Gripper for transporting vertically positioned semiconductor wafers and method for cleaning semiconductor wafers

Abstract

A gripper for transporting a vertically standing semiconductor wafer, a flat body having a head portion and a foot portion that form a flat front side, an arm extending from the head portion to a spaced end of the foot portion, and at the end of the arm, a support surface set back from the plane of the front side, a gripper comprising a holding pin disposed at the end and intended to establish a clamping connection between the semiconductor wafer and the body, a channel is provided in the arm along the inner surface of the arm, terminating at the edge, and the edge is separated from the end of the arm.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a gripper for transporting a vertically standing semiconductor wafer, and includes a flat main body having a head portion and a foot portion that form a flat front side, an arm extending from the head portion to a spaced-apart end of the foot portion, and a support surface disposed at an end portion of the arm so as to retreat from the plane of the front side, and a holding pin disposed at the end portion and intended to establish a clamping connection between the semiconductor wafer and the main body.

Background Art

[0002] Prior Art / Problems This type of gripper is particularly used in a cleaning line in which semiconductor wafers after chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) are individually transported into a cleaning module and cleaned. This type of cleaning line (traveling beam device) is described, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0203152. Such a gripper is also called a blade.

[0003] Chinese Patent Application Publication No. 213845245 discloses such a gripper Here, the drawback is that this gripper does not sufficiently protect the semiconductor wafer from the liquid cleaning agent passing over the semiconductor wafer after cleaning and the particles contained in this cleaning agent, and thus there is a possibility of newly contaminating the clean semiconductor wafer, and / or the cleaning agent passing over the semiconductor wafer thereafter changes the roughness of the surface of the semiconductor wafer.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to reduce this risk of the cleaned semiconductor wafer being recontaminated. <able>

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The object of the present invention is a gripper for transporting a vertically positioned semiconductor wafer, comprising a flat body having a head portion and a foot portion forming a flat front side, An arm extending from the head portion to the separated end of the foot portion, and a support surface positioned at the end of the arm so as to recede from the front plane, A gripper comprising retaining pins positioned at the ends and intended to establish a clamp connection between a semiconductor wafer and a body, wherein a channel along the inner surface of the arm is provided within the arm and terminates at a rim, the rim being separated from the end of the arm.

[0006] The proposed channel primarily guides liquid through the semiconductor wafer to the (end) edge of the channel, from which the liquid can drip without first passing over the surface of the semiconductor wafer. The channel preferably extends forward, i.e., protrudes to some extent outward from the front plane. It is preferable that the inner surfaces of the arms are curved toward each other in a semicircular manner. The arms can also be formed in other ways; for example, the arms can be spaced apart from each other at a certain distance in the foot portion.

[0007] At the ends, it is also preferable that each arm tapers to a tip, and that these tips do not come into contact with the semiconductor wafer being transported by the gripper. These tips are preferably rounded. Even with this configuration, liquid may still drip from these tips.

[0008] The gripper body is thicker than the semiconductor wafer being transported and is preferably made of polymer. It is preferable that the openings be located in the head portion, as these reduce the weight of the gripper and its flow resistance.

[0009] The semiconductor wafer is preferably made of single-crystal silicon and preferably has a diameter of 300 mm or more.

[0010] Preferably, the semiconductor wafer being transported by the gripper is away from the support surface. This distance is ensured by the configuration of the retaining pins. Preferably, this distance is at least equal to the thickness of the semiconductor wafer. Preferably, each retaining pin has a mounting surface for the semiconductor wafer, and this surface is adjacent to a boundary. This boundary is in the form of truncated cones facing each other, with the bottom surfaces of the truncated cones facing outwards.

[0011] The present invention also relates to a method for cleaning semiconductor wafers in a cleaning line, characterized in that the semiconductor wafers are transported vertically from the cleaning module of the cleaning line, and during this time the semiconductor wafers are transported by a gripper according to the present invention. This method is preferably used after CMP.

[0012] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This figure shows the front side of an embodiment according to the present invention of a gripper and a semiconductor wafer being transported by it. [Figure 2] This is a detailed enlarged view of Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a partial view of Figure 1, virtually rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise around the vertical axis. [Figure 4] This figure shows further possible configurations for the end of the arm. [Figure 5] This figure shows possible configurations for the retaining pins. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention The gripper 1 shown in Fig. 1 has a foot portion 5 formed by a head portion 3 with an opening 4 and an arm 6, and includes a flat body 2 extending from the head portion 3 to the end 7 of the foot portion 5. The arm 6 of the present embodiment is curved along the inner surface 8 and is integral with the head portion 3. The head portion 3 and the foot portion 5 form the flat front side of the body.

[0015] There is a support surface 9 at the end portion of the arm 6, and this support surface is arranged so as to recede from the front plane. A holding pin 11 is also arranged at the end portion, and a clamp connection is established between the semiconductor wafer 10 and the body 2 using this holding pin.

[0016] The gripper 1 also has a channel 12 that follows the curvature of the arm 6 and terminates at the edge portion 13. The channel 12 is formed in the body 2 and follows the curvature of the inner surface 8 of the arm at a certain distance therefrom.

[0017] Fig. 2 clearly shows that the edge portion 13 and the end 7 of the arm 6 are separated from each other. The ends of the channel 12 are oriented to be farther apart from each other in the outward direction, while the ends 7 of the arm 6 are oriented to face each other more in the inward direction.

[0018] Fig. 3 shows a perspective view in which the channel 12 can show a good effect. Regarding the edge 13, the channel 12 largely follows the curvature of the inner surface 8 of the arm 6. According to the shown embodiment, the channel 12 protrudes outward from the front plane to a certain extent.

[0019] When the gripper 1 is conveyed from the cleaning module, the liquid path mainly extends from the head portion 3 to the edge portion 13 of the body 2 along the channel 12. From there, the liquid recedes and drips, for example, into the cleaning module. The liquid residue on the semiconductor wafer 10 is significantly reduced.

[0020] In the description according to FIG. 4, at the end 7, the arms 6 taper towards the tip 14 respectively, and the tip 14 does not contact the semiconductor wafer 10 conveyed by the gripper. In the illustrated embodiment, the tip 14 is rounded. The tip 14 may be further chamfered, i.e., the thickness may be reduced, and the thickness decreases with the distance from the holding pin 11. Preferably, the upper surface of the tip 14 shown in FIG. 4 is chamfered.

[0021] FIG. 5 shows a preferred configuration of the holding pins 11 for holding the semiconductor wafers 10 conveyed at a distance from the support surface 9. Each of the holding pins 11 has a contact surface with the semiconductor wafer 10, and this contact surface is adjacent to the boundary. This boundary is in the form of frustoconical portions 15 located opposite to each other, and the bottom surface of the frustoconical portion 15 is located on the outer side.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0022] 1 Gripper 2 Body 3 Head portion 4 Opening 5 Foot portion 6 Arm 7 End 8 Inner surface 9 Support surface 10 Semiconductor wafer 11 Holding pin 12 Channel 13 Edge portion 14 Tip 15 Frustoconical portion

Claims

1. A gripper for transporting vertically positioned semiconductor wafers, A flat body having a head portion and a foot portion that form a flat front side, An arm extending from the head portion to the separated end of the foot portion, The end of the arm has a support surface positioned so as to recede from the front plane, A gripper comprising a retaining pin positioned at the end and intended to establish a clamp connection between the semiconductor wafer and the body, A gripper having a channel provided within the arm along the inner surface of the arm, terminating at an edge, and the edge being separated from the end of the arm.

2. The gripper according to claim 1, characterized by the opening of the head portion.

3. The gripper according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the channel protrudes from the front plane.

4. The gripper according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inner surface of the arm is curved.

5. The gripper according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the arms are tapered at their ends to a certain tip, and the tips do not come into contact with the semiconductor wafer being transported by the gripper.

6. The gripper according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the retaining pins hold the semiconductor wafer at a certain distance from the support surface.

7. A method for cleaning a semiconductor wafer in a cleaning line, characterized in that the semiconductor wafer is transported vertically from a cleaning module of the cleaning line, and during this time, the semiconductor wafer is transported by a gripper as described in claim 1 or 2.

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