Wafer cleaning method, device and equipment

By setting up a clamp cleaning mechanism in the wafer cleaning device, automatic cleaning of the surface of the clamp is achieved by using the nozzle and the rotating mechanism, the incomplete cleaning and cross-contamination caused by the residue of the medicinal liquid are solved, and the cleaning efficiency and equipment life are improved.

CN119870026AActive Publication Date: 2025-04-25HWATSING (BEIJING) TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202510360459.0
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-03-26
Publication Date
2025-04-25
Estimated Expiration
2045-03-26

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

During the wafer cleaning process, the residue of the liquid on the surface of the clamp will affect the cleaning effect, resulting in cross-contamination and wear of the clamp, affecting the life and stability of the equipment.

Method used

A wafer cleaning device is designed, including a clamp cleaning mechanism, which uses a spray head to spray fluid towards the cleaning station, and combines a rotating mechanism to drive the chuck to reciprocate, so that the claws can swing back and forth, thereby realizing automatic cleaning of the surface of the clamp.

Benefits of technology

Automatic cleaning of clamps is realized, cleaning efficiency is improved, manual operation is reduced, cross contamination and wear of clamps is avoided, equipment service life is extended, and overall production efficiency is improved.

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Abstract

The invention discloses a wafer cleaning method, device and equipment, and belongs to the technical field of chip manufacturing, and the wafer cleaning device comprises a chuck, a clamping piece, a clamping piece cleaning mechanism, a liquid spraying mechanism and a rotating mechanism. The wafer cleaning method is realized through the wafer cleaning device, the chuck is driven to rotate through the rotating mechanism, and the clamping jaws are sequentially rotated to the cleaning station for cleaning; and fluid is sprayed to the clamping jaw located at the cleaning station through the spray head for cleaning. The wafer cleaning equipment comprises the wafer cleaning device disclosed by the utility model. By the adoption of the technical scheme, automatic cleaning of the clamping piece can be achieved, manual operation is reduced, cleaning efficiency is improved, and the automatic cleaning device has remarkable advantages especially in industrial-scale application; according to the device, cleaning can be carried out in a non-stop state, cleaning can be completed only in gaps for replacing wafers, the overall production efficiency can be improved, and the stop time is shortened.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a wafer cleaning method, device and equipment, and belongs to the technical field of chip manufacturing. Background Art

[0002] Wafer cleaning is a crucial step in the chip manufacturing process because it directly affects the quality and yield of the final chip. The purpose of wafer cleaning is to remove various contaminants that may remain during the manufacturing process, such as particles, organic matter, metal ions and oxides. If these contaminants are not removed in time, they will affect the smoothness of the wafer surface and thus affect the effect of subsequent process steps, such as lithography, doping and metallization.

[0003] Wet cleaning is the most common cleaning method, which uses chemical solutions to clean wafers. During the wet cleaning process, the wafer must first be clamped to ensure the stability of the wafer during the cleaning process, avoid mechanical stress or damage, and ensure that the cleaning solution can evenly cover the wafer surface, thereby achieving the best cleaning effect.

[0004] Wafer clamping methods generally include mechanical clamping, rotational clamping, contactless clamping and adsorption clamping. The wafer cleaning mechanism of the mechanical clamping method generally includes a chuck, a clamping member, a rotating mechanism and a liquid recovery mechanism. The chuck is mounted on the rotating mechanism, the support member is arranged on the chuck, and the clamping member is used to clamp and fix the wafer. The chuck, the clamping member and the wafer can rotate synchronously through the driving of the rotating mechanism.

[0005] During the wafer rotation process, the cleaning liquid is sprayed on the wafer by the liquid spraying mechanism for cleaning. The rotation of the wafer can cause the cleaning liquid to be thrown radially outward under the action of centrifugal force. The liquid recovery mechanism is arranged in a ring shape on the radial outside of the chuck to form an isolation ring, which is used to receive the cleaning liquid thrown outward by the rotation of the wafer. Generally, different chemical cleaning liquids are used to clean the wafer to achieve a particle removal rate, and multi-layer isolation rings are used to collect different liquids.

[0006] During the wafer cleaning process, the liquid medicine will adhere to the surface of the clamp. If it cannot be effectively removed, the liquid medicine remaining on the surface of the clamp will affect the cleaning effect of the edge of the wafer, especially in the area where the wafer contacts the clamp, resulting in incomplete cleaning. Furthermore, the residual liquid medicine may contain particles, pollutants or chemical components that fell off during the previous cleaning process. During the next cleaning, these residues will contaminate the new wafer and cause cross contamination. In addition, some cleaning liquid medicines are corrosive. Long-term adhesion to the surface of the clamp may cause corrosion or aging of the clamp material, affecting the life and stability of the equipment. At the same time, the liquid medicine remains on the clamp for a long time, which may cause the surface friction coefficient of the clamp to change and accelerate the wear of the clamp, especially when the wafer rotates. The wear is more obvious at the contact part. If the surface of the clamp is adhered to by the liquid medicine for a long time, it may cause the clamp to get stuck or be inflexible, thereby affecting the clamping effect of the wafer and even causing the wafer to shift or fall off during rotation.

[0007] The usual methods for cleaning the residual liquid on the clamp include manual wiping cleaning, immersion cleaning and ultrasonic cleaning. Manual cleaning requires a lot of manual operation, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, especially when cleaning clamps with large areas or complex shapes. The difficulty of wiping such clamps increases; compared with automated methods, manual cleaning efficiency is low, suitable for small batch cleaning, and difficult to meet large-scale industrial cleaning needs. Immersion cleaning usually takes a certain amount of time to dissolve the residual liquid on the surface of the clamp. Compared with other methods, the cleaning speed is slower and less efficient. Both ultrasonic cleaning and immersion cleaning require the clamp to be disassembled and placed in special equipment, which increases the process of disassembling and installing the clamp, and the downtime is longer, affecting the cleaning efficiency of the wafer. Summary of the invention

[0008] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a wafer cleaning method, device and equipment. By setting a clamp cleaning mechanism in the wafer cleaning equipment, the clamp can be automatically cleaned, effectively improving the cleaning efficiency of the clamp, and the cleaning of the clamp can be completed without stopping the machine, only during the interval period of replacing the wafer, which is beneficial to improving the cleaning effect of the wafer.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, a wafer cleaning device of the present invention comprises: Chuck; A clamping member, comprising a plurality of claws, wherein the plurality of claws are distributed circumferentially on the chuck and are used to clamp and fix the wafer; A liquid spraying mechanism, used for spraying cleaning liquid onto the wafer for cleaning; A clamp cleaning mechanism, comprising a spray head, on which at least one spray channel is provided, and the spray head is used to spray a fluid toward a cleaning station; The rotating mechanism is connected to the chuck and is used for rotating the clamping claw to the cleaning station and then driving the chuck to rotate back and forth, thereby causing the clamping claw located at the cleaning station to swing back and forth.

[0010] There are multiple injection channels, and the multiple injection channels are used to inject fluid toward different positions on the swing path of the claw.

[0011] Each of the injection channels is correspondingly connected to an independent injection pipe, and each of the injection pipes is provided with a valve that can be independently controlled to open and close.

[0012] The clamp cleaning mechanism also includes a follow-up drive assembly, which is used to drive the nozzle to move according to a preset path when the clamping claw swings back and forth, so as to align the clamping claw with the spray fluid in real time.

[0013] The follower drive assembly includes a first universal ball, a second universal ball, a transverse motor screw drive device and a longitudinal motor screw drive device; the nozzle is in the shape of a straight rod, which passes through the first universal ball and the second universal ball in sequence, and the nozzle is slidably connected to the first universal ball and fixedly connected to the second universal ball; the first universal ball is installed on the first universal ball seat, and the second universal ball is installed on the second universal ball seat; the transverse side and longitudinal side of the first universal ball seat are respectively provided with a transverse slide bar and a longitudinal slide bar, and the transverse slide bar, the longitudinal slide bar and the nozzle are perpendicular to each other; the transverse motor screw drive device includes a transverse motor, a transverse screw and a transverse nut threadedly connected to the transverse screw, and the longitudinal slide bar is slidably installed on the transverse nut; the longitudinal motor screw drive device includes a longitudinal motor, a longitudinal screw and a longitudinal nut threadedly connected to the longitudinal screw, and the transverse slide bar is slidably installed on the longitudinal nut.

[0014] The spray head is located radially outside the rotation track of the claw and sprays obliquely toward the cleaning station.

[0015] The angle between the liquid outlet angle of the nozzle and the horizontal plane is 45° to 85°.

[0016] The wafer cleaning device also includes: The liquid recovery mechanism comprises an isolation ring arranged in a ring shape on the radial outer side of the chuck, and is used for receiving the liquid thrown outward when the wafer rotates.

[0017] The liquid recovery mechanism also includes a lifting drive device, which is used to drive the isolation ring to rise to a position where the top of the inner wall of the isolation ring is 3mm to 8mm above the top of the claw before the clamping member cleaning mechanism cleans the claw.

[0018] The fluid includes liquid and / or gas.

[0019] The clamp cleaning mechanism also includes an adjustable bracket, and the spray head is arranged on the adjustable bracket.

[0020] The adjustable bracket includes a rotatable arm and a mounting seat, the nozzle is located on the rotatable arm, the rotatable arm is mounted on the mounting seat via a mounting shaft and can be locked in rotation angle and height via a locking device.

[0021] The mounting shaft is fixed on the mounting seat, and the rotatable arm is provided with an axial hole for the mounting shaft to pass through, and a slot is provided at the end of the rotatable arm, and the slot divides the end of the rotatable arm into a first clamping plate part and a second clamping plate part; a part of the axial hole is located on the first clamping plate part, and the other part is located on the second clamping plate part; the locking device includes a fastening bolt installed at the ends of both the first clamping plate part and the second clamping plate part.

[0022] The mounting seat is provided with an adjusting long hole, and a fixing bolt for fixing the mounting seat passes through the adjusting long hole.

[0023] The adjusting long hole extends along the radial direction of the chuck.

[0024] A jet pipe is arranged inside the rotatable arm, a nozzle is threadedly connected to the end of the rotatable arm, the jet pipe is inserted into the accommodating cavity of the nozzle, a jet channel is arranged on the nozzle, and the jet channel is connected to the accommodating cavity.

[0025] The present invention also provides a wafer cleaning method, which is implemented by the wafer cleaning device as described above, comprising: Wafer cleaning steps: the chuck is driven by the rotating mechanism to drive the wafer to rotate, and the liquid spraying mechanism sprays the cleaning liquid onto the wafer for cleaning; The cleaning steps of the clamping parts are as follows: the chuck is driven to rotate by the rotating mechanism, and the claws are rotated to the cleaning station in turn, and the nozzle sprays fluid to the claws located at the cleaning station for cleaning; when the nozzle sprays the fluid, the chuck is driven to rotate reciprocally by the rotating mechanism, so that the claws located at the cleaning station swing back and forth.

[0026] The nozzle cleans the claws by spraying liquid. The nozzle cleans the claws by spraying liquid; before cleaning, the isolation ring is raised by the lifting drive device until the top of the inner wall of the isolation ring is 3mm to 8mm above the top of the claws. After cleaning, the lifting drive device continues to move the isolation ring upward, drives the chuck to rotate through the rotating mechanism, and throws the liquid outward and collects it through the isolation ring.

[0027] A plurality of injection channels are arranged on the nozzle for injecting fluid toward different positions on the swing path of the clamping claw; when the clamping claw swings to a position corresponding to any injection channel, the valve of the injection channel is opened, and the valves of the other injection channels are closed.

[0028] A single injection channel is arranged on the nozzle; when the clamping claw swings back and forth, the nozzle is driven by the following driving assembly to move with reference to a preset path so as to spray the fluid in real time in alignment with the clamping claw.

[0029] The jaws are dried by spraying air through a shower head.

[0030] The present invention also provides a wafer cleaning device, comprising the wafer cleaning device as described above, and further comprising: A liquid spray control system, connected to the liquid spray mechanism, is used to control the liquid spray mechanism to spray cleaning liquid onto the wafer when the chuck drives the wafer to rotate; A cleaning control system, connected to the clamp cleaning mechanism, for controlling the clamp cleaning mechanism to spray fluid to the cleaning station; The chuck drive control system is connected to the rotating mechanism and is used to control the rotating mechanism to drive the chuck to rotate, to control the rotating mechanism to drive the chuck to rotate the claw to the cleaning station, and to control the rotating mechanism to drive the chuck to rotate back and forth so that the claw located at the cleaning station swings back and forth.

[0031] When a plurality of injection channels are arranged on the nozzle, the cleaning control system is also used for controlling the valve of one of the plurality of injection channels to open and the valves of the remaining injection channels to close when the claw swings to a position relative to the plurality of injection channels.

[0032] When a single injection channel is provided on the nozzle, the cleaning control system is also used to control the follow-up driving assembly to drive the nozzle to move according to a preset path when the claw swings back and forth, so as to aim at the claw in real time to spray fluid.

[0033] The wafer cleaning equipment also includes: The lifting control system is connected to the lifting drive device, and is used to control the lifting drive device to lift the isolation ring to a position where the top of the inner wall of the isolation ring is 3 mm to 8 mm above the top of the claw before cleaning the claw, and to control the lifting drive device to continue to move the isolation ring upward after cleaning the claw. By adopting the above technical solution, the wafer cleaning method, device and equipment of the present invention have the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art: a. By setting up a fixture cleaning mechanism, the fixture can be automatically cleaned, reducing manual operations and improving cleaning efficiency, which has significant advantages in industrial-scale applications. At the same time, it avoids the need to open the chamber for manual cleaning, which causes secondary pollution, and no longer requires running the equipment empty after scrubbing. The device can clean without stopping the machine, and can be cleaned only during the interval between wafer changes, which helps to improve overall production efficiency and reduce downtime. b. Spraying liquid and gas to the clamp through the nozzle can effectively remove the residual liquid attached to the surface of the clamp, improve the cleaning effect of the edge of the wafer, and reduce the risk of cross contamination; c. The nozzle is equipped with multiple independent injection channels, and the fluid ejected from the nozzle repeatedly cleans the fixture at multiple different angles, ensuring that all areas of the fixture can be cleaned, especially parts with complex shapes, improving the uniformity and thoroughness of cleaning, and further improving the cleaning effect; d. When the nozzle is configured with a single injection channel, the follower drive assembly is used to drive the nozzle to spray fluid at the surface of the claw, and the two universal ball groups and two screw motor drive devices are used to realize free and flexible control of the nozzle angle, thereby overcoming the defect that the fluid sprayed by the nozzle cannot be aligned with the real-time position of the claw when the claw swings back and forth; when multiple injection channels are set on the nozzle, different injection channels can also be used to spray separately at different positions on the claw swing trajectory, so that the spray liquid can be accurately sprayed to the surface of the claw during the claw swing process, so as to control the range of the sputtering area and avoid the spray range being too wide; e. The annular liquid recovery mechanism can recover the liquid splashed back from the clamping part during the cleaning process, that is, by driving the isolation ring to rise above the claws, the liquid droplets splashed after the liquid beam sprayed by the nozzle hits the claws can fall to the inner wall of the isolation ring and slide down, so as not to destroy the overall atmosphere in the box; at the same time, the isolation ring can also effectively receive the liquid thrown out during the rotation process, reducing liquid waste and preventing environmental pollution, which is conducive to the effective management of waste liquid; f. The design of adjustable bracket and rotatable arm allows the cleaning parameters to be adjusted according to specific needs, increasing the flexibility and adaptability of the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0035] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a wafer cleaning device provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a clamping member cleaning mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention in an operating state; Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the isolation ring in the embodiment continuing to move upward; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a clamp cleaning mechanism provided in a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 for Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a clamp cleaning mechanism in an embodiment; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a clamp cleaning mechanism provided in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 is an oblique cross-sectional view of a nozzle in a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the clamping member being within the swing range during the cleaning process; Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a clamp cleaning mechanism in use according to a third embodiment of the present invention; Fig.10 for Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a follower drive assembly in an embodiment; Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the nozzle, the first universal ball and the second universal ball; Fig.12 A schematic diagram of a clamp cleaning mechanism spraying and cleaning the clamping claws; Fig.13 A schematic diagram of a clamping member provided in one embodiment of the present invention; Fig.14 A flowchart of a wafer cleaning method provided by one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments in the embodiments of the present application should fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application.

[0037] The terms used in this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application. The singular forms of "a", "said" and "the" used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates other meanings. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0038] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used in this application to describe various information, this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Thus, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0039] In the present invention, wafer is also called substrate, which has the same meaning and practical function.

[0040] The present invention is further described in detail below through the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0041] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a wafer cleaning device provided in one embodiment of the present invention, a wafer cleaning device includes a box body 1, a chuck 2 arranged in the box body 1, a clamping member, a clamping member cleaning mechanism 4, a rotating mechanism 5, a liquid recovery mechanism and a liquid spraying mechanism 7.

[0042] The chuck 2 is mounted on the rotating mechanism 5, the clamping member is arranged on the chuck 2, and the clamping member includes a plurality of claws 3, and the plurality of claws 3 are evenly distributed along the circumference of the chuck 2. Of course, in other embodiments, the claws 3 may also be unevenly distributed to properly cooperate with the robot to pick up and place the wafer. The plurality of claws 3 are used to horizontally clamp and fix the wafer, and the chuck 2, the clamping member and the wafer can be driven by the rotating mechanism 5 to rotate synchronously.

[0043] During the wafer rotation, the liquid spraying mechanism 7 sprays cleaning liquid onto the wafer for cleaning. The rotation of the wafer can cause the cleaning liquid to be thrown radially outward under the action of centrifugal force. The liquid recovery mechanism is arranged in an annular shape radially outward of the chuck 2 to receive the cleaning liquid thrown outward by the rotation of the wafer.

[0044] In this embodiment, the liquid recovery mechanism includes an isolation ring 6 and a lifting drive device (not shown), and the lifting drive device can drive the isolation ring 6 to descend to below the chuck 2, and drive the isolation ring 6 to rise above the claw 3 to match the wafer cleaning process.

[0045] In the first embodiment, the clamp cleaning mechanism 4 includes an adjustable bracket and a nozzle 41 ( Figure 4), the adjustable bracket is mounted on the side wall of the box body 1, and the nozzle 41 is arranged at the front end of the adjustable bracket. The nozzle 41 is used to spray fluid toward the cleaning station, and the rotating mechanism 5 can rotate the claw 3 to the cleaning station, so that the surface of the claw 3 is cleaned by the clamping member cleaning mechanism 4. It should be noted that the cleaning station in the present invention refers to the position corresponding to the claw 3 during the cleaning process.

[0046] In the present invention, the design of the adjustable bracket allows the position and angle of the nozzle 41 to be adjusted as needed, ensuring that the fluid can be accurately sprayed to the cleaning station. The nozzle 41 is directly facing the cleaning station, and can efficiently and centrally spray the fluid to comprehensively clean the claws 3 and improve the cleaning effect. The adjustable bracket is installed on the side wall of the box body 1 to effectively utilize the space and reduce the area occupied by the equipment. The adjustable bracket cooperates with the rotating mechanism 5 to realize automatic cleaning of the claws 3, improve production efficiency and reduce labor costs. The independence of the clamp cleaning mechanism 4 helps to prevent cross contamination during the cleaning process and maintain high quality standards for wafer cleaning.

[0047] In this embodiment, the adjustable bracket includes a rotatable arm 42 and a mounting seat 43. Figure 4 As shown, the spray head 41 is located at the front end of the rotatable arm 42. The rotatable arm 42 is fixed to the mounting seat 43 through the mounting shaft 44 and the rotation angle can be locked by a locking device.

[0048] Specifically, the mounting shaft 44 is fixed on the mounting seat 43, and the rotatable arm 42 is provided with an axial hole 421 for the mounting shaft 44 to pass through, and a slot 422 is provided at the end of the rotatable arm 42, and the slot 422 divides the end of the rotatable arm 42 into a first clamping plate portion 423 and a second clamping plate portion 424; a part of the axial hole 421 is located on the first clamping plate portion 423, and the other part is located on the second clamping plate portion 424; the locking device is a fastening bolt 45, which is installed at the ends of both the first clamping plate portion 423 and the second clamping plate portion 424.

[0049] During installation, loosen the fastening bolt 45, coaxially sleeve the axial hole 421 of the rotatable arm 42 on the installation shaft 44, so that the first clamping plate part 423 and the second clamping plate part 424 clamp the installation shaft 44, and then adjust the rotatable arm 42 to a suitable angle, screw the fastening bolt 45 so that the first clamping plate part 423 and the second clamping plate part 424 clamp the installation shaft 44 to lock it.

[0050] Furthermore, the mounting seat 43 is provided with an adjustment slot 431 to facilitate the passing of the fixing bolt 46. Figure 4 The adjustment slot 431 is shown. The adjustment slot 431 extends along the radial direction of the chuck 2. By adjusting the position of the fixing bolt 46 in the adjustment slot 431, the distance between the mounting seat 43 and the chuck 2 can be adjusted, thereby accurately adjusting the horizontal position of the nozzle 41.

[0051] In the present invention, the design of the rotatable arm 42 allows the nozzle 41 to flexibly adjust its angle after installation, ensuring the precise positioning of the spray fluid and improving the cleaning effect. Through the locking device, the position of the rotatable arm 42 can be firmly locked to avoid the change of the position of the nozzle 41 due to vibration or other factors during operation, thereby ensuring the consistency of cleaning. The tightening and loosening operation of the fastening bolt 45 is simple, which is convenient for quick installation and adjustment to meet different work requirements. The segmented clamping design is adopted, and the first clamping plate portion 423 and the second clamping plate portion 424 make the clamping force on the installation shaft 44 more uniform, enhance the stability of the installation, and reduce the wear caused by uneven clamping force. At the same time, different installation height adjustments can be achieved by adjusting the position of the rotatable arm 42 fixed on the installation shaft 44. The adjustment slot 431 on the mounting seat 43 provides a larger adjustment range, which can easily adjust the distance between the nozzle 41 and the chuck 2 according to actual needs, thereby improving the flexibility of the structure. The above-mentioned design structure of the adjustable bracket is compact and reasonably utilizes space, and is suitable for use in a limited working environment. Combined with the flexibility of the rotating mechanism 5, it can achieve an efficient cleaning process, adapt to clamps of various shapes, and ensure comprehensive cleaning.

[0052] Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, a spray tube 47 is provided inside the rotatable arm 42, the spray head 41 is threadedly connected to the end of the rotatable arm 42, the spray tube 47 is inserted into the accommodating cavity 412 of the spray head 41, and a spray channel 411 is provided on the spray head 41, and the spray channel 411 is connected to the accommodating cavity 412 to spray cleaning liquid toward the claws 3 in the box body 1.

[0053] Furthermore, the jet pipe 47 is connected to a liquid source or a gas source, and can be switched between the connection to the liquid source or the gas source through a valve, so that the liquid or gas can flow into the nozzle 41 through the jet pipe 47 and be ejected outward through the jet channel 411. When the clamping jaw 3 is cleaned with liquid, the liquid can be a chemical agent according to actual needs, or it can be deionized water; when the clamping jaw 3 is cleaned with gas, or when the clamping jaw 3 is air-dried after being cleaned with deionized water, the gas can be nitrogen or other inert gas.

[0054] In the present invention, the design of the jet pipe 47 and the nozzle 41 structure can flexibly select liquid or gas according to the cleaning requirements, support multiple cleaning schemes, and improve the adaptability of cleaning. The rapid switching between the liquid source and the gas source is realized by the valve, which is simple to operate, saves time and manpower, and improves work efficiency. When using liquid cleaning, different chemical agents or deionized water can be selected according to the specific situation to meet specific cleaning requirements and improve the cleaning effect. After liquid cleaning, gas is used for air drying to ensure that the claws 3 dry quickly, avoid residual water, and reduce the risk of cross contamination. In addition to meeting the needs of flexible selection of liquid or gas, the design of the injection channel 411 can also ensure that the fluid is uniformly ejected, improve the cleaning effect and coverage, and is particularly suitable for clamps of complex shapes. Nitrogen or other inert gases can be used for cleaning and air drying, reducing the impact on the environment, and gas cleaning can effectively remove residues. The internal jet pipe 47 and the nozzle 41 installation structure design saves space, making the overall equipment more compact and adaptable to different working environments.

[0055] In the second embodiment, the nozzle 41 of the clamp cleaning mechanism 4 is provided with a plurality of injection channels 411, for example, three. Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, accordingly, each jet channel 411 corresponds to a jet pipe 47. Multiple jet channels 411 are used to spray in different directions, so that when the claw 3 swings back and forth slightly, it can be sprayed by different jet channels 411 when it swings to different positions on the trajectory, avoiding the defect that a single jet channel 411 cannot clean the claw 3 at multiple angles, thereby achieving a better cleaning effect. On the other hand, as the claw 3 swings to different positions, the corresponding jet channels 411 are used for directional spraying, and the range of the sputtering area can also be controlled to avoid unnecessary sputtering caused by too wide a spray range.

[0056] In this embodiment, the included angle θ between the injection channels 411 on both sides and the middle injection channel 411 is equal. Figure 7 As shown, the angle θ is the angle between the center lines of adjacent injection channels 411 .

[0057] The injection channel 411 is arranged obliquely relative to the central axis of the nozzle 41, that is, the injection channel 411 forms an angle α ( Fig.12 This is because the central axis of the nozzle 41 is arranged horizontally. In order to better show the internal structure of the injection channel 411, the section plane passes through the central line of the injection channel 411.

[0058] Preferably, the angle θ between the injection channels 411 on both sides and the middle injection channel 411 is 5° to 30°, so that the injected cleaning liquid can better cover the surface of the claw 3 to achieve accurate and efficient cleaning.

[0059] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of a clamping member provided for one embodiment of the present invention, the clamping member includes a clamping seat 31, which is fixed on a chuck 2, a clamping claw 3 is provided on the clamping seat 31, and the clamping claw 3 is usually provided with a pair of ejector pins 32, so that when the clamping claw 3 is opened, the ejector pins 32 horizontally support the wafer, so that the robot arm can grab the wafer from below the wafer.

[0060] Furthermore, the claw 3 is a substantially rectangular rod structure, which includes a claw back side 3a and a claw side 3b. Figure 6 and Figure 7 The multiple spray channels 411 shown can be used to wash the back side 3 a and the side 3 b of the clamping jaw to prevent the sprayed liquid from failing to cover the surface accurately and causing particles to remain on the surface of the clamping jaw 3 .

[0061] Specifically, by controlling the small rotation of the rotating mechanism 5 to adjust the position of the claw 3, the injection channel 411 on the nozzle 41 can be accurately aligned with the back side 3a and the side 3b of the claw to prevent unnecessary splashing caused by injection to the ejector pin 32 and other parts.

[0062] In the third embodiment, a structure is further provided that can drive the nozzle 41 to rotate freely in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. Figure 8 As shown, since the rotation trajectory L of the clamping claw 3 is circular, its running trajectory is arc-shaped when the clamping claw 3 swings back and forth. The clamping claw 3 swings between the first station S1 and the second station S2, and the clamping claw 3 sweeps a circular arc-shaped trajectory between the first station S1 and the second station S2. Since the nozzle 41 is arranged above the outer side of the clamping claw 3, the nozzle 41 cannot achieve the effect of following the running trajectory of the clamping claw 3 when it is driven by a single power source to swing left and right. The nozzle 41 must meet the synthetic action of swinging left and right and swinging back and forth. Therefore, the clamp cleaning mechanism also includes Figures 9 to 11 The following driving assembly 9 is shown, and the following driving assembly 9 is used to drive the spray head 41 to move according to a preset path when the clamping claw 3 swings back and forth, so as to aim at the clamping claw 3 in real time to spray fluid.

[0063] It can be understood that when the clamp cleaning mechanism 4 cleans the clamping claw 3, the clamping claw 3 swings slightly under the drive of the rotating mechanism 5; Figure 8 It is only for better illustration that the rotation trajectory of the claw 3 is an arc line, and the actual swing amplitude of the claw 3 is 5°~20°.

[0064] Fig.10A schematic diagram of a follower drive assembly 9 provided for an embodiment of the present invention includes a first universal ball 91, a second universal ball 92, a transverse motor screw drive device 95 and a longitudinal motor screw drive device 96. The follower drive assembly 9 also includes an isolation cover not shown to isolate the first universal ball 91, the second universal ball 92 and other components from the environment inside the casing 1 to prevent the follower drive assembly 9 from being affected by the multi-particle and multi-water environment in the casing 1.

[0065] Furthermore, the nozzle 41 is a straight rod structure, and its end protrudes outward from the isolation cover. The nozzle 41 passes through the first universal ball 91 and Fig.11 The second universal ball 92 is shown, and the nozzle 41 is slidably connected to the first universal ball 91 and fixedly connected to the second universal ball 92. The first universal ball 91 is mounted on a first universal ball seat 910, and the second universal ball 92 is mounted on a second universal ball seat 920. The second universal ball 92 seat is fixedly mounted on the equipment frame. The first universal ball seat 910 is movably arranged. One end of the nozzle 41 is connected to a hose (equivalent to the jet pipe 47) for providing fluid. The nozzle 41 can be universally rotated based on the second universal ball 92, and the nozzle 41 can also slide relative to the second universal ball 92.

[0066] Furthermore, the lateral side and longitudinal side of the first universal ball seat 910 are respectively provided with a lateral slide bar 93 and a longitudinal slide bar 94, and the lateral slide bar 93, the longitudinal slide bar 94 and the nozzle 41 are perpendicular to each other; the lateral motor screw drive device 95 includes a lateral motor 951, a lateral screw 952 and a lateral nut 953 threadedly connected to the lateral screw 952, and the longitudinal slide bar 94 is slidably installed on the lateral nut 953; the longitudinal motor screw drive device 96 includes a longitudinal motor 961, a longitudinal screw 962 and a longitudinal nut 963 threadedly connected to the longitudinal screw 962, and the lateral slide bar 93 is slidably installed on the longitudinal nut 963. Two sets of motor screw drive devices installed vertically to each other can respectively drive the first universal ball seat 910 to move horizontally and vertically. During the swinging process of the claw 3, as the claw 3 moves to different positions, the horizontal motor 951 and the vertical motor 961 can cooperate with the rotating mechanism 5 to drive the nozzle 41 according to the preset stroke, so that the nozzle 41 can meet the requirement of facing the claw 3, so that it can follow the swing of the claw 3 to spray and clean it.

[0067] At the same time, the present invention provides a wafer cleaning method, the flow chart of which is as follows: Fig.14 As shown, the wafer cleaning method includes: Wafer cleaning step (S1): the chuck 2 is driven by the rotating mechanism 5 to drive the wafer to rotate, and the liquid spraying mechanism 7 sprays the cleaning liquid onto the wafer for cleaning; It should be noted that the "cleaning" here is a relatively macroscopic cleaning, which includes cleaning and drying the surface of the wafer to obtain a wafer with a clean and dry surface. The liquid spraying mechanism 7 can spray a cleaning chemical liquid and / or a drying chemical liquid.

[0068] Clamping part cleaning step (S2): the chuck 2 is driven to rotate by the rotating mechanism 5, and the claws 3 are rotated to the cleaning station in turn, and the nozzle 41 sprays fluid to the claws 3 located at the cleaning station for cleaning; when the nozzle 41 sprays fluid, the chuck 2 is driven to rotate reciprocally by the rotating mechanism 5, so that the claws 3 located at the cleaning station swing back and forth, so as to repeatedly rinse the surface of the claws 3 for multiple times to achieve efficient cleaning.

[0069] In the present invention, the clamp cleaning step is separated from the wafer cleaning step. Usually, the clamp is cleaned when there is no wafer in the box 1 to prevent the contaminants attached to the claws 3 from sputtering to the wafer surface and causing secondary contamination.

[0070] When the clamping part is cleaned, the nozzle 41 cleans the claw 3 through the injection channel 411; before cleaning, the isolation ring 6 is raised by the lifting drive device until the top of the inner wall of the isolation ring 6 is located 3mm to 8mm above the top of the claw; after cleaning, the lifting drive device continues to move the isolation ring 6 upward, such as Figure 3 As shown, the chuck 2 is driven to rotate by the rotating mechanism 5, and the liquid is thrown outward and collected by the isolation ring 6 to prevent the cleaning liquid from remaining on the surface of the claw 3.

[0071] In some embodiments, multiple injection channels 411 are provided on the nozzle 41 for spraying fluid toward different positions on the swinging path of the claw 3; when the claw 3 swings to the position corresponding to any injection channel 411, the valve of the injection channel 411 is opened and the valves of the remaining injection channels 411 are closed to avoid the remaining injection channels 411 spraying to other parts of the box body 1 and causing unnecessary liquid splashing.

[0072] Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, the middle jet channel 411 and one of the side jet channels 411 are opened simultaneously to clean the back side 3a and one of the side surfaces 3b of the claw, so that the jet channel 411 can be accurately delivered to the outer side surface of the claw 3, thereby removing contaminants on the surface of the claw 3.

[0073] Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the embodiment shown, a single injection channel 411 is provided on the nozzle 41; when the claw 3 swings back and forth, Fig.10 The follow-up drive assembly 9 shown drives the spray head 41 to move according to a preset path, so as to spray the fluid in real time toward the clamping claw 3 .

[0074] In addition, the present invention also provides a wafer cleaning device, which includes the wafer cleaning device described above, and further includes: A liquid spray control system, connected to the liquid spray mechanism, for controlling the liquid spray mechanism to spray cleaning liquid onto the wafer when the chuck 2 drives the wafer to rotate; A chuck drive control system is connected to the rotating mechanism 5, and is used to control the rotating mechanism 5 to drive the chuck 2 to rotate, to control the rotating mechanism 5 to drive the chuck 2 to rotate the claw 3 to the cleaning station, and to control the rotating mechanism 5 to drive the chuck 2 to rotate back and forth, so that the claw 3 located at the cleaning station swings back and forth; A cleaning control system, connected to the clamp cleaning mechanism 4, for controlling the clamp cleaning mechanism 4 to spray fluid toward the cleaning station, and for controlling the transverse motor 951 and the longitudinal motor 961 to move, so as to drive the spray head 41 to spray fluid toward the position of the clamp 3 when the clamp 3 swings, and for controlling the transverse motor 951 and the longitudinal motor 961 to drive the spray head 41 to move according to a preset stroke; The lifting control system is connected to the lifting drive device, and is used to control the lifting drive device to raise the isolation ring 6 to a position where the top of the inner wall of the isolation ring 6 is 3mm to 8mm above the top of the claw 3 before cleaning the claw 3, and is used to control the lifting drive device to continue to move the isolation ring 6 upward after cleaning the claw 3.

[0075] In the present invention, when a plurality of injection channels 411 are provided on the nozzle 41, the cleaning control system is also used to control the valve of the injection channel 411 to open and the valves of the remaining injection channels to close when the claw 3 swings to a position relative to one of the plurality of injection channels 411; when a single injection channel 411 is provided on the nozzle 41, the cleaning control system is also used to control the follow-up drive assembly 9 to drive the nozzle 3 to move with reference to a preset path when the claw 3 swings back and forth, so as to aim at the claw 3 in real time to spray fluid. Since the nozzle 41 is located radially outside the rotation trajectory of the claw 3 and is located above the isolation ring 6, the injection channel 411 is tilted and can be tilted downward toward the cleaning station. The angle α between the liquid outlet angle of the nozzle 41 and the horizontal plane is 45°~85°, such as Fig.12 As shown; when the claw 3 clamps the wafer, the nozzle 41 is on the outside of the wafer, so it can effectively prevent the droplets remaining at the end of the nozzle 41 from dripping down to the area where the wafer to be cleaned is located, avoiding these liquids containing contaminants from adhering to the wafer surface again and affecting the wafer cleaning effect.

[0076] In the present invention, the rotating mechanism 5 can sequentially drive each claw 3 to rotate to the cleaning station for separate cleaning, and is also used to drive the chuck 2 to reciprocate within a small angle range when cleaning the claw 3, so that the claw 3 located at the cleaning station swings back and forth. In this process, the fluid sprayed by the nozzle 41 can repeatedly act on the surface of the claw 3 at multiple angles, enhancing the coverage of the claw 3 by the fluid sprayed by the nozzle 41, ensuring that all areas of the claw 3, especially parts with complex shapes, are cleaned, ensuring no dead angle cleaning; through dynamic cleaning, the accumulation of cleaning fluid in a certain area is avoided, and the uniformity of the distribution of the cleaning fluid is enhanced; the comprehensive reciprocating swing and multi-angle spraying significantly improve the thoroughness of cleaning, ensure the removal of residues and contaminants, and improve the cleanliness of the claw 3.

[0077] When cleaning the clamping part, the chuck 2 is first driven to rotate by the rotating mechanism 5, and one of the claws 3 is rotated to the cleaning station for cleaning, and the fluid is sprayed to the claw 3 located at the cleaning station through the nozzle 41. When the nozzle 41 sprays the fluid, the chuck 2 is driven to rotate back and forth by the rotating mechanism 5, so that the claw 3 located at the cleaning station swings back and forth.

[0078] When there is light residue on the surface of the claw 3, nitrogen can be used as the spray fluid to blow away the liquid medicine on the surface of the claw 3. Of course, deionized water as described above can be used to spray the claw 3 at any time. When using liquid to spray the claw 3, before spraying, the isolation ring 6 needs to be raised to the top of the claw 3 by the lifting drive device, such as Figure 2 As shown, in this state, the liquid sprayed from the nozzle 41 will splash outward after hitting the surface of the claw 3, and the splashing droplets can be blocked and collected by the isolation ring 6.

[0079] like Fig.12 As shown, the distance H between the top of the inner wall of the isolating ring 6 and the top of the claw 3 is 3 mm to 8 mm. The inner side surface of the isolating ring 6 includes an annular surface 61, a first conical surface 62 and a second conical surface 63, wherein the annular surface 61 is the radial inner end surface closest to the claw 3, the first conical surface 62 is connected to the lower end of the annular surface 61 and extends outward, and the horizontal inclination angle of the second conical surface 63 connected to the end of the first conical surface 62 is reduced.

[0080] Before cleaning the clamping claw 3, the isolation ring 6 is moved up to the working position, and the top of the inner wall of the isolation ring 6 is close to the liquid beam sprayed from the nozzle 41. When the liquid beam hits the clamping claw 3, backsplash is formed. Most of the backsplashed droplets hit the first conical surface 62, and the droplets roll down along the first conical surface 62 under the action of inertia, thereby realizing the directional collection of the backsplashed droplets.

[0081] In summary, the wafer cleaning device of the present invention can regularly remove the residual liquid on the surface of the clamping part, reduce the wear of the clamping part caused by the adhesion of the liquid, and extend the service life of the equipment. At the same time, the wafer cleaning equipment integrates the functions of clamping, cleaning, recycling, etc., simplifies the operation process, improves the overall operation efficiency, and adapts to the needs of modern production. This improved wafer cleaning device and method not only improves the cleaning efficiency of the clamping part, but also improves the cleaning quality, reduces the complexity of operation, and adapts to higher industrialization needs.

[0082] Obviously, the above embodiments are only examples for clear explanation, and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. For ordinary technicians in the relevant field, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the implementation methods here. The obvious changes or modifications derived from them are still within the protection scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A wafer cleaning device, characterized in that: include: Chuck; A clamping member, comprising a plurality of claws, wherein the plurality of claws are distributed circumferentially on the chuck and are used to clamp and fix the wafer; A liquid spraying mechanism, used for spraying cleaning liquid onto the wafer for cleaning; A clamp cleaning mechanism, comprising a spray head, on which at least one spray channel is provided, and the spray head is used to spray a fluid toward a cleaning station; The rotating mechanism is connected to the chuck and is used for rotating the clamping claw to the cleaning station and then driving the chuck to rotate back and forth, thereby causing the clamping claw located at the cleaning station to swing back and forth.

2. The wafer cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple injection channels, and the multiple injection channels are used to inject fluid toward different positions on the swing path of the claw.

3. The wafer cleaning device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each of the injection channels is correspondingly connected to an independent injection pipe, and each of the injection pipes is provided with a valve that can be independently controlled to open and close.

4. The wafer cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamp cleaning mechanism also includes a follow-up drive assembly, which is used to drive the nozzle to move according to a preset path when the clamping claw swings back and forth, so as to align the clamping claw with the spray fluid in real time.

5. The wafer cleaning device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The follower drive assembly includes a first universal ball, a second universal ball, a transverse motor screw drive device and a longitudinal motor screw drive device; the nozzle is in the shape of a straight rod, which passes through the first universal ball and the second universal ball in sequence, and the nozzle is slidably connected to the first universal ball and fixedly connected to the second universal ball; the first universal ball is installed on the first universal ball seat, and the second universal ball is installed on the second universal ball seat; the transverse side and longitudinal side of the first universal ball seat are respectively provided with a transverse slide bar and a longitudinal slide bar, and the transverse slide bar, the longitudinal slide bar and the nozzle are perpendicular to each other; the transverse motor screw drive device includes a transverse motor, a transverse screw and a transverse nut threadedly connected to the transverse screw, and the longitudinal slide bar is slidably installed on the transverse nut; the longitudinal motor screw drive device includes a longitudinal motor, a longitudinal screw and a longitudinal nut threadedly connected to the longitudinal screw, and the transverse slide bar is slidably installed on the longitudinal nut.

6. The wafer cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spray head is located radially outside the rotation track of the claw and sprays obliquely toward the cleaning station.

7. The wafer cleaning device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The angle between the liquid outlet angle of the nozzle and the horizontal plane is 45° to 85°.

8. The wafer cleaning device according to claim 7, characterized in that: Also includes: The liquid recovery mechanism comprises an isolation ring arranged in a ring shape on the radial outer side of the chuck, and is used for receiving the liquid thrown outward when the wafer rotates.

9. The wafer cleaning device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The liquid recovery mechanism also includes a lifting drive device, which is used to drive the isolation ring to rise to a position where the top of the inner wall of the isolation ring is 3mm to 8mm above the top of the claw before the clamping member cleaning mechanism cleans the claw.

10. A wafer cleaning method, characterized in that: include: Wafer cleaning steps: the chuck is driven by the rotating mechanism to drive the wafer to rotate, and the liquid spraying mechanism sprays the cleaning liquid onto the wafer for cleaning; The cleaning steps of the clamping parts are as follows: the chuck is driven to rotate by the rotating mechanism, and the claws are rotated to the cleaning station in turn, and the nozzle sprays fluid to the claws located at the cleaning station for cleaning; when the nozzle sprays the fluid, the chuck is driven to rotate reciprocally by the rotating mechanism, so that the claws located at the cleaning station swing back and forth.

11. The wafer cleaning method according to claim 10, wherein: The nozzle cleans the claws by spraying liquid; before cleaning, the isolation ring is raised by the lifting drive device until the top of the inner wall of the isolation ring is 3mm~8mm above the top of the claws; after cleaning, the lifting drive device continues to move the isolation ring upward, drives the chuck to rotate through the rotating mechanism, throws the liquid outward and collects it through the isolation ring.

12. The wafer cleaning method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: A plurality of injection channels are arranged on the nozzle for injecting fluid toward different positions on the swing path of the clamping claw; when the clamping claw swings to a position corresponding to any injection channel, the valve of the injection channel is opened, and the valves of the other injection channels are closed.

13. The wafer cleaning method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: A single injection channel is arranged on the nozzle; when the clamping claw swings back and forth, the nozzle is driven by the following driving assembly to move with reference to a preset path so as to spray the fluid in real time in alignment with the clamping claw.

14. A wafer cleaning device, characterized in that: The wafer cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 further comprises: A liquid spray control system, connected to the liquid spray mechanism, is used to control the liquid spray mechanism to spray cleaning liquid onto the wafer when the chuck drives the wafer to rotate; A cleaning control system, connected to the clamp cleaning mechanism, for controlling the clamp cleaning mechanism to spray fluid to the cleaning station; The chuck drive control system is connected to the rotating mechanism and is used to control the rotating mechanism to drive the chuck to rotate, to control the rotating mechanism to drive the chuck to rotate the claw to the cleaning station, and to control the rotating mechanism to drive the chuck to rotate back and forth so that the claw located at the cleaning station swings back and forth.

15. The wafer cleaning device according to claim 14, characterized in that: When a plurality of injection channels are arranged on the nozzle, the cleaning control system is also used for controlling the valve of one of the plurality of injection channels to open and the valves of the remaining injection channels to close when the claw swings to a position relative to the plurality of injection channels.

16. The wafer cleaning device according to claim 14, characterized in that: When a single injection channel is provided on the nozzle, the cleaning control system is also used to control the follow-up driving assembly to drive the nozzle to move according to a preset path when the claw swings back and forth, so as to spray the fluid in real time toward the claw.

17. The wafer cleaning equipment according to claim 14, characterized in that: The wafer cleaning equipment also includes: The lifting control system is connected to the lifting drive device, and is used to control the lifting drive device to raise the isolation ring to a position where the top of the inner wall of the isolation ring is 3mm to 8mm above the top of the claw before cleaning the claw, and to control the lifting drive device to continue to move the isolation ring upward after cleaning the claw.

Citation Information

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