A photoresist coating device for acidic etching of a silicon wafer
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202522500101.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-10-09
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-11-25
AI Technical Summary
目前硅晶圆旋涂时光刻胶因离心力和表面张力作用，易在硅晶圆边缘形成厚胶层（边珠），破坏胶膜整体均匀性，且边珠会使晶圆边缘在曝光、显影时出现图形畸变，影响电路图案的精度和完整性，边珠的存在会导致硅晶圆涂覆光刻胶的质量较差；
1． 本申请通过倾斜设置刮边刀在硅晶圆的外边处，可以刮除硅晶圆边缘多余胶层，并将多余光刻胶进行导向清理，不会使多余光刻胶堆积在刮边刀与硅晶圆重叠处，起到了提高硅晶圆光刻胶涂覆均匀性的效果，解决了硅晶圆旋涂时光刻胶因离心力和表面张力作用，易在硅晶圆边缘形成厚胶层（边珠）的问题，有利于提高硅晶圆涂覆光刻胶的质量；
Smart Images
Figure CN224823227U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of silicon wafer processing technology, specifically to a photoresist coating device for acid etching of silicon wafers. Background Technology
[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing, photoresist coating on silicon wafers is a key process. Spin-coating photoresist coating equipment is widely used. It uses a vacuum chuck to pick up the wafer and rotate it at high speed, so that the photoresist is formed under centrifugal force, thereby completing the photoresist coating work on silicon wafers. Currently, when photoresist is spin-coated onto silicon wafers, the centrifugal force and surface tension cause the formation of a thick layer of photoresist (edge beads) at the edge of the silicon wafer, which disrupts the overall uniformity of the photoresist film. Furthermore, edge beads can cause pattern distortion at the wafer edge during exposure and development, affecting the accuracy and integrity of the circuit pattern. The presence of edge beads leads to poor quality of photoresist coating on silicon wafers. Meanwhile, after the scraper has been working for a period of time, a layer of adhesive will adhere to it, causing the scraping thickness to become out of control and the adhesive layer on the edge of the silicon wafer to be not thoroughly cleaned. Manual handling of the scraper will also affect work efficiency. This restricts production efficiency and results in poor practical performance of the photoresist coating mechanism. Utility Model Content
[0003] To address the above problems, this invention provides a photoresist coating device for acid etching of silicon wafers, thus solving the aforementioned issues.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a photoresist coating device for acid etching of silicon wafers, comprising a cabinet and a workbench connected to the top of the cabinet, wherein a coating cylinder is connected to the top of the workbench and a vacuum chuck is provided inside the coating cylinder; Two covers are connected to one side of the coating cylinder. A clamping rod is rotatably connected to one side of the cover. A scraping knife is connected to the bottom of the clamping rod. A motor is connected to the top of the cover. The output end of the motor is connected to the top of the clamping rod. A solvent pipe is connected to one side of the cover, and a spray head is connected to one end of the solvent pipe. Several hot air nozzles are connected to the side of the cover, and a hot air pipe is connected to one side of each of the hot air nozzles. Both the solvent pipe and the hot air pipe pass through the workbench and are connected to a supply device.
[0005] Preferably, a silicon wafer is placed on top of the vacuum chuck, and the scraper is positioned above the silicon wafer.
[0006] Preferably, a turntable is connected to the top of the workbench, a support frame is connected to one side of the turntable, a cylinder is connected to one side of the support frame, and the output end of the cylinder passes through the support frame and is connected to a support platform.
[0007] Preferably, a support plate is connected to the top of the workbench, a circular shell is connected to the top of the support plate, a second motor is installed inside the circular shell, and a rotating block is connected to the output end of the second motor.
[0008] Preferably, a support arm is connected to the top of the rotating block, a mounting bracket is connected to one end of the support arm, and an adhesive applicator is connected to one side of the mounting bracket.
[0009] Preferably, a protective seat is connected to the top of the workbench, and the glue applicator is placed in the protective seat when not in use.
[0010] Preferably, the bottom of the cabinet is provided with several drive mechanisms, which are respectively connected to the vacuum chuck, the turntable, and the support plate.
[0011] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: 1. This application uses an inclined scraper blade positioned at the outer edge of the silicon wafer to scrape away excess photoresist and guide and clean it, preventing excess photoresist from accumulating at the overlap between the scraper blade and the silicon wafer. This improves the uniformity of photoresist coating on the silicon wafer and solves the problem that during spin coating of silicon wafers, a thick photoresist layer (edge beads) easily forms at the edge of the silicon wafer due to centrifugal force and surface tension, thus improving the quality of photoresist coating on silicon wafers. 2. This application uses a spray head in conjunction with a hot air nozzle to dissolve, rinse, and dry the adhesive layer adhering to the scraping blade, allowing the scraping blade to continue scraping work after treatment. This achieves the effect of automatic scraping blade treatment, solving the problem that adhesive layer will adhere to the scraping blade after a period of operation, resulting in uncontrolled scraping thickness and incomplete cleaning of adhesive layer at the edge of silicon wafers. Manual scraping blade treatment also affects work efficiency, which is beneficial to improving the practical performance of photoresist coating mechanism. Attached Figure Description
[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the coating cylinder of this utility model without a silicon wafer placed on it. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the silicon wafer and scraper structure of this utility model; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the cover of this utility model; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the support structure of this utility model; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the adhesive applicator structure of this utility model; Figure 7 This is an exploded view of the glue applicator and protective base of this utility model.
[0013] The diagram is labeled as follows: 1. Cabinet; 2. Workbench; 3. Coating cylinder; 4. Vacuum chuck; 5. Masking device; 6. Clamping rod; 7. Edge scraper; 8. Motor 1; 9. Solvent tube; 10. Spray head; 11. Hot air nozzle; 12. Hot air duct; 13. Turntable; 14. Support frame; 15. Cylinder; 16. Support platform; 17. Support plate; 18. Round shell; 19. Motor 2; 20. Rotating block; 21. Support arm; 22. Mounting bracket; 23. Glue applicator; 24. Protective base; 25. Silicon wafer. Detailed Implementation
[0014] The embodiments of this utility model will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this utility model.
[0015] Please see Figures 1 to 7 A photoresist coating device for acid etching of silicon wafers includes a cabinet 1 and a workbench 2 connected to the top of the cabinet 1. The cabinet 1 is mainly used to integrate the electrical control system (such as power supply, PLC controller, etc.), mechanical transmission components (such as drive mechanism), and auxiliary functional modules (gas path, liquid path pipeline, supply equipment) of the photoresist coating device. It plays the role of supporting the upper workbench 2, ensuring stable operation of the equipment, and facilitating maintenance. A coating cylinder 3 is connected to the top of the workbench 2. A vacuum chuck 4 is set inside the coating cylinder 3. The vacuum chuck 4 firmly fixes the silicon wafer on the surface through vacuum adsorption force. At the same time, it is driven by the drive mechanism to rotate, so that the photoresist dripped on the silicon wafer is evenly spread into a film under the action of centrifugal force, thereby completing the photoresist coating work of the silicon wafer. It is important to note that the vacuum chuck 4 is a core component of the photoresist coating device and is a well-known technology in the field. Those skilled in the art can and should understand its specific functions and structure, so it will not be described in detail here. The silicon wafer is placed on the vacuum chuck 4 inside the coating cylinder 3. The coating cylinder 3 is used to collect excess photoresist and solvent, prevent them from splashing outside the equipment, and provide a relatively closed environment to ensure the cleanliness and safety of the coating process. Two covers 5 are connected to one side of the coating cylinder 3. A clamping rod 6 is rotatably connected to one side of the cover 5. A scraping blade 7 is connected to the bottom of the clamping rod 6. A motor 8 is connected to the top of the cover 5. The output end of the motor 8 is connected to the top of the clamping rod 6. The output end of the motor 8 drives the clamping rod 6 to rotate, which in turn drives the scraping blade 7 to rotate, thereby adjusting the position of the scraping blade 7. Specifically, during the process of placing the silicon wafer into the vacuum chuck 4, because the vacuum chuck 4 needs to be raised and lowered, the scraper 7 needs to be rotated and adjusted into the cover 5 during this process to avoid interfering with the normal operation of the vacuum chuck 4. More specifically, after the vacuum chuck 4 lowers and resets the silicon wafer, the scraper blade 7 rotates and adjusts to be above the edge of the silicon wafer. In this way, when the silicon wafer is coated with photoresist, the scraper blade 7 can treat the edge beads (when the photoresist is spin-coated on the silicon wafer, a thick layer of photoresist is easily formed at the edge of the silicon wafer due to centrifugal force and surface tension). Furthermore, the scraper blade 7 is inclined and set at the outer edge of the silicon wafer. This can remove the excess photoresist layer at the edge of the silicon wafer while guiding and cleaning the excess photoresist, preventing excess photoresist from accumulating at the overlap between the scraper blade and the silicon wafer, thereby improving the uniformity of photoresist coating on the silicon wafer. A solvent pipe 9 is connected to one side of the cover 5, and a spray head 10 is connected to one end of the solvent pipe 9. Several hot air nozzles 11 are connected to the side of the cover 5, and a hot air pipe 12 is connected to one side of the several hot air nozzles 11. Both the solvent pipe 9 and the hot air pipe 12 pass through the workbench 2 and are connected to a supply device. The supply device supplies solvent to the solvent pipe 9 and hot air to the hot air pipe 12 respectively. The supply device is a conventional and well-known technology. It will not occupy extra space when installed in the cabinet 1. It is a conventional means that can be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art based on common sense, so it will not be described in detail here. The newly applied, uncured photoresist is easy to dissolve and will not form a stubborn buildup in a short time. It is only necessary to rely on the low-tack properties of the scraper blade 7 itself to avoid residue affecting the subsequent scraping effect. Therefore, the scraper blade 7 does not need to be treated when coating photoresist on every silicon wafer, as this would greatly increase the operating cost of the coating equipment. Therefore, after processing a certain number of silicon wafers, such as 50 wafers, the scraper blade 7 will be processed. Specifically, after the photoresist coating on the silicon wafer is completed, the scraper 7 rotates into the cover 5. Subsequently, the coated silicon wafer is transported to the next process, and the stage 16 will transfer the silicon wafer to be coated. During this process, the spray head 10 in the cover 5 sprays a mixture of isopropanol and photoresist-specific thinner from the solvent tube 9. Isopropanol has good solubility and can initially dissolve the uncured photoresist. The special thinner can specifically destroy the adhesive structure of the adhesive layer. The combination of the two can greatly improve the dissolution efficiency and effectively dissolve and clean the photoresist adhering to the outside of the scraper. Next, in conjunction with hot air drying, the hot air nozzle 11 blows the hot air from the hot air pipe 12 toward the scraper blade 7, which can quickly remove solvent residue, ensure that the surface of the scraper blade 7 is clean and dry, and ensure the accuracy and stability of its continuous operation. This invention solves the problem that after the scraper blade 7 has been working for a period of time, a layer of adhesive will adhere to it, causing the scraping thickness to become out of control and the adhesive layer at the edge of the silicon wafer to be not thoroughly cleaned. Manual processing of the scraper blade 7 also affects work efficiency. This invention is beneficial to improving the practical performance of the photoresist coating mechanism.
[0016] A silicon wafer 25 is placed on top of the vacuum chuck 4, and a scraper 7 is positioned above the silicon wafer 25.
[0017] A turntable 13 is connected to the top of the worktable 2. A support frame 14 is connected to one side of the turntable 13. A cylinder 15 is connected to one side of the support frame 14. The output end of the cylinder 15 passes through the support frame 14 and is connected to a support platform 16. When the silicon wafer is coated with photoresist, the support platform 16 receives and lifts the silicon wafer that has been cleaned in the previous cleaning process. The turntable 13 is rotated by the drive mechanism, so that the support platform 16 is rotated to face the coating cylinder 3. Then, the output end of the cylinder 15 pushes the support platform 16 to move the silicon wafer to the top of the vacuum chuck 4. At the same time, the drive mechanism will also drive the vacuum chuck 4 to rise and contact the bottom of the silicon wafer. At this time, the vacuum chuck 4 will start to firmly fix the silicon wafer on the surface through vacuum adsorption force. Then, the stage 16 will separate from the silicon wafer and reset. Subsequently, the drive mechanism will drive the vacuum chuck 4 to descend and reset, and the scraper 7 will be adjusted to the top of the edge of the vacuum chuck 4. The distance between the scraper 7 and the vacuum chuck 4 is the working range of the scraper 7 to scrape off excess photoresist. Then, the drive mechanism drives the support plate 17 to rise, and at the same time, the output end of the motor 21 drives the rotating block 20 and the support arm 21 to rotate, rotating the photoresist applicator 23 to above the center of the silicon wafer 25. The drive mechanism then drives the support plate 17 to fall, so that the photoresist applicator 23 is close to the silicon wafer. The photoresist applicator 23 accurately drips the photoresist onto the surface of the silicon wafer. With the rotation of the silicon wafer driven by the vacuum chuck 4, the photoresist is evenly spread into a film on the surface of the silicon wafer under the action of centrifugal force.
[0018] The top of the workbench 2 is connected to a support plate 17, the top of the support plate 17 is connected to a round shell 18, a motor 2 19 is installed inside the round shell 18, and the output end of the motor 2 19 is connected to a rotating block 20.
[0019] The top of the rotating block 20 is connected to a support arm 21, and a tube bundle frame is provided on the support arm 21. The tube bundle frame is used to fix the glue delivery tube, so that the glue delivery tube is connected to the glue applicator 23 along the top of the support arm 21 and delivers glue. One end of the support arm 21 is connected to a mounting bracket 22, and one side of the mounting bracket 22 is connected to the glue applicator 23.
[0020] The top of the worktable 2 is connected to a protective seat 24. When not in use, the applicator 23 is placed in the protective seat 24. When the applicator 23 is not working, it will move to the protective seat 24 and insert the applicator head into the protective seat 24. This can seal the applicator opening, prevent dust and impurities from entering the nozzle, and prevent the photoresist from drying and clogging at the nozzle, thus ensuring the cleanliness of the applicator 23 and the coating accuracy for the next use.
[0021] The bottom of the cabinet 1 is equipped with several drive mechanisms, which are respectively connected to the vacuum chuck 4, the turntable 13, and the bearing plate 17. The drive mechanisms drive the vacuum chuck 4 to lift and rotate. In addition, they drive the turntable 13 to rotate and also drive the bearing plate 17 to lift. The drive mechanisms are conventional lifting and rotating mechanisms, which are known technologies. Those skilled in the art can and should understand their specific functions and structures, so they will not be described in detail here.
[0022] When using this utility model: First, during the photoresist coating process on the silicon wafer, the stage 16 receives and lifts the silicon wafer that has been cleaned in the previous step. The drive mechanism drives the turntable 13 to rotate, so that the stage 16 rotates to face the coating cylinder 3. Then, the output end of the cylinder 15 pushes the stage 16 to move the silicon wafer above the vacuum chuck 4. At the same time, the drive mechanism also drives the vacuum chuck 4 to rise and contact the bottom of the silicon wafer. At this time, the vacuum chuck 4 starts to firmly fix the silicon wafer on the surface through vacuum suction force. Then, the stage 16 separates from the silicon wafer and resets. Subsequently, the drive mechanism drives the vacuum chuck 4 to descend and reset, and the scraper 7 is adjusted to be above the edge of the vacuum chuck 4. The distance between the scraper 7 and the vacuum chuck 4 is the working range of the scraper 7 to remove excess photoresist. Secondly, the drive mechanism drives the support plate 17 to rise, and at the same time, the output end of the motor 21 drives the rotating block 20 and the support arm 21 to rotate, rotating the photoresist applicator 23 to above the center of the silicon wafer 25. The drive mechanism then drives the support plate 17 to fall, so that the photoresist applicator 23 is close to the silicon wafer. The photoresist applicator 23 accurately drips the photoresist onto the surface of the silicon wafer. With the rotation of the silicon wafer driven by the vacuum chuck 4, the photoresist is evenly spread into a film on the surface of the silicon wafer under the action of centrifugal force. Simultaneously, the output of motor 8 drives the lever 6 to rotate, which in turn drives the scraper blade 7 to rotate, thereby adjusting the position of the scraper blade 7. Specifically, during the process of placing the silicon wafer into the vacuum chuck 4, because the vacuum chuck 4 needs to be raised and lowered, the scraper blade 7 needs to be rotated and adjusted into the cover 5 to avoid interfering with the normal operation of the vacuum chuck 4. More specifically, after the vacuum chuck 4 lowers and resets the silicon wafer, the scraper blade 7 is rotated and adjusted to be above the edge of the silicon wafer. In this way, when the silicon wafer is coated with photoresist, the scraper blade 7 can treat the edge beads (when the photoresist is spin-coated on the silicon wafer, a thick layer of photoresist is easily formed at the edge of the silicon wafer due to centrifugal force and surface tension). Furthermore, the scraper blade 7 is inclined and set at the outer edge of the silicon wafer, which can remove the excess photoresist layer at the edge of the silicon wafer while guiding and cleaning the excess photoresist, preventing excess photoresist from accumulating at the overlap between the scraper blade and the silicon wafer, thereby improving the uniformity of photoresist coating on the silicon wafer. Finally, after processing a certain number of silicon wafers, the scraper blade 7 is processed. Specifically, after the photoresist coating of the silicon wafer is completed, the scraper blade 7 rotates into the mask 5. Subsequently, the coated silicon wafer is transported to the next process, and the stage 16 transfers the silicon wafer to be coated. During this process, the spray head 10 in the mask 5 sprays a mixed solvent of isopropanol and photoresist-specific thinner from the solvent tube 9. The combination of the two can greatly improve the dissolution efficiency and effectively dissolve and clean the photoresist adhering to the outside of the scraper blade. Then, in conjunction with hot air drying, the hot air nozzle 11 blows hot air from the hot air tube 12 toward the scraper blade 7, which can quickly remove solvent residue, ensure that the surface of the scraper blade 7 is clean and dry, and ensure the accuracy and stability of its continuous operation.
[0023] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the protection scope of the present invention, which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A photoresist coating apparatus for acid etching of silicon wafers, comprising a cabinet (1) and a worktable (2) connected to the top of the cabinet (1), characterized in that: The top of the workbench (2) is connected to a coating cylinder (3), and a vacuum chuck (4) is provided inside the coating cylinder (3). Two covers (5) are connected to one side of the coating cylinder (3). A clamping rod (6) is rotatably connected to one side of the cover (5). A scraping knife (7) is connected to the bottom of the clamping rod (6). A motor (8) is connected to the top of the cover (5). The output end of the motor (8) is connected to the top of the clamping rod (6). A solvent pipe (9) is connected to one side of the cover (5), and a spray head (10) is connected to one end of the solvent pipe (9). Several hot air nozzles (11) are connected to the side of the cover (5), and a hot air pipe (12) is connected to one side of the several hot air nozzles (11). Both the solvent pipe (9) and the hot air pipe (12) pass through the workbench (2) and are connected to the supply equipment.
2. The photoresist coating apparatus for acid etching of silicon wafers according to claim 1, characterized in that: A silicon wafer (25) is placed on top of the vacuum chuck (4), and the scraper (7) is positioned above the silicon wafer (25).
3. The photoresist coating apparatus for acid etching of silicon wafers according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the workbench (2) is connected to a turntable (13), one side of the turntable (13) is connected to a support frame (14), one side of the support frame (14) is connected to a cylinder (15), and the output end of the cylinder (15) passes through the support frame (14) and is connected to a support platform (16).
4. The photoresist coating apparatus for acid etching of silicon wafers according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the workbench (2) is connected to a support plate (17), the top of the support plate (17) is connected to a round shell (18), a second motor (19) is installed inside the round shell (18), and a rotating block (20) is connected to the output end of the second motor (19).
5. The photoresist coating apparatus for acid etching of silicon wafers according to claim 4, characterized in that: The top of the rotating block (20) is connected to a support arm (21), one end of the support arm (21) is connected to a mounting bracket (22), and one side of the mounting bracket (22) is connected to an adhesive applicator (23).
6. The photoresist coating apparatus for acid etching of silicon wafers according to claim 5, characterized in that: The top of the workbench (2) is connected to a protective seat (24), and the glue applicator (23) is placed in the protective seat (24) when not in use.
7. The photoresist coating apparatus for acid etching of silicon wafers according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the cabinet (1) is provided with several driving mechanisms, which are respectively connected to the vacuum chuck (4), the turntable (13), and the bearing plate (17).