Vertical scrubbing device, wafer processing equipment, wafer scrubbing method and storage medium

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor wafer processing, and provides a vertical scrubbing device, wafer processing equipment, a wafer scrubbing method and a storage medium. The vertical scrubbing device comprises a box body, a clamping assembly, a scrubbing assembly and a rotary check ring. The clamping assembly vertically clamps the wafer and drives the wafer to rotate, and the front face of the wafer is coated with the cleaning liquid under the action of gravity and wafer rotation; the scrubbing assembly scrubs the front surface of the wafer; the circumferential wall face of the rotating check ring surrounds the clamping assembly and gradually shrinks away from the back plate, and the clamping assembly can axially stretch and retract between the loading and unloading position and the scrubbing position. The clamping assembly comprises a fixed clamping jaw and a movable clamping jaw which are respectively used for clamping the lower half part edge and the upper half part edge of a wafer; when the clamping assembly moves towards the loading and unloading position, the radial outer part of the movable clamping jaw is stopped by the rotary check ring, so that the movable clamping jaw rotates away from the wafer and is opened; when the clamping assembly retracts towards the scrubbing position, the movable clamping jaw automatically rotates towards the wafer and retracts to clamp the wafer.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional of the application No. 202510489709.0, titled "Vertical scrubbing device, wafer processing equipment, wafer scrubbing method and storage medium" filed on April 18, 2025. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor wafer processing, in particular to a vertical scrubbing device, wafer processing equipment, wafer scrubbing method and storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0003] After the wafer is polished by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), it needs to be cleaned to remove the polishing debris or other contaminants on the surface. During the cleaning process, after the wafer passes through two vertical scrubbing modules, it enters a horizontal scrubbing module for scrubbing to further remove the contaminants on the wafer surface. However, the cleaning liquid is not easy to spread along the wafer surface during horizontal scrubbing, resulting in poor scrubbing effect. In addition, the liquid splashed onto the scrubbing arm is easy to fall back onto the wafer, causing secondary pollution of the wafer. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a vertical scrubbing device, wafer processing equipment, wafer scrubbing method and storage medium to solve or alleviate at least some of the above-mentioned problems.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present application, a vertical scrubbing device is provided, which comprises a box body, a clamping assembly and a scrubbing assembly mounted to the back plate of the box body, and a rotating baffle ring coaxially arranged with the clamping assembly; the clamping assembly is used for vertically clamping a wafer and driving the wafer to rotate, and cleaning liquid provided to the front surface of the wafer is coated on the front surface of the wafer under the action of gravity and wafer rotation; the scrubbing assembly is configured to scrub the front surface of the wafer; the circumferential wall surface of the rotating baffle ring wraps around the clamping assembly and tapers away from the back plate, and the clamping assembly can axially extend and retract between a loading and unloading position extending from the rotating baffle ring and a scrubbing position retracted into the rotating baffle ring.

[0006] The clamping assembly comprises a fixed jaw provided at the lower half thereof and a movable jaw provided at the upper half thereof, which are respectively used for clamping the lower half edge and the upper half edge of the wafer; when the clamping assembly moves to the loading and unloading position, the radially outer part of the movable jaw is stopped by the rotating baffle ring to make the movable jaw rotate away from the wafer to open, so that the wafer can move up and down beyond the movable jaw; when the clamping assembly retracts to the scrubbing position, the movable jaw automatically rotates towards the wafer to retract to clamp the wafer.

[0007] Optionally, the movable gripper includes a mounting base and a gripper body. The gripper body has a clamping portion on its side facing away from the mounting base. The gripper body can rotate about a rotation axis on the mounting base to open or retract. When the clamping assembly moves toward the loading / unloading position, the radially outer end of the gripper body is stopped by the rotating retaining ring to cause the gripper body to rotate away from the wafer and open.

[0008] Optionally, the movable gripper includes a resetter configured to abut against the back of the gripper body between the radially outer end of the gripper body and the rotation axis. The resetter is configured to retract when the movable gripper is opened by pressure from the gripper body and to push the gripper body to rotate and retract when the movable gripper separates from the rotating retaining ring.

[0009] Optionally, a detector is provided on the circumferential wall of the rotating retaining ring, the detector being configured to detect the vertical state of the wafer held by the clamping assembly; the detector is communicatively connected to the resetter, the resetter being configured to reduce the pushing force on the gripper body when the detector detects that the vertical state of the wafer is not vertical.

[0010] Optionally, the detector is a visual detector configured to photograph the wafer from the side and identify the maximum distance of the wafer in its thickness direction. When the maximum distance exceeds a preset wafer thickness value, the vertical state of the wafer is determined to be non-vertical.

[0011] Optionally, the detector is a visual detector configured to photograph the wafer from the side, thereby identifying and drawing the side profile of the wafer. When the drawn side profile of the wafer is a non-vertical straight line segment, the visual detector determines that the vertical state of the wafer is non-vertical.

[0012] Optionally, the resetter is an elastic support member disposed on the mounting base and extending toward the gripper body. The elastic support member is supported on the portion between the radially outer end of the gripper body and the rotating shaft. The elastic support member is compressed when the radially outer end of the gripper body is stopped by the rotating retaining ring, and pushes the gripper body to retract when the clamping assembly moves axially from the loading / unloading position to the wiping position.

[0013] Optionally, the clamping assembly includes a circular substrate, the fixed clamping claw is disposed at the lower half periphery of the circular substrate, and the movable clamping claw is disposed at the upper half periphery of the circular substrate; the distance from the radial outer end of the clamping claw body to the axis of the circular substrate is greater than the opening radius of the circumferential wall of the rotating retaining ring.

[0014] Optionally, the rotating retainer is configured to rotate together with the clamping assembly during wafer wiping to collect liquid ejected from the wafer surface.

[0015] Optionally, the rotating retaining ring includes a vertical wall surface connected to its circumferential wall surface. The vertical wall surface and the circumferential wall surface of the rotating retaining ring form a receiving space for accommodating the clamping assembly. The circumferential edge of the vertical wall surface of the rotating retaining ring is provided with one or more first through holes for discharging the liquid collected by the rotating retaining ring from the receiving space.

[0016] Optionally, the vertical scrubbing device further includes a fixed retaining ring fixed to the housing and coaxially arranged with the clamping assembly. The circumferential wall of the fixed retaining ring surrounds at least a portion of the circumferential wall of the rotating retaining ring. The fixed retaining ring is used to collect liquid discharged from the first through hole. A second through hole is formed at the vertical bottom of the circumferential wall of the fixed retaining ring for discharging the liquid collected by the fixed retaining ring downward.

[0017] Optionally, the scrubbing assembly includes: a swing member including a swing shaft and a swing arm, the swing shaft rotating to drive the swing arm to swing parallel to the front side of the wafer; a scrubbing member disposed at the end of the swing arm; and a droplet guiding assembly including a collecting shield and a flow guiding shield, the collecting shield surrounding the outer periphery of the scrubbing member, the flow guiding shield engaging the end of the collecting shield near the swing arm and extending along the swing arm toward the swing shaft; the scrubbing assembly is configured to drive the swing arm to swing in front of the wafer and to make the scrubbing member contact the front side of the wafer for scrubbing, the collecting shield for collecting liquid dripping from the scrubbing member, and the flow guiding shield for guiding the collected liquid outside the wafer.

[0018] Optionally, the scrubbing member includes a rigid scrubbing head base and a compressible scrubbing head, the scrubbing head being configured to absorb liquid from the surface of the wafer during scrubbing, the connection between the base and the scrubbing head being enclosed in the collection shroud, and the length of the scrubbing head extending from the collection shroud being greater than the amount of compression caused by the scrubbing head pressing against the wafer during scrubbing.

[0019] Optionally, the cross-sectional dimensions of the collecting shroud gradually increase toward the swing arm, so that the liquid in the collecting shroud flows along the inclined inner wall of the collecting shroud to the flow guide shroud.

[0020] Optionally, the flow guide shield is disposed on the side of the swing arm facing the back plate, the cross-section of the flow guide shield is configured in a U-shape, and the surfaces of the flow guide shield and the swing arm form a flow channel that guides the liquid to outside the wafer.

[0021] Optionally, the droplet guiding assembly further includes a splash guard, which is fitted around the outer periphery of the swing shaft and is used to guide the liquid flowing out from the guide guard to slide down its outer surface.

[0022] Optionally, the splash shield has a circumferentially extending and inwardly recessed splash groove at a position corresponding to the outlet of the flow guide shield. The splash groove provides a velocity buffer space for droplets falling onto the splash shield and guides them to slide down.

[0023] Optionally, the swing shaft is configured to be axially extendable, and the swing shaft is configured to: axially retract during the swing of the swing arm from the center of the wafer to the outer edge of the wafer, so that the wiping member presses against the front surface of the wafer to wipe and push the wiped contaminants out of the wafer; and axially extend during the swing of the swing arm from the outer edge of the wafer to the center of the wafer, so that there is a gap between the wiping member and the front surface of the wafer, the gap being greater than the thickness of the liquid film formed by the cleaning fluid on the wafer surface.

[0024] Optionally, the end of the wiping head base is provided with a droplet suction device facing the opening of the wiping head. The droplet suction device is used to suction the liquid accumulated at the wiping head. The suction force of the droplet suction device is less than the surface tension of the liquid film formed by the cleaning fluid on the wafer surface.

[0025] Optionally, the swing shaft is mounted on the lower side of the clamping assembly, and the scrubbing assembly further includes a self-cleaning assembly, which includes: a cleaning platform mounted on the back plate, the cleaning platform being vertically above the swing shaft and facing the scrubbing component when the swing arm swings to the vertical position, the cleaning platform being configured to spray self-cleaning agent to clean the scrubbing component; and a liquid receiving tank disposed below the cleaning platform for collecting the self-cleaning agent.

[0026] According to another aspect of this application, a wafer processing apparatus is provided, the wafer processing apparatus comprising a wafer processing unit and a vertical scrubbing device as described above.

[0027] According to another aspect of this application, a wafer cleaning method is provided for use in the vertical cleaning apparatus as described above, the wafer cleaning method comprising:

[0028] Move the clamping assembly from the wiping position to the loading / unloading position;

[0029] Move the wafer vertically downward from the inlet / outlet at the top of the housing to the fixed gripper of the clamping assembly;

[0030] Move the clamping assembly from the loading / unloading position to the wiping position;

[0031] Swing the arm of the scrubbing assembly in front of the wafer and bring the scrubbing element at the end of the arm into contact with the front side of the wafer;

[0032] The clamping assembly is driven to rotate, while the swing arm swings to clean the wafer.

[0033] According to another aspect of this application, a computer storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored, which, when executed by a processor, implements the wafer wiping method as described in the foregoing aspects.

[0034] According to the technical solution of this application, by changing horizontal wiping to vertical wiping, the cleaning fluid in the upper part of the wafer can flow to the center of the wafer under the action of gravity. Under the action of centrifugal force, the cleaning fluid provided to the wafer surface can spread radially outward, so that the cleaning fluid can easily and quickly spread along the wafer surface. Compared with horizontal wiping, vertical wiping requires a lower rotation speed, reducing energy consumption. Furthermore, due to the good coating effect of the cleaning fluid, it is not necessary to use a large amount of cleaning fluid to compensate for the lack of cleaning fluid in the center or radially outer part of the wafer, thereby saving cleaning fluid. This application also achieves accurate vertical placement and stable clamping of wafers through the design of fixed and movable jaws in the clamping assembly. The cooperation between the movable jaw and the rotating retaining ring fully utilizes the rotating retaining ring to open the movable jaw, increasing the functionality of the rotating retaining ring and greatly simplifying the structure and control complexity of the vertical wafer cleaning device. The mechanical cooperation between the movable jaw and the rotating retaining ring ensures the accuracy and stability of the timing and opening degree of the movable jaw's opening action, which is beneficial for the efficient and accurate placement and clamping of wafers, and thus for the efficient and stable vertical cleaning process, improving wafer cleaning efficiency and cleanliness. Furthermore, due to the vertical setting of the clamping assembly, during the rotation of the clamping assembly, the fixed and movable jaws can periodically be in a high position with the parts in contact with the wafer facing downwards. This allows contaminants on the contact parts of the fixed and movable jaws with the wafer to fall off under gravity, preventing continuous accumulation and contamination, crystallization, and scratches on the wafer edges, thereby further improving wafer cleanliness and yield. Attached Figure Description

[0035] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a horizontal scrubbing module;

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a vertical scrubbing device according to one embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of another state of the vertical scrubbing device in the diagram;

[0039] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the vertical scrubbing device from another angle;

[0040] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the vertical scrubbing device in the middle;

[0041] Figure 6 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a swinging component in one embodiment;

[0042] Figure 7 It shows Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the vertical scrubbing device in operation;

[0043] Figure 8 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of another embodiment of the swinging component;

[0044] Figure 9 It shows Figure 8 A sectional view of the swinging component in the middle;

[0045] Figure 10 It shows Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the collection shield;

[0046] Figure 11 It shows Figure 8 A partial schematic diagram of the swinging component;

[0047] Figure 12 It shows Figure 8 A side view of the splash guard in the middle;

[0048] Figure 13 It shows Figure 8 An enlarged view of the scrubbing component, omitting the collection cover;

[0049] Figure 14 It shows Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the clamping components;

[0050] Figure 15 It shows Figure 14 A cross-sectional view of the active gripper of the clamping component in the middle;

[0051] Figure 16 It shows Figure 15A cross-sectional view of another state of the moving gripper;

[0052] Figure 17 It shows Figure 14 A schematic diagram showing how the clamping components bend the wafer when they clamp it.

[0053] Figure 18 It shows Figure 14 A schematic diagram showing how the clamping components tilt the wafer when clamping it.

[0054] Figure 19 It shows Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the vertical scrubbing device from another angle;

[0055] Figure 20 It shows Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the top of the vertical scrubbing device housing;

[0056] Figure 21 A flowchart of a wafer cleaning method according to one embodiment of this application is shown;

[0057] Figure 22 A schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to one embodiment of this application is shown.

[0058] Figure label:

[0059] W, Wafer; 120, Horizontal clamping assembly; 1, Vertical cleaning device; 10, Housing; 12, Back plate; 13, Side plate; 14, Top plate; 140, Inlet / outlet; 141, Cover plate; 15, Bottom plate; 151, Drain hole; 20, Clamping assembly; 21, Circular substrate; 210, Spray hole; 22, Fixed gripper; 23, Movable gripper; 231, Mounting base; 2310, Lug; 2311, Stop; 232, Gripper body; 233, Clamping 234. Rotating shaft; 235. Elastic support; 2351. Receiving hole; 2352. Support head; 2353. Guide shaft; 24. Rotating shaft of clamping assembly; 30. Scrubbing assembly; 32. Scrubbing component; 31. Swinging component; 311. Swinging shaft; 312. Swing arm; 321. Scrubbing head base; 322. Scrubbing head; 331. Cleaning table; 332. Liquid receiving tank; 333. Spray pipe; 301. Scrubbing component driver; 302. Regulator; 40. Supply Liquid container; 50. Rotating retaining ring; 51. Circumferential wall of rotating retaining ring; 52. Vertical wall of rotating retaining ring; 511. First through hole; 60. Fixed retaining ring; 61. Circumferential wall of fixed retaining ring; 62. Second through hole; 71. Collection cover; 72. Flow guide cover; 73. Splash shield; 731. Splash groove; 711. Mounting flange; 712. Joint; 81. First rotary motor; 82. First telescopic motor; 83. Second rotary motor; 84. 91. Second telescopic motor; 92. First synchronous belt; 93. Second synchronous belt; 94. Third synchronous belt; 95. Fourth synchronous belt; 100. Front-end module; 200. Transmission unit; 201. Front-end robot arm; 202. Transmission robot arm; 300. Wafer processing unit; 310. Wafer chemical mechanical polishing device; 400. Cleaning and drying unit; 410. First-stage brushing device; 420. Second-stage brushing device; 430. Drying device; 440. Buffer device. Detailed Implementation

[0060] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art should fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0061] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0062] In addition, in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified and limited, it should be noted that the terms "installation", "connection" and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to mechanical or electrical connections, or internal connections between two components. They can be direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms according to the specific circumstances.

[0063] After wafer processing, cleaning is typically required to remove contaminants such as debris generated during grinding or polishing. Wafer cleaning units may include, for example, brushing modules and wiping modules. Existing wafer wiping modules are typically horizontal wiping modules, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the assembly includes a horizontal clamping component 120 for horizontally clamping a wafer W and a scrubbing component 30. The swing arm 312 of the scrubbing component 30 swings in the horizontal plane to allow the scrubbing element 32 to scrub the surface of the wafer W to be cleaned. Figure 1 The horizontal scrubbing module also includes a liquid feeder 40 to supply cleaning fluid to the upper surface of the wafer W. However, the cleaning fluid supplied to the horizontal upper surface of the wafer W can only spread on the surface of the wafer W by the centrifugal force of rotation. In order for the cleaning fluid to be able to coat the radially outer part of the wafer W, the clamping device needs to have a higher rotation speed to drive the wafer W and the cleaning fluid on it to rotate. This requires more driving energy, and high-speed rotation increases the risk of the wafer W being unstable and fragmented. In addition, the cleaning fluid may detach from the surface of the wafer W and splash, contaminating other components such as the scrubbing assembly 30. On the other hand, it is difficult for the cleaning fluid to reach the central area of ​​the wafer, resulting in insufficient cleaning fluid in the central area and poor cleaning effect. In addition, during horizontal scrubbing, the swing arm 312 swings above the wafer W, and the liquid splashed onto the swing arm 312 is very easy to drip back onto the surface of the wafer W, causing secondary contamination.

[0064] To solve at least one of the above problems, this application provides a vertical scrubbing device 1, such as... Figure 2 As shown in the embodiment, the vertical scrubbing device 1 may include a housing 10, the housing 10 having vertically extending opposing back plates 12 and a front plate (not shown), two side plates 13, and a horizontally extending, vertically opposing top plate 14 (see [reference]). Figure 5The vertical scrubbing device 1 also includes a clamping assembly 20 and a scrubbing assembly 30 mounted to the back plate 12 of the housing 10, and a liquid supply device 40 mounted to one of the two side plates 13 of the housing 10, for example on the side plate 13 away from the scrubbing assembly 30, to avoid mutual interference. The clamping assembly 20 is used to vertically clamp the wafer W and drive the wafer W to rotate, and the liquid supply device 40 is used to provide cleaning fluid to the front side of the wafer W, which is coated into a liquid film along the front side of the wafer W under the influence of gravity and the rotation of the wafer W. Therefore, by changing horizontal wiping to vertical wiping, under the action of gravity, the cleaning fluid in the upper part of wafer W can flow to the center of wafer W. Under the action of centrifugal force, the cleaning fluid supplied to the surface of wafer W can spread radially outward, allowing the cleaning fluid to easily and quickly spread along the surface of wafer W. Compared with horizontal wiping, vertical wiping requires a lower rotation speed, reducing energy consumption. Furthermore, due to the better coating effect of the cleaning fluid, it is not necessary to accumulate a large amount of cleaning fluid to compensate for the lack of cleaning fluid in the center or radially outer part of wafer W, thus saving cleaning fluid. The liquid supply device 40 can have two nozzles, one for spraying chemical liquid and one for spraying deionized water. In addition, it should be understood that the front side of wafer W referred to herein refers to the surface of wafer W facing the front plate of the housing 10, that is, the back plate 12 facing away from the housing 10, and the back side of wafer W refers to the surface of wafer W facing the back plate 12 of the housing 10.

[0065] The scrubbing assembly 30 mainly includes a swinging component 31 and a scrubbing component 32. Figure 2 The main structure of the oscillating member 31 is shown, including an oscillating shaft 311 and a swing arm 312 disposed on the lower side of the clamping assembly 20. The oscillating shaft 311 is rotatable to drive the swing arm 312 to oscillate parallel to the front side of the wafer W. A scrubbing member 32 is disposed at the end of the swing arm 312, i.e., the end opposite to the end of the swing arm 312 that connects to the oscillating shaft 311. Figure 6 The scrubbing component 32 mainly includes a rigid scrubbing head base 321 and a compressible scrubbing head 322. The scrubbing head 322 is preferably a hydrophilic sponge, such as PU (polyurethane) or PVA (polyvinyl alcohol). Figure 2 The oscillating member 31 has a working state. In the working state, the oscillating member 31 oscillates parallel to the front side of the wafer W to perform wafer W cleaning. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The swing member 31 has a resting state. In the resting state, the swing arm 312 is in a vertical position, avoiding the clamping assembly 20 and the wafer W. The swing arm 312 can perform self-cleaning at the cleaning table 331, or wait for the wafer W to be cleaned to be placed into the vertical cleaning device 1.

[0066] In a preferred embodiment, the swing shaft 311 is configured to be axially extendable, specifically configured to: axially retract during the swing of the swing arm 312 from the center of the wafer W to the outer edge of the wafer W, so that the wiping member 32 presses against the front surface of the wafer W to perform wiping and pushes the wiped contaminants out of the wafer W with the cleaning fluid; and axially extend during the swing of the swing arm 312 from the outer edge of the wafer W to the center of the wafer W, so that there is a gap between the wiping member 32 and the front surface of the wafer W, the gap being greater than the thickness of the liquid film on the surface of the wafer W. By controlling the extension and retraction of the swing shaft 311, during the process of the swing arm 312 swinging from the center of the wafer W to the outer edge of the wafer W, the wiping element 32 wipes the wafer W radially from the inside to the outside, while simultaneously pushing the liquid film on the surface of the wafer W outward, so that the contaminants wiped off can flow out of the wafer W with the liquid film, thereby improving the contaminant removal effect; during the process of the swing arm 312 swinging from the outer edge of the wafer W to the center of the wafer W, by making the gap between the wiping element 32 and the front surface of the wafer W greater than the thickness of the liquid film, the liquid film is not pushed radially from the outside to the inside of the wafer W, effectively preventing contaminants in the liquid film from being pushed back to the center of the wafer W.

[0067] For example Figures 2-5 The vertical cleaning device 1 also includes a rotating retaining ring 50 coaxially arranged with the clamping assembly 20, the circumferential wall 51 of which surrounds the outer periphery of the clamping assembly 20. To facilitate the entry of the wafer W into the housing 10 from the top for clamping, the clamping assembly 20 is axially retractable, having an loading / unloading position extending axially from the rotating retaining ring 50 for loading or unloading the wafer W, and a cleaning position retracting axially into the rotating retaining ring 50 for cleaning the wafer W. During wafer W cleaning, the rotating retaining ring 50 rotates together with the clamping assembly 20 to collect liquid splashed from the surface of the wafer W. The synchronous rotation of the rotating retaining ring 50 and the clamping assembly 20 keeps them relatively stationary, resulting in a significantly lower relative velocity between the liquid splashed from the surface of the wafer W and the rotating retaining ring 50 compared to when the rotating retaining ring 50 is fixed. This significantly reduces the splashing of liquid splashed from the surface of the wafer W after impacting the rotating retaining ring 50, thus preventing secondary contamination of the wafer W.

[0068] In a preferred embodiment, the rotating retaining ring 50 includes a vertical wall 52 connected to the circumferential wall 51 of the rotating retaining ring. The vertical wall 52 and the circumferential wall 51 of the rotating retaining ring form a receiving space for accommodating the clamping assembly 20. The circumferential edge of the vertical wall 52 of the rotating retaining ring is provided with one or more first through holes 511, such as six circumferentially distributed first through holes 511, for discharging the liquid collected by the rotating retaining ring 50 from the receiving space. The vertical scrubbing device 1 may also include a fixed retaining ring 60 fixed to the housing 10 and coaxially arranged with the clamping assembly 20. The circumferential wall 61 of the fixed retaining ring surrounds at least a portion of the circumferential wall 51 of the rotating retaining ring. The fixed retaining ring 60 is used to collect the liquid ejected from the first through holes 511. The vertical bottom of the circumferential wall 61 of the fixed retaining ring is provided with a second through hole 62 for discharging the liquid collected by the fixed retaining ring 60 downward.

[0069] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the swing member 31 according to one embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the vertical scrubbing device 1 scrubbing wafer W is shown. It can be seen that the scrubbing element 32 collides with the liquid film on the surface of wafer W during scrubbing, easily forming liquid accumulation at the scrubbing element 32. This accumulated liquid drips onto the rotating baffle 50 and the bottom of the housing 10. Furthermore, the mutual pressure between the scrubbing element 32 and the surface of wafer W causes the scrubbing head 322 and the scrubbing head base 321 to press against each other, resulting in partial squeezing out and dripping of the cleaning liquid absorbed by the scrubbing head 322. These dripping droplets may splash back onto wafer W, causing secondary contamination and reducing the scrubbing effect and cleanliness of wafer W. Therefore, in a further embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 8 , Figure 9As shown, a droplet guiding assembly is provided to guide the falling droplets smoothly to the bottom of the housing 10, reducing backsplashing. The droplet guiding assembly mainly includes a collection shield 71, a flow guide shield 72, and a splash shield 73. The collection shield 71 surrounds the outer periphery of the wiping member 32, and the connection between the wiping head base 321 and the wiping head 322 is wrapped in the collection shield 71, so that the collection shield 71 can collect the accumulated liquid dripping from the wiping member 32 and the liquid dripping due to the squeezing of the wiping head 322 against the wiping head base 321. The length of the wiping head 322 extending from the collection shield 71 is greater than the amount of compression caused by the wiping head 322 pressing against the wafer W when wiping the wafer W, so as to ensure that the collection shield 71 will not contact the wafer W and scratch the wafer W or interfere with the wiping head 322 wiping the wafer W. The splash shield 73 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the swing shaft 311. The flow guide shroud 72 engages with the end of the collection shroud 71 near the swing arm 312, and extends along the swing arm 312 toward the splash guard 73. The flow guide shroud 72 is disposed on the side of the swing arm 312 facing the wafer W. The flow guide shroud 72 is not directly connected to the splash guard 73, but has a gap to avoid interfering with the swing of the swing arm 312 about the swing axis 311. During scrubbing, the scrubbing assembly 30 drives the swing arm 312 to swing in front of the wafer W and makes the scrubbing member 32 contact the front surface of the wafer W for scrubbing. The collection shroud 71 is used to collect the liquid dripping from the scrubbing member 32. The flow guide shroud 72 is used to guide the collected liquid outside the wafer W, that is, outside the space directly opposite the front surface of the wafer W. The splash guard 73 is used to guide the liquid flowing out of the flow guide shroud 72 to slide down its outer surface. By incorporating a droplet guiding component, it is possible to prevent liquid from dripping directly from a height and splashing, thus contaminating wafer W and improving the cleaning effect and yield of wafer W.

[0070] In a preferred embodiment, such as Figures 8-10 As shown, the cross-sectional dimensions (i.e., the cross-section perpendicular to its axial direction) of the collecting shroud 71 gradually increase towards the swing arm 312, so that the liquid in the collecting shroud 71 flows along the inclined inner wall of the collecting shroud 71 to the guide shroud 72. The rate of increase of the cross-sectional dimensions of the collecting shroud 71 can be uniform, or as follows: Figure 9 The inconsistent rate of increase, as shown, results in two segments with different slopes. The end of the collecting shroud 71 facing the swing arm 312 is provided with a mounting flange 711. The mounting flange 711 is fitted to the housing of the swing arm 312. The joint 712 where the mounting flange 711 engages with the flow guide shroud 72 is configured to match the shape of the flow guide shroud 72. For example, in an embodiment where the flow guide shroud 72 has a U-shaped cross-section, the cross-section of the joint 712 is also configured to a matching U-shape. The joint 712 engages inside the flow guide shroud 72 to prevent droplets from flowing outside the flow guide shroud 72. The U-shaped cross-section flow guide shroud 72 referred to herein includes, for example,... Figure 11The flow guide shroud 72 shown is formed by three plates creating a rectangular groove, resulting in a flow guide shroud with noticeable folds. It also includes flow guide shroud 72 with rounded folds, and flow guide shroud 72 with a curved, arched middle plate. (As shown...) Figure 12 As shown, in an optional embodiment, the splash shield 73 has an inwardly recessed splash groove 731 at a position corresponding to the outlet of the flow guide shield 72. The edge or the entire outline of the splash groove 731 can be rounded so that the droplets falling onto the splash shield 73 can have a larger velocity buffer space and can be guided by the splash groove 731 to slide down the splash shield 73, thereby reducing backsplash contamination.

[0071] In a preferred embodiment, such as Figure 13 A partial schematic diagram of the scrubbing member 32 is shown, in which the collection cover 71 is omitted. A droplet suction device is provided at the end of the scrubbing head base 321, facing the opening of the scrubbing head 322. Figure 13 The opening of the droplet aspirator is schematically shown by black dots, and it is located at the periphery of the end of the wipe head base 321 that is not covered by the wipe head 322. In an optional embodiment, the entire end face of the wipe head base 321 that engages with the wipe head 322 may have the opening of the droplet aspirator. The droplet aspirator is used to aspirate liquid accumulated at the wipe head 322. Figure 13 The arrows in the diagram indicate the possible directions in which the liquid accumulated around the wiping head 322 can be drawn. The suction force of the droplet aspirator is set to be less than the surface tension of the liquid film formed by the cleaning fluid on the wafer surface, so that it only draws the droplets accumulated around the wiping head 322 that cover the opening of the droplet aspirator. When there are not too many droplets accumulated around the wiping head 322, the suction force will not affect the normal liquid film on the wafer surface, ensuring the normal progress of the wiping process.

[0072] In a preferred embodiment, return to Figure 2 , Figure 3The scrubbing assembly 30 also includes a self-cleaning assembly, which comprises a cleaning platform 331 and a liquid receiving tank 332. The cleaning platform 331 is mounted on the back plate 12 and is located vertically above the swing shaft 311. When the swing arm 312 swings to a vertical position, it faces the scrubbing head 32. The cleaning platform 331 is configured to contact the scrubbing head 322 and spray self-cleaning agent to clean the scrubbing head 32. A spray pipe 333 can also be provided above the cleaning platform 331 to spray self-cleaning agent downwards to rinse the scrubbing head 322. The liquid receiving tank 332 is located below the cleaning platform 331 and is used to collect the self-cleaning agent. By providing the self-cleaning assembly, the scrubbing head 322 can be intermittently self-cleaned when the swing arm 31 is at rest or during the scrubbing process, thereby ensuring the cleanliness of the scrubbing head 32 itself and preventing the scrubbing head 32 from adsorbing contaminants or debris that could contaminate or scratch the wafer, effectively ensuring the wafer scrubbing effect. The bottom plate 15 of the housing 10 is provided with a drain hole 151 to drain liquid from the housing 10. The upper surface of the bottom plate 15 of the housing 10 is configured to be inclined toward the drain hole 151 so that liquid can flow to the drain hole 151.

[0073] like Figure 14 A schematic diagram of the clamping assembly 20 is shown. The clamping assembly 20 includes a circular substrate 21. At least two fixing claws 22 are provided on the periphery of the lower half of the circular substrate 21. The at least two fixing claws 22 are respectively disposed on both sides of the center of the circular substrate 21. The fixing claws 22 are used to clamp the lower half of the wafer W. The setting of the fixing claws 22 can provide a limiting effect for the downward movement of the wafer W, ensuring the accuracy of the wafer W being clamped on the clamping assembly 20. The upper half of the circular substrate 21 is provided with at least one movable gripper 23 that can open away from the wafer W, i.e. towards the back plate 12 of the housing 10, when loading or unloading the wafer W (i.e. when the clamping assembly 20 extends to the loading / unloading position). Specifically, when loading the wafer W, the movable gripper 23 rotates away from the wafer W to open and make room for the wafer W to move vertically downward. After the wafer W moves vertically downward to the fixed gripper 22, it rotates and retracts towards the wafer W to clamp the wafer W. When unloading the wafer W, the movable gripper 23 opens away from the wafer W so that the wafer W can move vertically upward. Figure 14 The diagram shows four fixed grippers 22 and two movable grippers 23 symmetrically arranged on both sides of the circular substrate 21. In other embodiments, other numbers may be provided. By opening and retracting the fixed grippers 22 at the bottom and the movable grippers 23 at the top, the wafer W can be loaded from top to bottom into the clamping assembly 20 through the inlet / outlet at the top of the housing 10, achieving vertical positioning and clamping of the wafer W, ensuring the accuracy and stability of clamping. At the same time, it avoids the need to increase the size of the side opening of the housing 10 to avoid interference with the swinging component 31 or the liquid supply device 40, and also avoids the introduction of more external contamination due to the large opening area of ​​the front panel opening of the housing 10.

[0074] In suchFigure 15 , Figure 16 In the illustrated embodiment, the movable gripper 23 includes a mounting base 231 fixed to the circular substrate 21 and a gripper body 232. The gripper body 232 has a clamping portion 233 on its side facing away from the circular substrate 21. The gripper body 232 can rotate about a rotation axis 234 on the mounting base 231 to open away from the wafer W or retract towards the wafer W, as shown. Figure 14 As shown, the rotating shaft 234 is rotatably mounted to two opposing lugs 2310 of the mounting base 231 and passes through the gripper body 232 disposed between the two lugs 2310. The projection of the rotating shaft 234 onto the circular substrate 21 is perpendicular to the radial direction of the circular substrate 21. The gripper body 232 extends perpendicular to the rotating shaft 234. The clamping part 233 is used to clamp the wafer W.

[0075] In one embodiment of this application, the mobility of the movable gripper 23 is achieved through its cooperation with the rotating retaining ring 50. (Combined with...) Figure 5 As can be seen, the circumferential wall 51 of the rotating retaining ring gradually contracts (i.e., gradually shrinks) in the direction away from the back plate 12, that is, it gradually shrinks towards the clamping assembly 20. Gradual shrinkage refers to the diameter of the circumferential wall 51 of the rotating retaining ring gradually decreasing. Returning to... Figure 15 , Figure 16 The diagram shows the circumferential wall 51 of the rotating retaining ring. The radially outer side of the movable jaw 23, specifically the radially outer end (upper end) of the jaw body 232, can be stopped by the circumferential wall 51 of the rotating retaining ring, causing the movable jaw 23 to rotate away from the wafer W and open. The distance from the radially outer end of the jaw body 232 to the axis of the circular substrate 21 is greater than the opening radius of the circumferential wall 51 of the rotating retaining ring, so that the radially outer end of the jaw body 232 is always located within the rotating retaining ring 50. Figure 15 It is shown that when the clamping assembly 20 moves axially from the scrubbing position to the loading / unloading position, the radial outer end of the gripper body 232 is stopped by the rotating retaining ring 50, causing the gripper body 232 to rotate about the rotation axis 234 to open.

[0076] The movable gripper 23 also includes a resetter configured to abut against the back of the gripper body 232 between the radially outer end of the gripper body 232 and the rotation axis. The resetter retracts when the movable gripper 23 is opened by the pressure of the gripper body 232 and pushes the gripper body 232 to rotate and retract when the movable gripper 23 is separated from the rotating retaining ring 50.

[0077] exist Figure 15 , Figure 16In the illustrated embodiment, the resetter is an elastic support 235 extending toward the gripper body 232 and mounted on the mounting base 231. The elastic support 235 is supported on the portion between the radially outer end of the gripper body 232 and the rotation shaft 234. When the radially outer end of the gripper body 232 is stopped by the rotating retaining ring 50, the elastic support 235 is compressed. Figure 16 The diagram illustrates that when the clamping assembly 20 moves axially from the loading / unloading position to the cleaning position, the elastic support 235 extends to push the gripper body 232 back to its original position, causing the clamping portion 233 on the gripper body 232 to clamp the wafer W. A stop portion 2311 may be provided on the mounting base 231 to limit the maximum pushing distance of the elastic support 235 on the gripper body 232, thereby preventing excessive retraction of the gripper body 232 that could cause excessive tilting, bending, or crushing of the wafer. In a specific embodiment, the elastic support 235 includes a receiving hole 2351 and a support head 2352 provided on the mounting base 231. The support head 2352 is at least partially disposed in the receiving hole 2351, and a spring is provided between the support head 2352 and the bottom of the receiving hole 2351. The support head 2352 can move axially along the receiving hole 2351 under the action of the spring. More preferably, the support head 2352 has a recessed hole at one end in the receiving hole 2351, and the spring partially abuts against the recessed hole. The spring can also be sleeved on the guide shaft 2353 extending from the bottom of the receiving hole 2351 toward the recessed hole to ensure that the spring can extend and contract linearly along the axial direction of the guide shaft 2353, and to prevent the support head 2352 from jamming due to spring wobbling. The support head 2352 has a radially outwardly extending anti-disengagement flange at one end in the receiving hole 2351, which can abut against the radially inwardly contracting opening of the receiving hole 2351 to prevent the support head 2352 from disengaging from the receiving hole 2351.

[0078] The movable gripper 23 and its cooperation with the rotating retaining ring 50, as designed in this application, enable convenient opening and retraction of the movable gripper 23, increasing the functionality of the rotating retaining ring 50. This eliminates the need for an additional actuator for the movable gripper 23, significantly simplifying the structure and control complexity of the vertical cleaning device 1. Furthermore, the resetter design enhances the flexibility of the movable gripper 23, providing cushioning during clamping to prevent rigid collisions with the wafer W edge that could lead to fragmentation. It also allows for adaptive clamping of the wafer W, fully accommodating dimensional errors in wafer W manufacturing. This avoids insufficient clamping due to dimensional variations in different wafers, leading to wafer W instability, or excessive clamping, resulting in wafer W edge damage or fragmentation. Furthermore, due to the vertical arrangement of the clamping assembly 20, during the rotation of the clamping assembly 20, the fixed jaw and the movable jaw can periodically be in a high position with the part in contact with the wafer facing downwards. As a result, contaminants on the part of the fixed jaw 22 and the movable jaw 23 in contact with the wafer (e.g., the notch of the clamping part 233) can fall off under the action of gravity, instead of continuously accumulating and contaminating, crystallizing and causing scratches on the wafer edge, thereby further improving the cleanliness and yield of the wafer.

[0079] In another alternative embodiment, the resetter can be configured as an electrically driven telescopic mechanism, which can automatically retract when the movable gripper 23 opens without applying a driving force, but is pressed by the gripper body 232. When the movable gripper 23 separates from the rotating retaining ring 50, a driving force is applied to push the gripper body 232 to rotate and retract. In a preferred embodiment, a detector is disposed on the circumferential wall 51 of the rotating retaining ring facing the wafer W. Its position in the front-rear direction of the housing 10 can be aligned with the wafer W. The detector is configured to detect the vertical state of the wafer W held by the clamping assembly 20. The detector is communicatively connected to the resetter, which is configured to reduce the pushing force on the gripper body 232 when the detector detects that the vertical state of the wafer W is not vertical. The vertical state includes both vertical and non-vertical states; in "vertical," the wafer W is clamped completely vertically, and in "non-vertical," the wafer W is clamped at an angle or bend. Figure 17 This shows the wafer W being held in a bent position. Figure 18 The image shows the wafer W being held in an inclined state. These two situations may be caused by the movable gripper 23 rotating too far towards the wafer W. In this case, the resetter adjusts, specifically by reducing the pushing force on the gripper body 232, to alleviate or eliminate the non-vertical situation of the wafer W, thereby clamping the wafer W into an upright state. This allows the cleaning component 32 to form a uniform and good contact with the entire front surface of the wafer W, improving the cleaning effect and preventing the wafer W from rotating unstably due to bending or tilting, which could lead to vibration or even fragmentation of the clamped part.

[0080] In an optional implementation, the detector is a visual detector configured to capture images of the wafer W from the side and identify the maximum distance T of the wafer W in its thickness direction (e.g., ...). Figure 17 , Figure 18 As shown in the diagram, when the maximum distance T exceeds a preset wafer thickness value, the vertical state of wafer W is determined to be non-vertical. In another embodiment, the vision detector is configured to photograph wafer W from the side, thereby identifying and drawing the side profile of the wafer. When the drawn side profile of the wafer is a non-vertical segment, the vision detector determines that the vertical state of wafer W is non-vertical. In a further embodiment, the vision detector is surrounded by a movable detector cover, which is configured to open before the wiping process is performed to expose the vision detector to wafer W for detection, and to close during the wiping process to surround the vision detector and prevent cleaning fluid or other liquids from splashing onto the vision detector and affecting the detection effect.

[0081] In a preferred embodiment, such as Figure 15 , Figure 16 As shown, the clamping part 233 is configured to be approximately V-shaped and recessed on the side facing the wafer W away from the wafer W, so that when the resetter applies appropriate pushing force to the jaw body 232, the clamping force of the clamping part 233 on the wafer W is appropriate. That is, the clamping force is neither too large, causing the wafer W to be stuck in a tilted or bent shape, nor too small, causing the wafer W to be unable to be held. This allows the wafer W to automatically slide along the inclined surface of the V-shaped notch to the deepest part of the V-shaped notch, thereby automatically adjusting to be vertically clamped in place.

[0082] In alternative implementations, such as Figure 14 The circular substrate 21 has a spray hole 210 at its center, which is configured to spray rinsing liquid to rinse the surface of the wafer W facing the circular substrate 21.

[0083] like Figure 19A schematic diagram of the vertical scrubbing device 1 from another angle is shown, illustrating a drive mechanism disposed on the side of the back plate 12 facing the outside of the housing 10. The drive mechanism mainly includes a first rotary motor 81 for synchronously rotating the clamping assembly 20 and the rotating retaining ring 50, and a first telescopic motor 82 for axially extending and retracting the clamping assembly 20. The first rotary motor 81 is driven to the rotating shaft 24 of the clamping assembly via a first synchronous belt 91, and the first telescopic motor 82 is driven to the rotating shaft 24 of the clamping assembly via a second synchronous belt 92. Specifically, the rotating shaft 24 of the clamping assembly can be configured as a spline screw. The first telescopic motor 82 is configured to drive the rotation of a first nut on the spline screw via the second synchronous belt 92. The first nut engages with the helical groove of the spline screw, converting the rotational motion of the first nut into the linear motion of the spline screw through the helical groove, thereby achieving precise axial movement of the spline screw. When the first telescopic motor 82 rotates alone, it controls the axial extension and retraction of the clamping assembly 20. The first rotary motor 81 is configured to drive the second nut on the spline screw to rotate via the first synchronous belt 91. The second nut is splined to the spline groove on the spline screw so as to drive the spline screw to rotate through the spline groove. The first rotary motor 81 and the first telescopic motor 82 rotate synchronously so that the movement of the first nut is canceled by the second nut, thereby controlling the clamping assembly 20 and the rotating retaining ring 50 to rotate synchronously when the first rotary motor 81 and the first telescopic motor 82 rotate synchronously. The spline screw motion between the first telescopic motor 82, the first rotary motor 81, and the rotating shaft 24 of the clamping assembly ensures the accuracy of the axial extension and contraction of the clamping assembly 20 and the stability of its rotation. At the same time, it realizes the integrated design and coordinated control of the telescopic drive and the rotary drive. Compared with setting independent telescopic and rotary mechanisms at the ends of the clamping assembly 20, it can greatly simplify the structural complexity and control difficulty. Furthermore, the first telescopic motor 82 and the first rotary motor 81 are located on the side of the rotating shaft 24 of the clamping assembly, which can make full use of the space on the back of the back plate 12, significantly reduce the front-to-back dimensions of the vertical cleaning device 1, and provide more arrangement space for the wafer processing equipment where the vertical cleaning device 1 is located.

[0084] The drive mechanism also includes a second rotary motor 83 for driving the swing member 31 to swing and a second telescopic motor 84 for driving the swing shaft 311 of the swing member 31 to extend and retract axially. The second rotary motor 83 is driven to the swing shaft 311 via a third synchronous belt 93, and the second telescopic motor 84 is driven to the swing shaft 311 via a fourth synchronous belt 94. In a specific embodiment, the swing shaft 311 can also be designed as a spline screw. The second rotary motor 83, the second telescopic motor 84, and the swing shaft 311 also form a similar spline screw drive configuration through a third nut and a fourth nut, similar to the first nut and the second nut. This allows the second telescopic motor 84 to control the swing shaft 311 and thus control the axial extension and retraction of the swing arm 312 when rotating alone; and to control the swing shaft 311 to rotate and thus control the swing arm 312 to swing when the second rotary motor 83 and the second telescopic motor 84 rotate synchronously. The specific drive method is similar to that of the first telescopic motor 82 and the first rotary motor 81 described above, achieving the same integrated design and coordinated control effects, which will not be repeated here.

[0085] In a preferred embodiment, such as Figure 9 As shown, a scrubbing element driver 301 is provided in the swing arm 312, which is arranged alongside the scrubbing element 32 along the length direction of the swing arm 312. The driver 301 drives the scrubbing element 32 to rotate via a synchronous belt. By non-coaxial and offset arrangement between the scrubbing element driver 301 and the scrubbing element 32, the thickness of the swing arm 312 is reduced, thereby reducing the size of the vertical scrubbing device 1. In addition, an adjuster 302 can be provided at the end of the scrubbing element 32 opposite to the scrubbing head 322 to fine-tune the axial extension distance of the scrubbing element 32, thereby fine-tuning the pressure between the scrubbing element 32 and the wafer W.

[0086] Combination Figure 5 and Figure 20 As can be seen, the top plate 14 of the housing 10 has an inlet and outlet 140 for the wafer W to enter and exit. The position of the inlet and outlet 140 is adapted to the loading and unloading position of the clamping assembly 20. The housing 10 also includes a cover plate 141 covering the inlet and outlet 140. The cover plate 141 is slidably installed on the top plate 14 via a guide rail assembly so that it slides to avoid the inlet and outlet 140 when the wafer W enters and exits, and slides to cover the inlet and outlet 140 when the wafer W is being cleaned.

[0087] Figure 21 This application discloses a wafer cleaning method for use in the aforementioned vertical cleaning apparatus 1, the method comprising:

[0088] S1: Move the clamping assembly 20 from the wiping position to the loading / unloading position;

[0089] S2: Move the wafer W vertically downward from the inlet / outlet 140 at the top of the housing 10 to the fixed jaw 22 of the clamping assembly 20;

[0090] S3: Move the clamping assembly 20 from the loading / unloading position to the wiping position;

[0091] S4: Swing the swing arm 312 to the front of the wafer W and make the wiping element 32 contact the front side of the wafer W;

[0092] S5: Drive the clamping assembly 20 to rotate, while simultaneously swinging the swing arm 312 to clean the wafer W.

[0093] The execution order described above is merely an example; it can be adjusted according to actual operational needs. For instance, S1 and S2 can be swapped or executed synchronously.

[0094] This application also provides a computer storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the aforementioned wafer W erasing method.

[0095] Figure 22A schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to one embodiment of this application is shown. The wafer processing apparatus mainly includes a front-end module 100, a transmission unit 200, a wafer processing unit 300, and a cleaning and drying unit 400. The front-end module 100 is used to provide a wafer W to be processed or to receive a processed wafer W. The wafer processing unit 300 includes, for example, a wafer chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) device 310, which utilizes a CMP process to achieve atomic-level surface flatness of the wafer W. The cleaning and drying unit 400 may include a primary brushing device 410, a secondary brushing device 420, the aforementioned vertical wiping device 1, and a drying device 430. The primary brushing device 410 and the secondary brushing device 420 respectively use cleaning rollers of the same or different materials, hardness, or brush textures to brush the surface of the wafer W. The vertical wiping device 1 wipes the wafer W after two brushings, further improving the cleanliness of the wafer W surface. After wiping, the wafer W can be dried in the drying device 430, thus achieving dry-in, dry-out processing of the wafer processing apparatus. Optionally, a buffer device 440 can be added between any two of the primary scrubbing device 410, the secondary scrubbing device 420, the vertical scrubbing device 1, and the drying device 430 to temporarily buffer the wafer W, thereby adjusting the processing cycle and improving the overall processing efficiency. The transfer unit 200 is used to transfer the wafer W between the front-end module 100, the wafer processing unit 300, and the cleaning and drying unit 400. It mainly includes a front-end robot 201 and a transfer robot 202. The wafer processing equipment shown in the figure includes four wafer chemical mechanical polishing devices 310 arranged in a square array, and two sets of cleaning and drying units 400 arranged parallel to each other between the front-end module 100 and the wafer processing unit 300. The transfer robot 202 can move along the track between the two sets of cleaning and drying units 400, and the front-end robot 201 can slide laterally across the two sets of cleaning and drying units 400 to realize the interaction of the transfer unit 200 with the wafers W between each unit. The layout of the wafer processing equipment shown in the figure enables at least two parallel wafer W processing paths, thereby improving wafer W processing efficiency. In alternative embodiments, the wafer processing equipment may also have other numbers of sub-cells or layouts.

[0096] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of this application. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, all equivalent technical solutions also fall within the scope of the embodiments of this application, and the patent protection scope of the embodiments of this application should be defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A vertical scrubbing device, characterized in that, include: The enclosure has a vertical back panel; A clamping assembly and a scrubbing assembly are mounted to the backplate, along with a rotating retaining ring coaxially disposed with the clamping assembly; the clamping assembly is used to vertically clamp the wafer and drive it to rotate, and cleaning fluid provided to the front side of the wafer is coated on the front side of the wafer under the action of gravity and wafer rotation; the scrubbing assembly is configured to scrub the front side of the wafer; the circumferential wall of the rotating retaining ring surrounds the clamping assembly and tapers away from the backplate; The clamping assembly is axially extendable between a loading / unloading position extending from the rotating retaining ring and a cleaning position retracted into the rotating retaining ring, and includes a fixed jaw and a movable jaw. The movable jaw includes a mounting base and a jaw body. When the clamping assembly moves to the loading / unloading position, the radially outer end of the jaw body is stopped by the rotating retaining ring, causing the jaw body to rotate about a rotation axis on the mounting base and open away from the wafer. When the clamping assembly retracts to the cleaning position, the jaw body returns to its original position to clamp the wafer. The vertical scrubbing device also includes a drive mechanism located on the outside of the back plate. The drive mechanism includes a first rotary motor and a first telescopic motor located on the side of the rotating shaft of the clamping assembly. They are driven to the rotating shaft via a first synchronous belt and a second synchronous belt, respectively. When the first telescopic motor rotates alone, it controls the axial extension and retraction of the clamping assembly. When the first rotary motor and the first telescopic motor rotate synchronously, they control the synchronous rotation of the clamping assembly and the rotating retaining ring.

2. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating shaft is configured as a spline screw, the spline screw is configured with a helical groove, and the spline screw is provided with a first nut that helically engages with the helical groove; The first telescopic motor is configured to drive the first nut to rotate via a second synchronous belt, so as to convert the rotational motion of the first nut into the linear motion of the spline screw through the helical groove.

3. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The spline screw is constructed with a spline groove, and the spline screw is provided with a second nut that is splinedly connected to the spline groove. The first rotary motor is configured to drive the second nut to rotate via the first synchronous belt, thereby driving the spline screw to rotate through the spline groove. The first rotary motor and the first telescopic motor rotate synchronously so that the movement of the first nut is canceled out by the second nut, thereby controlling the synchronous rotation of the clamping assembly and the rotating retaining ring.

4. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The scrubbing assembly includes: a swing member, including a swing shaft and a swing arm, the swing shaft rotating to drive the swing arm to swing parallel to the front side of the wafer, and the swing shaft being configured to be axially retractable; and a scrubbing member disposed at the end of the swing arm; The drive mechanism also includes a second rotary motor and a second telescopic motor, which are driven and connected to the swing shaft of the swing member via a third synchronous belt and a fourth synchronous belt, respectively; when the second telescopic motor rotates alone, it controls the swing shaft and thus controls the axial extension and retraction of the swing arm; when the second rotary motor and the second telescopic motor rotate synchronously, they control the rotation of the swing shaft.

5. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The scrubbing assembly further includes a collection shield and a flow guide shield, the collection shield wrapping around the outer periphery of the scrubbing member, and the flow guide shield engaging the end of the collection shield near the swing arm and extending along the swing arm toward the swing axis; The scrubbing assembly is configured to drive the swing arm to swing in front of the wafer and make the scrubbing element contact the front side of the wafer for scrubbing, the collection shield is used to collect liquid dripping from the scrubbing element, and the flow guide shield is used to guide the collected liquid outside the wafer.

6. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The scrubbing device includes a rigid scrubbing head base and a compressible scrubbing head configured to absorb liquid from the surface of the wafer during scrubbing. The connection between the base and the scrubbing head is enclosed in a collection shroud. The length of the scrubbing head extending from the collection shroud is greater than the amount of compression caused by the scrubbing head pressing against the wafer during scrubbing.

7. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The end of the wiping head base is provided with a droplet suction device facing the opening of the wiping head. The droplet suction device is used to suction the liquid accumulated at the wiping head. The suction force of the droplet suction device is less than the surface tension of the liquid film formed by the cleaning fluid on the wafer surface.

8. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The cross-sectional dimensions of the collecting shroud gradually increase toward the swing arm, so that the liquid in the collecting shroud flows along the inclined inner wall of the collecting shroud to the flow guide shroud.

9. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The swing shaft is configured to axially contract during the swing of the swing arm from the center of the wafer to the outer edge of the wafer, so that the wiping member presses against the front side of the wafer to wipe it and pushes the wiped contaminants out of the wafer. And as the swing arm swings from the outer edge of the wafer toward the center of the wafer, it extends axially to create a gap between the wiping element and the front surface of the wafer, the gap being greater than the thickness of the liquid film formed by the cleaning fluid on the wafer surface.

10. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The movable gripper includes a resetter configured to abut against the back of the gripper body between the radially outer end of the gripper body and the rotating shaft. The resetter is configured to retract when the movable gripper is opened by pressure from the gripper body and to push the gripper body to rotate and retract when the movable gripper separates from the rotating retaining ring.

11. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 10, characterized in that, A detector is provided on the circumferential wall of the rotating retaining ring. The detector is configured to detect the vertical state of the wafer held by the clamping assembly. The detector is communicatively connected to the reset device, which is configured to reduce the pushing force on the gripper body when the detector detects that the vertical state of the wafer is not vertical.

12. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The detector is a visual detector, which is configured to take a picture of the wafer from the side and identify the maximum distance of the wafer in its thickness direction. When the maximum distance exceeds a preset wafer thickness value, the vertical state of the wafer is determined to be non-vertical.

13. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The detector is a visual detector, which is configured to take a picture of the wafer from the side, and then identify and draw the side profile of the wafer. When the drawn side profile of the wafer is a non-vertical straight line segment, the visual detector determines that the vertical state of the wafer is non-vertical.

14. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The resetter is an elastic support member disposed on the mounting base and extending toward the gripper body. The elastic support member is supported on the portion between the radial outer end of the gripper body and the rotating shaft. The elastic support member is compressed when the radial outer end of the gripper body is stopped by the rotating retaining ring, and pushes the gripper body to retract when the clamping assembly moves axially from the loading / unloading position to the wiping position.

15. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating retaining ring includes a vertical wall surface connected to its circumferential wall surface. The vertical wall surface and the circumferential wall surface of the rotating retaining ring form a receiving space for accommodating the clamping assembly. The circumferential edge of the vertical wall surface of the rotating retaining ring is provided with one or more first through holes for discharging the liquid collected by the rotating retaining ring from the receiving space.

16. The vertical scrubbing device as described in claim 15, characterized in that, The vertical scrubbing device further includes a fixed retaining ring fixed to the housing and coaxially arranged with the clamping assembly. The circumferential wall of the fixed retaining ring surrounds at least a portion of the circumferential wall of the rotating retaining ring. The fixed retaining ring is used to collect liquid discharged from the first through hole. A second through hole is formed at the vertical bottom of the circumferential wall of the fixed retaining ring for discharging the liquid collected by the fixed retaining ring downward.

17. A wafer processing equipment, characterized in that, The wafer processing equipment includes a wafer processing unit and a vertical scrubbing device as described in any one of claims 1-16.

18. A wafer cleaning method, used in the vertical cleaning apparatus as described in any one of claims 1-16, characterized in that, The wafer cleaning method includes: Move the clamping assembly from the wiping position to the loading / unloading position; Move the wafer vertically downward from the inlet / outlet at the top of the housing to the fixed gripper of the clamping assembly; Move the clamping assembly from the loading / unloading position to the wiping position; Swing the arm of the scrubbing assembly in front of the wafer and bring the scrubbing element at the end of the arm into contact with the front side of the wafer; The clamping assembly is driven to rotate, while the swing arm swings to clean the wafer.

19. A computer storage medium, characterized in that, The computer storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the wafer cleaning method as described in claim 18.

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