Water baffle ring with heating device
By setting an annular heating component and a multi-stage heat conduction structure on the water-blocking ring, the problem of acid droplet aggregation and splashing was solved, achieving rapid evaporation of acid droplets and efficient heat transfer, thereby improving the yield of wafer cleaning and the energy efficiency of the equipment.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 江苏凯迪微技术股份有限公司
- Filing Date
- 2025-05-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-02
AI Technical Summary
In the traditional wet cleaning process of wafers, acid beads tend to adhere and accumulate during the water-retaining ring process, and splash back, resulting in watermark defects on the wafer surface. Existing improvement measures have limited effectiveness.
A water-blocking ring with a heating device is designed. It adopts a multi-stage heat conduction system that combines a ring heating component with a metal foil heat-conducting sheet and a heat-conducting silicone layer. The acid droplets are rapidly evaporated through uniform heating, avoiding backsplash contamination.
It effectively eliminates acid bead aggregation and crystal residue, reduces heat loss, extends the life of heating components, and ensures wafer cleaning quality.
Smart Images
Figure CN224309243U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of wafer cleaning machines, and in particular to a water-retaining ring with a heating device. Background Technology
[0002] In the wet wafer cleaning process, the water-retaining ring is a key component for preventing cleaning fluid splashing, and its performance directly affects the yield of chip manufacturing. Traditional monolithic equipment faces a severe challenge during the spin-drying stage: when the liquid on the high-speed rotating wafer surface is spun off, some acidic solution impacts the inner wall of the water-retaining ring, forming micron-sized acid beads. Since the water-retaining ring is generally made of Teflon, its hydrophilic surface properties make it easy for acid beads to adhere and accumulate. When the equipment vibrates or the temperature changes, these acid beads may fall back onto the wafer surface, forming watermark defects that are difficult to eliminate.
[0003] Currently, most equipment manufacturers are trying to improve this problem by increasing the size of the water-retaining ring or the opening diameter of the water-retaining ring, in order to reduce the probability of acid droplet rebound. Since the water-retaining ring is made of Teflon material, the surface of this material is hydrophilic, and acid droplets can still accumulate. The abnormal splashing of the water-retaining ring still has a probability of occurring, but the probability of occurrence is relatively reduced after the improvement. Utility Model Content
[0004] In order to overcome the shortcomings of existing technical solutions, this utility model provides a water-blocking ring with a heating device, which can effectively solve the technical problem of acid droplet accumulation and splashing in the water-blocking ring.
[0005] The technical solution adopted by this utility model to solve its technical problem is:
[0006] A water-blocking ring with a heating device includes a water-blocking ring body, a cleaning opening at the upper end of the water-blocking ring body, a wafer chuck opening at the lower end of the water-blocking ring body, and a cleaning chamber formed inside the water-blocking ring body. An annular heating assembly is disposed on the surface of the water-blocking ring body, with its inner wall tightly fitted to the surface of the water-blocking ring body. The annular heating assembly includes a flexible substrate, a heating conductor, and a heat-insulating protective layer. The heating conductor is embedded in the flexible substrate, and the heat-insulating protective layer covers the surface of the flexible substrate. The inner wall of the flexible substrate corresponds to the surface of the water-blocking ring body. A thermally conductive interface layer is disposed between the flexible substrate and the water-blocking ring body. The thermally conductive interface layer includes a metal foil thermally conductive sheet and a thermally conductive silicone layer. The metal foil thermally conductive sheet adheres to the side of the flexible substrate closest to the water-blocking ring body, and the thermally conductive silicone layer uniformly covers the side of the metal foil thermally conductive sheet away from the flexible substrate, filling the gap between the metal foil thermally conductive sheet and the water-blocking ring body.
[0007] Furthermore, the heating conductor is made of metal wires wrapped in high-temperature resistant silicone, with the metal wires arranged in a double helix and the surface of the high-temperature resistant silicone covered with a polyimide film.
[0008] Furthermore, the annular heating assembly also includes a temperature sensor, which is located on the inner wall of the flexible substrate and is at least three of them equidistantly distributed. The probe of the temperature sensor passes through the metal foil heat-conducting sheet and the heat-conducting silicone layer and contacts the surface of the water-blocking ring body.
[0009] Furthermore, an elastic pressure plate is provided between the temperature sensor and the flexible substrate. The elastic pressure plate keeps the probe of the temperature sensor in contact with the outer surface of the water-blocking ring body for temperature measurement. The elastic pressure plate can apply a pre-tightening force to the temperature sensor towards the diameter of the water-blocking ring body.
[0010] Furthermore, the water-blocking ring body has an arc-shaped guide surface that tapers inward at one end near the cleaning opening, and the inner wall of the water-blocking ring body is shaped like an inverted bowl.
[0011] Furthermore, the cleaning opening is provided with a baffle that extends into the cleaning chamber.
[0012] Furthermore, the surface of the water-blocking ring body is provided with positioning posts, and the surface of the annular heating component is provided with positioning holes that match the positioning posts.
[0013] Compared with existing technologies, the beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: Through the uniform heating effect of the annular heating component, combined with the multi-stage heat conduction system composed of a metal foil heat-conducting sheet and a heat-conducting silicone layer, heat is rapidly and uniformly transferred to the inner wall of the water-blocking ring body. This causes acid beads adhering to the surface to evaporate quickly, effectively eliminating acid bead accumulation and crystal residue caused by liquid retention, and fundamentally avoiding the risk of acid splashing and contaminating the wafer. The tight fit design between the metal foil heat-conducting sheet and the surface of the water-blocking ring body, combined with the gap-filling characteristics of the heat-conducting silicone layer, significantly improves heat conduction efficiency and reduces heat loss. The heat insulation layer further reduces heat dissipation, ensuring that heat is concentrated on the inner wall of the water-blocking ring body. This achieves rapid heating while reducing overall energy consumption and extending the lifespan of the heating component. Attached Figure Description
[0014] Figure 1 This is a bottom view of the present invention;
[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;
[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the annular heating assembly in this utility model;
[0017] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the temperature sensor in this utility model;
[0018] The diagram is labeled as follows: 1-Water-retaining ring body, 101-Arc-shaped flow guide surface, 102-Side retainer, 2-Cleaning opening, 3-Wafer chuck opening, 4-Cleaning chamber, 5-Annular heating assembly, 6-Positioning post, 7-Flexible substrate, 701-High temperature resistant silicone, 702-Metal wire, 703-Polyimide film, 8-Heating conductor, 9-Heat insulation layer, 10-Metal foil thermal conductive sheet, 11-Thermal conductive silicone layer, 12-Temperature sensor, 13-Elastic pressure plate. Detailed Implementation
[0019] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.
[0020] The following is combined with Figures 1-4 A detailed description of a water-retaining ring with a heating device according to this utility model is provided below:
[0021] A water-blocking ring with a heating device includes a water-blocking ring body 1, a cleaning opening 2 at the upper end of the water-blocking ring body 1, a wafer chuck opening 3 at the lower end of the water-blocking ring body 1, and a cleaning cavity 4 formed inside the water-blocking ring body 1. An annular heating assembly 5 is disposed on the surface of the water-blocking ring body 1, and the inner wall of the annular heating assembly 5 is tightly fitted to the surface of the water-blocking ring body 1. Positioning posts 6 are disposed on the surface of the water-blocking ring body 1, and positioning holes matching the positioning posts 6 are disposed on the surface of the annular heating assembly 5. The annular heating assembly 5 includes a flexible substrate 7, a heating conductor 8, and a heat-insulating shield. The protective layer 9 and the heating conductor 8 are embedded in the flexible substrate 7. The heat insulation protective layer 9 covers the surface of the flexible substrate 7. The inner wall of the flexible substrate 7 corresponds to the surface of the water ring body. A thermally conductive interface layer is provided between the flexible substrate 7 and the water-blocking ring body 1. The thermally conductive interface layer includes a metal foil thermally conductive sheet 10 and a thermally conductive silicone layer 11. The metal foil thermally conductive sheet 10 is attached to the side of the flexible substrate 7 close to the water-blocking ring body 1. The thermally conductive silicone layer 11 uniformly covers the side of the metal foil thermally conductive sheet 10 away from the flexible substrate 7. The thermally conductive silicone layer 11 fills the gap between the metal foil thermally conductive sheet 10 and the water-blocking ring body 1.
[0022] Through the uniform heating effect of the annular heating component 5, combined with the multi-level heat conduction system composed of the metal foil heat-conducting sheet 10 and the thermally conductive silicone layer 11, heat is rapidly and uniformly transferred to the inner wall of the water-blocking ring body 1, causing acid beads adhering to the surface to evaporate quickly. This effectively eliminates acid bead accumulation and crystal residue caused by liquid retention, fundamentally avoiding the risk of acid splashing and contaminating the wafer. The tight fit design between the metal foil heat-conducting sheet 10 and the surface of the water-blocking ring body 1, combined with the gap-filling characteristics of the thermally conductive silicone layer 11, significantly improves heat conduction efficiency and reduces heat loss. The heat insulation layer 9 further reduces heat dissipation, ensuring that heat is concentrated on the inner wall of the water-blocking ring body 1. This achieves rapid heating while reducing overall energy consumption and extending the life of the heating component. The deformable characteristics of the flexible substrate 7 allow it to perfectly fit the complex curved contour of the water-blocking ring body 1. Combined with the rigid support of the metal foil heat-conducting sheet 10, this ensures uniform contact of the heating surface and avoids local delamination problems caused by differences in thermal expansion. During cleaning, the temperature of the water-blocking ring body 1 is set between 85 and 95 degrees Celsius. Tests have shown that within this temperature range, the acid beads accumulating inside the water-blocking ring body 1 have the highest evaporation efficiency.
[0023] The equipment initiates the cleaning process, activating the heating conductor 8 to raise the temperature of the water-blocking ring body 1 to the set temperature of 85 degrees Celsius. The temperature remains constant within 3 degrees Celsius. Once the temperature is confirmed to be within the set range, the wafer cleaning process begins. When the cleaning process ends, the equipment enters a waiting state. After a 60-second delay, the heating conductor 8 stops heating. This temperature control method effectively extends the lifespan of the ring heating element 5 and saves energy.
[0024] The heating conductor 8 is made of high-temperature resistant silicone 701 wrapped with metal wires 702 arranged in a double helix. The surface of the high-temperature resistant silicone 701 is covered with a polyimide film 703. Through the double helix arrangement of the metal wires 702, combined with the high-temperature resistant silicone 701 wrapping layer, the uniformity of the heat field distribution of the heating conductor 8 is improved by more than 30%, avoiding the material carbonization problem caused by local overheating. The polyimide film 703 covers a double insulation barrier, which improves the voltage resistance level to more than 3kV in acidic environments, effectively preventing the risk of short circuit caused by electrolyte penetration.
[0025] The annular heating assembly 5 also includes temperature sensors 12. Three temperature sensors 12 are located on the inner wall of the flexible substrate 7 and are evenly distributed. The probes of the temperature sensors 12 pass through the metal foil heat-conducting sheet 10 and the heat-conducting silicone layer 11 to contact the surface of the water-blocking ring body 1, achieving an inner wall temperature gradient monitoring accuracy of ±0.5℃. This avoids the lag problem of traditional non-contact temperature measurement. The sensor data is fed back to the temperature control system in real time, automatically identifying local low-temperature areas and specifically increasing the heating power to ensure that the temperature uniformity of the water-blocking ring body 1 is controlled within ±3℃. An elastic pressure plate 13 is provided between the temperature sensor 12 and the flexible substrate 7. The elastic pressure plate 13 keeps the probe of the temperature sensor 12 in contact with the outer surface of the water-blocking ring body 1 for temperature measurement. The elastic pressure plate 13 can apply a pre-tightening force to the temperature sensor 12 towards the diameter of the water-blocking ring body 1. The pre-tightening force design of the elastic pressure plate 13 can compensate for gap changes caused by thermal expansion, ensuring that the temperature probe always maintains contact with the surface of the water-blocking ring body 1, preventing measurement deviations caused by the temperature sensor 12 loosening due to vibration.
[0026] The water-blocking ring body 1 is provided with an inwardly converging arc-shaped guide surface 101 at one end near the cleaning opening 2. The inner wall of the water-blocking ring body 1 is in the shape of an inverted bowl. The inwardly converging arc-shaped guide surface 101 can convert the impact kinetic energy of splashing droplets into potential energy flowing along the wall. Experimental data shows that the amount of droplet rebound is reduced.
[0027] The cleaning opening 2 is provided with a baffle 102, which extends into the cleaning chamber 4 and forms a physical isolation zone. Fluid simulation verification shows that it can block droplet splashing and reduce the risk of contamination of the chamber sidewall.
[0028] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that it can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of this invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered illustrative and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of this invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within this invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A water-blocking ring with a heating device, comprising a water-blocking ring body, a cleaning opening at the upper end of the water-blocking ring body, a wafer chuck opening at the lower end of the water-blocking ring body, and a cleaning chamber formed inside the water-blocking ring body, characterized in that: The surface of the water-blocking ring body is provided with an annular heating component. The inner wall of the annular heating component is tightly attached to the surface of the water ring body. The annular heating component includes a flexible substrate, a heating conductor, and a heat insulation protective layer. The heating conductor is embedded in the flexible substrate. The heat insulation protective layer covers the surface of the flexible substrate. The inner wall of the flexible substrate corresponds to the surface of the water ring body. A thermally conductive interface layer is provided between the flexible substrate and the water-blocking ring body. The thermally conductive interface layer includes a metal foil thermally conductive sheet and a thermally conductive silicone layer. The metal foil thermally conductive sheet is attached to the side of the flexible substrate close to the water-blocking ring body. The thermally conductive silicone layer uniformly covers the side of the metal foil thermally conductive sheet away from the flexible substrate. The thermally conductive silicone layer fills the gap between the metal foil thermally conductive sheet and the water-blocking ring body.
2. A water-blocking ring with a heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating conductor is made of metal wires wrapped in high-temperature resistant silicone. The metal wires are arranged in a double helix and cross arrangement. The surface of the high-temperature resistant silicone is covered with a polyimide film.
3. A water-retaining ring with a heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The annular heating assembly also includes temperature sensors, which are located on the inner wall of the flexible substrate and are at least three of them equidistantly distributed. The probes of the temperature sensors pass through the metal foil heat-conducting sheet and the heat-conducting silicone layer and contact the surface of the water-blocking ring body.
4. A water-blocking ring with a heating device according to claim 3, characterized in that: An elastic pressure plate is provided between the temperature sensor and the flexible substrate. The elastic pressure plate keeps the probe of the temperature sensor in contact with the outer surface of the water-blocking ring body for temperature measurement. The elastic pressure plate can apply a pre-tightening force to the temperature sensor towards the diameter of the water-blocking ring body.
5. A water-retaining ring with a heating device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: The water-blocking ring body has an arc-shaped guide surface that tapers inward at one end near the cleaning opening, and the inner wall of the water-blocking ring body is shaped like an inverted bowl.
6. A water-retaining ring with a heating device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: The cleaning opening is provided with a baffle that extends into the cleaning chamber.
7. A water-retaining ring with a heating device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: The surface of the water-blocking ring body is provided with positioning posts, and the surface of the annular heating component is provided with positioning holes that match the positioning posts.