Thin sheet drying device

Abstract

To provide a thin sheet drying device that simplifies a structure, securely holds thin sheets in a sheet placement section, and improves reliability as a device.SOLUTION: A semiconductor wafer drying device 1 for drying thin semiconductor wafers 2, is configured such that a gap G is provided between a suction cylinder 24 and the semiconductor wafer 2 placed on a support member 26, and by rotating and driving a centrifugal fan 20, air is sucked in through an opening 21a from the upper side of the suction cylinder 24 via the gap G, thereby pressing the semiconductor wafer 2 against the support member 26.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a thin plate drying apparatus for drying thin plates such as semiconductor wafers after cleaning. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, one example of a semiconductor wafer drying apparatus is the technology described in Patent Document 1. This semiconductor wafer drying apparatus fixes a semiconductor wafer to a plate by vacuum suction, and this plate is fixed to an ultrasonic vibration device having an ultrasonic vibration element, and the plate is heated to a high temperature by a heater provided in the ultrasonic vibration device, and the semiconductor wafer is dried by the ultrasonic vibration energy of the ultrasonic vibration element.

[0003] Such a semiconductor wafer drying apparatus requires an ultrasonic vibration device having an ultrasonic vibration element and a heater for heating the plate, which increases the number of parts and makes the structure complicated.

[0004] Another semiconductor wafer drying apparatus is described in Patent Document 2. This semiconductor wafer drying apparatus is an apparatus that dries semiconductor wafers by centrifugal force generated by rotating a wafer mounting section in a drying chamber having the wafer mounting section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3191379 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-181040 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, when the technology described in Patent Document 2 is applied to an apparatus in which a thin semiconductor wafer is placed on a wafer mounting section such as a plate, and the wafer mounting section is rotated to dry the semiconductor wafer by the centrifugal force, the centrifugal force may cause the semiconductor wafer to detach from the wafer mounting section and fall, resulting in a problem of a significant lack of reliability as an apparatus.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its objective is to provide a thin plate drying device that simplifies the structure, securely holds thin plates in the thin plate mounting section, and improves the reliability of the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve this object, the invention described in claim 1 is a thin plate drying device for drying thin plates, comprising: a rotation drive means for rotatably driving a drive shaft; a thin plate placing section on which the thin plate is placed and which is connected to the drive shaft and rotates the drive shaft to rotate and dry the thin plate; and a pressure contact means which is connected to the drive shaft and rotates the drive shaft to suck in air and press the thin plate against the thin plate placing section by the suction force, the pressure contact means being a centrifugal fan which is rotatably driven by the drive shaft and which is installed apart from the upper plate. The centrifugal fan has a lower plate supported by a support member, and a plurality of blade members arranged circumferentially between the upper and lower plates, an opening is formed in the center of the upper plate, and an intake tube is provided above the upper plate around the opening to draw in the air, the thin plate mounting portion is provided with a support portion that supports the outer peripheral edge of the thin plate, and a gap is provided between the intake tube and the thin plate mounted on the support portion, and by rotating the centrifugal fan, air is drawn in from the upper side of the intake tube through the gap and through the opening, thereby pressing the thin plate against the support portion.

[0009] In addition, the invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration described in claim 1, the thin plate mounting portion has a plurality of support pins each formed in a pillar shape, and these support pins each have the support portion and a protrusion adjacent to the support portion that prevents lateral movement of the thin plate.

[0010] Furthermore, the invention as set forth in claim 3 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration as set forth in claim 1 or 2, the thin plate is a semiconductor wafer. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the invention described in claim 1, the centrifugal fan is driven to rotate by a drive shaft and has an upper plate, a lower plate spaced apart from the upper plate, and a plurality of blade members arranged circumferentially between the upper and lower plates, an opening is formed in the center of the upper plate, an intake tube is provided around this opening to draw air to the upper side of the upper plate, the thin plate mounting portion has a support portion that supports the outer edge of the thin plate, and a gap is provided between the intake tube and the thin plate mounted on the support portion, and by driving the centrifugal fan to rotate, air is drawn in from the upper side of the intake tube through the gap and through the opening, thereby pressing the thin plate against the support portion, thereby simplifying the structure, securely holding the thin plate on the thin plate mounting portion, and improving the reliability of the device.

[0012] According to the invention described in claim 2, the thin plate placing portion has a plurality of support pins each formed in a pillar shape, and each of these support pins has a support portion and a protrusion adjacent to this support portion that prevents the thin plate from moving laterally, thereby making it possible to securely hold the thin plate when it is rotated and dried.

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 3, since the thin plate is a semiconductor wafer, when the semiconductor wafer is rotated and dried, the semiconductor wafer will not come off the thin plate mounting portion and fall, thereby increasing the product yield. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment in which a thin plate drying apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a semiconductor wafer drying apparatus. [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an upper outer tank is removed from the semiconductor wafer drying apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the semiconductor wafer drying apparatus of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the semiconductor wafer drying apparatus of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a semiconductor wafer is pressed against the support pins of FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the semiconductor wafer drying apparatus of FIG. [Figure 8] 2A and 2B are perspective views of the upper and lower surfaces of the upper plate of the centrifugal fan of FIG. 1. [Figure 9] 2 is a perspective view of the upper surface side showing the lower plate of the centrifugal fan of FIG. 1.

[0023] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the fan support member of FIG. 5. [Figure 11] 2A and 2B are a perspective view and a front view showing a support pin of the semiconductor wafer drying apparatus of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. [One embodiment] 1 to 11 show one embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment in which a thin plate drying apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a semiconductor wafer drying apparatus. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the semiconductor wafer drying apparatus of Fig. 1 with an upper outer tank removed. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the semiconductor wafer drying apparatus of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a front view showing the semiconductor wafer drying apparatus of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a semiconductor wafer is pressed against the support pins of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a bottom view showing the semiconductor wafer drying apparatus of Fig. 1.

[0017] The semiconductor wafer drying apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0018] The semiconductor wafer drying apparatus 1 of this embodiment is an apparatus that rotates a cleaned semiconductor wafer 2 as a thin plate and dries the semiconductor wafer 2 by centrifugal force. The semiconductor wafer 2 of this embodiment is made of, for example, SiC (silicon carbide) and is 6 inches in size.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 , the semiconductor wafer drying apparatus 1 of this embodiment has a rectangular base plate 3 that can be attached to, for example, a workbench (not shown). Near each longitudinal end of the base plate 3, three mounting holes 3a are provided for mounting the base plate 3 to the workbench. A lower outer tank 4 is installed on the base plate 3, and a flange 4a is integrally formed on the lower part of the lower outer tank 4 so as to protrude outward toward the periphery. The flange 4a is fixed to the base plate 3 via fixing screws 5 at regular intervals around the periphery. This secures the lower outer tank 4 to the base plate 3. An upper outer tank 6 is fitted into the upper open end of the lower outer tank 4, thereby securing the upper outer tank 6 to the lower outer tank 4. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the lower outer tank 4 has three exhaust pipes 4b on its peripheral wall for discharging air discharged from a centrifugal fan 20 (described later).

[0020] 1 to 5, the upper outer tank 6 has a tapered peripheral wall that gradually reduces in diameter as it extends upward, and rises vertically upward near its upper end. The upper outer tank 6 has a flange 6a formed at its upper end that protrudes outward, and an opening 6b formed on the inner peripheral side of this flange 6a.

[0021] As shown in Figure 5, a cylindrical body 7 is installed in the center of the lower outer tank 4, and an annular plate 8 is placed on the open end of this cylinder 7. This annular plate 8 has an opening 8a that is slightly larger in diameter than the centrifugal fan 20, and a shaft 13 (described later) is disposed at the center of this opening 8a. Therefore, the annular plate 8 serves to control the airflow so that it does not fly up when the semiconductor wafers 2 are dried by the centrifugal force generated by rotating the semiconductor wafers 2 after cleaning. The cylinder 7 has a communication hole 7a that communicates with the interior of the lower outer tank 4.

[0022] 7, a motor plate 9 is fixed to the bottom side of the base plate 3, and a servo motor 10 serving as a rotation drive means is attached to this motor plate 9. This servo motor 10 has an output shaft 11, to which a drive pulley 12 is fixed.

[0023] The shaft 13 serving as a drive shaft is rotatably mounted in the center of the base plate 3, and a driven pulley 14 is fixed to the underside of the shaft 13. A belt 15 is wound between the driven pulley 14 and the drive pulley 12, and when the servo motor 10 is driven, the drive pulley 12 is rotated, which in turn rotates the driven pulley 14 via the belt 15, thereby rotating the shaft 13 in one direction. The rotation speed of the servo motor 10 can be controlled by a speed controller 16 shown in FIG. 7 and an encoder 17 shown in FIG. 5. An umbrella-shaped cover 18 is fixed to the top of the shaft 13, as shown in FIG. 5. This cover 18 prevents cleaning water from flowing downward along the shaft 13 when cleaning with a cleaning liquid such as pure water or carbonated water before drying.

[0024] Next, the structure of the centrifugal fan 20 will be described.

[0025] 8(A) and 8(B) are a perspective view of the upper surface side and a perspective view of the lower surface side showing the upper plate of the centrifugal fan of FIG. 1. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the upper surface side showing the lower plate of the centrifugal fan of FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the fan support member of FIG. 5. FIGS. 11(A) and 11(B) are a perspective view and a front view showing the support pin of the semiconductor wafer drying apparatus of FIG. 1.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 5, a centrifugal fan 20 serving as a pressure contact means is mounted on the upper portion of the shaft 13 so as to rotate when the shaft 13 is driven to rotate. The centrifugal fan 20 is supported by a fan support member 30 shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 10. The centrifugal fan 20 includes an upper plate 21, a lower plate 22 spaced apart from the upper plate 21, and a plurality of blade members 23 (eight in this embodiment) arranged circumferentially between the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22. A circular opening 21a is formed in the center of the upper plate 21, as shown in FIGS. 8(A) and 8(B). A cylindrical suction tube 24 having an inner diameter equal to that of the opening 21a is erected above the opening 21a. The suction tube 24 is configured to communicate between the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 through the opening 21a. Similarly, an opening 22a is formed in the center of the lower plate 22 at the same position as the upper plate 21, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0027] 8(A), a plurality of (four in this embodiment) cylindrical support pins 25 serving as thin plate mounting portions are detachably attached to the top surface of the upper plate 21 by fastening members such as mounting screws (not shown) in four mounting holes 21c. By detachably attaching the plurality of support pins 25 to the upper plate 21 in this manner, if a support pin 25 is damaged, it can be replaced as needed.

[0028] On the underside of the upper plate 21, as shown in Figure 8(B), arc-shaped mounting grooves 21b into which the upper edges of the eight blade members 23 respectively fit are formed at regular intervals, while on the upper surface of the lower plate 22, arc-shaped mounting grooves 22b into which the lower edges of the eight blade members 23 respectively fit are formed at regular intervals, as shown in Figure 9.

[0029] The upper surface of the upper plate 21 is provided with four connecting holes 21d shown in FIGS. 8(A) and 8(B) into which a plurality of connecting members 28 are inserted for connecting to the lower plate 22 as shown in FIG.

[0030] 9 into which the connecting members 28 are inserted for connecting the lower plate 22 to the upper plate 21 as in the case of the upper plate 21 as shown in Fig. 6. The lower plate 22 also has eight fixing screw holes 22e, and the lower plate 22 is fixed to the fan support member 30 by fastening members such as fixing screws (not shown) that pass through these fixing screw holes 22e and fixing screw holes 34 of the fan support member 30 as shown in Fig. 10.

[0031] 10, fan support member 30 is integrally formed with an annular portion 31 formed in the shape of an annular plate and a linear portion 32 that spans the diameter of annular portion 31. A shaft attachment hole 33 for attachment to shaft 13 is formed in the center of linear portion 32, and annular portion 31 is provided with fixing screw holes 34 at positions corresponding to the eight fixing screw holes 22e of lower plate 22.

[0032] 11(A) and 11(B), each of the four support pins 25 is integrally formed with a flat support portion 26 that supports the outer peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer 2 and a protrusion 27 that is adjacent to the support portion 26 and prevents lateral movement of the semiconductor wafer 2. A rounded portion is formed between the flat support portion 26 and the protrusion 27 so as to rise smoothly from the support portion 26 to the protrusion 27. The protrusion 27 has a cylindrical portion 27a and a conical portion 27b formed on the upper surface of the cylindrical portion 27a.

[0033] In this embodiment, by forming a curved portion between the support portion 26 and the protrusion 27 and forming the protrusion 27 with the cylindrical portion 27a and the conical portion 27b, when the semiconductor wafer 2 is transferred using a transfer robot (not shown), the semiconductor wafer 2 can be transferred reliably and easily onto the multiple support pins 25 without being damaged.

[0034] In addition, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, a small gap G of, for example, about 1 mm is provided between the semiconductor wafer 2 supported by the support portion 26 of the support pin 25 and the upper end of the suction tube 24, and the semiconductor wafer 2 is pressed against the support portion 26 of the support pin 25 by sucking air from the upper side of the suction tube 24 through this gap G.

[0035] The support pin 25 has opposing recesses 25a formed at its bottom to prevent the tool from turning when the pin is rotated with the tool to attach or detach it, and these recesses 25a make it easy to attach or detach the support pin 25 to or from the upper plate 21.

[0036] Next, the operation of the semiconductor wafer drying apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0037] 1 to 3, a cleaned semiconductor wafer 2 is placed on each support portion 26 of four support pins 25 by a transfer robot (not shown) or the like. When a power switch (not shown) is turned on, the servo motor 10 is driven and its output shaft 11 is rotated at, for example, 1500 rpm. This rotates the shaft 13 via the drive pulley 12, belt 15, and driven pulley 14, and the centrifugal fan 20 is rotated clockwise as indicated by the arrow in FIGS. 1 and 3.

[0038] As the centrifugal fan 20 rotates and its blade members 23 rotate, air is sucked into the suction tube 24 at a suction pressure of 130 Pa, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 6, and this suction force presses the semiconductor wafers 2 against the support portions 26 of the four support pins 25. The air sucked into the suction tube 24 and exhausted through the blade members 23 of the centrifugal fan 20 is smoothly guided to the lower outer tank 4 via the tapered peripheral wall of the upper outer tank 6, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 6, and then exhausted to the outside through the exhaust pipe 4b of the lower outer tank 4. The tapered peripheral wall of the upper outer tank 6 is intended to prevent the cleaning liquid for the semiconductor wafers 2 from scattering outside the apparatus and to ensure that the air is smoothly guided to the exhaust pipe 4b of the lower outer tank 4.

[0039] At the same time, the semiconductor wafer 2 pressed against the support portions 26 of the four support pins 25 also rotates clockwise. When the semiconductor wafer 2 rotates in this manner, the semiconductor wafer 2 is dried by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation.

[0040] As described above, according to this embodiment, the outer peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer 2 is placed on the support portions 26 of the four support pins 25, and these support pins 25 are connected to the output shaft 11 of the servo motor 10 via the centrifugal fan 20, shaft 13, driven pulley 14, belt 15, and drive pulley 12 to rotate the shaft 13, thereby rotating and drying the semiconductor wafer 2. At the same time, the centrifugal fan 20 is connected to the shaft 13 and rotates the shaft 13, thereby sucking in air, and this suction force presses the semiconductor wafer 2 against the multiple support pins 25. This simplifies the structure, securely holds the semiconductor wafer 2 on the multiple support pins 25, and improves the reliability of the device.

[0041] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the centrifugal fan 20 is driven to rotate by the rotation of the shaft 13, and has an upper plate 21, a lower plate 22 spaced apart from the upper plate 21, and a plurality of blade members 23 arranged along the circumferential direction between the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22, an opening 21a is formed in the center of the upper plate 21, and an intake tube 24 for drawing in air is provided above the opening 21a, so that the semiconductor wafer 2 can be more securely held by the plurality of support pins 25, and the reliability of the device can be further improved.

[0042] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a gap G is provided between the suction tube 24 and the semiconductor wafer 2 placed on the multiple support pins 25, and the semiconductor wafer 2 is pressed against the multiple support pins 25 by sucking air from the upper side of the suction tube 24 through this gap G. This allows the semiconductor wafer 2 to be held more securely by the multiple support pins 25, further improving the reliability of the device.

[0043] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, each support pin 25 formed in a columnar shape has a plurality of support portions 26 on the upper part that support the outer peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer 2, and protrusions 27 adjacent to these support portions 26 that prevent lateral movement of the semiconductor wafer 2, so that the semiconductor wafer 2 can be securely held while being rotated and dried.

[0044] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the semiconductor wafer 2 is rotated and dried, the semiconductor wafer 2 does not come off the multiple support pins 25, fall, and become damaged, thereby increasing the yield of the semiconductor wafer 2 as a product. [Other embodiments] The above-described embodiments have been described to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0045] For example, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the semiconductor wafer 2 was made of SiC, but this is not limited to this, and an appropriate material such as silicon can also be applied. Furthermore, the workpiece is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, and other thin plates and the like can also be applied.

[0046] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example in which the suction tube 24 is formed into a cylindrical shape has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. As long as it does not hinder the movement of the transfer robot, a flange portion may be provided at the upper open end of the suction tube 24 so as to protrude outward toward the outer periphery. The suction tube 24 may be configured to be detachable using a detachable means such as a screw connection, and may be replaced with one having a different diameter depending on the size (area) of the semiconductor wafer 2 to be placed on the multiple support pins 25. In addition, the suction tube 24 may be configured to have smaller suction blade members on the inner circumferential surface than those in the above embodiment, thereby further increasing the suction pressure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1. Semiconductor wafer drying equipment 2. Semiconductor wafer (thin plate) 3 Base Plate 3a Mounting hole 4 Lower outer tank 4a Flange 4b Exhaust pipe 5 fixing screws 6 Upper outer tank 6a Flange 6b opening 7 Cylinder 7a Communication hole 8 Annular Plate 8a opening 9 Motor Plate 10 Servo motor (rotation drive means) 11 Output shaft 12 Drive pulley 13 Shaft (drive shaft) 14 Driven pulley 15 Belt 16 Speed ​​Controller 17 Encoder 18 Cover 20 Centrifugal fan (pressure welding means) 21 Upper Plate 21a opening 21b Mounting groove 21c Mounting hole 21d Connection hole 22 Lower plate 22a opening 22b Mounting groove 22d connection hole 23 Blade member 24 Suction cylinder 25 Support pin (thin plate placement section) 25a Recess 26 Support part 27 protrusion 27a Cylindrical part 27b Cone section 30 Fan support member 31 Annular part 32 Straight section 33 Shaft mounting hole 34 Fixing screw holes G Gap

Claims

1. A thin plate drying device for drying thin plates, a rotation drive means for rotationally driving the drive shaft; a thin plate placing section on which the thin plate is placed and which is connected to the drive shaft and rotates and dries the thin plate by driving the drive shaft to rotate; a pressure contact means connected to the drive shaft, which sucks air by rotating the drive shaft, and presses the thin plate against the thin plate placing portion by the suction force; the pressure contact means is a centrifugal fan, which is rotationally driven by the drive shaft and has an upper plate, a lower plate spaced apart from the upper plate, and a plurality of blade members arranged along the circumferential direction between the upper plate and the lower plate, an opening is formed in the center of the upper plate, and an intake tube is provided above the upper plate around the opening to draw in the air, the thin plate placing portion is provided with a support portion that supports an outer peripheral edge of the thin plate, A thin plate drying device characterized in that a gap is provided between the suction tube and the thin plate placed on the support part, and by rotating the centrifugal fan, air is sucked in from the upper side of the suction tube through the gap and through the opening, thereby pressing the thin plate against the support part.

2. The thin plate drying apparatus described in claim 1, characterized in that the thin plate placing portion has a plurality of support pins each formed in a pillar shape, and each of these support pins has the support portion and a protrusion adjacent to the support portion to prevent lateral movement of the thin plate.

3. 3. The thin plate drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thin plate is a semiconductor wafer.

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