KR20080030206A - Apparatus for drying semiconductor substrates - Google Patents

Abstract

A semiconductor substrate drying apparatus is provided to improve dry efficiency by minimizing contamination of IPA(Iso-Propyl Alcohol) steam and improving fineness of IPA steam particles. A dry chamber performs a substrate drying process. A steam generation unit generates IPA steam to be supplied to the dry chamber. A supply tube(320) provides a path for supplying the IPA steam from the steam generation unit to the dry chamber. A valve(327a,327b) is installed on the supply tube. A filter(329a,329b) is arranged between the dry chamber formed on the supply tube and the valve in order to filter the IPA steam to be supplied to the dry chamber. The filter is arranged near to the dry chamber formed on the supply tube.

Description

Semiconductor Substrate Drying Equipment {APPARATUS FOR DRYING SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTRATES}

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a semiconductor substrate drying apparatus according to the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the semiconductor substrate drying apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

100: drying chamber 110: washing chamber

130: support member 200: steam generator

210: isopropyl alcohol source 220: nitrogen gas source

230: isopropyl alcohol bubbler

300: isopropyl alcohol supply member

310: nozzle 320: supply piping

322: first supply pipe 324: second supply pipe

326a, 326b: branch pipe 327a, 327b: valve

329a, 329b: Filter

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus used for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to an apparatus for drying a semiconductor substrate such as a wafer.

In general, a semiconductor device is manufactured by repeatedly performing various unit processes such as a deposition process, a photo process, an etching process, and a polishing process. The cleaning process is a process of removing residual chemicals, small particles, or contaminants remaining on the surface of the semiconductor wafer when performing these unit processes.

The cleaning process of the semiconductor wafer includes a chemical solution treatment process (chemical treatment process) for etching or peeling off contaminants on the semiconductor wafer by chemical reaction, a rinse process for washing the chemically treated semiconductor wafer with deionized water, and a rinsed semiconductor wafer. It consists of a drying process of drying.

Drying apparatuses used in the drying process of semiconductor wafers include spin dryers and IPA (Iso-Propyle Alchol, isopropyl alcohol) dryers. The spin dryer rotates the wafer to dry the wafer using its centrifugal force, and the IPA dryer is a device for drying the wafer using a low vapor pressure of isopropyl alcohol (IPA).

However, since spin dryers and IPA dryers cannot completely remove water spots between the wafer surface and the pattern, recently, the Marangoni Type drying apparatus mainly used the difference between the surface tension and vapor pressure of IPA and water. It is used. The drying apparatus of a marangoni system uses the thing of which the surface tension of water, the density of IPA, and surface tension differ, and floats a wafer by floating the IPA layer which has a drying effect on water.

By the way, since the filter unit is not provided in the last stage before IPA vapor is supplied to the nozzle part of a drying apparatus, the marangoni-type drying apparatus used conventionally has particle contamination etc. in an IPA supply line and the valve provided in this. If this occurred, there was a problem that the IPA vapor supplied to the drying apparatus is contaminated.

In addition, the phenomenon of aggregation (liquefaction) occurs in the process of supplying the IPA vapor supplied to the drying apparatus through the supply line, thereby decreasing the fineness of the IPA vapor particles.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the problems in view of the conventional wafer drying apparatus as described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor substrate drying apparatus capable of minimizing contamination of IPA vapor. It is to.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor substrate drying apparatus capable of improving the drying efficiency by improving the fineness of IPA vapor particles supplied to the drying apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, a semiconductor substrate drying apparatus according to the present invention includes a drying chamber in which a drying process of a substrate is performed; A steam generator for generating isopropyl alcohol (IPA) vapor supplied to the drying chamber; A supply pipe providing a path through which isopropyl alcohol vapor is supplied from the steam generator to the drying chamber; A valve installed on the supply pipe; And a filter disposed between the drying chamber on the supply pipe and the valve to filter isopropyl alcohol vapor supplied to the drying chamber.

In the semiconductor substrate drying apparatus according to the present invention having the configuration as described above, the filter is preferably disposed adjacent to the drying chamber side on the supply pipe.

According to an aspect of the invention, the supply pipe is a first supply pipe connected to the drying chamber; A second supply pipe connected to the steam generator; Branch pipes branching from the first supply pipe and joining the second supply pipe; wherein the filter and the valve are disposed in each of the branch pipes, and the filter is supplied to the drying chamber through the valve. It is preferable to filter the isopropyl alcohol vapor.

According to another aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the filters disposed on the branch tubes are provided with filters having different transmittances from each other.

Hereinafter, a semiconductor substrate drying apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, in adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as much as possible, even if shown on different drawings. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related well-known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

(Example)

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a semiconductor substrate drying apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the semiconductor substrate drying apparatus shown in FIG.

1 and 2, the drying apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes a drying chamber 100, a steam generator 200, and an isopropyl alcohol supply member 300.

In the drying chamber 100, a drying process of the wafer W is performed, and the vapor (IPA) generator 200 generates isopropyl alcohol vapor supplied to the drying chamber 100. The isopropyl alcohol vapor generated by the steam generator 200 is supplied to the drying chamber 100 through the isopropyl alcohol supply member 300.

The drying chamber 100 is sealed from the outside and provides a space in which the process is performed. Below the drying chamber 100, a cleaning chamber 110 is provided to perform a process of cleaning or cleaning the chemicals of the wafer W, and the separation chamber may be opened and closed between the drying chamber 100 and the cleaning chamber 110. Plate 120 is provided. The drying chamber 100 is provided with an exhaust member for exhausting isopropyl alcohol vapor in the drying chamber 100 to the outside, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the separator plate 120 may function as an exhaust member. . In the separation plate 120, an exhaust passage 122 communicating with the interior of the drying chamber 100 is formed. The exhaust passage 122 may be uniformly provided in the entire region of the separator plate 120 so that isopropyl alcohol vapor flows in the vertical direction from the top to the bottom in the drying chamber 100.

In the drying chamber 100, a supporting member 130 supporting the wafers W is disposed, and the supporting member 130 moves between the drying chamber 100 and the cleaning chamber 110 by a driving member (not shown). Can be.

The steam generator 200 generates isopropyl alcohol (IPA) vapor supplied to the drying chamber 100. The steam generator 200 has an isopropyl alcohol source 210, a nitrogen gas source 220, and an isopropyl alcohol bubbler 230. The isopropyl alcohol liquid and the nitrogen gas are supplied from the isopropyl alcohol source 210 and the nitrogen gas source 220 to the isopropyl alcohol bubbler 230, and the steam generator 232 installed in the isopropyl alcohol bubbler 230. ), The isopropyl alcohol liquid and nitrogen gas are vaporized finely. The isopropyl alcohol vapor thus generated is supplied to the drying chamber 100 through the isopropyl alcohol supply member 300.

The isopropyl alcohol supply member 300 supplies isopropyl alcohol vapor to the wafers W in the drying chamber 100. The isopropyl alcohol supply member 300 has a plurality of nozzles 310 and supply pipes 320.

The nozzles 310 may be disposed in the drying chamber 100, and may be installed in a cover that opens and closes an upper portion of the drying chamber 100. The nozzles 310 have a rod shape and are disposed in the same direction as the arrangement direction of the wafers W placed on the support member 130.

The nozzles 310 and the steam generator 200 are connected by supply pipes 320. The supply pipes 320 have a first supply pipe 322, a second supply pipe 324, and branch pipes 326a and 326b. The first supply pipe 322 is connected to the nozzles 310 in the drying chamber 100, and the second supply pipe 324 is connected to the steam generator 200. The first supply pipe 322 and the second supply pipe 324 are connected by branch pipes 326a and 326b branched from the first supply pipe 322 and joined to the second supply pipe 324.

Each of the branch pipes 326a and 326b is provided with valves 327a and 327b for adjusting the flow rate of isopropyl alcohol vapor flowing therein. As the valves 327a and 327b, a flow control valve or a mass flow controller may be used.

Filters 329a and 329b are respectively installed between the drying chambers 100 on the respective branch pipes 326a and 326b and the valves 327a and 327b to filter isopropyl alcohol vapor supplied to the drying chamber 100. Here, the filters 329a and 329b are preferably disposed as close to the drying chamber 100 side as possible on the branch pipes 326a and 326b.

As such, the filters 329a and 329b are installed adjacent to the nozzles 310 on the piping of the isopropyl alcohol supply member 300 such that the isopropyl alcohol vapor is supplied to the piping 322, 324, 326a and 326b and the valve 327a. Isopropyl alcohol vapor filtered by the filters 329a and 329b when the isopropyl alcohol vapor is finally supplied to the nozzles 310, even if contaminated by particles generated in, 327b) and the like.

In addition, a phenomenon may occur in which IPA vapor is agglomerated (liquefied) while being supplied through the pipes 322, 324, 326a and 326b. However, by installing the filters 329a and 329b at the end of the pipe as in the present invention, the fineness of the particles is improved as the isopropyl alcohol vapor passes through the filters 329a and 329b, whereby the nozzle 310 It is possible to prevent the isopropyl alcohol vapor supplied to the liquefied state from being supplied in the liquefied state.

In addition, as described above, since the filters 329a and 329b are arranged in parallel on the branch pipes 326a and 326b, when the filter on either side is used in the drying process, it is used during the drying process. It is also possible to maintain filters that do not.

Meanwhile, the filters 329a and 329b respectively installed on the branch pipes 326a and 326b may be provided as filters having different transmittances. Through this, a filter having a different transmittance may be selectively used according to a required specification of the drying apparatus connected to the isopropyl alcohol supply member 300.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, contamination of isopropyl alcohol vapor supplied into the drying chamber can be minimized.

And according to this invention, the fineness of an isopropyl alcohol vapor particle can be improved and drying efficiency can be improved.

Moreover, according to this invention, maintenance of a filter can be made easy.

Moreover, according to this invention, the filter which has a different transmittance | permeability can be selectively used according to the required specification of the drying apparatus connected to the isopropyl alcohol supply member.

Claims (4)

A drying chamber in which the substrate drying process is performed; A steam generator for generating isopropyl alcohol (IPA) vapor supplied to the drying chamber; A supply pipe providing a path through which isopropyl alcohol vapor is supplied from the steam generator to the drying chamber; A valve installed on the supply pipe; A filter disposed between the drying chamber on the supply pipe and the valve to filter isopropyl alcohol vapor supplied to the drying chamber; Semiconductor substrate drying apparatus comprising a. The method of claim 1, And the filter is disposed adjacent to the drying chamber side on the supply pipe. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The supply pipe, A first supply pipe connected to the drying chamber; A second supply pipe connected to the steam generator; And a plurality of branch pipes branched from the first supply pipe and joined to the second supply pipe. And the filter and the valve are disposed in each of the branch pipes, and the filter filters isopropyl alcohol vapor supplied to the drying chamber through the valve. The method of claim 3, wherein And the filters disposed in the branch tubes are provided with filters having different transmittances from each other.

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