Offset Brush Rotation Axis for Semiconductor Wafer Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pen-brush cleaning of semiconductor wafers faces issues with the brush falling or wafer rotation stopping due to contact with chuck pins, leading to incomplete cleaning and reattachment of foreign matters at the wafer's circumference.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus design where the wafer cleaning module retains and rotates a pen-shaped brush so that its rotation axis does not pass through the contact region with the wafer, allowing the brush to be freely rotated and avoiding contact with chuck pins, ensuring complete cleaning without reattachment of foreign matters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the wafer is rotated at high speed in pen-brush cleaning, then the cleaning performance is improved, but the brush contacts the chuck pin causing brush fall or rotation stoppage
Solution Approach 1:
The brush is designed with asymmetric structure where the rotation axis is intentionally offset from the contact region with the wafer. This asymmetric configuration creates a rotational path that naturally avoids the chuck pin location, allowing high-speed rotation without brush-chuck pin contact while maintaining effective cleaning performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic rotation where the brush rotates around an axis that does not pass through the contact region. This dynamic configuration allows the brush to maintain continuous contact with the wafer surface while its rotational path avoids the stationary chuck pin, enabling sustained high-speed operation without interruption.
2Productivity
If the brush is pulled up at the wafer circumferential portion after cleaning, then the cleaning process is completed, but foreign matters are reattached to the wafer
Solution Approach 1:
The brush rotation axis is positioned such that the brush naturally lifts off the wafer surface before reaching the circumferential portion where chuck pins are located. This preliminary lifting action prevents the brush from contacting the chuck pin and subsequently reattaching foreign matters to the cleaned wafer surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The design extracts the brush rotation axis from the wafer contact region, positioning it offset from the contact area. This separation allows the brush to perform cleaning effectively while naturally lifting away from the wafer circumferential portion, preventing foreign matter reattachment without requiring additional actions.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a wafer retaining module configured to retain a wafer by a chuck pin and to rotate the wafer. The apparatus further includes a wafer cleaning module configured to retain a cleaning member for cleaning a surface of the wafer and to rotate the cleaning member around a first rotation axis that is perpendicular to the surface of the wafer, the wafer cleaning module cleaning the surface of the wafer by moving the cleaning member on the surface of the wafer while the cleaning member contacts the wafer and rotates. The wafer cleaning module retains and rotates the cleaning member so that the first rotation axis does not pass through a contact region of the cleaning member with respect to the wafer.