Intermittent recovery system for photoresist

By designing a batch photoresist recovery system with split structures, using vacuum or nitrogen protection and temperature and humidity control, the problems of low photoresist recovery efficiency and pollution are solved, efficient recycling and environmental protection are achieved, and production costs are reduced.

CN119310810APending Publication Date: 2025-01-14JIANGSU JINGDU SEMICON TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202411431506.8
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-10-14
Publication Date
2025-01-14

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In the existing photoresist preparation process, the working time of uniform glue and edge washing is similar, resulting in the inability to effectively recover the photoresist, and is affected by environmental pollution and bubble structure, resulting in 80-90% of the photoresist waste, affecting production costs and the environment. Protect.

Method used

An intermittent recycling system is designed, including a coating and edge washing device for split structures, a gas protection system, a temperature and humidity control system and a filtration device. It protects and precise temperature and humidity adjustment through vacuum or nitrogen atmosphere to prevent pollution and remove impurities. , ensure the purity and stability of the photoresist.

Benefits of technology

Effective separation and recycling of photoresist reduces pollution and waste, improves the purity and service life of photoresist, reduces production costs, and protects the environment.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The invention relates to an intermittent recovery system for photoresist, which mainly comprises a coating device, a spin coating mechanism, a collecting device, an edge washing device, a gas protection system, a temperature and humidity control system and a filtering device.According to the intermittent recovery system, the coating device and the edge washing device which are of a split structure are adopted, so that the separation of photoresist coating and edge washing processes is realized; the purity of the recovered photoresist is improved, and a filtering system is arranged in the collecting device, so that the photoresist can be preliminarily separated from pollutants in the air; and the subsequent filtering device further removes impurities and pollutants to ensure the purity of the photoresist, and the gas protection system and the temperature and humidity control system respectively ensure the stability and suitable storage environment of the photoresist, so that the improvement of the photoetching effect is facilitated, and the environmental pollution is reduced.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an intermittent recovery system for photoresist. Background Art

[0002] In the existing photoresist preparation process, the traditional method usually arranges the coating and edge washing work relatively close to each other in order to improve production efficiency. However, this method has certain shortcomings. Since the coating and edge washing work time are similar, the thrown-out photoresist often mixes into the edge washing liquid, making it impossible to effectively recycle the photoresist. In addition, the photoresist is also difficult to recycle when it is polluted by the environment and forms a bubble structure when it is thrown out, resulting in a huge waste of photoresist. According to statistics, the existing process is expected to waste 80-90% of the photoresist, which has a serious impact on production costs and environmental protection.

[0003] Therefore, an intermittent recovery system for photoresist is needed, which can eliminate the contamination of photoresist by edge washing liquid from the source and provide gas protection for the thrown photoresist, further reduce air or environmental pollution, maintain the stability of the properties of photoresist, reduce costs and protect the environment. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above deficiencies in the prior art and provide an intermittent recovery system for photoresist in a cavity. By setting an independent cavity, setting a vacuum or nitrogen atmosphere protection and setting an independent temperature and humidity control system, the purity of the recovered photoresist is prevented from being polluted and the environment is better protected. The following is a specific scheme:

[0005] On the one hand, an intermittent recovery device for photoresist includes a coating device, a spinning mechanism, a collecting device, a cleaning device, a gas protection system, a temperature and humidity control system and a filtering device, wherein the coating device is used to evenly coat the photoresist on a wafer; the spinning mechanism is used to spin out excess photoresist and guide it into the collecting device; the collecting device is provided with a filtering system, and the filtering system is used to preliminarily separate the photoresist and pollutants in the air; the cleaning device is used to remove photoresist from the edge of the wafer; the gas protection system is used to protect the photoresist by vacuum or nitrogen; the temperature and humidity control system is used to adjust the temperature and humidity inside the collecting device; the filtering device is used to remove impurities and pollutants in the collected photoresist; wherein the coating device and the cleaning device are split structures.

[0006] Furthermore, a first rotating disk is provided in the collecting device, and the first rotating disk is used to drive the glue-spinning mechanism to rotate.

[0007] Furthermore, the collecting device also includes a second turntable, which is arranged below the first turntable. The second turntable is used to drive the tray in the collecting device to rotate for conveying the collected photoresist.

[0008] Furthermore, the gas protection system includes an evacuation system and a gas filling system, wherein the evacuation system is used to extract the gas in the collecting device, and the gas filling system is used to inject inert gas into the collecting device.

[0009] Furthermore, the temperature and humidity control system includes a heating module and a humidification module, the heating module is arranged on the top of the collecting device, and the humidification module is arranged on the bottom of the collecting device.

[0010] Furthermore, the filtering device includes a centrifugal filter, a high-temperature filter and a low-temperature filter, wherein the centrifugal filter is used to remove large particle contaminants in the photoresist, the high-temperature filter is used to remove small particle contaminants in the photoresist, and the low-temperature filter is used to remove water vapor in the photoresist.

[0011] On the other hand, an intermittent recovery method for photoresist includes placing the wafer above the first turntable of the collection device; starting the first turntable and the glue-spinning mechanism so that the glue-spinning mechanism spins out excess photoresist and drops it into a tray of the collection device; stopping the first turntable and the glue-spinning mechanism; taking the wafer out of the collection device and placing it into the edge washing device to remove the photoresist at the edge of the wafer; moving the tray in the collection device to the second turntable, starting the second turntable to transport the photoresist on the tray to a designated position; and starting the filtering device to filter the photoresist at the designated position and reload it into the tray of the collection device.

[0012] Furthermore, before starting the first turntable and the glue-spinning mechanism, the door of the collecting device is opened to facilitate operation.

[0013] Furthermore, before starting the filtering device, the door of the collecting device is closed to facilitate operation.

[0014] Beneficial effects: The device adopts a coating device and an edge washing device with a split structure, so that the processes of photoresist coating and edge washing are separated. When coating and spinning, the photoresist will not be mixed in the edge washing liquid, which is beneficial to increase the purity of the recovered photoresist and reduce the cost;

[0015] The filtration system in the collection device can initially separate the photoresist and pollutants in the air, and the subsequent filtration device can further remove impurities and pollutants in the collected photoresist, thereby ensuring the purity of the photoresist, which is beneficial to improving the photolithography effect and reducing environmental pollution;

[0016] The application of the gas protection system protects the photoresist through vacuum or nitrogen, preventing oxidation or other chemical reactions of the photoresist during the recycling process, ensuring the stability and service life of the photoresist. At the same time, the temperature and humidity control system can accurately adjust the temperature and humidity inside the collection device, providing a suitable storage environment for the photoresist, further ensuring the quality of the photoresist. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a process flow of an intermittent recovery system for photoresist. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to deepen the understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with embodiments and drawings. The embodiments are only used to explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention.

[0019] In this embodiment:

[0020] like Figure 1As shown, an intermittent recovery device for photoresist includes the following components: a coating device, a glue-spinning mechanism, a collecting device, a side-washing device, a gas protection system, a temperature and humidity control system, and a filtering device; the coating device is used to evenly coat the photoresist on the wafer, the coating device and the side-washing device are separate structures, and the two are not connected. The main components of the coating device are as follows: a coating head: with an adjustable function, which can be adjusted according to the viscosity of the photoresist and the required coating thickness; a coating table: used to place the wafer to ensure the stability of the coating process. The glue-spinning mechanism is located below the coating device, and is used to spin out the excess photoresist and guide it into the collecting device. The mechanism mainly includes a rotating disk: driven to rotate by a motor to drive the glue-spinning blade to move; a glue-spinning blade: fixed on the rotating disk, used to spin out the excess photoresist. A filtering system is provided inside the collecting device for preliminary separation of photoresist and pollutants in the air. Its internal structure includes a first turntable: used to drive the spinning mechanism to rotate so that the ejected photoresist can be evenly distributed in the collecting device; a second turntable: arranged below the first turntable, used to drive the tray in the collecting device to rotate and transport the collected photoresist; a filtering system: including a filter screen or other filtering materials, used to filter impurities in the photoresist. The edge washing device is used to remove the photoresist at the edge of the wafer. Its main components are as follows: a cleaning head: movable, capable of accurately cleaning the edge of the wafer; a cleaning liquid supply system: providing cleaning liquid to ensure the cleaning effect. The gas protection system mainly includes an evacuation system: used to extract the gas in the collecting device to keep the interior vacuum and reduce the volatilization of the photoresist; an inflation system: used to inject inert gas such as nitrogen into the collecting device to protect the photoresist from oxidation. The temperature and humidity control system includes a heating module: arranged at the top of the collecting device to adjust the internal temperature; a humidification module: arranged at the bottom of the collecting device to adjust the internal humidity. The filtering device includes a centrifugal filter: used to remove large particle pollutants in the photoresist; a high temperature filter: used to remove small particle pollutants in the photoresist; and a low temperature filter: used to remove water vapor in the photoresist.

[0021] The following is a detailed description of a specific embodiment of an intermittent recovery method for photoresist; S1: placing a wafer on a first turntable of a collection device, and ensuring that other devices are in a standby state;

[0022] S2: Start the coating device and evenly coat the photoresist on the wafer through the coating head;

[0023] S3: Open the door of the collection device;

[0024] S4: Then, the first rotating disk and the glue-spinning mechanism are started, and the first rotating disk drives the glue-spinning blade of the glue-spinning mechanism to spin out the excess photoresist, and the spinned photoresist falls into the tray of the collecting device;

[0025] S5: After the coating and the glue spinning are completed, the operation of the first turntable and the glue spinning mechanism is stopped;

[0026] S6: taking the wafer out of the collecting device and placing it into the edge cleaning device, and removing the photoresist at the edge of the wafer using a cleaning head and a cleaning liquid supply system;

[0027] S7: starting the motor of the second turntable to move the tray in the collecting device to a specified position to transport the photoresist on the tray to the filtering device;

[0028] S8: closing the door of the collecting device;

[0029] S9: Start the filtering device, and the centrifugal filter, high temperature filter and low temperature filter are operated in sequence, and the filtered photoresist is reloaded into the tray of the collection device.

[0030] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solution of the present invention can be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the purpose and scope of the technical solution of the present invention, which should be included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An intermittent recovery device for photoresist, characterized in that: It includes a coating device, a glue-spinning mechanism, a collecting device, a cleaning device, a gas protection system, a temperature and humidity control system and a filtering device. The coating device is used to evenly coat the photoresist on the wafer; the glue-spinning mechanism is used to spin out the excess photoresist and guide it into the collecting device; the collecting device is provided with a filtering system, and the filtering system is used to preliminarily separate the photoresist and pollutants in the air; The edge cleaning device is used to remove photoresist from the edge of the wafer; The gas protection system is used to protect the photoresist through vacuum or nitrogen; the temperature and humidity control system is used to adjust the temperature and humidity inside the collection device; the filtering device is used to remove impurities and pollutants in the collected photoresist; wherein the coating device and the edge washing device are separated structures.

2. An intermittent recovery device for photoresist according to claim 1, characterized in that A first turntable is also provided in the collecting device, and the first turntable is used to drive the glue-spinning mechanism to rotate.

3. An intermittent recovery device for photoresist according to claim 2, characterized in that: The collecting device also includes a second turntable, which is arranged below the first turntable. The second turntable is used to drive the tray in the collecting device to rotate and transport the collected photoresist.

4. An intermittent recovery device for photoresist according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas protection system comprises an evacuation system and a gas filling system. The evacuation system is used to extract the gas in the collection device, and the gas filling system is used to inject inert gas into the collection device.

5. An intermittent recovery device for photoresist according to claim 1, characterized in that: The temperature and humidity control system comprises a heating module and a humidifying module. The heating module is arranged on the top of the collecting device, and the humidifying module is arranged on the bottom of the collecting device.

6. An intermittent recovery device for photoresist according to claim 1, characterized in that: The filtering device includes a centrifugal filter, a high temperature filter and a low temperature filter. The centrifugal filter is used to remove large particle pollutants in the photoresist, the high temperature filter is used to remove small particle pollutants in the photoresist, and the low temperature filter is used to remove water vapor in the photoresist.

7. An intermittent recovery method for photoresist, using an intermittent recovery device for photoresist according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The method comprises placing the wafer on the top of the first turntable; starting the first turntable and the glue-spinning mechanism, so that the glue-spinning mechanism spins out the excess photoresist and drops it into the tray of the collecting device; stopping the first turntable and the glue-spinning mechanism; taking the wafer out of the collecting device and placing it into the edge-washing device to remove the photoresist at the edge of the wafer; moving the tray in the collecting device to the second turntable, and starting the second turntable to transport the photoresist on the tray to a designated position; The filtering device is started to filter the photoresist at the designated position and then reload it into the tray of the collecting device.

8. An intermittent recovery method for photoresist according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before starting the first turntable and the glue-spinning mechanism, the method further includes opening the door of the collecting device.

9. An intermittent recovery method for photoresist according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before starting the filtering device, the method further includes closing the door of the collecting device.