Wafer Cleaning Enclosure for Static and Vapor Ignition Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
High temperature wet clean processes in wafer cleaning pose safety risks due to the risk of flash burning and explosion from static electricity and flammable chemical vapors, and there is a need to prevent wafer sliding during cleaning.
Innovation Solution
The use of noncombustible materials for the enclosure, improved grounding to reduce static electric charge, real-time monitoring with sensors, and inert gas flow to minimize oxygen concentration, along with a six-pin wafer holder design to secure the wafer, addresses these issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If high temperature wet clean processes are used to remove chemical and particle impurities, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the risk of flash burning and explosion from static electricity and flammable chemical vapors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful static electricity into a beneficial effect by using plasma generation. The plasma process eliminates flammable chemical vapors through oxidation while simultaneously neutralizing static charge, transforming a safety hazard into an effective cleaning mechanism that removes organic contaminants without fire risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an inert gas atmosphere (nitrogen or oxygen) to replace the flammable chemical vapor environment. This inert atmosphere prevents combustion while maintaining the high-temperature cleaning process, allowing effective contaminant removal without the fire and explosion risks associated with traditional wet clean processes.
2Device complexity
If traditional wafer holder designs are used, then device simplicity is maintained, but wafer sliding occurs during cleaning causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the wafer holder into multiple independent support pins distributed across the wafer surface. This segmentation provides numerous contact points that collectively prevent wafer sliding without requiring a complex clamping mechanism, maintaining simplicity while improving position stability during the cleaning process.
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 solution significantly reduces the risk of fire and explosion during wafer cleaning by preventing static ignition and ensuring safe operation, while also minimizing wafer sliding and contamination.
Implementation Method 1
a heating element configured to heat the wafer
Implementation Method 2
a sensor configured to detect a temperature of the wafer
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure describes an apparatus for wafer cleaning. The apparatus includes an enclosure made of a noncombustible material, a wafer holder, a cleaning nozzle, at least one sensor, and an exhaust unit. The wafer holder can hold and heat a wafer. The cleaning nozzle can supply a flow of a cleaning fluid onto a surface of the wafer. The at least one sensor can detect attributes of the wafer. The exhaust unit can expel a vapor generated by the cleaning fluid in the enclosure. The exhaust unit can include a rinse nozzle to rinse the vapor passing through the exhaust unit with a mist.