Wafer cleaning apparatus

• US 6,615,854 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2000
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ebara Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ebara Corporation
• Inventors: Hongo, Akihisa, Morisawa, Shinya
• Primary Examiner(s): Stinson, Frankie L.
• Application Number:
  US09/572,432
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 134/137, 134/140, 134/147, 134/148, 134/153, 134/157, 134/99.2, 134/94.1, 134/902, 204/198, 204/224.R, 204/224.M
• US Class Current: 134/148
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/02 Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67051 using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6708 using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 134/902 Semiconductor wafer

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a wafer cleaning apparatus for cleaning wafer that have received various processing such as copper plating and chemical mechanical polishing. An apparatus for cleaning front and back surfaces of a wafer with solution while rotating the wafer that hag been subjected to a fabrication process is disclosed. The apparatus comprises cleaning nozzles for spraying a cleaning solution, respectively, onto a front surface of the wafer that has been processed and onto a back surface thereof and also comprises an etching nozzle for spraying an etching solution onto a vicinity of the outer periphery of the wafer.

Claims

1. An apparatus for plating a metal film onto a surface of a seed layer of a substrate, for cleaning the substrate and the metal film, and for etching the metal film, comprising:

a plating section having a plating device for plating a metal film onto a surface of a seed layer of a substrate;

a cleaning section having a cleaning device, said cleaning device including

(i) a rotation mechanism for holding and rotating the substrate with the metal film plated thereon facing upwardly, and

(ii) at least one first nozzle for ejecting an etching solution only onto a peripheral portion of the metal film for removing the peripheral portion of the metal film and a peripheral portion of the seed layer; and

a robotic mechanism for transporting the substrate with the metal film plated thereon from said plating section to said cleaning section.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cleaning device further includes a second nozzle for ejecting a cleaning solution onto a backside surface of the substrate for removing metal adhered to the backside surface.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said cleaning device further comprises a third nozzle for supplying a cleaning solution onto a central portion of the metal film, wherein the cleaning solution is for removing metal and particulate contaminants from the metal film and is not for etching the metal film.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said at least one first nozzle is for ejecting the etching solution onto the peripheral portion of the metal film while said third nozzle is supplying the cleaning solution onto the central portion of the metal film.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said second nozzle is for ejecting the cleaning solution onto the backside surface of the substrate for removing from the backside surface in its entirety metal adhered to the backside surface.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plating device comprises a plating vessel.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plating device comprises a plurality of plating vessels.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cleaning device further comprises a second nozzle for supplying a cleaning solution onto a central portion of the metal film, wherein the cleaning solution is for removing metal and particulate contaminants from the metal film and is not for etching the metal film.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said at least one first nozzle is for ejecting the etching solution onto the peripheral portion of the metal film while said second nozzle is supplying the cleaning solution onto the central portion of the metal film.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one first nozzle is arranged to be inclined relative to a surface of the metal film while said at least one first nozzle is ejecting the etching solution onto the peripheral portion of the metal film.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one first nozzle is arranged to be inclined relative to the surface of the metal film so as to eject the etching solution onto the peripheral portion of metal film at given distance from an edge of the substrate.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one first nozzle is for ejecting an etching solution selected from sodium persulfate, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, ionized water, ozonized water, diluted hydrofluoric acid, and a mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide onto the peripheral portion of the metal film.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one first nozzle comprises a plurality of etching nozzles.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plating section is for plating a metal film selected from gold, silver, copper and solder onto the surface of the seed layer of the substrate.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rough wash section to wash the substrate with the metal film thereon before removing the peripheral portion of the metal film and the peripheral portion of the seed layer via the etching solution ejected by said at least one first nozzle.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said robotic mechanism includes a first robot for transporting the substrate from said plating device to said rough wash section, and a second robot for transporting the substrate from said rough wash section to said cleaning device.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a dryer to dry the substrate after removing the peripheral portion of the metal film and the peripheral portion of the seed layer via the etching solution ejected by said at least one first nozzle.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rotation mechanism includes a holding deice to hold an outer periphery of the substrate.

19. An apparatus for plating a metal film onto a surface of a seed layer of a substrate, for cleaning the substrate and the metal film, and for etching the metal film, comprising:

a plating device for plating a metal film onto a surface of a seed layer of a substrate;

a cleaning device including

(i) a rotation mechanism for holding and rotating the substrate with the metal film plated thereon facing upwardly, and

(ii) at least one first solution supplier for ejecting an etching solution only onto a peripheral portion of the metal film for removing the peripheral portion of the metal film and a peripheral portion of the seed layer; and

a transport mechanism for transporting the substrate with the metal film plated thereon from said plating device to said cleaning device.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said cleaning device further includes a second solution supplier for ejecting a cleaning solution onto a backside surface of the substrate for removing metal adhered to the backside surface.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said cleaning device further comprises a second solution supplier for supplying a cleaning solution onto a central portion of the metal film, wherein the cleaning solution is for removing metal and particulate contaminants from the metal film and is not for etching the metal film.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said first solution supplier is for ejecting the etching solution onto the peripheral portion of the metal film while said second solution supplier is supplying the cleaning solution onto the central portion of the metal film.

23. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said at least one first solution supplier comprises a plurality of etching nozzles.

24. The apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising a rough wash section to wash the substrate with the metal film thereon before removing the peripheral portion of the metal film and the peripheral portion of the seed layer via the etching solution ejected by said at least one first solution supplier.

25. The apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising a dryer to dry the substrate after removing the peripheral portion of the metal film and the peripheral portion of the seed layer via the etching solution ejected by said at least one first solution supplier.