Dual-Brush Wafer Cleaning With Bubble-Filter Tank Rinsing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wafer cleaning apparatuses struggle to effectively remove residues and contaminants from both surfaces of a wafer after chemical mechanical polishing, particularly from the brushes used in the cleaning process, which can lead to contamination of the cleaned wafers.
Innovation Solution
A wafer cleaning apparatus is designed with dual brushes and cleaning tanks, each equipped with solution injection members and bubble generating filters, allowing for efficient cleaning of both surfaces of the wafer. The apparatus includes a wafer roller for rotating the wafer and movable cleaning tanks that accommodate brushes, along with heating and solution supply systems to enhance cleaning efficacy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single brush is used to clean both surfaces of the wafer, then the device complexity is reduced, but the cleaning effectiveness deteriorates because residues remain on the brush and contaminate the wafer
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is divided into two separate brushes: a first brush for cleaning the first surface of the wafer and a second brush for cleaning the second surface. This segmentation prevents cross-contamination between surfaces and ensures each brush can be independently cleaned in its own cleaning tank, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and effectiveness.
2Device complexity
If brushes are cleaned in place without movable cleaning tanks, then the device complexity is reduced, but the cleaning efficacy deteriorates due to residue buildup on the brushes
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning tanks are designed to be movable relative to the brushes, allowing the tanks to be positioned to accommodate the brushes for cleaning and moved away when not in use. This dynamic configuration enables effective brush cleaning to remove residues while managing the complexity through controlled movement rather than fixed complex structures.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If bubble generating filters are added to solution injection members, then the cleaning efficacy is improved through enhanced solution delivery, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Bubble generating filters with multiple through-holes are integrated into the solution injection members. These porous structures generate bubbles in the cleaning solution, enhancing the cleaning efficacy by improving solution delivery and contaminant removal from the brushes, while the filter integration adds only moderate complexity to the system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus effectively removes contaminants from both surfaces of the wafer, preventing residue buildup on the brushes and ensuring clean wafers, thereby maintaining the integrity of the semiconductor manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the first and second solution injection members includes a bubble generating filter having a plurality of through-holes
Implementation Method 2
a first main heating member contacting the first side surface, and a second main heating member contacting the second side surface
Data Source
AI summary
A wafer cleaning apparatus includes a wafer roller rotating a wafer around a first direction parallel to a normal direction of a first surface of the wafer, a first brush facing the first surface of the wafer, a second brush facing a second surface of the wafer opposite to the first surface, a first cleaning tank disposed apart from the first brush and movable to accommodate at least a portion of the first brush, and a second cleaning tank disposed apart from the second brush and movable to accommodate at least a portion of the second brush. The first and second cleaning tanks include a first solution injection member connected to a first solution supply pipe and a second solution injection member connected to a second solution supply pipe, respectively. Each of the first and second solution injection members includes a bubble generating filter having a plurality of through-holes.