Wafer drying device and mechanical grinding equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the utility model provides a wafer drying device and mechanical grinding equipment, and the wafer drying device comprises a drying chamber for accommodating a wafer; the supply channel is arranged on the inner wall of the drying chamber, dry gas passes through the supply channel, the supply channel is provided with a through hole, and the dry gas is used for drying the wafer; the track is arranged in the drying chamber; the pushing structure is arranged in the drying chamber, is in sliding fit with the track and drives the wafer to move towards the supply channel, the pushing structure comprises a connecting piece clamped with the track and a pushing rod connected with the connecting piece, the top of the pushing rod is provided with a clamping part, and the clamping part is used for clamping the wafer. And the clamping part is in contact with the wafer. By adopting the technical scheme, the lifting stability in the wafer drying treatment process can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a wafer drying device and a mechanical grinding equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, multiple processes are typically performed on the wafer, such as photolithography, etching, and planarization. During some of these processes, residues will remain on the crystal face or back of the wafer, and the presence of these residues will affect the subsequent processing of the wafer.

[0003] Currently, a drying process is performed between the two processes to remove residues from the wafer. During the drying process, the wafer position needs to be changed. If the cylinder control capability and debugging stability are insufficient, or if the instantaneous lifting speed is too fast, it can easily lead to wafer slippage, posing a risk of wafer fragmentation.

[0004] Against this backdrop, how to provide technical solutions to improve the stability of the rise and fall during the wafer drying process has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a wafer drying device and a mechanical grinding equipment, which can improve the stability of lifting and lowering during the wafer drying process.

[0006] This utility model provides a wafer drying apparatus, comprising: a drying chamber for accommodating a wafer; a supply channel disposed on the inner wall of the drying chamber for passing through a drying gas, the supply channel having a through hole, the drying gas being used to dry the wafer; a track disposed within the drying chamber; and a pushing structure disposed within the drying chamber, slidingly engaging with the track, and driving the wafer toward the supply channel, wherein the pushing structure includes a connector engaging with the track, and a pushing rod connected to the connector, the top of the pushing rod having a locking portion, the locking portion contacting the wafer.

[0007] Optionally, the bottom of the mounting portion has an arc-shaped portion adapted to the shape of the wafer.

[0008] Optionally, the cross-section of the locking part along its length direction is at least one of U-shape or V-shape.

[0009] Optionally, the mounting portion has an adsorption hole located on the side facing the wafer, and the adsorption hole allows gas from the mounting portion and the wafer to pass through.

[0010] Optionally, the supply channel includes a first channel and a second channel disposed opposite to each other, and the wafer is placed between the first channel and the second channel.

[0011] Optionally, there are multiple through holes, which are evenly arranged on the supply channel.

[0012] Optionally, the wafer drying apparatus further includes an exhaust channel disposed on the outer wall of the drying chamber for the passage of the drying gas.

[0013] Optionally, the wafer drying apparatus further includes a driver connected to the track, providing driving force to the track to drive the pushing structure to slide along the track.

[0014] Optionally, the top of the drying chamber has an opening;

[0015] The wafer drying apparatus further includes a cover plate that fits into the opening to allow the wafer to pass through, and a sealing ring is provided between the cover plate and the opening.

[0016] Accordingly, this utility model also provides a mechanical grinding device, comprising:

[0017] The wafer drying apparatus described in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of this utility model embodiment has the following advantages:

[0019] The wafer drying apparatus provided by this utility model has a track installed in the drying chamber, and a pushing structure that slides with the track to move the wafer toward the supply channel. The pushing structure includes a connector that engages with the track and a pushing rod that is connected to the connector. Since the top of the pushing rod has a locking part that contacts the wafer, the contact area between the pushing rod and the wafer can be increased, so that the wafer can be fixed in the locking part during the wafer movement, thereby improving the stability of the lifting and lowering process during the wafer drying process. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer drying device according to this utility model is shown;

[0022] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a push rod according to the first embodiment of this utility model is shown;

[0023] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a push rod according to the second embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The technical solutions of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. The embodiments described herein are specific implementations of this utility model, used to illustrate the concept of this utility model; these descriptions are explanatory and exemplary, and should not be construed as limiting the implementation methods or the scope of protection of this utility model. In addition to the embodiments described herein, those skilled in the art can employ other obvious technical solutions based on the content disclosed in the claims and specification of this application. These technical solutions include those that make any obvious substitutions and modifications to the embodiments described herein.

[0025] The accompanying drawings in this embodiment are schematic diagrams used to illustrate the concept of this utility model, and to schematically show the shapes of the various parts and their interrelationships. It should be understood that, in order to clearly show the structure of the various components of this utility model, the drawings are not drawn to the same scale, and the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same parts in the drawings.

[0026] As described in the background section, the wafer's position needs to be changed during the drying process. Currently, a push rod is used to move the wafer. However, the contact area between the push rod and the wafer is small, making the surface of the push rod in contact with the wafer relatively flat. When there is fluctuation in the motor or other drivers, the wafer will slip directly, causing damage to the wafer.

[0027] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this utility model provides a wafer drying apparatus, comprising: a drying chamber for accommodating a wafer; a supply channel disposed on the inner wall of the drying chamber for passing through which drying gas passes, the supply channel having a through hole, the drying gas being used to dry the wafer; a track disposed within the drying chamber; and a pushing structure disposed within the drying chamber, slidingly engaging with the track, and driving the wafer toward the supply channel, wherein the pushing structure includes a connector engaging with the track, and a pushing rod connected to the connector, the top of the pushing rod having a locking portion, the locking portion contacting the wafer.

[0028] The wafer drying apparatus in the above embodiments has a locking part at the top of the push rod that contacts the wafer, thereby increasing the contact area between the push rod and the wafer. This allows the wafer to be fixed in the locking part during wafer movement, thus improving the stability of lifting and lowering during the wafer drying process.

[0029] To enable those skilled in the art to have a clearer understanding of the technical concepts, principles, advantages, etc. contained in the embodiments of this specification, a detailed description is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings, through specific embodiments, and in conjunction with specific application scenarios.

[0030] See Figures 1 to 2 ,in, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer drying device according to the present invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a push rod in the first embodiment of this utility model.

[0031] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 The wafer drying apparatus may include: a drying chamber 10 for housing a wafer W; a supply channel 20 disposed on the inner wall of the drying chamber 10 for passing through a drying gas, the supply channel 20 having a through hole K, the drying gas being used to dry the wafer W; a track 30 disposed within the drying chamber 10; and a pushing structure 40 disposed within the drying chamber 10, slidingly engaging with the track 30, and driving the wafer toward the supply channel 20, wherein the pushing structure 40 includes a connector 42 engaging with the track 30, and a pushing rod 44 connected to the connector 42, the top of the pushing rod 44 having a locking portion 442, the locking portion 442 contacting the wafer W.

[0032] The drying chamber 10 provides process space for the drying process of wafer W. By placing wafer W in the space of the drying chamber 10, residues on the surface of wafer W can be removed by performing drying liquid cleaning and drying gas drying processes.

[0033] It should be noted that, Figure 1 The schematic structure of the drying chamber 10 is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent the actual construction of the drying chamber 10. It is used to represent a device for accommodating wafers and providing an etching environment for the wafers, and should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model.

[0034] The supply channel 20 is used to supply drying gas to spray drying gas onto the surface of wafer W, so that the deposits on the surface of wafer W are peeled off from the surface of wafer W in the opposite direction to the lifting direction, thereby achieving drying of the surface of wafer W.

[0035] In this embodiment, the supply channel 20 may include a first channel and a second channel arranged opposite to each other. The wafer W can be placed between the first channel and the second channel, so that drying gas can be provided to both the crystal face and the crystal back of the wafer W at the same time, thereby improving the drying efficiency.

[0036] In this embodiment, there are multiple through holes K, and the multiple through holes K are evenly arranged on the supply channel 20, so that the surface of the wafer W can receive the same flow rate of gas, which is beneficial to improving the drying effect.

[0037] In some other embodiments, multiple vias can be randomly arranged on the supply channel, as long as gas can be supplied to the wafer surface through the vias.

[0038] The track 30 plans the direction of movement of the wafer W. Through the cooperation between the track 30 and the push structure 40, the position of the wafer W can be changed. In this way, when the position of the supply channel 20 is fixed, the drying gas can be sprayed to different positions on the surface of the wafer W, thereby improving the drying effect.

[0039] In this embodiment, the track 30 may include a mounting plate and a guide rail assembly disposed on the mounting plate, and the guide rail assembly is connected to the push structure 40.

[0040] In this embodiment, the width of the guide rail assembly is smaller than that of the mounting plate along the extension direction perpendicular to the guide rail assembly, so that the connector 42 in the push structure 40 can engage with the guide rail assembly and move along the guide rail assembly.

[0041] The push structure 40 is used in conjunction with the track 30 to drive the wafer W to move.

[0042] In this embodiment, the pushing structure 40 includes: a connector 42 that is snapped into the track 30, and a pushing rod 44 connected to the connector 42.

[0043] In other words, the connector 42 is used to connect the track 30 and the push rod 44 so that the driving force on the track 30 can be transmitted to the push rod 44 through the connector 42, so that the push rod 44 can move up and down along the planned direction of the track 30 so that different positions on the surface of the wafer W can come into contact with the dry gas.

[0044] In this embodiment, the connector 42 and the push rod 44 can be connected by a plug-in joint, which can achieve a fixed connection between the connector 42 and the push rod 44, enhance the firmness between the connector 42 and the push rod 44, and make the push rod 44 more stable during movement, thereby improving the stability of the wafer W during lifting.

[0045] In this embodiment, the locking part 442 at the top of the push rod 44 can engage with the wafer W, which increases the contact area between the push rod 44 and the wafer W. This allows the wafer W to be fixed within the locking part 442 during its movement, thereby improving the stability of the wafer W's lifting and lowering during the drying process.

[0046] In this embodiment, the bottom of the locking part 442 has an arc-shaped part that matches the shape of the wafer W, so that the bottom of the locking part 442 can fit more closely to the edge of the wafer W. Thus, when the wafer W is placed in the locking part 442, the wafer W will be more stable, thereby further reducing the risk of the wafer W slipping.

[0047] In this embodiment, see Figure 2 In this diagram, sub-figure A is a structural schematic of the push rod, sub-figure A1 is the front view of the push rod, and sub-figure A2 is the right view of the push rod. Figure 2 It can be seen that the cross-section of the locking part 442 along its length direction is one of the V-shapes.

[0048] Furthermore, the push rod 44 has a first end 444 and a second end 446 connected to each other, and the locking part 442 is located on top of the second end 446.

[0049] In this embodiment, the radial dimension of the second end 446 is greater than the radial dimension of the first end 444, which increases the radial dimension of the locking part 442 and further increases the contact area between the locking part 442 and the wafer W, so that the wafer W can always be in a stable state.

[0050] In some other embodiments, the second end 446 and the first end 444 may have the same radial dimension, and the present invention does not limit this.

[0051] See Figure 3 In this diagram, sub-figure B1 is the front view of the push rod in the second embodiment, and sub-figure A2 is the right view of the push rod in the second embodiment. Figure 3 It can be seen that the cross-section of the locking part 442 along its length is U-shaped.

[0052] In this embodiment, the positioning part 442 may have an adsorption hole (not shown in the figure), the adsorption hole is located on the side facing the wafer W, and the adsorption hole allows gas to pass through the positioning part 442 and the wafer W.

[0053] By drawing gas from between the mounting part 442 and the wafer W through the adsorption hole, the pressure between the mounting part 442 and the wafer W can be reduced, allowing the mounting part 442 and the wafer W to fit tightly together.

[0054] Understandably, when an adsorption hole is provided in the card slot 442, a suitable suction device is also required to adsorb gas through the adsorption hole.

[0055] In this embodiment, the wafer drying apparatus may further include an exhaust channel (not shown) disposed on the outer wall of the drying chamber 10 for the drying gas to pass through, thereby timely discharging the drying gas that has contacted the wafer surface and realizing the circulation of the drying gas.

[0056] Considering that the dry gas is likely to float in the air, the exhaust channel can be set on the outer wall of the drying chamber 10 near the top.

[0057] In this embodiment, the wafer drying apparatus may further include: a driver connected to the track 30, providing driving force to the track 30 to drive the pushing structure 40 to slide along the track 30.

[0058] Specifically, when it is necessary to move the wafer W, the driver can generate a corresponding driving force based on the displacement control signal and transmit it to the track 30, thereby driving the push structure 40 to move up and down along the path planned by the track 30, so that different positions on the surface of the wafer W can come into contact with the dry gas.

[0059] When the driver responds to the displacement control signal again, it can stop driving, thereby stopping the movement of wafer W. This allows for prolonged drying of any surface of wafer W, resulting in better drying performance.

[0060] The track 30 has a built-in lead screw, which can convert the helical motion into linear motion when the driver generates driving force, so as to drive the push structure 40 to move up and down along the path planned by the track 30.

[0061] In this embodiment, the driver may include a drive component and a transmission component, wherein the drive component may be electrically connected to the industrial control device and the transmission component, respectively.

[0062] In some embodiments, the transmission component may be a sprocket reduction assembly, a pulley reduction assembly, or other reduction assembly.

[0063] In some embodiments, the driving component may be a stepper motor, which has good control performance and a large speed adjustment range, thus improving the stability of the wafer movement process.

[0064] In other embodiments, the drive component may also be other power devices, such as an electric motor.

[0065] In this embodiment, to facilitate the removal and placement of the wafer W, the top of the drying chamber 10 may have an opening (not shown in the figure).

[0066] In this case, the wafer drying apparatus further includes a cover plate (not shown) that is configured to fit the opening and allow the wafer W to pass through.

[0067] In this way, the wafer W can be transferred into the drying chamber by opening the cover; and after the drying process is completed, the cover can be opened again to remove the wafer W by an external robotic arm.

[0068] In this embodiment, a sealing ring is provided between the cover plate and the opening, which can improve the sealing performance of the drying chamber 10 and prevent the drying gas from overflowing.

[0069] In actual drying processes, the inventors found that in some applications, simply providing drying gas to the wafer surface is insufficient to completely remove residues from the wafer surface, resulting in poor drying performance.

[0070] In this embodiment, the wafer drying apparatus further includes a liquid supply channel disposed on the outside of the drying chamber, providing a liquid supply channel for the inlet and outlet of the solution.

[0071] In this embodiment, the liquid supply channel includes a first liquid inlet and a second liquid inlet and a third liquid inlet and a fourth liquid inlet and a fifth liquid inlet and a sixth liquid inlet and a seventh liquid inlet and a eighth liquid inlet and a ninth liquid inlet and a thief ...

[0072] The first liquid inlet / outlet is used for discharging waste liquid deposited at the bottom of the drying chamber and for replenishing or replacing the drying liquid inside the drying chamber. The waste liquid is the liquid remaining on the surface of the wafer W after cleaning.

[0073] The second liquid inlet / outlet is positioned below the normal operating liquid level of the wafer drying device. It is used for discharging waste liquid floating on the surface of the drying liquid and for replenishing or replacing the drying liquid inside the drying chamber.

[0074] To better understand and explain the drying principle of the wafer drying device in this utility model, a detailed explanation is provided through an example.

[0075] A wafer to be dried is provided; a robotic arm immerses the wafer in a drying solution to clean and separate any residues from the wafer surface; the wafer is removed from the drying solution and placed in a clamping unit; a driver moves the clamping unit along a planned track, thereby changing the relative position of the wafer with respect to the gas supply channel, allowing the drying gas to be sprayed onto different locations on the wafer surface; once the wafer is completely dried, it is removed again by the robotic arm.

[0076] This utility model also provides a mechanical grinding device, which may include the wafer drying device described in any of the foregoing embodiments. The wafer drying device can achieve reliable, efficient and accurate transfer of wafers, which is beneficial to improving the drying effect of wafers.

[0077] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0078] While this embodiment has been disclosed above, the utility model is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of this utility model; therefore, the scope of protection of this utility model should be determined by the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A wafer drying apparatus, characterized in that, include: A drying chamber for housing wafers; A supply channel for drying gas is provided on the inner wall of the drying chamber. The supply channel has through holes, and the drying gas is used to dry the wafer. The track is installed inside the drying chamber; A push structure is disposed in the drying chamber and slides with the track to drive the wafer toward the supply channel. The push structure includes a connector that engages with the track and a push rod connected to the connector. The top of the push rod has a locking part that contacts the wafer.

2. The wafer drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the card slot has an arc-shaped portion that matches the shape of the wafer.

3. The wafer drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cross-section of the locking part along its length direction is at least one of U-shape or V-shape.

4. The wafer drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting portion has an adsorption hole located on the side facing the wafer, and the adsorption hole allows gas from the mounting portion and the wafer to pass through.

5. The wafer drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The supply channel includes a first channel and a second channel arranged opposite to each other, and the wafer is placed between the first channel and the second channel.

6. The wafer drying apparatus according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that, The number of through holes is multiple, and the multiple through holes are evenly arranged on the supply channel.

7. The wafer drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer drying apparatus further includes an exhaust channel disposed on the outer wall of the drying chamber for the passage of the drying gas.

8. The wafer drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer drying apparatus further includes a driver connected to the track and providing driving force to drive the pushing structure to slide along the track.

9. The wafer drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the drying chamber has an opening; The wafer drying apparatus further includes a cover plate that fits into the opening to allow the wafer to pass through, and a sealing ring is provided between the cover plate and the opening.

10. A mechanical grinding device, characterized in that, include: The wafer drying apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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