Substrate processing in an immersion, scrub and dry system

• US 6,457,199 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2000
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Inventors: Wallis, Mike, Frost, David T., Jones, Oliver David
• Primary Examiner(s): Till, Terrence R.
• Application Number:
  US09/687,622
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 15/77, 15/882, 15/883, 151/02
• US Class Current: 15/77
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67028 for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67046 using mainly scrubbing means, e.g. brushes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67057 with the semiconductor substrates being dipped in baths or vessels
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67178 vertical arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67207 comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67745 characterized by movements or sequence of movements of transfer devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 134/902 Semiconductor wafer

Abstract

A system and methods for substrate preparation are provided. In one example, a wafer processing system includes a system enclosure that contains wafer processing apparatus within an isolated wafer processing environment. The wafer processing apparatus include a pair of immersion tanks in the lower front region of the system with a pair of wafer pickers behind the immersion tanks to extract wafers from the tanks. In the rear of the system, a pair of brush boxes are located in a lower region with a pair of dryer units positioned above the brush boxes. A robot arm is positioned between the pair of immersion tanks and the pair of brush boxes in a middle region of the system, and is configured to transition wafers between the processing apparatus. A pair of output shelves holding output cassettes is positioned over the immersion tanks. The output cassettes receive clean wafers after processing. In another example, a method for preparing a substrate is provided. The method includes the batch processing of substrates through substrate processing apparatus arranged within a substrate processing system.

Claims

1. A substrate preparation system, comprising:

an immersion tank being positioned at a lower front end of the system, the immersion tank being configured to receive a cassette of substrates for megasonic processing;

a brush box unit being positioned at a lower back end of the system, the brush box unit being configured to receive a substrate for processing;

a dryer unit being positioned at an upper back end of the system, the upper back end being vertically above the lower back end, the dryer unit being configured to receive and dry the substrate after the processing in the brush box; and

a robot arm being positioned between the immersion tank and the brush box unit and dryer unit, the robot arm being configured to transport the substrate from the immersion tank to the brush box unit and from the brush box unit to the dryer unit all within the substrate preparation system.

2. A substrate preparation system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an output shelf being positioned at an upper front end, the upper front end being vertically above the lower front end, the output shelf being designed to move between a lowered position and a raised position, the output shelf being in the raised position provides access to the immersion tank in order to receive substrates to be processed.

3. A substrate preparation system as recited in claim 2, wherein the output shelf is configured to support an output cassette, and the output cassette is configured to receive processed substrates from the dryer unit when the output shelf is in the raised position.

4. A substrate preparation system as recited in claim 3, wherein the mechanical robot arm is configured to transport the substrate from the dryer unit to the output cassette being positioned on the output shelf while maintaining the substrate at the level of the dryer unit and the output shelf within the substrate preparation system.

5. A substrate preparation system as recited in claim 2, wherein the output shelf is configured to support a SMIF pod, and the SMIF pod is configured to receive processed substrates from the dryer unit when the output shelf is in the raised position.

6. A substrate preparation system as recited in claim 2, wherein the output shelf in the raised position is at about a level of the dryer unit.

7. A substrate preparation system as recited in claim 2, wherein the output shelf in the lowered position is at about a level of the brush box unit.

8. A substrate preparation system as recited in claim 2, wherein the substrate preparation system defines a system enclosure containing the immersion tank and the brush box unit and the dryer unit and the robot arm and the output shelf within.

9. A substrate preparation system as recited in claim 8, wherein the system enclosure is configured to enclose and maintain a substrate process environment, the substrate process environment being isolated from an ambient environment and to which access is provided through a plurality of access doors configured on the substrate preparation system.

10. A substrate preparation system as recited in claim 9, wherein the plurality of access doors is configured to halt substrate processing within the system enclosure when any one of the plurality of access doors is in an open position and further configured to allow substrate processing to proceed when the plurality of access doors are in a closed position.

11. A substrate preparation system as recited in claim 10, wherein when the plurality of access doors are in the closed position the substrate process environment within the system enclosure is a class 1 clean room environment.

12. A substrate preparation system as recited in claim 11, wherein the substrate process environment within the system enclosure is progressively cleaner from a bottom of the system enclosure to a top of the system enclosure.

13. A substrate preparation system as recited in claim 1, wherein the brush box unit is configured to perform one of a cleaning operation, a buffing operation, a polishing operation, a scrubbing operation, and a brushing operation on the substrate.

14. A substrate preparation system as recited in claim 1, wherein the dryer unit is configured to perform a plurality of operations including a spin operation, a rinse operation, and a dry operation.

15. A wafer processing system, comprising:

a system enclosure defining wafer processing apparatus within an isolated wafer processing environment;

a pair of immersion tanks located in a front lower region of the system enclosure and configured to process wafers in a fluid bath;

a pair of wafer pickers positioned above and behind the pair of immersion tanks within the system enclosure and configured to extract wafers from the fluid bath in each one of the pair of immersion tanks;

a robot arm positioned behind the pair of immersion tanks within the system enclosure and configured to obtain wafers from each one of the pair of wafer pickers and transition wafers across the system enclosure;

a pair of brush boxes positioned in a lower back region of the system enclosure and configured to scrub wafers received from the robot;

a pair of dryer units positioned in an upper back region of the system enclosure above the pair of brush boxes and configured to receive and dry wafers, the receiving being from the robot after the wafers have been scrubbed by the pair of brush boxes; and

a pair of output cassettes positioned on a pair of output shelves located in an upper front region of the system enclosure above the pair of immersion tanks and configured to receive wafers from the robot after the wafers have been dried in one of the pair of dryer units.

16. A wafer processing system as recited in claim 15, further comprising a megasonic unit configured to each of the pair of immersion tanks, the megasonic unit including a plurality of megasonic elements and configured to subject the wafers in the fluid bath to megasonic energy.

17. A wafer processing system as recited in claim 15, wherein the output cassettes are disposed within a pair of SMIF pods.