Vapor dryer having hydrophilic end effector

• US 7,980,000 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Biese, Michael, Lewis, John S., Ling, Tak Fan (Kerry), Chandrasekaran, Balaji, Ramalingam, Chidambara A., Sin, Garrett H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gravini; Stephen M.
• Application Number:
  US12/255,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20090084413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 34/77, 34/78, 34/80, 342/02, 342/10, 342/18, 342/42, 414/217, 414/939, 134/30, 134/26, 422/93.7, 422/422, 118/500, 118/576
• US Class Current: 34/77
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67028 for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67034 for drying
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67057 with the semiconductor substrates being dipped in baths or vessels
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67316 characterized by a material, a roughness, a coating or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68707 the wafers being placed on a robot blade, or gripped by a gripper for conveyance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/139 including wafer charging or discharging means for vacuum chamber

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to an apparatus and methods for rinsing and drying substrates. One embodiment provides an end effector comprising a body having a contact tip for contacting an edge area of a substrate, wherein the end effector is configured to support the substrate while the substrate is in a rinsing bath and while the substrate is being dried from the rinsing bath, and the contact tip comprises a hydrophilic material.

Claims

1. A substrate drying system, comprising:

a chamber body defining a drying compartment configured to receive a substrate and to retain a rinsing bath therein;

a substrate support disposed in the inner volume, wherein the substrate support is configured to support the substrate while the substrate is in the rinsing bath and while the substrate is being dried from the rinsing bath; and

an end effector disposed on the substrate support, wherein the end effector has a contact tip configured for contacting an edge area of the substrate, and the contact tip comprises a hydrophilic material, the hydrophilic material reduces formation of liquid droplets of the rinsing bath near the edge area of the substrate when the contact tip is used to lift the substrate from the rinsing bath therefore reducing defects caused by residual droplets of the rinsing bath between the substrate and the end effector.

2. The substrate drying system of claim 1, wherein the contact tip is formed entirely by the hydrophilic material or is coated by the hydrophilic material.

3. The substrate drying system of claim 2, wherein the hydrophilic material is quartz.

4. The substrate drying system of claim 3, wherein the contact tip is polished to fuse cracks and chips.

5. The substrate drying system of claim 4, wherein the end effector is annealed after polishing.

6. The substrate drying system of claim 2, wherein the substrate support is movable and is configured to lower the substrate into the drying compartment and to raise the substrate out of the drying compartment.

7. The substrate drying system of claim 6, further comprising one or more vapor conduits positioned above the drying compartment, wherein the one or more vapor conduits are configured to directing a drying vapor towards surfaces of the substrate while the substrate is being raised out of the drying compartment.

8. The substrate drying system of claim 7, wherein the drying vapor comprises isopropyl alcohol.

9. The substrate drying system of claim 6, further comprising a substrate guide disposed in the drying compartment, wherein the substrate guide is configured to receive an edge of the substrate while the substrate is being lowered into the drying compartment or being raised out of the drying compartment.

15. The substrate drying system of claim 1, wherein the end effector comprises a body, and the contact tip is formed by two chamfers on opposite sides of the body.

16. The substrate drying system of claim 15, wherein an angle between the two chamfers is between about 45°

to about 60°

.

17. The substrate drying system of claim 16, wherein the contact tip has a radius between about 0.005 inch to about 0.02 inch.

18. The substrate drying system of claim 1, wherein the chamber body is disposed at an angle relative to a vertical axis, and the angle is between about 1°

to about 10°

.

19. The substrate drying system of claim 6, further comprising a vertical rail, wherein the substrate support moves along the vertical rail to lower and raise the substrate.

20. The substrate drying system of claim 19, further comprising a motor coupled to the substrate support, wherein the motor is configured to move the substrate support along the vertical rail.

10. A method for drying a substrate, comprising:

merging the substrate in a rinsing bath;

supporting the substrate using an end effector having a contact tip in the rinsing bath, wherein the contact tip contacts an edge area of the substrate;

removing the substrate from the rinsing bath while supporting the substrate on the contact tip of the end effector, wherein the contact tip comprises a hydrophilic material, the hydrophilic material reduces formation of liquid droplets of the rinsing bath near the edge area of the substrate when the contact tip lifts the substrate from the rinsing bath therefore reducing defects caused by residual droplets of the rinsing bath between the substrate and the end effector; and

directing a drying vapor towards the substrate.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the contact tip is formed entirely by the hydrophilic material or is coated by the hydrophilic material.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the hydrophilic material is quartz.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the contact tip is polished to fuse cracks and chips.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the end effector is annealed after polishing.