Cleaning method and cleaning system for semiconductor storage container

Abstract

A cleaning method, cleaning unit and cleaning system for a semiconductor storage container. The cleaning method comprises the following steps: S21, placing a container in a second cleaning chamber; S22, vacuumizing the second cleaning chamber until the vacuum degree in the second cleaning chamber is lower than a first preset pressure value; S23, filling the second cleaning chamber with gas at a first volumetric flow rate; and S24, filling the second cleaning chamber with gas at a second volumetric flow rate, wherein the first volumetric flow rate is less than the second volumetric flow rate, and the maximum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber during S23 is less than the maximum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber during S24.

Description

Semiconductor storage container cleaning method and cleaning system

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application number 202410167763.9, filed on February 6, 2024, entitled “Cleaning Method and Cleaning System for Semiconductor Storage Containers,” the entire text of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor wafer manufacturing technology, and in particular to a cleaning method and cleaning system for a semiconductor storage container. Background Art

[0004] During the semiconductor wafer manufacturing process, wafers are stored in FOUPs (Front Opening Unified Pods) for transfer between different process equipment. As wafers undergo different processes, airborne molecular contaminants (AMCs) are generated on their surfaces. The movement of contaminated wafers in and out of a FOUP can lead to cross-contamination. This means that the AMCs released from the contaminated wafers remain in the FOUP, potentially contaminating the next batch of wafers stored in the same FOUP.

[0005] Therefore, FOUPs are regularly sent to dedicated cleaning systems for cleaning to ensure FOUP cleanliness. Existing FOUP cleaning systems mainly remove contaminants such as particles, metals, moisture, and AMC from inside the FOUP through liquid flushing, drying, and vacuum treatment.

[0006] However, the above cleaning process has limited cleaning capabilities for AMC contaminants, resulting in an inability to meet increasingly stringent process technology requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of this, embodiments of the present application provide a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container to solve at least one problem existing in the background technology.

[0008] The present application provides a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container, comprising the following steps: step one, placing the semiconductor storage container on a loading unit; step two, transferring the container to a first processing unit, and cleaning and drying the container in the first processing unit; step three, transferring the container to a second processing unit, and using the vacuum environment of the second processing unit to remove residual AMC contaminants inside the container and further drying the container; step four, transferring the container to a unloading unit, and inspecting the container in the unloading unit, and determining a subsequent processing method based on the inspection results.

[0009] Optionally, the cleaning method further includes transferring the semiconductor storage container to a detection unit to detect the residual level of contaminants in the semiconductor storage container.

[0010] Optionally, the cleaning method further includes inspecting the semiconductor storage container in the loading unit and / or the unloading unit.

[0011] Optionally, the cleaning method further includes testing the first processing unit and / or the second processing unit, and determining the internal pollutant levels thereof based on the test results.

[0012] The present application also provides a semiconductor storage container cleaning system, including a loading unit, a first processing unit, a second processing unit, an unloading unit and a robot, wherein the loading unit is configured to load the semiconductor storage container; the first processing unit is configured to clean and purge the semiconductor storage container; the second processing unit is configured to dry the semiconductor storage container; the detection unit is configured to detect the residual value of contaminants in the semiconductor storage container after cleaning; and the unloading unit is configured to unload the semiconductor storage container.

[0013] In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container, wherein the method is used to remove residual AMC contaminants in the semiconductor storage container, and the above step 2 further includes the following steps: S12, placing the unlocked and separated semiconductor storage container components in a first cleaning chamber; S13, for a time period T S13 In step S14, clean, dry compressed gas is blown onto the surface of the semiconductor storage container at a fifth average volume flow rate; S14, cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the surface of the semiconductor storage container to clean the surface of the semiconductor storage container; S15, clean, dry compressed gas is blown onto the surface of the semiconductor storage container.

[0014] The present application utilizes clean, dry compressed gas to purge the surface of the semiconductor storage container before spray cleaning, thereby better removing AMC contaminants attached to the surface of the semiconductor storage container.

[0015] Optionally, the duration T in step S13 S13 The fifth average volume flow rate is 1000-3000LPM.

[0016] Optionally, the temperature of the clean, dry compressed gas in step S13 and / or step S15 is greater than or equal to 40° C. and less than or equal to 80° C.

[0017] Optionally, in step S13, step S14 and step S15, the first processing unit is heated by a heating component so that the ambient temperature in the first cleaning chamber of the first processing unit is greater than or equal to 40°C and less than or equal to 80°C.

[0018] Optionally, clean, dry compressed air and cleaning fluid can be supplied from the same supply system.

[0019] Optionally, step S15 further includes the following steps:

[0020] S151, in duration T S151 Blow clean, dry compressed gas into the surface of the semiconductor storage container to remove residual cleaning fluid in the pipeline;

[0021] S152, in duration T S152 Clean, dry compressed gas is blown into the surface of the semiconductor storage container to remove moisture from the surface of the semiconductor storage container and dry the semiconductor storage container.

[0022] The flow rate of the clean, dry compressed gas purged onto the surface of the semiconductor storage container in step S151 is greater than the flow rate of the clean, dry compressed gas purged onto the surface of the semiconductor storage container in step S152; the time duration T S151 Less than duration T S152 .

[0023] Optionally, during the process of cleaning the semiconductor storage container in the first cleaning chamber, the residual level of pollutants in the gas exhausted from the first cleaning chamber is detected to determine whether to stop cleaning.

[0024] Optionally, after step S15, the following steps are further included:

[0025] S16 , after the semiconductor storage container is taken out from the first clean chamber, the first clean chamber is cleaned to reduce the level of residual pollutants therein.

[0026] The present application also discloses a cleaning unit adopting the above cleaning method.

[0027] The present application also discloses a cleaning system, comprising the above-mentioned cleaning unit.

[0028] Secondly, the present application also provides a semiconductor storage container cleaning method based on the test results, which further includes the following steps in step 2 above: S31, placing the unlocked and separated semiconductor storage container components separately in a first cleaning chamber; S32, cleaning the semiconductor storage container in the first cleaning chamber with a cleaning solution; S33, detecting contaminants in the first cleaning chamber and obtaining a test result, where the detected contaminant types include particles and / or AMC; S34, performing subsequent processing based on the test result. By detecting the contaminant level in the first cleaning chamber, the residual contaminant level in the semiconductor storage container can be indirectly determined, providing data support for subsequent cleaning, thereby better cleaning the semiconductor storage container.

[0029] Optionally, in the above step S33, AMC includes SO 2、 One or more of inorganic ammonia, VOC, organic amines, and acids.

[0030] Optionally, step S34 includes: setting a first preset threshold value according to the process parameters, the first preset threshold value is comprehensively set according to the cleaning processing capacity of the first clean chamber, the container type, and the container indicators required by the process; and judging whether the detection result is lower than the first preset threshold value. If the detection result is lower than the first preset threshold value, the semiconductor storage container completes the cleaning process in this clean chamber; otherwise, repeating steps S32 and S33.

[0031] By comparing the detection result with the first preset threshold, it can be ensured that the semiconductor storage container will not be transferred to the next cleaning procedure until it reaches the preset cleanliness level, thereby effectively improving the qualified rate of semiconductor storage container cleaning.

[0032] Optionally, step S33 further includes setting a second preset threshold based on the process parameters, the second preset threshold being greater than the first preset threshold, and the second preset threshold being set based on the cleaning processing capacity of the first clean chamber, the container type, and the container indicators required by the process. If the test result is higher than the second preset threshold, a control unit connected to the detection device issues a warning signal.

[0033] Optionally, step S34 also includes determining process parameters of the cleaning system in subsequent processing according to the detection results.

[0034] Optionally, step S34 further includes step S35: after the first cleaning chamber completes cleaning of the semiconductor storage container and takes the semiconductor storage container out of the first cleaning chamber, the first cleaning chamber is cleaned.

[0035] Optionally, step S34 further includes step S36: after taking the semiconductor storage container out of the first clean chamber, detecting the level of pollutants in the first clean chamber to determine whether the environment of the first clean chamber meets the requirements for cleaning the semiconductor storage container.

[0036] Optionally, step S36 specifically includes, based on a preset contaminant level value set by the process parameters of the first processing unit, if the detected contaminant level exceeds the preset value, the equipment will issue a warning signal to indicate that equipment maintenance is required. Otherwise, the first cleaning chamber will clean the next semiconductor storage container.

[0037] The embodiment of the present application also discloses a cleaning unit using the above cleaning method.

[0038] An embodiment of the present application also discloses a cleaning system, comprising the above-mentioned cleaning unit.

[0039] In a third aspect, step three of the present application provides another cleaning method for a semiconductor memory, wherein the cleaning method is used to remove residual AMC contaminants in a semiconductor storage container, and the above step three further includes the following steps:

[0040] S21, placing the cleaned semiconductor storage container in a second cleaning chamber;

[0041] S22, in duration T S22 The second cleaning chamber is vacuumed so that the pressure of the second cleaning chamber is less than or equal to a first preset pressure value, and the temperature in the second cleaning chamber is maintained between 40° C. and 80° C.;

[0042] S23, in duration T S23 Filling the second cleaning chamber with gas at a first average volume flow rate, and making the maximum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber during step S23 less than or equal to a second preset pressure value, wherein the gas is clean, dry, compressed gas;

[0043] S24, in duration T S24 filling the second cleaning chamber with a second gas, and making the maximum pressure in the second cleaning chamber during step S24 less than or equal to a third preset pressure value, wherein the gas is a clean, dry compressed gas;

[0044] The first average volume flow rate is smaller than the second average volume flow rate, and the maximum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber during step S23 is smaller than the maximum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber during step S24.

[0045] Optionally, in step S23 and step S24, the gas is nitrogen and / or an inert gas.

[0046] Optionally, after step S24, the step further includes S25, looping step S22, step S23 and step S24 several times, wherein in step S22 of each cycle, the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber is less than or equal to the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber in step S22 executed last, and / or the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber is less than or equal to the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber in step S22 executed last.

[0047] Optionally, after step S24, the method further includes: S25, looping step S22, step S23 and step S24 several times, wherein in step S22 of each cycle, the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber is less than the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber in step S22 executed last, and / or the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber is less than the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber in step S22 executed last.

[0048] Optionally, step S22 includes: S222 The pressure value of the second cleaning chamber is made less than or equal to the first preset pressure value.

[0049] Optionally, the duration T S26 Less than the duration T S22 .

[0050] Optionally, in step S23 , the second cleaning chamber is kept vacuumed.

[0051] Optionally, the first preset pressure value is less than or equal to 100 Pa.

[0052] Optionally, the duration T S22 10-300s.

[0053] Optionally, the first volume flow rate is 5-100 LPM.

[0054] Optionally, the duration T S23 1-100s.

[0055] The present application also includes a cleaning system using the above-mentioned cleaning method for a semiconductor storage container, the cleaning system comprising:

[0056] a second clean chamber for accommodating semiconductor storage containers;

[0057] a vacuum pump connected to the second cleaning chamber and configured to evacuate the second cleaning chamber;

[0058] a pressure detecting element connected to the second cleaning chamber and used to detect the pressure in the second cleaning chamber;

[0059] a heating component connected to the second cleaning chamber and configured to heat the gas in the second cleaning chamber;

[0060] A vacuum breaking component is connected to the second cleaning chamber and is used to fill the second cleaning chamber with gas, wherein the gas includes nitrogen and / or an inert gas.

[0061] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides another semiconductor storage container cleaning method based on the detection results, which further includes the following steps in the above step three: S41, placing the cleaned semiconductor storage container in a second cleaning chamber; S42, S42The second clean chamber is evacuated; S43, gas is filled into the second clean chamber to restore the second clean chamber to normal pressure, the gas includes nitrogen and / or inert gas; S44, the pollutant level in the second clean chamber is detected to obtain a detection result, the detection result includes AMC; S45, subsequent processing is performed according to the detection result.

[0062] Optionally, in the above step S44, AMC includes one or more of SO2, inorganic ammonia, VOC, organic ammonia, and acids.

[0063] Optionally, step S44 includes detecting the gas exhausted from the second cleaning chamber in step S42 by a detection device to obtain a detection result.

[0064] Optionally, step S44 includes detecting the gas exhausted from the second cleaning chamber in step S43 by a detection device to obtain a detection result.

[0065] Optionally, step S45 also includes setting a third preset threshold value based on the process parameters, the third preset threshold value is comprehensively set based on the cleaning processing capacity of the second clean chamber, the container type, and the container indicators required by the process; and judging whether the detection result is lower than the third preset threshold value. If the detection result is lower than the third set threshold value, the semiconductor storage container is moved to the unloading unit; otherwise, steps S42 to S45 are looped.

[0066] Optionally, step S45 further includes setting a fourth preset threshold value based on the process parameters, the fourth preset threshold value being greater than the third preset threshold value, and the fourth preset threshold value being set based on the cleaning processing capacity of the second clean chamber, the container type, and the container indicators required by the process. If the test result is higher than the fourth preset threshold value, a control unit connected to the detection device issues a warning signal.

[0067] Optionally, step S45 further includes adjusting the process parameters in S42 and / or S43 according to the detection results.

[0068] Optionally, the method further includes detecting the level of residual contaminants in the second clean chamber before cleaning the container to determine whether the contaminant level in the environment of the second clean chamber meets the requirements for cleaning the semiconductor storage container. If the level of contaminants in the second clean chamber does not meet the requirements, a control unit connected to the detection device issues a warning signal.

[0069] Optionally, step S43 includes step S431 during the time T S431 In step S432, the second cleaning chamber is filled with gas at a first average volume flow rate, and the pressure in the second cleaning chamber is made less than or equal to a third preset pressure value, wherein the gas is clean, dry, compressed gas; S432Filling the second cleaning chamber with gas at a second volume flow rate, wherein the gas is clean, dry compressed gas;

[0070] Optionally, in step S431 and step S432, the gas is nitrogen and / or an inert gas.

[0071] Optionally, in step S431 , the vacuum pump is in operation to keep the second cleaning chamber vacuumed.

[0072] Optionally, step S41 further includes detecting the residual level of contaminants in the uncleaned container to determine whether to clean the semiconductor storage container in the second cleaning chamber.

[0073] The present application also discloses a cleaning unit adopting the above cleaning method.

[0074] The present application also discloses a cleaning system, comprising the above-mentioned cleaning unit.

[0075] First, compared with the existing cleaning methods, the cleaning method of the present application proposes for the first time to add a gas purging step before spraying the cleaning liquid. By blowing clean, dry compressed gas onto the container surface, the AMC pollutants and particulate matter attached to the container surface can be effectively removed. Compared with the existing method of purging the gas after spraying the cleaning liquid, the container surface is in a dry state before spraying the cleaning liquid. At this time, the outside of the AMC pollutants and particulate matter is not covered by the liquid film, so it is easier to be removed by gas blowing, thereby greatly improving the cleaning and removal effect of AMC pollutants.

[0076] In addition, the gas purge process is one of the commonly used processes after the cleaning liquid spray cleaning. Adding the gas purge process before the cleaning liquid spray cleaning will not cause a major change in the equipment structure, and adding the gas purge process before the cleaning liquid spray cleaning will not increase the manufacturing cost of the equipment.

[0077] Secondly, based on the different types of containers, the different levels of pollutants inside the container cleaning chamber, and the different requirements of different processes for the residual levels of pollutants after container cleaning, the residual levels of pollutants inside the container are also different after the container undergoes a fixed process flow. The method of the present application detects the pollutant level of the environment in the first cleaning chamber during the container cleaning process, and then makes a judgment on the residual level of pollutants inside the container. On the one hand, it ensures the qualified rate of container cleaning, and on the other hand, it can adjust the cleaning process according to the level of container pollutants, while ensuring the cleaning effect and avoiding excessive cleaning.

[0078] On the third aspect, when cleaning is performed in the second clean chamber, a small flow of gas is first filled into the second clean chamber in a negative pressure state, and the filled gas is used to replace the AMC in the pores on the container surface, thereby further reducing the residual level of AMC in the semiconductor storage container. As the residual level of AMC on the container surface decreases, the amount of AMC replaced by the gas tends to be equal to the amount of AMC attached to the pores for the second time, and the residual amount of AMC on the container surface tends to be stable. At this time, a large volume flow of gas is quickly filled into the second clean chamber, which can form a large pressure gradient and concentration gradient near the pores on the container surface, which is conducive to the diffusion of AMC molecules. At the same time, the gas molecules enter the pores at a large speed, flushing out the AMC originally in the pores.

[0079] In addition, when a large volume flow rate of gas is quickly filled in, the pressure in the second cleaning chamber increases, and the temperature in the second cleaning chamber also further increases. The temperature increase can further increase the outward diffusion of AMC molecules in the pores on the container surface, thereby improving the AMC removal effect.

[0080] Fourthly, based on the different types of containers, the different levels of contaminants inside the container cleaning chamber, and the different requirements of different processes for the residual levels of contaminants after container cleaning, the residual levels of contaminants inside the container are also different after the container undergoes a fixed process flow. The cleaning method provided in this application detects the level of contaminants in the environment inside the second cleaning chamber during the container cleaning process to judge the residual level of contaminants inside the container, thereby adjusting the cleaning process to ensure the cleaning effect while avoiding excessive cleaning.

[0081] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be given in part in the description below, and in part will become apparent from the description below, or will be learned through practice of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0082] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0083] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a container according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a cleaning system for a semiconductor storage container provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning system for a semiconductor storage container provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a second cover, a first limiting assembly, and a knob assembly in a cleaning system for a semiconductor storage container provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] FIG5 is a top view of a barrel in a cleaning device for a semiconductor storage container provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of pores and AMC contaminants on the surface of a semiconductor storage container in a cleaning method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0089] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a liquid film formed on the surface of a semiconductor storage container in a cleaning method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a liquid film forming on the surface of a container and entering into pores in a cleaning method for a semiconductor storage container provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] FIG9 is a schematic flow chart of a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present application;

[0092] FIG10 is a schematic flow chart of a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to a specific embodiment of the first aspect of the present application;

[0093] FIG11 is a schematic flow chart of a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to another specific embodiment of the first aspect of the present application;

[0094] FIG12 is a schematic flow chart of a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to another specific embodiment of the first aspect of the present application;

[0095] FIG13 is a schematic flow chart of a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present application;

[0096] FIG14 is a flow chart of a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container provided in accordance with a specific embodiment of the second aspect of the present application;

[0097] FIG15 is a flow chart of a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container provided in another specific embodiment of the second aspect of the present application;

[0098] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning system for a semiconductor storage container provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0099] FIG17 is a schematic flow chart of a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to an embodiment of the third aspect of the present application;

[0100] FIG18 is a graph showing the gas pressure, AMC concentration, and time in the second cleaning chamber of the semiconductor storage container cleaning method according to a specific embodiment of the third aspect of the present application;

[0101] FIG19 is a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning system for a semiconductor storage container provided in a specific embodiment of the third aspect of the present application;

[0102] FIG20 is a schematic structural diagram of a positioning block 211 in a semiconductor storage container cleaning system according to a specific embodiment of the third aspect of the present application;

[0103] FIG21 is a schematic diagram of the airflow direction in the second cleaning chamber when the cleaning system for a semiconductor storage container is evacuated according to a specific embodiment of the third aspect of the present application;

[0104] FIG22 is a schematic structural diagram of a positioning block in a cleaning system for a semiconductor storage container provided in another specific embodiment of the third aspect of the present application;

[0105] FIG23 is a schematic flow chart of a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to a specific embodiment of the third aspect of the present application;

[0106] FIG24 is a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning system for a semiconductor storage container provided in accordance with an embodiment of the third aspect of the present application;

[0107] FIG25 is a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning system for a semiconductor storage container provided by another embodiment of the third aspect of the present application;

[0108] FIG26 is a logic diagram of a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container provided by another embodiment of the third aspect of the present application;

[0109] FIG27 is a graph showing time and pressure in a second cleaning chamber in a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to another embodiment of the third aspect of the present application;

[0110] Figure 28 is a flow chart of a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container provided in an embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present application.

[0111] a, container; a1, first cover; a0, container surface; a01, air hole; a11, lock hole; a12, first limit hole; a2, box body; c, AMC contaminant; d, liquid film;

[0112] 1. First processing unit; 11. Barrel body; 12. Second cover; 13. First stopper assembly; 131. Suction cup; 132. First stopper; 141. Barrel outer wall spray pipe; 142. Barrel inner wall spray pipe; 143. Barrel top spray pipe; 144. Cover outer wall spray pipe; 145. Cover inner wall spray pipe; 151. Rotary rod; 1521. Rotary drive element; 1522. Rotating wheel; 1523. Conveyor belt; 1524. Linear drive element; 1525. First telescopic rod; 1526. Bearing seat; 1527. Bearing; 161. Second stopper; 171. First rotating disk; 172. Second rotating disk.

[0113] 2. Second processing unit; 20. Second cleaning chamber; 21. Chamber body; 211. Positioning block; 211a. Spacer block; 2111. First support block; 2112. Second support block; 22. Chamber cover; 231. First heater; 232. Second heater;

[0114] 3. Robot; 4. Loading unit; 5. Unloading unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0115] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although exemplary embodiments of the present application are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present application can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the specific embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present application and to fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art.

[0116] In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to provide a more thorough understanding of the present application. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present application can be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, certain technical features known in the art are not described to avoid confusion with the present application; that is, all features of actual embodiments are not described herein, nor are well-known functions and structures described in detail.

[0117] In the drawings, the sizes of layers, regions, elements and their relative sizes may be exaggerated for clarity. Like reference numerals denote like elements throughout.

[0118] It should be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "adjacent to," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, adjacent to, connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. Conversely, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly adjacent to," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers. It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or part from another element, component, region, layer, or part. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the present application, the first element, component, region, layer, or part discussed below may be represented as a second element, component, region, layer, or part. And when the second element, component, region, layer, or part is discussed, it does not necessarily mean that the first element, component, region, layer, or part is present in the present application.

[0119] Spatially relative terms such as "under," "beneath," "below," "under," "above," "above," etc., may be used herein for convenience of description to describe the relationship of an element or feature shown in the figures to other elements or features. It should be understood that in addition to the orientations shown in the figures, the spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use and operation. For example, if the device in the drawings is flipped, then the elements or features described as "under the other elements" or "under it" or "under it" will be oriented as "on" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary terms "under" and "under" may include both upper and lower orientations. The device may be oriented otherwise (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations) and the spatial descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly.

[0120] The purpose of the terms used herein is only to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present application. When used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "comprising" and / or "including", when used in this specification, determine the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or groups. When used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of the relevant listed items.

[0121] In order to fully understand the present application, detailed steps and detailed structures will be presented in the following description to illustrate the technical solution of the present application. The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail below. However, in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present application may also have other implementation methods.

[0122] The semiconductor storage container involved in the embodiments of the present application, the semiconductor storage container a (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "container"), can be a semiconductor storage container for storing wafers, or a photomask storage box for storing photomasks, or of course, a storage box for other purposes. As shown in Figure 1, container a includes a detachable box body a2 and a first cover a1. Container a also includes a locking mechanism. The box body a2 and the first cover a1 are locked or unlocked by a knob assembly. That is, the knob assembly can achieve a sealed connection between the first cover a1 and the box body a2, and can also achieve separation of the first cover a1 from the box body a2.

[0123] An embodiment of the present application provides a cleaning system for a semiconductor storage container. As shown in FIG2 , the cleaning system includes a loading unit 4, a first processing unit 1, a second processing unit 2, a detection unit, an unloading unit 5, a manipulator 3, and a rack. The loading unit 4, the first processing unit 1, the second processing unit 2, the detection unit, the unloading unit 5, and the manipulator 3 can be provided in plurality to form multiple workstations, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the container. The loading unit 4 and the unloading unit 5 are arranged adjacent to each other and are located on the same side of the rack. The loading unit 1 is configured to load the container, and the manipulator 3 is used to transfer the container between the various units. The first processing unit 1 is configured to perform a first cleaning treatment on the container, and the second processing unit 2 is configured to perform a second cleaning treatment on the container. The detection unit is configured to detect the concentration level of pollutants, and the unloading unit 5 is configured to unload the container.

[0124] In an optional embodiment, the cleaning system is provided with a detection station, which is used to detect the container and determine the condition of the contaminants in the container.

[0125] In an optional embodiment, the detection station is set in the loading unit, which is used to detect the contaminants in the container before cleaning after loading, and determine whether the container can be sent for cleaning. If the contaminant content exceeds the preset value, it means that the container does not meet the cleaning requirements after being processed by the cleaning system provided in the embodiment of the present application. At this time, the equipment sends a warning signal to prompt the container to be removed.

[0126] In an optional embodiment, a detection station is provided in the unloading unit for detecting whether the residual level of pollutants in the container after cleaning meets the process requirements.

[0127] In an optional embodiment, the detection unit includes an AMC online detection device (not shown in the figure). The AMC online detection device can detect and analyze the incoming gas, and obtain the content of each component of the incoming gas in real time through methods such as PTR (Proton Transfer Reaction-mass spectrometry) to determine the pollutant level of the incoming gas.

[0128] The AMC online detection device in this embodiment can perform mass spectrometry analysis on the input gas in real time and output the content of each component of the input gas in real time. Furthermore, the AMC online detection device in this embodiment can simultaneously analyze the content of at least 30 different components.

[0129] In an optional embodiment, the AMC online detection device is also connected to the first cleaning chamber and / or the second cleaning chamber, and the AMC online detection device detects and analyzes the composition of the gas in the first cleaning chamber and / or the second cleaning chamber in real time. By comparing the detection result with the set qualified range, it is determined whether the environment in the first cleaning chamber and / or the second cleaning chamber meets the requirements of cleaning the container. When the environment in the first cleaning chamber and / or the second cleaning chamber does not meet the cleaning requirements, the container cleaning is stopped.

[0130] In an optional embodiment, the AMC online detection device can detect the humidity level, acid contaminants (MA), alkaline contaminants (MB), and condensable contaminants (MC) in the input gas.

[0131] In an optional embodiment, the test result is the total AMC residual level.

[0132] In an optional embodiment, the detection result is the residual level of multiple different components, including inorganic ammonia, VOC, HF, SO2, ACIDS, and AMINES.

[0133] In an optional embodiment, the detection result is the number and distribution of particles with a specific diameter.

[0134] In an optional embodiment, an AMC online detection device is connected to the first cleaning chamber, and the AMC online detection device is used to analyze the situation of pollutants in the first cleaning chamber to provide a reference for subsequent cleaning processes.

[0135] In an optional embodiment, an AMC online detection device is connected to the second cleaning chamber, and the AMC online detection device is used to analyze the contaminants in the second cleaning chamber to provide a reference for subsequent cleaning processes.

[0136] In an optional embodiment, an AMC online detection device is connected to the detection station, and the AMC online detection device analyzes the contaminants in the cleaned container to provide a basis for qualified container unloading.

[0137] In an optional embodiment, the output end of the AMC online detection device is connected to the control unit, and the detection results are fed back to the control unit. The control unit determines the situation of the residue in the container based on the feedback results, and thus selects the next treatment process for the container.

[0138] In the above embodiment, the control unit determines the process parameters of the equipment in the next treatment process of the container according to the feedback result.

[0139] An embodiment of the present application also provides a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container, including step one, placing the container on a loading unit to complete the loading of the container; step two, transferring the container to a first processing unit 1, and cleaning and drying the container in the first processing unit; step three, transferring the container to a second processing unit 2, and using the vacuum environment of the second processing unit to remove residual AMC contaminants inside the container and further drying the container; step four, transferring the container to a unloading unit, and inspecting the container in the unloading unit, and determining a subsequent processing method based on the inspection results.

[0140] In an optional embodiment, the container in the loading unit is inspected, and a subsequent processing method is determined based on the inspection results.

[0141] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application describe a cleaning system and a cleaning method for a semiconductor memory.

[0142] Specifically, as shown in Figures 3 to 5, an embodiment of the present application provides a cleaning system for a semiconductor storage container, which includes a first processing unit 1, which includes a barrel body 11, a second cover body 12, a knob assembly, a first limiting assembly 13, a spray assembly and a blowing assembly.

[0143] The second cover 12 is hinged to the barrel body 11 , and the second cover 12 is mounted on the barrel body 11 to form a space for cleaning the container a.

[0144] The knob assembly includes a rotating rod 151 and a first driving member. One end of the rotating rod 151 is connected to the first driving member, and the first driving member is connected to the second cover body 12. Under the driving force of the first driving member, the rotating rod 151 can penetrate the second cover body 12 and be inserted into the lock hole a11 on the first cover body a1 to perform rotational motion. The rotating rod drives the lock body in the locking mechanism to rotate to achieve locking or unlocking of the first cover body a1 and the box body a2.

[0145] The first limiting assembly 13 is installed on the second cover 12 , and the first limiting assembly 13 is used to connect the first cover a1 to the second cover 12 .

[0146] The spray assembly includes a plurality of spray pipes, which are installed on the side walls and / or bottom wall of the barrel body 11. The plurality of spray pipes are used to spray cleaning liquid to clean the surfaces of the first cover a1 and the box body a2.

[0147] The blowing assembly includes multiple blowing pipes, which are installed on the side walls and / or bottom walls of the barrel body 11. After the first cover body a1 and the box body a2 complete the cleaning operation, the multiple blowing pipes blow air on the surface of the first cover body a1 and the box body a2 to dry the first cover body a1 and the box body a2.

[0148] In the embodiment of the present application, the knob assembly is used to unlock the box body a2 and the first cover body a1, and the first limit assembly 13 is used to position the first cover body a1, so that the spray assembly and the blowing assembly can fully clean the first cover body a1 and the box body a2 to ensure the cleaning degree.

[0149] In an optional embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the first driving member includes a rotating driving member 1521, a rotating wheel 1522, a linear driving member 1524 and a first telescopic rod 1525. The rotating wheel 1522 is connected to the rotating driving member 1521, one end of the first telescopic rod 1525 is connected to the linear driving member 1524, and the other end is connected to the rotating rod 151. The rotating rod 151 follows the rotating wheel 1522 to perform rotational motion under the driving force of the rotating driving member 1521, and the rotating rod 151 follows the first telescopic rod 1525 to perform reciprocating motion perpendicular to the surface of the second cover body 12 under the driving force of the linear driving member 1524 to insert or pull out the lock hole a11 on the first cover body a1.

[0150] Furthermore, the first driving assembly also includes a bearing seat 1526 and a bearing 1527 . The bearing seat 1526 is installed on the second cover 12 . The bearing seat 1526 is connected to the bearing 1527 . The rotating rod 151 passes through the bearing 1527 and the bearing seat 1526 .

[0151] The first drive member also includes a conveyor belt 1523, which connects the rotating wheel 1522 to the bearing 1527. Under the driving force of the rotary drive member 1521, the bearing 1527 rotates along with the rotating wheel 1522, thereby driving the rotary rod 151 to rotate, thereby rotating the first cover a1 and the lock body on the box body a2. The linear drive member 1524 can be driven by a cylinder, and the rotary drive member 1521 can be driven by a rotary cylinder, but these are not limited to these.

[0152] In an alternative embodiment, the first driving member is a rotating downward pressure cylinder, which realizes the linear and rotational motion of the rotating rod by rotating the downward pressure cylinder. The structure is simpler and the assembly is relatively simple, which saves time and effort. Because it is a single cylinder, it is more stable than the conventional system that requires two cylinders to work together and is not prone to getting stuck. On the other hand, since only one cylinder is used, inspection and maintenance are convenient. For example, in the conventional setting, if the cylinder is stuck or the component is damaged, it is necessary to test and inspect each part one by one to find the damaged part, which takes longer to repair and the equipment downtime is also longer. When repairing after the fault is found, more parts need to be disassembled and replaced. In this embodiment, if a component fails, it can be repaired by directly replacing the entire component, which is simpler to repair, with shorter working hours and less downtime. At the same time, since it is a single cylinder, the relationship between its frequency of use and life can be evaluated, and regular maintenance of this component can be performed to prevent the component from failing after long-term operation.

[0153] It should be noted that, after the first driving member drives the rotary rod to be inserted into the lock hole and rotates the lock body to achieve unlocking or locking, the first driving member drives the rotary rod to reset and the rotary rod is retracted.

[0154] In an optional embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, the first limiting assembly 13 includes two suction cups 131, which are connected to the inner wall of the second cover body 12. The two suction cups 131 are used to adsorb on the surface of the first cover body a1 so that the first cover body a1 is parallel to the second cover body 12, and the connection between the first cover body and the second cover body is achieved through the suction cups.

[0155] The first limiting assembly 13 also includes two first limiting blocks 132, which are connected to the inner wall of the second cover body 12. When the suction cup 131 is adsorbed on the first cover body a1, the two first limiting blocks 132 correspond to the first limiting holes a12 on the first cover body a1. On the one hand, the two first limiting blocks 132 can limit the position of the first cover body a1, and on the other hand, they can support the first cover body a1, ensuring that the distance between the suction cup and the first cover body is at an appropriate position, thereby improving the stability of the first cover body a1 connected to the second cover body 12.

[0156] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG5 , the spray assembly includes a barrel outer wall spray pipe 141 , a barrel inner wall spray pipe 142 , a cover inner wall spray pipe 145 , a cover outer wall spray pipe 144 and a barrel top spray pipe 143 .

[0157] Among them, multiple barrel outer wall spray pipes 141 are connected to the periphery of the bottom wall of the barrel body 11. After the box body a2 is inverted into the barrel body 11, the multiple barrel outer wall spray pipes 141 spray liquid onto the outer wall of the barrel body 11 to rinse the outer wall of the barrel body 11. Multiple barrel inner wall spray pipes 142 are connected to the middle position of the bottom wall of the barrel body 11. After the box body a2 is inverted into the barrel body 11, the multiple barrel inner wall spray pipes 142 spray liquid onto the inner wall of the barrel body 11 to rinse the inner wall of the barrel body 11. The barrel top spray pipe 143 is arranged adjacent to the barrel inner wall spray pipe 142. After the box body a2 is inverted into the barrel body 11, the multiple barrel top spray pipes 143 spray liquid onto the top of the barrel body 11 (the top of the barrel body 11 is opposite to the opening of the barrel body 11) to rinse the top of the barrel body 11.

[0158] The inner and outer wall spray pipes 145 and 144 are positioned adjacent to each other, with one end connected to the side wall of the barrel body 11 and the other end extending toward the center of the barrel body 11. When the second cover 12 is installed within the barrel body 11, the inner and outer wall spray pipes 145 and 144 are located on the sides of the first cover a1, spraying liquid from the inner and outer wall spray pipes 145 and 144 to rinse the inner and outer surfaces of the first cover a1, respectively.

[0159] In an embodiment of the present application, the barrel outer wall spray pipe 141, the barrel inner wall spray pipe 142, the lid inner wall spray pipe 145, the lid outer wall spray pipe 144 and the barrel top spray pipe 143 are distributed at different positions and angles in the barrel body 11 to fully rinse the first cover body a1 and the box body a2 and improve the flushing effect.

[0160] It should be noted that when the box body a2 is inverted on the bottom wall of the barrel body 11, there is a space between the opening of the box body a2 and the bottom wall of the barrel body 11, and the liquid sprayed by the spray assembly is discharged from the discharge port provided on the bottom wall of the barrel body 11 to discharge the pollutants generated during the cleaning process out of the barrel body 11.

[0161] It should also be noted that there are multiple nozzles on the spray pipe, and parameters such as the number of nozzles, nozzle spray direction, and spray pressure can be set according to specific circumstances, and are not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0162] In an optional embodiment, the blowing assembly includes multiple blowing pipes (not shown in the figure), which are used to blow out hot air. The blowing pipes are connected to the barrel outer wall spray pipe 141, the barrel inner wall spray pipe 142, the cover inner wall spray pipe 145, the cover outer wall spray pipe 144 and the barrel top spray pipe 143 in the spray assembly.

[0163] That is, an air blowing pipeline is provided at the location where the spray pipe is provided, and after the flushing is completed, the air blowing pipeline is used to blow hot air to dry the first cover a1 and the box body a2, thereby further improving the cleaning effect of the first cover a1 and the box body a2.

[0164] In an optional embodiment, an exhaust port (not shown in the figure) is provided on the second cover to discharge the gas generated during the cleaning process out of the barrel.

[0165] In an optional embodiment, the liquid nozzle on the spray pipe can also be configured to transmit gas, that is, the air blowing pipeline is shared with the spray pipe, which can reduce the occupied space.

[0166] In an optional embodiment, the first processing unit 1 also includes a second limiting component, which is installed on the bottom wall of the barrel body 11. The second limiting component is used to position the box body a2 on the barrel body 11, that is, the second limiting component is used to limit the position of the box body a2 in the barrel body 11.

[0167] Furthermore, as shown in FIG5 , the second limiting assembly includes a plurality of second limiting blocks 161 , which are connected to the bottom wall of the barrel body 11 and match a plurality of second limiting holes (not shown) provided on the box body a2 . The plurality of second limiting holes are provided at the opening of the box body a2 . The box body a2 is inverted in the barrel body 11 , i.e., the opening of the box body a2 faces the bottom wall of the barrel body 11 . The second limiting holes match the second limiting blocks 161 to define the position of the box body a2 in the barrel body 11 .

[0168] In an optional embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, the first processing unit 1 also includes a first rotating component, which includes a first rotating motor (not shown in the figure) and a first rotating disk 171. The first rotating disk 171 is connected to the first rotating motor, and the first limiting component 13 is connected to the first rotating disk 171. The first rotating motor is installed on the outer wall of the second cover body 12, and the first rotating disk 171 is located on the inner wall of the second cover body 12. The first rotating disk 171 is connected to the first cover body a1, and the first cover body a1 rotates following the first rotating disk 171 under the driving force of the first rotating motor.

[0169] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the first processing unit 1 also includes a second rotating component, which includes a second rotating motor (not shown in the figure) and a second rotating disk 172. The second rotating disk 172 is connected to the second rotating motor, and the second rotating motor is installed on the outer bottom wall of the barrel body 11. The second rotating disk 172 is located at the bottom wall of the barrel body 11. The second limiting component is connected to the second rotating disk 172, and the box body a2 rotates following the second rotating disk 172 under the driving force of the second rotating motor.

[0170] The above first processing unit 1 uses the first rotating component and the second rotating component to drive the first cover a1 and the box body a2 to rotate during the cleaning process and the purging and drying process, so that the first cover a1 and the box body a2 are cleaned and dried in all directions, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency of the first cover a1 and the box body a2.

[0171] In an optional embodiment, the first processing unit 1 also includes a barrel cover driving member, one end of the barrel cover driving member is connected to the outer wall of the second cover body 12, and the other end is connected to the outer wall of the barrel body 11. The second cover body 12 is installed on the barrel body 11 or away from the opening of the barrel body 11 under the driving force of the barrel cover driving member to achieve the closing or opening of the second cover body 12.

[0172] In an optional embodiment, a robot is used to move the semiconductor storage container to the second cover body 12. The robot drives the semiconductor storage container to rotate a certain angle so that the rotating rod is aligned with the lock hole. The locking mechanism is unlocked by the action of the knob assembly. The use of the robot to transport the semiconductor storage container reduces the chance of the semiconductor storage container being contaminated, and also improves the cleaning efficiency of the first processing unit 1.

[0173] In an optional embodiment, the first processing unit 1 further includes a heating component, which is mounted on the barrel body 11 or the second cover body 12 and is used to heat the first cleaning chamber formed by the barrel body 11 and the second cover body 12, so that the container a can be cleaned in an environment with a certain temperature. The higher the temperature, the easier it is for the AMC pollutants to volatilize, thereby improving the cleaning effect.

[0174] In an optional embodiment, the first processing unit 1 further includes a heating component, which is installed in the air inlet or liquid supply pipeline to heat the gas or liquid in the pipeline, and use the heated cleaning liquid or gas to clean the container a to improve the cleaning effect.

[0175] In the prior art, after the semiconductor storage container is placed in the first processing unit, the semiconductor storage container is initially cleaned by spraying with a cleaning liquid and then drying with CDA (Compressed Dry Air).

[0176] The inventors have discovered through extensive research that, after reducing AMC contamination (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "AMC") to a certain level using the aforementioned cleaning method, further reductions are difficult to achieve, making it difficult to meet the demands of integrated circuit manufacturing processes. In particular, as integrated circuit manufacturing processes advance, for example from 28nm to 14nm, 7nm, and even below 5nm, the control of all possible AMC contamination sources within the cleanroom becomes extremely stringent.

[0177] An embodiment of the present application provides a cleaning method for a semiconductor storage container, which improves the AMC contaminant removal effect by using clean, dry compressed gas for hot air blowing before spraying the container with a cleaning liquid.

[0178] A cleaning method for a semiconductor storage container provided by an embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG9 , the method includes the following steps:

[0179] S12, placing the unlocked and separated semiconductor storage container assemblies into a first cleaning chamber respectively.

[0180] The first cleaning chamber is a sealed space.

[0181] S13, in duration T S13 Inside, clean, dry compressed gas is blown onto the surface of the container at a fifth average volume flow rate.

[0182] In this step, while container 1 is dry, clean, dry compressed gas is used to purge container a. Prior to purging, the dry compressed gas must be purified to reduce the content of contaminants such as AMC, thereby producing clean, dry compressed gas. This is primarily because using compressed, dry gas containing a high content of contaminants such as AMC could potentially transfer these contaminants to the surface of container a. This would not only fail to reduce the AMC content on the surface of container a, but could actually reduce the cleanliness of container a.

[0183] The purification process can be carried out using a filter device with pollutant adsorption capacity such as AMC.

[0184] S14. Spray cleaning liquid onto the surface of the container to clean the surface of the container.

[0185] In this step, the cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the container surface a0 to rinse and dissolve most of the AMC contaminants on the container surface a0, thereby further reducing the content of AMC contaminants in the entire container a.

[0186] S15. Blow clean, dry compressed gas onto the surface of the container.

[0187] In this step, clean, dry compressed gas is used to dry the surface of container a, thereby drying the liquid film d on the surface of container a and reducing the humidity level in the container after cleaning.

[0188] It can be understood that, compared with existing methods for cleaning containers, the method provided in the embodiment of the present application is based on the purge of clean, dry compressed gas before step S14, so that the content of AMC pollutants in container a is reduced when the preliminary cleaning stage is completed, thereby improving the cleaning effect of container a.

[0189] In the process of developing a process for efficiently removing AMC from containers used for wafer storage, the inventors discovered that since containers used for wafer storage are usually made of polymer materials such as PC, COPPC, CBM, and PEI, as shown in FIG6 , when the container is formed, a certain number of pores a01 will be formed on the surface a0 of the container due to the manufacturing process or the characteristics of the material itself, and after a certain period of use, the diameter and number of the pores on its surface will increase to varying degrees. Furthermore, the size and number of pores on the surface of containers made of different materials are also different. During the wafer processing process, when a wafer with AMC contaminants c on its surface is stored in a container, the AMC contaminants c may enter these pores a01 and accumulate.

[0190] In this case, the container is cleaned using existing cleaning methods, first spraying the cleaning liquid and then drying it using CDA. As shown in Figure 7, the spraying of the cleaning liquid on the container surface a0 forms a liquid film d on the surface. During the purge process using clean, dry compressed air, this liquid film d affects the removal of the AMC contaminant c accumulated in the pore a01.

[0191] As shown in FIG8 , although the cleaning liquid enters the pore a01 and some of the AMC contaminants c in the pore a01 are dissolved in the cleaning liquid, due to the small aperture of the pore a01, the cleaning liquid that has dissolved the AMC contaminants c is difficult to escape from the pore a01 under the capillary action, making it difficult to remove the AMC contaminants c from the pore a01.

[0192] Furthermore, when some gaseous AMC contaminants c accumulate within pores a01, they may combine to form contaminants insoluble in the cleaning liquid, making them difficult to remove during the cleaning phase. The hot air generated by purging container a with clean, dry compressed air primarily evaporates the liquid film d on container surface a0. Once the liquid film d on container surface a0 is dried, capillary action removes only a portion of the cleaning liquid from pores a01 on container surface a0. At this point, some AMC contaminants c and cleaning liquid still remain within pores a01 on container surface a0.

[0193] Therefore, before step S14, since the container surface a0 is not covered by the liquid film d, the AMC contaminants c in the pores of the container surface a0 are easily detached under the impact of the fast airflow. This is also the reason why in step S13, using clean, dry compressed gas to purge the container a can greatly improve the cleaning effect and reduce the amount of AMC residue in the container.

[0194] In an optional embodiment, in step S13, the time length T S13 It is the time from the start of purging until the effect of purging to remove AMC begins to decline.

[0195] In an optional embodiment, in step S13, the time length T S13 The fifth flow volume is 10000-240000L, the clean dry compressed gas supply pressure is 0.5-1.2 MPa, and the fifth average volume flow rate is 1000-3000LPM.

[0196] In an optional embodiment, the duration T S13 The fifth flow volume is 12,000-54,000 L, the clean, dry compressed gas supply pressure is 0.6-1.0 MPa, and the fifth average volume flow rate is 1,200-1,800 LPM. The applicant, after multiple tests, concluded that after a 30-second purge, the residual AMC contaminant on the surface of most containers stabilizes and does not decrease with increasing purge time.

[0197] In the above embodiment, the AMC level in the first cleaning chamber is detected by the detection device to determine whether the AMC contaminant residue on the container surface tends to be stable, thereby determining the time T. S13 range.

[0198] In an optional embodiment, the total concentration of AMC pollutants in the gas after purification is less than 10 ppbv.

[0199] In an optional embodiment, the total concentration of AMC pollutants in the gas after purification is less than or equal to 1 ppbv.

[0200] In an optional embodiment, for example, in a solution with extremely strict AMC control, the overall concentration of AMC pollutants in the purified gas is controlled to be less than or equal to 0.1 ppbv.

[0201] In an optional embodiment, the purified gas may be CDA gas.

[0202] In an alternative embodiment, dry compressed gas refers to a gas having a relative humidity level below 0.5%.

[0203] In an optional embodiment, in step S13, the flow rate of clean, dry compressed gas ejected from each nozzle is controlled to be below 100 LPM; a higher purge flow rate has a greater gas flow rate, which is likely to form vortices inside the container. AMC contaminants blown off the surface of the container are likely to gather in the vortex, which is not conducive to the discharge of AMC.

[0204] In an optional embodiment, in step S13, the flow rate of the clean, dry compressed gas sprayed from each nozzle is controlled to be 10-50 LPM.

[0205] In an optional embodiment, in step S14, the cleaning time is 10-40 seconds, the cleaning liquid supply pressure is 0.2-0.6 MPa, and the cleaning liquid supply flow rate is 10-40 PLM.

[0206] In an optional embodiment, in step S14, the cleaning time is 20-30 seconds, the cleaning liquid supply pressure is 0.3-0.5 MPa, and the cleaning liquid supply flow rate is 15-25 PLM.

[0207] In an optional embodiment, in step S14 , the cleaning liquid is deionized water (DIW).

[0208] In an optional embodiment, in step S15, the purge time is 150-400 s, the supply pressure of the clean dry compressed gas is 0.5-2.0 MPa, and the supply flow rate of the clean dry compressed gas is 1000-4000 PLM.

[0209] In an optional embodiment, in step S15, the purge time is 200-300 s, the supply pressure of the clean dry compressed gas is 0.6-1.6 MPa, and the supply flow rate of the clean dry compressed gas is 1200-3500 PLM.

[0210] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG10 , the method further includes step S10 before step S13:

[0211] The first cover is connected to the second cover, and the first cover and the box body are unlocked. The container includes the first cover and the box body.

[0212] Specifically, the container is grasped and transferred by a robot, and the container is pressed against the second cover body. The first cover body is limited by the first limit assembly, and the knob assembly is inserted into the lock hole of the first cover body and rotated to unlock the first cover body a1 and the box body a2. The container a includes the first cover body a1 and the box body a2.

[0213] The first cover a1 is connected to the inner wall of the second cover 12 of the first processing unit 1. The second cover 12 is connected to the barrel 11 of the first processing unit 1. The second cover 12 is installed on the barrel 11 to form a space for cleaning container a. When the first cover a1 is connected to the inner wall of the second cover 12, the outer wall of the first cover a1 is opposite the inner wall of the second cover 12. When the second cover 12 is installed on the barrel 11, the plane of the first cover a1 is parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0214] In this step, the locked first cover a1 and box body a2 are unlocked, that is, the first cover a1 and box body a2 can be separated. Separating the first cover a1 and box body a2 can fully clean both, thereby improving the cleaning effect.

[0215] In an optional embodiment, step S11 is further included before step S13:

[0216] The box body is placed upside down in the barrel body, and the second cover body is installed on the barrel body to form a sealed first cleaning chamber for cleaning the container.

[0217] The cleaning method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes placing the cleaned box body against the first cover body, and locking the first cover body and the box body.

[0218] Specifically, after the box body abuts against the first cover body, the knob assembly extends into the lock hole of the first cover body and rotates to close the semiconductor storage container.

[0219] In an optional embodiment, in step S13, step S14 and step S15, the ambient temperature in the first cleaning chamber in the first processing unit 1 is greater than or equal to 40°C and less than or equal to 80°C.

[0220] An ambient temperature greater than or equal to 40° C. and less than or equal to 80° C. can increase the volatility of AMC pollutants, thereby promoting the discharge of AMC pollutants.

[0221] In an optional embodiment, the temperature of the clean, dry compressed gas in step S13 and step S15 is greater than or equal to 40° C. and less than or equal to 80° C.

[0222] Clean, dry compressed air at a temperature of 40°C or higher and 80°C or lower can promote the volatilization and separation of AMC contaminants from the surface of container a and within the pores a01 on the surface, thereby reducing the overall AMC contaminant content in container a. This does not cause the container to overheat and deform.

[0223] In an optional embodiment, the temperature of the cleaning liquid in step S14 is greater than or equal to 50°C and less than or equal to 70°C. A cleaning liquid at a temperature greater than or equal to 50°C and less than or equal to 70°C more readily dissolves AMC contaminants, further reducing the AMC contaminant content on the surface of container a. Due to the higher specific heat of liquid, a cleaning liquid at a temperature less than or equal to 70°C will not cause overheating and deformation of the container.

[0224] In an optional embodiment, during the cleaning process, that is, in step S13, step S14 and step S15, the first cover a1 and the box body a2 perform a rotational motion.

[0225] The first cover a1 and the box body a2 in rotational motion are purged and cleaned by liquid spraying. On the one hand, this can increase the contact area between the surface of the container a and the cleaning liquid and the clean, dry compressed gas, thereby improving the purging and flushing effects. On the other hand, it can ensure uniform purging and spraying cleaning, ensuring that every part of the container is covered.

[0226] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG11 , the clean dry compressed gas and the cleaning liquid share the same supply system, and step S15 further includes the following steps:

[0227] S151, in duration T S151 Blow clean, dry compressed air onto the container surface to remove residual cleaning liquid in the pipeline. In this step, clean, dry compressed air is blown onto the container surface to blow out the residual cleaning liquid in the pipeline, avoiding dripping from the nozzle during the subsequent blowing process, which affects the drying effect.

[0228] S152, in duration T S152 Clean, dry compressed gas is blown into the container surface to quickly dry the cleaning liquid on the container surface.

[0229] The flow rate of the clean, dry compressed gas purged onto the surface of the semiconductor storage container in step S151 is greater than the flow rate of the clean, dry compressed gas purged onto the surface of the semiconductor storage container in step S152; the time duration T S151 Less than duration T S152 .

[0230] In the above real-time, in step S151, the duration T S151The clean, dry compressed gas supply pressure is 0.7-2.0 MPa, and the clean, dry compressed gas supply flow rate is 1500-3500 PLM. During this stage, a short time and large flow of clean, dry compressed gas is used to purge the cleaning liquid remaining in the pipeline in step S14 to avoid dripping from the nozzle during the subsequent purge process, which affects the drying effect. In step S152, the time T S152 The cleaning time is 150-400s, the supply pressure of clean and dry compressed gas is 0.5-1.2 MPa, the supply flow rate of clean and dry compressed gas is 1200-1800 PLM, and the temperature of the supplied clean and dry compressed gas is between 40-80°C. The cleaning liquid on the container is quickly dried by blowing clean and dry compressed gas to the container surface.

[0231] In an optional embodiment, in step S152, the clean dry compressed gas is heated to 40-80°C.

[0232] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG12 , the cleaning method further comprises the steps of:

[0233] S16. During the container cleaning process, the gas exhausted from the first cleaning chamber is detected.

[0234] To evaluate the effectiveness of purging AMC with clean, compressed, dry gas and to confirm the end of the purge, an AMC online detection device can be used to monitor the AMC concentration in the gas exhausted from the first processing unit 1. At the beginning of the purge, as AMC particles on the container surface are continuously blown away by the compressed, dry gas and expelled, the AMC concentration detected by the AMC online detection device will remain at a high level and fluctuate. As the majority of the AMC contaminants are blown out of the container by the compressed, dry gas, the AMC concentration detected by the AMC online detection device will gradually decrease and then converge to a lower level. It is understood that stopping the gas purge of container a in step S13 when the effectiveness of AMC removal begins to decline can maximize the efficiency of removing AMC contaminants from the container's inner wall during the purge.

[0235] On the other hand, the main purpose of the gas purge process after cleaning with the cleaning liquid is to remove moisture from the surface of the container, thereby reducing the humidity level in the container. Therefore, when the humidity level in the first cleaning chamber drops to a reasonable range, the gas purge in step S15 can be stopped.

[0236] In an optional embodiment, the cleaning method further comprises the steps of:

[0237] After the container is cleaned and leaves the first cleaning chamber, the first cleaning chamber is cleaned to remove the pollutants remaining in the first cleaning chamber.

[0238] After the container is cleaned, it is removed from the first cleaning chamber. A cleaning solution is sprayed into the first cleaning chamber to clean it, and then the first cleaning chamber is purged with clean, dry compressed air to remove any remaining contaminants. This prevents the next container to be cleaned from being contaminated by any remaining contaminants in the first cleaning chamber, which could affect the cleaning effect.

[0239] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a semiconductor storage container cleaning method, a cleaning unit, and a cleaning system based on the detection results, as shown in FIG13 , wherein the cleaning method includes the following steps:

[0240] S31 , placing the unlocked and separated semiconductor storage container assemblies in a first cleaning chamber respectively.

[0241] S32: Clean the container in the first cleaning chamber with a cleaning liquid.

[0242] Use cleaning fluid to spray on the container surface to clean it.

[0243] S33 , detecting pollutants in the first cleaning chamber and obtaining detection results. The detected pollutants may include particles and / or AMC.

[0244] The gas exhausted from the first clean chamber is detected by a detection device to obtain the level of pollutants in the first clean chamber, so as to judge the cleanliness of the container inside the first clean chamber.

[0245] S34. Perform subsequent processing according to the detection results.

[0246] The first clean chamber is connected to a first detection unit, which is configured to detect contaminant levels within the first clean chamber and generate real-time detection results. The detection equipment feeds the detection results back to the first control unit, which determines the subsequent treatment of the container based on the detection results. The detection results are determined based on the container's performance requirements and process specifications. Testing the first clean chamber indirectly reflects the contaminant levels within the container, providing data reference for subsequent treatment, enabling the selection of appropriate treatment methods, optimizing the processing flow, improving processing efficiency, and increasing the qualified rate of treated containers.

[0247] In an optional embodiment, the detection items of the gas in the first detection unit include particulate matter, humidity level, acid pollutants (MA), alkaline pollutants (MB), and condensable pollutants (MC).

[0248] In an optional embodiment, in step S33, the AMC includes one or more of SO2, inorganic ammonia, VOC, organic amine, and acids.

[0249] In an optional embodiment, the method further includes setting process parameters of the cleaning system in subsequent processing according to the detection results.

[0250] Since the residual pollutant level of each container before treatment is different, the residual pollutant level after a fixed treatment process is also different. In addition, for different materials, the efficiency of pollutant removal in each treatment process is also different. According to the residual pollutant level of each container after treatment, the subsequent treatment parameters of each container are determined, and the treatment resources are reasonably allocated to ensure the container cleaning pass rate, while also improving the container treatment efficiency.

[0251] In an optional embodiment, step S34 includes: a subsequent processing method includes sending the container cleaned in the first cleaning chamber to a second cleaning chamber for processing, and setting process parameters of the second cleaning chamber according to the detection results.

[0252] In an optional embodiment, the subsequent processing method further includes sending the container to a discharge unit. In this embodiment, after cleaning in the first cleaning chamber, the residual contaminant level in the container has met the standard for qualified discharge, so it does not need to be processed in the second cleaning chamber and can be discharged directly.

[0253] In an optional embodiment, the subsequent processing method includes re-cleaning the container in the first cleaning chamber. In this embodiment, after cleaning in the first cleaning chamber, the residual contaminant level in the container is still at a high level. Based on the processing capacity of the second cleaning chamber, the type of container, and the residual contaminant level of the container after cleaning required by the process, it is determined that the residual contaminant level in the container after cleaning in the second cleaning chamber still does not meet the standard for qualified unloading. Therefore, a second cleaning in the first cleaning chamber is required to reduce the residual contaminant level in the container to a reasonable range.

[0254] In an optional embodiment, the subsequent processing method further includes removing the container from the first cleaning chamber. In this embodiment, after cleaning in the first cleaning chamber, the residual contaminant level in the container is still seriously exceeded, and the container needs to be re-cleaned in the first cleaning chamber. However, based on the processing capacity of the first cleaning chamber, the type of container, and the residual contaminant level after cleaning in the second cleaning chamber required by the process, it is determined that even if the container is cleaned a second time in the first cleaning chamber, the residual contaminant level in the container cannot be reduced to a reasonable range. In other words, the container does not meet the standard for qualified unloading after cleaning in the second cleaning chamber. In this case, it is determined that the cleaning system cannot clean the container, and the container needs to be removed.

[0255] In an optional embodiment, step S33 includes:

[0256] A first preset threshold is set according to the process parameters, and it is determined whether the detection result is lower than the first preset threshold.

[0257] If so, the container is cleaned and placed in a vacuum drying chamber for further cleaning, ie, the second cleaning chamber for vacuum drying.

[0258] If not, repeat step S32.

[0259] In an optional embodiment, step S33 further includes:

[0260] A second preset threshold is set according to the process parameters, and it is determined whether the detection result is higher than the second preset threshold, and the second preset threshold is higher than the first preset threshold.

[0261] If so, an alarm is issued. If the test result exceeds a second preset threshold, the container contaminant level exceeds the specified level. In this case, the processing capacity of the first processing chamber is insufficient to complete the container cleaning, and the container is no longer suitable for cleaning within the cleaning system. By promptly identifying containers with high levels of residual contaminants and issuing an alarm, the overall container cleaning pass rate of the cleaning system can be improved.

[0262] In the embodiment of the present application, the first preset threshold and the second preset threshold can be comprehensively set according to the cleaning processing capability of the first cleaning chamber, the container type, and the container index required by the process.

[0263] In an optional embodiment, a plurality of sub-thresholds may be set between the first preset threshold and the second preset threshold, so that a corresponding preset cleaning program may be selected according to different sub-thresholds.

[0264] In an optional embodiment, the first preset threshold is a qualified value of the container after cleaning in the first cleaning chamber, which is set according to the process requirements. That is, when the contaminant level in the first cleaning chamber is lower than the first preset threshold, the container therein can meet the final process requirements after being cleaned using a preset cleaning procedure in the second cleaning chamber later.

[0265] The second preset threshold is set based on the cleaning capacity of the first clean chamber, the container type, and the container specifications required by the process. When the contaminant level in the first clean chamber exceeds the second preset threshold, it means that the contaminant level inside the container after cleaning in the first clean chamber does not meet the process requirements.

[0266] It should be noted that when the contaminant level in the first clean chamber is lower than the first preset threshold, it only means that after the container has completely undergone the subsequent process flow, the residual contaminant level inside the container can meet the final contaminant control requirements. It does not mean that when the contaminant residual level in the first clean chamber is lower than the first preset threshold, the container inside it can be discharged qualifiedly.

[0267] In an optional embodiment, the first preset threshold is a total AMC content of 200 ppbv; the second preset threshold is a total AMC content of 5000 ppbv.

[0268] In an optional embodiment, the first preset threshold value is an inorganic ammonia content of 25 ppbv, a VOC content of 200 ppbv, a HF content of 6500 pptv, a SO2 content of 400 pptv, an ACIDS content of 4000 pptv, and an AMINES content of 5000 pptv; the second threshold value is an inorganic ammonia content of 1500 ppbv, a VOC content of 3500 ppbv, a HF content of 1000 ppbv, a SO2 content of 700 ppbv, an ACIDS content of 850 ppbv, and an AMINES content of 350 ppbv.

[0269] In an optional embodiment, step S33 further includes:

[0270] A qualified unloading threshold for the first cleaning chamber is set, the qualified unloading threshold is lower than a first preset threshold, and it is determined whether the detection result is lower than the qualified unloading threshold. When the contaminants in the container are lower than the qualified unloading threshold, the cleaned container is moved to the unloading unit, and the qualified unloading threshold for the first cleaning chamber is lower than the first preset threshold.

[0271] The qualified unloading threshold value of the first clean chamber corresponds to that when the contaminant level in the first clean chamber meets this threshold value, the corresponding cleaned container can meet the contaminant control requirements in the container during final unloading.

[0272] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG14 , the step S33 is followed by the following steps:

[0273] S35: After the container is cleaned and removed from the first cleaning chamber, the first cleaning chamber is cleaned. During the cleaning process of the container in the first cleaning chamber, residual contaminants inside the container will remain in the first cleaning chamber to a certain extent. If not cleaned in a timely manner, these residual contaminants will affect the containers that are subsequently cleaned. Therefore, after the container is removed from the first cleaning chamber, the first cleaning chamber needs to be cleaned to reduce the level of residual contaminants inside it so that subsequent containers can be cleaned better.

[0274] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG15 , the step S35 is followed by the following steps:

[0275] S36 , after the container is taken out of the first cleaning chamber, detecting the level of pollutants in the first cleaning chamber to determine whether the first cleaning chamber can continue to clean the container.

[0276] In the above embodiment, a preset contaminant level is set based on the process parameters of the first processing unit. If the detected contaminant level exceeds the preset value, the device issues a warning signal, indicating that maintenance is required. It should be noted that this preset value represents the contaminant level requirement for the clean environment in the process steps of this embodiment. That is, the container needs to be cleaned in an environment where the contaminant level is below the preset value.

[0277] After the first clean chamber is cleaned, the contaminant level within the first clean chamber is tested. If the contaminant level exceeds a preset value, the environment within the first clean chamber is no longer suitable for container cleaning. Continuing to clean containers in a first clean chamber with excessive contaminants will adversely affect container cleaning. Continuing to clean the container will reduce the container cleaning yield, necessitating equipment downtime for maintenance.

[0278] In an optional embodiment, the system further includes detecting the residual contaminant level within the uncleaned container before cleaning the container in the first cleaning chamber. If the detection result is below or equal to a fifth preset threshold, the container is cleaned according to the steps in the above embodiment. If the detection result is above the fifth preset threshold, the first control unit issues a prompt indicating that the container has a high contaminant level and is not suitable for direct cleaning in the first cleaning chamber. The fifth preset threshold is set based on the cleaning capacity of the first cleaning chamber, the container type, and the container specifications required by the process. If a container with a residual contaminant level above the fifth preset threshold continues to be cleaned in the first cleaning chamber, the residual contaminant inside the container may contaminate components within the entire equipment and may also contaminate subsequent containers when the cleaning system cleans them. Therefore, continuing to clean containers with a residual contaminant level exceeding the fifth preset threshold may affect the pass rate of the first cleaning chamber cleaning. Therefore, when the first control unit issues a prompt, the on-site technician will make a judgment and decide on the next step of the cleaning process.

[0279] The embodiments of the present application also provide a cleaning unit that adopts the cleaning method provided by any of the above embodiments.

[0280] An embodiment of the present application further provides a cleaning system for a semiconductor memory, the cleaning system comprising the above-mentioned cleaning unit, the cleaning unit comprising a first cleaning chamber for accommodating a container, a spray assembly, a first control unit and a first detection unit.

[0281] The spray assembly is connected to the first cleaning chamber and is used to spray cleaning fluid. A first detection unit is connected to the first cleaning chamber and is used to detect exhaust gas from the first cleaning chamber. The first detection unit and the spray assembly are electrically connected to a first control unit. The first detection unit feeds back detection results to the first control unit, which processes and analyzes the received detection results and then sends instructions to the spray assembly. The spray assembly adjusts process parameters based on the detection results to improve container cleaning efficiency.

[0282] In an optional embodiment, the cleaning system further includes an alarm, which is electrically connected to the first detection unit. When the detection result of the first detection unit shows that the value exceeds the standard, the alarm receives an alarm instruction and issues an alarm.

[0283] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present application describe a cleaning unit, a cleaning system, and a cleaning method for a semiconductor memory.

[0284] After cleaning the container using the cleaning methods provided in the above embodiments, moisture, undried cleaning fluid in the pores of the container sidewalls, and some AMC contaminants may remain on the container surface. To further reduce the AMC level within the container, for example, to meet the requirements of further improvements in integrated circuit manufacturing processes, the maximum size of AMC contaminants needs to be below 14nm, 7nm, or even 5nm.

[0285] Specifically, as shown in FIG16 , a second processing unit 2 of a semiconductor storage container provided in an embodiment of the present application includes a second clean chamber 20, and a vacuum pump is connected to the outside of the second clean chamber 20. The vacuum pump is used to extract the gas in the second clean chamber 20 so that the second clean chamber 20 is in a vacuum state. The vacuum pump is connected to a flow meter, and the flow rate of the extracted gas is adjusted by the flow meter. The power of the vacuum pump changes in real time according to the flow rate of the extracted gas based on the adjustment of the flow meter, that is, the time it takes for the vacuum pump under different extraction powers to complete the extraction of the gas in the second clean chamber 20 is different, and the volume flow rate of the gas extracted per unit time is different. A pressure detection component is connected to the second clean chamber, and the pressure detection component is used to detect the pressure in the second clean chamber.

[0286] In an optional embodiment, the second processing unit 2 further includes a vacuum breaking component, which is connected to the outside of the second clean chamber and is used to input inert gas or nitrogen into the second clean chamber to restore the pressure in the second clean chamber to a higher state, such as normal pressure.

[0287] In an alternative embodiment, a first valve connects the vacuum pump to the second clean chamber, and a second valve connects the vacuum breaker assembly to the second clean chamber. When the vacuum pump is evacuating the second clean chamber, the first valve is open and the second valve is closed. When the vacuum breaker assembly is inflating the second clean chamber, the first valve is closed and the second valve is opened.

[0288] The present application also provides a method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container, as shown in FIG17 , including the following steps:

[0289] S21, placing the cleaned container in a second cleaning chamber.

[0290] S22, in duration T S22 The second clean chamber is evacuated to a pressure less than or equal to a first preset pressure value, and the temperature within the second clean chamber is maintained between 40°C and 80°C. While the second clean chamber is sealed, evacuation is performed to reduce the pressure within the second clean chamber to a relatively low negative pressure, that is, below the first preset pressure value. This low pressure condition reduces the triggering conditions for the volatilization of residual moisture on the container surface, undried cleaning liquid in the container's pores, and AMC contaminants. This facilitates the volatilization of AMC contaminants on the container surface, and reduces the AMC contaminant content within the container.

[0291] In this step, due to the numerous pores on the container's surface, most of the AMC contaminants remain within them. By lowering the air pressure within the second cleaning chamber, a pressure differential is created at the pores, making it easier for the AMC in these pores to volatilize. It can be understood that the greater the pressure differential between the container and the vacuum chamber, the better the removal of AMC contaminants.

[0292] As shown in Figure 18, during time t1, the air pressure 310 in the second cleaning chamber continues to decrease. As the air pressure 310 decreases, the AMC contaminants on the container surface diffuse into the second cleaning chamber, and the concentration 320 of the AMC contaminants in the second cleaning chamber increases.

[0293] The lower the pressure in the second clean chamber, the more difficult it is to further reduce the internal pressure. After the vacuum pump has been operating for a period of time, the air pressure in the second clean chamber cannot be further reduced, and its air pressure value is in an equilibrium state. Correspondingly, the volatilization rate of the AMC pollutants in the container will also gradually slow down. After a period of time, as shown after time t1 in Figure 18, the content of AMC pollutants remaining in the container and the concentration of AMC pollutants in the second clean chamber will also remain in a stable state (i.e., the first equilibrium state mentioned below). This is why the concentration of AMC pollutants in the container remains in a relatively high range after the container undergoes a conventional drying process.

[0294] S23, in duration T S23 In step S23 , gas is introduced into the second cleaning chamber at a first average volume flow rate, and the maximum pressure in the second cleaning chamber is made less than or equal to a second preset pressure value, wherein the gas is clean, dry, compressed gas.

[0295] When the pressure in the second cleaning chamber is less than or equal to the first preset pressure value, gas is filled into the second cleaning chamber to replace the AMC contaminants in the pores with the filled gas, thereby removing the AMC contaminants in the pores.

[0296] S24, in duration T S24 In step S24, gas is introduced into the second clean chamber at a second average volume flow rate, and the maximum pressure in the second clean chamber is less than or equal to a third preset pressure value. The gas is clean, dry, compressed gas. The gas flow rate of the vacuum breaker assembly in step S23 is less than the gas flow rate of the vacuum breaker assembly in step S24, that is, the first average volume flow rate is less than the second average volume flow rate. The maximum pressure in the second clean chamber during step S23 is less than the maximum pressure in the second clean chamber during step S24.

[0297] In this embodiment, the first preset pressure value, the second preset pressure value, and the third preset pressure value are all set based on the cleaning processing capability of the second cleaning chamber, the container type, and the container index required by the process.

[0298] It can be understood that before a small flow of gas is introduced into the second clean chamber, the second clean chamber is evacuated, the pressure and gas concentration within the chamber continuously decrease, and the AMC contaminants in the pores on the container surface are driven by the pressure and continuously diffuse from the pores into the gas boundary layer near the container surface. As the pressure within the chamber stabilizes, the pressure within the second clean chamber is in the low-to-medium vacuum range. However, the mean free path of the gas molecules within the chamber is still relatively short compared to the size of the second clean chamber, and a significant gas boundary layer still forms on the container surface. The presence of this gas diffusion layer affects the diffusion of AMC contaminants from the container surface pores to other areas within the second clean chamber. As the pressure within the chamber stabilizes, the gas flow within the chamber decreases, and the flow in the gas boundary layer near the container surface also gradually decreases. The diffusion process of AMC contaminants from the container surface pores into the container surface gas boundary layer gradually reaches equilibrium, and the rate of removal of AMC contaminants from the container surface pores gradually slows. This is referred to as the second equilibrium state below. When the second cleaning chamber is in the second equilibrium state, the residual amount of AMC contaminants on the container surface will not decrease as the amount of gas filled in increases.

[0299] At this time, a small flow of gas is introduced into the second clean chamber, and the second chamber is maintained in a negative pressure state (the pressure in the second clean chamber is several thousand Pa). Driven by the pressure gradient, the introduced gas molecules will diffuse into the boundary layer on the container surface, thereby reducing the concentration of AMC pollutants in the boundary layer on the container surface, breaking the previously established diffusion balance, and prompting the AMC in the pores on the container surface to further accelerate the diffusion into the boundary layer, thereby further reducing the amount of AMC pollutants in the pores on the container surface.

[0300] In addition, the small flow rate of gas introduced accelerates the flow of the boundary layer on the container surface when it flows to the container surface, thereby further helping to remove AMC pollutants desorbed from the container surface or pores.

[0301] Furthermore, the introduction of a small flow of gas also helps to produce a slight pressure change near the container surface. This pressure change will also help to break the diffusion balance of AMC pollutants near the pores on the container surface, thereby promoting the AMC pollutants in the pores to diffuse outward.

[0302] Furthermore, in step S24, when gas is introduced at a second average volume flow rate, the gas introduced at this time forms a flow field in the container. The AMC contaminants remaining near the surface area of ​​the container in step S23 are carried away from the surface of the container by the flow field generated by the gas, thereby preventing the AMC contaminants from re-attaching to the surface of the container.

[0303] In the embodiment of the present application, when a larger volume flow rate of gas is rapidly filled into the second cleaning chamber, a larger pressure gradient and concentration gradient can be formed near the pores on the surface of the container. Nitrogen molecules or inert gas molecules enter the pores at a higher speed and flush out the AMC originally located in the pores. By filling the second cleaning chamber with a larger volume flow rate of gas, the AMC removal effect can be improved.

[0304] In addition, when a large volume flow rate of gas is quickly filled in, the pressure in the second cleaning chamber increases, and the temperature in the second cleaning chamber also increases accordingly. The increase in temperature can increase the activity of the Brownian motion of AMC, which is beneficial to the volatilization of AMC and further improves the removal effect of AMC.

[0305] In an optional embodiment, the second preset pressure value is 5000 Pa.

[0306] In a preferred embodiment, the second preset pressure value is 2000 Pa.

[0307] In an optional embodiment, the third preset pressure value is one standard atmospheric pressure, that is, 101 kPa.

[0308] In an optional embodiment, the gas introduced in step S23 and step S24 is nitrogen and / or an inert gas.

[0309] In the above embodiment, during step S24, the introduced gas adheres to the surface of the container, forming a protective layer on the surface of the container, isolating the surface of the container from the external environment, thereby preventing the external environment from directly contacting the container surface and causing oxidation of the container surface, thereby affecting the cleaning effect of the container.

[0310] In the above embodiment, the second preset pressure value is 10-40 times the first preset pressure value.

[0311] In an optional embodiment, step S21 specifically includes placing the semiconductor storage container cleaned in the above embodiment into a second clean chamber 20. The second clean chamber 20 includes a chamber lid 22 and a chamber body 21. The chamber lid 22 is mounted on the chamber body 21 to form a space for drying the container. After the chamber lid 22 is opened, the container is placed in the second clean chamber body 21, and the chamber lid 22 is mounted on the chamber body 21 to seal the second clean chamber.

[0312] In an optional embodiment, the duration T S22 The first preset pressure value is less than or equal to 300 Pa. In an optional embodiment, the time length T S22 The time period is 10-300s, and the first preset pressure value is less than or equal to 100 Pa. Under lower pressure conditions, the AMC pollutants attached to the container surface and in the gas are more easily volatilized.

[0313] In an optional embodiment, the first preset pressure value is 100 Pa.

[0314] In an optional embodiment, the cleaning method further includes, after step S24, step S25: in each cycle of step S22, the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber is less than or equal to the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber in the last step S22 performed, and / or the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber is less than or equal to the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber in the last step S22 performed.

[0315] In this step, the number of cycles is determined according to different process parameters. The higher the requirement for the residual AMC level in the container, the more cycles are required. Furthermore, the range of the number of cycles is set between 3 and 10 times.

[0316] In an optional embodiment, in step S22 of each cycle, the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber is equal to the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber in step S22 performed last, and / or the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber is equal to the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber in step S22 performed last.

[0317] After multiple cycles, when the second cleaning chamber is again in a negative pressure state, the concentration of AMC pollutants on the container surface is higher than the concentration of AMC pollutants in the second cleaning chamber. Therefore, the AMC pollutants on the container surface will further diffuse into the second cleaning chamber, and the residual AMC pollutants on the container surface will be further reduced.

[0318] In an optional embodiment, in step S22 of each cycle, the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber is smaller than the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber in step S22 performed last time, and / or the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber is smaller than the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber in step S22 performed last time.

[0319] By performing multiple vacuum cycles and performing rapid vacuuming at a larger flow rate than the previous one, the time required to reach the preset pressure is reduced by increasing the vacuum flow rate. By pumping to a lower pressure value, a larger pressure gradient is formed near the pores on the container surface. The AMC contaminants in the pores can be further released under a larger pressure and concentration gradient environment, thereby further removing the AMC contaminant residues on the container surface.

[0320] In an optional embodiment, in step S22 of each cycle, the minimum pressure value in the second clean chamber and / or the duration of vacuuming the second clean chamber are comprehensively set based on the cleaning processing capacity of the second clean chamber, the container type, and the container indicators required by the process.

[0321] By controlling the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber and the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber in each cycle, the removal efficiency of the second cleaning chamber on AMC contaminants in the container is maximized, thereby achieving a better cleaning effect.

[0322] It should be understood that although the steps in the above flowchart are shown sequentially as indicated by the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows; furthermore, these steps are not necessarily performed sequentially. This application does not exclude the possibility that at least two steps are executed at the same time or are completed alternately. The execution sequence between steps should still be determined based on the specific logical relationship.

[0323] In an optional embodiment, the first average volume flow rate interval is 5-100 LPM.

[0324] In a more preferred embodiment, the first average volume flow rate range is 15-25 LPM.

[0325] In an optional embodiment, the second average volume flow rate range is 50-2000 LPM.

[0326] In an optional embodiment, the duration T S23 The time interval is 1-100 seconds. In step S23, the efficiency of nitrogen and / or inert gas in replacing AMC contaminants in the pores decreases as nitrogen or inert gas is introduced. After reaching the second equilibrium state, the residual AMC on the container surface stabilizes. Further nitrogen introduction will no longer reduce the residual AMC level on the container surface. By controlling the gas introduction time, the AMC removal efficiency can be improved, while nitrogen or inert gas usage can be reduced, thereby reducing cleaning costs.

[0327] In an optional embodiment, in step S23, while nitrogen or an inert gas is being filled into the second clean chamber, the gas in the second clean chamber is extracted using a vacuum pump. The AMC contaminants replaced by the nitrogen or inert gas are discharged out of the second clean chamber along with the gas, thereby reducing the possibility of the AMC contaminants reattaching to the inner wall of the container.

[0328] In an optional embodiment, in step S22, when the pressure of the second cleaning chamber is lower than the first preset pressure value, the vacuum pump is kept in working state, so that the pressure value of the second cleaning chamber is kept at a value of S222 The pressure inside the second cleaning chamber is maintained at the first preset pressure value. That is, when the second cleaning chamber reaches the first equilibrium state, the vacuum pump continues to work to maintain the internal pressure at the first preset pressure value, so that the AMC contaminants on the container surface are fully volatilized under low pressure conditions.

[0329] In an optional embodiment, the vacuum breaker assembly is connected to a flow meter, which regulates the flow rate of the inflated gas. The inflating power of the vacuum breaker assembly varies in real time based on the inflated gas flow rate as regulated by the flow meter. In other words, the vacuum breaker assembly can inflate the second cleaning chamber with a variety of different powers.

[0330] It can be understood that the time required for the vacuum breaking assembly at different inflation powers to complete the inflation of the gas in the second cleaning chamber is different, that is, the volume flow rate of the gas injected per unit time is different.

[0331] In an optional embodiment, as shown in Figure 19, the second processing unit 2 also includes a second knob assembly (not shown in the figure) and a positioning assembly (not shown in the figure). The second knob assembly and the positioning assembly are both installed on the chamber cover 22. The first cover body and the box body can be locked or unlocked under the action of the second knob assembly. The first cover body is fixed to the chamber cover 22 using the positioning assembly, and the first cover body and the box body are unlocked.

[0332] Separating the first cover of the container from the box body before drying can improve the drying adequacy of the first cover and the box body, and further improve the AMC removal effect.

[0333] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG23 , step S21 further includes the following steps:

[0334] S211 , connecting the first cover to the chamber cover 22 .

[0335] The first cover is connected to the chamber lid 22 to facilitate positioning of the first cover.

[0336] S212, separating the first cover and the box body.

[0337] After cleaning is completed in the second processing unit 2, the first cover and the box body are locked using the second knob assembly. When the container is moved to the second processing unit 2 for drying, the first cover and the box body are separated to improve the drying efficiency of the first cover and the box body and further improve the AMC removal effect.

[0338] S213, the box body is turned upside down in the chamber body 21. This improves the convenience of the manipulator holding the box body. Compared with placing it on its side, it is more convenient for the manipulator to operate when the box body is turned upside down.

[0339] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG19 , a positioning block 211 is installed on the bottom wall of the chamber body 21 , and the positioning block 211 is used to carry the box body.

[0340] Furthermore, a pad 211a is connected to the positioning block 211. When a container is placed directly on the surface of the positioning block, friction between the container and the metal positioning block is likely to produce particles. The pad 211a is made of a polymer material. When the pad is in contact with the container, the polymer pad 211a can prevent the container from directly contacting and rubbing with the positioning block 211 when placed, thereby preventing particles from being produced.

[0341] Optionally, the material of the pad 211a is Teflon, which can withstand temperatures below 260°C. The physical and chemical properties of the Teflon pad remain stable at high temperatures and are not easily decomposed or melted, thereby increasing the source of contaminants in the second clean chamber. Secondly, Teflon has an extremely low coefficient of friction. Even if relative motion occurs between the Teflon pad and the container, no particulate matter will be generated due to friction. Thirdly, Teflon is a non-stick material, and foreign matter adhering to its surface can be easily handled. In addition, the pad 211a is subjected to a vacuum aging treatment before use. During the vacuum aging process of the pad 211a, the volatile contaminants in the pad 211a are volatilized during the vacuum treatment, thereby preventing the pad 211a from volatilizing contaminants during operations such as heating or vacuuming.

[0342] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG20 , the positioning block 211 includes a plurality of first support blocks 2111 , which are distributed at the bottom wall edge of the chamber body 21 and used to support the box body inverted in the second cleaning chamber.

[0343] In the embodiment of the present application, a space is formed between adjacent first support blocks 2111 , that is, the inner cavity of the box body and the outer space of the box body are connected.

[0344] In an alternative embodiment, as shown in Figure 19 , the chamber body 21 is provided with at least one exhaust port and at least one air inlet. The exhaust port is connected to a vacuum pump, and the at least one exhaust port is located on the bottom wall of the chamber body 21 and faces the opening of the box body. The air inlet is connected to a vacuum breaker assembly and is located on the bottom wall of the chamber body 21 and faces the opening of the box body.

[0345] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG19 , at least one first exhaust port is provided on the chamber body 21 , the first exhaust port is connected to a vacuum pump, and at least one first exhaust port is provided on the bottom wall of the chamber body 21 , and the first exhaust port is opposite to the opening of the box body.

[0346] As shown in Figure 19, the arrows in Figure 19 indicate the direction of gas flow during vacuum pumping. During the vacuum pumping process, the first air extraction port located on the bottom wall of the chamber body 21 facilitates the extraction of gas from the inner cavity of the box body and the outer cavity of the box body, thereby improving the vacuuming efficiency. The first air extraction port, located at a position relative to the box body opening, can quickly extract gas from the container, more quickly reduce the pressure inside the container, increase the pressure difference on the surface of the AMC contaminants, and facilitate the removal of AMC contaminants. In addition, the proximity of the first air extraction port to the box body opening can prevent gas from outside the box body from entering the inner cavity of the box body, further preventing gas from outside the box body from causing secondary contamination of the inner cavity of the box body.

[0347] In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG21 , the chamber body 21 is provided with two exhaust ports. A first exhaust port is provided at the opening of the box body and is connected to a vacuum pump. The first exhaust port directly extracts gas from the inner cavity of the box body through the first exhaust port under the action of the vacuum pump. A second exhaust port is located elsewhere in the chamber body 21 to extract gas from the space outside the box body.

[0348] Simultaneously extracting gas from the second clean chamber through the first and second exhaust ports can increase the flow rate of the extracted gas, helping the second clean chamber reach a vacuum state more quickly, reducing process time and improving processing efficiency. Furthermore, due to the different levels of contamination on the inner and outer surfaces of the container, the lower the level of contamination on the inner surface of the container, the higher the control requirements for residual contaminants on its surface. During container processing, the concentration of AMC contaminants in the area outside the container within the vacuum chamber is greater than the concentration inside the container. Using the first and second exhaust ports to simultaneously extract gas from the inside and outside of the container allows contaminants inside and outside the container to be removed from the second clean chamber as the gas is extracted, thus preventing AMC contaminants in the outer space of the container from causing secondary contamination inside the container.

[0349] Furthermore, by controlling the flow rate of the first and second air extraction ports, the pressure in the internal space of the container is made slightly higher than the pressure in the external space of the container, which can better prevent the AMC pollutants in the external space of the container from causing secondary pollution to the interior of the container.

[0350] In addition, by arranging an exhaust port outside the position directly opposite the container opening, compared with a solution in which only one exhaust port is located inside the position directly opposite the container opening, AMC released due to low vacuum at other positions on the outer surface of the container, such as the top of the container, does not need to travel a long distance, such as being drawn through the exhaust port near the container opening and then discharged to the position directly opposite the container opening. Instead, it can be directly discharged through the exhaust port arranged outside the position directly opposite the container opening. Therefore, the probability of AMC settling near the wall of the container opening is reduced.

[0351] In an optional embodiment, as shown in Figure 19, at least one first air inlet is provided on the chamber body 21, wherein the at least one first air inlet is located at the opening of the container, and the first air inlet is connected to the vacuum breaking component, and nitrogen and / or inert gas are directly filled into the inner cavity of the box body under the action of the vacuum breaking component, so that when the vacuum is replaced by a small flow of nitrogen and / or inert gas or broken by a large flow, the introduced nitrogen and / or inert gas will preferentially enter the inner surface of the container and replace the AMC and water vapor on the inner surface, thereby improving the removal efficiency of AMC and water vapor inside the container.

[0352] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG21 , two air inlets are provided on the chamber body 21 , wherein a first air inlet is provided at the opening of the box body, and a second air inlet is provided at another position of the chamber body 21 to charge the space outside the box body with gas. The first air inlet and the second air inlet are connected to a vacuum breaking assembly. Under the action of the vacuum breaking assembly, nitrogen and / or inert gas are directly charged into the inner cavity of the box body, greatly improving the charging effect, and achieving vacuum breaking more quickly. The greater pressure difference formed instantaneously on the surface of the container enables the AMC and water vapor in the pores on the surface of the container to be more effectively replaced with nitrogen and / or inert gas, further improving the removal effect of AMC and water vapor. The other air inlet is provided at another position of the chamber body 21 to charge the space outside the box body with nitrogen and / or inert gas.

[0353] In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22 , the positioning block 211 includes a second support block 2112 . The second support block 2112 surrounds the bottom wall of the chamber body 21 . The second support block 2112 is used to support the box body that is inverted in the second cleaning chamber.

[0354] In the embodiment of the present application, when the box body is placed upside down on the second support block 2112, the bottom wall of the chamber, the second support block 2112 and the inner cavity of the box body form an independent space, that is, two independent spaces are formed in the second cleaning chamber, namely the inner cavity of the box body and the outer space of the box body.

[0355] During use, the AMC present on the outer wall of the container is much greater than the AMC present on the inner wall of the container. In this embodiment of the present application, the inner cavity of the box and the outer wall of the container are placed in two independent spaces. On the one hand, this can prevent the AMC removed from the outer wall of the container from causing secondary contamination to the inner cavity of the box. On the other hand, different drying parameters can be used to improve the removal efficiency of AMC.

[0356] It should be noted that the two independent spaces formed by the container being inverted on the second support block 2112 are not sealed spaces. In fact, there is still a small amount of gas flowing between the two spaces.

[0357] In the embodiment of the present application, at least two air inlets and air exhaust ports are provided on the chamber body 21 , as shown in FIG21 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0358] In an optional embodiment, step S213 further includes:

[0359] The box body is inverted in the second cleaning chamber to form an inner space of the box body and an outer space of the box body.

[0360] Steps S22 and S24 also include:

[0361] The inner cavity space of the box body and the outer space of the box body are vacuumed separately.

[0362] By vacuuming the inner and outer chambers separately, the internal pressure can be reduced more quickly, allowing for faster removal of AMC and moisture. The exterior of a container is less clean than the interior. Even after cleaning, the exterior remains less clean than the interior, particularly in terms of AMC contaminants. Vacuuming the inner chamber separately not only improves extraction efficiency but also prevents secondary contamination of the inner chamber by AMC from the outer chamber.

[0363] Furthermore, the flow rate of vacuuming the outer cavity space of the box body is smaller than the flow rate of vacuuming the air in the outer cavity space of the box body, so that the pressure of the inner cavity space of the box body is slightly greater than the pressure of the outer cavity space of the box body. By controlling the gas flow direction in the second cleaning chamber, the gas in the outer space of the box body is prevented from entering the inner space of the box body, thereby further reducing the possibility of secondary contamination.

[0364] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG24 , the second processing unit 2 further includes a heating assembly, which includes a plurality of heaters installed on the inner wall of the chamber body 21 to heat the chamber body 21 and the gas in the second cleaning chamber.

[0365] In an optional embodiment, the heating assembly includes a first heater 231 and a second heater 232, which are respectively mounted on the top and bottom walls of the chamber body 21. The box opening and the second heater 232 are positioned opposite each other. That is, when the box is inverted onto the positioning block 211 on the bottom wall of the chamber body 21, the second heater 232 is located below the box opening and can be used to heat the space within the box.

[0366] It can be understood that the first heater 231 is used to heat the gas outside the box body, and the second heater 232 is used to heat the space inside the container.

[0367] The first heater 231 and the second heater 232 are both ceramic heating plates, which are used for radiant heating. Compared to contact heating, radiant heating does not require a heating medium and can directly transfer heat to the surface of the container, thereby uniformly heating the surface of the container and the moisture and other impurities thereon, shortening the heating time. At the same time, a non-contact heating method is adopted, and the ceramic heating plate does not come into contact with the container, avoiding secondary contamination of the container when the heating device heats the container. In addition, the first heater 231 and the second heater 232 can also be other types of heaters, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0368] In an optional embodiment, the second processing unit 2 further includes a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor, which are used to detect the temperature outside the box and inside the container, respectively. When the detection values ​​of the first and second temperature sensors reach set values, the first heater 231 and the second heater 232 stop heating, ensuring that the temperature within the second cleaning chamber remains within a set threshold range. In an optional embodiment, the heating assembly further includes a third heater, which is connected to the vacuum breaker assembly and is used to heat the gas before it is filled into the second cleaning chamber.

[0369] In an optional embodiment, before step S21 , the second cleaning chamber is heated by a heating component so that the ambient temperature in the second cleaning chamber is within the first temperature range.

[0370] The first temperature range is 40-80° C., and preheating the second cleaning chamber before processing the container can reduce the time of heating the second cleaning chamber in subsequent processing steps and improve the efficiency of processing the container in the second cleaning chamber.

[0371] In an optional embodiment, in step S21 , after the container is placed in the second cleaning chamber, the second cleaning chamber is heated so that the ambient temperature in the second cleaning chamber is greater than or equal to 50° C. and less than or equal to 100° C.

[0372] When the second cleaning chamber is at a higher temperature, the Brownian motion of the gas inside it is active. This means that the AMC on the container surface and within its pores can move into a suspended state. This suspended AMC is then discharged from the second cleaning chamber after vacuuming. Furthermore, this active and suspended AMC significantly reduces the likelihood of AMC re-adhering to the container surface or within its pores.

[0373] In an optional embodiment, the inner cavity of the cartridge is heated in step S21. The higher temperature of the inner cavity facilitates the volatilization and discharge of the AMC and moisture within the container. Furthermore, during the vacuuming process, as the pressure decreases, the temperature within the second cleaning chamber also decreases. Heating the inner cavity of the cartridge prevents suspended AMC from being adsorbed on the container surface or in the container's surface pores due to the drop in temperature.

[0374] In an optional embodiment, in step S21, the inner cavity space of the box body and the outer space of the box body are heated respectively, and the difference between the gas temperature in the inner cavity space of the box body and the gas temperature in the outer space of the box body is less than or equal to 10°C, preferably within 5°C.

[0375] Controlling the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the container within 10°C can prevent deformation caused by excessive temperature difference between the inner and outer walls, or prevent large deformation caused by excessive temperature difference between the inner and outer walls.

[0376] In an optional embodiment, step S23 and step S24 further include:

[0377] The heated nitrogen and / or inert gas is filled into the second cleaning chamber.

[0378] Generally, nitrogen and / or inert gases are stored at low temperatures. When nitrogen and / or inert gases in a low-temperature state are directly filled into the second cleaning chamber, the pores on the container surface are prone to adhering to the AMC nearby due to thermal expansion and contraction. In addition, the Brownian motion of the gas in the low-temperature environment of the second cleaning chamber is slow, which is not conducive to the removal of AMC.

[0379] Filling the chamber with heated nitrogen and / or inert gas can keep the second cleaning chamber in a high temperature environment, increase the volatility of AMC, avoid thermal expansion and contraction, and improve the AMC removal efficiency.

[0380] In an optional embodiment, step S22 and step S24 further include:

[0381] The gas in the second cleaning chamber is discharged from a first gas extraction port provided on the side wall of the chamber body 21 , and the first gas extraction port is close to the opening of the box body.

[0382] During the vacuum pumping process, the first air extraction port located on the side wall of the chamber body 21 facilitates the extraction of gas from the inner cavity of the box body and the outer cavity of the box body, thereby improving the vacuuming efficiency. In addition, the proximity of the first air extraction port to the opening of the box body can prevent gas from outside the box body from entering the inner cavity of the box body, further preventing the gas from outside the box body from causing secondary contamination to the inner cavity of the box body.

[0383] The container mentioned in this application can be a front-opening wafer storage box. In the prior art, the front-opening wafer storage box is made of a variety of different materials. Different materials have different degrees of pores inside. The efficiency of removing AMC pollutants in different pores is different. Therefore, if a fixed processing time is set, for materials that are particularly difficult to clean, the AMC residue on the surface of the container after processing may still not meet the needs. For materials that are relatively easy to clean, the container causes excessive cleaning, reduces cleaning efficiency, and at the same time causes waste of resources and increases processing costs.

[0384] To address the above technical issues, an optional embodiment of the present application provides an AMC online detector. As shown in Figure 25, the AMC online monitor is connected to the chamber body 21 and is used to monitor the AMC content within the second clean chamber in real time. The AMC online detector extracts and tests the gas within the second clean chamber to obtain the AMC content within the second clean chamber. Based on the data fed back by the testing equipment, it is determined whether the container has passed the treatment. This allows the processing time to be adjusted in real time based on the container's condition, ensuring effective treatment while reducing processing time and preventing the situation where containers continue to be processed even after they have passed the treatment.

[0385] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG26 , the cleaning method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0386] The gas in the second cleaning chamber is detected online in real time to obtain the content of AMC in the gas.

[0387] In an optional embodiment, in step S22, the gas in the second cleaning chamber is extracted in real time and the AMC content of the extracted gas is detected to determine whether the AMC content meets the set threshold, and further determine whether the second chamber is in the first equilibrium state, the second equilibrium state, or the third equilibrium state.

[0388] When the AMC content detection result is not within the set threshold range, steps S23, S24 and S25 are looped, i.e., vacuuming, replacing with a small flow of nitrogen and / or inert gas, and then breaking the vacuum with a large flow of nitrogen and / or inert gas are repeated.

[0389] In the embodiment of the present application, the AMC online detector can be used to obtain the AMC content of the gas in the second cleaning chamber in real time. When the AMC content meets the standard, the drying can be stopped in time, and when the AMC content does not meet the standard, the cyclic drying operation is continued, which can not only improve the AMC removal efficiency but also improve the AMC removal effect.

[0390] In an optional embodiment, the gas in the second cleaning chamber is extracted and tested to identify the specific components in the AMC. It can be understood that after the specific AMC components are identified, the container can be cleaned in a targeted manner to improve the cleaning effect.

[0391] As shown in Figure 27, which is a graph of pressure and time within the second clean chamber, the second clean chamber is evacuated during time t1. As time passes, the pressure decreases. Between t1 and t2, the second clean chamber is filled with a low flow rate of nitrogen and / or inert gas while the second clean chamber is continuously evacuated. From t2 to t3, the second clean chamber is filled with a high flow rate of nitrogen and / or inert gas. During this phase, the pressure gradually increases, eventually reaching atmospheric pressure. After t3, the cycle can resume.

[0392] During the vacuuming phase (t1), as the pressure in the second cleaning chamber decreases, the AMC contaminants adhering to the container surface gradually evaporate and are expelled as the gas is pumped out, leading to a downward trend in the overall level of residual AMC contaminants on the container surface. From t1 to t2, a small flow of nitrogen or inert gas is introduced to displace the AMC contaminants in the container's pores, removing any AMC contaminants that are difficult to remove during the vacuuming process, further reducing the residual AMC contaminants in the container.

[0393] During the cyclic process of vacuuming, replacing with a small flow of nitrogen and / or inert gas, and then breaking the vacuum with a large flow of nitrogen and / or inert gas, the AMC pollutants remaining in the container gradually decrease. As the number of cycles increases, the removal effect of the AMC pollutants remaining in the container in each cycle gradually decreases.

[0394] In order to ensure the removal effect of AMC pollutants and the cleaning efficiency, an AMC online detector is used to detect the AMC content. In each cycle, the AMC online detector can obtain the AMC content of the gas extracted from the second cleaning chamber in real time. If the AMC content is not within the set qualified range, the next cycle will be carried out; otherwise, the cleaning step will be completed.

[0395] In an optional embodiment, during the vacuuming process, the gas in the second cleaning chamber is extracted in real time and the AMC content of the extracted gas is detected. The AMC content value and the change in the AMC content value are used to determine whether the container meets the cleaning standard.

[0396] In the embodiment of the present application, the cleaning standard of the container is determined by jointly judging the AMC content value and the change in the AMC content value, which can further improve the cleaning effect of the container.

[0397] An embodiment of the present application further provides a cleaning system for a semiconductor memory, the cleaning system including the second processing unit 2 provided in the above embodiment.

[0398] In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a method, a cleaning unit, and a cleaning system for cleaning contaminants from a semiconductor storage container (AMC) based on the detection results, as shown in FIG28 , wherein the cleaning method includes the following steps:

[0399] S41, placing the preliminarily cleaned container in a second cleaning chamber.

[0400] After preliminary cleaning, for example, the container is cleaned in the first cleaning chamber in the above embodiment, but it is certainly not limited thereto.

[0401] S42, in duration T S42 The second clean chamber is evacuated.

[0402] S43 , filling the second cleaning chamber with gas to restore the second cleaning chamber to normal pressure, wherein the gas includes nitrogen and / or an inert gas.

[0403] S44: Detect the pollutant level in the second cleaning chamber and obtain a detection result, which is the AMC pollutant level.

[0404] S45. Perform subsequent processing according to the detection results.

[0405] In an optional embodiment, the pollutant types detected in the gas in the second detection unit include humidity, acidic pollutants (MA), alkaline pollutants (MB), and condensable pollutants (MC).

[0406] In the embodiment of the present application, the second cleaning chamber is connected to a second detection unit, which is used to detect and analyze the contaminant level in the second cleaning chamber online in real time, obtain a detection result, and determine the subsequent treatment method of the container based on the detection result.

[0407] Since the residual contaminant level of each container before treatment is different, its contaminant level is also different after a fixed treatment process. In addition, the efficiency of pollutant removal in each treatment process is also different for different materials. Based on the different residual contaminant levels of each container after treatment, the subsequent treatment parameters of the container are determined, and the treatment resources are reasonably allocated to ensure the container cleaning pass rate, while improving the container treatment efficiency.

[0408] In an optional embodiment, in step S44, the AMC includes one or more of SO2, inorganic ammonia, VOC, organic ammonia, and acids.

[0409] In an optional embodiment, step S44 includes detecting the gas exhausted from the second cleaning chamber in step S42 by a detection device to obtain a detection result.

[0410] In an optional embodiment, step S44 includes detecting the gas exhausted from the second cleaning chamber in step S43 by a detection device to obtain a detection result.

[0411] In an optional embodiment, step S45 includes:

[0412] Determine whether the detection result is lower than a third preset threshold.

[0413] If yes, move the container to the unloading unit.

[0414] If not, loop through steps S42 to S45.

[0415] In an embodiment of the present application, by detecting the level of pollutants in the gas exhausted from the second clean chamber during the processing and obtaining the residual pollutants in the container based on the detection results, it is possible to determine whether the container is clean and qualified in the second clean chamber, ensure that the container after processing in the second clean chamber can meet the unloading requirements, avoid unqualified containers from flowing into the unloading unit, and avoid the problem of needing to rework after detection.

[0416] In an optional embodiment, moving the container to the unloading unit includes:

[0417] Before unloading, a certain amount of gas is filled into the container and the residual AMC level in the exhaust gas is detected to determine whether it is qualified.

[0418] In an optional embodiment, step S45 further includes:

[0419] It is determined whether the detection result is higher than a fourth preset threshold, where the fourth preset threshold is higher than the third preset threshold.

[0420] If so, an alarm signal is issued or the container is moved to a first cleaning chamber for cleaning.

[0421] The third preset threshold and the fourth preset threshold can be comprehensively set according to the cleaning processing capability of the second cleaning chamber, the container type, and the container index required by the process.

[0422] In an optional embodiment, a plurality of sub-thresholds may be set between the third preset threshold and the fourth preset threshold, so that corresponding preset cleaning programs may be selected according to different sub-thresholds.

[0423] The third preset threshold value is that when the contaminant level in the second cleaning chamber meets this threshold value, the container cleaned in the corresponding second cleaning chamber can meet the contaminant control requirement in the container during final unloading.

[0424] The fourth preset threshold is that when the pollutant level in the second cleaning chamber is higher than this threshold, the cleaning ability of the second cleaning chamber cannot be guaranteed, and after cleaning the interior of the second cleaning chamber, the residual pollutant level in the container cannot meet the control requirements.

[0425] The fourth preset threshold is related to a parameter when the container processed in the first clean chamber can flow into the second clean chamber in a qualified manner in the second aspect.

[0426] The fourth preset threshold corresponds to the first preset threshold, and the residual contaminant level in the container controlled by the fourth preset threshold is equal to the residual contaminant level in the container controlled by the first preset threshold.

[0427] In an optional embodiment, the third preset threshold is a total AMC content of 60 ppbv; and the fourth preset threshold is a total AMC content of 300 ppbv.

[0428] In an optional embodiment, the third preset threshold value is an inorganic ammonia content of 6500pptv, a VOC content of 55ppbv, a HF content of 1500pptv, a SO2 content of 100pptv, an ACIDS content of 1000pptv, and an AMINES content of 1200pptv; the fourth preset threshold value is an inorganic ammonia content of 30ppbv, a VOC content of 250ppbv, a HF content of 7000pptv, a SO2 content of 450pptv, an ACIDS content of 4500pptv, and an AMINES content of 5500pptv.

[0429] In an optional embodiment, in step S43, the second cleaning chamber is evacuated for a period of time. During this step, the vacuum pump is in operation, so that the pollutants volatilized from the container are discharged out of the second cleaning chamber along with the exhaust gas, thereby reducing the possibility of secondary attachment of pollutants.

[0430] In an optional embodiment, step S43 further includes:

[0431] S431, in duration T S431 Gas is injected into the second cleaning chamber at a first average volume flow rate, the maximum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber is less than or equal to a second preset pressure value, and the gas includes nitrogen or an inert gas; pollutants attached to the inside of the pores are removed by displacement.

[0432] S432, in duration T S432 Injecting gas into the second cleaning chamber at a second average volume flow rate, the gas including nitrogen or an inert gas; in an optional embodiment, step S45 further includes:

[0433] Adjust the process parameters in step S42 according to the detection results. The process parameters include the first preset pressure value, the time T S42 .

[0434] In an optional embodiment, step S45 further includes:

[0435] According to the detection results, the process parameters in step S43 are adjusted. The process parameters include the flow rate value of the first average volume flow rate, the time T S431 , the flow value of the second average volume flow, the duration T S432 .

[0436] During long-term research, the inventors discovered that there are plastic parts in the second clean chamber. Under negative pressure, the plastic parts will volatilize AMC. Moreover, during the cleaning process of the container, the volatilized AMC in the container can adhere to the inner wall of the second clean chamber. At the same time, during the contact between the container and the second clean chamber, AMC may also be generated due to friction and other reasons. These residual contaminants will affect the subsequent treatment effect of the container. Therefore, it is necessary to inspect the second clean chamber to determine whether the internal environment of the second clean chamber meets the cleaning requirements.

[0437] In an optional embodiment, the method further includes detecting the level of residual contaminants in the container before cleaning the container in the second cleaning chamber. When the detection result is lower than or equal to a sixth preset threshold, the container is cleaned according to the steps in the above embodiment. When the detection result is higher than the sixth preset threshold, the first control unit issues a prompt indicating that the level of contaminants in the container is high and is not suitable for direct cleaning in the first cleaning chamber.

[0438] In this embodiment, the sixth preset threshold is the control value for the residual contaminant level in the container during the previous cleaning process (i.e., the control value of the first treatment unit referred to in the above embodiment). When the detection result is higher than the sixth preset threshold, it means that the residual contaminant level in the container does not meet the control requirements of the first treatment unit, and the first treatment unit has failed to clean the container. If the container continues to be cleaned in the second cleaning chamber, it may affect the qualified rate of the cleaning in the second cleaning chamber. Therefore, a warning needs to be issued, and the on-site technicians will make a judgment and decide on the next treatment method.

[0439] In an optional embodiment, the steps are further included:

[0440] When no container is placed in the second clean chamber, the contaminant level in the second clean chamber is detected.

[0441] The second cleaning chamber is judged to meet the cleaning requirements. When the detection result is higher than a preset value, the control unit issues an alarm, prompting that the second cleaning chamber needs to be maintained.

[0442] When the contaminants in the second cleaning chamber are at a relatively high level, if the container is continued to be placed in the second cleaning chamber for cleaning, the contaminants in the second cleaning chamber will affect the cleaning of the container, which is not conducive to the cleaning of the container.

[0443] In an optional embodiment, when the second cleaning chamber is in an empty state, that is, there is no container to be cleaned inside, the second cleaning chamber is cleaned to reduce the level of residual pollutants inside the second cleaning chamber.

[0444] In the above embodiment, cleaning the second clean chamber includes the following steps: keeping the second clean chamber in a closed state, pumping gas therein using a vacuum pump, and pumping contaminants within the second clean chamber out of the second clean chamber along with the gas; simultaneously, as the interior of the second clean chamber approaches a vacuum state, the volatilization of contaminants adhered to its surface is accelerated, thereby further reducing the contaminant level within the second clean chamber; finally, gas is injected to restore the interior of the second clean chamber to normal pressure.

[0445] The embodiments of the present application also provide a cleaning unit comprising the cleaning method provided by any of the above embodiments.

[0446] An embodiment of the present application also provides a cleaning system for a semiconductor storage container, the cleaning system includes the above-mentioned cleaning unit, the cleaning unit includes: a second cleaning chamber for accommodating the container, a vacuum pump, a vacuum breaking component, a second detection unit and a second control unit, the vacuum pump, the vacuum breaking component and the second detection unit are all connected to the second cleaning chamber, and the vacuum pump, the vacuum breaking component and the second detection unit are all electrically connected to the second control unit. Among them, the vacuum pump is used to evacuate the second cleaning chamber. The vacuum breaking component is used to fill the second cleaning chamber with gas, and the gas includes nitrogen and / or inert gas. The second detection unit is configured to detect the gas in the second cleaning chamber. The second control unit is configured to receive the detection results fed back by the second detection unit, and send instructions to the vacuum pump and the vacuum breaking component, so that the vacuum pump and the vacuum breaking component adjust the parameters of the subsequent processing of the container based on the detection results.

[0447] It should be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not intended to encompass all possible implementations of the claims. Various modifications and variations may be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Similarly, the various technical features of the above embodiments may be arbitrarily combined to form additional embodiments of the present application that may not be explicitly described. Therefore, the above embodiments merely illustrate several implementations of the present application and do not limit the scope of protection of the patent application.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container, the method comprising: S21, placing the cleaned semiconductor storage container in a second cleaning chamber; S22, in duration T S22 The second cleaning chamber is vacuumed so that the pressure value of the second cleaning chamber is less than or equal to the first preset pressure value, and the temperature in the second cleaning chamber is maintained between 40° C. and 80° C.; S23, in duration T S23 Filling the second cleaning chamber with gas at a first average volume flow rate, and making the maximum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber during step S23 less than or equal to a second preset pressure value, wherein the gas is clean, dry, compressed gas; S24, in duration T S24 Filling the second cleaning chamber with gas at a second average volume flow rate, and making the maximum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber during step S24 less than or equal to a third preset pressure value, wherein the gas is clean, dry compressed gas; The first average volume flow rate is smaller than the second average volume flow rate, and the maximum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber during step S23 is smaller than the maximum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber during step S24.

2. The method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to claim 1, wherein: After step S24, the method further includes the following steps: S25. Step S22, step S23, and step S24 are repeated several times. In step S22 of each cycle, the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber is less than or equal to the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber in the last step S22, and / or the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber is less than or equal to the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber in the last step S22.

3. The method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to claim 1, wherein: After step S24, the method further includes the following steps: S25, looping step S22, step S23, and step S24 several times, wherein in step S22 of each loop, the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber is less than the minimum pressure value in the second cleaning chamber in the last step S22, and / or the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber is less than the duration of vacuuming the second cleaning chamber in the last step S22.

4. The method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to claim 1, wherein: Step S22 includes: In duration T S222 In the cleaning chamber, the pressure value of the second cleaning chamber is maintained less than or equal to the first preset pressure value.

5. The method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to claim 1, wherein: In step S23 , the second cleaning chamber is kept vacuumed.

6. The method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to claim 1, wherein: The first preset pressure value is less than or equal to 100 Pa.

7. The method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The cleaning method further comprises: Detecting the pollutant level in the second clean chamber to obtain a detection result, wherein the pollutant level includes a residual level of one or more substances selected from the group consisting of SO2, inorganic ammonia, VOC, organic ammonia, and acids; Perform subsequent processing based on the detection results.

8. A cleaning system comprising the semiconductor storage container cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container, the method for removing residual AMC contaminants in the semiconductor storage container comprising the following steps: S12, placing the unlocked and separated semiconductor storage container assemblies in a first cleaning chamber respectively; S13, in duration T S13 purge clean, dry compressed gas at a fifth average volume flow rate toward the surface of the semiconductor storage container; S14, spraying a cleaning liquid onto the surface of the semiconductor storage container to clean the surface of the semiconductor storage container; S15. Blowing clean, dry compressed gas onto the surface of the semiconductor storage container.

10. The method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to claim 9, wherein: The temperature of the clean, dry compressed gas in step S13 and / or step S15 is greater than or equal to 40° C. and less than or equal to 80° C.

11. The method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to claim 9, wherein: Step S15 also includes the following steps: S151, in duration T S151 Blowing clean, dry compressed gas toward the surface of the semiconductor storage container to remove residual cleaning liquid in the pipeline; S152, in duration T S152 Blowing clean, dry compressed gas toward the surface of the semiconductor storage container to remove moisture from the surface of the semiconductor storage container and dry the semiconductor storage container; The flow rate of the clean, dry compressed gas purged toward the surface of the semiconductor storage container in step S151 is greater than the flow rate of the clean, dry compressed gas purged toward the surface of the semiconductor storage container in step S152; the time T S151 Less than the duration T S152 .

12. The method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to claim 9, wherein: During the process of cleaning the semiconductor storage container in the first cleaning chamber, the residual level of pollutants in the gas exhausted from the first cleaning chamber is detected to determine whether to stop cleaning.

13. The method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container according to claim 9, wherein: After step S15, the method further includes the following steps: S16 , after the semiconductor storage container is taken out from the first clean chamber, cleaning the first clean chamber to reduce the level of residual pollutants therein.

14. A cleaning system comprising the semiconductor storage container cleaning method according to any one of claims 9 to 13.

15. A method for cleaning a semiconductor storage container based on a detection result, comprising the following steps: S31, placing the unlocked and separated semiconductor storage container assemblies in a first cleaning chamber respectively; S32, cleaning the semiconductor storage container in the first cleaning chamber with a cleaning liquid; S33, detecting the level of pollutants in the first cleaning chamber and obtaining a detection result, where the detected pollutants include particles and / or AMC; S34, performing subsequent processing according to the test results; Wherein, in step S33, the AMC includes one or more of SO2, inorganic ammonia, VOC, organic amine, and acid.

16. The semiconductor storage container cleaning method based on the detection result according to claim 15, wherein: Step S34 includes: Setting a first preset threshold value according to the process parameters, wherein the first preset threshold value is comprehensively set according to the cleaning processing capacity of the first cleaning chamber, the container type, and the container index required by the process; and determining whether the detection result is lower than a first preset threshold, if the detection result is lower than the first preset threshold, the semiconductor storage container completes the cleaning process in the cleaning chamber; Otherwise, repeat steps S32 and S33.

17. The semiconductor storage container cleaning method based on the detection result according to claim 16, wherein: Step S33 includes: Setting a second preset threshold value according to the process parameters, wherein the second preset threshold value is greater than the first preset threshold value, and the second preset threshold value is comprehensively set based on the cleaning processing capacity of the first cleaning chamber, the container type, and the container indicators required by the process; If the detection result is higher than the second preset threshold, a control unit connected to the detection device sends a warning signal.

18. The semiconductor storage container cleaning method based on the detection result according to claim 15, wherein: The step S34 is followed by the following steps: S36 , after taking the semiconductor storage container out of the first clean chamber, detecting the level of contaminants in the first clean chamber to determine whether the environment of the first clean chamber meets the requirements for cleaning the semiconductor storage container.

19. The semiconductor storage container cleaning method based on the detection result according to claim 15, wherein: The step S34 is followed by the following steps: S35 , after the first cleaning chamber completes cleaning of the semiconductor storage container and takes the semiconductor storage container out of the first cleaning chamber, the first cleaning chamber is cleaned.

20. A cleaning system comprising the semiconductor storage container cleaning method based on detection results according to any one of claims 15 to 19.

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