Wafer processing apparatus and processing method

Abstract

To provide a wafer processing apparatus and a wafer processing method.SOLUTION: A wafer processing apparatus includes a processing tank 10 that contains a wafer processing liquid, a support group 11 including a plurality of support portions 11a, 11b that can support a wafer 14 in an upright position, and an operating system 12 that is connected to each of the plurality of support portions and drives cooperative operation between the plurality of support portions, and the support portions have contact surfaces that contact the wafer, and the contact surface of at least one support portion can be brought into contact with the wafer by driving the operating system, and the area where the contact surface of the at least one support portion intersects with the liquid surface during the process of the wafer entering the processing liquid by driving the operating system is spaced from the wafer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and more particularly to wafer processing equipment and methods. [Background technology]

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, wet cleaning and wet etching technologies are particularly important for improving chip yields and wafer recycling rates. However, when wet cleaning or wet etching is performed by supporting a wafer on a support structure and moving it into a processing tank, air bubbles are likely to form where the wafer comes into contact with the support structure, resulting in insufficient cleaning or etching and ultimately in the generation of defects. Summary of the Invention

[0003] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a wafer processing apparatus and processing method for improving the occurrence of defects on the wafer surface due to insufficient cleaning or etching of the wafer.

[0004] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a wafer processing apparatus, the wafer processing apparatus including a processing vessel, a support group, and an operation system, the processing tank is used to contain a wafer processing liquid; the support group includes a plurality of support parts capable of independently or in common supporting the wafer in an upright state, the support parts having contact surfaces that come into contact with the wafer when supporting the wafer; the motion system is connected to each of the plurality of support parts and is used to drive a cooperative motion between the plurality of support parts; a contact surface of at least one of the supports can be brought into contact with the wafer by actuation of the motion system; An area where a contact surface of at least one of the supports intersects with a liquid surface during entry of the wafer into the processing liquid by the actuation of the motion system can be spaced apart from the wafer.

[0005] A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a wafer processing method, comprising: adding a wafer processing solution into the processing bath; Supporting the wafer in an upright position by a support group, the support group including a plurality of support parts each connected to an operating system, the plurality of support parts being capable of supporting the wafer independently or in common, the support parts having contact surfaces in contact with the wafer when supporting the wafer; A wafer processing method including driving a plurality of the supports to move in a coordinated manner with each other by the motion system, thereby moving the wafer into the wafer processing liquid, In entering the wafer into the wafer processing fluid, a contact surface of at least one of the supports is in contact with the wafer as actuated by the motion system; An area where a contact surface of at least one of the supports intersects with a liquid surface during entry of the wafer into the processing liquid by actuation of the motion system is spaced from the wafer.

[0006] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of support parts include a first support part and a second support part provided on both opposing sides of the first support part, and a horizontal height of the second support part is configured to be higher than a horizontal height of the first support part when the first support part and the second support part commonly support the wafer; A region where a contact surface of the first support intersects with a liquid surface during a process of the wafer entering the processing liquid by driving the operation system can be in a state separated from the wafer, and a contact surface of the second support can be in a state of contact with the wafer by driving the operation system; The area where the contact surface of the second support part intersects with the liquid surface as the wafer enters the processing liquid by driving the operating system can be spaced away from the wafer, and the contact surface of the first support part can be in contact with the wafer by driving the operating system.

[0007] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the operating system comprises: a drive mechanism, a first lifting mechanism, and a second lifting mechanism; the first lifting mechanism is connected to the drive mechanism and the first support portion, and is used to move the first support portion along a vertical direction by being driven by the drive mechanism; The second lifting mechanism is connected to the drive mechanism and all of the second support parts, and is used to synchronously move all of the second support parts along the vertical direction by driving the drive mechanism.

[0008] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the motion system further includes a horizontal movement mechanism; The horizontal movement mechanism is connected to the drive mechanism, the first lifting mechanism, and the second lifting mechanism, and the horizontal movement mechanism can horizontally move the first lifting mechanism, the first support part, the second lifting mechanism, and the second support part in a horizontal direction by being driven by the drive mechanism.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, two second supports are provided and are located at the same horizontal height.

[0010] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the support portion comprises: A support rod; A plurality of restraining walls are formed on an upper portion of the support rod and are arranged at intervals along an extension direction of the support rod, A restraining groove is formed between each pair of adjacent restraining walls and the support rod, and the wafer is inserted into the restraining groove.

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the support further includes a buffer layer encasing the constraining wall, the buffer layer having a hardness less than a hardness of the constraining wall.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the wafer processing apparatus further includes an overflow collection tank and a liquid supply system; the overflow collection tank is provided with the processing tank, and an inner tank wall of the overflow collection tank is provided with a gap between it and an outer tank wall of the processing tank, and is used to collect wafer processing liquid that has overflowed into the processing tank; The liquid supply system includes a liquid supply tank, a liquid supply line, and a liquid supply pump connected to the liquid supply line, one end of the liquid supply line being connected to the processing tank and the other end being connected to the liquid supply tank, the liquid supply tank being used to store wafer processing liquid, and the liquid supply pump being used to pressure-pump the wafer processing liquid in the liquid supply tank into the processing tank via the liquid supply line.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the wafer processing apparatus further includes a liquid return system, the liquid return system includes a concentration detector, a liquid return line, and a liquid return pump; the concentration detector is provided in the overflow collection tank and is used to detect concentration information of the wafer processing liquid in the overflow collection tank; One end of the liquid return line is connected to the overflow recovery tank, and the other end is connected to the liquid supply tank, The liquid return pump is connected to the liquid return line and the concentration detector, and is used to pressure-pump the wafer processing liquid recovered in the overflow recovery tank to the liquid supply tank via the liquid return line when the concentration information detected by the concentration detector meets the target concentration range.

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the liquid return system further comprises a feeder; The feeder is connected to the concentration detector, and the feeder is used to add a corresponding material into the overflow collection tank when the concentration information detected by the concentration detector does not meet a target concentration range, and to stop adding the corresponding material into the overflow collection tank when the concentration information detected by the concentration detector meets the target concentration range.

[0015] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure have at least the following advantages:

[0016] By the operating system and the multiple supports working together, the wafer is supported in an upright position by the supports throughout the entire process, while at the same time the area where the contact surface of at least one of the supports intersects with the liquid surface during the process of the wafer entering the wafer processing liquid by the operating system can be kept separated from the wafer, thereby allowing the position of the wafer that has left the support to enter the wafer processing liquid without any contact points, improving the situation where defects are likely to occur at the points where the wafer and the supports come into contact and the wafer is difficult to sufficiently clean or wet etch. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] The drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of this specification, are adapted to the embodiments of the present disclosure, and are used together with the specification to interpret the principles of the present disclosure. It is apparent that the drawings in the following description are merely some embodiments of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts. [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between a wafer processing apparatus and a wafer processing liquid according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams illustrating the configuration of a first support section or a second support section according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 6A to 6C are schematic diagrams illustrating the configuration of a first support section or a second support section according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 11 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between a wafer processing apparatus, a wafer, and a wafer processing liquid according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Diagram 5] 13 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between a wafer processing apparatus, a wafer, and a wafer processing liquid according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 6]1A-1C are schematic diagrams illustrating the relative positions of the wafer processing equipment, wafers, and wafer processing fluids upon completion of different steps in a wafer processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams illustrating the relative positions of the wafer processing equipment, wafers, and wafer processing fluids upon completion of different steps in a wafer processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams illustrating the relative positions of the wafer processing equipment, wafers, and wafer processing fluids upon completion of different steps in a wafer processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams illustrating the relative positions of the wafer processing equipment, wafers, and wafer processing fluids upon completion of different steps in a wafer processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams illustrating the relative positions of the wafer processing equipment, wafers, and wafer processing fluids upon completion of different steps in a wafer processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams illustrating the relative positions of the wafer processing equipment, wafers, and wafer processing fluids upon completion of different steps in a wafer processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams illustrating the relative positions of the wafer processing equipment, wafers, and wafer processing fluids upon completion of different steps in a wafer processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams illustrating the relative positions of the wafer processing equipment, wafers, and wafer processing fluids upon completion of different steps in a wafer processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0018] 10. Treatment tank; 11, support group, 11a, first support portion, 11b, second support portion, 110, support rod, 111, restraining wall, 112, restraining groove, 1120, guide groove segment, 1121, position limiting groove segment, 113, buffer layer, 12, operation system, 120, drive mechanism, 121, first lifting mechanism, 122, second lifting mechanism, 123, horizontal movement mechanism, 13. Wafer processing fluid 14, wafer, 15. Overflow collection tank 16, liquid supply system, 160, liquid supply tank, 161, liquid supply line, 162, liquid supply pump 17, liquid return system, 170, concentration detector, 171, liquid return line, 172, liquid return pump, 173, feeder, X, horizontal; Z, vertical. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. However, the exemplary embodiments can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the examples set forth herein, but rather, these embodiments are provided to make the present application more complete and complete, and to comprehensively convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art.

[0020] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present application. However, one skilled in the art will recognize that the technical means of the present application may actually be implemented without one or more of the specific details, or may employ other methods, components, devices, steps, etc. In other instances, well-known methods, devices, implementations, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the present application.

[0021] The present application will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings and specific examples. Note that the technical features of each embodiment of the present application described below can be combined with each other as long as they are not inconsistent with each other. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are illustrative and are intended to interpret the present application, and should not be understood as limitations on the present application.

[0022] In semiconductor manufacturing processes, it is generally necessary to support a wafer by a support structure and enter the processing tank to perform a wet cleaning or wet etching process, but the wafer surface and the support structure surface are made of different materials. For example, the wafer surface contains hydrophilic materials such as silicon, silicon oxide, and silicon nitride, while the support structure often uses hydrophobic materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene (abbreviated as PTFE) for its surface layer to prevent corrosion by chemicals (hydrofluoric acid, ammonium fluoride, etc.). However, at the moment the wafer enters the wafer processing solution in the processing tank, fine bubbles are likely to be generated at the point where the wafer and the support structure come into contact, and these fine bubbles can damage the edge of the wafer, generating particles, and H, a by-product of the chemical reaction, etc. 2 SiF 6 , Si(OH) 4 etc., are likely to adhere to the wafer, which makes surface defects more likely to occur. In addition, microscopic air bubbles may adhere to the wafer surface, which may result in insufficient cleaning of the contact points between the wafer and the support structure or insufficient wet etching, thereby affecting the manufacturing yield of subsequent products.

[0023] The embodiment of the present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above problems, and provides a wafer processing apparatus including at least a processing bath 10, a support group 11, and an operation system 12, as shown in FIG.

[0024] The processing tank 10 is used to contain a wafer processing liquid 13, which may be deionized water or a chemical liquid for performing processes such as cleaning and etching of the wafer 14. For example, the chemical liquid may be DHF (Diluted HF, a diluted hydrofluoric acid liquid), BHF (Buffered HF, a buffered hydrofluoric acid liquid), SPM (Sulfuric acid H 2 SO 4 , hydrogen peroxide H 2 O 2 and deionized water), SC1 (ammonia water NH 4 OH, hydrogen peroxide H 2 O 2and deionized water), SC2 (hydrochloric acid HCl, hydrogen peroxide H 2 O 2 and deionized water), phosphoric acid H 3 PO 4 etc.

[0025] The support group 11 may include a plurality of support parts, each of which can independently or commonly support the wafer 14 in an upright state, and each support part has a contact surface that contacts the wafer 14 when supporting the wafer 14. Here, the upright state is understood to mean a state in which the axial direction of the wafer 14 is perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to the vertical direction Z, and the upright state is understood to mean a direction in which the axial direction of the wafer 14 is parallel or approximately parallel to the horizontal direction X.

[0026] The motion system 12 may be connected to each of the multiple supports and is used to drive coordinated motion between the multiple supports such that the wafer 14 can be moved relative to the wafer processing fluid 13 .

[0027] Among these, the contact surface of at least one of the supports can be brought into contact with the wafer 14 by the drive of the operation system 12. The region where the contact surface of the at least one of the supports intersects with the liquid surface during the process of entering the wafer processing liquid by the drive of the operation system can be separated from the wafer, that is, the operation system 12 and the support group 11 (i.e., the multiple supports) cooperate with each other, so that the wafer 14 is supported in an upright state by the supports throughout the entire process, and the region where the contact surface of the at least one of the supports intersects with the liquid surface during the process of entering the wafer processing liquid 13 by the drive of the operation system 12 can be separated from the wafer 14, so that the portion of the wafer 14 that has left the support can be made to enter the wafer processing liquid 13 without a contact point, thereby improving the situation where defects are likely to occur at the portion where the wafer 14 and the support contact each other, making it difficult to perform cleaning or wet etching sufficiently.

[0028] It should be noted that the above overall process may include: inserting the wafer 14 into the wafer processing solution 13, processing the wafer 14 in the wafer processing solution 13, and exiting the wafer 14 from the wafer processing solution 13 after processing. Hereinafter, the multiple supports in the support group of the present disclosure will be specifically described by taking as an example a first support 11a and a second support 11b.

[0029] In this embodiment, the horizontal height of the second support portion 11b is configured to be higher than the horizontal height of the first support portion 11a when the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b commonly support the wafer 14. In other words, when the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b commonly support the wafer 14, the point on the wafer 14 that comes into contact with the first support portion 11a is closer to the center of the wafer 14 in the vertical direction Z than the point on the wafer 14 that comes into contact with the second support portion 11b.

[0030] In addition, the horizontal height in this disclosure refers to the distance between an object (e.g., a support) and the horizontal ground in the vertical direction Z. Also, a portion of the wafer 14 that is in contact with the contact surface of the first support 11a can be defined as a first contact portion, and a portion of the wafer 14 that is in contact with the contact surface of the second support 11b can be defined as a second contact portion.

[0031] The operation system 12 can be connected to the first support 11a and the second support 11b, and can independently move and drive the first support 11a and the second support 11b to independently raise and lower the wafer 14 so as to move it into and out of the wafer processing liquid 13. That is, the lifting positions and lifting speeds of the first support 11a and the second support 11b may be independent of each other and may be individually controlled by the operation system 12.

[0032] Here, the region where the contact surface of the first support 11a intersects with the liquid surface during the process of entering the wafer processing liquid 13 driven by the operation system 12 can be in a state separated from the wafer 14, and the contact surface of the second support 11b can be in a state of contact with the wafer so as to play a role of supporting the wafer 14 in an upright state when the contact surface of the first support 11a and the first contact portion of the wafer 14 are separated by the operation system 12. The region where the contact surface of the second support 11b intersects with the liquid surface during the process of entering the wafer processing liquid 13 driven by the operation system 12 can be in a state of separation from the wafer 14, and the contact surface of the first support 11a can be in a state of contact with the wafer so as to play a role of supporting the wafer 14 in an upright state when the contact surface of the second support 11b and the second contact portion of the wafer 14 are separated by the operation system 12.

[0033] In addition, the contact surface of the support may be moved to a position spaced apart from the contact portion of the wafer 14 when the operating system 12 drives the support to move downward in the vertical direction Y, or may be moved to a position spaced apart from the contact portion of the wafer 14 when the operating system 12 drives the support to move in the horizontal direction X, and is not limited to these two forms. It is sufficient to ensure that the area where the contact surface of the support intersects with the liquid surface during the process of entering the wafer processing liquid 13 by the operating system is spaced apart from the wafer 14, and so no further explanation will be given here.

[0034] It should be understood that in order for the support to generally have a certain rigidity and be difficult to deform, and to form a stable support, the region where the contact surface of the support intersects with the liquid surface during the process of entering the wafer processing liquid 13 by the driving of the operating system can be in a state separated from the wafer 14, and the entire separated support can be detached from the wafer 14. It should be understood that when the support group includes multiple supports connected together, even if the contact surfaces of the multiple supports form a continuous surface, the different supports each have a different contact surface.

[0035] In this embodiment, the horizontal height of the second support portion 11b is configured to be higher than the horizontal height of the first support portion 11a when the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b commonly support the wafer 14. In other words, the first contact portion of the wafer 14 is lower than the second contact portion of the wafer 14. Therefore, by driving the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b to move correspondingly by the operating system 12, the first contact portion and the second contact portion of the wafer 14 can be sequentially inserted into the wafer processing liquid 13 without any contact points. This improves the situation in which bubbles are formed due to the difference in materials between the wafer 14 and the support portion, making it easy for defects to occur on the surface of the wafer 14. Furthermore, it improves the situation in which cleaning or wet etching is not performed sufficiently at the contact point due to the wafer 14 coming into contact with the support portion, i.e., the situation in which defects are easy to occur at the point where the wafer 14 comes into contact with the support portion, making it difficult to perform cleaning or wet etching.

[0036] In addition, the wafer processing step may be performed after the wafer 14 is completely immersed in the wafer processing solution 13. In the wafer processing step, the first support 11a and the second support 11b sequentially support the wafer 14, so that the first contact portion and the second contact portion of the wafer 14 can be alternately brought into sufficient contact with the wafer processing solution 13 without any contact points. This can further improve a situation where the contact portion between the wafer 14 and the support is narrow and the contact portion is not sufficiently cleaned or wet etched, i.e., a situation where the portion where the wafer 14 contacts the support is difficult to be sufficiently cleaned or wet etched. In one embodiment, by repeating this alternate support operation, a sufficient contact cycle with the wafer processing solution 13 can be formed.

[0037] Here, the method without a contact point means that the contact portion of the wafer 14 is separated from the contact surface of the corresponding support portion when it enters the wafer processing liquid 13. Specifically, the operation system 12 first drives at least one of the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b to move in the vertical direction Z, thereby separating the contact surface of the first support portion 11a from the first contact portion of the wafer 14, and at this time, the first contact portion of the wafer 14 is in a state without a contact point, while the contact surface of the second support portion 11b comes into contact with the second contact portion of the wafer 14. Thereafter, the operation system 12 drives the second support portion 11b to move downward in the vertical direction Z, and the first contact portion of the wafer 14 can enter the wafer processing liquid 13 without a contact point. Thereafter, the operating system 12 drives at least one of the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b to move in the vertical direction Z, so that the second support portion 11b moves away from the second contact portion of the wafer 14, and at this time, the second contact portion of the wafer 14 is in a state without a contact point, while the first support portion 11a comes into contact with the first contact portion of the wafer 14.As a result, the operating system 12 drives the first support portion 11a to move downward, so that the second contact portion of the wafer 14 can enter the wafer processing liquid 13 in a state without a contact point.

[0038] In addition, when the operating system 12 drives the second support portion 11b to move downward so that the first contact portion of the wafer 14 enters the wafer processing liquid 13 without a contact point, the first support portion 11a may be moved downward by the operating system 12 or may be kept stationary, as long as it is guaranteed that the first contact portion of the wafer 14 enters the wafer processing liquid 13 without a contact point. Similarly, when the operating system 12 drives the first support portion 11a to move downward so that the second contact portion of the wafer 14 enters the wafer processing liquid 13 without a contact point, the second support portion 11b may be moved downward by the operating system 12 or may be kept stationary, as long as it is guaranteed that the second contact portion of the wafer 14 enters the wafer processing liquid 13 without a contact point.

[0039] In this embodiment, the wafer 14 is supported by the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b, and the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b are moved independently by driving the operating system 12, so that the wafer 14 is supported by one of the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b, and the other can be detached from the wafer 14.This allows the portion of the wafer 14 that has been detached from the support portion to come into contact with the wafer processing liquid 13 in the processing tank 10 without any contact points, and improves the situation where defects are likely to occur at the portion where the wafer 14 comes into contact with the support portion, making it difficult to perform cleaning or wet etching sufficiently.

[0040] For example, there may be multiple second support portions 11b, which may be provided on opposite sides of the first support portion 11a, and when the contact surface of the first support portion 11a and the first contact portion of the wafer 14 are separated, the multiple second support portions 11b may cooperate to stably support the wafer 14.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1, two second supports 11b can be provided and positioned at the same horizontal height, which can ensure that the supporting forces received by both sides of the wafer 14 are more balanced and ensure the supporting stability of the wafer 14.

[0042] There may be one first support part 11a, but when there is one first support part 11a, the first support part 11a and the wafer 14 are in surface contact with each other and the center of the wafer 14 is orthogonally projected onto the central region of the first support part 11a so as to ensure that the first support part 11a can independently and stably support the wafer 14 when the second support part 11b is separated from the wafer 14, i.e., the lowest point of the wafer 14 is supported by the central region of the first support part 11a, but this is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of first support parts 11a may be provided, such as three as shown in FIG. 1. By arranging the plurality of first support parts 11a at intervals in the circumferential direction of the wafer 14, the wafer 14 can be supported at multiple points, and the cooperation of the plurality of first support parts 11a can stably support the wafer 14.

[0043] The number of first support portions 11a is not limited to three as shown in FIG. 1, and may be one, two, four, or the like.

[0044] In this embodiment, the support part may include a support rod 110 and a plurality of restraining walls 111, and the plurality of restraining walls 111 may be formed on the upper part of the support rod 110 and spaced apart in the extending direction of the support rod 110. Here, restraining grooves 112 are formed between the support rod 110 and two adjacent restraining walls 111, into which the wafer 14 is inserted and for restraining the movement of the wafer 14 in the axial direction, and the cooperation between the support rod 110 and the restraining walls 111 can further ensure the stability of the support of the wafer 14 by the support part.

[0045] For example, by making the number of restraint walls 111 in the support portion three or more, two or more restraint grooves 112 can be formed, and multiple wafers 14 can be supported and simultaneously entered into the processing tank 10 for batch processing. In other words, the wafer processing apparatus in this embodiment can be a wafer batch processing device that can improve throughput and reduce manufacturing costs.

[0046] In one alternative solution, as shown in FIG. 2, in the direction from the tip of the restraint groove 112 to its bottom end, the groove width of the restraint groove 112 in the extension direction of the support rod 110 (also referred to as the axial direction of the wafer 14) gradually becomes smaller, that is, the restraint groove 112 may be a V-shaped restraint groove, which not only performs an axial restraint function on the wafer 14, but also facilitates smooth insertion of the wafer 14, and reduces the contact area between the restraint wall 111 and the wafer 14, thereby further reducing the wear rate of the wafer 14.

[0047] In another optional solution, as shown in FIG. 3 , the constraint groove 112 may include a guide groove segment 1120 and a position limiting groove segment 1121 connected to each other, the guide groove segment 1120 is located on the side of the position limiting groove segment 1121 away from the support rod 110, where in the direction from the tip of the constraint groove 112 to its bottom end, the guide groove segment 1120 has a groove width along the extension direction of the support rod 110 that gradually decreases, and in the direction from the tip of the constraint groove 112 to its bottom end, the position limiting groove segment 1121 has a groove width equal to that along the extension direction of the support rod 110, the guide groove segment 1120 is mainly used to facilitate the smooth insertion of the wafer 14, and the position limiting groove segment 1121 mainly plays the role of axially constraining the wafer 14 to better ensure that the wafer 14 is in an upright supporting state.

[0048] Furthermore, the height of the position limiting groove segment 1121 may be 3 mm or less, for example, 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, etc., which can axially restrain the wafer 14 while reducing the contact area between the restraining wall 111 and the wafer 14, thereby reducing the wear rate of the wafer 14.

[0049] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, in addition to the above-mentioned support rod 110, the support part further includes a buffer layer 113 that encases the restraint wall 111, and the hardness of this buffer layer 113 is smaller than the hardness of the restraint wall 111, thereby ensuring the support capacity of the support part while reducing the wear rate when the wafer 14 is inserted into the restraint groove 112.

[0050] The buffer layer 113 is not limited to enveloping the restraining walls 111, but may envelop the support rods 110 as well. In this way, damage caused when the wafer 14 collides with and comes into contact with the support rods 110 can also be reduced.

[0051] For example, in this embodiment, the constraint wall 111 and the support rod 110 may be an integral structure to ensure the structural stability of the support part. Here, the material of the support rod 110 and the constraint wall 111 may include, but is not limited to, quartz, and the material of the buffer layer 113 may include, but is not limited to, polytetrafluoroethylene, which can provide a buffering ability and at the same time, can play a role in protecting the support rod 110 and the constraint wall 111, and prevent the support rod 110 and the constraint wall 111 from being corroded by the wafer processing solution 13.

[0052] It should be understood that all of the support parts in the support group 11 are located in an area below the center of the wafer 14 (i.e., an area closer to the bottom of the processing tank 10 than the center of the wafer 14) in order to ensure the support performance of the support parts.

[0053] In addition, the multiple support parts in the support group 11 are not limited to the first support part 11a and the second support part 11b described above, and the configuration and number of the first support part 11a and the second support part 11b are not limited to those described above. In this embodiment, the first support part 11a and the second support part 11b can also be designed as an openable and closable jaw structure. In this way, when one support part detaches from the wafer 14 and no longer supports it, the other support part can clamp the wafer 14 to ensure its support stability.

[0054] In this embodiment, the operation system 12 may include a driving mechanism 120, a first lifting mechanism 121, and a second lifting mechanism 122. The first lifting mechanism 121 may be connected to the driving mechanism 120 and the first support unit 11a, and the first lifting mechanism 121 is used to move the first support unit 11a along the vertical direction Z by being driven by the driving mechanism 120. The second lifting mechanism 122 may be connected to the drive mechanism 120 and each second support portion 11b, and the second lifting mechanism 122 moves all the second support portions 11b synchronously along the vertical direction Z by driving the drive mechanism 120, i.e., each of the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b is matched to the lifting mechanism and moved along the vertical direction Z, thereby reducing the difficulty of the drive mechanism 120 driving the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b, respectively, and the same set of support portions may be connected to the same lifting mechanism, i.e., multiple second support portions 11b are connected to the same second lifting mechanism 122, further simplifying the drive design of the drive mechanism 120.

[0055] The driving mechanism 120 in this embodiment may be a driving controller such as a one-chip microcomputer, and the configuration thereof will not be described here, but it is sufficient if it can drive the first lifting mechanism 121 and the second lifting mechanism 122 to perform the corresponding operation (i.e., the wafer processing method in the embodiment described later). The first lifting mechanism 121 and the second lifting mechanism 122 may include a screw rod lifting mechanism, a rack and pinion lifting mechanism, etc., and are not particularly limited here, and it is sufficient if the support part can be moved along the vertical direction Z by driving the driving mechanism 120.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 4, the operating system 12 may further include a horizontal movement mechanism 123, which may be connected to the driving mechanism 120, the first lifting mechanism 121, and the second lifting mechanism 122. The horizontal movement mechanism 123 may be driven by the driving mechanism 120 to horizontally move the first lifting mechanism 121, the first support unit 11a, the second lifting mechanism 122, and the second support unit 11b along the horizontal direction X. With this design, the horizontal movement mechanism 123 may horizontally move the entire processed wafer 14 from above the processing tank 10, so that the next work flow is not disrupted. Alternatively, the unprocessed wafer 14 may be placed on the support group at another position first, and then moved to above the processing tank 10 by the horizontal movement mechanism 123 to improve the production processing tact time.

[0057] Similarly, in this embodiment, the horizontal movement mechanism 123 is not particularly limited as long as it can realize the function of horizontally moving the first lifting mechanism 121, the first support portion 11a, the second lifting mechanism 122, and the second support portion 11b as a whole.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 5, the wafer processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may further include an overflow collection tank 15 and a liquid supply system 16. The processing tank 10 is installed in the overflow collection tank 15, and the inner tank wall of the overflow collection tank 15 is installed at a distance from the outer tank wall of the processing tank 10, and is used to collect the wafer processing liquid 13 that has overflowed in the processing tank 10. The liquid supply system 16 may include a liquid supply tank 160, a liquid supply line 161, and a liquid supply pump 162 connected to the liquid supply line 161, one end of the liquid supply line 161 is connected to the processing tank 10 and the other end is connected to the liquid supply tank 160, the liquid supply tank 160 stores the wafer processing liquid 13, and the liquid supply pump 162 pumps the wafer processing liquid 13 in the liquid supply tank 160 into the processing tank 10 via the liquid supply line 161.

[0059] In this embodiment, by providing a liquid supply system 16 that supplies wafer processing liquid 13 into processing tank 10, the wafer processing liquid 13 in processing tank 10 can be constantly kept in an overflow state during wafer processing. As a result, the wafer processing liquid in processing tank 10 flows and is constantly renewed, stabilizing the components and concentrations to improve the effectiveness of the cleaning or wet etching process of wafers 14. Also, by providing an overflow recovery tank 15 that recovers overflowed wafer processing liquid 13, pollution of the work environment can be avoided.

[0060] It should be understood that the fluid supply system 16 can provide an overflow condition for the wafer processing fluid in the processing tank 10 not only during wafer processing, but also during the process of introducing the wafer 14 into the wafer processing fluid.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 5, the wafer processing apparatus may further include a liquid return system 17, which may include a concentration detector 170, a liquid return line 171 and a liquid return pump 172. The concentration detector 170 may be provided in the overflow collection tank 15 and is used to detect concentration information of the wafer processing liquid 13 in the overflow collection tank 15. One end of the liquid return line 171 is connected to the overflow collection tank 15 and the other end is connected to the liquid supply tank 160. The liquid return pump 172 is connected to the liquid return line 171 and the concentration detector 170. When the concentration information detected by the concentration detector 170 meets the target concentration range, the liquid return pump 172 pumps the wafer processing liquid 13 recovered in the overflow recovery tank 15 to the liquid supply tank 160 via the liquid return line 171, thereby realizing the recovery of the wafer processing liquid 13 and reducing costs, while at the same time avoiding the liquid in the liquid supply tank 160 not reaching the standard value due to the concentration of the recovered wafer processing liquid 13 not reaching the standard value, ensuring that the wafer processing liquid 13 sent by the liquid supply tank 160 to the processing tank 10 always meets the requirements, and improving the processing effect of the wafers 14.

[0062] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the liquid return system 17 further includes a feeder 173 connected to the concentration detector 170, which is used to add the corresponding material into the overflow collection tank 15 when the concentration information detected by the concentration detector 170 does not meet the target concentration range, and to stop adding the corresponding material into the overflow collection tank 15 when the concentration information detected by the concentration detector 170 meets the target concentration range, thereby improving the recycling rate of the wafer processing liquid 13 and enabling the wafer processing liquid 13 to be in a circulating use state throughout the wafer processing apparatus.

[0063] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the wafer processing liquid 13 in the processing tank 10 may not overflow during the entire process as long as it can efficiently clean and etch the wafers. It should be understood that if it does not overflow, the design of the structures such as the liquid return pipe 171 and the liquid return pump 172 in the overflow collection tank 15 and the liquid return system 17 may be omitted in some cases.

[0064] Based on the wafer processing apparatus described in any of the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a wafer processing method, which includes at least step S1, step S2 and step S3, and each step is described in detail below.

[0065] In step S 1 , the wafer processing fluid 13 is added to the processing bath 10 .

[0066] For example, after it is decided to place the processing tank 10 in the above-mentioned overflow collection tank 15, the wafer processing liquid 13 can be added to the processing tank 10 by the above-mentioned liquid supply system so that the wafer processing liquid 13 in the processing tank 10 is in an overflow state at least during the processing stage of the wafers 14, thereby making the wafer processing liquid 13 in the processing tank 10 fluid and improving the cleaning or etching effect of the wafers 14.

[0067] It should be understood that the wafer processing liquid 13 in the processing tank 10 is not limited to being in an overflow state during the processing stage of the wafers 14, but in some cases may be in an overflow state during the inflow stage, outflow stage, etc. of the wafers 14.

[0068] In step S2, the wafer 14 is supported in an upright state by the above-mentioned support group 11. For example, before the start of the stage of entering the wafer processing liquid 13 (i.e., the stage of the wafer 14 entering the liquid), the wafer 14 may be supported in common by all of the supports in the support group 11 to stand up above the wafer processing liquid 13, or the wafer 14 may be supported in an upright state above the wafer processing liquid 13 by some of the supports in the support group 11.

[0069] In step S3, the coordinated operation between the multiple supports is driven by the above-mentioned operating system 12 to cause the wafer 14 to enter the wafer processing liquid 13, whereby in causing the wafer 14 to enter the wafer processing liquid 13, the contact surface of at least one support is in contact with the wafer 14 by driving the operating system 12, and the area where the contact surface of the at least one support intersects with the liquid surface during the process of the wafer 14 entering the wafer processing liquid by driving the operating system is spaced away from the wafer.

[0070] Of these, at least two of the support parts are positioned at different horizontal heights when commonly supporting the wafer 14, and the areas where the contact surfaces of each support part intersect with the liquid surface during the process of the wafer entering the processing liquid 13 by being driven by the operating system 12 are all spaced apart from the wafer 14.

[0071] The wafer processing method will be described in detail below by taking as an example a case where the plurality of supports in the support group 11 include the above-mentioned first support 11a and second support 11b.

[0072] In this embodiment, entering the wafer 14 into the wafer processing liquid 13 may include sequentially performing a first lowering step, a first adjustment step, and a second lowering step after it is determined that the contact surface of the first support portion 11a is in a position spaced apart from the wafer 14.

[0073] Of these, in the first descending stage, as shown in Figure 7, the operating system 12 drives the second support portion 11b to move downward in the vertical direction Z, so that the first contact portion of the wafer 14 enters the wafer processing liquid 13 while being spaced apart from the contact surface of the first support portion 11a, and the second contact portion of the wafer 14 is positioned above the wafer processing liquid 13.

[0074] In the first adjustment stage, as shown in FIG. 8, the operating system 12 drives at least one of the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b to move in the vertical direction Z so that the contact surface of the second support portion 11b is located at a position spaced apart from the second contact portion of the wafer 14 and the contact surface of the first support portion 11a is located in contact with the first contact portion of the wafer 14, thereby supporting the second contact portion of the wafer 14 to be positioned above the wafer processing liquid 13.

[0075] In the second descending stage, as shown in FIG. 9, the operating system 12 can drive the first support 11a to move downward in the vertical direction Z so that the second contact portion of the wafer 14 is spaced apart from the contact surface of the second support 11b and enters the wafer processing liquid 13.

[0076] In this embodiment, the operating system 12 drives the first support 11a and the second support 11b to move, respectively, so that the first contact portion and the second contact portion of the wafer 14 sequentially enter the wafer processing liquid 13 without any contact points, thereby improving the problem of defects easily occurring on the wafer surface due to small air bubbles formed due to the difference in materials between the wafer 14 and the support, and also improving the problem of the wafer 14 coming into contact with the support and not being sufficiently cleaned or wet etched at the contact points.

[0077] Optionally, before entering the first descending stage, when the contact surface of the first support 11a is in a position in contact with the first contact portion of the wafer 14, entering the wafer 14 into the wafer processing liquid 13 includes an initial adjustment stage, in which, as shown in FIG. 6, the operating system 12 drives at least one of the first support 11a and the second support 11b to move along the vertical direction Z so that the contact surface of the first support 11a is in a position spaced apart from the first contact portion of the wafer 14, and the second support 11b supports the wafer 14 to be positioned above the wafer processing liquid 13.

[0078] For example, in the initial adjustment stage, driving at least one of the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b to move along the vertical direction Z by the operating system 12 specifically includes driving the contact surface of the first support portion 11a by the operating system 12 to descend along the vertical direction Z to a position separated from the first contact portion of the wafer 14, and holding the second support portion 11b in its original position so that the second support portion 11b supports the wafer 14 to be positioned above the wafer processing liquid 13, thereby simplifying the drive design in the initial adjustment stage of the operating system 12 and shortening the descending path when the subsequent wafer 14 enters the wafer processing liquid 13. Not limited to this, in the initial adjustment stage, the operating system 12 drives the first support part 11a and the second support part 11b to simultaneously descend in the vertical direction Z, and by making the descending speed of the first support part 11a greater than the descending speed of the second support part 11b, the contact surface of the first support part 11a descends to a position separated from the first contact part of the wafer 14, and the second support part 11b supports the wafer 14 so that it is positioned above the wafer processing liquid 13.

[0079] Alternatively, the specific position to which the contact surface of the first support portion 11a in this embodiment descends along the vertical direction Z until it is separated from the first contact portion of the wafer 14 is a position where the apex of the first support portion 11a (for example, the apex where the restraining wall 111 is separated from the support rod 110) is 1 mm to 2 mm lower than the corresponding periphery of the wafer (the edge of the wafer), thereby enabling the first contact portion of the subsequent wafer 14 to enter the wafer processing liquid 13 without a contact point, and facilitating the first support portion 11a to quickly contact the first contact portion of the wafer 14 in the subsequent first adjustment stage, thereby realizing support for the wafer 14.

[0080] For example, in the first descent stage, the operating system 12 drives the second support 11b to move downward along the vertical direction Z, and at the same time, the operating system 12 drives the first support 11a to move downward along the vertical direction Z, thereby reducing the risk that the first support 11a will interfere with the descent of the wafer 14 when the second support 11b lowers the wafer 14, and the contact surface of the first support 11a can always be kept out of contact with the first contact portion of the wafer 14 during the process of the first contact portion of the wafer 14 entering the wafer processing liquid 13.

[0081] Furthermore, during the first descent stage, the operating system 12 drives the first support part 11a and the second support part 11b to move downward simultaneously at a constant speed, thereby ensuring that the first contact part of the wafer 14 enters the wafer processing liquid 13 while being spaced apart from the contact surface of the first support part 11a, and also reducing the difficulty of driving the operating system 12.

[0082] For example, in the first adjustment stage, driving at least one of the first support 11a and the second support 11b by the operating system 12 to move along the vertical direction Z includes driving the first support 11a by the operating system 12 to descend at a first speed and driving the second support 11b to descend at a second speed faster than the first speed, thereby moving the contact surface of the second support 11b to a position spaced apart from the second contact portion of the wafer 14 and moving the contact surface of the first support 11a to a position in contact with the first contact portion of the wafer 14.

[0083] In this embodiment, the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b are driven to descend at different speeds so that the operation of moving the contact surface of the second support portion 11b away from the second contact portion of the wafer 14 and the operation of the contact surface of the first support portion 11a contacting the first contact portion of the wafer 14 are performed simultaneously, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0084] Alternatively, the specific position to which the contact surface of the second support portion 11b in this embodiment descends until it is separated from the second contact portion of the wafer 14 is a position where the apex of the second support portion 11b (for example, the apex where the restraining wall 111 is separated from the support rod 110) is 1 mm to 2 mm lower than the corresponding periphery of the wafer (the edge of the wafer), thereby enabling the second contact portion of the subsequent wafer 14 to enter the wafer processing liquid 13 without any contact point, and facilitating the contact surface of the second support portion 11b to quickly contact the second contact portion of the wafer 14 in the subsequent second adjustment stage, thereby realizing stable support for the wafer 14.

[0085] For example, in the second descent stage, the operating system 12 drives the first support 11a to move downward along the vertical direction Z, and at the same time, the operating system 12 drives the second support 11b to move downward along the vertical direction Z, thereby reducing the risk that the second support 11b will interfere with the descent of the wafer 14 when the first support 11a lowers the wafer 14, and the contact surface of the second support 11b can always be kept out of contact with the second contact portion of the wafer 14 during the process of the second contact portion of the wafer 14 entering the wafer processing liquid 13.

[0086] Furthermore, in the second descent stage, the operating system 12 drives the first support part 11a and the second support part 11b to move downward simultaneously at a constant speed, thereby ensuring that the second contact part of the wafer 14 enters the wafer processing liquid 13 while being spaced apart from the contact surface of the second support part 11b, and reducing the difficulty of driving the operating system 12.

[0087] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned process of moving the wafer 14 into the wafer processing liquid 13 may further include a second adjustment stage and a third lowering stage, which are performed sequentially after the second lowering stage. Here, in the second adjustment stage, as shown in FIG. 10, the operation system 12 drives at least one of the first support 11a and the second support 11b to move along the vertical direction Z, so that the contact surface of the first support 11a is in contact with the first contact portion of the wafer 14, and the contact surface of the second support 11b is in contact with the second contact portion of the wafer 14. In the third lowering stage, as shown in FIG. 11, the operation system 12 drives the first support 11a and the second support 11b to move downward at the same speed at the same time, so that the wafer 14 supported by the first support 11a and the second support 11b is completely entered into the wafer processing liquid 13.

[0088] In this embodiment, in the second adjustment stage, the contact surfaces of the first support part 11a and the second support part 11b are first brought into contact with the wafer 14 so as to simultaneously support the wafer 14. In the third lowering stage, the wafer 14 is stably supported by the first support part 11a and the second support part 11b, thereby reducing the risk of shaking during the lowering process.

[0089] It will be appreciated that both the second adjustment step and the third lowering step are optional, and in some embodiments, only some of the supports of the support group may be used to lower the wafer 14.

[0090] Optionally, in the second adjustment stage, driving at least one of the first support 11a and the second support 11b by the operating system 12 to move along the vertical direction Z may specifically include driving the first support 11a by the operating system 12 to descend at a third speed and driving the second support 11b to descend at a fourth speed smaller than the third speed, thereby moving the contact surface of the second support 11b to a position where it is in contact with the second contact portion of the wafer 14 and maintaining the position where the contact surface of the first support 11a is in contact with the first contact portion of the wafer 14.

[0091] In this embodiment, the first support portion 11a and the second support portion 11b are driven to descend at different speeds, so that the operation of the second support portion 11b contacting the second contact portion of the wafer 14 and the operation of the first support portion 11a descending the wafer 14 are performed simultaneously, thereby improving the efficiency of the operation of the wafer 14 entering the wafer processing liquid 13.

[0092] For example, the speed range of the above-mentioned first speed, second speed, third speed and fourth speed may be 10 mm / sec to 350 mm / sec, and the first speed, second speed, third speed and fourth speed may be, for example, 10 mm / sec, 50 mm / sec, 100 mm / sec, 150 mm / sec, 200 mm / sec, 250 mm / sec, 300 mm / sec, 350 mm / sec, etc., thereby improving the approach speed of the wafer 14 while simultaneously avoiding unstable support of the wafer 14 due to a descending speed that is too fast.

[0093] In one specific embodiment of the present disclosure, after the wafer 14 is fully immersed in the wafer processing fluid 13, the wafer processing method may further include an execution processing step, where the processing step may include a first processing step and a second processing step that are performed sequentially.

[0094] In the first processing stage, the operation system 12 drives at least one of the first support 11a and the second support 11b to move along the vertical direction Z, so that one of the first support 11a and the second support 11b individually supports the wafer 14 and is completely located in the wafer processing liquid 13, and the other is located at a position spaced apart from the wafer 14. In the second processing stage, the operation system 12 drives at least one of the first support 11a and the second support 11b to move along the vertical direction Z, so that the other supports the wafer 14 and is completely located in the wafer processing liquid 13, and one contact surface is located at a position spaced apart from the wafer 14. In an alternative embodiment, the first processing stage is shown in FIG. 12 and the second processing stage is shown in FIG. 13. It is understood that in other embodiments, the first processing stage is shown in FIG. 13 and the second processing stage is shown in FIG. 12.

[0095] In this embodiment, the first and second processing stages are utilized, and the first and second support parts 11a and 11b sequentially support the wafer 14 in the wafer processing stage, so that the first and second contact parts of the wafer 14 can be alternately brought into sufficient contact with the wafer processing liquid 13 without any contact points. This can further improve a situation where the contact points between the wafer 14 and the support parts are narrow and therefore the contact points are not sufficiently cleaned or wet etched, i.e., a situation where the points where the wafer 14 contacts the support parts are difficult to be sufficiently cleaned or wet etched. In one embodiment, a sufficient contact cycle with the wafer processing liquid 13 can be formed by repeating this alternate support operation.

[0096] In this embodiment, the mutually spaced positions are such that the apex of the support portion (for example, the apex where the restraint wall 111 is farthest from the support rod 110) is 1 mm to 2 mm lower than the corresponding periphery of the wafer (edge ​​of the wafer), thereby enabling the contact portion of the wafer 14 to be in sufficient contact with the wafer processing liquid 13 so as to have no contact points, and enabling rapid alternation between the first processing stage and the second processing stage to be achieved.

[0097] Optionally, in the second processing stage, driving at least one of the first support 11a and the second support 11b by the operating system 12 to move along the vertical direction Z includes driving the other contact surface by the operating system 12 to a position in contact with the wafer 14 along the vertical direction Z, and driving the one contact surface by the operating system 12 to a position spaced apart from the wafer 14 along the vertical direction Z, thereby improving the efficiency with which the first contact portion and the second contact portion of the wafer 14 are alternately sufficiently treated by the wafer processing liquid 13.

[0098] Furthermore, in the second processing stage, the operating system 12 first drives the second object to rise to a position in contact with the wafer 14, and then the operating system 12 drives the first object to fall to a position spaced apart from the wafer 14, thereby achieving alternating processing and ensuring stable support of the wafer 14.

[0099] For example, the first and second processing steps are each provided multiple times and are performed alternately.

[0100] In addition, each stage in the wafer processing method described in the present disclosure can be achieved by detecting the positional relationship between the support part, the wafer processing liquid, and the wafer using a sensor, and when the positional relationship satisfies the requirements of the corresponding stage, the support part is driven by an operating system to perform a cooperative operation, but this is not limited to this, and each stage may be achieved sequentially by setting a set of fixed programs.

[0101] In this embodiment, the terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. are for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood to indicate or imply a relative importance or number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a "first", "second", "third", or "fourth" feature may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this application, "plurality" means two or more than two, unless otherwise specified.

[0102] In the description of this specification, a description that refers to the terms "some embodiments," "exemplary," and the like means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in the embodiments or examples are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, schematic expressions for the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. In addition, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in an appropriate manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, unless mutually inconsistent, a person skilled in the art may combine and combine different embodiments or examples and features of different embodiments or examples described in this specification.

[0103] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described above, the above embodiments are illustrative and should not be understood as limitations on the present application. Those skilled in the art may make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present application, but any changes or modifications made in accordance with the claims and specification of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A wafer processing apparatus including a processing vessel, a support group, and an operating system, the processing tank is used to contain a wafer processing liquid; the support group includes a plurality of support parts capable of independently or in common supporting the wafer in an upright state, the support parts having contact surfaces that come into contact with the wafer when supporting the wafer; the motion system is connected to each of the plurality of support parts and is used to drive a cooperative motion between the plurality of support parts; a contact surface of at least one of the supports may be brought into contact with the wafer by actuation of the motion system; A wafer processing apparatus characterized in that an area where the contact surface of at least one of the support parts intersects with the liquid surface during the wafer entry into the processing liquid by driving the operating system can be kept spaced apart from the wafer.

2. the plurality of support parts include a first support part and a second support part provided on both opposing sides of the first support part, and a horizontal height of the second support part is configured to be higher than a horizontal height of the first support part when the first support part and the second support part commonly support the wafer; A region where a contact surface of the first support intersects with a liquid surface during a process of the wafer entering the processing liquid by driving the operation system can be in a state spaced apart from the wafer, and a contact surface of the second support can be in a state of contact with the wafer by driving the operation system; The region where the contact surface of the second support intersects with the liquid surface during the process of the wafer entering the processing liquid by the operation system can be in a state spaced apart from the wafer, and the contact surface of the first support can be in a state of contact with the wafer by the operation system.

2. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The operating system includes: a drive mechanism, a first lift mechanism, and a second lift mechanism; the first lifting mechanism is connected to the drive mechanism and the first support portion, and is used to move the first support portion along a vertical direction by being driven by the drive mechanism; The second lifting mechanism is connected to the drive mechanism and all of the second support parts, and is used to synchronously move all of the second support parts along a vertical direction by driving the drive mechanism.

3. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The motion system further includes a horizontal movement mechanism. The horizontal movement mechanism is connected to the drive mechanism, the first lift mechanism, and the second lift mechanism, and the horizontal movement mechanism can horizontally move the first lift mechanism, the first support section, the second lift mechanism, and the second support section in a horizontal direction by being driven by the drive mechanism.

4. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The second support portion is provided in two pieces and positioned at the same horizontal height.

3. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 2.

6. The support portion is A support rod; A plurality of restraining walls are formed on an upper portion of the support rod and are arranged at intervals along an extension direction of the support rod, A restraining groove is formed between each of the two adjacent restraining walls and the support rod, and the restraining groove is for inserting the wafer.

2. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1.

7. The support portion further includes a buffer layer that encases the constraint wall, and the hardness of the buffer layer is less than the hardness of the constraint wall.

7. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 6.

8. an overflow collection tank; and a liquid supply system; the overflow collection tank is provided with the processing tank, and an inner tank wall of the overflow collection tank is provided with a gap between it and an outer tank wall of the processing tank, and is used to collect wafer processing liquid that has overflowed into the processing tank; The liquid supply system includes a liquid supply tank, a liquid supply line, and a liquid supply pump connected to the liquid supply line, one end of the liquid supply line is connected to the processing bath and the other end is connected to the liquid supply tank, the liquid supply tank is used to store a wafer processing liquid, and the liquid supply pump is used to pump the wafer processing liquid in the liquid supply tank into the processing bath via the liquid supply line.

8. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wafer is processed by a wafer processing device.

9. Further comprising a liquid return system; the liquid return system includes a concentration detector, a liquid return line, and a liquid return pump; the concentration detector is provided in the overflow collection tank and is used to detect concentration information of the wafer processing liquid in the overflow collection tank; One end of the liquid return line is connected to the overflow recovery tank, and the other end is connected to the liquid supply tank, The liquid return pump is connected to the liquid return line and the concentration detector, and is used to pump the wafer processing liquid collected in the overflow collection tank to the liquid supply tank via the liquid return line when concentration information detected by the concentration detector satisfies a target concentration range.

9. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 8.

10. The liquid return system further comprises a feeder; The feeder is connected to the concentration detector, and is used to add a corresponding material into the overflow collection tank when the concentration information detected by the concentration detector does not meet a target concentration range, and to stop adding the corresponding material into the overflow collection tank when the concentration information detected by the concentration detector meets the target concentration range.

10. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 9.

11. adding a wafer processing solution into the processing bath; Supporting the wafer in an upright position by a support group, the support group including a plurality of support parts each connected to an operating system, the plurality of support parts being capable of supporting the wafer independently or in common, the support parts having contact surfaces in contact with the wafer when supporting the wafer; A wafer processing method including driving a plurality of the supports to move in a coordinated manner with each other by the motion system, thereby moving the wafer into the wafer processing liquid, In entering the wafer into the wafer processing fluid, a contact surface of at least one of the supports is in contact with the wafer by actuation of the motion system; A wafer processing method, characterized in that an area where the contact surface of at least one of the support parts intersects with the liquid surface during the wafer entry into the processing liquid by the drive of the operating system is spaced apart from the wafer.

12. At least two of the support parts are disposed at different horizontal heights when commonly supporting the wafer, and the regions where the contact surfaces of the support parts intersect with the liquid surface during the process of the wafer entering the processing liquid by the driving of the operation system are all spaced apart from the wafer.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

13. The plurality of support parts include a first support part and a second support part provided on both opposing sides of the first support part, and a horizontal height of the second support part is configured to be higher than a horizontal height of the first support part when the first support part and the second support part commonly support the wafer, and entering the wafer into the wafer processing liquid includes: a first lowering step, a first adjusting step, and a second lowering step, which are performed sequentially after it is determined that the contact surface of the first support is at a position spaced apart from the wafer; In the first lowering step, the second support is driven by the operating system to move downward along a vertical direction, and the first contact portion of the wafer is moved into the wafer processing liquid while being spaced apart from the contact surface of the first support, and the second contact portion of the wafer is positioned above the wafer processing liquid, the first contact portion being a portion of the wafer that contacts the contact surface of the first support, and the second contact portion being a portion of the wafer that contacts the contact surface of the second support; In the first adjustment stage, the operation system drives at least one of the first support portion and the second support portion to move along a vertical direction, thereby positioning a contact surface of the second support portion away from the second contact portion of the wafer and positioning the contact surface of the first support portion in contact with the first contact portion of the wafer, thereby supporting the second contact portion of the wafer to be positioned above the wafer processing liquid; In the second lowering step, the first support part is driven to move downward along a vertical direction by the operation system, so that the second contact part of the wafer is moved into the wafer processing liquid while being separated from the contact surface of the second support part.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

14. When the contact surface of the first support is in contact with the first contact portion of the wafer before the first lowering step, the step of moving the wafer into the wafer processing liquid further includes an initial adjustment step; In the initial adjustment stage, the operation system drives at least one of the first support and the second support to move along a vertical direction, so that a contact surface of the first support is located at a position spaced apart from a first contact portion of the wafer, and the second support supports the wafer so as to be positioned above the wafer processing liquid.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

15. In the initial adjustment stage, driving at least one of the first support portion and the second support portion to move along a vertical direction by the operation system is The operation system drives the contact surface of the first support to move vertically down to a position spaced apart from the first contact portion of the wafer, and the second support is held in its original position, so that the second support supports the wafer above the wafer processing liquid; or driving the first support and the second support to simultaneously descend along a vertical direction by the operation system, and setting a descending speed of the first support to be greater than a descending speed of the second support, so that a contact surface of the first support descends to a position spaced apart from the first contact portion of the wafer, and the second support supports the wafer to be positioned above the wafer processing liquid.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

16. In the first descending stage and / or the second descending stage, the second support unit is driven by the operating system to move downward along a vertical direction, and at the same time, the first support unit is driven by the operating system to move downward along a vertical direction.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

17. In the first descending stage and the second descending stage, the first support part and the second support part are driven by the operating system so as to simultaneously move downward at a uniform speed.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

18. In the first adjustment stage, driving the movement of at least one of the first support and the second support by the operation system includes: driving the first support to move down at a first speed by the motion system and driving the second support to move down at a second speed greater than the first speed, thereby moving a contact surface of the second support to a position spaced apart from the second contact portion of the wafer and moving a contact surface of the first support to a position in contact with the first contact portion of the wafer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

19. The step of introducing the wafer into the wafer processing solution further includes a second adjustment step and a third lowering step, which are performed sequentially after the second lowering step; in the second adjustment stage, the operation system drives at least one of the first support and the second support to move along a vertical direction, so that a contact surface of the first support is in contact with a first contact portion of the wafer, and a contact surface of the second support is in contact with a second contact portion of the wafer; In the third lowering step, the first support and the second support are driven by the operation system to simultaneously move downward at a constant speed, so that the wafer supported by the first support and the second support is completely inserted into the wafer processing liquid.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

20. In the second adjustment stage, driving at least one of the first support portion and the second support portion to move along a vertical direction by the operation system includes: driving the motion system to lower the first support at a third speed and driving the second support to lower at a fourth speed less than the third speed, thereby moving a contact surface of the second support to a position in contact with the second contact portion of the wafer and maintaining the first support in a position in contact with the first contact portion of the wafer.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

21. After the wafer is completely submerged in the wafer processing solution, the wafer processing method further comprises a performing processing step; The execution process includes a first process and a second process that are performed in sequence, In a first processing stage, the motion system drives at least one of the first support and the second support to move along a vertical direction, so that one of the first support and the second support individually supports the wafer and positions the wafer completely within the wafer processing liquid, and the contact surface of the other support is located at a position spaced apart from the wafer; In a second processing stage, the motion system drives at least one of the first support and the second support to move along a vertical direction, so that the other supports the wafer and positions the wafer completely within the wafer processing liquid, and the contact surface of the one supports is positioned away from the wafer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

22. The first and second processing steps are each performed multiple times; and / or In the second processing stage, driving at least one of the first support and the second support by the motion system to move along a vertical direction includes driving by the motion system to raise the contact surface of the other of the support along the vertical direction to a position in contact with the wafer, and driving by the motion system to lower the contact surface of the one of the support along the vertical direction to a position separated from the wafer.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

23. Adding a wafer processing solution to the processing bath includes: and adding wafer processing fluid to the processing tank by a fluid supply system after determining that the processing tank is located in an overflow collection tank such that the wafer processing fluid in the processing tank is in an overflow state at least during a processing stage of the wafer.

23. The wafer processing method according to claim 11, wherein the wafer is processed by a process that includes the steps of:

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