Method and device for treating two-dimensional substrates, especially silicon slices (wafers), for producing microelectronic components

• US 6,251,551 B1
• Filed: 01/14/2000
• Issued: 06/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Horst Kunze-Concewitz
• Original Assignee: Horst Kunze-Concewitz
• Inventors: Kunze-Concewitz, Horst
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Christopher G.
• Application Number:
  US09/462,829
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 430/22, 430/30
• US Class Current: 430/22
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/20 Exposure; Apparatus therefor photographic printing apparatus for making copies G03B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/7075 Handling workpieces outside exposure position, e.g. SMIF box
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67028 for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67173 in-line arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67225 comprising at least one lithography chamber lithographic apparatuses G03F7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67706 Mechanical details, e.g. roller, belt H01L21/67709 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67712 the substrate being handled substantially vertically
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67715 Changing the direction of the conveying path
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67736 Loading to or unloading from a conveyor

Abstract

The invention concerns a method and a device for treating and processing flat substrates such as silicon slices (wafers) for producing microelectronic components in vertical alignment.

Claims

1. A method for processing flat substrates and silicon wafers for the manufacture of microelectronic components, the method comprising the steps of;

a) aligning the flat substrates in a substantially vertical plane; and

b) passing the substrates through at least one processing station following step a) by tilting said processing station to at least one of pass and roll the substrates under a force of gravity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of steps a) and b) comprise transport by a handling robot.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step b) comprises transporting the substrates using at least one of transport rollers and transport elements mounted to a transport belt, wherein the substrates are borne between two transport rollers or two transport elements.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step b) comprises passing the substrates through a plurality of processing stations.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step b) comprises at least one of stopping and rotating the substrates during processing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step b) comprises one of passing the substrates through said processing station on a substrates edge and receiving the substrates in a circular adapter.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step b) comprises at least one of drying the substrates, treating the substrates with emulsions for photolithographic processes, and cleaning the substrates using fluid media introduced onto at least one surface of the substrates.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step b) comprises bearing the substrates on a rotational drive under a force of gravity and holding the substrates with a clamping device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the substrates are dried with a vertical spin drying procedure and further comprising introducing a gas-alcohol mixture into said processing station to produce an alcohol atmosphere.

10. A device for processing flat substrates and silicon wafers for the manufacture of microelectronic components, the device comprising:

means for aligning the flat substrates in a substantially vertical plane;

means for passing the substrates through at least one processing station in a vertical aligned orientation; and

means for tilting said processing station to at least one of pass and roll the substrates under a force of gravity.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein said passing means comprises guide elements for guiding the substrates in vertical alignment.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein said guide elements comprise fluid spray nozzles on both sides of the substrates to guide the substrates without contact.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein said guide elements comprise at least one of guide rollers and guide strips, wet with liquid and disposed on both sides of the substrates wherein the substrates contact a liquid film only.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein said tilting means comprises a tilting guide track for the substrates.

15. The device of claim 10, further comprising a plurality of processing stations disposed one behind the other and means for transporting a processing fluid in a cascaded fashion from a downstream processing station to an upstream processing station.

16. The device of claim 10, further comprising means for removing the substrates from a guiding track and for introducing the substrates to at least one of a separate processing zone and a separate processing station.

17. The device of claim 10, further comprising at least one of means for application of a bonding agent, means for application of a photo-resist charge, means for layer coatings, means for compensation layer coatings, means for drying, means for development, means for rinsing, means for wetting processes, means for etching and means for exposure.

18. The device of claim 10, further comprising a cleaning station having rotating brushes disposed on both sides of the substrates, wherein the substrates rotate and one of said brushes extends across an entire diameter of the substrates and another brush extends through a portion of a substrates diameter.

19. The device of claim 10, further comprising a cleaning station having two rotating brushes disposed at both sides of the substrates and means for rotating the substrates, wherein said two brushes extend over only a fraction of a substrates diameter.

20. The device of claim 10, further comprising a cleaning station having two brushes extending past a center of the substrates.

21. The device of claim 11, wherein said guide elements only touch the substrates on side and end regions thereof.

22. The device of claim 10, wherein said processing station comprises at least one of a substrates stopper and a substrates rotational drive element.

23. The device of claim 10, wherein said passing means comprises a feed station and a receiving station.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein at least one of said feed station and said receiving station comprises a hopper for holding the substrates in vertical orientation.

25. The device of claim 23, wherein at least one of said feed station and said receiving station comprises a transport plunger for at least one of transporting the substrates into and transporting the substrates out of said processing station.

26. The device of claim 23, wherein said tilting means comprises means for tilting at least one of said feed station and said receiving station.

27. The device of claim 10, wherein the substrates seat on a rotational drive under a force of gravity.