Wafer cleaning and drying all-in-one machine and processing method thereof

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of wafer processing equipment, and particularly relates to a wafer cleaning and drying all-in-one machine and a processing method thereof.The wafer cleaning and drying all-in-one machine comprises a rack and a feeding mechanism, a rough cleaning mechanism, a fine cleaning mechanism and a drying mechanism which are sequentially arranged on the rack, the feeding mechanism comprises a feeding belt rotationally connected with the rack, and a single conveying path is laid on the rack; the feeding mechanism further comprises a material returning belt rotationally connected with the rack, the material returning belt and the feeding belt are arranged in parallel and opposite in conveying direction, the single material conveying path comprises a limiting plate fixedly connected with the rack, the feeding belt and the material returning belt are fixedly connected with a first limiting edge, and the first limiting edge is fixedly connected with a second limiting edge. The wafer cleaning and drying device has the beneficial effects that cleaning and drying of the wafer by the device are integrated, and the cleaning efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of wafer processing equipment, and in particular to a wafer cleaning and drying integrated machine and a processing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Wafer cleaning is a critical process in semiconductor manufacturing. It is primarily categorized into three methods: wet cleaning, dry cleaning, and physical and chemical cleaning. Wet cleaning accounts for the majority of applications. This technology directly impacts chip yield and performance by removing contaminants such as surface particles, metallic impurities, and organic matter. Drying removes liquid from the wafer surface, ensuring surface cleanliness and preparing the wafer for the next process step.

[0003] However, wafer cleaning and drying tools are mostly completed by independent equipment, and after cleaning, they are manually transferred to the drying process. The equipment integration is not high, and the transfer process wastes manpower and time. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention is aimed at the above-mentioned problems and specifically designs a wafer cleaning and drying all-in-one machine and a processing method thereof, so that the equipment integrates the cleaning and drying of wafers into one, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides a wafer cleaning and drying machine, comprising a frame, and a loading mechanism, a rough washing mechanism, a fine washing mechanism and a drying mechanism sequentially arranged on the frame, the loading mechanism comprising a feed belt rotatably connected to the frame, the frame being provided with a single feeding path, and the conveying end point of the feed belt being connected to the rough washing mechanism through the single feeding path.

[0006] Furthermore, the feeding mechanism also includes a return belt rotatably connected to the frame, and the return belt is arranged parallel to the feed belt and has opposite conveying directions.

[0007] Preferably, the single feeding path includes a limit plate fixedly connected to the frame, and the feed belt and the return belt are fixedly connected to a limit edge.

[0008] Furthermore, the rough washing mechanism includes a base, an intermittent discharge tray, a roller assembly, and a groove wheel assembly that drives and connects to the intermittent discharge tray. The base is arranged at the conveying end point of the feed belt and is fixedly connected to the frame. The intermittent discharge tray is rotatably connected to the upper surface of the base, and the intermittent discharge tray is provided with a plurality of conveying grooves, which are adapted to the wafers, and the roller assembly is rotatably connected to the conveying grooves.

[0009] Furthermore, the sheave assembly includes a power source, an active dial and a driven sheave, the output shaft of the power source drives and connects the active dial, the active dial is equipped with a cylindrical pin, the driven sheave is provided with a radial groove matching the cylindrical pin, the active dial intermittently transmits the driven sheave through the cylindrical pin, a rotating shaft is assembled in the center hole of the driven sheave, the rotating shaft passes through the base and drives and connects to the intermittent discharge disk.

[0010] Furthermore, the roller assembly includes a second power source and a roller hammer, the output shaft of the second power source drives and connects to the roller hammer, the head of the roller hammer is covered with a rag, the rag is fixedly connected to a brush, and the brush is flexibly connected to the wafer.

[0011] Furthermore, the base includes a circular bottom plate, a semi-circular loading plate and a second limiting edge, the rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the bottom plate through a bearing seat, the bottom plate and the loading plate are an integrally formed structure, and the second limiting edge is fixedly connected to the loading plate.

[0012] Furthermore, the fine washing mechanism includes a cleaning tank, an ultrasonic generator, and a discharge mesh belt rotatably connected to the cleaning tank. The cleaning tank is fixedly connected to the frame and cleaning liquid is injected into the tank. The ultrasonic generator is arranged on the side wall of the cleaning tank, and the feed end of the discharge mesh belt is connected to the discharge end of the rough washing mechanism. A clean water spray assembly is installed at the end of the cleaning tank.

[0013] Furthermore, the drying mechanism includes a drying hood, a heating pipe, and a second discharging mesh belt rotatably connected to the frame. The drying hood is fixedly connected to the frame, and the feed end of the second discharging mesh belt is connected to the discharge end of the first discharging mesh belt. The heating pipe is arranged in the drying hood, and the drying hood is equipped with a feed leather curtain and a discharge leather curtain that are mirror-set.

[0014] The present invention also includes a method for processing a wafer cleaning and drying machine, comprising the following steps: 1) Workers feed the wafers to be cleaned into the loading mechanism. The wafers are transported forward along the feeding belt. When passing through the single feeding path, some wafers are arranged in a straight line and finally sent to the rough cleaning mechanism. Other wafers are squeezed onto the return belt and returned along the return belt. Finally, they fall back onto the feeding belt through the action of the limit edge 1 and are re-arranged and loaded. 2) When the wafer moves to the loading end of the rough cleaning mechanism, the front wafer is pushed by the rear wafer and is sent into the conveying trough of the intermittent discharge tray. The intermittent discharge tray is driven by the groove wheel assembly to drive the wafers in the trough to rotate synchronously, and finally the wafer is transported to the fine cleaning mechanism; 3) In the step 2, the roller assembly rotates based on the conveying trough to carry out rough cleaning of the photoetched surface of the wafer; 4) The wafers that fall into the fine cleaning mechanism are transported forward along the discharge mesh belt, and pass through the cleaning tank excited by the ultrasonic generator and the clean water spray component in sequence. After the fine cleaning of the wafers is completed, they are finally transported to the drying mechanism; 5) The wafers fed into the drying mechanism are intermittently conveyed forward along the discharging mesh belt. During the conveying process, the wafers are acted upon by the heating tubes in the drying hood to complete moisture drying. 6) In the step 5, the period of intermittent transmission of the discharging mesh belt 2 is 10 to 60 seconds.

[0015] In summary, the present invention has the following advantages and beneficial technical effects: 1. The present invention sequentially arranges a rough cleaning mechanism, a fine cleaning mechanism and a drying mechanism, so that the wafers pass through the rough cleaning area, the cleaning tank and the drying area in turn, concentrating the cleaning and drying of the wafers in one machine, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the wafers.

[0016] 2. The present invention is provided with a loading mechanism, in which a single feeding path is used to limit the single-row feeding of wafers. The wafers that pass through the single feeding path in sequence are transferred to the rough washing mechanism of the next level. The wafers that fail to pass through are sent back to the loading end by the return belt and are loaded for secondary processing by the feed belt, thereby realizing efficient transportation of wafers by utilizing internal circulation.

[0017] 3. This invention incorporates a rough cleaning mechanism, in which a sheave assembly drives the intermittent discharge tray to rotate, achieving intermittent wafer transfer. The roller assembly utilizes the intervals between the intermittent discharge tray's rotation to perform a rough sweep of the wafer's photoetched surface, removing surface particles and residue. The semi-circular design of the carrier plate facilitates wafer unloading.

[0018] 4. The present invention incorporates a fine cleaning mechanism, in which an ultrasonic generator converts high-frequency electrical energy into mechanical vibrations, creating a cavitation effect in the cleaning fluid within the cleaning tank, removing dirt and other debris from the wafers. The discharge mesh belt provides stable support for the wafers and, through its inherent water-filtration pores, reduces water leakage and cleaning fluid loss. A clean water spray assembly, located at the end of the cleaning tank, pumps purified water to a spray head, which then sprays a mist onto the wafer surface, completing the cleaning process.

[0019] 5. This invention incorporates a drying mechanism, in which a heating tube utilizes infrared radiation to heat the wafers, accelerating moisture loss and thus achieving wafer drying. The infeed and outfeed curtains reduce heat loss. The second outfeed mesh belt is intermittently driven by an electric motor, with the intervals between stops used for heat exchange with the heating tube to dry out moisture. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the rough washing mechanism of the present invention; Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the transmission of the sheave assembly of the present invention; Figure 5 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the fine washing mechanism of the present invention; Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the drying mechanism of the present invention; Figure 7 It is a perspective schematic diagram of the drying hood of the present invention.

[0021] The reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are: 1. Frame; 2. Loading mechanism; 21. Feed belt; 22. Single feed path; 23. Return belt; 24. Limit edge 1; 3. Rough cleaning mechanism; 31. Base; 311. Bottom plate; 312. Loading plate; 313. Second limiting edge; 32. Intermittent discharge tray; 321. Conveyor trough; 33. Roller assembly; 331. Power source 2; 332. Roller hammer; 333. Bracket; 34. Sheave assembly; 341. Power source 1; 342. Active dial; 343. Cylindrical pin; 344. Driven sheave; 345. Rotating shaft; 4. Fine washing mechanism; 41. Cleaning tank; 42. Ultrasonic generator; 43. Discharging mesh belt 1; 44. Clean water spray assembly; 5. Drying mechanism; 51. Drying hood; 52. Heating tube; 53. Discharging mesh belt 2; 54. Leather curtain. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the implementation of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions; the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments; the embodiments and directional terms described below with reference to the drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limitations on the present invention; based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings: The following is combined with Figure 1-Figure 7 The present invention is described in further detail: Example 1 like Figure 1-Figure 2As shown, this embodiment discloses a wafer cleaning and drying machine, comprising a frame 1, and a loading mechanism 2, a rough cleaning mechanism 3, a fine cleaning mechanism 4, and a drying mechanism 5 sequentially arranged on the frame 1. The loading mechanism 2 comprises a feed belt 21 rotatably connected to the frame 1. The frame 1 is provided with a single feed path 22 that only allows a single layer and a single row of wafers to pass through. The single feed path 22 is a limit plate welded to the frame 1. The delivery end of the feed belt 21 is connected to the rough cleaning mechanism 3 through the single feed path 22. The loading mechanism 2 also comprises a return belt 23 rotatably connected to the frame 1. The return belt 23 is arranged parallel to the feed belt 21 and has an opposite transmission direction. The return belt 23 and the feed belt 21 are both welded with a fixed limit edge 24, which can limit the movement path of the wafer on the upper surface of the loading mechanism 2 to prevent the wafer from falling. In this embodiment, the belts are all driven by a motor-driven pulley. Belt drive is a prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0023] like Figure 2-Figure 3 As shown, the rough washing mechanism 3 includes a base 31, an intermittent discharge tray 32, a roller assembly 33, and a groove wheel assembly 34 that drives and connects the intermittent discharge tray 32. The base 31 is welded and fixed to the frame 1 and is close to the conveying end point of the feed belt 21. The intermittent discharge tray 32 is rotatably connected to the upper surface of the base 31. In this embodiment, the intermittent discharge tray 32 is provided with four conveying grooves 321 adapted to the wafers, and the roller assembly 33 is rotatably connected to one of the conveying grooves 321; the groove wheel assembly 34 includes a power source 341, an active dial 342 and a driven groove wheel 344. The outer shell of the power source 341 is fixedly connected to the frame 1 by fastening screws, and the output shaft is driven to connect the active dial 342. A cylindrical pin 343 is mounted on the upper end surface of the disk 342. A driven sheave 344 is provided with a radial groove that matches the cylindrical pin 343. The active dial 342 intermittently drives the driven sheave 344 via the cylindrical pin 343. A rotating shaft 345 is mounted in the center hole of the driven sheave 344. The rotating shaft 345 passes through the base 31 and drives the intermittent discharge disk 32. The roller assembly 33 includes a second power source 331 and a roller hammer 332. The housing of the second power source 331 is fixed to the frame 1 via a bracket 333 and fastening screws. The output shaft drives the roller hammer 332 via a coupling. The head of the roller hammer 332 is covered with a rag with a soft brush glued to the rag. The brush flexibly connects the wafer and the intermittent discharge disk 32. In this embodiment, the power source is an electric motor.

[0024] like Figure 4 As shown, the base 31 includes a circular bottom plate 311, a semi-annular loading plate 312 and a second limiting edge 313. The middle part of the rotating shaft 345 is rotatably connected to the bottom plate 311 through a bearing seat. The bottom plate 311 and the loading plate 312 are an integrally formed structure, and the semi-annular loading plate 312 simultaneously covers the three conveying grooves 321 in the intermittent discharge tray 32. The second limiting edge 313 is welded to fix the loading plate 312.

[0025] like Figure 5 As shown, the fine washing mechanism 4 includes a cleaning tank 41, an edge-vibrating ultrasonic generator 42, and a chain-type discharge mesh belt 43 rotatably connected to the cleaning tank 41. The cleaning tank 41 is welded to a fixed frame 1 and a cleaning liquid is injected into the tank. The ultrasonic generator 42 is symmetrically installed on the side wall of the cleaning tank 41. The feed end of the discharge mesh belt 43 is arranged below the intermittent discharge tray 32, thereby connecting to the discharge end of the rough washing mechanism 3. A clean water spray assembly 44 is slidingly provided at the end of the cleaning tank 41 through a ball screw transmission member; the clean water spray assembly 44 includes a water pipe frame and a nozzle connected to a clean water source. The water pipe frame is provided with a plurality of water outlets, and the nozzle is threadedly screwed to the water outlet. The water pipe frame is welded to a fixed nut seat, and the water pipe frame is slidably connected to the frame 1 through a guide light rod and a ball screw cooperating with the nut seat, and the ball screw is powered by an electric motor.

[0026] like Figure 6-Figure 7 As shown, the drying mechanism 5 includes a drying hood 51, an infrared heating tube 52, and a second discharge mesh belt 53 rotatably connected to the frame 1. The drying hood 51 is welded to the frame 1, and the feed end of the second discharge mesh belt 53 is connected to the discharge end of the first discharge mesh belt 43. The heating tube 52 is arranged in the drying hood 51. The drying hood 51 is detachably mounted with a feed curtain 54 and a discharge curtain 54 via screws. In this embodiment, the discharge mesh belts are all driven by a motor-driven driving sprocket. The discharge mesh belts are hung between the driving sprocket and the guide wheel. The chain drive is a prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0027] Example 2 A processing method of a wafer cleaning and drying integrated machine of the present invention is as follows: Step 1: The worker feeds the wafers to be cleaned into the loading mechanism 2. The single-layer wafers are transported forward along the feeding belt 21. When passing through the single feeding path 22, some wafers are arranged in a straight line and pass smoothly, and are finally sent to the rough cleaning mechanism 3. The other part of the wafers are squeezed and dropped onto the return belt 23. They return along the return belt 23 and finally fall back into the feeding belt 21 after being blocked by the limit edge 24, and are re-arranged and loaded. Step 2: The wafers are moved to the loading end of the rough cleaning mechanism 3. The front wafer is continuously pushed by the rear wafer and is fed into the conveying groove 321 of the intermittent discharge tray 32. The intermittent discharge tray 32 is driven by the groove wheel assembly 34, which drives the wafers in the groove to rotate synchronously, and finally conveys the wafers to the fine cleaning mechanism 4. The power source 1 341 in the groove wheel assembly 34 outputs power to drive the active dial 342 to rotate continuously. The active dial 342 transmits power to the driven groove wheel 344 through the cylindrical pin 343, so that the driven groove wheel 344 performs unidirectional periodic rotation with pauses, thereby realizing intermittent transmission of the wafers. Step 3: In step 2, the roller assembly 33 is positioned directly above the conveying trough 321, wherein the power source 2 331 outputs power to drive the roller hammer 332 to rotate synchronously, and the brush below contacts the wafer to perform rough cleaning of the wafer photoetching surface; Step 4: The wafers dropped into the fine cleaning mechanism 4 are conveyed forward along the discharge mesh belt 1 43, and sequentially pass through the cleaning tank 41 excited by the ultrasonic generator 42 and the clean water spray assembly 44. After the wafers are cleaned, they are finally conveyed to the drying mechanism 5. Step 5: The wafers fed into the drying mechanism 5 are intermittently conveyed forward along the discharge mesh belt 2 53. The discharge mesh belt 2 53 is divided into a preliminary drying area, a constant speed drying area and a complete drying area. After the wafers pass through the discharge end of the discharge mesh belt 1 43, they are first conveyed to the preliminary drying area of ​​the discharge mesh belt 2 53 and subjected to the action of the heating tube 52 in the drying cover 51 for preliminary moisture drying. After the first cycle is completed, the discharge mesh belt 2 53 rotates, driving the wafers after the preliminary drying to move to the constant speed drying area for secondary drying. At this time, the wafers conveyed by the discharge mesh belt 1 43 fall into the preliminary drying area and undergo preliminary drying. After the second cycle is completed, the discharge mesh belt 2 53 rotates again, synchronously driving the wafers after the preliminary drying and the secondary drying to enter the next level of drying process. The wafers that have completed drying are manually sorted and boxed. Step 6: In step 5, the period of intermittent rotation of the discharging mesh belt 2 53 is 25s.

[0028] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are intended only to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications may be made to the technical solutions described in the above embodiments, or that some of the technical features may be replaced with equivalents; such modifications or replacements do not deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer cleaning and drying machine, characterized by: It includes a frame, and a loading mechanism, a rough washing mechanism, a fine washing mechanism and a drying mechanism arranged in sequence on the frame. The loading mechanism includes a feeding belt rotatably connected to the frame. The frame is provided with a single feeding path. The conveying end point of the feeding belt is connected to the rough washing mechanism through the single feeding path.

2. The wafer cleaning and drying machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding mechanism further comprises a return belt rotatably connected to the frame, wherein the return belt is arranged in parallel with the feed belt and has an opposite transmission direction.

3. The wafer cleaning and drying machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The single feeding path includes a limit plate fixedly connected to the frame, and the feed belt and the return belt are fixedly connected to a limit edge.

4. The wafer cleaning and drying machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rough washing mechanism includes a base, an intermittent discharge tray, a roller assembly, and a groove wheel assembly that drives and connects to the intermittent discharge tray. The base is arranged at the conveying end point of the feed belt and is fixedly connected to the frame. The intermittent discharge tray is rotatably connected to the upper surface of the base, and the intermittent discharge tray is provided with a plurality of conveying grooves, which are adapted to the wafers. The roller assembly is rotatably connected to the conveying grooves.

5. The wafer cleaning and drying machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The sheave assembly includes a power source, an active dial and a driven sheave. The output shaft of the power source drives and connects the active dial. The active dial is equipped with a cylindrical pin. The driven sheave is provided with a radial groove that matches the cylindrical pin. The active dial intermittently transmits the driven sheave through the cylindrical pin. A rotating shaft is assembled in the center hole of the driven sheave. The rotating shaft passes through the base and then drives and connects to the intermittent discharge tray.

6. The wafer cleaning and drying machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The roller assembly includes a second power source and a roller hammer. The output shaft of the second power source drives and connects to the roller hammer. The head of the roller hammer is covered with a rag. The rag is fixedly connected to a brush. The brush is flexibly connected to the wafer.

7. The wafer cleaning and drying machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The base includes a circular bottom plate, a semi-circular loading plate and a second limiting edge. The rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the bottom plate through a bearing seat. The bottom plate and the loading plate are an integrally formed structure. The second limiting edge is fixedly connected to the loading plate.

8. The wafer cleaning and drying machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The fine washing mechanism includes a cleaning tank, an ultrasonic generator, and a discharge mesh belt rotatably connected to the cleaning tank. The cleaning tank is fixedly connected to the frame and cleaning liquid is injected into the tank. The ultrasonic generator is arranged on the side wall of the cleaning tank, and the feed end of the discharge mesh belt is connected to the discharge end of the rough washing mechanism. A clean water spray assembly is installed at the end of the cleaning tank.

9. The wafer cleaning and drying machine according to claim 8, characterized in that: The drying mechanism includes a drying hood, a heating pipe, and a second discharging mesh belt rotatably connected to the frame. The drying hood is fixedly connected to the frame, and the feed end of the second discharging mesh belt is connected to the discharge end of the first discharging mesh belt. The heating pipe is arranged in the drying hood, and the drying hood is equipped with a feed leather curtain and a discharge leather curtain arranged in a mirror image.

10. A method for processing a wafer cleaning and drying machine, characterized in that: The processing steps of the wafer cleaning and drying machine described in claim 9 are: Step 1: The worker feeds the wafers to be cleaned into the loading mechanism. The wafers are transported forward along the feed belt. When passing through the single feed path, some wafers are arranged in a straight line and finally sent to the rough cleaning mechanism. Other wafers are squeezed onto the return belt and returned along the return belt. Finally, they fall back onto the feed belt through the action of the limit edge 1 and are re-arranged and loaded; Step 2: The wafer is moved to the loading end of the rough cleaning mechanism. The front wafer is pushed by the rear wafer and is sent to the conveying trough of the intermittent discharge tray. The intermittent discharge tray is driven by the groove wheel assembly to drive the wafers in the trough to rotate synchronously, and finally the wafer is transported to the fine cleaning mechanism; Step 3: In step 2, the roller assembly rotates based on the conveying trough to perform rough cleaning on the photoetched surface of the wafer; Step 4: The wafers that fall into the fine cleaning mechanism are transported forward along the discharge mesh belt, and sequentially pass through the cleaning tank excited by the ultrasonic generator and the clean water spray component. After the fine cleaning of the wafers is completed, they are finally transported to the drying mechanism; Step 5: The wafers fed into the drying mechanism are intermittently conveyed forward along the discharging mesh belt 2. During the conveying process, the wafers are heated by the heating tubes in the drying hood to complete moisture drying; Step 6. In step 5, the period of intermittent transmission of the discharging mesh belt 2 is 10 to 60 seconds.

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