Industrial Technology Research Institute

Janathan Wang

Fu-Ching Tung

Peter L Mahneke

Jen-Rong Huang

Hong-Ming Chen

Chia-Ming Chen

Wu-Lang Lin

Yuan-Yuan Chiang

The present invention describes a chemical solution recycling apparatus in a spin etching and cleaning process chamber for manufacturing semiconductor devices. Modification of the exterior dimension and the main structure of the process chamber is not necessary. The recycling apparatus in accordance with the present invention may separate different chemical solutions into different vessels and recycle them thereafter. The recycling apparatus comprises a recycling ring moving up and down to collect the solution and a recycling circular tray for sorting the chemical solutions in different trenches and drains. Therefore, the chemical solutions may be collected by assigned vessels or may be recycled into the process chamber after necessary quality inspections.

Recycling apparatus

A wafer backside protection apparatus includes a motor, a vacuum chuck, an annular seat and a top cover. The motor has an output shaft upon which the chuck is mounted. The chuck has a front surface to suck and hold a wafer from its backside. The chuck has a backside in which a water guard ring and a plurality of slant bores are formed. The slant bores run from the water guard ring through the wafer front surface. The annular seat is located below the chuck and has two symmetrical slant nozzles projecting toward motor rotating direction for ejecting protection liquid to the water guard ring. Protection liquid may be spun and splashed out through the slant bores to form a protection liquid film between the chuck and the wafer backside due to centrifugal force resulting from chuck and wafer rotation driven by the motor. The protection liquid film may protect wafer backside from chemical erosion and contamination resulting from wafer production process.

Wafer backside protection apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Hsinchu, Taiwan

Janathan Wang