Centrifugal spray processor and retrofit kit

• US 7,305,999 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2002
• Issued: 12/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shellback Semiconductor Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Semitool Incorporated (Applied Materials Incorporated)
• Inventors: Henke, Trevor, Meuchel, Craig, Bernt, Marvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Stinson, Frankie L.
• Application Number:
  US10/199,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20030102019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,971 Days
• Field of Search: 134/198, 134/147, 134/153, 134/148, 134/902, 134/200, 15634511-34523
• US Class Current: 134/147
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/02 Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67313 Horizontal boat type carrier whereby the substrates are vertically supported, e.g. comprising rod-shaped elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 134/901 Contact lens
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 134/902 Semiconductor wafer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/14 Wafer cassette transporting

Abstract

A centrifugal spray processor for processing semiconductor wafers uses larger numbers of spray nozzles. Each spray nozzle delivers a reduced volume of liquid, to reduce consumption of liquid process chemicals. The nozzles operate at a higher back pressure. The increased number of nozzles, offset nozzle patterns and groupings of nozzles, lower nozzle flow rates, and higher nozzle back pressures, provide improved processing results. The improved spray system may be provided as a retrofit kit.

Claims

1. A workpiece processing machine, comprising:

a process chamber;

a rotor supportable in the process chamber and adapted to hold a batch of substantially flat and evenly spaced apart workpieces for rotation in the process chamber about a spin axis oriented substantially perpendicular to the workpieces;

a motor linked to the rotor;

a first array of spray nozzles in the chamber adapted to spray a fluid toward the rotor;

a second array of spray nozzles in the chamber adapted to spray a fluid toward the rotor, with the second array of spray nozzles radially and longitudinally offset from the first array of spray nozzles, and with the first and second arrays of spray nozzles fixed in position relative to the rotor;

a liquid source connected to the first array of spray nozzles; and

with the spray nozzles positioned so that substantially each workpiece is sprayed on both sides.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein the nozzles in the first and second array are evenly spaced apart in a longitudinal direction.

3. The machine of claim 1 wherein the first and second arrays of spray nozzles produce first and second spray patterns of fluid, with the first spray pattern overlapping with the second spray pattern and with the first spray pattern oriented at an acute angle to the second spray pattern.

4. The machine of claim 1 with first and second arrays of spray nozzles attached to first and second spray manifolds.

5. The machine of claim 1 further comprising a drain trough in the chamber, with the second array of spray nozzles positioned 160-200 degrees away from the drain trough.

6. The machine of claim 1 wherein the first and second arrays of spray nozzles extend for a length greater than the length of the rotor.

7. The machine of claim 1 with the rotor inclined at an angle of from about 5-30°

from horizontal.

8. The machine of claim 1 with the first array of spray nozzles spaced radially apart from the second array of spray nozzles by about 5-30 degrees.

9. The machine of claim 1 with the first and second spray nozzles clustered together.

10. The machine of claim 9 further comprising a third array of spray nozzles spaced apart from the second array of spray nozzles.

11. The processing machine of claim 1 with the workpieces substantially parallel to each other and with the nozzles spraying fluid at the edges of the workpieces.

12. A flat disk workpiece processing machine, comprising:

a process chamber;

a rotor in the process chamber adapted to hold a batch of flat disk workpieces substantially evenly spaced apart and parallel to each other;

a first pattern of spray nozzles in the chamber, with the first pattern having a first column and a second column of spray nozzles, and with the first column adjacent to and longitudinally offset from the second column;

a second pattern of spray nozzles in the chamber, with the second pattern spaced apart from the first pattern, and the second pattern having a third column and a fourth column of spray nozzles, and with the third column adjacent to and longitudinally offset from the fourth column;

the first and second patterns of spray nozzles fixed in position relative to the rotor, and with at least two nozzles in the first and second patterns of spray nozzles positioned to spray substantially each flat disk workpiece on both sides; and

a process chemical source connected to one or both of the first and second patterns of spray nozzles, with the process chemical source supplying de-ionized water, nitrogen gas, carbon dioxide gas, an acid or a solvent, to the spray nozzles.

13. The processing machine of claim 12 with the spray nozzles in the first column longitudinally offset from the spray nozzles in the second column.

14. The processing machine of claim 12 with the second pattern substantially the same as, or substantially a mirror image of, the first pattern.

15. The processing machine of claim 12 with first column substantially parallel to the second column.

16. A flat wafer processing machine, comprising:

a process chamber;

a rotor supportable in the process chamber and adapted to hold an array of spaced apart flat wafers and to rotate the wafers about a rotation axis substantially perpendicular to a plane of each wafer;

a first array of spray nozzles in the chamber adapted to spray a fluid toward the edges of the wafers;

a second array of spray nozzles in the chamber adapted to spray a fluid toward the edges of the wafers, with the second array of spray nozzles radially and longitudinally offset from the first array of spray nozzles;

and with the first and second array of spray nozzles fixed in position relative to the rotor.

17. A spray processing machine for processing a batch of semiconductor wafers, comprising:

a process chamber;

a rotor in the process chamber adapted for holding the batch of semiconductor wafers substantially parallel and equally spaced apart from each other, for rotation of the workpieces in the process chamber about a rotor axis;

first and second groups of spray nozzles adjacent to a top position of the chamber and adapted to spray a fluid through the rotor and onto a batch of workpieces held within the rotor;

with the second group of spray nozzles longitudinally offset from the first group of spray nozzles, and with the first and second groups of nozzles oriented to spray fluid between the wafers and at an acute angle to the wafers, and with the first and second groups of spray nozzles fixed in position relative to the rotor;

a drain in the process chamber adjacent to a bottom of the process chamber; and

a fluid supply connected to at least one of the first and second groups of spray nozzles.

18. The machine of claim 17 wherein the second and third arrays of spray nozzles are radially spaced apart by 25-90 degrees.

19. The processing machine of claim 17 further comprising third and fourth groups of spray nozzles radially and longitudinally offset from each other, and with the second group closer to the first group than to the third group.

20. The processing machine of claim 19 with the first and second groups of spray nozzles located on a first side of a spin axis of the rotor, adjacent to a top position of the chamber, and with the third and fourth groups of spray nozzles located on a second side of the spin axis of the rotor, opposite from the first side, and adjacent to a top position of the chamber.

21. The processing machine of claim 17 wherein the rotor axis is upwardly inclined.

22. The processing machine of claim 17 wherein the second array of spray nozzles is radially offset from the first array of spray nozzles.

23. The processing machine of claim 17 wherein:

the first group of nozzles has a first column and a second column of spray nozzles, and with the first column adjacent to the second column, and

the second group of spray nozzles has a third column and a fourth column of spray nozzles, and with the third column adjacent to the fourth column; and

the first and second groups of spray nozzles fixed in position relative to the rotor.

24. A spray processing machine for processing a batch of semiconductor wafers, comprising:

a process chamber;

a rotor in the process chamber adapted for holding the batch of semiconductor wafers substantially parallel and equally spaced apart from each other, for rotation of the workpieces in the process chamber about a rotor axis;

first and second groups of spray nozzles located on a first side of a spin axis of the rotor, adjacent to a top position of the chamber and adapted to spray a fluid through the rotor and onto a batch of workpieces held within the rotor;

with the second group of spray nozzles longitudinally offset from the first group of spray nozzles, and with the first and second groups of nozzles oriented to spray fluid between the wafers and at an acute angle to the wafers;

third and fourth groups of spray nozzles radially and longitudinally offset from each other, and with the second group of spray nozzles closer to the first group of spray nozzles than to the third group of spray nozzles, and with the third and fourth groups of spray nozzles located on a second side of the spin axis of the rotor, opposite from the first side, and adjacent to a top position of the chamber;

a drain in the process chamber adjacent to a bottom of the process chamber; and

a fluid supply connected to at least one of the first and second groups of spray nozzles.