A spin dryer for wafer processing

Abstract

The application relates to the field of semiconductor processing, in particular to a spin dryer for wafer processing. The spin dryer comprises a box body, a top cover, a conveying pipe and a plurality of guide plates. The box body is internally provided with a spin-drying cavity. A spin-drying support is rotationally arranged in the spin-drying cavity. A plurality of object frames are uniformly distributed on the spin-drying support. A wafer is arranged on the object frame. The top cover is hingedly connected to the top of the box body. The conveying pipe is arranged on the top cover. The plurality of guide plates are arranged on the conveying pipe. The guide plates are evenly divided into a plurality of groups along the circumferential direction of the conveying pipe. The guide plates in the same group are arranged in an up-down interval. All the guide plates can rotate around a horizontal axis. In the application, the guide plates are in a downwardly folded state in an initial state, which facilitates the opening and closing of the top cover. In the spin-drying process, the guide plates are in an unfolded state and are closer to the wafer, so that most of the liquid medicine or gas can be sprayed into the interlayer gap of the wafer, thereby more fully covering the surface of the wafer and improving the cleaning effect on the wafer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing, and more specifically to a spin dryer for wafer processing. Background Technology

[0002] A wafer is a silicon wafer used in the fabrication of silicon semiconductor integrated circuits. Its raw material is silicon. High-purity polycrystalline silicon is dissolved and doped with silicon crystal seeds, then slowly pulled out to form cylindrical single-crystal silicon. After grinding, polishing, and slicing, the silicon ingot forms a silicon wafer. Various circuit structures can be fabricated on the wafer surface to create electronic components with specific electrical functions. During various processing steps, wafers come into contact with various organic substances, particles, and metallic impurities, causing contaminants to adhere to the wafer. Therefore, cleaning is necessary. Wet cleaning is a common method in wafer cleaning processes. Wafers cleaned by wet cleaning need to be dried. Wafer spin dryers are a drying option. During the transfer of wafers to the spin dryer, some residual moisture on the wafer surface may dry, forming watermarks. Even after spin drying, these watermarks remain on the wafer surface and cannot be removed, affecting the performance of the final components.

[0003] To address the above issues, Chinese patent document CN 118763031 B discloses a multi-size wafer rinsing and spin-drying integrated machine. This equipment uses a piping system installed on the cover of the spin dryer to spray a special agent onto the wafers during the centrifugal spin-drying process, cleaning the wafer surface and reducing watermarks. However, because the wafers are stacked in a high-density layer in the basket, the above solution, using a simple piping system for spraying, makes it difficult for the agent to directly penetrate the gaps between adjacent wafers, resulting in a significant waste of the agent and relatively poor watermark removal.

[0004] The information disclosed in the background section of this invention is intended only to enhance the understanding of the general background of this invention, and should not be construed as an admission or in any way implying that such information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention proposes a spin dryer for wafer processing to solve the problem that the existing spin dryers have poor water mark removal effect during spin drying.

[0006] The present invention provides a wafer processing spin dryer with the following technical solution: comprising:

[0007] The housing has a spin-drying chamber inside, and a spin-drying support is rotatably installed inside the spin-drying chamber. Several storage frames are evenly distributed around the circumference of the spin-drying support. The storage frames can be flipped, and the wafers are placed in the storage frames.

[0008] A top cover, which is hinged to the top of the housing, is capable of opening or sealing the top opening of the spin-drying chamber;

[0009] A delivery pipe, which is disposed on the top cover, is used to deliver liquid or gas into the spin-drying chamber;

[0010] A plurality of guide plates are disposed on the conveying pipe. All the guide plates are evenly divided into multiple groups along the circumference of the conveying pipe, with multiple guide plates in each group. The guide plates in the same group are arranged vertically at intervals. All the guide plates are rotatable around a horizontal axis and are folded downward in the initial state. When the conveying pipe sprays liquid or gas onto the wafer, they unfold upward and correspond to the wafer after unfolding.

[0011] A connecting tube, which corresponds one-to-one with the guide plate, is disposed at one end of the guide plate near the delivery tube. The connecting tube is connected to the delivery tube and configured to deliver liquid medicine or gas to the guide plate.

[0012] Optionally, the guide plate is a corrugated plate, and the connecting pipe is provided with a plurality of flow holes penetrating its interior, the flow holes corresponding one-to-one with the flow channels formed on the corrugated plate.

[0013] Optionally, the wafer processing spin dryer further includes:

[0014] A lifting ring is coaxially sleeved on the bottom outer periphery of the conveying pipe, and the lifting ring can move up and down relative to the conveying pipe within a preset range;

[0015] A control ring is coaxially disposed on the bottom inner circumference of the conveying pipe. The bottom of the control ring is sealed. The control ring is configured to drive the lifting ring to move and is configured to move downward relative to the conveying pipe under the action of liquid pressure or gas pressure inside the conveying pipe.

[0016] A first reset structure is disposed between the control ring and the delivery pipe, and the first reset structure causes the control ring to tend to be in the upper limit position;

[0017] A transmission assembly is disposed between the lifting ring and the guide plate, the transmission assembly being configured to convert the movement of the lifting ring into the rotation of the guide plate.

[0018] Optionally, each of the connecting pipes has a connecting shaft at both ends, and the guide plate is rotatably mounted on the conveying pipe via the connecting shaft. The transmission assembly includes:

[0019] A synchronizing gear is disposed on the connecting shaft;

[0020] A synchronous belt, which is wound around the outside of a synchronous gear on the connecting shaft located on the same side of the same group of connecting pipes, to drive and connect the guide plates of the same group;

[0021] The transmission gears are located on the bottom guide plate of each group;

[0022] A transmission rack is disposed on the upper surface of the lifting ring and parallel to the axis of the conveying pipe. There are multiple transmission racks, each corresponding to a transmission gear. The transmission rack is located inside the corresponding transmission gear and meshes with the transmission gear.

[0023] Optionally, the control ring is also capable of rotating relative to the conveying pipe; the wafer processing spin dryer further includes:

[0024] A connecting structure is disposed between the control ring and the lifting ring. The connecting structure is configured to drive the lifting ring to move synchronously when the control ring moves up and down relative to the conveying pipe, and to cause the lifting ring to move up and down relative to the control ring within a preset range when the control ring rotates relative to the conveying pipe.

[0025] A movable rod is coaxially inserted into the center of the conveying pipe and its lower end extends into the control ring. The movable rod can move up and down relative to the conveying pipe and can rotate relative to the conveying pipe. An impeller is provided at the top of the movable rod.

[0026] A mating structure is provided between the movable rod and the control ring. The mating structure is configured such that when it is activated, the movable rod can drive the ring to rotate synchronously. The mating structure is activated when the movable rod is at the bottom of the control ring.

[0027] A second reset structure is disposed between the movable rod and the conveying pipe, which causes the movable rod to tend to be in the upper limit position.

[0028] Optionally, the connection structure includes:

[0029] The limiting groove is disposed on the inner peripheral wall of the lifting ring. The limiting groove includes a plurality of unit grooves connected end to end, and the two ends of each unit groove are on the same circumference and lower than the middle position.

[0030] The protrusion is disposed on the outer peripheral wall of the control ring, and the protrusion corresponds one-to-one with the unit groove and is slidably disposed in the unit groove.

[0031] Optionally, the mating structure includes:

[0032] The first mating tooth is disposed on the outer periphery of the bottom of the movable rod;

[0033] The second mating tooth is disposed on the inner circumference of the control ring and is configured to engage with the first mating tooth when the movable rod moves to the bottom of the control ring.

[0034] Optionally, the wafer processing spin dryer further includes:

[0035] A limiting ring is fixedly disposed on the inner wall of the conveying pipe. The limiting ring is coaxial with the conveying pipe, and an annular groove is provided on the inner peripheral wall of the limiting ring.

[0036] A fixed ring is disposed on the outer periphery of the movable rod. The outer diameter of the fixed ring is adapted to the inner diameter of the limiting ring. When the movable rod is at the bottom of the control ring, the fixed ring is aligned with the limiting ring. The outer periphery of the fixed ring is provided with a plurality of radially extending sliding grooves, and a locking block is slidably inserted in the sliding groove.

[0037] A limiting spring is connected between the locking block and the bottom of the slide groove. The limiting spring causes the locking block to tend to retract into the slide groove. The end of the locking block away from the bottom of the slide groove is wedge-shaped.

[0038] Optionally, the first reset structure is a magnetic structure or an elastic element.

[0039] Optionally, the second reset structure is a magnetic structure or an elastic element.

[0040] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The wafer processing spin dryer of the present invention is provided with a conveying pipe on the top cover and multiple sets of guide plates on the outer periphery of the conveying pipe. The guide plates are initially folded downwards, so they will not collide with the wafer when the top cover is opened and closed. During the spin drying process, the guide plates are in an unfolded state, closer to the wafer, so that most of the liquid or gas can be sprayed into the interlayer gaps of the wafer, thereby more fully covering the wafer surface and improving the cleaning effect on the wafer.

[0041] Furthermore, the present invention sets the guide plate as a corrugated plate, so that the liquid medicine or gas can be guided more smoothly to the wafer under the restriction of the flow channel of the corrugated tube, avoiding excessive diffusion of the liquid medicine or gas to both sides along the width direction of the guide plate. At the same time, due to the continuity of the corrugation of the corrugated plate, the liquid medicine or gas can be evenly distributed in the form of a "continuous surface" in the width direction of the guide plate, thereby being able to adhere to the surface of the wafer more evenly, further improving the watermark removal effect.

[0042] Furthermore, after the guide plate unfolds, the control ring rotates through the movable rod. The control ring, through the connecting structure, drives the lifting ring to move up and down within a preset range, thereby causing the guide plate to swing up and down slightly, which is more conducive to the agent entering the wafer gap. At the same time, the up and down swing of the guide plate can achieve spraying and rinsing of the wafer in the up and down tilt direction, further improving the cleaning effect of watermarks.

[0043] Furthermore, by setting up limiting rings and fixed rings, during the spin-drying process, when the movable rod moves to the bottom of the control ring, the limiting ring and fixed ring engage, restricting the movement of the movable rod. If the pressure in the delivery pipe fluctuates, the movable rod and control ring will not vibrate significantly, avoiding a chain reaction that could cause the guide plate to swing drastically, ensuring the spraying effect on the wafer, and ensuring stable equipment operation. Attached Figure Description

[0044] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention 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 of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0045] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a wafer processing spin dryer according to the present invention (the cover is in the open state);

[0046] Figure 2 This is a front view of a wafer processing spin dryer according to the present invention (with the cover closed).

[0047] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Sectional view of AA;

[0048] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged view at point X;

[0049] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Enlarged view of the middle Y section (guide plate folded downwards);

[0050] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the conveying pipe, guide plate, etc. in this invention;

[0051] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Exploded view;

[0052] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Partial view of the moving rod, lifting ring, control ring, etc.;

[0053] Figure 9 for Figure 8 Exploded view;

[0054] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of the guide plate, timing belt, etc.

[0055] Figure 11 for Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing the guide panel in its unfolded state from a given perspective.

[0056] In the picture:

[0057] 100. Box body;

[0058] 200. Top cover;

[0059] 300. Delivery pipe; 301. Liquid inlet; 302. Gas inlet; 303. Support plate; 304. Hose; 305. Vertical groove; 320. Restriction ring; 3201. Annular groove;

[0060] 400. Flower basket;

[0061] 500, wafer;

[0062] 600. Guide plate; 610. Connecting pipe; 611. Transmission gear; 612. Synchronizing gear; 620. Synchronizing belt;

[0063] 700, Movable rod; 701, Impeller; 703, Fixed ring; 7031, Connecting hole; 7032, Slide groove; 704, First mating tooth; 710, Locking block;

[0064] 800. Lifting ring; 801. Limiting groove; 802. Slider; 803. Transmission rack;

[0065] 900, Control ring; 912, Second mating tooth; 913, Protrusion. Detailed Implementation

[0066] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0067] like Figures 1 to 11As shown in the figure, an embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer processing spin dryer including a housing 100, a top cover 200, and a conveying pipe 300. The housing 100 has a spin drying chamber inside, and a spin drying support is rotatably arranged inside the spin drying chamber. Several placement frames are evenly distributed around the circumference of the spin drying support. The placement frames can be flipped, and the wafer 500 is placed in the placement frames. The top cover 200 is hinged to the top of the housing 100, and the top cover 200 can open or close the top opening of the spin drying chamber. The conveying pipe 300 is arranged on the top cover 200 and can convey liquid or gas into the spin drying chamber. Specifically, the top and bottom of the conveying pipe 300 extend out of the upper and lower sides of the top cover 200, respectively. The top end of the conveying pipe 300 is connected to a liquid inlet 301 and a gas inlet 302. The liquid inlet 301 is used to convey liquid into the conveying pipe 300, and the gas inlet 302 is used to convey gas into the conveying pipe 300. Here, the liquid refers to a chemical solution that can remove the surface of the wafer 500.

[0068] When the wafer 500 needs to be spun dry, open the top cover 200, flip the storage frame so that its storage opening faces upwards, and stack the wafers 500 in the basket 400. The inner wall of the basket 400 is provided with several dividing slots. Each wafer 500 is placed in a dividing slot. The dividing slots can limit the position of the wafers 500 and allow a certain gap between adjacent wafers 500. Then, place the basket 400 inside the storage frame, flip the storage frame, and rotate the storage frame so that its storage opening faces the axis of the spin-drying chamber. At this time, the basket 400... The storage opening of 00 also faces the axis of the spin-drying chamber; close the top cover 200, start the equipment, and make the spin-drying bracket rotate to spin-dry the wafer 500. At the same time, the liquid is introduced into the delivery pipe 300. The liquid is sprayed onto the wafer 500 under the liquid supply pressure to wash away the watermarks on the surface of the wafer 500. After washing for a period of time, gas is sprayed onto the wafer 500 through the delivery pipe 300 so that the liquid on the surface of the wafer 500 can be more easily removed from the surface of the wafer 500 during the spin-drying process, thereby achieving the purpose of removing the watermarks on the surface of the wafer 500.

[0069] It is understandable that, since the wafers 500 are stacked in the basket 400, the interlayer gaps between two adjacent single wafers 500 in the same basket 400 are relatively small. When the liquid is sprayed onto the wafers 500 using the delivery pipe 300, the liquid has difficulty entering the interlayer gaps of the wafers 500, thus making it difficult to fully cover the surface of the wafers 500, resulting in a relatively poor watermark removal effect.

[0070] Therefore, in the embodiments provided by the present invention, the wafer processing spin dryer further includes a plurality of guides 600, and a plurality of guide plates 600 are disposed on the conveying pipe 300. The guide plates 600 are evenly divided into multiple groups along the circumferential direction of the conveying pipe 300, with multiple guide plates in each group, and the guide plates 600 in the same group are arranged vertically at intervals.

[0071] All guide plates 600 are able to rotate around the horizontal axis. In the initial state, the guide plates 600 are folded downwards. When the delivery pipe 300 sprays liquid or gas onto the wafer 500, the guide plates 600 unfold upwards and correspond to the wafer 500 after unfolding.

[0072] A connecting pipe 610 is provided at one end of the guide plate 600 near the delivery pipe 300. The connecting pipe 610 is connected to the delivery pipe 300 and is configured to deliver liquid medicine or gas to the guide plate 600. Specifically, the connecting pipe 610 can be connected to the hose 304.

[0073] In this embodiment, multiple sets of guide plates 600 are provided on the outer periphery of the delivery pipe 300. The guide plates 600 are initially folded downwards, so they will not collide with the wafer 500 when the top cover 200 is opened and closed. During the spin-drying process, the guide plates 600 are unfolded and closer to the wafer 500, so that most of the liquid or gas can be sprayed into the interlayer gaps of the wafer 500, thereby more fully covering the surface of the wafer 500 and improving the cleaning effect on the wafer 500.

[0074] In a further embodiment, the guide plate 600 is a corrugated plate, and the connecting pipe 610 is provided with a plurality of flow holes penetrating its interior. The flow holes correspond one-to-one with the flow channels formed on the corrugated plate, thereby enabling the liquid medicine or gas to be guided into the flow channels of the corrugated plate.

[0075] In this embodiment, by setting the guide plate 600 as a corrugated plate, the liquid medicine or gas can be guided more smoothly to the wafer 500 under the restriction of the flow channel of the corrugated pipe, avoiding excessive diffusion of the liquid medicine or gas to both sides along the width direction of the guide plate 600. At the same time, due to the continuity of the corrugation of the plate, the liquid medicine or gas can be evenly distributed in the form of a "continuous surface" in the width direction of the guide plate 600, thereby being able to adhere more evenly to the surface of the wafer 500, further improving the watermark removal effect.

[0076] In a further embodiment, to enable the guide plate 600 to fold downwards and unfold upwards, the wafer processing spin dryer of the present invention further includes a lifting ring 800, a control ring 900, a first reset structure, and a transmission assembly; the lifting ring 800 is coaxially sleeved on the bottom outer periphery of the conveying pipe 300, and the lifting ring 800 can move up and down relative to the conveying pipe 300 within a preset range; specifically, a vertical groove 305 is provided on the bottom outer periphery of the conveying pipe 300, the vertical groove 305 is not through, and a slider 802 is provided on the inner periphery of the lifting ring 800, the slider 802 is slidably disposed in the vertical groove 305;

[0077] The control ring 900 is coaxially disposed on the bottom inner circumference of the conveying pipe 300 and can move up and down. The bottom of the control ring 900 is sealed. The control ring 900 is configured to drive the lifting ring 800 to move and is configured to move downward relative to the conveying pipe 300 under the action of liquid pressure or gas pressure inside the conveying pipe 300.

[0078] The first reset structure is disposed between the control ring 900 and the conveying pipe 300. The first reset structure makes the control ring 900 tend to be in the upper limit position. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first reset structure is a magnetic attraction structure. Specifically, two magnets are respectively disposed on the conveying pipe 300 and the control ring 900, with opposite magnetic poles facing each other, so that they can attract each other. In other embodiments, the first reset structure can also be disposed as an elastic element, which makes the control ring 900 tend to be in the upper limit position. More specifically, the control ring 900 is a stepped ring structure, with the outer diameter of the upper ring cylinder being smaller than that of the lower ring cylinder. The upper ring cylinder is slidably inserted into the inner circumference of the conveying pipe 300. The stepped surface formed by the upper and lower ring cylinders corresponds to and can fit against the lower end surface of the conveying pipe 300. When the first reset structure is a magnetic attraction structure, the magnet can be disposed on the lower end surface of the conveying pipe 300 and the stepped surface of the control ring 900.

[0079] A transmission assembly is disposed between the lifting ring 800 and the guide plate 600, and the transmission assembly is configured to convert the movement of the lifting ring 800 into the rotation of the guide plate 600.

[0080] In the initial state, the control ring 900 is at its upper limit position under the action of the first reset structure, which in turn drives the lifting ring 800 to its upper limit position, and the guide plate 600 is in a downward folded state. Figure 5 At this time, because the guide plate 600 is folded and retracted, the top cover 200 is not interfered with or affected by the guide plate 600 when it is opened and closed.

[0081] During the spin-drying process, liquid medicine or gas is introduced into the delivery pipe 300. Under the pressure of the liquid or gas, the control ring 900 overcomes the restriction of the first reset structure and moves downward, driving the lifting ring 800 downward. As the lifting ring 800 moves downward, under the action of the transmission assembly, all guide plates 600 rotate upward and unfold synchronously. (Refer to...) Figure 11After the guide plate 600 unfolds, it gets closer to the wafer 500. Guided by the guide plate 600, the liquid can enter the interlayer gaps of the wafer 500 more smoothly, effectively spraying the surface of the wafer 500 and improving the watermark removal effect. After the spin-drying process is completed, the liquid and air supply is stopped. The control ring 900 resets upward under the action of the first reset structure, and the lifting ring 800 resets upward. Under the action of the transmission component, the guide plate 600 rotates downward to reset, returning to the downward folded state. At this time, the top cover 200 can be opened to replace the next batch of wafers 500.

[0082] In a further embodiment,

[0083] Each connecting pipe 610 has a connecting shaft at both ends. The guide plate 600 is rotatably mounted on the conveying pipe 300 via the connecting shaft. Specifically, the outer peripheral wall of the conveying pipe 300 is provided with a support plate 303. The support plate 303 is provided with a hinge hole. The connecting shaft is rotatably mounted on the hinge hole to realize the installation of the guide plate 600.

[0084] The transmission assembly includes a synchronous gear 612, a synchronous belt 620, a transmission gear 611, and a transmission rack 803; the synchronous gear 612 is disposed on the connecting shaft;

[0085] Synchronous belt 620 is wound around the outside of synchronous gear 612 on the connecting shaft on the same side of the same group of connecting pipes 610 to drive and connect all guide plates 600 in the same group.

[0086] The transmission gear 611 is set on the bottom guide plate 600 of each group, and the transmission rack 803 is set on the upper surface of the lifting ring 800 and parallel to the axis of the conveying pipe 300. There are multiple transmission racks 803, which correspond one-to-one with the transmission gear 611. The transmission rack 803 is located inside the corresponding transmission gear 611 and meshes with the transmission gear 611.

[0087] In the initial state, both the control ring 900 and the lifting ring 800 are at their upper limit positions. When the control ring 900 moves downward under the action of gas pressure or liquid pressure, it drives the lifting ring 800 to move downward. The lifting ring 800 drives the transmission rack 803 to move downward. The transmission rack 803 drives the transmission gear 611 to rotate. The transmission gear 611 drives the lowermost guide plate 600 to rotate upward. The lowermost guide plate 600 drives the other guide plates 600 to rotate upward synchronously through the cooperation of the synchronous gear 612 and the synchronous belt 620, thereby realizing the upward unfolding of all guide plates 600.

[0088] Preferably, a transmission gear 611 is provided on one of the connecting shafts of the lowermost guide plate 600 in the same group of guide plates 600. In other embodiments, transmission gears 611 can also be provided on both connecting shafts of the lowermost guide plate 600 in the same group of guide plates 600, and two transmission racks 803 are used to drive the same group of guide plates 600, which can make the force more balanced and the transmission more stable and reliable.

[0089] Furthermore, to facilitate the folding of the guide plate 600, the connection positions of all guide plates 600 in the same group with the conveying pipe 300 gradually move away from the axis of the conveying pipe 300 from bottom to top.

[0090] In a further embodiment, to further improve the effect of the guide plate 600 spraying liquid and gas onto the wafer 500, preferably, the control ring 900 can also rotate relative to the delivery pipe 300. The wafer processing spin dryer of the present invention also includes a connecting structure, a movable rod 700, a mating structure, and a second reset structure. The connecting structure is disposed between the control ring 900 and the lifting ring 800. The connecting structure is configured to drive the lifting ring 800 to move synchronously when the control ring 900 moves up and down relative to the delivery pipe 300, and to cause the lifting ring 800 to move up and down relative to the control ring 900 within a preset range when the control ring 900 rotates relative to the delivery pipe 300. When the lifting ring 800 moves up and down within the preset range, it can drive the guide plate 600 to swing up and down slightly through the transmission component, which is more conducive to the agent entering the gap of the wafer 500. At the same time, the up and down swing of the guide plate 600 can achieve spraying and rinsing of the wafer 500 in the up and down tilt direction, and the cleaning effect of watermarks is better.

[0091] The movable rod 700 is coaxially inserted into the center of the conveying pipe 300 and its lower end extends into the control ring 900. The movable rod 700 can move up and down relative to the conveying pipe 300 and can rotate relative to the conveying pipe 300. An impeller 701 is provided at the top of the movable rod 700, so that the movable rod 700 can rotate under the action of liquid or gas flow and can move under the action of liquid or gas pressure.

[0092] The mating structure is set on the movable rod 700 and the control ring 900. The mating structure is configured such that when it is active, the movable rod 700 can drive the ring to rotate synchronously. The mating structure is active when the movable rod 700 is at the bottom of the control ring 900.

[0093] The second reset structure is provided between the movable rod 700 and the conveying pipe 300. The second reset structure makes the movable rod 700 tend to be in the upper limit position. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second reset structure can also be set as a magnetic structure or an elastic element.

[0094] In this embodiment, after the guide plate 600 is unfolded, the control ring 900 is rotated by the movable rod 700. The control ring 900 drives the lifting ring 800 to move up and down within a preset range through the connecting structure, thereby causing the guide plate 600 to swing up and down slightly, which is more conducive to the agent entering the gap of the wafer 500. At the same time, the up and down swing of the guide plate 600 can achieve spraying and rinsing of the wafer 500 in the up and down tilt direction, further improving the cleaning effect of watermark.

[0095] Specifically, the connecting structure includes a limiting groove 801 and a protrusion 913. The limiting groove 801 is provided with the inner peripheral wall of the lifting ring 800. The limiting groove 801 includes several unit grooves connected end to end. The two ends of each unit groove are on the same circumference and lower than the middle position. The protrusion 913 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the control ring 900. The protrusion 913 corresponds one-to-one with the unit groove and is slidably disposed in the unit groove. When the control ring 900 rotates relative to the conveying pipe 300, the protrusion 913 slides in the unit groove. Because the two ends of the unit groove are lower than the middle position, the unit groove has a high point and a low point. When the protrusion 913 slides in the unit groove, it can drive the lifting ring 800 to repeatedly rise and fall within a preset range, thereby allowing the guide plate 600 to swing up and down within a small range after unfolding.

[0096] The mating structure includes a first mating tooth 704 and a second mating tooth 912. The first mating tooth 704 is located on the outer periphery of the bottom of the movable rod 700, and the second mating tooth 912 is located on the inner periphery of the control ring 900. When the movable rod 700 moves to the bottom of the control ring 900, the first mating tooth 704 can engage with the second mating tooth 912. Specifically, the control ring 900 has a limiting shoulder inside to prevent the movable rod 700 from moving downward relative to the control ring 900. The second mating tooth 912 is located on the second shoulder, and there is a preset distance between the second mating tooth 912 and the top surface of the control ring 900. In the initial state, the first mating tooth 704 is at the top of the control ring 900 and disengaged from the second mating tooth 912. During the spin-drying process, the control ring 900 and the movable rod 700 move downward under the action of liquid or gas pressure. The control ring 900 drives the lifting ring 800 to move downward. When the lifting ring 800 moves to the bottom limit position... When the control ring 900 is in the bottom limit position under the restriction of the lifting ring 800, the movable rod 700 continues to move downward and the first mating tooth 704 gradually engages with the second mating tooth 912. When the movable rod 700 moves to the bottom of the control ring 900, the movable rod 700 can no longer move and the first mating tooth 704 and the second mating tooth 912 are fully engaged. When the movable rod 700 rotates, it drives the control ring 900 to rotate through the engagement of the first mating tooth 704 and the second mating tooth 912, thereby causing the lifting ring 800 to reciprocate within a small range.

[0097] It is understandable that during the spin-drying process, fluctuations in the liquid or gas pressure inside the delivery pipe 300 can trigger a chain reaction, causing the guide plate 600 to swing significantly, affecting the spraying effect of the solution on the wafer 500 and also impacting the stability of the equipment. Therefore, referring to... Figure 5 , Figure 8 and Figure 11 As shown, the wafer processing spin dryer of the present invention further includes a limiting ring 320, a fixing ring 703 and a limiting spring; the limiting ring 320 is fixedly disposed on the inner wall of the conveying pipe 300, the limiting ring 320 is coaxial with the conveying pipe 300, and the inner peripheral wall of the limiting ring 320 is provided with an annular groove 3201;

[0098] A retaining ring 703 is disposed on the outer periphery of the movable rod 700. Initially, the retaining ring 703 is positioned above the limiting ring 320. The outer diameter of the retaining ring 703 matches the inner diameter of the limiting ring 320. The outer periphery of the retaining ring 703 has several radially extending grooves 7032. A locking block 710 is slidably inserted into each groove 7032. A limiting spring connects the locking block 710 and the bottom of the groove 7032, causing the locking block 710 to tend to retract into the groove 7032. When the moving rod 700 rotates, the locking block 710 can extend out of the slide groove 7032 under the action of centrifugal force. The end of the locking block 710 extending out of the slide groove 7032 (that is, the end away from the bottom of the slide groove 7032) is wedge-shaped, so that when the fixed ring 703 and the limiting ring 320 are aligned, it can extend into the annular locking groove 3201 on the inner circumference of the limiting ring 320, thereby connecting the fixed ring 703 and the limiting ring 320. The fixed ring 703 is aligned with the limiting ring 320 when the moving rod 700 is at the bottom of the control ring 900.

[0099] In this embodiment, by setting up the limiting ring 320 and the fixed ring 703, during the downward movement and rotation of the movable rod 700, under the action of centrifugal force, the locking block 710 extends and gradually approaches the limiting ring 320. After the movable rod 700 moves downward until the locking block 710 contacts the limiting ring 320, the locking block 710 retracts into the slide groove 7032 under the obstruction of the limiting ring 320. After the fixed ring 703 enters the limiting ring 320, the locking block 710 extends under the action of centrifugal force and locks into the annular locking groove 3201, connecting the fixed ring 703 and the limiting ring 320. At this time, the fixed ring 703 and the limiting ring 320 are locked together. Subsequently, if the pressure within the delivery pipe 300 fluctuates, the movable rod 700 will not vibrate significantly under the constraint of the limiting ring 320. At this time, because the movable rod 700 is at the bottom of the control ring 900, the control ring 900 will also not vibrate significantly under the constraint of the movable rod 700, thus avoiding a chain reaction that could cause the guide plate 600 to swing drastically, ensuring the spraying effect on the wafer 500, and ensuring stable equipment operation. After spin-drying is complete, the pressure inside the delivery pipe 300 is released, the movable rod 700 stops rotating, the locking block 710 retracts under the action of the limit spring, and the movable rod 700 and the control ring 900 can move upward smoothly, restoring the device to its initial state.

[0100] Furthermore, the fixed ring 703 is provided with several circumferentially distributed and vertically connected connecting holes 7031. Through the connection holes 7031, after the fixed ring 703 and the limiting ring 320 are engaged, the pressure balance between the upper and lower sides of the fixed ring 703 and the limiting ring 320 can be maintained, so as to avoid the limiting ring 320 being overloaded and improve the reliability of the device.

[0101] Based on the above embodiments, the usage principle and working process of the present invention are as follows:

[0102] Initially, as Figure 5 As shown, the movable lever 700, control ring 900 and lifting ring 800 are all in the upper limit position, and the guide plate 600 is in the downward folded state. Open the top cover 200, put in the wafer 500, and then close the cover. At this time, because the guide plate 600 is folded downward, the guide plate 600 will not collide with the wafer 500 when opening and closing the top cover 200.

[0103] The equipment is started, and the spin-drying bracket rotates, driving the wafer 500 to rotate for spin-drying. During spin-drying, liquid is first introduced into the delivery pipe 300 through the liquid inlet 301. After the delivery pipe 300 is filled with liquid, the pressure is gradually increased. Under the action of liquid pressure, the movable rod 700 and the control ring 900 overcome the obstruction of the first and second reset structures and move downward. The control ring 900 drives the lifting ring 800 to move downward. The transmission rack 803 moves downward synchronously with the lifting ring 800 and drives the lowest guide plate 600 to swing upward through meshing with the transmission gear 611. The lowest guide plate 600 drives the other guide plates 600 to swing upward synchronously through the cooperation of the synchronous gear 612 and the synchronous belt 620 until the lifting ring 800 descends to the lower limit position and can no longer move downward. At this time, the guide plates 600 unfold and tilt slightly upward. After unfolding, the guide plates 600 are closer to the wafer 500, ensuring that most of the liquid can be sprayed into the interlayer gaps of the wafer 500.

[0104] Simultaneously, because the top of the movable rod 700 is located on the impeller 701, the movable rod 700 rotates during the flow of the liquid. When the lifting ring 800 descends to its limit position, the control ring 900 stops descending. The movable rod 700 descends relative to the control ring 900. After the movable rod 700 moves to its lower limit position, the first mating tooth 704 on the movable rod 700 and the second mating tooth 912 on the control ring 900 engage, and the movable rod 700 drives the control ring 900 to rotate synchronously. When the control ring 900 rotates, under the action of the protrusion 913 and the limiting groove 801, the lifting ring 800 moves up and down reciprocally, which causes the guide plate 600 to swing up and down slightly. This is more conducive to the liquid entering the interlayer gaps of the wafer 500. At the same time, the slight up and down swing of the guide plate 600 achieves better rinsing, cleaning, and watermark removal effects on the wafer 500 in the vertical tilt direction.

[0105] During the above process, as the movable rod 700 rotates and moves downward, the locking block 710 extends out of the slide groove 7032 under centrifugal force. Since the end of the locking block 710 extending out of the slide groove 7032 has a wedge-shaped structure, when the movable rod 700 moves to the point where the fixed ring 703 and the limiting ring 320 are aligned, the locking block 710 engages with the annular groove 3201, thus achieving the engagement of the limiting ring 320 and the movable rod 700. At this time, the movable rod 700 moves to the bottom of the control ring 900. After this, if the water pressure changes, the movable rod 700 and the control ring 900 will not exhibit significant vibration, avoiding a chain reaction that could cause the guide plate 600 to swing drastically, thus ensuring the best and most stable cleaning effect.

[0106] After the chemical rinsing is completed, clean gas is introduced, which makes it easier for the chemical solution on the surface of wafer 500 to detach from the surface of wafer 500 during the spin-drying process, thereby achieving the purpose of removing watermarks from the surface of wafer 500. The working process is the same as described above and will not be repeated here.

[0107] After the spin-drying process is completed, the conveying pipe 300 is depressurized, the locking block 710 retracts, and the control ring 900 and the movable rod 700 can move smoothly upward with the help of the first and second reset structures. The device returns to its initial state, the guide plate 600 is folded downward again, and the top cover 200 is opened to replace the next batch of wafers 500.

[0108] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A spin dryer for wafer processing, characterized in that, include: The housing has a spin-drying chamber inside, and a spin-drying support is rotatably installed inside the spin-drying chamber. Several storage frames are evenly distributed around the circumference of the spin-drying support. The storage frames can be flipped, and the wafers are placed in the storage frames. A top cover, which is hinged to the top of the housing, is capable of opening or sealing the top opening of the spin-drying chamber; A delivery pipe, which is disposed on the top cover, is used to deliver liquid or gas into the spin-drying chamber; A plurality of guide plates are disposed on the conveying pipe. All the guide plates are evenly divided into multiple groups along the circumference of the conveying pipe, with multiple guide plates in each group. The guide plates in the same group are arranged vertically at intervals. All the guide plates are rotatable around a horizontal axis and are folded downward in the initial state. When the conveying pipe sprays liquid or gas onto the wafer, they unfold upward and correspond to the wafer after unfolding. A connecting tube, which corresponds one-to-one with the guide plate, is disposed at one end of the guide plate near the delivery tube. The connecting tube is connected to the delivery tube and configured to deliver liquid medicine or gas to the guide plate.

2. The wafer processing spin dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide plate is a corrugated plate, and the connecting pipe is provided with a number of through holes that pass through its interior. The through holes correspond one-to-one with the flow channels formed on the corrugated plate.

3. A wafer processing spin dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer processing spin dryer also includes: A lifting ring is coaxially sleeved on the bottom outer periphery of the conveying pipe, and the lifting ring can move up and down relative to the conveying pipe within a preset range; A control ring is coaxially disposed on the bottom inner circumference of the conveying pipe. The bottom of the control ring is sealed. The control ring is configured to drive the lifting ring to move and is configured to move downward relative to the conveying pipe under the action of liquid pressure or gas pressure inside the conveying pipe. A first reset structure is disposed between the control ring and the delivery pipe, and the first reset structure causes the control ring to tend to be in the upper limit position; A transmission assembly is disposed between the lifting ring and the guide plate, the transmission assembly being configured to convert the movement of the lifting ring into the rotation of the guide plate.

4. A wafer processing spin dryer according to claim 3, characterized in that, Each of the connecting pipes has a connecting shaft at both ends, and the guide plate is rotatably mounted on the conveying pipe via the connecting shaft. The transmission assembly includes: A synchronizing gear is disposed on the connecting shaft; A synchronous belt, which is wound around the outside of a synchronous gear on the connecting shaft located on the same side of the same group of connecting pipes, to drive and connect the guide plates of the same group; The transmission gears are located on the bottom guide plate of each group; A transmission rack is disposed on the upper surface of the lifting ring and parallel to the axis of the conveying pipe. There are multiple transmission racks, each corresponding to a transmission gear. The transmission rack is located inside the corresponding transmission gear and meshes with the transmission gear.

5. A wafer processing spin dryer according to claim 3, characterized in that, The control ring is also capable of rotating relative to the conveying pipe; the wafer processing spin dryer further includes: A connecting structure is disposed between the control ring and the lifting ring. The connecting structure is configured to drive the lifting ring to move synchronously when the control ring moves up and down relative to the conveying pipe, and to cause the lifting ring to move up and down relative to the control ring within a preset range when the control ring rotates relative to the conveying pipe. A movable rod is coaxially inserted into the center of the conveying pipe and its lower end extends into the control ring. The movable rod can move up and down relative to the conveying pipe and can rotate relative to the conveying pipe. An impeller is provided at the top of the movable rod. A mating structure is provided between the movable rod and the control ring. The mating structure is configured such that when it is activated, the movable rod can drive the ring to rotate synchronously. The mating structure is activated when the movable rod is at the bottom of the control ring. A second reset structure is disposed between the movable rod and the conveying pipe, which causes the movable rod to tend to be in the upper limit position.

6. A wafer processing spin dryer according to claim 5, characterized in that, The connection structure includes: The limiting groove is disposed on the inner peripheral wall of the lifting ring. The limiting groove includes a plurality of unit grooves connected end to end, and the two ends of each unit groove are on the same circumference and lower than the middle position. The protrusion is disposed on the outer peripheral wall of the control ring, and the protrusion corresponds one-to-one with the unit groove and is slidably disposed in the unit groove.

7. A wafer processing spin dryer according to claim 5, characterized in that, The mating structure includes: The first mating tooth is disposed on the outer periphery of the bottom of the movable rod; The second mating tooth is disposed on the inner circumference of the control ring and is configured to engage with the first mating tooth when the movable rod moves to the bottom of the control ring.

8. A wafer processing spin dryer according to claim 5, characterized in that, The wafer processing spin dryer also includes: A limiting ring is fixedly disposed on the inner wall of the conveying pipe. The limiting ring is coaxial with the conveying pipe, and an annular groove is provided on the inner peripheral wall of the limiting ring. A fixed ring is disposed on the outer periphery of the movable rod. The outer diameter of the fixed ring is adapted to the inner diameter of the limiting ring. When the movable rod is at the bottom of the control ring, the fixed ring is aligned with the limiting ring. The outer periphery of the fixed ring is provided with a plurality of radially extending sliding grooves, and a locking block is slidably inserted in the sliding groove. A limiting spring is connected between the locking block and the bottom of the slide groove. The limiting spring causes the locking block to tend to retract into the slide groove. The end of the locking block away from the bottom of the slide groove is wedge-shaped.

9. A wafer processing spin dryer according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first reset structure is a magnetic attraction structure or an elastic element.

10. A wafer processing spin dryer according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second reset structure is a magnetic attraction structure or an elastic element.

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