent can be liquefied and separated from the drying medium, flowing into the first chamber 11 from the drain port 121. The drying medium is also discharged through the outlet 123 of the condenser pipeline for recovery and / or storage. This achieves the separation of organic solvent and drying medium, solving the problem in related technologies of how to recover drying media (e.g., carbon dioxide) during the wafer drying process. It also realizes carbon dioxide recovery during the wafer drying process, reducing carbon dioxide pollution and waste of carbon dioxide resources.

[0052] Continue to refer to Figure 1In this embodiment, the condenser pipe 12 is disposed inside the first cavity 11, which can reduce the volume of the separation device 10.

[0053] Continue to refer to Figure 1 In this example, the inlet 122 of the condenser pipe is located at the bottom, and the outlet 123 of the condenser pipe is located at the top.

[0054] In other examples, the condenser inlet 122 is located at the top, and the condenser outlet 123 is located at the bottom.

[0055] In the above embodiments, by setting the inlet 122 and outlet 123 of the condenser pipe at different heights, the flow of carbon dioxide containing isopropanol in the condenser pipe 12 can be improved, thereby improving the condensation efficiency of isopropanol.

[0056] Continue to refer to Figure 1 The bottom of the first cavity 11 is provided with a first liquid outlet 111, which is used to discharge the organic solvent in the first cavity 11. In this embodiment, by providing the first liquid outlet 111 on the first cavity 11, it is possible to avoid excessive accumulation of isopropanol inside the first cavity 11, which could block the drain outlet 121 and adversely affect the separation of isopropanol and carbon dioxide.

[0057] Continue to refer to Figure 1 As shown, the condenser pipe 12 can be spiral-shaped. In this embodiment, by setting the condenser pipe 12 in a spiral shape, the contact area of ​​isopropanol can be increased while maintaining a small volume, thereby improving the condensation efficiency of isopropanol.

[0058] In some embodiments, the drying medium recovery system 100 further includes a liquid recovery device (not shown) connected to the first liquid outlet 111 to collect isopropanol discharged from the condenser line 12 into the first chamber 11.

[0059] It should be noted that the organic solvent in this embodiment can be isopropanol, acetone, xylene, etc., and the drying medium can also be, but is not limited to, carbon dioxide, ethylene, ethane, propane, chloroform, etc. No specific limitation is made in this embodiment.

[0060] For ease of explanation, in the following embodiments of this application, isopropanol is used as the organic solvent and carbon dioxide is used as the drying medium for illustrative purposes. Specifically, in the specific examples below, the drying medium containing organic solvent received by the drying medium recovery system 100 is carbon dioxide containing isopropanol.

[0061] Second embodiment:

[0062] like Figure 2As shown, compared to the first embodiment, the difference in this embodiment is that the condenser pipe 12 is arranged on the outside of the first cavity 11. By arranging it in this way, the volume of the first cavity 11 can be reduced.

[0063] For ease of explanation, in the following embodiments of this application, the condenser pipe 12 in the second embodiment is provided as an example inside the first cavity 11 for illustrative purposes.

[0064] Third embodiment:

[0065] like Figure 3 As shown, based on the first embodiment, in this embodiment, the drying medium recovery system 100 may further include a first cooling device 124, which is sleeved on the outside of the condenser pipe 12 and is used to cool the temperature of the condenser pipe 12 within a preset temperature range.

[0066] In this embodiment, the first cooling device 124 is fitted outside the condenser pipe 12. By using heat transfer to cool the temperature of the condenser pipe 12 within a preset temperature range, the condensation capacity of the condenser pipe 12 can be enhanced, the liquefaction efficiency of isopropanol can be improved, and thus the separation effect of carbon dioxide and isopropanol can be improved.

[0067] In one specific example, the first cooling device 124 may be spirally wound around the condenser pipe 12.

[0068] Fourth embodiment:

[0069] like Figure 4 As shown, based on the first embodiment, in this embodiment, the side wall of the first cavity 11 is further provided with a first air outlet 112 for discharging the dry medium inside the first cavity 11 for recycling. Figure 4 As shown, the drying medium discharged from the first air outlet 112 and the outlet 123 of the condenser pipe can be collected on the sixth pipe 800 through the pipes so as to discharge and recycle the drying medium.

[0070] In this embodiment, by providing a first air outlet 112 on the side wall of the first cavity 11, the problem of some carbon dioxide being discharged from the drain outlet 121 into the first cavity 11 during the separation of isopropanol and carbon dioxide in the condenser pipe 12 can be avoided. This would prevent excessive carbon dioxide storage in the first cavity 11, which would increase the internal pressure and prevent the isopropanol liquefied in the condenser pipe 12 from flowing from the drain outlet 121 into the first cavity 12. This is beneficial to improving the separation effect of isopropanol and carbon dioxide.

[0071] Fifth embodiment:

[0072] To avoid the potential carryover of isopropanol during carbon dioxide separation, the above-mentioned problem can also be solved in the following ways in the embodiments of this application.

[0073] like Figure 5 As shown, based on the fourth embodiment, in this embodiment, the drying medium recovery system 100 may further include a purification device 30. Specifically, the purification device 30 includes a second cavity 31 with a second outlet 311, an inlet pipe 32, and a drying medium filter membrane 33. The drying medium filter membrane 33 is disposed in the second cavity 31, dividing the second cavity 31 into an upper space 314 and a lower space 315. The lower space 315 of the second cavity 31 is used to contain the purification solvent. The inlet end of the inlet pipe 32 is connected to the outlet 123 of the condenser pipe, and the outlet end of the inlet pipe 32 is inserted into the second cavity 31 and is inserted into the purification solvent during use. The second outlet 311 is disposed in the upper space 314 and is used to discharge the purified drying medium for recovery.

[0074] As is well known, the organic solvent to be separated is soluble in the purification solvent, while the drying medium to be recovered is insoluble in the purification solvent. In this embodiment, the purification solvent is water. Isopropanol, as the organic solvent, is soluble in water, while carbon dioxide, as the drying medium, is insoluble in water. Therefore, in this embodiment, by using the purification solvent in the purification device 30 to further dissolve the isopropanol carried in the carbon dioxide, and by filtering out other gases besides carbon dioxide through the drying medium filter membrane 33, further purification of carbon dioxide can be achieved, avoiding the problem of carbon dioxide carrying other gases or isopropanol, and effectively improving the purity of carbon dioxide.

[0075] It should be noted that the dry medium filter membrane 33 in this embodiment is mainly used to filter out gases other than carbon dioxide; the purification solvent in this embodiment can be water or other solvents that can dissolve isopropanol, such as ethanol, diethyl ether, benzene, etc.

[0076] Continue to refer to Figure 5 In some embodiments, the second cavity 31 further includes a third air outlet 313 and a second liquid outlet 312. The third air outlet 313 is used to discharge the gas between the drying medium filter membrane 33 and the purification solvent, i.e., the gas in the lower space 315. The second liquid outlet 312 is used to discharge the liquid in the second cavity 31.

[0077] Sixth embodiment:

[0078] like Figure 6As shown, based on the fifth embodiment, the drying medium recovery system 100 in this embodiment further includes a first pipeline 40, a second pipeline 50, a switching device 60, a detection device 70, and a controller 20. The pipeline (i.e., the third pipeline 400) discharging the drying medium containing organic solvents from the drying device 300 is connected to the first pipeline 40 and the second pipeline 50 via a switching device 60. The first pipeline 40 is connected to the separation device 10; the second pipeline 50 is connected to the purification device 30. A detection device 70 is used to detect the concentration of organic solvents in the drying medium discharged from the drying device 300. For example, the detection device 70 can be installed on the third pipeline 400 or on the drying device 300. A controller 20 is used to control the switching device 60 to switch the first pipeline 40 and the second pipeline 50 according to the concentration of organic solvents detected by the detection device 70. When the concentration of organic solvents detected by the detection device 70 is greater than a preset concentration, the controller 20 controls the switching device 60 to turn on the first pipeline 40 so that the drying medium containing organic solvents is recovered sequentially through the separation device 10 and the purification device 30. When the concentration of organic solvents detected by the detection device 70 is less than a preset concentration, the controller 20 controls the switching device 60 to turn on the first pipeline 50 so that the drying medium containing organic solvents is recovered directly through the purification device 30.

[0079] In this embodiment, by setting up a first pipeline 40 to receive a dry medium containing organic solvent with a concentration greater than a preset value and sequentially conveying it to the separation device 10 and the purification device 30 for carbon dioxide recovery, and by setting up a second pipeline 40 to receive a dry medium containing organic solvent with a concentration less than a preset value and conveying it to the purification device 30 for carbon dioxide recovery, the processing of carbon dioxide containing different concentrations of isopropanol is realized, saving carbon dioxide recovery time and improving carbon dioxide recovery efficiency.

[0080] It should be noted that, Figure 6 This is merely an example and is not intended to limit the configuration of the switching device 60 between the third conduit 400 and the first conduit 40 and the second conduit 50 for the drying medium containing organic solvent discharged from the drying device 300. For example, in some embodiments, two switching devices 60 are provided, with the third conduit 400 connected to the first conduit 40 through one of the switching devices 60 and the third conduit 400 connected to the second conduit 50 through the other switching device 60, to achieve precise control of the switching of each conduit.

[0081] For example, the switching device 60 may be a valve, and the detection device 70 may be a sensor for detecting the concentration of the solution.

[0082] Seventh embodiment:

[0083] like Figure 7As shown, based on the sixth embodiment, in this embodiment, the supercritical drying medium recovery system 100 further includes a dehumidification device 80, which is connected between the storage device 700 and the third air outlet 313.

[0084] In this embodiment, the carbon dioxide purified by the purification device 30 is dried by the dehumidification device 80, which avoids the influence of moisture on the purity of carbon dioxide and improves the purity of carbon dioxide.

[0085] Eighth embodiment:

[0086] In related technologies, particles may be generated during the separation or purification process in semiconductor manufacturing processes, such as particles generated due to equipment aging. These particles may contaminate the drying medium to be recovered, ultimately affecting the purity of the recovered drying medium, such as carbon dioxide.

[0087] To solve the above problems, such as Figure 8 As shown, based on the seventh embodiment, in this embodiment, the supercritical drying medium recovery system 100 further includes a filter device 90, which is connected between the storage device 700 and the dehumidification device 80.

[0088] In this embodiment, a filter device 90 is provided to filter particulate contaminants in the dry medium to be recycled, thereby reducing the impact of particles on the purity of the recycled dry medium, such as carbon dioxide.

[0089] It should be noted that the filter device 90 can be a filter device 90 for filtering particles larger than 3nm, or it can be a filter device 90 for filtering smaller particles depending on the specific process.

[0090] Furthermore, in any embodiment of the above-mentioned dry medium recovery system 100, on / off valves can be provided at the air outlet, liquid outlet, air inlet, and liquid outlet.

[0091] It should be noted that in the dry medium recovery system 100 described in Examples 1 to 4, the dehumidification device 80 and the filter device 90 may also be configured at the outlet 123 of the condenser pipe.

[0092] It should be noted that, for the first to eighth embodiments described above, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments have been described. However, as long as the combination of these technical features does not contradict each other, it should be considered within the scope of this specification. For example, the purification device 40 in the fifth embodiment can also be combined with embodiments two to four. Furthermore, in addition to the fourth embodiment which may be equipped with a cooling device 124, other embodiments may also be equipped with the cooling device 124 as in the fourth embodiment.

[0093] Ninth embodiment:

[0094] This application also provides a semiconductor drying apparatus. Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the semiconductor drying structure according to an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 9 As shown, the semiconductor drying equipment includes a drying medium recovery system 100, a storage device 700, a supercritical drying medium preparation device 200, and a drying device 300, which are connected in sequence and form a circulation loop. The drying medium recovery system 100 can be any of the drying medium recovery systems 100 described in embodiments one through eight above.

[0095] Continue to refer to Figure 9 The drying medium recovery system 100 stores the recovered drying medium in the storage device 700 through the sixth pipeline 800; the storage device 700 introduces the stored drying medium into the supercritical drying medium preparation device 200 through the fourth pipeline 500 to prepare supercritical drying medium; the supercritical drying medium preparation device 200 introduces the supercritical drying medium into the drying device 300 through the fifth pipeline 600; the drying device 200 dries the wafer with the supercritical drying medium to dissolve the organic solvent remaining on the wafer and dry the wafer, and discharges the drying medium containing organic solvent into the drying medium recovery system 100 through the third pipeline 400; the drying medium recovery system 100 separates and recovers the drying medium containing organic solvent, thereby realizing the recycling of the drying medium.

[0096] In this embodiment, the supercritical drying medium supplied from the storage device 700 is prepared into a supercritical drying medium using a supercritical drying medium preparation device 200. The prepared supercritical drying medium is then transported to a drying device 300, allowing it to fully dissolve with the organic solvent on the wafer surface, thus drying the wafer. Utilizing the zero surface tension of the supercritical drying medium, the adhesion and collapse problems of high aspect ratio structures can be effectively improved. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the drying medium containing organic solvent is discharged from the drying device 300 and sent to a drying medium recovery system 100 to recover the drying medium, reducing environmental pollution and improving resource recycling.

[0097] Tenth embodiment:

[0098] Figure 10 This is a structural block diagram of semiconductor drying according to an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 10 As shown, based on the ninth embodiment, in this embodiment, the supercritical drying medium preparation apparatus 200 includes: a second cooling device 201 for cooling the drying medium discharged from the storage device 700 into a liquid state; a pressurizing device 202 for pressurizing the liquid drying medium to a pressure exceeding the critical pressure of the drying medium; and a heating device 203 for heating the drying medium exceeding the critical pressure to a temperature exceeding the critical temperature of the drying medium to obtain a supercritical drying medium, and introducing the supercritical drying medium into the drying apparatus 300 through a fifth pipeline 600.

[0099] In this embodiment, the above-described apparatus enables the preparation of supercritical drying media, thereby ensuring the recycling of supercritical drying media.

[0100] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A drying medium recovery system, applied to a semiconductor drying equipment, the semiconductor drying equipment comprising a drying device for dissolving organic solvents on a wafer using a supercritical drying medium; the drying medium recovery system for recovering the drying medium containing the organic solvent discharged from the drying device, characterized in that, The drying medium recovery system includes a separation device, which comprises a condenser pipe and a first chamber. The lower side wall of the condenser pipe has a drain port connected to the first chamber. The inlet of the condenser pipe receives the drying medium containing the organic solvent, and the outlet of the condenser pipe discharges the separated drying medium for recovery. The condenser pipe is used to condense the organic solvent in the drying medium containing organic solvent, so that the organic solvent is condensed into a liquid state and flows into the first cavity from the drain port.

2. The drying medium recovery system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The condenser piping is spiral-shaped.

3. The drying medium recovery system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inlet and outlet of the condenser pipe are located at different heights in the vertical direction.

4. The drying medium recovery system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The condenser pipe is located inside the first cavity or outside the first cavity.

5. The drying medium recovery system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the first cavity is provided with a first liquid outlet, which is used to discharge the organic solvent in the first cavity.

6. The drying medium recovery system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first cavity has a first air outlet on its side wall for discharging the dry medium inside the first cavity for recycling.

7. The drying medium recovery system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The separation device further includes a first cooling device, which is connected to the condenser pipe and is used to maintain the temperature of the condenser pipe within a preset temperature range.

8. The drying medium recovery system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first cooling device is spirally wound around the condenser pipe.

9. The drying medium recovery system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drying medium recovery system further includes a purification device, which includes a second cavity with a second air outlet, an air inlet pipe, and a drying medium filter membrane. The drying medium filter membrane is disposed in the second cavity and divides the second cavity into an upper space and a lower space. The lower space of the second cavity is used to contain the purification solvent. The air inlet end of the air inlet pipe is connected to the outlet of the condenser pipe, and the air outlet end of the air inlet pipe is inserted into the second cavity. The second air outlet is disposed in the upper space and is used to discharge the purified drying medium for recovery.

10. The drying medium recovery system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The drying medium recovery system further includes a first pipeline, a second pipeline, a detection device, a switching device, and a controller. The pipeline from which the drying device discharges the drying medium containing organic solvent is connected to the first and second pipelines respectively via the switching device. The first pipeline is connected to the separation device; the second pipeline is connected to the purification device. The detection device is used to detect the concentration of organic solvent in the drying medium containing organic solvent discharged by the drying device; the controller is used to control the switching device to switch the first pipeline and the second pipeline according to the concentration of organic solvent detected by the detection device. When the concentration of the organic solvent detected by the detection device is greater than the preset concentration, the controller controls the switching device to connect the first pipeline; when the concentration of the organic solvent detected by the detection device is less than the preset concentration, the controller controls the switching device to connect the second pipeline.

11. The drying medium recovery system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The drying medium recovery system also includes a dehumidification device, which is connected to the outlet of the condenser pipe or the second air outlet.

12. The drying medium recovery system according to claim 11, characterized in that, The drying medium recovery system also includes a filtration device, which is connected to the dehumidification device.

13. A semiconductor drying apparatus, characterized in that, The semiconductor drying equipment comprises: a drying medium recovery system, a storage device, a supercritical drying medium preparation device, and a drying device as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the drying medium recovery system, the storage device, the supercritical drying medium preparation device, and the drying device are sequentially connected and form a circulation loop, wherein... The storage device is used to store the dry medium recovered in the dry medium recovery system; The supercritical drying medium preparation device is used to prepare the drying medium discharged from the storage device into a supercritical drying medium. The drying apparatus is configured to dissolve organic solvents on the wafer surface using the supercritical drying medium to dry the wafer, and to discharge the drying medium containing organic solvents to the drying medium recovery system for recovery of the drying medium.

14. The semiconductor drying apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that, The supercritical drying medium preparation device includes: The second cooling device is used to cool the dry medium discharged from the storage device into a liquid state; A pressurization device for pressurizing the liquid drying medium to a pressure exceeding the critical pressure of the drying medium; A heating device is used to heat a drying medium that exceeds its critical pressure to a temperature exceeding its critical temperature, thereby obtaining a supercritical drying medium.

Citation Information

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