Semiconductor cleaning equipment
By setting up feeding and discharging buffer zones in semiconductor cleaning equipment and using mechanically transported components with clearly defined functions, the problems of long cleaning time and low capacity of tank-type cleaning machines have been solved, achieving efficient wafer cleaning.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202422867891.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-22
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-11
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-11-22
AI Technical Summary
Existing tank-type cleaning machines have long cleaning time and low wafer cleaning capacity when cleaning multiple batches of wafers continuously. In addition, the mechanical transmission components need to be frequently cleaned, which affects efficiency.
A semiconductor cleaning device is designed by placing a cleaning module and a drying module between a feeding buffer area and a discharging buffer area, using first and second mechanical transfer components to handle feeding and discharging transfer respectively, and setting a process transfer mechanism within the cleaning module to reduce the number of times the mechanical transfer components need to be cleaned.
This technology enables simultaneous wafer feeding and unloading, reduces the travel of mechanical transport components, improves cleaning efficiency and capacity, and shortens cleaning time.
Smart Images
Figure CN223539567U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and more specifically, to a semiconductor cleaning device. Background Technology
[0002] Because wafer manufacturing is a complex process involving numerous steps, impurities such as chemicals, particles, and metals often remain on the wafer surface. Therefore, semiconductor cleaning equipment is needed to clean the wafers and remove these impurities. This semiconductor cleaning equipment generally includes single-wafer cleaning machines and tank cleaning machines. Tank cleaning machines are widely used due to their advantages of high throughput and low cost.
[0003] Existing tank-type cleaning machines typically have at least one cleaning module. The wafer cleaning process is roughly as follows: wafers in wafer cassettes, such as those carried by a Standard Management Interface Forum (SMIF), are transferred to the loading / unloading area. They are then cleaned by one cleaning module or sequentially by multiple cleaning modules. The cleaned wafers are then transferred to a drying module for drying. Finally, the dried wafers are returned to the loading / unloading area and placed back into the wafer cassette. During this process, wafer gripping and transfer are performed by a single robotic arm. Specifically, the robotic arm transfers the wafer to be cleaned from the loading / unloading area to the chemical cleaning tank of the first cleaning module, and then grips the wafer from that chemical cleaning tank and transfers it to the water tank of the first cleaning module. The wafer is then transferred to the chemical cleaning tank of the second cleaning module, and so on, until the wafer is cleaned in the water tank of the last cleaning module. Finally, the robotic arm grips the wafer from the water tank and transfers it to the drying module. After drying, the robotic arm returns the wafer to the loading / unloading area. In addition, tank-type cleaning machines typically include an end-effect wash & dry (EWD) module for cleaning and drying the robotic arm. After each wafer is fed into the corresponding chemical cleaning tank or water tank, and before it is retrieved from the chemical cleaning tank or water tank, the robotic arm needs to return to the EWD for cleaning and drying.
[0004] When this tank-type cleaning machine is used to continuously clean multiple batches of wafers, the cleaning process takes a long time and the wafer cleaning capacity is low. Utility Model Content
[0005] This invention aims to at least solve the technical problems of long cleaning process time and low wafer cleaning capacity in the prior art, and proposes a semiconductor cleaning device.
[0006] To achieve the purpose of this utility model, a semiconductor cleaning device is provided, including a feeding module, a discharging module, a drying module, and at least one cleaning module;
[0007] At least one of the cleaning modules and the drying module is disposed between the feeding module and the discharging module;
[0008] The semiconductor cleaning equipment also includes:
[0009] A first mechanical transfer component is capable of reciprocating between the feeding module and the cleaning module to transfer the wafer to be cleaned from the feeding module to the cleaning module; and,
[0010] The second mechanical transfer component is capable of reciprocating between the cleaning module, the drying module, and the discharge module to transfer the cleaned wafers to be dried in the cleaning module to the drying module, and to transfer the dried wafers in the drying module to the discharge module.
[0011] In some embodiments, the feeding module, the at least one cleaning module, the drying module, and the discharging module are arranged linearly along a first direction.
[0012] In some embodiments, the cleaning module is provided in multiple ways, and the first mechanical transmission component or the second mechanical transmission component can reciprocate between the multiple cleaning modules, and the multiple cleaning modules are arranged linearly along a first direction.
[0013] In some embodiments, each of the cleaning modules includes a chemical cleaning tank, a water tank, and a wafer carrier, the wafer carrier being used to hold the wafer and being able to reciprocate between the chemical cleaning tank and the water tank;
[0014] Both the first mechanical transfer component and the second mechanical transfer component are capable of placing the wafer on the wafer carrier or removing the wafer from the wafer carrier.
[0015] In some embodiments, the semiconductor cleaning equipment further includes a process transfer mechanism, which is drively connected to the wafer carrier and is used to drive the wafer carrier to reciprocate between the chemical cleaning tank and the water tank.
[0016] In some embodiments,
[0017] It also includes a handwashing module; the feeding module, the at least one cleaning module, the handwashing module, the drying module, and the discharging module are arranged linearly along a first direction;
[0018] The second mechanical transmission component can also reciprocate between the cleaning module and the handwashing module.
[0019] In some embodiments,
[0020] The feeding module is provided with multiple feeding buffer areas; the multiple feeding buffer areas are arranged side by side along the second direction; and / or,
[0021] The discharge module is provided with multiple discharge buffer areas; the multiple discharge buffer areas are arranged side by side along a third direction;
[0022] Both the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to the first direction.
[0023] In some embodiments, the process transfer mechanism includes a vertical moving module and a horizontal moving module. The vertical moving module can drive the wafer carrier to reciprocate along the vertical direction between the cleaning station and the wafer transfer station. The wafer transfer station is above the cleaning station, and the wafer carrier at the wafer transfer station is located above the chemical cleaning tank and the water tank. The horizontal moving module can drive the wafer carrier to reciprocate between the chemical cleaning tank and the water tank.
[0024] In some embodiments,
[0025] The first mechanical transmission component and the second mechanical transmission component are capable of reciprocating translation along the first direction;
[0026] The first mechanical transmission component and the second mechanical transmission component can also reciprocate between the transmission high position and the transmission low position in the vertical direction;
[0027] The transmission low position is such that the lowest point of the first mechanical transmission component and the second mechanical transmission component is higher than the highest point of the cleaning fluid level in the cleaning module; and the wafer can be taken away or placed from the wafer carrier located at the wafer transfer station.
[0028] In some embodiments, the chemical cleaning tank includes a tank body and a tank cover, the top of the tank body having an opening, and the tank cover being movable relative to the tank body between a first position and a second position; in the first position, the slide holder can be moved into or out of the tank body through the opening; in the second position, a portion of the opening is covered by the tank cover, and the remaining portion can be used to avoid the connecting arm connecting the slide holder and the process transfer mechanism.
[0029] This utility model has the following beneficial effects:
[0030] The semiconductor cleaning equipment provided by this utility model can separate the feeding buffer area and the discharging buffer area by setting at least one cleaning module and a drying module between the feeding buffer area and the discharging buffer area. That is, the feeding buffer area and the discharging buffer area are respectively set at the front and rear ends of at least one cleaning module and the drying module. This allows the wafer feeding position and the discharging position to be different, and the feeding and discharging of different wafers can be carried out simultaneously, thereby improving work efficiency. Building upon this, the first and second mechanical transfer components work together in a coordinated manner. The first mechanical transfer component transports the wafers to be cleaned from the feed buffer to the cleaning module, while the second mechanical transfer component transports the dried wafers from the drying module to the discharge buffer. This reduces the travel distance of both components, allowing them to move quickly between the two modules and further improving work efficiency. Furthermore, by incorporating a process transfer mechanism (lifting component) within the cleaning module, the mechanical transfer components (such as robotic arms) no longer need to enter the cleaning solution in the cleaning tank, reducing or eliminating the need for the robotic arms to wash themselves, and further reducing the cleaning process time.
[0031] When using the semiconductor cleaning equipment of this application to continuously clean multiple batches of wafers, since feeding and discharging can be carried out simultaneously, each batch of wafers does not need to be fed again after the dried wafers have been discharged. Moreover, the transmission efficiency is improved by using two mechanical transmission components, which can shorten the time required to continuously clean multiple batches of wafers and increase wafer cleaning capacity. Attached Figure Description
[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a semiconductor cleaning device provided for related technologies;
[0033] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between a mechanical transmission component and a cleaning module in a semiconductor cleaning device, provided for related technologies;
[0034] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a semiconductor cleaning apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0035] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the cooperation between the second mechanical transmission component and the cleaning module in a semiconductor cleaning apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0036] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the chemical cleaning tank of the cleaning module in the semiconductor cleaning equipment provided in this application embodiment.
[0037] Figure 6 The wafer transfer flowchart used in the gate technology.
[0038] Figure 7 This is the wafer transfer flowchart used in this application.
[0039] Figure 8 This provides a wafer transfer and process timeline for the relevant technologies under the aforementioned parameter conditions.
[0040] Figure 9 This is the wafer transfer and process timeline for this application under the above parameter conditions.
[0041] Figure 10 This is a comparison table of wafer transfer and process time between related technologies and the present application.
[0042] Figure 11 A comparison table of transport and process times for five batches of wafers is provided for the relevant technologies and this application.
[0043] Figure 12 A graph showing the difference in transfer and process time between five batches of wafers for the related technologies and this application.
[0044] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:
[0045] 100-Semiconductor cleaning equipment;
[0046] 10 - Feed buffer area;
[0047] 20-Cleaning module; 20a-Cleaning module 1; 20b-Cleaning module 2; 20c-Cleaning module 3; 20d-Cleaning module 4; 21-Chemical cleaning tank; 211-Tank body; 212-Tank cover; 213-First cover plate; 214-Second cover plate; 215-Slab support; 216-Connecting arm; 217-Process transfer mechanism; 22-Water tank;
[0048] 30 - Handwashing module;
[0049] 40 - Drying module;
[0050] 50 - First wafer loading device;
[0051] 60 - Second wafer loading device;
[0052] 70 - First mechanical transmission component;
[0053] 80 - Second mechanical transmission component; 81 - Gripper;
[0054] 90 - Discharge buffer area;
[0055] 200-Wafer. Detailed Implementation
[0056] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a semiconductor cleaning device provided for related technologies. Figure 2This is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between a mechanical transmission component and a cleaning module in a semiconductor cleaning device, provided for related technologies. Figure 1 As shown, the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100a of the related technology employs a loading and unloading area 10a, which is located at the rear end of the drying module 40a. Both the wafer to be cleaned 200 and the dried wafer 200 are transferred to the loading and unloading area 10a. In other words, the wafer 200 is fed and unloaded at the same location.
[0057] This would cause the cleaning module 20a1 and the drying module 40a, which are included in the cleaning process flow corresponding to the cleaning process formula, to both contain wafers 200. In this case, the loading and unloading area 10a cannot contain any wafers. Otherwise, the buffered wafers cannot be transferred to the cleaning module 20a1, and the dried wafers cannot be transferred out, thus making it impossible to free up the drying module 40a. That is, the loading and unloading area 10a should be in an empty state. After the dried wafers are transferred from the drying module 40a to the loading and unloading area 10a and then from the loading and unloading area 20a to the outside so that the drying module 40a is switched to an empty state, the next batch of wafers can be transferred to the loading and unloading area 10a. Each batch of wafers flows to the next process in sequence according to the cleaning process flow. The next batch of wafers flows from the loading and unloading area 10a to the cleaning module 20a1 for cleaning.
[0058] In other words, when the number of wafer batches M in continuous cleaning exceeds the sum of the number of cleaning modules 20a1 (N) and drying modules 40a in the cleaning process (i.e., M > N+1), continuous feeding or unloading is not possible starting from batch N+2. Specifically, each batch of wafers starting from batch N+2 must be processed by unloading in loading / unloading area 10a for buffering after the dried wafers have been discharged. Afterward, each batch of wafers flows sequentially to the next process step according to the cleaning process flow. Here, M and N are positive integers, with N ≥ 1 and M ≥ 3.
[0059] Furthermore, during the process of the wafer sequentially passing through multiple cleaning modules 20a1 and drying modules 40a, the wafer gripping and transfer are completed by a single mechanical transfer component 80a (e.g., a robotic arm). The specific transfer process is as follows: the mechanical transfer component 80a transfers the wafer to be cleaned from the loading / unloading area 10a into the chemical cleaning tank 21a of the first cleaning module 20a1, and then grips the wafer in the chemical cleaning tank 21a and transfers it into the water tank 22a of the first cleaning module 20a1; subsequently, the wafer is transferred into the chemical cleaning tank 21a of the second cleaning module 20a1, and so on, until the wafer is cleaned in the water tank 22a of the last cleaning module 20a1; afterwards, the mechanical transfer component grips the wafer in the water tank 22a and transfers it into the drying module 40a. After drying, the mechanical transfer component returns the wafer to the loading / unloading area 10a. In addition, tank-type washing machines typically also include an end-effect wash & dry (EWD) module for cleaning and spin-drying the mechanical transfer component 80a. After each wafer is transferred to the corresponding chemical cleaning tank 21a or water tank 22a, and before the wafer is picked up from the chemical cleaning tank 21a or water tank 22a, the mechanical transfer component 80a needs to return to the EWD for cleaning and spin drying.
[0060] In summary, because the wafer 200 feed and discharge are located at the same position, continuous feeding or discharging is not possible starting from the N+2th batch. This results in a long interval between cleaning two adjacent batches of wafers. Furthermore, since wafer gripping and transfer are performed by a single mechanical transfer component 80a, and this component needs to return to the EWD before gripping wafers from the chemical cleaning tank 21a or water tank 22a, the travel distance between some modules for this single mechanical transfer component is very long, thus affecting work efficiency. Therefore, both of these situations lead to a long time required for this tank-type cleaning machine to continuously clean multiple batches of wafers, resulting in low cleaning efficiency and low wafer cleaning capacity.
[0061] In view of the above, embodiments of this application provide a semiconductor cleaning apparatus. To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of this utility model, the semiconductor cleaning apparatus provided by this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0062] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor cleaning apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 3 As shown, the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 provided in this application embodiment includes a feeding module (10, 50), at least one cleaning module 20, a drying module 40, and a discharging module (90, 60).
[0063] according to Figure 3In the example shown, multiple cleaning modules 20 can be provided, and the multiple cleaning modules 20 and the drying module 40 are disposed between the feed buffer area 10 and the discharge buffer area 90. Specifically, the multiple cleaning modules 20 are located between the feed buffer area 10 and the drying module 40; the drying module 40 is located between the multiple cleaning modules 20 and the discharge buffer area 90. The various figures of the embodiments of this application are shown with four cleaning modules 20 as an example, from the feed buffer area 10 to the discharge buffer area 90, as follows. Figure 3 As shown, the four cleaning modules 20, from left to right, are cleaning module 20a, cleaning module 20b, cleaning module 20c, and cleaning module 20d. This should not be considered a limitation of this application; the specific modules can be customized according to requirements and actual working conditions. Of course, there can also be only one cleaning module 20.
[0064] As an example of a feeding module, it may include a first feeding buffer 10, a wafer loading device 50, and a loading mechanism. The first wafer loading device 50 is connected to the feeding buffer 10, and the loading mechanism is disposed in the first wafer loading device 50 for conveying the wafers to be cleaned into the feeding buffer 10. The first wafer loading device 50 is used to carry a feeding wafer cassette, which carries the wafers 200 to be cleaned. When the feeding wafer cassette is opened, it can communicate with the feeding buffer 10. The loading mechanism may be disposed in the feeding buffer 10.
[0065] As an example of a feeding module, it may include a discharge buffer 90, a second wafer loading device 60, and an unloading mechanism. The second wafer loading device 60 is connected to the discharge buffer 90, and the unloading mechanism is disposed in the second wafer loading device 60 for removing the dried wafer 200 located in the discharge buffer 90. The second wafer loading device 60 is used to carry the discharge wafer cassette, which carries the dried wafer 200. When the discharge wafer cassette is opened, it can communicate with the discharge buffer 90. The unloading mechanism may be disposed in the discharge buffer 90.
[0066] The semiconductor cleaning equipment further includes a first mechanical transfer component 70 and a second mechanical transfer component 80. The first mechanical transfer component 70 is movable between the feed buffer 10 and the cleaning module 20 to transfer the wafer 200 to be cleaned in the feed buffer 10 to the cleaning module 20. The second mechanical transfer component 80 is movable between the cleaning module 20, the drying module 40, and the discharge buffer 90 to transfer the cleaned wafer 200 to be dried to the drying module 40, and to transfer the dried wafer 200 in the drying module 40 to the discharge buffer 90. Exemplarily, the first and second mechanical transfer components may be, for example, robotic arms.
[0067] Compared to Figure 1 and Figure 2According to the related technology shown, when the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 of this embodiment continuously cleans batches M of wafers 200 according to the cleaning process flow corresponding to the same cleaning process formula, and the batch number M and the number N of cleaning modules 20 included in the cleaning process flow satisfy: M>N+1, even if the cleaning module 20 and the drying module 40 included in the cleaning process flow are both occupied by wafers 200, even if the N+2 batch of wafers 200 is passed to the feed buffer area 10 for buffering, the dried wafers 200 can be passed from the drying module 40 to the discharge buffer area 90 and then from the discharge buffer area 90 to the outside, so that the drying module 40 is switched to an empty state, and each batch of wafers 200 can flow to the next process in sequence. After the N+1 batch of wafers 200 flows to the next process, the N+2 batch of wafers 200 located in the feed buffer area 10 can be smoothly transferred to the cleaning module 20 for cleaning.
[0068] Therefore, the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 of this embodiment, by placing at least one cleaning module 20 and a drying module 40 between the infeed buffer area 10 and the outfeed buffer area 90, allows the infeed buffer area 10 and the outfeed buffer area 90 to be set separately. That is, the infeed buffer area 10 and the outfeed buffer area 90 are respectively located at the front end of at least one cleaning module 20 and the rear end of the drying module 40, so that the wafer feeding position and the outfeed position are different. In other words, the dried wafer 200 will not occupy the infeed buffer area 10 when it is discharged, and the feeding and discharging of different wafers can be carried out simultaneously, thereby improving work efficiency.
[0069] Thus, when using the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 of this embodiment to clean wafers 200, since feeding and discharging can be carried out simultaneously, even if multiple batches of wafers 200 are cleaned continuously, each batch of wafers 200 does not need to be fed again after the dried wafers 200 have been discharged, allowing for continuous feeding and discharging. Compared with related technologies, in this embodiment, starting from the N+2th batch, the cleaning interval between every two adjacent batches of wafers 200 can be reduced by subtracting the sum of the time spent transferring the dried wafers 200 to the outside and the time spent transferring the wafers 200 from the outside to the loading / unloading area 10a, thereby shortening the time spent on continuously cleaning multiple batches of wafers 200 and increasing the wafer 200 cleaning capacity.
[0070] Based on this, this embodiment sets up a first mechanical transfer component 70 and a second mechanical transfer component 80. Part of the wafer 200's travel between the feed buffer 10 and the discharge buffer 90 is achieved by the first mechanical transfer component 70, while the remaining travel is achieved by the second mechanical transfer component 80. That is, the first and second mechanical transfer components 70 and 80 cooperate to complete the entire travel of the wafer 200 between the feed buffer 10 and the discharge buffer 90. In this way, compared to the use of a single mechanical transfer component in related technologies, the travel distance of both the first and second mechanical transfer components 70 and 80 can be reduced, allowing them to quickly move back and forth between the two modules. This is beneficial for improving the throughput efficiency of each batch of wafers 200.
[0071] When using the semiconductor cleaning equipment of this application to continuously clean multiple batches of wafers, since feeding and discharging can be carried out simultaneously, each batch of wafers does not need to be fed again after the dried wafers have been discharged. Moreover, the transmission efficiency is improved by using two mechanical transmission components, which can shorten the time required to continuously clean multiple batches of wafers and increase wafer cleaning capacity.
[0072] In some embodiments, the feeding module, cleaning module 20, drying module 40, and discharging module are arranged linearly along a first direction (e.g., as shown in the figure). Figure 3 (shown in the horizontal direction); while both the first mechanical transmission component and the second mechanical transmission component can reciprocate in the first direction.
[0073] As disclosed in the semiconductor cleaning apparatus 100, the longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the feed buffer 10 may be, for example, as shown in the example. Figure 3 The rectangular feed buffer 10 shown has a conveyor port for wafers to pass through. When the feed wafer cassette is open, the interior of the feed wafer cassette can communicate with the feed buffer 10 through the conveyor port, and the wafers 200 to be cleaned can be transferred into the feed buffer 10 through the conveyor port. Furthermore, the centerline of the conveyor port extends parallel to the width direction of the feed buffer 10 (e.g., ...). Figure 3 The rectangle shown is oriented horizontally by width and vertically by length.
[0074] Thus, the distance from the feed wafer 200 to the center of the feed buffer 10 along the width direction of the feed buffer 10 is less than the distance from the feed wafer 200 to the center of the feed buffer 10 along the length direction of the feed buffer 10. This saves the transmission time of a single batch of feed wafers 200 to the center of the feed buffer 10.
[0075] It is understood that the total time taken for a single batch of wafers 200 to move from the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 to its exit is equal to the sum of the transfer time of the wafers 200 to each process step and the processing time of the wafers 200 in each process step. Therefore, by saving the aforementioned transfer time, the total time taken for a single batch of wafers 200 to move from the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 to its exit can be effectively shortened, thereby helping to improve the wafer 200 cleaning capacity.
[0076] As a further optional embodiment, multiple first wafer loading devices 50 may be provided, and the multiple first wafer loading devices 50 are arranged side by side along a first direction. The various figures of the embodiments of this application illustrate an example with two first wafer loading devices 50, and should not be considered as limitations on this application. Figure 3 In the specific example shown, there are two first wafer loading devices 50. The loading mechanism can take the wafers 200 to be cleaned from the feed wafer cassettes carried by the two first wafer loading devices 50 in turn. In this way, while transferring the wafers 200 to be cleaned from one feed wafer cassette to the feed buffer area 10, the feed wafer cassette loaded with the next batch of wafers 200 to be cleaned can be transferred to the other first wafer loading device 50. That is to say, feeding one feed wafer cassette into the feed buffer area 10 and feeding from the outside into the other feed wafer cassette can be carried out simultaneously. As a result, it is beneficial to reduce the time interval between two consecutive feedings into the feed buffer area 10, thereby shortening the cleaning interval between each two adjacent batches of wafers 200, which helps to reduce the time required to continuously clean multiple batches of wafers 200 and improve the wafer 200 cleaning capacity.
[0077] As disclosed in this article, the longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the discharge buffer 90 may be, for example, as shown in the semiconductor cleaning apparatus 100. Figure 3 The rectangular discharge buffer area 90 shown has a wafer transfer port for wafers to pass through. When the discharge wafer cassette is opened, the interior of the discharge wafer cassette can communicate with the discharge buffer area 90 through the wafer transfer port, and the dried wafer 200 can be transferred from the discharge buffer area 90 to the discharge wafer cassette through the wafer transfer port. Furthermore, the centerline of the wafer transfer port extends parallel to the width direction of the discharge buffer area 90.
[0078] Thus, the distance the dried wafer 200 travels from the center of the discharge buffer 90 to the discharge wafer cassette along the width of the discharge buffer 90 is less than the distance it travels along the length of the discharge buffer 90. This saves the transfer time of a single batch of wafers 200 from the discharge buffer 90 to the outside after drying. Combined with the previously described positive correlation between the time taken for a single batch of wafers 200 to travel from the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 to its exit and the transfer time taken for the wafers 200 to each process step, this effectively shortens the total time taken for a single batch of wafers 200 to travel from the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 to its exit, thereby helping to improve cleaning capacity.
[0079] As a further optional embodiment, multiple second wafer loading devices 60 may be provided, and the multiple second wafer loading devices 60 are arranged side by side along the length direction of the unloading buffer area 90. The various figures of the embodiments of this application illustrate an example with two second wafer loading devices 60, and should not be considered as limitations on this application. Figure 3 In the specific example shown, there are two second wafer loading devices 60, and the unloading mechanism can alternately interact with the discharge wafer cassettes carried by the two second wafer loading devices 60. In this way, while one discharge wafer cassette containing a dried wafer 200 is being discharged to the outside, a dried wafer 200 can be loaded into the other discharge wafer cassette. Therefore, this reduces the time interval between two consecutive discharges, improves throughput efficiency, and thus benefits wafer 200 cleaning capacity.
[0080] Taking a cleaning process using a single cleaning module 20 as an example, the flow of a single batch of wafers 200 is roughly as follows:
[0081] i) The loading mechanism picks up the wafer 200 to be cleaned and places it into the feed buffer area 10. The first mechanical transfer component 70 transfers the wafer 200 to be cleaned from the feed buffer area 10 to the cleaning module 20.
[0082] ii) The cleaning module 20 cleans the wafer 200; during the cleaning process, the first mechanical transmission component 70 can return to the feed buffer area 10 to wait for the next batch of wafers 200 to be transferred; the cleaning is completed when the cleaning time reaches the time set by the cleaning process formula.
[0083] iii) The second mechanical transfer component 80 transfers the cleaned wafer 200 to the drying module 40. After drying, the second mechanical transfer component 80 transfers the dried wafer 200 to the discharge buffer area 90. The unloading mechanism picks up and places the dried wafer 200 from the discharge buffer area 90 into the discharge wafer box. During this process, the second mechanical transfer component 80 can return to the cleaning module 20 to prepare for the transfer of the next batch of wafers 200.
[0084] When the cleaning process involves cleaning the wafer 200 sequentially using multiple cleaning modules 20, the second mechanical transmission component 80 can also reciprocate between the multiple cleaning modules 20.
[0085] As a specific example of this application, the feed buffer 10, at least one cleaning module 20, drying module 40, and discharge buffer 90 are arranged along a preset direction (i.e., a first direction, for example...). Figure 3 The first mechanical transmission component 70 and the second mechanical transmission component 80 are arranged linearly from left to right. The first mechanical transmission component 70 and the second mechanical transmission component 80 reciprocate along the preset direction.
[0086] It is understood that in embodiments where the moving directions of the first mechanical transfer component 70 and the second mechanical transfer component 80 are perpendicular, the strokes of the first mechanical transfer component 70 and the second mechanical transfer component 80 do not overlap. If there are k cleaning modules 20 located within the stroke of the first mechanical transfer component 70, the second mechanical transfer component 80 cannot move to the first k-1 cleaning modules 20 near the feed buffer area 10, thus limiting the cleaning process flow of a single batch of wafers 200. Here, k is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.
[0087] In contrast, this embodiment adopts this design, in which the second mechanical transmission component 80 can move to any cleaning module 20 to pick up the wafer 200, so that the wafer 200 can be transferred between any two cleaning modules 20. This allows for the reasonable design of the cleaning process formula according to the actual working conditions to ensure the cleaning effect, that is, the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 has wide applicability.
[0088] Taking a cleaning module 20 with four modules as an example, an exemplary cleaning process flow corresponding to a cleaning process formula is: cleaning module 20a - cleaning module 20b - cleaning module 20c - cleaning module 20d - drying module 40. For example, this cleaning process formula can be applied to cleaning wafer 200 after photolithography and when the photoresist thickness is large, requiring multiple cleaning cycles for wafer 200.
[0089] Of course, the cleaning process flow corresponding to the cleaning process formula can also be: cleaning module 20a - cleaning module 20c - cleaning module 20d - drying module 40 / cleaning module 20b - cleaning module 20c - cleaning module 20d - drying module 40. The types of cleaning solutions contained in cleaning modules 20a and 20b can be different to suit the cleaning of different impurities, while the cleaning solutions contained in cleaning modules 20c and 20d are universal for cleaning various impurities. In this embodiment, the appropriate cleaning process formula can be selected according to the type of impurities on the surface of wafer 200.
[0090] It is also easy to understand that, under the premise that the parameters of the cleaning module 20, the parameters of the drying module 40, and the cleaning process formula are all the same, when the wafer 200 is set to flow sequentially from the front end to the rear end of the drying module 40, and k≤1 / 2N, compared with the distance of the wafer 200 flowing from the loading and unloading area 10a to the cleaning module 20a1 to start cleaning in related technologies, in this embodiment, because the feeding buffer area 10 is set at the front end of the cleaning module 20, the distance of the wafer 200 flowing from the feeding buffer area 10 to the cleaning module 20 to start cleaning is greatly reduced. This can save the transmission time of the wafer 200 from the feeding buffer area 10 to the cleaning module 20 to start cleaning, and further shorten the time consumed by the cleaning process.
[0091] In this design, any two adjacent modules among the feeding buffer area 10, at least one cleaning module 20, drying module 40, and discharging buffer area 90 can be tightly fitted together. This ensures that the travel distance of a single batch of wafers 200 between the two modules is relatively short, which helps to save the transfer time required for the wafers 200 to flow between the two modules and improves the wafer 200 cleaning capacity.
[0092] Furthermore, the longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the feeding buffer area 10, the cleaning module 20, the drying module 40, and the discharging buffer area 90 are all rectangular, and their width direction is parallel to the preset direction.
[0093] With this design, the distance that the wafer 200 moves between the two modules along the preset direction is less than the distance that the wafer 200 moves between the two modules along the length direction of each module. This helps to further save the transmission time required for the wafer 200 to flow between the two modules, which has a positive impact on reducing the time consumed by a single batch of wafers 200 to be cleaned from entering the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 to exiting the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100.
[0094] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the cooperation between the second mechanical transmission component 80 and the cleaning module 20 of the semiconductor cleaning apparatus 100 provided in this application embodiment. Please refer to it in conjunction with... Figure 3 and Figure 4Each of the aforementioned cleaning modules 20 may include a chemical cleaning tank 21 and a water tank 22. The water tank 22 is located, for example, at the rear end of the chemical cleaning tank 21. The chemical cleaning tank 21 is used to hold chemical cleaning solutions (e.g., alkaline solutions or acid solutions).
[0095] In some embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, each of the aforementioned cleaning modules 20 further includes a wafer carrier 215 for supporting the wafer 200 and capable of reciprocating between the chemical cleaning tank 21 and the water tank 22. In this configuration, both the first mechanical transfer assembly 70 and the second mechanical transfer assembly 80 can place the wafer 200 onto the wafer carrier 215 or remove the wafer 200 from the wafer carrier 215. With the help of the wafer carrier 215, the first mechanical transfer assembly 70 and the second mechanical transfer assembly 80 do not need to extend into the chemical cleaning tank 21 or the water tank 22, thereby preventing excessive water or diluted chemical cleaning agent from remaining in the second mechanical transfer assembly 80. Furthermore, the first mechanical transfer component 70 and the second mechanical transfer component 80 do not need to transfer the wafer 200 from the chemical cleaning tank 21 to the water tank 22, thereby avoiding the gripper of the mechanical transfer component (such as a robotic arm) from directly gripping the wafer 200 removed from the chemical cleaning tank 21. As a result, the first mechanical transfer component 70 does not come into contact with the wafer 200 removed from the chemical cleaning tank 21 or the water tank 22, thus completely preventing the first mechanical transfer component 70 from being contaminated with water and chemical cleaning agents.
[0096] It should be noted that the wafer carrier 215 can be driven manually to perform the above-mentioned movements, or it can be driven by a power mechanism. There are various ways to drive the wafer carrier 215 to perform the above-mentioned movements using a power mechanism. In some embodiments, the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 also includes a process transfer mechanism 217, which is connected to the wafer carrier 215 for driving the wafer carrier 215 to reciprocate between the chemical cleaning tank 21 and the water tank 22.
[0097] The process transfer mechanism 217, which achieves the above functions, can have various structures. In some embodiments, the process transfer mechanism 217 includes a horizontal movement module and a vertical movement module. The horizontal movement module can drive the wafer carrier 215 to reciprocate between the chemical cleaning tank 21 and the water tank 22. The vertical movement module is used to drive the wafer carrier 215 to rise and fall, so that the wafer carrier 215 can reciprocate vertically between the cleaning station and the wafer transfer station. When the wafer carrier 215 is located at the cleaning station, the wafer 200 it carries is located in the chemical cleaning tank 21 or the water tank 22, and the wafer 200 can be immersed in the chemical cleaning tank 21 or the water tank 22 for cleaning. The wafer transfer station is located above the cleaning station, and the wafer carrier 215 at the wafer transfer station is located above the chemical cleaning tank 21 and the water tank 22. When the wafer carrier 215 is located at the wafer transfer station, the wafer 200 it carries is located above the chemical cleaning tank 21 or the water tank 22.
[0098] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the chemical cleaning tank 21 of the cleaning module 20 in the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 provided in this embodiment of the application. Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments, the chemical cleaning tank 21 includes a tank body 211 and a tank cover 212. The top of the tank body 211 has an opening, and the tank cover 212 is movable relative to the tank body 211 between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the slide holder 215 can be moved into or out of the tank body 211 through the opening. In the second position, the portion of the opening is covered by the tank cover 212, and the remaining portion can be used to avoid the connecting arm 216 connecting the slide holder 215 and the process transfer mechanism 217.
[0099] For example, the slot cover 212 can be a one-piece structure, and the slot cover 212 can rotate or move horizontally relative to the slot body 211. Alternatively, according to... Figure 5 As shown in the example, the slot cover 212 may include a first cover plate 213 and a second cover plate 214, which rotate relative to the slot body 211. When the first cover plate 213 and the second cover plate 214 are rotated to a horizontal position, a gap is defined between them to form a clearance for the connecting arm 216.
[0100] In the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 of this embodiment, in the initial state, the wafer carrier 215 is in the cleaning station and located in the chemical cleaning tank 21, and the tank cover 212 can be in the second position. When the wafer 200 is transferred to the top of the chemical cleaning tank 21, the tank cover 212 switches to the first position, and the wafer carrier 215 moves up to the wafer transfer station to pick up the wafer 200. Then, the wafer carrier 215 drives the wafer 200 into the tank body 211 and to the cleaning station. The tank cover 212 then switches to the second position, so that the connecting arm 216 passes through the gap, and then the cleaning begins.
[0101] This embodiment is applicable to situations where the chemical cleaning solution is acidic. Under the premise of ensuring that the wafer 200 can be smoothly transferred into the chemical cleaning tank 21 and that the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 can operate normally, the tank cover 212 is used to cover the opening to reduce the rate of acid evaporation.
[0102] Based on this, the first mechanical transfer component 70 and the second mechanical transfer component 80 described above have the function of transferring the wafer 200 in both horizontal and vertical directions. The principles of transferring the wafer 200 by the first mechanical transfer component 70 and the second mechanical transfer component 80 are similar; this embodiment will only describe the second mechanical transfer component 80 in detail. Specifically, the gripper 81 of the second mechanical transfer component 80 moves vertically up and down, and the gripper 81 of the second mechanical transfer component 80 has a high transfer position and a low transfer position (…). Figure 4 (At the first and second arrows from the top right), the gripper 81, located at the transfer position, can place the held wafer 200 onto the wafer carrier 215 located at the wafer transfer station, or can remove the wafer 200 from the wafer carrier 215 located at the wafer transfer station. This allows for the transfer of the wafer 200 between the mechanical transfer assembly and the wafer carrier 215. Furthermore, at the transfer low position, the lowest point of the mechanical transfer assembly is also higher than the highest point of the cleaning fluid in the cleaning module, thereby preventing the mechanical transfer assembly from becoming contaminated with the cleaning fluid.
[0103] In this embodiment, the horizontal movement speeds of the first mechanical transmission component 70, the second mechanical transmission component 80, and the horizontal moving module are not specifically limited, and their horizontal movement speeds can be the same or different. Similarly, the vertical movement speeds of the first mechanical transmission component 70, the second mechanical transmission component 80, and the vertical moving module are not specifically limited.
[0104] Understandable, Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the related technology shown, the process of transferring the wafer 200 between the chemical cleaning tank 21a and the water tank 22a is as follows: the mechanical transfer component 80a descends vertically by a distance H, immersing the wafer 200 into the chemical cleaning tank 21a. The mechanical transfer component 80a then moves upward by a distance H. After chemical cleaning for a certain period of time, the mechanical transfer component 80a moves downward by a distance H to pick up the wafer 200. Then, the mechanical transfer component 80a moves upward by a distance H and then moves horizontally above the water tank 22a. The mechanical transfer component 80a descends by a distance H to immerse the wafer 200 into the water tank 22a and then moves upward by a distance H to exit the water tank 22a.
[0105] In this embodiment, the travel of the wafer 200 between the cleaning station and the transfer station is achieved by a vertically moving module driving the wafer carrier 215. On one hand, the first mechanical transfer component 70 and the second mechanical transfer component 80 do not need to extend into the chemical cleaning tank 21 or the water tank 22. This prevents excessive water or diluted chemical cleaning agent residue from remaining on the second mechanical transfer component 80. Simultaneously, since the first mechanical transfer component 70 does not contact the wafer 200 removed from the chemical cleaning tank 21 or the water tank 22, it is completely protected from water and chemical cleaning agent contamination. On the other hand, the vertical travel distance h of the wafer 200 is reduced when transferring from the cleaning station in the chemical cleaning tank 21 to the cleaning station in the water tank 22. This helps save the time required for the wafer 200 to transfer between the chemical cleaning tank 21 and the water tank 22 of any cleaning module 20, thereby increasing the wafer 200 cleaning capacity.
[0106] As an optional embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 may further include a handwashing module 30 (End-effect Wash & Dry, EWD), which is disposed between the feed buffer 10 and the discharge buffer 90. The second mechanical transfer component 80 can also reciprocate between the cleaning module 20 and the handwashing module 30. Specifically, the handwashing module 30 is used to clean and spin-dry the second mechanical transfer component 80. Thus, after the second mechanical transfer component 80 transfers the wafer 200 removed from the water tank 22 of the cleaning module 20 to the next process, it can move to the handwashing module 30 for cleaning and drying, and then transfer the wafer 200 again. This design helps to avoid the grippers 81 containing residual water or diluted chemical cleaning agent contacting the wafer 200 and causing adverse effects, thus ensuring the quality of subsequent processes on the wafer 200.
[0107] As a specific example of this application, the feed buffer 10, at least one cleaning module 20, hand washing module 30, drying module 40, and discharge buffer 90 are arranged along a preset direction (i.e., a first direction, for example...). Figure 3 The first mechanical transmission component 70 and the second mechanical transmission component 80 are arranged linearly from left to right. The first mechanical transmission component 70 and the second mechanical transmission component 80 reciprocate along this preset direction. This ensures that the first mechanical transmission component 70 and the second mechanical transmission component 80 can move between the corresponding modules.
[0108] Furthermore, the longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the feed buffer area 10, cleaning module 20, hand washing module 30, drying module 40, and discharge buffer area 90 are all rectangular, and their width direction is parallel to the preset direction. With this design, the distance the wafer 200 moves along the preset direction between the two modules is less than the distance the wafer 200 moves along the length direction of each module between the two modules. This helps to further save the transfer time required for the wafer 200 to flow between the two modules, thus positively impacting the reduction of the total time consumed by a single batch of wafers 200 to be cleaned from entering the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100 to exiting the semiconductor cleaning equipment 100.
[0109] The following will Figure 1 and Figure 2 The related technologies shown are compared and explained with the wafer transfer process used in the cleaning process of this application. For details, please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 6 The wafer transfer process used in the relevant technologies mainly includes:
[0110] First, the mechanical transfer assembly carrying the wafer moves from the loading / unloading area 10a to the location of the chemical cleaning tank (i.e., acid tank) in the first process module 30a1; then it descends from the high position to the low position (Transfer) to place the wafer in the tank for cleaning. Afterwards, the mechanical transfer assembly moves to the EWD module for cleaning and spin-drying. Once the wafer cleaning is complete, the mechanical transfer assembly moves back to the chemical cleaning tank (i.e., acid tank) in the first process module 30a1 to remove the wafer, and moves it to the water tank in the first process module 30a1 to place the wafer in the water tank for cleaning. Then, the mechanical transfer assembly moves again to the EWD module for cleaning and spin-drying. Once the wafer cleaning is complete, the mechanical transfer assembly moves back to the water tank in the first process module 30a1 to remove the wafer, and moves it to the chemical cleaning tank (i.e., acid tank) in the next process module 30a1, repeating the above process until the wafer has been transferred through all process modules 30a1. Afterwards, the mechanical transfer assembly moves the wafer to the drying module 40a. Once drying is complete, the mechanical transfer assembly returns the wafer to the loading / unloading area 10a. This is easily understood... Figure 6 The subsequent steps in the judgment steps when the condition is "no" are not shown; these subsequent steps are all waiting processes.
[0111] Please see Figure 7 The wafer transfer process used in this application mainly includes:
[0112] First, the SMIF (i.e., the first wafer loading device 50) transfers the wafers to be cleaned into the feed buffer 10; the first mechanical transfer assembly 70 transfers the wafers to be cleaned from the feed buffer 10 to the location of the chemical cleaning tank (i.e., the acid tank) in the first process module 30; the wafer carrier 215 (i.e., the Lifter) is raised from the cleaning station (i.e., the bottom position) to the wafer transfer station (i.e., the transfer position) by the vertical moving module in the process transfer mechanism 217; the first mechanical transfer... The conveyor assembly 70 descends from the second position to the first position to place the wafer on the wafer carrier 215 located at the wafer transfer station. The wafer carrier 215 (i.e., the Lifter) is lowered from the wafer transfer station (i.e., the Transfer position) to the cleaning station (i.e., the Bottom position) by the vertical movement module in the process transfer mechanism 217, at which point the cleaning process can be performed. The first mechanical transfer assembly 70 rises from the first position to the second position and then moves to the feed buffer area 10 to await the transfer of the next batch of wafers. After the wafer cleaning is completed, the wafer carrier 215 rises to the wafer transfer station and, driven by the horizontal movement module in the process transfer mechanism 217, moves from the chemical cleaning tank (i.e., the acid tank) to the water tank's wafer transfer station, and then descends to the water tank's cleaning station for cleaning. After cleaning is complete, the wafer carrier 215 rises to the wafer transfer station in the water tank; the unloaded second mechanical transfer component 80 moves from the EWD to the location of the water tank in the first process module 30, and descends from the second position to the first position to remove the wafer from the wafer carrier 215 in the wafer transfer station, and then returns to the second position; the unloaded wafer carrier 215 returns to the chemical cleaning tank (i.e., acid tank) of the first process module 30 and descends to its cleaning station. The second mechanical transfer component 80 carrying the wafer to be cleaned moves to the location of the chemical cleaning tank (i.e., acid tank) of the second process module 30, and cooperates with the wafer carrier 215 in the second process module 30 to place the wafer into the chemical cleaning tank (i.e., acid tank) of the second process module 30; then, the second mechanical transfer component 80 returns to the EWD. After cleaning is complete, the wafer is transferred from the wafer carrier 215 of the second process module 30 to the water tank of the second process module 30 for further cleaning. After cleaning, the second mechanical transfer assembly 80 moves from the EWD to the water tank of the second process module 30 to remove the wafer and transfer it to the chemical cleaning tank (i.e., acid tank) of the next process module 30. This process is repeated until the wafer has been transferred through all process modules 30. Then, the second mechanical transfer assembly 80 transfers the wafer to the drying module 40 and returns it to the EWD. After drying, the second mechanical transfer assembly 80 transfers the dried wafer to the discharge buffer area 90. The unloading mechanism located in the second wafer loading device 60 removes the dried wafer 200 from the discharge buffer area 90 and places it into the discharge wafer cassette.
[0113] When the number (4), size, and type of process modules in the wafer transfer process configuration used in the relevant technology and this application are the same, and the horizontal and vertical movement speeds of the mechanical transfer components are the same, the transfer time of SMIF, the cleaning time of the 1st, 3rd, and 4th process modules, and the cleaning time of the drying module are as shown in Table 1 below:
[0114] Table 1
[0115]
[0116] In Table 1, T0 is the transmission time of SMIF; T1 is the cleaning time of the first process module; T2 is the cleaning time of the second process module; T3 is the cleaning time of the fourth process module; and T5 is the process time of the drying module.
[0117] Based on this, the mechanical transport components in related technologies have the same horizontal movement speed as the first mechanical transport component 70 and the second mechanical transport component 80 and the wafer carrier 215 in this application, for example, V1 (200 mm / s); and the same vertical movement speed, for example, V2 (100 mm / s); the horizontal and vertical movement speeds of the wafer carrier 215 in this application are also the same. The distance for transporting the wafer in the vertical direction in related technologies is H (1 m), such as... Figure 2 As shown, the width dimension of each process module (i.e., the horizontal distance between two adjacent modules for wafer transfer) is L (0.6m), as follows. Figure 1 As shown; in this application, the first mechanical transfer component 70 and the second mechanical transfer component 80 transfer the wafer a distance of Hh (0.5m) in the vertical direction, and the wafer carrier 215 transfers the wafer a distance of h (0.5m) in the vertical direction, as... Figure 4 As shown. The wafer carrier 215 transports the wafer a distance L (0.6m) in the horizontal direction, as... Figure 3 As shown.
[0118] Figure 8 This provides a wafer transfer and process timeline for the relevant technologies under the aforementioned parameter conditions. Figure 9 This is the wafer transfer and process timeline for this application under the above parameter conditions. Figure 10 This is a comparison table of wafer transfer and process time between related technologies and the present application. Figure 10 The "old solution" refers to related technologies, while the "new solution" refers to this application. Process modules 1-4 refer to the first through fourth process modules. The feeding and discharging positions are the feeding buffer and discharging buffer, respectively; the drying tank is the drying module. SMIF1 & SMIF2 are wafer loading devices. A comparison shows that the total transmission time of this application is 63 seconds faster than related technologies.
[0119] Figure 11A comparison table of transport and process times for five batches of wafers is provided for the relevant technologies and this application. Figure 12 A graph showing the difference in transfer and process time between five batches of wafers for the related technologies and this application. Figure 11 and Figure 12 In this context, "old solution" refers to related technologies, and "new solution" refers to this application. Figure 11 and Figure 12 It is known that when performing continuous cleaning processes on multiple batches (e.g., five batches) of wafers, the time difference between the transfer and process of the related technologies and this application increases with the batch number during the cleaning process of the first to fourth batches of wafers, and this difference increases by an equal amount (20 days) within the same batch. Starting from the fifth batch of wafers, because the feeding and discharging positions of the old scheme are in the same location, the fifth batch of wafers can only be fed after the first batch of wafers has been discharged. This situation does not exist in this application. Therefore, the transfer and process of this application is completed 273 seconds earlier than the related technologies in the fifth batch of wafers, thereby effectively improving work efficiency. Moreover, due to Figure 12 As the curve trend shows, with the increase in wafer batches, the difference in transfer and process time between the related technology and this application for five batches of wafers continues to increase. Therefore, this application can effectively shorten the time required for continuous cleaning of multiple batches of wafers and improve wafer cleaning capacity.
[0120] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary implementations used to illustrate the principles of this utility model, and the utility model is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of this utility model, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the protection scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. A semiconductor cleaning device, comprising a feeding module, a discharging module, a drying module, and at least one cleaning module, characterized in that: At least one of the cleaning modules and the drying module is disposed between the feeding module and the discharging module; The semiconductor cleaning equipment also includes: The first mechanical transfer component is capable of reciprocating between the feeding module and the cleaning module to transfer the wafer to be cleaned in the feeding module to the cleaning module; as well as, The second mechanical transfer component is capable of reciprocating between the cleaning module, the drying module, and the discharge module to transfer the cleaned wafers to be dried in the cleaning module to the drying module, and to transfer the dried wafers in the drying module to the discharge module.
2. The semiconductor cleaning equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding module, the at least one cleaning module, the drying module, and the discharging module are arranged linearly along a first direction.
3. The semiconductor cleaning equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cleaning module is provided in multiple ways, and the first mechanical transmission component or the second mechanical transmission component can also reciprocate between the multiple cleaning modules, and the multiple cleaning modules are arranged linearly along the first direction.
4. The semiconductor cleaning equipment according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, Each of the cleaning modules includes a chemical cleaning tank, a water tank, and a wafer carrier, the wafer carrier being used to hold the wafer and being able to reciprocate between the chemical cleaning tank and the water tank; Both the first mechanical transfer component and the second mechanical transfer component are capable of placing the wafer on the wafer carrier or removing the wafer from the wafer carrier.
5. The semiconductor cleaning equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The semiconductor cleaning equipment also includes a process transfer mechanism, which is connected to the wafer carrier for driving the wafer carrier to reciprocate between the chemical cleaning tank and the water tank.
6. The semiconductor cleaning apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, It also includes a handwashing module; the feeding module, the at least one cleaning module, the handwashing module, the drying module, and the discharging module are arranged linearly along a first direction; The second mechanical transmission component can also reciprocate between the cleaning module and the handwashing module.
7. The semiconductor cleaning equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The feeding module is provided with multiple feeding buffer areas; the multiple feeding buffer areas are arranged side by side along the second direction; and / or, The discharge module is provided with multiple discharge buffer areas; the multiple discharge buffer areas are arranged side by side along a third direction; Both the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to the first direction.
8. The semiconductor cleaning equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The process transfer mechanism includes a vertical moving module and a horizontal moving module. The vertical moving module can drive the wafer carrier to reciprocate between the cleaning station and the wafer transfer station in the vertical direction. The wafer transfer station is above the cleaning station, and the wafer carrier at the wafer transfer station is located above the chemical cleaning tank and the water tank. The horizontal moving module can drive the wafer carrier to reciprocate between the chemical cleaning tank and the water tank.
9. The semiconductor cleaning equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that... ； The first mechanical transmission component and the second mechanical transmission component are capable of reciprocating translation along the first direction; The first mechanical transmission component and the second mechanical transmission component can also reciprocate between the transmission high position and the transmission low position in the vertical direction; The transmission low position is such that the lowest point of the first mechanical transmission component and the second mechanical transmission component is higher than the highest point of the cleaning fluid level in the cleaning module; and the wafer can be taken away or placed from the wafer carrier located at the wafer transfer station.
10. The semiconductor cleaning equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The chemical cleaning tank includes a tank body and a tank cover. The top of the tank body has an opening, and the tank cover is movable relative to the tank body between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the wafer carrier can be moved into or out of the tank body through the opening. In the second position, a portion of the opening is covered by the tank cover, and the remaining portion can be used to avoid the connecting arm that connects the wafer carrier and the process transfer mechanism.