Tokyo Electron Limited

Kinya Ueno

Yuji Kamikawa

Satoshi Nakashima

Takayuki Toshima

Shigenori Kitahara

Tadashi Iino

Hiroki Taniyama

Miyako Yamasaka

Yoshio Kumagai

Hideyuki Tsutsumi

Naoki Shindo

Kenji Sekiguchi

Keizo Hirose

Takanori Miyazaki

Yuuji Kamikawa

Tomohide Inoue

Semiconductor wafers are cleaned by placing the semiconductor wafers in a processing vessel, forming a pure water film on the surfaces of the wafers, forming an ozonic water film by dissolving ozone gas in the pure water film, and removing resist films formed on the wafers by the agency of the ozonic water film. The pure water film is formed by condensing steam on the surfaces of the wafers. The resist films formed on the surfaces of the wafers can be removed by also using hydroxyl radicals produced by interaction between steam and ozone gas supplied into the processing vessel. Thus, the resist films can be removed highly effectively.

Substrate processing apparatus for resist film removal

A cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method for cleaning a object are provided. In the cleaning apparatus, a drying chamber and a cleaning bath are separated from each other up and down, respectively. Thus, a space in the drying chamber can be insulated from a space of the cleaning bath through rotary doors and a slide door . In the cleaning method, a cleaning process in the cleaning bath is carried out while sealing it by the rotary doors . On the other hand, a drying process in the drying chamber is accomplished while sealing and closing it by the slide door . Consequently, there is no possibility that, during the drying process, the object is subjected to a bad influence from a chemical treatment.

Apparatus for and method of cleaning objects to be processed

Substrate processing method and apparatus

In a cleaning apparatus for substrates, such as semiconductor wafers, a permeable core member made of a synthetic resin is supplied with distilled water from a distilled water supply path within a head portion of a cleaning tool . A planar portion is provided on the lower surface of the core member and a porous resin sheet is attached to the outer surface of the core member , to cover it. The cleaning tool is provided with an air bearing cylinder that imparts a vertical driving force to a rod that presses against the surface of a wafer W which is being rotated, and the distilled water supply path is provided within the rod . The distilled water supplied from the distilled water supply path permeates through the core member and the porous resin sheet and is sent out of the head so that a flowing film of distilled water is formed on the surface of the wafer W. Thus contamination and damage of the substrate is prevented and the shape of the head is not destroyed.

Substrate cleaning tool, having permeable cleaning head

A method for cleaning an object to be processed in which the atmosphere in a drying chamber is replaced by an inert gas prior to placing an object to be cleaned from an external environment into the chamber. The object is then transported by an elongated retaining member from the drying chamber through a lower opening in the chamber into a processing bath disposed below the chamber. The object is then cleaned in the processing bath. The object is then transported from the processing bath to the drying chamber where it is dried by filling the atmosphere of the drying chamber with organic solvent. The cleaning process in the cleaning bath is carried out while the bath is screened by a nitrogen-gas curtain. The method also includes opening a lid of the chamber prior to insertion of the object into the chamber and closing the lid after insertion of the object, as well as the opening and closing of the lower opening in the chamber. The method may also include exhausting an atmosphere in the drying chamber while supplying inert gas, decompressing the atmosphere in the drying chamber as well as chemical cleaning, water cleaning, and ozone cleaning of the object.

Apparatus for and method of cleaning object to be processed

A cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method for cleaning an object are provided. In the cleaning apparatus, a drying chamber and a cleaning bath are separated from each other up and down, respectively. Thus, a space in the drying chamber can be insulated from a space of the cleaning bath through a slide door . In the cleaning method, a drying process and a cleaning process are carried out separately on condition that the space in the drying chamber is insulated from the space of the cleaning bath through the slide door . Consequently, there is no possibility that, during the drying process, the object is subjected to a bad influence from a chemical treatment.

A substrate processing apparatus ( ) for processing wafers (W) has a first processing chamber ( ) capable of containing the wafers (W) and a second processing chamber ( ) capable of containing the wafers (W). The second processing chamber ( ) is formed below and near the first processing chamber ( ) and is capable of communicating with the first processing chamber ( ). A wafer guide ( ) carries the wafers (W) vertically between the first and second processing chambers ( ). A shutter ( ) is opened to allow the first and second processing chambers ( ) to communicate with each other and is closed to isolate the same from each other. A steam supply system ( ) including steam supply port, an ozone gas supply system ( ) including ozone gas supply port and an IPA supply system ( ) including IPA supply port are combined with the first processing chamber ( ). A pure water supply system ( ) including pure water supply port and a draining unit ( ) including a drain pipe-line ( ) through which pure water is drained are combined with the second processing chamber ( ).

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

A cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method for cleaning an object are provided. In the cleaning apparatus, a drying chamber and a cleaning bath are separated from each other up and down, respectively. Thus, a space in the drying chamber can be insulated from a space of the cleaning bath through rotary doors and a slide door . In the cleaning method, a cleaning process in the cleaning bath is carried out while sealing it by the rotary doors . On the other hand, a drying process in the drying chamber is accomplished while sealing and closing it by the slide door . Consequently, there is no possibility that, during the drying process, the object is subjected to a bad influence from a chemical treatment.

Method of cleaning objects to be processed

A substrate processing apparatus (,) for processing wafers (W) has a first processing chamber (,) capable of containing the wafers (W) and a second processing chamber (,) capable of containing the wafers (W). The second processing chamber (,) is formed below and near the first processing chamber (,) and is capable of communicating with the first processing chamber (,). A wafer guide (,) carries the wafers (W) vertically between the first and second processing chambers (,). A shutter (,) is opened to allow the first and second processing chambers (,) to communicate with each other and is closed to isolate the same from each other. A steam supply system (,) including steam supply port, an ozone gas supply system (,) including ozone gas supply port and an IPA supply system (,) including IPA supply port are combined with the first processing chamber (,). A pure water supply system (,) including pure water supply port and a draining unit (,) including a drain pipe-line (,) through which pure water is drained are combined with the second processing chamber (,).

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method which can prevent the object to be processed being subjected to a bad influence caused by a chemical treatment, have a high degree of freedom in designing the apparatus, make the cleaning process rapid and be designed in smaller size. In this cleaning apparatus, a drying chamber 42 and a cleaning bath 41 are separated from each other up and down, respectively. Thus, a space in the drying chamber 42 can be insulated from a space of the cleaning bath 41 by a nitrogen-gas curtain 59c and a slide door 72. In the cleaning method, a cleaning process in the cleaning bath 41 is carried out while screening it by the nitrogen-gas curtain 59c. On the other hand, a drying process in the drying chamber 42 is accomplished while sealing and closing it by the slide door 72.

A cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method for cleaning an object are provided. In the cleaning apparatus, a drying chamber 42 and a cleaning bath 41 are separated from each other up and down, respectively. Thus, a space in the drying chamber 42 can be insulated from a space of the cleaning bath 41 through rotary doors 59a and a slide door 72. In the cleaning method, a cleaning process in the cleaning bath 41 is carried out while sealing it by the rotary doors 59a. On the other hand, a drying process in the drying chamber 42 is accomplished while sealing and closing it by the slide door 72. Consequently, there is no possibility that, during the drying process, the object is subjected to a bad influence from a chemical treatment.

A cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method for restricting an occurrence of water marks on a surface of a object to be processed are provided. The cleaning apparatus is constructed so as to dry wafers W, which have been rinsed by DIW in a drying chamber 42, in a cooling system. Thus, the reaction between, for example, IPA, DIW etc. and silicon in surfaces of the wafers W is inactivated to cause the surfaces to be oxidized with difficulty, so that it is possible to restrict the occurrence of the water marks on the surfaces.

Disclosed is a method of washing substrates, comprising the steps of (a) introducing a washing solution into a processing vessel having a wafer boat movably mounted therein to fill the vessel with the washing solution, (b) allowing a plurality of wafers to be held collectively by chuck such that the wafers held by the chuck are arranged at substantially an equal pitch, (c) dipping the wafers together with the chuck in the washing solution within the processing vessel, (d) transferring the wafers from the chuck onto the wafer boat in an upper region of the processing vessel, (e) moving the wafers together with the wafer boat within the washing solution to allow the substrates to be positioned in a lower region of the processing vessel, (f) discharging the washing solution from the upper region of the processing vessel, (g) supplying a fresh washing solution into the lower region of the processing vessel so as to cause the washing solution within the processing vessel to overflow the processing vessel, (h) taking the washed wafers out of the processing vessel.

Substrate washing method, substrate washing-drying method, substrate

A substrate drying device including a process chamber, a transferring device for transferring a substrate to/from the process chamber, a solvent vapor generating chamber having a container for receiving liquid organic solvent and a heater for heating the liquid organic solvent of the container to generate vapor of the organic solvent, a solvent supply unit for supplying the liquid organic solvent in the container, a first passage, communicating with the solvent vapor generating chamber and the process chamber, for passing vapor of the organic solvent, a second passage, communicating with the container of the solvent vapor generating chamber and the solvent supply unit, for passing liquid organic solvent, a flow rate controller for controlling flow rate of the liquid organic solvent to be supplied to the solvent vapor generating chamber from the solvent supply unit, and a control device for detecting a state of organic solvent of at least one of the solvent supply unit, the solvent vapor generating chamber, and the process chamber to control an operation of the flow rate controller based on the detected state of organic solvent.

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Nirasaki, Japan

Kinya Ueno