Wafer cleaning, drying and baking integrated machine and processing method thereof

Abstract

The present application 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, which comprises a rack, a feeding mechanism, a rough cleaning mechanism, a fine cleaning mechanism and a drying mechanism sequentially arranged on the rack, the feeding mechanism comprises a feeding belt rotationally connected to the rack, the rack is provided with a single feeding path, a conveying terminal of the feeding belt is connected to the rough cleaning mechanism through the single feeding path, the feeding mechanism further comprises a return belt rotationally connected to the rack, the return belt is arranged in parallel with the feeding belt and has opposite conveying directions, the single feeding path comprises a limiting plate fixedly connected to the rack, and the feeding belt and the return belt are fixedly connected to a limiting edge, the wafer cleaning and drying all-in-one machine has the advantages that the wafer cleaning and drying are integrated by using the equipment, and the cleaning efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wafer processing equipment technology, and specifically to a wafer cleaning and drying integrated machine and its processing method. Background Technology

[0002] Wafer cleaning is a critical process in semiconductor manufacturing, mainly divided into three categories: wet cleaning, dry cleaning, and physicochemical composite cleaning. Wet cleaning accounts for the majority of applications. This technology removes surface particles, metallic impurities, and organic matter, directly impacting chip yield and performance. Drying aims to remove liquid from the wafer surface, ensuring surface cleanliness and preparing the wafer for the next process.

[0003] However, chip cleaning and drying tools are mostly done by independent equipment. After cleaning, the chips 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 addresses the problems mentioned above by designing an integrated wafer cleaning and drying machine and its processing method, which integrates wafer cleaning and drying into one unit, thereby improving cleaning efficiency.

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

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

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

[0008] Furthermore, the coarse washing mechanism includes a base, an intermittent discharge disc, a rotating roller assembly, and a grooved wheel assembly that drives and connects to the intermittent discharge disc. The base is located at the end point of the feed belt and is fixedly connected to the frame. The intermittent discharge disc is rotatably connected to the upper surface of the base, and the intermittent discharge disc has multiple conveying slots that are adapted to the wafers. The rotating roller assembly is rotatably connected to the conveying slots.

[0009] Furthermore, the grooved wheel assembly includes a power source, an active dial, and a driven grooved wheel. The output shaft of the power source is driven and connected to the active dial. The active dial is equipped with a cylindrical pin. The driven grooved wheel has a radial groove that matches the cylindrical pin. The active dial intermittently drives the driven grooved wheel through the cylindrical pin. A rotating shaft is installed in the central hole of the driven grooved wheel. The rotating shaft passes through the base and drives and connects to the intermittent discharge disc.

[0010] Furthermore, the rotating roller assembly includes a second power source and a roller hammer. The output shaft of the second power source is driven and connected to the roller hammer. The head of the roller hammer is covered with a wiping cloth. The wiping cloth is fixedly connected to a brush. The brush is flexibly connected to the wafer.

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

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

[0013] Furthermore, the drying mechanism includes a drying hood, a heating tube, and a second discharge mesh belt rotatably connected to the frame. The drying hood is fixedly connected to the frame, and the inlet end of the second discharge mesh belt is connected to the outlet end of the first discharge mesh belt. The heating tube is disposed inside the drying hood, and the drying hood is equipped with a mirror-image inlet curtain and an outlet curtain.

[0014] This invention also includes a processing method for a wafer cleaning and drying integrated machine, comprising the following steps:

[0015] 1) The worker feeds the wafers to be cleaned into the feeding mechanism. The wafers are conveyed forward by the feeding belt. When passing through the single feeding path, some wafers are arranged in a line and eventually sent to the front of the rough washing mechanism. Other wafers are squeezed off to the return belt and return with the return belt. Finally, they fall back into the feeding belt by the action of the limiting edge and are discharged and fed again.

[0016] 2) The wafers that move to the feeding end of the coarse washing mechanism are pushed by the wafers behind them and fed into the transfer groove of the intermittent discharge tray. The intermittent discharge tray is driven by the groove wheel assembly to drive the wafers in the groove to rotate synchronously and finally transport the wafers to the fine washing mechanism.

[0017] 3) In step two, the roller assembly rotates based on the conveyor groove to perform rough washing on the photolithographic surface of the wafer;

[0018] 4) The wafers falling into the fine washing mechanism are conveyed forward with the discharge mesh belt, and sequentially pass through the cleaning tank vibrated by the ultrasonic generator and the clean water spray assembly. After the fine washing of the wafers is completed, they are finally transported to the drying mechanism.

[0019] 5) The wafers fed into the drying mechanism are intermittently conveyed forward by the discharge mesh belt. During the conveying process, the wafers are dried by the heating tubes inside the drying hood.

[0020] 6) In step five, the intermittent conveying cycle of the discharge mesh belt is 10~60s.

[0021] In summary, the present invention has the following advantages and beneficial technical effects:

[0022] 1. The present invention sequentially sets up a rough washing mechanism, a fine washing mechanism, and a drying mechanism, so that the wafers pass through the rough washing zone, the cleaning tank, and the drying zone in sequence, and the washing and drying of the wafers are concentrated in one machine, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the wafers.

[0023] 2. The present invention provides a feeding mechanism in which a single feeding path is used to limit the single-row feeding of wafers. Wafers that pass through the single feeding path in sequence are transferred to the next-level coarse washing mechanism. Wafers that do not pass through are sent back to the feeding end by the return belt and are fed again after secondary processing by the feeding belt. The internal circulation is used to achieve efficient wafer feeding.

[0024] 3. This invention includes a coarse cleaning mechanism, in which a grooved wheel assembly drives an intermittent discharge disc to rotate, achieving intermittent transfer of the wafer. The rotating roller assembly utilizes the pauses in the intermittent discharge disc's rotation to perform a coarse cleaning of the wafer's photolithographic surface, removing surface particles and residues. The semi-circular design of the carrier plate facilitates wafer unloading.

[0025] 4. This invention features a fine cleaning mechanism where an ultrasonic generator converts high-frequency electrical energy into mechanical vibration, causing cavitation in the cleaning solution within the cleaning tank and removing dirt and other contaminants adhering to the wafers. The discharge conveyor belt serves two purposes: firstly, it stably supports the wafers; secondly, its filter structure allows water to leak out, reducing cleaning solution loss. A purified water spray assembly is located at the end of the cleaning tank, pumping purified water to the spray heads, which then spray water mist onto the wafer surface to complete the cleaning process.

[0026] 5. This invention includes a drying mechanism where heating tubes utilize infrared radiation to heat the wafers, accelerating moisture loss and thus drying the wafers. The inclusion of infeed and outlet curtains reduces heat loss. The outlet conveyor belt is intermittently driven by a motor, with pauses used for heat exchange by the heating tubes to dry the wafers. Attached Figure Description

[0027] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0028] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the coarse washing mechanism in this invention;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the transmission of the grooved wheel assembly in this invention;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the fine washing mechanism in this invention;

[0033] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the drying mechanism in this invention;

[0034] Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the drying hood in this invention.

[0035] The reference numerals in the attached figures are:

[0036] 1. Frame; 2. Feeding mechanism; 21. Feed belt; 22. Single conveyor path; 23. Return belt; 24. Limiting edge 1;

[0037] 3. Coarse washing mechanism; 31. Base; 311. Base plate; 312. Carrying plate; 313. Limiting edge two; 32. Intermittent discharge plate; 321. Conveyor trough; 33. Rotary roller assembly; 331. Power source two; 332. Roller hammer; 333. Support; 34. Grooved wheel assembly; 341. Power source one; 342. Active dial; 343. Cylindrical pin; 344. Driven grooved wheel; 345. Rotating shaft;

[0038] 4. Fine washing mechanism; 41. Washing tank; 42. Ultrasonic generator; 43. Discharge mesh belt; 44. Clean water spray assembly;

[0039] 5. Drying mechanism; 51. Drying hood; 52. Heating tube; 53. Discharge mesh belt II; 54. Leather curtain. Detailed Implementation

[0040] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout; the described embodiments are some embodiments of this invention, but not all embodiments; the embodiments and directional terms described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this invention, and should not be construed as limiting this invention; all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention. The embodiments of this invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0041] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figures 1-7 The present invention will be further described in detail below:

[0042] Example 1

[0043] like Figures 1-2 As shown, this embodiment discloses a wafer cleaning and drying integrated machine, including a frame 1, and a feeding mechanism 2, a rough washing mechanism 3, a fine washing mechanism 4, and a drying mechanism 5 sequentially arranged on the frame 1. The feeding mechanism 2 includes a feed belt 21 rotatably connected to the frame 1. The frame 1 is provided with a single conveying path 22 that allows only a single layer and single row of wafers to pass through. The single conveying path 22 is a limiting plate welded to the frame 1. The end point of the feed belt 21 is connected to the rough washing mechanism 3 through the single conveying path 22. The feeding mechanism 2 also includes a return belt 23 rotatably connected to the frame 1. The return belt 23 is arranged parallel to the feed belt 21 and the conveying direction is opposite. Both the return belt 23 and the feed belt 21 are welded to a limiting edge 24, which can limit the movement path of the wafers on the upper surface of the feeding mechanism 2 and prevent the wafers from falling. In this embodiment, the belts all adopt a motor-driven pulley transmission method. Belt drive is existing technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0044] like Figures 2-3As shown, the coarse washing mechanism 3 includes a base 31, an intermittent discharge disc 32, a roller assembly 33, and a Geneva wheel assembly 34 that drives and connects to the intermittent discharge disc 32. The base 31 is welded to and fixed to the frame 1 and is close to the end point of the feed belt 21. The intermittent discharge disc 32 is rotatably connected to the upper surface of the base 31. In this embodiment, the intermittent discharge disc 32 has four conveying slots 321 adapted to the wafers. The roller assembly 33 is rotatably connected to one of the conveying slots 321. The Geneva wheel assembly 34 includes a power source 341, an active dial 342, and a driven Geneva wheel 344. The housing of the power source 341 is fixed to the frame 1 by fastening screws. The output shaft drives and connects to the active dial 342. A cylindrical pin 343 is mounted on the upper surface of the disc 342. The driven grooved wheel 344 has a radial groove that matches the cylindrical pin 343. The driving disc 342 intermittently drives the driven grooved wheel 344 using the cylindrical pin 343. A rotating shaft 345 is installed in the central hole of the driven grooved wheel 344. The rotating shaft 345 passes through the base 31 and drives the intermittent discharge disc 32. The roller assembly 33 includes a second power source 331 and a roller hammer 332. The outer shell of the second power source 331 is fixedly connected to the frame 1 by a bracket 333 and fastening screws. The output shaft drives the roller hammer 332 through a coupling. The head of the roller hammer 332 is covered with a wiping cloth, and a soft brush is glued to the wiping cloth. The brush flexibly connects the wafer and the intermittent discharge disc 32. In this embodiment, the power source is an electric motor.

[0045] like Figure 4 As shown, the base 31 includes a circular base plate 311, a semi-annular carrying plate 312, and a limiting edge 313. The base plate 311 is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft 345 through a bearing seat. The base plate 311 and the carrying plate 312 are integrally formed structures. The semi-annular carrying plate 312 simultaneously covers the three conveying slots 321 in the intermittent discharge tray 32. The limiting edge 313 is welded to fix the carrying plate 312.

[0046] like Figure 5 As shown, the fine washing mechanism 4 includes a washing tank 41, a side-vibration ultrasonic generator 42, and a chain-type discharge mesh belt 43 rotatably connected to the washing tank 41. The washing tank 41 is welded to the frame 1 and filled with cleaning liquid. The ultrasonic generator 42 is symmetrically installed on the side wall of the washing tank 41. The feed end of the discharge mesh belt 43 is located below the intermittent discharge plate 32, thereby connecting to the discharge end of the coarse washing mechanism 3. A clean water spray assembly 44 is slidably installed at the end of the washing tank 41 through a ball screw drive. The clean water spray assembly 44 includes a water pipe frame body connected to a clean water source and a nozzle. The water pipe frame body has multiple water outlets. The nozzle is threaded to the water outlets. The water pipe frame body is welded to a fixed nut seat, and the water pipe frame body is slidably connected to the frame 1 through a guide rod and a ball screw that cooperates with the nut seat. The ball screw is powered by an electric motor.

[0047] like Figures 6-7As shown, the drying mechanism 5 includes a drying hood 51, an infrared heating tube 52, and a discharge mesh belt 53 rotatably connected to the frame 1. The drying hood 51 is welded to and fixed to the frame 1, and the inlet end of the discharge mesh belt 53 is connected to the outlet end of the discharge mesh belt 43. The heating tube 52 is installed inside the drying hood 51. The drying hood 51 is detachably fitted with an inlet curtain 54 and an outlet curtain 54 by screws. In this embodiment, the discharge mesh belts all adopt a motor-driven drive sprocket transmission method. The discharge mesh belts are hung between the drive sprocket and the guide wheel. Chain drive is existing technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0048] Example 2

[0049] The processing method of the integrated wafer cleaning and drying machine of the present invention is as follows:

[0050] Step 1: The worker feeds the wafers to be cleaned into the feeding mechanism 2. The single-layer wafers are conveyed forward with the feeding belt 21. When passing through the single conveying path 22, some wafers are arranged in a line and pass through smoothly. Finally, they are sent to the rough washing mechanism 3. The other part of the wafers are squeezed off to the return belt 23 and return with the return belt 23. Finally, they fall back into the feeding belt 21 after being blocked by the limiting edge 24, and are discharged and fed again.

[0051] Step 2: The wafers are moved to the loading end of the coarse washing mechanism 3. The front wafers are continuously pushed by the rear wafers and fed into the transfer groove 321 of the intermittent discharge tray 32. The intermittent discharge tray 32 is driven by the grooved wheel assembly 34, which drives the wafers in the groove to rotate synchronously and finally transports the wafers to the fine washing mechanism 4. The power source 341 in the grooved wheel assembly 34 outputs power to drive the active dial 342 to rotate continuously. The active dial 342 transmits power to the driven grooved wheel 344 through the cylindrical pin 343, so that the driven grooved wheel 344 makes a unidirectional periodic rotation with pauses, realizing the intermittent transfer of wafers.

[0052] Step 3: In step 2, the rotating roller assembly 33 is positioned directly above the conveying groove 321. The second power source 331 outputs power to drive the roller hammer 332 to rotate synchronously. The brush below contacts the wafer to perform rough cleaning of the wafer's photolithographic surface.

[0053] Step 4: The wafers falling into the washing mechanism 4 are conveyed forward by the discharge mesh belt 43, and sequentially pass through the cleaning tank 41 vibrated by the ultrasonic generator 42 and the clean water spray assembly 44. After the wafers are cleaned, they are finally transported to the drying mechanism 5.

[0054] Step 5: The wafers fed into the drying mechanism 5 are intermittently conveyed forward by the second discharge conveyor belt 53. The second discharge conveyor belt 53 is divided into a preliminary drying zone, a constant speed drying zone, and a complete drying zone. After the wafers pass through the discharge end of the first discharge conveyor belt 43, they are first conveyed to the preliminary drying zone of the second discharge conveyor belt 53, where they undergo initial drying under the action of the heating tubes 52 inside the drying hood 51. After the first cycle, the second discharge conveyor belt 53 rotates, moving the pre-dried wafers to the constant speed drying zone for secondary drying. At this time, the wafers conveyed by the first discharge conveyor belt 43 fall into the preliminary drying zone for initial drying. After the second cycle, the second discharge conveyor belt 53 rotates again, simultaneously moving the pre-dried and secondary-dried wafers into the next level of drying process. The dried wafers are then manually sorted and packaged.

[0055] Step Six: In Step Five, the cycle of the intermittent rotation of the discharge mesh belt 253 is 25 seconds.

[0056] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer cleaning and drying integrated machine, characterized in that: The device includes a frame, and a feeding mechanism, a coarse washing mechanism, a fine washing mechanism and a drying mechanism arranged sequentially on the frame. The feeding mechanism includes a feed belt rotatably connected to the frame. The frame is provided with a single conveying path. The end point of the feed belt is connected to the coarse washing mechanism through the single conveying path. The feeding mechanism also includes a return belt rotatably connected to the frame, the return belt being arranged parallel to the feed belt and having opposite conveying directions; The coarse washing mechanism includes a base, an intermittent discharge disc, a rotating roller assembly, and a grooved wheel assembly that drives and connects to the intermittent discharge disc. The base is located at the end point of the feed belt and is fixedly connected to the frame. The intermittent discharge disc is rotatably connected to the upper surface of the base, and the intermittent discharge disc has multiple conveying slots. The conveying slots are adapted to the wafers, and the rotating roller assembly is rotatably connected to the conveying slots. The grooved wheel assembly includes a power source, an active dial, and a driven grooved wheel. The output shaft of the power source drives and connects to the active dial. The active dial is equipped with a cylindrical pin. The driven grooved wheel has a radial groove that matches the cylindrical pin. The active dial intermittently drives the driven grooved wheel through the cylindrical pin. A rotating shaft is installed in the center hole of the driven grooved wheel. The rotating shaft passes through the base and drives and connects to the intermittent discharge disc. The base includes a circular base plate, a semi-annular carrying plate, and a second limiting edge. The rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the base plate through a bearing seat. The base plate and the carrying plate are integrally formed. The second limiting edge is fixedly connected to the carrying plate.

2. The integrated wafer cleaning and drying machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The single material conveying path includes a limiting plate fixedly connected to the frame, and the feed belt and return belt are fixedly connected to a limiting edge.

3. The integrated wafer cleaning and drying machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating roller assembly includes a second power source and a roller hammer. The output shaft of the second power source is connected to the roller hammer. The head of the roller hammer is covered with a wiping cloth. The wiping cloth is fixedly connected to a brush. The brush is flexibly connected to the wafer.

4. The integrated wafer cleaning and drying machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fine washing mechanism includes a washing tank, an ultrasonic generator, and a discharge mesh belt rotatably connected to the washing tank. The washing tank is fixedly connected to the frame and filled with cleaning liquid. The ultrasonic generator is located on the side wall of the washing tank, and the feed end of the discharge mesh belt is connected to the discharge end of the coarse washing mechanism. A clean water spray assembly is installed at the end of the washing tank.

5. The integrated wafer cleaning and drying machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The drying mechanism includes a drying hood, a heating tube, and a second discharge mesh belt rotatably connected to the frame. The drying hood is fixedly connected to the frame, and the inlet end of the second discharge mesh belt is connected to the outlet end of the first discharge mesh belt. The heating tube is installed inside the drying hood, and the drying hood is equipped with a mirror-image inlet curtain and an outlet curtain.

6. A processing method for a wafer cleaning and drying integrated machine, characterized in that: The processing steps of the integrated wafer cleaning and drying machine according to claim 5 are as follows: Step 1: The worker feeds the wafers to be cleaned into the feeding mechanism. The wafers are conveyed forward by the feeding belt. When passing through the single feeding path, some wafers are arranged in a line and eventually sent to the front of the rough washing mechanism. The other part of the wafers are squeezed off to the return belt and return with the return belt. Finally, they fall back into the feeding belt by the action of the limiting edge and are discharged and fed again. Step 2: The wafers are moved to the feeding end of the coarse washing mechanism. The front wafers are pushed by the rear wafers and sent into the transfer groove of the intermittent discharge tray. The intermittent discharge tray is driven by the groove wheel assembly, which drives the wafers in the groove to rotate synchronously and finally transports the wafers to the fine washing mechanism. Step 3: In step 2, the rotating roller assembly rotates based on the conveyor groove to perform rough washing on the photolithographic surface of the wafer; Step 4: The wafers that fall into the fine washing mechanism are conveyed forward with the discharge mesh belt, and sequentially pass through the cleaning tank vibrated by the ultrasonic generator and the clean water spray assembly. After the fine washing 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 by the discharge conveyor belt. During the conveying process, the wafers are dried by the heating tubes inside the drying hood. Step 6: In step 5, the intermittent conveying cycle of the discharge mesh belt is 10~60s.

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