Wafer Surface Cleaning with Plasma and Hydrogen Water Hydrophilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surface modification treatments using plasma followed by hydrophilization with pure water result in decreased hydrophilicity over time, affecting bonding quality of electronic components.
Innovation Solution
An electronic component cleaning apparatus that includes a wet cleaning unit, a dry cleaning unit with atmospheric pressure plasma, and a transport unit, with a control unit that facilitates sequential operations for wet cleaning, dry cleaning, and immediate hydrogen water treatment to maintain high hydrophilicity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hydrophilization treatment with pure water is performed after plasma surface modification, then the surface becomes hydrophilic, but the hydrophilicity decreases with time and bonding quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of water composition from pure water to hydrogen-rich water (water containing dissolved hydrogen gas). This parameter change transforms the hydrophilization process so that the surface maintains high hydrophilicity for extended periods (several hours to days) compared to pure water treatment, directly resolving the contradiction between achieving hydrophilicity and maintaining it over time for reliable bonding
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces hydrogen gas as an intermediary substance that dissolves in water to create hydrogen-rich water. This intermediary (dissolved hydrogen) acts as a mediator between the plasma treatment and the hydrophilization process, enhancing and stabilizing the hydrophilic state of the surface, thereby extending the duration of effective bonding conditions
2Manufacturing precision
If sequential cleaning and treatment processes are performed, then cleaning quality is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the wet cleaning unit and dry cleaning unit into a single integrated apparatus with a shared chamber and processing stage. This allows sequential plasma treatment and hydrogen-rich water hydrophilization to be performed without removing the substrate, reducing transfer time and maintaining a controlled environment, thus improving cleaning quality while minimizing time loss
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous processing where the substrate remains in the chamber and is sequentially treated by plasma then hydrogen-rich water without interruption or removal. The processing stage enables continuous movement between treatment zones, eliminating idle transfer time and maintaining continuous useful action throughout the cleaning and hydrophilization 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 apparatus maintains high hydrophilicity of electronic component surfaces for an extended period, thereby improving bonding quality by minimizing the time gap between dry cleaning and hydrophilization.
Implementation Method 1
a wet cleaning unit that performs wet cleaning of a surface of an electronic component with liquid
Implementation Method 2
a dry cleaning unit that performs dry cleaning of the surface of the electronic component with atmospheric pressure plasma
Implementation Method 3
performs a hydrogen water treatment by the wet cleaning unit to hydrophilize the surface of the electronic component using hydrogen water in which hydrogen gas is dissolved in water
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic component cleaning apparatus for cleaning a surface of a wafer includes: a wet cleaning unit, a dry cleaning unit, a transport unit and a control unit. The control unit; performs the wet cleaning of the surface of the wafer by the wet cleaning unit; transports the wafer that has been cleaned to the dry cleaning unit; performs the dry cleaning of the surface of the wafer with atmospheric pressure plasma by the dry cleaning unit; transports the wafer that has been dry-cleaned to the wet cleaning unit; and performs a hydrogen water treatment to hydrophilize the surface of the wafer using hydrogen water in which hydrogen gas is dissolved in water.