Treatment liquid supply device

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor device manufacturing, and specifically relates to a treatment liquid supply device. The device comprises a liquid outlet pipe, a control module, at least two back-suction units, and at least two liquid inlet pipes; one end of each liquid inlet pipe is connected to a corresponding back-suction unit, the other end of the liquid inlet pipe is connected to one end of the liquid outlet pipe, and the other end of the liquid outlet pipe is used for spraying a treatment liquid; the diameter of the liquid inlet pipes is less than that of the liquid outlet pipe, and the radius of the liquid inlet pipes satisfies relational expression (I), wherein r is the radius of the liquid inlet pipes, ρ is the density of the treatment liquid, σ is a surface tension coefficient, g is the gravitational acceleration, K is a safety coefficient, and 0<K<1. The control module is configured to control the at least two back-suction units to operate, and when the liquid outlet pipe stops spraying the treatment liquid, the control module controls the at least two back-suction units to draw the treatment liquid back into the corresponding liquid inlet pipes. The present invention can not only reduce treatment liquid splashing, but also achieve a good back-suction effect.

Description

A processing liquid supply device TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor device manufacturing, in particular to a processing liquid supply device. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the progress of society and the development of technology, the market demand for chips is increasing, and the performance of chips is constantly iterating. The material, diameter, thickness of the substrate for making chips, and the chemical liquid used are constantly expanding. At present, the types of chemical liquid used in the chip manufacturing process are increasing, and some chemical liquid has the problems of high viscosity and high concentration. When using the existing nozzle device to spray such chemical liquid onto the surface of the substrate, it is very easy to cause the chemical liquid to splash on the surface of the substrate. At the same time, the types of chips are increasing, and the thickness of the substrate is becoming thinner, and the warping of the thin sheet substrate is relatively large. When the chemical liquid is sprayed onto the surface of the thin sheet substrate with large warping, it is also very easy to cause the chemical liquid to splash. Chemical liquid splashing can cause the process chamber environment to deteriorate, the parts in the process chamber to be corroded, and the substrate process yield to be low.

[0003] In order to improve the splashing of chemical liquid, the mainstream way currently adopted is to control the flow rate of the nozzle device. For example, increasing the diameter of the liquid outlet of the nozzle device can reduce the flow rate of the chemical liquid. When the nozzle device stops spraying the chemical liquid, a suction device such as a suction valve is needed to quickly suck the chemical liquid close to the liquid outlet to avoid the chemical liquid from dropping onto the surface of the substrate when the nozzle device moves. However, when the diameter of the liquid outlet is increased, the current suction valve is limited, and the chemical liquid close to the liquid outlet is not completely sucked, causing the chemical liquid to drop onto the surface of the substrate when the nozzle device moves, thereby contaminating the substrate and affecting the subsequent process of the substrate. SUMMARY

[0004] In view of the above problems, the purpose of the present application is to provide a processing liquid supply device that not only improves the problem of splashing of processing liquid, but also solves the problem of processing liquid dropping and contaminating the surface of the substrate when the device moves after stopping spraying the processing liquid.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, according to an embodiment of the present application, a processing liquid supply device is provided, comprising a liquid outlet pipeline, a control module, at least two suction units, and at least two liquid inlet pipelines, one end of each liquid inlet pipeline is connected to a corresponding suction unit, the other end of each liquid inlet pipeline is connected to one end of the liquid outlet pipeline, the other end of the liquid outlet pipeline is used for spraying processing liquid, the diameter of the liquid inlet pipeline is smaller than the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline, and the radius of the liquid inlet pipeline satisfies the following relationship: Wherein, r is the radius of the liquid inlet pipeline, p is the density of the treatment liquid, s is the surface tension coefficient, g is the gravity acceleration, K is the safety factor, 0 < K < 1; the control module is configured to control the action of the at least two liquid sucking units, when the liquid outlet pipeline stops spraying the treatment liquid, the control module controls the at least two liquid sucking units to suck the liquid surface of the treatment liquid into the liquid inlet pipeline.

[0006] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0007] The treatment liquid supply device provided by the present application can solve the problem of incomplete sucking caused by the increase of the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline, and specifically uses at least two liquid inlet pipelines for liquid inlet and one liquid outlet pipeline for liquid outlet, and the radius of the liquid inlet pipeline satisfies the following relationship: When the liquid outlet pipeline stops spraying the treatment liquid, the control module controls the action of the at least two liquid sucking units, the liquid surface of the treatment liquid is sucked into the liquid inlet pipeline, and there is no accumulated treatment liquid at the liquid outlet pipeline, which avoids the treatment liquid from dropping onto the substrate surface when the supply device moves, thereby avoiding the pollution of the substrate and affecting the subsequent process of the substrate. The diameter size of the liquid outlet pipeline in the supply device of the present application can be increased, thereby effectively improving the splashing condition, and by limiting the diameter size of the liquid inlet pipeline, the liquid surface of the treatment liquid can be kept in the liquid inlet pipeline when the liquid outlet pipeline stops spraying the treatment liquid.

[0008] SUMMARY

[0009] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can also obtain other drawings according to these drawings without any creative labor.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of Rayleigh-Taylor instability.

[0011] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of liquid surface stability in a pipeline.

[0012] Fig. 3 is a structure diagram of a treatment liquid supply device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0013] Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of a treatment liquid supply device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] Fig. 5 is a structure diagram of a treatment liquid supply device according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0015] Fig. 6 is a partial perspective view of a treatment liquid supply device according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0016] Fig. 7 is a structure diagram of a treatment liquid supply device according to still another embodiment of the present application.

[0017] Fig. 8 is a partial perspective view of a processing liquid supply device according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0018] Preferred embodiments of the present application

[0019] The present application will now be described by specific embodiments, which provide further advantages and effects of the present application, which can be easily understood by those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the present application. Although the present application will be described with reference to the preferred embodiments, the features of the present application are not limited to the embodiments. On the contrary, the purpose of describing the present application with reference to the embodiments is to cover other alternatives or modifications of the present application that can be extended based on the claims of the present application. In order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application, many specific details will be included in the following description. The present application can be implemented without these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or ambiguity of the present application, some specific details will be omitted in the description. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application and the features of the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0020] It should be noted that in the present specification, similar reference numbers and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings.

[0021] The technical solutions of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0022] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the indicated device or element must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0023] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "linking" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integrally connected; it can be mechanical connection, or electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through intermediate medium, or the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0024] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present application more clear, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0025] The existing treatment liquid supply device includes a liquid outlet pipeline and a back suction unit, the liquid inlet end of the liquid outlet pipeline is connected with the back suction unit, the liquid outlet end of the liquid outlet pipeline is used for spraying treatment liquid, and the back suction unit is used for back suction of part of the treatment liquid in the liquid outlet pipeline. The treatment liquid is generally chemical liquid, deionized water, etc.

[0026] The existing treatment liquid supply device uses a single pipeline for liquid inlet and liquid outlet. In order to improve the splashing of the treatment liquid, the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline of the supply device is increased. When the back suction unit performs back suction, due to the large diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline, the liquid level of the treatment liquid is unstable, thereby causing the back suction unit to fail to perform back suction. As a result, when the supply device moves, the treatment liquid drops onto the surface of the substrate, pollutes the substrate, and affects the subsequent process of the substrate.

[0027] In order to better understand the embodiments of the present application, the relevant concepts and related calculation formulas are introduced first below.

[0028] For the liquid outlet pipeline, the flow rate v of the treatment liquid is equal to the ratio of the flow rate Q to the flow area A of the liquid outlet pipeline, and the flow rate calculation formula is: v=Q / A (1-1)

[0029] In the formula, v is the flow rate, Q is the flow rate, and A is the flow area.

[0030] When the treatment liquid supply device supplies liquid to the surface of the substrate, under the condition that the flow rate Q remains unchanged, the greater the flow rate v, the more serious the splashing. In order to improve the splashing, the flow rate v of the liquid outlet pipeline is reduced by increasing the flow area A of the liquid outlet pipeline. Increasing the flow area A means increasing the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 1, it is assumed that the liquid level of the liquid outlet pipeline has small fluctuations, part of the liquid level will be lowered, and part of the liquid level will be raised. The depth of the position where the liquid level is lowered is increased, and the pressure in the liquid level is greater than the atmospheric pressure P0. The pressure difference at this position will cause the liquid level to continue to decrease. Similarly, at the position where the liquid level is raised, the liquid level will continue to rise, forming a positive feedback of disturbance, and finally breaking the balance of the liquid level. This phenomenon is called Rayleigh-Taylor instability.

[0032] It is known that the force acting on the surface of a liquid to reduce the surface area of the liquid is called surface tension of the liquid. Referring to Fig. 2, for the liquid outlet pipeline, due to the existence of the surface tension of the liquid, the surface tension will bring an additional pressure Δp when the liquid surface is curved. In the relatively thin liquid outlet pipeline, the additional pressure Δp of the surface tension is large enough to offset the positive feedback of the disturbance, so that the liquid column in the liquid outlet pipeline can be balanced and will not drip.

[0033] Here, Laplace's formula is introduced: Δp = σ (k1 + k2) (1-2)

[0034] Where Δp is the additional pressure, σ is the surface tension coefficient, and k1 and k2 are the curvatures in the two directions of the liquid surface plane coordinates. For example, the surface tension coefficient σ of water and air is 0.073 Nm^(-1).

[0035] Further research shows that whether the liquid surface of the liquid outlet pipeline can be stable is related to the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline, and the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline has a first critical diameter value. When the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline is less than the first critical diameter value, the surface tension of the liquid can suppress the Taylor instability and keep the liquid surface stable. The prerequisite for the complete suction of the suction unit is that the liquid surface is stable, that is, the additional pressure Δp and the positive feedback of the disturbance are balanced.

[0036] For a cylindrical liquid surface, in order to keep the liquid surface stable, the radius of the liquid outlet pipeline and the surface tension coefficient satisfy the following relationship:

[0037] Where the right side of the relationship is the first critical radius value, a is the radius of the liquid outlet pipeline, ρ is the density of the treatment liquid, σ is the surface tension coefficient, and g is the acceleration of gravity.

[0038] For example, the treatment liquid is 95% sulfuric acid, and a < 3.25 x 10^(-3) m is obtained, the first critical diameter value is 6.5 mm, and the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline is less than 6.5 mm. Theoretically, the liquid surface can be stable, and the treatment liquid will not drip under natural conditions.

[0039] For example, when the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline is 3 / 8 inch (corresponding to an inner diameter of 6.35 mm), that is, the inner diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline is less than 6.5 mm, theoretically, the liquid level can be kept stable, and therefore, a single back-suction unit can achieve complete back-suction. However, when the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline is close to the first critical diameter value, in the actual use process of the back-suction unit, the liquid in the liquid outlet pipeline has inertia, and the back-suction effect of the back-suction unit itself has an impact, and these additional disturbances are easy to affect the stability of the liquid level of the processing liquid, thereby breaking the additional pressure Δp of the surface tension, and ultimately leading to the failure of the back-suction unit. In order to overcome the impact of the additional disturbances, it is necessary to further reduce the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline, but the reduction of the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline will bring the problem of serious splashing of the processing liquid, and therefore, the liquid inlet and outlet of a single pipeline cannot well solve the problems of splashing and back-suction at the same time.

[0040] FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of a processing liquid supply device according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of FIG. 3 viewed from the front side to the rear side. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a processing liquid supply device according to an embodiment of the present application is disclosed. The supply device includes a liquid outlet pipeline 1, a control module 5, a fixing frame 6, two back-suction units 3, and two liquid inlet pipelines 2. The liquid inlet pipelines 2 are arranged on a base (not shown) through the fixing frame 6. One end of each liquid inlet pipeline 2 is connected to a respective corresponding back-suction unit 3, and the other end of each liquid inlet pipeline 2 is connected to the liquid outlet pipeline 1, and the liquid outlet end of the liquid outlet pipeline 1 is used for spraying processing liquid. The diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline 1 is greater than the diameter of the liquid inlet pipeline 2.

[0041] The control module 5 is electrically connected to the back-suction units 3. The control module 5 is configured to control the actions of the two back-suction units 3, and when the liquid outlet pipeline 1 stops spraying processing liquid, the back-suction units 3 back-suck to make the liquid level of the processing liquid flow back into the liquid inlet pipeline 2. The control module 5 can be a processor, and the processor controls the actions of the back-suction units 3.

[0042] For example, the back-suction unit 3 selects a back-suction valve. Taking the back-suction valve as an example, when the valve of the back-suction valve is opened, the processing liquid sprays to the surface of the substrate through the back-suction valve, the liquid inlet pipeline 2, and the liquid outlet pipeline 1, and when the spraying of the processing liquid is stopped, the valve of the back-suction valve is closed, part or all of the processing liquid in the liquid outlet pipeline 1 will quickly drop to the surface of the substrate, and the back-suction valve back-sucks part of the processing liquid in the liquid outlet pipeline 1 and the liquid inlet pipeline 2 or back-sucks part of the processing liquid in the liquid inlet pipeline 2, so that the liquid level of the processing liquid is back-sucked into the liquid inlet pipeline 2. The back-suction unit 3 can also select other back-suction structures, for example, using the principle of siphon to back-suck the liquid level of the processing liquid into the liquid inlet pipeline 2.

[0043] Due to the back-suction effect of the back-suction unit 3, there is no accumulated processing liquid in the liquid outlet pipeline 1, which avoids the processing liquid from dropping onto the surface of the substrate when the supply device moves, thereby polluting the substrate and affecting the subsequent process of the substrate.

[0044] The radius of the liquid inlet pipeline 2 satisfies the following relationship:

[0045] Wherein, the right side of the relationship is the second critical radius value, r is the radius of the liquid inlet pipeline 2, p is the density of the treatment liquid, s is the surface tension coefficient, g is the acceleration of gravity, and K is the safety factor.

[0046] The safety factor K is in the range of 0 < K < 1, and the second critical radius value is less than the first critical radius value. In the actual process, the K value is determined through multiple experiments according to the selected treatment liquid and process conditions, and the second critical radius value is calculated. Thus, the second critical diameter value is obtained, and the diameter of the selected liquid inlet pipeline 2 is equal to the second critical diameter value, and the back suction unit 3 can realize back suction. Specifically, when the diameter of the selected liquid inlet pipeline 2 is less than or equal to the second critical diameter value, the additional pressure p caused by the surface tension of the liquid in the liquid inlet pipeline 2 is large enough to offset the influence of the disturbance positive feedback and the additional disturbance, thereby maintaining the stability of the liquid surface of the treatment liquid, and the back suction unit 3 can realize good back suction effect. If the diameter of the selected liquid inlet pipeline 2 is greater than the second critical diameter value and less than the first critical diameter value, the disturbance positive feedback and the additional disturbance are easy to break through the additional pressure p caused by the surface tension, thereby affecting the stability of the liquid surface of the treatment liquid, and ultimately leading to the failure of the back suction unit 3.

[0047] Generally speaking, the smaller the diameter of the selected liquid inlet pipeline 2, the more stable the liquid surface of the treatment liquid under the condition of additional disturbance, and the back suction unit 3 can realize good back suction effect, but the selection of the diameter of the liquid inlet pipeline 2 also needs to consider the required flow Q and flow rate v of the process, and the lower limit value of the diameter of the liquid inlet pipeline 2 is determined according to the required flow Q and flow rate v.

[0048] The diameter of the liquid inlet pipeline 2 selected by the supply device is less than or equal to the second critical diameter value, which can maintain the stability of the liquid surface, and the back suction unit 3 realizes complete back suction. And the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline 1 is greater than the diameter of the liquid inlet pipeline 2, and the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline 1 is relatively increased, which can reduce the outlet flow rate v and improve the splashing of the treatment liquid. For the radius of the liquid outlet pipeline 1,

[0049] Wherein, the right side of the relationship is the first critical radius value, b is the radius of the liquid outlet pipeline 1, p is the density of the treatment liquid, s is the surface tension coefficient, and g is the acceleration of gravity. Compared with the case where the radius a of the liquid outlet pipeline is limited by the first critical radius value in the foregoing, when the radius b of the liquid outlet pipeline 1 is greater than the first critical radius value in this example, the splashing of the chemical liquid can be effectively improved.

[0050] ​If the diameter of the outlet pipe 1 is too large in the actual process, the processing liquid may be in the form of droplets to spray to the surface of the substrate, which affects the substrate process. Therefore, the selection of the diameter of the outlet pipe 1 also needs to consider the flow rate v required by the process.

[0051] Further, the inlet pipe 2 includes a horizontal section 21, a vertical section 22 and a connecting section 23 connected with each other. The horizontal section 21 is connected with the suction unit 3, and the connecting section 23 is connected with the outlet pipe 1. The outlet pipe 1 is parallel to the vertical section 22, so that the processing liquid is vertically sprayed to the surface of the substrate.

[0052] Optionally, the device further includes a transition connector 4. The inlet pipe 2 is fixed on the transition connector 4, and the outlet pipe 1 is entirely arranged in the transition connector 4. The processing liquid flows into the device from one end of each of the two inlet pipes 2, flows through the two inlet pipes 2 and then flows into the outlet pipe 1, and is sprayed to the surface of the substrate from the outlet pipe 1.

[0053] In an optional embodiment, one end of each of the inlet pipes 2 is connected with the respective corresponding suction unit 3, the other end of the inlet pipe 2 is connected with one end of the outlet pipe 1 after the other end of the inlet pipe 2 converges, and the other end (i.e. the outlet end) of the outlet pipe 1 is used for spraying the processing liquid.

[0054] In order to further improve the splashing of the processing liquid, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, in an optional embodiment, the outlet pipe 1 is partially arranged in the transition connector 4, and the end of the outlet pipe 1 for spraying the processing liquid protrudes out of the transition connector 4, so as to ensure that the processing liquid is sprayed to the surface of the substrate in the form of a column.

[0055] In an optional embodiment, the end of the outlet pipe 1 for spraying the processing liquid is designed in a grid shape, which divides the liquid surface into multiple blocks, so as to reduce the influence of disturbance on the stability of the liquid surface and reduce the difficulty of suction.

[0056] It should be noted that the number of the inlet pipes 2 and the suction units 3 in the present application is not limited to the above cases. According to the requirements of the process and the diameter of the outlet pipe 1, different numbers of the inlet pipes 2 and the suction units 3 can be arranged. In addition, the diameters of the parallel arranged inlet pipes 2 can be different.

[0057] Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the processing liquid supply device of the embodiment of the present application is different from the above embodiments in that the supply device includes three suction units 3 and three inlet pipes 2. One end of each of the three inlet pipes 2 is connected with the respective corresponding suction unit 3, the other end of the three inlet pipes 2 is connected with one end of the outlet pipe 1, and the other end of the outlet pipe 1 is used for spraying the processing liquid.

[0058] Compared with the above-mentioned embodiments, the three back-suction units 3 increase the back-suction amount, further reduce the dripping amount of the liquid outlet pipeline 1 at the moment of stopping spraying, and the liquid outlet pipeline 1 has good liquid interruption performance.

[0059] The basic concept has been described above, and the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, but not to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacement for part or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A processing liquid supply device characterized by comprising: The liquid outlet pipeline, the control module, at least two back suction units and at least two liquid inlet pipelines are included, one end of the at least two liquid inlet pipelines is connected with the corresponding back suction unit, the other end of the at least two liquid inlet pipelines is connected with one end of the liquid outlet pipeline, the other end of the liquid outlet pipeline is used for spraying treatment liquid, the diameter of the liquid inlet pipeline is smaller than the diameter of the liquid outlet pipeline; The radius of the liquid inlet pipeline satisfies the relationship: Wherein, r is the radius of the liquid inlet pipeline, ρ is the density of the treatment liquid, σ is the surface tension coefficient, g is the acceleration of gravity, K is the safety factor, 0 The control module is configured to control the action of the at least two back suction units, and when the liquid outlet pipeline stops spraying the treatment liquid, the control module controls the at least two back suction units to suck the liquid surface of the treatment liquid into the liquid inlet pipeline.

2. The processing liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by It also includes a transition connector, the other end of the at least two liquid inlet pipelines is fixed on the transition connector, and the liquid outlet pipeline is arranged in the transition connector.

3. The processing liquid supply apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The liquid outlet pipeline is arranged in the transition connector.

4. The processing liquid supply apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The end of the liquid outlet pipeline for spraying treatment liquid penetrates out of the transition connector and protrudes from the transition connector.

5. The processing liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The other end of the liquid outlet pipeline for spraying treatment liquid is grid-shaped.

6. The processing liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The back suction unit includes a back suction valve.

7. The processing liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The radius of the liquid outlet pipeline satisfies the relationship: Wherein, b is the radius of the liquid outlet pipeline, ρ is the density of the treatment liquid, σ is the surface tension coefficient, and g is the acceleration of gravity.

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