Developing pre-wetting nozzle and developing device

Abstract

The invention provides a developing pre-wetting spray head and a developing device, and the developing pre-wetting spray head comprises a conveying pipe which is used for conveying pre-wetting liquid; the annular guide assembly is fixedly connected with the output end of the conveying pipe; the annular guide assembly comprises a plurality of layers of annular partition plates arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the conveying pipe. The diameters of the annular partition plates are sequentially decreased in the first direction, the first direction is the direction away from the output end, and a grid structure is arranged in the annular partition plate with the smallest diameter. And the flow dividing pieces are arranged in the circumferential direction of the annular partition plates at intervals, and every two adjacent layers of annular partition plates are fixedly connected through the flow dividing pieces. The developing and pre-wetting spray head can quickly infiltrate the surface of a wafer, realizes uniform spraying of pre-wetting liquid, reduces the influence on the shape of photoresist on the surface of the wafer, and effectively reduces the generation of blind hole defects in a metal groove pattern process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and specifically relates to a pre-wetting nozzle and a developing apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of integrated circuit technology, the critical dimensions in photolithography are constantly shrinking, which in turn increases the requirements for the developing process. Currently, the developing process faces two main challenges: firstly, the developer needs to uniformly cover the photoresist surface in a short time to reduce the impact of the developing reaction time difference on the uniformity of critical dimensions; secondly, with the continuous advancement of photolithography technology, the surface contact angle of photolithographic materials is constantly increasing, making the photoresist surface more difficult to wet.

[0003] To optimize the developing process, current processes involve spraying a measured amount of deionized water onto the silicon wafer surface before developing to improve the adhesion of the developing solution in subsequent processes. However, the pre-wetting nozzles used in current developing processes have a simple structure, and the high-speed water jets result in uneven wetting of the wafer surface or exert a certain force on the photoresist surface, thus affecting the morphology of the photoresist on the silicon wafer surface. Simultaneously, the high surface contact angle of the photoresist material can lead to insufficient wetting at the wafer center, resulting in discontinuous water films and incomplete developing. This, in turn, creates blind holes (such as...) at the center of the silicon wafer in the metal trench pattern. Figure 5 (As shown), this causes the graphic to disappear or become distorted. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a pre-wetting nozzle and developing apparatus to optimize developing process conditions, improve the uniformity of developer spraying on the wafer surface, and reduce the generation of blind hole defects in metal trench patterns.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a pre-wetting nozzle, comprising: a delivery pipe for delivering pre-wetting liquid; an annular guide assembly fixedly connected to the output end of the delivery pipe; the annular guide assembly comprising a plurality of annular baffles spaced apart along the axial direction of the delivery pipe; the diameter of the annular baffles decreasing sequentially along a first direction, the first direction being the direction away from the output end, and the annular baffle with the smallest diameter having a mesh structure; and a plurality of flow dividers spaced apart circumferentially along the annular baffles, fixing adjacent annular baffles together.

[0006] Optionally, each of the annular partitions has a height that extends axially along the conveying pipe, and each of the annular partitions is in communication with the conveying pipe, with the top diameter of each annular partition being smaller than its bottom diameter.

[0007] Optionally, the hypotenuse of the cross-section of the annular partition can be a straight line or a curve.

[0008] Optionally, the diverter is a diverter bar and / or a diverter plate.

[0009] Optionally, the diversion strip connects the bottom edges of the annular partitions of two adjacent layers to form a diversion net disposed on the annular guide assembly.

[0010] Optionally, the diverter plate is vertically connected to the sidewall of the annular partition to form several independent flow channels.

[0011] Optionally, the number of layers of the annular partition ranges from 3 to 5.

[0012] Optionally, the bottom diameter of the first annular partition adjacent to the output end of the conveying pipe is 1.2 to 1.5 times the diameter of the conveying pipe.

[0013] Optionally, the diameter of the annular partitions arranged along the first direction is reduced by 20% to 30% sequentially.

[0014] Optionally, the slope of the annular partition is in the range of 30° to 45°.

[0015] Optionally, the number of diverter components ranges from 12 to 18.

[0016] Optionally, the top diameter of the smallest annular partition is equal to the bottom diameter.

[0017] Optionally, the diameter of the smallest annular partition ranges from 0.3 to 0.5 cm.

[0018] Optionally, the area of ​​a single grid within the grid structure ranges from 1 to 2 mm. 2 .

[0019] Optionally, the vertical height of each annular partition is in the range of 0.8 to 1.5 cm.

[0020] Optionally, the diameter of the conveying pipe is in the range of 1 to 1.5 cm.

[0021] Optionally, the developing pre-wetting nozzle is made of polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0022] The present invention also provides a developing apparatus comprising: a rotating base for supporting a wafer and driving the wafer placed on the rotating base to rotate horizontally; and a developing pre-wetting nozzle as described above, disposed opposite to the rotating base, for spraying pre-wetting liquid onto the surface of the wafer.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the pre-wetting nozzle and developing device provided by the present invention have at least the following beneficial effects: by setting several layers of annular baffles with progressively decreasing diameters at the output end of the delivery pipe, the output flow rate of the pre-wetting liquid is reduced, avoiding liquid splashing and impact on the wafer surface due to excessive flow rate of the pre-wetting liquid, and reducing the impact on the morphology of the photoresist on the wafer surface; at the same time, by setting flow dividers at circumferential intervals on the annular baffles, the pre-wetting liquid is evenly dispersed, realizing uniform spraying of the pre-wetting liquid, enabling the pre-wetting liquid to be quickly and evenly dispersed on the wafer surface, improving the formation properties of the pre-wetting liquid on the water film on the photoresist surface, and reducing the generation of blindingholes defects in the metal trench pattern;

[0024] Furthermore, by setting a mesh structure within the annular partition with the smallest diameter, the pressure of the pre-wetting liquid flowing out from the annular partition with the smallest diameter can be dispersed, reducing the flow rate of the pre-wetting liquid flowing vertically out from the annular partition with the smallest diameter. This reduces the water pressure of the pre-wetting liquid, decreases the force of the pre-wetting liquid on the photoresist surface, and improves the wetting of the photoresist at the center of the wafer by the pre-wetting liquid. This allows the subsequent developing solution to quickly and evenly cover the photoresist and reduce the development time. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the developer pre-wetting nozzle of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing different numbers of layers and cross-sections of the flow divider in the developing and pre-wetting nozzle of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the mesh structure in the developing pre-wetting nozzle of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the developing and pre-wetting nozzle of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of blind hole defects in the prior art;

[0030] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0031] 100 Developing and pre-wetting nozzle; 101 Delivery pipe; 102 Annular guide assembly; 103, 203, 303 Flow dividers; 104 Flow divider mesh; 105 First direction; 121 Annular baffle; 122 Mesh structure; 321 First Annular baffle; 322 Second Annular baffle; 323 Third Annular baffle; 331 Flow divider line; 332 Flow divider plate; 400 Pre-wetting liquid. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The following will be combined with the appendix in the embodiments of the present invention. Figure 1 ~Attached Figure 4The technical solutions, structural features, objectives and effects achieved in the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0033] It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions. They are only used to facilitate and clarify the purpose of illustrating the embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the implementation conditions of the present invention. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in the proportional relationship, or adjustments to the size should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in the present invention, provided that they do not affect the effects and objectives that the present invention can produce.

[0034] It should be noted that, in this invention, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only the elements expressly listed, but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0035] To improve the uniformity of pre-wetting solution sprayed on the wafer surface and reduce the impact of the pre-wetting solution on the morphology of the photoresist formed on the wafer surface, embodiments of the present invention provide a developing pre-wetting nozzle 100, such as... Figures 1-4 As shown, the pre-wetting nozzle 100 includes: a delivery pipe 101 connected to a container storing pre-wetting liquid for delivering pre-wetting liquid 400; and an annular guide assembly 102 fixedly connected to the output end of the delivery pipe 101. The annular guide assembly 102 includes several layers of annular baffles 121 spaced apart along the axial direction of the delivery pipe 101 to guide the flow direction of the pre-wetting liquid 400. The diameter of the annular baffles 121 decreases sequentially along a first direction 105, which is the direction away from the output end, and has the smallest diameter. The annular partition 121 is provided with a mesh structure 122 to reduce the flow rate of the pre-wetting liquid 400, reduce the impact of the pre-wetting liquid 400 on the photoresist on the wafer surface, and thus reduce the impact on the morphology of the photoresist; a plurality of flow dividers 103 are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the annular partition 121, fixing and connecting the annular partitions 121 of adjacent layers, and at the same time serving to divide the pre-wetting liquid 400. The pre-wetting liquid 400 flowing along the annular partition 121 is dispersed by the flow dividers 103 and evenly distributed on the wafer surface.

[0036] Among them, such as Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, each layer of the annular baffle 121 has a height that extends axially along the conveying pipe 101. The top of the annular baffle 121 adjacent to the output end of the conveying pipe 101 extends into the conveying pipe 101, while the tops of the other annular baffles 121 extend into the annular baffle 121 of the layer above. Each layer of the annular baffle 121 is connected to the conveying pipe 101. The top diameter of each layer of the annular baffle 121 is smaller than its bottom diameter, so that the flow velocity of the pre-wetting liquid 400 gradually decreases when it approaches the bottom of the annular baffle 121, thereby reducing the impact force when the pre-wetting liquid is sprayed. Meanwhile, since the distance between the developing and pre-wetting nozzle 100 and the wafer surface is limited, in a preferred embodiment, the number of annular partitions ranges from 3 to 5 layers, and the vertical height of each annular partition ranges from 0.8 to 1.5 cm, so as to ensure that the developing and pre-wetting nozzle 100 is at a better spraying height to the wafer surface and prevent the developing and pre-wetting nozzle 100 from damaging the photoresist on the wafer surface.

[0037] Specifically, in this embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, the annular guide assembly 102 includes five annular partitions 121. The annular partition 121 adjacent to the output end of the delivery pipe 101 is the first annular partition. The annular partitions 121 arranged sequentially along the first direction 105 are the second annular partition, the third annular partition, the fourth annular partition, and the fifth annular partition. The first annular partition is fixedly connected to the output end of the delivery pipe 101 through a diverter 103. The bottom diameter of the first annular partition is 1.2 to 1.5 times the diameter of the delivery pipe 101, which expands the spraying range of the output end of the delivery pipe 101, increases the area of ​​the pre-wetting liquid covering the wafer surface, and is more conducive to the subsequent diffusion of the pre-wetting liquid. Furthermore, the diameter of the annular partitions 121 arranged along the first direction 105 decreases by 20% to 30% sequentially. That is, the top diameter of adjacent layers of annular partitions 121 differs by 20% to 30%, and the bottom diameter of adjacent layers of annular partitions 121 also differs by 20% to 30%. The ratio of the top diameter to the bottom diameter of each layer of annular partitions 121 remains constant, thereby forming a uniform liquid flow channel between the two layers of annular partitions 121 and ensuring a uniform flow rate of the pre-wetting liquid. As an optional embodiment, the diameter of the conveying pipe 101 ranges from 1 to 1.5 cm.

[0038] Wherein, the hypotenuse of the cross-section of the annular partition 121 is a straight line or a curve; as a preferred embodiment, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the inclined side of the cross-section of the annular partition 121 is curved, meaning the annular partition 121 is arc-shaped, forming a funnel-shaped liquid outlet that is smaller at the top and larger at the bottom. By setting the sidewall of the annular partition 121 to a shape with a certain curvature, it helps the pre-wetting liquid to be distributed more evenly around the liquid outlet, improving the uniform distribution of the pre-wetting liquid on the wafer surface and enhancing the pre-wetting effect on the wafer surface. Furthermore, the slope of the annular partition 121 is in the range of 30° to 45°, meaning the angle between the tangent of the annular partition 121 and the horizontal direction is 30° to 45°. If the slope of the annular partition 121 is too large, on the one hand, it will increase the impact of the pre-wetting liquid on the annular partition 121, forming liquid splashing, which will cause uneven dispersion of the pre-wetting liquid. On the other hand, it will cause uneven wall thickness of the annular partition 121, affecting the strength and stability of the annular partition 121. If the slope of the annular partition 121 is too small, the effect of guiding and diverting the pre-wetting liquid will be poor, and it will be impossible to achieve uniform distribution of the pre-wetting liquid on the wafer surface.

[0039] Furthermore, such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the annular partition 121 with the smallest diameter (i.e. Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the top diameter of the fifth annular partition is equal to the bottom diameter, allowing the pre-wetting liquid at the center of the delivery pipe 101 to be transported to the wafer surface through the smallest diameter annular partition 121. Therefore, a mesh structure 122 is provided within the smallest diameter annular partition 121 to disperse the pressure of the pre-wetting liquid flowing out from the smallest diameter annular partition 121, thereby reducing the flow velocity of the pre-wetting liquid 400 flowing vertically out of the smallest diameter annular partition 121, decreasing the water pressure of the pre-wetting liquid 400, and improving the wetting effect of the pre-wetting liquid 400 on the photoresist at the wafer center. Optionally, the diameter of the smallest diameter annular partition 121 ranges from 0.3 to 0.5 cm, and the area of ​​a single mesh within the mesh structure 122 ranges from 1 to 2 mm. 2 .

[0040] Among them, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in (a), in this embodiment, the flow divider 103 is shaped like a flow divider strip. The flow divider strip connects the bottom edges of the annular partitions 121 of adjacent layers, forming a flow divider net 104 disposed on the annular guide assembly 102. This divides the circumference of the annular partitions 121 into several liquid outlets. When the pre-wetting liquid flows along the sidewalls of each annular partition 121 to the flow divider net 104, the pre-wetting liquid is dispersed onto the wafer surface by the pressure of the flow divider net 104, reducing the impact of the pre-wetting liquid on the photoresist on the wafer surface and increasing the dispersion area of ​​the pre-wetting liquid on the wafer surface. Optionally, the number of flow dividers 103 ranges from 12 to 18.

[0041] In another embodiment, such as Figure 2As shown in (b), the flow divider 203 is shaped as a flow divider plate. The flow divider plate has a thickness that extends radially along the annular partition 121. The flow divider plate is perpendicularly connected to the side wall of the annular partition 121, which circumferentially separates the annular partition 121 to form several independent flow channels, thereby restricting the flow direction of the pre-wetting liquid and realizing precise flow division of the pre-wetting liquid.

[0042] In other embodiments, the diverter plate and diverter strip may also be arranged at intervals along the circumference of the same layer of annular partition 121, or respectively arranged in the circumference of annular partitions 121 in different layers, such as... Figure 2 As shown in (c), the flow divider 303 includes flow divider strips 331 and flow divider plates 332. The annular guide assembly 302 includes three layers of annular partitions spaced apart along the axial direction of the conveying pipe 101. The annular partitions are a first annular partition 321, a second annular partition 322, and a third annular partition 323. The first annular partition 321 is an annular partition adjacent to the output end of the conveying pipe 101, and a plurality of flow divider strips 331 are spaced apart along its circumference. The second annular partition 322 is a second layer of annular partition located below the first annular partition 321, and a plurality of flow divider plates 332 are spaced apart along its circumference. The third annular partition 323 is the annular partition with the smallest diameter and has a mesh structure inside. Through the cooperation of the flow divider strips and flow divider plates, the distribution of the pre-wetting liquid on the wafer can be made more uniform.

[0043] Accordingly, the present invention also provides a developing apparatus, comprising: a rotating base for supporting a wafer and driving the wafer placed on the rotating base to rotate horizontally; and a developing pre-wetting nozzle as described in any of the above embodiments, disposed opposite to the rotating base, for spraying pre-wetting liquid onto the surface of the wafer.

[0044] In one specific embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, the diameter of the delivery tube 101 in the developer pre-wet nozzle 100 is 1.5 cm. The annular guide assembly 102 includes five annular baffles 121 spaced at intervals along the axial direction of the delivery tube 101. The smallest annular baffle 121 has a diameter of 0.3 cm, and the mesh size of the internal mesh structure 122 is 1 mm. 2 The bottom diameter of the annular partition 121 adjacent to the output end of the conveying pipe 101 is 1.5 times the diameter of the conveying pipe 101, and each layer of the annular partition 121 has 12 diversion strips in the circumference. The diameter of the annular partition 121 arranged along the first direction 105 decreases by 20% in sequence. The slope of the annular partition 121 is 45°, and the vertical height of each layer of the annular partition 121 is 1.5 cm. The developing pre-wetting nozzle 100 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0045] During the use of the pre-wetting nozzle 100 provided in this embodiment, at the center of the wafer, the pre-wetting liquid 400 is squeezed out from the output end of the delivery tube 101 by air pressure. When the pre-wetting liquid 400 passes through the annular guide assembly 102, it is diverted to each layer by the annular partitions 121 and then guided and sprayed onto the wafer surface. The pre-wetting liquid at the center of the delivery tube 101 is distributed to the wafer surface by the grid structure 122 in the smallest diameter annular partition 121 after pressure dispersion. Throughout the pre-wetting process, the pre-wetting nozzle 100 evenly disperses the pre-wetting liquid to the center of the wafer. Subsequently, the wafer is rotated by the rotating base and covered the entire wafer surface under centrifugal force, so that the subsequent developer can quickly and evenly cover the photoresist and reduce the development process time.

[0046] In summary, the pre-wetting nozzle and developing apparatus provided by the present invention reduce the output flow rate of the pre-wetting liquid 400 by setting several layers of annular baffles 121 with progressively decreasing diameters at the output end of the delivery pipe 101. This avoids liquid splashing and impact on the wafer surface due to excessive flow rate of the pre-wetting liquid 400, thus reducing the impact on the morphology of the photoresist on the wafer surface. At the same time, by setting flow dividers 103 at circumferential intervals on the annular baffles 121, the pre-wetting liquid 400 is evenly dispersed, achieving uniform spraying of the pre-wetting liquid 400. This allows the pre-wetting liquid to be quickly and evenly dispersed on the wafer surface, improving the pre-wetting liquid's ability to form a water film on the photoresist surface and reducing the generation of blindingholes defects in the metal trench pattern.

[0047] Furthermore, by setting a mesh structure 122 within the annular partition 121 with the smallest diameter, the pressure of the pre-wetting liquid flowing out from the annular partition 121 with the smallest diameter can be dispersed, reducing the flow rate of the pre-wetting liquid 400 flowing vertically out from the annular partition 121 with the smallest diameter. This reduces the water pressure of the pre-wetting liquid 400, lowers the force of the pre-wetting liquid on the photoresist surface, and improves the wetting of the photoresist at the center of the wafer by the pre-wetting liquid 400, so that the subsequent developing solution can quickly and uniformly cover the photoresist and reduce the development process time.

[0048] Although the present invention has been described in detail through the preferred embodiments above, it should be understood that the above description should not be considered as a limitation of the present invention. Various modifications and substitutions to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above description. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A developer pre-wetting nozzle, characterized in that, include: Delivery pipe, used to transport pre-wetted liquid; An annular guide assembly is fixedly connected to the output end of the conveying pipe; the annular guide assembly includes several layers of annular partitions spaced apart along the axial direction of the conveying pipe; The diameter of the annular partition decreases sequentially along a first direction, which is the direction away from the output end, and the annular partition with the smallest diameter is provided with a mesh structure. Several diverting components are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the annular partition to fix and connect the annular partitions of adjacent layers.

2. The developing and pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the annular partitions has a height that extends axially along the conveying pipe, and each of the annular partitions is connected to the conveying pipe. The top diameter of each annular partition is smaller than its bottom diameter.

3. The developing and pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The hypotenuse of the cross-section of the annular partition is either a straight line or a curve.

4. The developing and pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The diversion component is a diversion strip and / or a diversion plate.

5. The developing pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The diversion strip connects the bottom edges of the annular partitions of two adjacent layers, forming a diversion net disposed on the annular guide assembly.

6. The developer pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The diverter plate is perpendicularly connected to the sidewall of the annular partition to form several independent flow channels.

7. The developing pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The number of layers in the annular partition ranges from 3 to 5.

8. The developing pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The bottom diameter of the first annular baffle adjacent to the output end of the conveying pipe is 1.2 to 1.5 times the diameter of the conveying pipe.

9. The developing and pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of the annular baffles arranged along the first direction decreases by 20% to 30% sequentially.

10. The developing pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The slope of the annular partition ranges from 30° to 45°.

11. The developer pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The number of the diverter components ranges from 12 to 18.

12. The developing pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The top diameter of the smallest annular partition is equal to the bottom diameter.

13. The developing pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The diameter of the smallest annular partition ranges from 0.3 to 0.5 cm.

14. The developer pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The area of ​​a single grid within the grid structure ranges from 1 to 2 mm. 2 .

15. The developer pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The vertical height of each annular partition ranges from 0.8 to 1.5 cm.

16. The developer pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of the conveying pipe ranges from 1 to 1.5 cm.

17. The developing pre-wetting nozzle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The developing and pre-wetting nozzle is made of polytetrafluoroethylene.

18. A developing apparatus, characterized in that, Include: A rotating base is used to support a wafer and drive the wafer placed on the rotating base to rotate horizontally; a developing pre-wetting nozzle as described in any one of claims 1 to 17 is disposed opposite to the rotating base and is used to spray pre-wetting liquid onto the surface of the wafer.

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