JP2001110773A - Cleaning device, cleaning system, processing device and cleaning mehtod - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning device capable of preventing a work to be processed, such as a metal wiring and the like from being oxidized. SOLUTION: A cleaning device has a cleaning vessel 72 having a processing space S for storing a work W to be processed, a liquid storage tank 30 for storing a cleaning liquid for processing the work W, supply passages 46A-46D for supplying the cleaning liquid from the liquid storage tank 30 to the cleaning vessel 72, and return passages 47A-47D for returning the cleaning liquid from the cleaning vessel 72 to the storing tank 30, and the cleaning vessel 72, the liquid storage tank 30, the supply passages 46A-46D, and the return passages 47A-47D constitute a closed cleaning liquid circulation passages 51A-51D. The cross-sectional area of the processing space S, normal to the direction of the laminar flow of the cleaning liquid crossing over the work W, is set at a value which is a prescribed times larger than the maximum cross-sectional area of the work W normal to the direction described. This prevents the work W, such as metal wiring and the like, from being oxidized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus, a cleaning system, a processing apparatus, and a cleaning method for removing extraneous substances adhering to a semiconductor wafer surface or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in order to form a semiconductor integrated circuit or the like, various processes such as film formation, oxidation / diffusion, and etching are repeatedly performed on a semiconductor wafer. In this case, for example, before performing a certain kind of processing as described above, a cleaning processing for removing organic substances, metal impurities, particles, natural oxide films and the like adhering to the wafer surface as necessary is performed. Etching of an oxide film or the like to form a wiring pattern or a hole is also performed. However, a resist mask used in this case and a sidewall protective film for enhancing anisotropy are also subjected to a cleaning process or some process in a later step. Removed. For example, when a desired wiring pattern is formed on a semiconductor wafer by this etching process, first, as shown in FIG.
A resist 4 is applied on the upper surface of the interlayer insulating film 2 and patterned by a normal exposure technique to form a mask 6. Reference numeral 8 denotes a metal wiring layer made of, for example, copper or aluminum.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, the interlayer insulating film 2 is scraped by dry etching using plasma using the resist mask 6 as a mask until the underlying metal wiring layer 8 is exposed. To form a pattern. At this time, in order to prevent the etching from spreading in the lateral direction and increase the anisotropy of the etching, an etching gas,
The side wall protective film 10 generated by the reaction of the shavings of the interlayer insulating film 2 or the resist peeled off by the etching is positively formed. When the etching process is completed as described above, next, as shown in FIG. 10C, O2 is introduced and plasma ashing is performed.
Unnecessary resist mask 6 is ashed and removed. Thereafter, the sidewall protective film is also removed by, for example, wet cleaning.

In the wet cleaning as described above, generally, a plurality of semiconductor wafers to be processed are completely immersed at once in a storage tank in which a cleaning liquid such as a chemical liquid is stored. Or, as shown in FIG. 11, a semiconductor wafer W is clamped on a turntable 12 and a cleaning liquid 16 such as a chemical solution or a rinsing fluid (eg, ultrapure water) is supplied from a nozzle 14 while the semiconductor wafer W is rotated. Alternatively, the cleaning liquid 16 is supplied in the form of a blur, and the cleaning liquid 16 is cleaned while being diffused on the wafer surface by centrifugal force. Also,
Drying is also performed while the wafer W is rotated.

[0005]

In the above-described cleaning apparatus, the wafer is exposed to the air during cleaning.
In some cases, the metal wiring layer or the like on the surface is oxidized, or the metal wiring layer is oxidized by oxygen or the like mixed in the cleaning solution. In the method of immersing a wafer in the storage tank as described above, although the flow of the cleaning fluid on the wafer surface is present, the speed is extremely low, and the cleaning may not be performed sufficiently. In addition, when the cleaning liquid is supplied to the center of the rotating wafer, the velocity distribution becomes non-uniform, for example, the angular velocity increases from the center of the wafer to the periphery of the wafer. Insufficient drying may cause in-plane uniformity of the cleaning and drying processes to be impaired. Particularly, when the temperature control of the chemical solution is strict, the temperature of the chemical solution decreases as it goes to the periphery of the wafer. There was a problem. Further, in the case of the apparatus for rotating the turntable 12 as described above, the apparatus is increased in size due to the necessity of a rotation mechanism, and it is difficult to stack a plurality of the apparatuses. When the number of copies increases, there is a problem that the footprint becomes large.

Further, the metal film 8 having the structure shown in FIG.
In the case of a copper film formed by the Cu metal damascene technique, there is a problem that the copper film is oxidized at the time of O2 plasma ashing and its electrical characteristics are deteriorated.
2. There has been a strong demand for a cleaning method or a cleaning apparatus that can quickly remove the resist mask 6 and the sidewall protective film 10 without performing plasma ashing. Further, in the conventional immersion or spin type cleaning apparatus, since the processing atmosphere is not closed, the oxidation of the metal wiring layer, particularly the copper wiring layer by oxygen in the processing chamber atmosphere, and the volatile component in the cleaning fluid are performed. There were also problems such as a change in the composition of the fluid due to evaporation of the fluid. The present invention has been devised in view of the above problems and effectively solving them. An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus, a cleaning system, and a cleaning method that can prevent oxidation of a metal wiring layer and the like of an object to be processed. It is another object of the present invention to provide a cleaning apparatus, a cleaning system, and a cleaning method that can perform cleaning quickly and efficiently by using a cleaning fluid having a high flow rate.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning container having a processing space for accommodating an object to be processed, and a fluid storage for storing a cleaning fluid for processing the object to be processed. A tank, a supply path for supplying the cleaning fluid from the fluid storage tank to the cleaning processing container, and a return flow path for returning the cleaning fluid from the cleaning processing container to the fluid storage tank. A fluid storage tank, a cleaning fluid circulation path closed by the supply path and the annular flow path is formed, and the cross-sectional area of the processing object perpendicular to the laminar flow direction of the fluid crossing the processing object is defined. A cleaning device characterized in that the cleaning device is larger than the maximum value by a predetermined factor.

According to this, when the cleaning fluid is poured into the cleaning processing container to clean the surface of the object to be processed, the cleaning processing can be performed quickly and efficiently without exposing the cleaning fluid to the atmosphere. Becomes Further, since no air enters the processing container, it is possible to prevent a metal wiring layer such as a copper film to be cleaned from being oxidized. In other words, by circulating the cleaning fluid, the cleaning fluid can be used efficiently, and since the cleaning fluid is used in a closed state and does not come into contact with air, the cleaning fluid is oxidized. It is also possible to prevent deterioration due to heat and vaporization.

[0009] Further, a recovery fluid supply system for supplying the recovery fluid to the cleaning processing container without exposing the recovery fluid to the outside air and recovering the cleaning fluid in the fluid storage tank is further provided, so that the cleaning fluid is efficiently supplied. Can be used for A rinsing fluid supply system for supplying a rinsing fluid to the cleaning container without exposing the rinsing fluid to the outside air; a dry fluid supply system for supplying a drying fluid to the cleaning container without exposing the drying fluid to the outside air; By further providing a supply control means for controlling the fluids to be selectively and continuously supplied one by one, the rinsing processing and the drying processing of the object to be processed can be performed continuously in the same apparatus. Become. Further, the rinsing fluid supply system and the drying fluid supply system are connected to the cleaning fluid circulation path, and the rinsing fluid and the drying fluid are supplied to a cleaning processing container through the cleaning fluid circulation path. Rinsing treatment and drying treatment can be performed in the pipes forming the cleaning fluid circulation path, and there is no need to provide extra pipes, and the apparatus can be downsized.

[0010] Further, there is further provided a second fluid storage tank for storing a residual liquid processing cleaning fluid for replacing a rinse fluid remaining in the cleaning fluid circulation path with a cleaning fluid, wherein the second liquid storage tank stores the residual liquid processing cleaning fluid. By forming a closed residual liquid processing circulation channel for flowing through the cleaning fluid circulation path and exposing the residual liquid processing cleaning fluid to the second fluid storage tank without exposing to the outside air, the cleaning fluid circulation Even when the passage is formed as a circulation passage, the presence of the rinsing fluid remaining in the pipe in the previous step can be prevented from affecting the next step.
In this case, the fluid storage tank may include a plurality of storage tanks for storing a cleaning fluid corresponding to each of the plurality of types of deposits attached to the surface of the processing target. According to this, it is possible to supply cleaning fluids having different functions into the cleaning apparatus without mixing them, thereby performing continuous processing. For example, it is possible to protect a resist mask or a sidewall of a semiconductor wafer surface after a plasma etching processing. The film can be continuously washed and removed.

Further, for example, the object to be processed is a plate-like body, and by providing a fluid guide means for flowing the cleaning fluid in parallel to the plate surface, the cleaning fluid flows smoothly and the processing is performed uniformly. be able to. In addition, by providing a turbulent flow forming unit that promotes turbulent flow with respect to the cleaning fluid, the influence of the immobile layer generated on the surface of the target object due to the viscosity of the chemical solution due to the turbulent flow is reduced, and the cleaning process is performed quickly and It can be performed efficiently. Further, the turbulence forming means can be constituted by a sound wave irradiation unit for irradiating a sound wave to the surface of the processing object. Further, the sound wave irradiation unit can be configured to include an ultrasonic element for generating an ultrasonic wave and a buffer tank for efficiently transmitting the generated ultrasonic wave. Still further, the turbulence forming means can be formed by an uneven portion provided on an inner wall surface of the cleaning processing container. Further, by arranging a plurality of the above-described cleaning devices in at least one of the vertical, horizontal, and front-rear directions, the occupied floor area can be reduced and the footprint can be significantly reduced.

Further, the processing apparatus has a transfer chamber capable of maintaining airtightness, a load lock chamber airtightly connected to the transfer chamber for loading and unloading an object to / from the outside, and a loading / unloading port for the transfer chamber. At least one vacuum processing chamber hermetically connected via a port, a cleaning device airtightly connected to the transfer chamber via a loading / unloading port, and a load lock chamber provided in the transfer chamber; Transport means for transporting the object to be processed between a chamber and the cleaning apparatus, wherein the cleaning apparatus comprises: a cleaning container having a processing space for accommodating the object to be processed; A fluid storage tank for storing a cleaning fluid for treating a body, a supply path for supplying the cleaning fluid from the fluid storage tank to the cleaning processing container, and the cleaning fluid from the cleaning processing container to the fluid storage tank. With the return channel Forming a cleaning fluid circulation path sealed by the cleaning processing container, the fluid storage tank, the supply path, and the annular flow path, and performing the processing perpendicular to the laminar flow direction of the fluid across the processing target; The cross-sectional area of the space is set so as to be larger than the maximum value of the cross-sectional area of the object to be processed perpendicularly to the direction by a predetermined factor. And the wafer W including the cleaning process
A continuous series of processing steps without exposing the air to the outside air becomes possible.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a cross section perpendicular to the direction of laminar flow of the fluid from the fluid storage tank containing the cleaning fluid across the object to be processed is perpendicular to the direction. Supplying the cleaning fluid to a cleaning processing container having a processing space having a processing space larger than the maximum value of the cross-sectional area of the processing target by a predetermined amount to process the processing target, and returning the cleaning fluid to the fluid storage tank. And circulating the cleaning fluid without exposing the cleaning fluid to outside air.

Further, for example, the cleaning fluid is a resist removing liquid for removing a resist mask patterned on the surface of the object, and a layer to be etched when the object is dry-etched using the resist mask as a mask. Are two kinds of fluids, ie, a sidewall protective film removing liquid for removing the sidewall protective film attached to the side wall of the substrate, and supplying and treating the resist after removing the sidewall protective film removing liquid. . According to this, both the side wall protective film and the resist mask adhered to the wafer surface can be quickly and easily removed by the continuous wet cleaning process, and by performing the cleaning process in this order, the order is reversed. It is possible to avoid an unexpected situation such as curing of the side wall protective film which may occur when the processing is performed, and covering of the cured layer formed on the resist mask surface with the side wall protective film.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a cleaning apparatus according to the present invention will be described.
One embodiment of a cleaning system and a cleaning method will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an appearance of the cleaning system of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram showing a part of the cleaning system shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an example of a cleaning device used in the cleaning system shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. As shown in the drawing, the cleaning system 20 has a plurality of cleaning devices 22A to 22H, each of which has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and two cleaning device rows in which four cleaning devices are stacked in the illustrated example. And eight cleaning devices 22A to 22H. An elevating mechanism 24 made of, for example, a ball screw and movable in the vertical direction is installed between the two cleaning device rows.
Is provided with a transfer arm 26 that can be bent and stretched and turned to hold and transfer a semiconductor wafer W as an object to be processed.
Is mounted, so that the wafer W can be carried in and out of each of the cleaning devices 22A to 22H.
Needless to say, two or more cleaning devices may be provided around the elevating mechanism, and thereby the space occupied by the system is greatly reduced. Note that the cleaning devices 22 are not limited to this example, and a plurality of cleaning devices 22 may be arranged in at least one of arbitrary directions such as right and left, front and rear, not only in the vertical direction, to improve the footprint.

The entire cleaning system 20 is covered by a housing 28, and the inside is filled with an inert gas, for example, N2 gas. Here, the description of the I / O port for carrying the wafer W in and out of the cleaning system 20 is omitted. In addition, each of the cleaning devices 22A to 22A
2H may use the same cleaning fluid,
Alternatively, different types of cleaning fluids may be used, or a plurality of types of cleaning fluids may be used for one cleaning device. In this case, the material of the components in each of the cleaning devices 22A to 22H is a material having high corrosion resistance to the used cleaning fluid.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a part of the above-mentioned cleaning system. In this case, four cleaning devices 22A to 22D are provided.
2 shows an example in which the same cleaning fluid is supplied. The other cleaning devices 22E to 22H may be configured in the same manner, or may supply another type of cleaning fluid. In FIG. 2, a fluid storage tank 30 is sealed, and a cleaning fluid 32 is stored therein to make an inert atmosphere such as N2 gas. If the cleaning fluid 32 runs short, it is replenished via the replenishment system 34. The fluid storage tank 30 is provided with a circulation pump 36, a temperature controller 38 for adjusting the temperature of the cleaning fluid 32, a filter 40 for removing impurities in the cleaning fluid 32, and an on-off valve 42 in this order. A standby circulation system 44 returning to the tank 30 is connected, and during standby, the cleaning fluid 32 is circulated and the temperature controller 3
8, the filter 40 removes, for example, particulate impurities in the cleaning fluid 32 while maintaining the temperature of the cleaning fluid 32 constant.

The standby circulation system 44 and each cleaning device 2
Supply paths 46A, 46B, 46C, 46D for supplying the cleaning fluid 32 to the cleaning devices 22A to 22D are provided so as to connect the cleaning fluids 2A to 22D, respectively. Each of the supply paths 46A to 46D has a flow control valve 48A to 48D and an inlet three-way valve 50A to 50D.
D are connected in order. Further, each of the cleaning devices 22A-2A
Recirculation paths 47A, 47B, 47C, and 47D for returning the cleaning fluid 32 to the fluid storage tank 30 are provided so as to connect the 2D and the fluid storage tank 30, respectively, and outlet-side three-way valves 52A to 52D are respectively provided. It is connected. As will be described later, the cleaning devices 22A to 22D have a structure that is sealed from the outside air.
The cleaning fluid circulation paths 51A, 51B, and 51 circulate the cleaning fluid 32 between the fluid storage tank 30 and the cleaning devices 22A to 22D without exposing the cleaning fluid to the outside air by the circulation paths 47A to 47D.
C and 51D are formed. In addition, the above-described supply paths 46A-
46D is connected to the fluid storage tank 3 without being connected to the standby circulation system 44.
Of course, 0 and the cleaning devices 22A to 22D may be directly connected.

On the other hand, each of the inlet side three-way valves 50A to 50D
Are connected to rinsing fluid supply systems 54A to 54D for supplying, for example, ultrapure water as a rinsing fluid without being exposed to the outside air, and rinsing fluid supply systems 54A to 54D.
, Three-way valves 56A to 56D for rinsing are provided respectively. And this three-way valve for rinsing 56A to 56D
Is commonly connected to a dry fluid supply system 58 for supplying a dry fluid such as N2 gas or alcohol vapor without exposing it to outside air. The drying fluid supply system 58 includes:
Regulator 6 for adjusting the flow rate of fluid from the upstream side
0, a filter 62 for removing impurities in the fluid and a vaporizer 64 for vaporizing alcohol selectively supplied by an on-off valve 66 are sequentially provided. Further, a supply control means 65 is provided in order to control the processing fluid, the rinsing fluid and the drying fluid, and further the recovery fluid and the discharge fluid to be described later to be selectively and continuously supplied. Thus, the rinse fluid supply systems 54A to 54D and the dry fluid supply system 58
Is connected to the cleaning fluid circulation paths 51A to 51D, so that the inside of the pipe can be simultaneously rinsed and dried.
Further, there is no need to provide extra piping, and the apparatus can be downsized. In addition, the outlet side three-way valve 52A-
52D has a discharge system 68 for discharging unnecessary liquid and gas.
Is connected to the discharge system 68.
A gas and a liquid are separated by interposing the liquid, and the liquid is discharged to the outside of the system as a drain.

Next, the cleaning apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, 12, and 13. FIG. Here, since the basic structure of each of the cleaning devices 22A to 22H is the same, the cleaning device 22A will be described as an example. This cleaning device 22A
Has a cleaning processing container 72 formed in a box shape from, for example, stainless steel or the like. A fluid introduction port 74 is formed on one side wall of the cleaning processing container 72, and the other side wall opposite thereto is provided with a fluid introduction port 74. A fluid outlet 76 is formed, and the fluid inlet 74 and the fluid outlet 76 are connected to the supply passage 46A.
And the return path 47A are connected to each other to
(See FIG. 2). An opening 80 large enough to allow a semiconductor wafer W as an object to be processed to pass therethrough is formed at the bottom 78 of the cleaning processing container 72, and this opening 80 is liquid-tight through a sealing member 82 such as an O-ring. The opening / closing lid 84 is hermetically closed. Therefore, each fluid, the semiconductor wafer W, and the like in the cleaning container 72 are not exposed to the outside air during the processing. A transfer chamber 88 partitioned by a partition wall 86 made of, for example, stainless steel is provided below the opening / closing lid 84. Then, the opening / closing lid 8
4 is supported on the bottom of the partition wall 86 via an elevating mechanism 90 so that the entire opening / closing lid 84 can be moved up and down by a stroke necessary for loading / unloading a wafer as shown by a dashed line in FIG. I have.

A transfer port 92 used for loading and unloading the wafer W is provided on the side wall of the partition wall 86. The transfer arm 26 shown in FIG.
Has entered, and the wafer W is delivered. A base 9 is provided on the upper surface of the opening / closing lid 84.
A wafer clamper 94 is provided as a holding means via the third member 3. The peripheral portion of the wafer W can be detachably held by three or more, in the illustrated example, four claws 96 of the wafer clamper 94. Has become. On the other hand, on the ceiling of the cleaning container 72, a sound wave irradiation unit 100 is provided as turbulence forming means for generating turbulence in the flowing cleaning fluid 32 or promoting turbulence. Specifically, the sound wave irradiation unit 100 has a plate-shaped ultrasonic element 104 bonded to an element substrate 102 made of, for example, stainless steel with an adhesive or the like.
The ultrasonic element 104 is set to have a size that can cover the front surface or a part of the plane of the wafer W, and can irradiate an ultrasonic wave of, for example, about 850 KHz onto the wafer surface. Further, between the element substrate 102 and the partition plate 106 made of, for example, stainless steel, which partitions the processing space S that is a space from the fluid inlet 74 to the fluid outlet 76, the generated ultrasonic waves can be efficiently transmitted to the wafer surface. A buffer water inlet 111A for introducing the buffer water 110 at one end of the buffer tank 108, and a buffer water discharge port 113A at the other end opposite to the buffer water inlet 111A. By flowing the buffer water 110 into the buffer tank 108, the temperature of the processing fluid 32 and the workpiece W can be adjusted, and further, the buffer tank 1 can be controlled.
The effect of removing the bubbles generated in the inside of the pipe 08 can also be expected. Also,
The opening of the buffer water discharge port 113A is preferably provided at a position where air bubbles do not collect between the opening and the element substrate 102.
It is desirable that the buffer tank 108 be inclined, for example, by about 5 degrees so that the buffer tank 108 is in contact with the buffer water outlet 113A.

Here, as shown in FIG.
And the width of the fluid outlet 76 is equal to the diameter of the wafer W,
Alternatively, the cleaning fluid is set to a higher value, and the cleaning fluid is caused to flow uniformly over the wafer surface. Further, the distance L1 between the wafer W and the partition plate 106 and the distance L2 between the wafer W and the sealing lid 84 are both as small as possible.
It is set within the range of about 35 to 10 mm, and the capacity of the processing space S and the flow path area (the cross-sectional area in the direction orthogonal to the flow direction of the laminar flow of the fluid traversing the object) are extremely small. Then, for example, the volume of the processing space S is approximately 30 to 6000
cm ^3, that is the object to be processed, for example, set to about 1.5 to about 300 times the volume of about 22 cm ³ the volume of 200mm wafer, the flow channel area approximately 2.1 to 420 cm _^2, that is, the direction of the workpiece The maximum value of the cross-sectional area in the orthogonal direction, that is, about 1.5 to about 300 times the cross-sectional area at the center of the wafer.
By setting the volume of the processing space S as described above,
The amount of the cleaning fluid 32, rinsing flow and the like used is smaller than in the conventional cleaning apparatus. In addition, the flow rate of the cleaning fluid 32 flowing through the processing space S can be set to, for example, about 50 cm / sec, which is considerably higher than the fluid velocity of the conventional cleaning apparatus, for example, about 0.5 cm / sec, so that a high-speed A cleaning fluid can be supplied. The length of the processing space S is 230 to 2 when the wafer W has a size of, for example, 8 inches (200 mm).
It is about 50 mm. In addition, the thickness of the element substrate 102 and the partition plate 106 is set to an integral multiple of a half wavelength of the ultrasonic wave so that the ultrasonic wave can be efficiently propagated.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a flat cleaning fluid introduction portion 180 is provided at the fluid introduction port 74 of the cleaning container 72 between the input port 182 for introducing the cleaning fluid 32. And the cleaning container 7
A flat cleaning fluid discharge portion 18 that spreads in a reverse direction between the fluid discharge port 76 and the discharge pipe 183 that discharges the cleaning fluid 32.
1 is provided. The cleaning fluid introduction section 180 is formed so that the flow path thickness becomes narrower from the input pipe 182 side to the fluid introduction port 74 side, has a length of about 70 mm, and is approximately 70 mm near the input pipe 182. It has a thickness of 10 mm and a thickness of about 5 mm near the fluid inlet 74. Further, the cleaning fluid introduction unit 180 is formed so that the flow path width becomes larger from the input pipe 182 side to the fluid introduction port 74 side, and about 150 mm near the input pipe 182.
In the vicinity of the fluid introduction port 74, the area is about 220 mm. The cleaning fluid discharge unit 181 is connected to the fluid discharge port 7.
The flow pipe is formed so that the flow path thickness increases from the side 6 toward the discharge pipe 183, has a length of about 70 mm, and has a thickness of about 5 mm near the fluid discharge port 76. 183 has a thickness of about 10 mm. Further, the cleaning fluid discharge portion 181 is formed so that the flow path width becomes smaller from the fluid discharge port 76 side to the discharge pipe 183 side, and about 220 m near the fluid discharge port 76.
m and about 100 mm in the vicinity of the discharge pipe 183. 20 l of the cleaning fluid 32 flows through the input pipe 182.
When the flow rate was at it / min, the flow rate of the cleaning fluid 32 in the input pipe 182 was about 22 cm / sec, while the flow rate in the processing space S was about 30 cm / sec. Cleaning fluid introduction unit 180 and cleaning fluid discharge unit 181
Is provided, the cleaning fluid 32 in the processing space S can flow in a laminar flow while maintaining a high-speed flow to a certain degree.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, an unprocessed semiconductor wafer W is introduced into desired cleaning apparatuses 22A to 22H by using a transfer arm 26 as shown in FIG. When introducing the wafer W, as shown in FIG. 3, the opening / closing lid 84 on which the wafer clamper 94 is mounted is lowered by the elevating mechanism 90, and the transfer arm 26 is extended in this state, so that the wafer W is And the peripheral portion of the wafer W is held by the claw portion 96. Then, the wafer W
Is held, the elevating mechanism 90 is driven to open and close the lid 84.
And the opening 80 of the bottom 78 of the cleaning processing container 72 is closed in a liquid-tight manner, and the processing space S is closed.

Next, the cleaning fluid 32 having a high flow rate flows from the fluid inlet 74 to the fluid outlet 76 and the cleaning fluid outlet 181 through the cleaning fluid inlet 180 in the processing space S.
To wash the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W. In this case, since the cleaning fluid 32 flows at a high flow rate in the processing space S that is made very narrow, the cleaning is efficiently performed and the cleaning can be performed quickly. Also, the fluid inlet 74
And the presence of the cleaning fluid discharge unit 181, the processing space S
The laminar flow of the cleaning fluid 32 can efficiently flow at a high flow rate in the inside. At this time, since the flow velocity of the cleaning fluid 32 is sufficiently high as described above, a turbulent flow is generated in a portion of the cleaning fluid 32 in a laminar flow state in contact with the wafer surface, and the cleaning fluid in contact with the wafer surface is generated.
The flow velocity of the cleaning fluid 32 is locally increased, so that the cleaning fluid 32 such as a fresh chemical liquid always acts on the wafer surface, and the cleaning can be performed more efficiently. Also,
The processing space S serves as a fluid guiding means, and the cleaning fluid flows in parallel with the plate surface of the wafer, so that the processing of the wafer is performed more uniformly.

In this case, in order to form a turbulent flow in the cleaning fluid in contact with the wafer surface, it is necessary to flow the processing fluid at a high speed. Such a high-speed flow is generated by the circulation pump 36 (see FIG. 2). It can be easily generated by reducing the flow path area of the processing space S with respect to the supply amount. Also,
By driving the ultrasonic element 104 of the sound wave irradiation unit 100 at the same time as the above-mentioned cleaning processing, the ultrasonic waves 112 radiated from the ultrasonic wave element 112 are transferred to the buffer water 11
Thus, the light propagates through the laser beam 0 and irradiates the entire surface of the wafer W. As a result, vibration is applied to the cleaning fluid 32 in a direction orthogonal to the flow direction, thereby generating turbulence in the cleaning fluid 32 in contact with the wafer surface or further promoting the generated turbulence. Therefore, the effect of the accelerated turbulence reduces the effect of the immobile layer generated on the surface of the object to be processed due to the viscosity of the chemical solution, and the cleaning process can be performed quickly and efficiently. Note that the sound wave used here is not limited to the ultrasonic wave, and a sound wave in a normal audible frequency band may be used.

When the ultrasonic element 104 is driven, heat is generated therein. However, since the buffer water 110 flowing through the buffer tank 108 also functions as cooling water, the ultrasonic element 104 and the element substrate 102 are separated from each other. Peeling of the ultrasonic element 104 due to deterioration of the adhered adhesive can be suppressed. In addition, air bubbles are generated in the buffer water 110 by the action of the ultrasonic waves 112. Since the buffer water 110 is circulated, the generated air bubbles are also transported out of the buffer tank 108, and There is no accumulation in the tank 108. If the partition plate 106 is corroded by the corrosive action of the cleaning fluid, only the partition plate 106 needs to be replaced, and the element substrate 1
02 can be prevented from being corroded. In the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, while a high-speed flow that forms a turbulent flow can be flowed as described above, by controlling the supply amount of the processing fluid to a small amount, only the surface layer of the object to be processed is wetted. A low-speed flow can be made to flow like an etching process. The flow rate is, for example, about 2.5 to about 5000 cm / sec.
Can be set within a range such as

When the cleaning process is completed as described above, the supply of the cleaning fluid 32 is stopped, and then N ₂ gas or the like is passed as a recovery fluid to collect in the processing space S or piping. The flushing fluid 32 that is present is expelled and collected in the fluid storage tank 30. By performing this recovery, the usage amount of the cleaning fluid 32 can be further reduced. Recovery of cleaning fluid
A drying fluid such as N ₂ gas supplied by the drying fluid supply system 58 may be used as the recovery fluid, or a separate recovery fluid supply system may be provided. Then, a rinsing fluid such as ultrapure water is caused to flow through the processing space S to rinse off the cleaning fluid 32 adhering to the wafer surface and perform rinsing. Even when the rinsing fluid is being supplied, preferably, the ultrasonic element 104 is driven to irradiate the ultrasonic wave 112 to the wafer surface to generate a turbulent flow, whereby the rinsing process can be performed quickly. Further, the rinsing fluid is discharged by flowing N ₂ gas or the like as a discharging fluid into the processing space S. By performing this discharge, the subsequent drying treatment of the rinse fluid can be performed more efficiently. As the discharge fluid, a dry fluid or a recovery fluid may be diverted, or a separate discharge fluid supply system may be provided for supply.

Next, isopropyl alcohol (IPA)
The surface tension of the rinsing fluid is broken by flowing steam alcohol or the like, and further, by flowing heated hot N ₂ gas or the like, the wafer surface and the inside of the cleaning processing container 72 are completely dried. Note that the above-described processing using the recovery fluid and the discharging fluid is for the purpose of making the processing more efficient, and thus the user can arbitrarily select whether or not to perform the processing. The drying may be performed by a Marangoni drying process, a drying process of flowing IPA vapor, or a reduced pressure drying process. Marangoni drying process,
When IPA vapor is supplied into the chamber using N ₂ gas as a carrier gas and the water in the chamber is drained at a very slow speed, the liquid is discharged due to a difference in surface tension between the water and the IPA. After the surface descent, the surface of the wafer is dried. Here, in order to complete the drying, a hot N ₂ gas is then flowed or infrared rays are irradiated. In the drying process in which the IPA vapor flows, the water in the chamber is rapidly drained, and then the IPA vapor is supplied into the chamber using N2 gas as a carrier gas, and the water in the chamber is replaced with the IPA vapor. The supply of the IPA vapor is stopped and high-temperature hot N2 gas is blown. In this case, infrared rays may be irradiated as a heat source. Further, the reduced pressure drying process is effective when the chamber is slightly larger than the size of the wafer, and the time required for the reduced pressure can be shortened, whereby moisture can be removed before the start of generation of a watermark. At this time, the pressure can be reduced in a shorter time by irradiating infrared rays and heating. In the drying treatment in the present invention, a more excellent drying state can be realized by performing a combination of a Marangoni drying treatment and a reduced-pressure drying treatment or a combination of a drying treatment in which IPA vapor is passed and a reduced-pressure drying treatment.

When the operation of these examples is completed, the open / close lid 84 is lowered, and the cleaned wafer W is taken out using the transfer arm 26 (see FIG. 1). As the cleaning fluid 32, various fluids are used depending on a substance to be cleaned. Further, the cleaning fluid 32 is not limited to a liquid, but may be a mist-containing gas, an ozone-containing gas, or the like as described later. In addition, the above-described cleaning process is performed in each cleaning device 2.
2A to 22H can be performed individually and independently.

Next, the above-mentioned series of flows when using the four cleaning devices 22A to 22D will be described in general with reference to the flows shown in FIGS. First, during a standby state in which no cleaning processing is performed, each of the cleaning fluid circulation systems 46A to 46D is closed, and the standby circulation system 44 is driven to circulate the cleaning fluid 32 in the fluid storage tank 30 in this system. Then, the temperature of the cleaning fluid 32 is maintained at a predetermined temperature by the temperature controller 38 to be chemically stabilized, and at the same time, impurities in the cleaning fluid 32 are removed by the filter 40 (S1). When the cleaning process is performed, the cleaning fluid circulation systems 46A to 46A of the target cleaning devices 22A to 22D are used.
Each of the 46D three-way valves 50A to 50D, 52A to 52D
The cleaning fluid is opened so as to flow, whereby the cleaning processing of the semiconductor wafer W is performed in the desired cleaning apparatus as described above (S2).

In this case, the cleaning fluid 32 is supplied to the required cleaning device at the pressure of the circulation pump 36. The supply pressure of the circulation pump 36 is sufficiently high.
If necessary, the supply pressure may be increased by closing the open / close valve 42 of the standby circulation system 44. In this way, during the cleaning process, the cleaning fluid 32 that has passed through the cleaning device returns to the fluid storage tank 30 again and is used for circulation, so that the cleaning fluid 32 is not wasted. Thus, when the cleaning process is completed, first, the inlet side three-way valves 50A to 50A
D is switched to the gas flow side, and at the same time, each of the rinse three-way valves 56A to 56D is also switched to the gas supply side and the dry gas supply system 58 is driven to supply N2 gas as a recovery fluid to perform the recovery process. (S3). In this case,
No alcohol is supplied. By this N ₂ gas purge,
The cleaning fluid 32 retained in the target cleaning fluid circulation path and the cleaning devices 22A to 22D is pushed out by the N ₂ gas, returned to the fluid storage tank 30, and collected. As described above, the cleaning fluid 32 is effectively used without being collected and wasted.

Next, the supply of N ₂ gas is stopped, and the three-way valves 56A to 56D for rinsing are switched to the rinsing flow side. A rinsing fluid made of, for example, ultrapure water is supplied to the devices 22A to 22D to wash away the cleaning fluid attached to the wafer surface or the like (S4). The rinse fluid that has flowed out flows through the discharge system 68 and flows into the steam separator 70, where it is separated into liquid and gas by steam and then discharged outside the system. Next, the stopping the supply of the rinsing fluid, by switching the rinsing three-way valve 56A~56D for N2 gas passage to supply N ₂ gas (alcohol vent) as an exhaust fluid, the the cleaning device 22A~22D The retained rinsing fluid is discharged to the steam separator 70 by N ₂ gas (S5).

Next, while the N ₂ gas is supplied as described above, the on-off valve 66 is opened, whereby alcohol,
For example, isopropyl alcohol is vaporized in the vaporizer 64 and mixed into the N2 gas (S6). As a result, the vaporized alcohol is supplied into the cleaning devices 22A to 22D, and the surface tension of the rinsing fluid adhering to the inside is broken, so that droplets are hardly formed, and the rinsing fluid is easily dried. Next, the supply of the vaporized alcohol is stopped, and only the N2 gas is kept flowing to dry the wafer surface and the inside of the cleaning devices 22A to 22D (S7). In this case, the N ₂ gas is heated and hot N
By flowing as _two gases, the drying processing time can be shortened. In the above series of drying processing steps (S6 and S7), the cleaning of the wafer W is completed, and the cleaning
It is taken out from 2A to 22D and transported.

As described above, by circulating and using the cleaning fluid 32 in a fully closed state, the cleaning fluid 32 is not wasted and is circulated without being exposed to the outside air. Since the volatile components in the cleaning fluid do not evaporate, the cleaning fluid 32
Can be stably maintained. Also, the problem of oxidation of metal wiring tanks, especially copper, which is easily oxidized,
It can be easily avoided by controlling only the reduction of the dissolved oxygen in the cleaning fluid 32 and the rinsing fluid. Note that the cleaning process here can be used for all types of cleaning, for example, a cleaning process after ashing, a normal pre-cleaning process performed before a wafer film forming process, a cleaning process for removing a resist, and the like. Can be. For the pre-cleaning, for example, a mixture of ammonia (NH ₃ ) and aqueous hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) or a mixture of hydrogen chloride (HCl) and aqueous hydrogen peroxide can be used as a cleaning fluid. For removing the resist, for example, a mixture of concentrated sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide solution can be used as a cleaning fluid. Other cleaning fluids include diluted hydrofluoric acid (HF, H ₂ O), buffered hydrofluoric acid (HF, NH ₄ F, H ₂ O), and sulfuric acid / hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ S).
O ₄ , H ₂ O ₃ , H ₂ O) and supercritical fluids such as CO ₂ can also be used.

When a normal neutral chemical is used as the cleaning fluid, the element substrate 102 and the partition plate 106 in the cleaning apparatus may be made of stainless steel. When using a cleaning fluid,
As the material of the partition plate 106, for example, Teflon (registered trademark) having high corrosion resistance is used. In addition, as a material of the element substrate 102, quartz or the like that transmits ultrasonic waves can be used. Further, the cleaning fluid is not limited to the liquid as described above, and a gaseous cleaning fluid in which an mist of ultrapure water is mixed in an ozone atmosphere to accelerate an ozone reaction, or a sulfuric acid mist in an ozone atmosphere is used. And a gaseous cleaning fluid or the like in which the ozone reaction is accelerated by mixing them.

Although the sonic wave irradiation unit 100 is provided as a turbulent flow forming means here, the surface of the partition plate 106 which divides the processing space S is replaced with or used in combination with the turbulence forming unit as shown in FIG. A turbulent flow may be generated in the cleaning fluid by providing fine wavy irregularities 120 having a height of, for example, about 0.1 to 5 mm. Further, the opening / closing lid 8
When the wafer clamper 94 is mounted on the wafer holder 4, a fixed base 93 is provided, and a space large enough to transfer the wafer W from the transfer arm 26 to the wafer clamper 94 is provided between the opening / closing lid 84 and the wafer clamper 94. However, instead of this, as shown in FIG. 7, a bellows 122 that can move the wafer clamper 94 up and down while maintaining liquid tightness may be provided. According to this, if the bellows 122 is extended only when the wafer W is transferred, and the bellows 122 is contracted at the time of cleaning, the height of the processing space S can be further reduced, and the flow path area can be further reduced. For this reason, the flow rate of the cleaning fluid can be increased.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where one type of cleaning fluid is used for one cleaning apparatus has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A cleaning fluid corresponding to each of the kimonos may be used. As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of, for example, two types of cleaning fluids may be used. Note that the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In this case, in addition to the cleaning system shown in FIG. 2, a fluid storage tank 30-2 using a second cleaning fluid, second supply paths 46A-2 to 46D-2, and a second return path 4
7A-2 to 47D-2 are provided. Then, instead of the inlet-side three-way valves 50A to 50D in FIG.
A to 130D are provided, and each of the second supply paths 46
The upstream side of A-2 to 46D-2 is connected, and the downstream side thereafter is shared with the first supply paths 46A to 46D described above.

Also, the outlet side three-way valves 52A to 52A in FIG.
D, the outlet side four-way valves 132A to 132D are provided, and the second return paths 47A-2 to 47D-2 are provided in the outlet side four-way valves 132A to 132D.
Connect the downstream side of. The upstream side is the first return path 47A-4
Shared with 7D. Then, the second cleaning fluid 32-2 is stored in the second fluid storage tank 30-2, and the second standby circulation system 44-2 is also provided with the second circulation pump 36-2.
A second temperature controller 38-2, a second filter 40-2, and a second on-off valve 42-2 are sequentially provided. Further, a second supply system 34-2 is also connected to the second fluid storage tank 30-2. According to this embodiment, the semiconductor wafer W can be continuously cleaned with two types of cleaning fluids.

[0040] That is, the first cleaning fluid 32 is first called previously simply washing fluid, performs a cleaning process as described with reference to FIG. 2, the recovery process by N ₂ purge, rinse with rinsing fluid After performing the processing step, the discharge processing step by N ₂ purge, and the drying processing step by N ₂ gas and alcohol, the cleaning processing by the second cleaning fluid 32-2 is performed subsequently, and the recovery by N ₂ purging is performed. Treatment step, rinsing treatment step with rinsing fluid, N ₂
A discharging process by purging and a drying process by N ₂ gas and alcohol are performed. At this time, the first and second cleaning fluids are switched by newly provided inlet-side four-way valves 130A to 130D and outlet-side four-way valves 132A to 132A.
This is performed by performing a 2D switching operation. The overall flow of the cleaning method at this time is shown in FIG. 9, and here, Step S is performed in contrast to the flow described in FIG.
11-1, S12-1 and S18 are added.
S11 to S17 in FIG. 9 correspond to S1 in FIG.
~ S7.

First, when the cleaning process is not performed, the cleaning fluid 3 in the respective standby circulation systems 44 and 44-2.
2, 32-2 are circulated (S11). Next, when the cleaning process is started, it is first determined whether or not the process is the first process (S11-1). Since the process is initially the first process, the cleaning process using the first cleaning fluid is performed (S11-1). S12). When the first cleaning process is completed, the first remaining in the system
The cleaning fluid 32 is recovered by N ₂ purge (S13), and then the first cleaning fluid 32 adhering to the wafer surface or the like is washed away by ultrapure water rinsing or the like (S14).
_2. Rinsing fluid remaining in the system is discharged by purging (S15). Further, after drying the wafer surface or the like with steam alcohol (S16), hot N ₂ gas is flown to dry completely (S17). Next, it is determined whether or not all types of cleaning fluids have been used (S18). In this case, since only cleaning with the first cleaning fluid has been completed, the determination is NO.
It returns to S11-1.

Next, in the judgment in S11-1, the result is NO since the first step has been completed, and a cleaning process using a second cleaning fluid is performed as a second step (S12-1).
In this cleaning process, as described above, the second fluid storage tank 30-2, the second cleaning fluid circulation systems 46A-2 to 46D-2, and the like newly added in FIG. 8 are used. When the cleaning with the second cleaning fluid 32-2 is completed in this way, after performing the processes of S13 to S17 as described above, all types of cleaning fluids are used in the determination in S18. To YES, and the process ends. As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to continuously perform the cleaning process without mixing the two types of cleaning fluids 32 and 32-2. As a continuous cleaning process using such two types of cleaning fluids 32 and 32-2, for example, as described with reference to FIG. 10, the resist mask 6 and the sidewall protective film 10 used during plasma dry etching are removed. Then, these can be removed without adversely affecting the underlying metal film 8. That is, first, using the first cleaning fluid 32, a sidewall protective film removing step of removing the sidewall protective film 10 is performed, and then, using the second cleaning fluid 32-2, a resist removing step of removing the resist mask 6 is performed. . here,
As the first cleaning fluid 32, an organic alkali aqueous solution, for example, an organic amine aqueous solution can be used.

In particular, examples of the organic amine aqueous solution include a monoethanolamine aqueous solution and a trimethylammonium hydride aqueous solution. Examples of commercially available ones include ELM-C30 (trade name, manufactured by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Ltd.). Can be used. When the ELM-C30 is used, a cleaning process may be performed at a temperature of 23 ° C. for about 5 minutes. Further, the flow rate of the first cleaning fluid 32 is set to a high flow rate of about 50 cm / sec, whereas the flow rate of the conventional wet cleaning is about 0.5 cm / sec. Accelerate. Thereby, quick and efficient cleaning can be performed. At this time, by irradiating the ultrasonic wave to the wafer surface as described above, a turbulent flow occurs in the cleaning fluid 32,
Alternatively, the generation of turbulence is promoted, and more rapid cleaning becomes possible.

Further, as the second cleaning fluid 32-2,
Organic solvents such as organic amines can be used. For example, as a commercially available product, T-106 (trade name: manufactured by Tokyo Applied Chemical Co., Ltd.) can be used. In this case, for example, a cleaning treatment may be performed at 90 ° C. for about 20 minutes. Also at this time, the flow rate of the second cleaning fluid 32-2 is set to a high flow rate of about 50 cm / sec as in the case of the first cleaning fluid 32, and further, the cleaning of the wafer surface is rapidly and rapidly performed by ultrasonic irradiation. Try to do it efficiently. The order of the side wall protective film removing step and the resist removing step can be selected by the user, but if the resist is removed first, there are the following problems. When the side wall protective film removing step is performed after the resist removing step, the cleaning fluid such as the organic amine used in the resist removing step causes the removal of the oil component present in the side wall protective film to be removed in the next step. Then, the sidewall protective film is cured. Therefore, in the sidewall protective film removing step using an organic amine aqueous solution or the like, it may be difficult to sufficiently remove the sidewall protective film. Further, since some reaction occurs on the surface of the resist mask during dry etching, a cured layer is formed on the resist mask surface. If the resist is removed first, the cured layer will cover the sidewall protection film removing step, making it difficult to remove the sidewall protection film. In order to avoid these problems, it is more preferable to perform the resist removing step after the sidewall protective film removing step. Further, between the side wall protective film removing step and the resist removing step, sufficient removal and drying of the first cleaning fluid 32-2, that is, N ₂ purge, supply of a rinsing fluid, and sufficient drying of the rinsing fluid are required. It is. When a water component contained in the first cleaning fluid 32-2 or ultrapure water as a rinsing fluid is mixed with the organic amine used in the resist removing step, the solution becomes alkaline, and a desired treatment may be performed. This is because it becomes difficult.

As described above, if the continuous wet cleaning process using two types of cleaning fluids 32 and 32-2 is performed using the apparatus of the present invention, the side wall protective film 10 adhered during the plasma dry etching process and the resist used as the mask are used. The mask 6 can be quickly and easily removed without damaging the underlying metal film 8 such as oxidation. actually,
An electron micrograph of the wafer surface thus cleaned confirmed that the sidewall protective film and the resist mask had been completely removed, and that the underlying copper film had not been damaged at all. In addition, by employing such a cleaning method, the number of steps in the entire etching step can be reduced, which can contribute to cost reduction. This is particularly effective when the underlying film is a copper film, since it is not oxidized.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning devices 22A to 22D are placed horizontally, whereas in the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the cleaning devices 22A to 22D are placed vertically. Further, in the present embodiment, unlike the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a residual liquid processing circulation flow path for cleaning the pipe before moving the residual liquid remaining in the pipe in the previous step to the next step. Are formed. Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in detail.
Note that the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In the present embodiment, the cleaning devices 22A to 22A
D is placed vertically, the cleaning container 72 is rotated 90 degrees from the state shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning fluid inlet 74 is located below, and the fluid outlet 76 is located above. The wafer W is
It is held vertically in the processing space S.

In FIG. 14, a fluid storage tank 230 for storing a cleaning fluid 232 for treating residual liquid is provided separately from the fluid storage tank 30. The fluid storage tank 230 is hermetically sealed similarly to the fluid storage tank 30. In addition, each cleaning device 2
On the inlet side and the outlet side of 2A to 22D, bypass pipes 210A, 210B, 210 forming a residual liquid treatment circulation channel are provided.
C and 210D are connected. The cleaning fluid 232 for residual liquid treatment stored in the fluid storage tank 230 is supplied to each cleaning device 2.
The bypass pipes 210A, 210B, 210C, 210 are bypassed without flowing through the processing space S of 2A to 22D.
D is flowing. Liquids such as the cleaning fluid 32 stored in the fluid storage tank 30, the ultrapure water (rinse fluid), and the cleaning fluid stored in the fluid storage tank 230 flow from the lower side to the upper side with respect to the cleaning devices 22A to 22D. Gas such as N ₂ gas (dry gas)
22D flows from the upper side to the lower side. By flowing a liquid such as a cleaning fluid from the lower side to the upper side with respect to the cleaning devices 22A to 22D, the gas in the cleaning devices 22A to 22D is discharged from the upper outlet, and the laminar flow of the cleaning fluid 32 is reasonably formed. Can be formed. Further, by flowing a gas such as N ₂ gas (dry gas) from the upper side to the lower side to the cleaning devices 22A to 22D, the liquid attached to the wafer W or remaining in the processing space S is lowered by gravity. To facilitate the removal and recovery of the liquid and the drying efficiency.

The bypass pipes 210A, 210B, 210
C, 210D are three-way valves 202A, 202B, 202C, and 202D on the inlet side of the cleaning devices 22A to 22D.
Connected to the supply paths 46A to 46D by
At the outlet side of the washing devices 22A to 22D, a three-way valve 203 is provided.
A, 203B, 203C and 203D to supply channel 4
6A to 46D. In addition, the fluid storage tank 30
And three-way valves 204A, 204B, 204C and 2 for switching between the cleaning fluid 32 and the cleaning fluid 232 for residual liquid treatment above the fluid storage tank 230.
04D is provided. Three-way valves 202A to 202D,
203A to 203D and 204A to 204D are three-way valves 5
Like the 0A to 50D and the three-way valves 52A to 52D, they are controlled by the supply control means 65. Each of the cleaning fluid 32 and the residual liquid processing cleaning fluid 232 flows out of the fluid storage tank 30 and the fluid storage tank 230 via a two-way valve that can be controlled by the supply control means 65.

Next, the treatment of the residual liquid will be described. If the processing liquid used in the previous step remains in the piping, it may adversely affect the next step. Therefore, before proceeding to the next step, the residual liquid processing cleaning fluid 232 is caused to flow through the residual liquid processing circulation flow path to clean the residual liquid. The residual liquid processing circulation channel is formed as a closed circulation type channel. in this case,
Three-way valves 202A to 202D, 203A to 203D, 20
4A-204D, three-way valve 50A-50D, three-way valve 52A
To 52D are controlled by the supply control means 65, and the residual liquid processing circulation flow path is such that the residual liquid processing cleaning fluid 232 in the fluid storage tank 230 is supplied to the three-way valves 56A to 56D and the three-way valves 50A to
50D, three-way valves 202A to 202D, bypass pipe 210
A to 210D, three-way valves 203A to 203D, three-way valve 52
A to 52D and three-way valves 204A to 204D are formed so as to flow in that order. Thus, the cleaning fluid 232 for treating the residual liquid is used.
Is supplied into the bypass pipes 210A to 210D without being supplied into the cleaning space S, the wafer processing can be suitably removed without affecting the wafer processing.

In the present invention, as described above, the supply of the cleaning fluid 3 between the fluid storage tank 30 and the cleaning devices 22A to 22D is performed by the supply channels 46A to 46D and the return channels 47A to 47D.
Cleaning fluid circulation path 51 which circulates without exposing air 2 to outside air
A, 51B, 51C, and 51D are formed. As described above, since the cleaning fluid circulation paths 51A, 51B, 51C, and 51D are circulation paths, the residual liquid may accumulate in details such as pipe joints and valves even after the drying treatment after the rinsing liquid. These residual liquids affect the processing by changing the concentration of the cleaning fluid 32 during the subsequent cleaning processing. In order to solve this, according to the present embodiment, the residual liquid processing circulation path is formed as described above, and the residual liquid can be cleaned by the residual liquid processing cleaning fluid 232. It is possible to solve a problem that may occur in connection with forming the paths 51A, 51B, 51C, and 51D as circulation paths. Here, as the cleaning fluid 232 for the residual liquid treatment, the same processing fluid as the cleaning fluid 32 used in the subsequent cleaning process is used. That is, after performing the rinsing treatment and the drying treatment, the same processing fluid as the cleaning fluid 32 is supplied into the piping as the cleaning fluid 232 for residual liquid treatment, and the residual liquid in the piping is removed and the cleaning fluid is removed.
Then, the cleaning fluid 32 is supplied into the processing space S to perform the cleaning process. In the case of performing a cleaning process using a plurality of types of cleaning fluids 32, the cleaning fluid 232 for residual liquid treatment may be provided with a plurality of types of processing fluids of the same type. Also,
In the present embodiment, the cleaning fluid 232 for residual liquid treatment is circulated in the same manner as the cleaning fluid 32. However, the cleaning fluid 232 may be drained after cleaning the inside of the pipe without circulating.

Next, the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
An example will be described. This embodiment is a two-way valve 57A, 57
Drying dedicated piping 211A, 211B, 211 provided with B, 57C, 57D
A major feature is that C and 211D have been added. Components that are the same as the components in the above-described embodiment are given the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. Drying dedicated pipes 211A to 211D are branched from a portion closer to the supply source of the drying fluid before the three-way valves 52A to 52D of the drying fluid supply system 58, and are directly cleaned by the cleaning devices 22A to 22D.
Is in communication with Two-way valves 57A to 57D are drying dedicated piping 211A
To 211D, and are controlled by the supply control means 65, respectively. In the case of the drying process using the dedicated drying pipes 211A to 211D, the drying in the processing space S and the drying in the pipes are performed by supplying a drying fluid from separate pipes.
That is, the drying dedicated pipes 211A to 211D are used only to guide the drying fluid into the processing space S, while the drying in the pipes is performed by the three-way valves 52A to 52D, the three-way valves 203A to 203D, and the bypass pipe 21.
0A to 210D and the three-way valves 202A to 202B are controlled by controlling the valves so that the drying fluid flows. If the drying in the piping and the drying in the processing space S are performed on the same line without being guided to the bypass pipes 210A to 210D, the rinsing liquid present in the piping is guided into the processing space S and scatters on the wafer surface, After drying, it remains as a watermark, and the yield may be deteriorated. However, by supplying the drying fluid into the processing space S through the dedicated drying pipes 211A to 211D as in the present embodiment, the generation of a watermark after drying can be suppressed.

Next, a front view of the cleaning apparatus of the third embodiment is shown.
See Figure 16. As in the second embodiment, the cleaning device 20 is arranged vertically so that the drying fluid is supplied from the drying dedicated pipe 211 connected to the upper portion, and the cleaning fluid 32 and the rinsing fluid are supplied from the lower portion. I have. Further, the cleaning fluid 32 and the like are configured to be discharged through a pipe connected to the upper discharge pipe 183 and a three-way valve 52. The bypass pipe 210 and the three-way valve 203 are not shown. The intermediate chamber 29 is provided between the discharge pipe 183 and the two-way valve 57 provided in the drying pipe 211.
Form one. The intermediate chamber 291 and the discharge pipe 183 communicate with each other through a slit 292. However, since the cross-sectional area of the pipe for discharging the cleaning fluid or the like is sufficiently large, liquid enters the intermediate chamber 291 through the slit 292. There is little to do. When the cleaning fluid 32 adheres to the two-way valve 57, the cleaning fluid 32
There was a problem that bubbles in 32 entered the valve and could not be sufficiently rinsed in the subsequent rinsing process. If the process is continued while bubbles remain in the valve, the bubbles adhered to the wafer during the drying process, resulting in a serious defect. However, by providing the intermediate chamber 291, the cleaning fluid 32 hardly adheres to the two-way valve 57, and this problem can be solved. Further, during the cleaning process or the rinsing process, by supplying a small amount of the drying fluid from the drying dedicated pipe 211 to the intermediate chamber 291, it is possible to further prevent the liquid from entering the intermediate chamber 291. Since the cleaning fluid 32 slightly adheres to the slit 292, a rinse fluid discharge line is provided on the side of the intermediate chamber 291 to discharge the cleaning fluid 32 to the discharge pipe.
By performing the process from the line 183, the cleaning fluid 32 attached to the slit 292 can be removed, so that more preferable processing can be performed.

Next, a substrate processing apparatus 301 provided with the cleaning device 20 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, since the cleaning apparatus 20 is provided with the closed cleaning fluid circulation path, the cleaning apparatus 20 may be combined with a vacuum processing apparatus or the like to expose the wafer W to the outside air including the cleaning process. An unconsistent series of film formation processing steps becomes possible. FIG. 17 is a plan view showing the overall schematic configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 301. In the figure, reference numeral 302 denotes a transfer chamber, and the transfer chamber 302 is formed of a chamber having an airtight structure formed in an octagonal column shape. In the transfer chamber 302, two loading / unloading ports for loading / unloading the wafer W, which is a processing object, are formed on a side wall, and two cassette chambers 303A and 303B having an airtight structure in which the wafer cassette C is placed. Are hermetically connected to the transfer chamber 302 via the carry-in / out ports. The cassette chambers 303A and 303B are airtightly connected to the transfer chamber 302 and function as load lock chambers for loading and unloading the wafer W to and from the outside. The wafer cassette C is 2
A container for storing five wafers W, the cassette chamber 30
At the upper part of 3A, 303B, there is formed a lid part which can be opened and closed back and forth so that the cassette C can be taken in and taken out, and an elevating mechanism for intermittently moving the cassette C up and down is provided inside. An exhaust pipe is connected to the bottom, and the exhaust pipe is connected to a vacuum pump, for example, a dry pump via a valve.

In the transfer chamber 302, a loading / unloading port for four wafers is formed on a side wall. The three vacuum processing chambers 304, 305, and 306 are connected to the transfer chamber 30 through these loading / unloading ports.
The cleaning device 20 is airtightly connected to the transfer chamber 302 via a carry-in / out port. Transfer room 3
A transfer unit 308 for transferring the wafer W between the cassette chambers 303A and 303B, the vacuum processing chambers 304, 305, and 306, and the cleaning device 20 is provided in 02. The transfer means 308 is composed of an articulated arm having three transfer arms that are independently rotated in the horizontal direction.
The vacuum processing chamber 304 is an oxidation processing chamber for forming an oxide film on the surface of the wafer W, and the vacuum processing chamber 305 is an etching processing chamber for etching the oxide film formed in the oxidation processing chamber 304. Yes, the vacuum processing chamber 306
Wafer W etched in etching process 305
Is an ashing processing chamber for performing ashing processing.
The wafer W subjected to the ashing process in the ashing process chamber 306 is sent to the cleaning device 20 without being exposed to the outside air, and is subjected to the cleaning process. After the cleaning, the wafer W is returned from the cleaning device 20 to the transfer chamber 302. Thereafter, other necessary processing is performed, and the sheet is transported to the cassette chambers 303A and 303B. Further, a processing procedure in which the etching process is performed, and then the cleaning device 20 is transported to the cleaning device 20 and the cleaning process is performed without providing the ashing process chamber 306 may be performed.

According to the present embodiment, the cleaning device 20 has a closed cleaning fluid circulation path, and the cleaning device 20 is air-tightly connected to the transfer chamber 302 together with the air-tight structure chamber. It is possible to perform a consistent film forming process without exposing the film. In the above-described embodiment, the film forming apparatus has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the film forming processing, and if processing that does not expose the wafer W to the outside air is desired, other processing, for example, exposure processing It may be.

[0056]

As described above, according to the cleaning apparatus, the cleaning system, the processing apparatus and the cleaning method of the present invention, the following excellent operational effects can be exhibited. When the cleaning fluid is poured into the cleaning container to clean the surface of the object to be processed, the cleaning process can be performed quickly and efficiently without exposing the cleaning fluid to the atmosphere. Further, since no air enters the processing container, it is possible to prevent, for example, oxidation of a metal wiring layer such as a copper film to be cleaned. In other words, by circulating the cleaning fluid,
Since the cleaning fluid can be used efficiently, and since the cleaning fluid is used in a closed state and does not come into contact with air, it is possible to prevent the cleaning fluid from being deteriorated due to oxidation or vaporization. Further, the cleaning fluid can be used efficiently, and the rinsing process and the drying process of the object to be processed can be continuously performed in the same apparatus. In addition, it is possible to supply cleaning fluids having different functions to the cleaning apparatus without mixing them, thereby performing a continuous process. For example, a resist mask or a sidewall protective film on a semiconductor wafer surface after a plasma etching process can be continuously performed. It can be removed by washing. In addition, the cleaning fluid can flow smoothly, and the processing can be performed uniformly. In addition, the effect of the immobile layer generated on the surface of the processing object due to the viscosity of the chemical solution due to the turbulence is reduced, and the cleaning processing is performed quickly and efficiently. It becomes possible. Also, the footprint can be significantly reduced by reducing the occupied floor area. Further, both the side wall protective film and the resist mask attached to the wafer surface can be quickly and easily removed by the continuous wet cleaning process, and by performing the cleaning process in this order, the process was performed in the reverse order. In this case, it is possible to avoid an unexpected situation such as hardening of the sidewall protective film, which may occur in the case, and covering of the sidewall protective film with a hardened layer formed on the resist mask surface. Further, since the residual liquid processing circulation flow path is formed and the residual liquid can be cleaned by the residual liquid processing cleaning fluid, even if the cleaning fluid circulation path is formed as a circulation path, It is possible to prevent the presence of the residual liquid remaining in the pipe in the process from affecting the next process. In addition, by combining the cleaning device having the closed cleaning fluid circulation path formed therein with a vacuum processing device or the like in a cluster form, a series of consistent processing steps that do not expose the wafer W to the outside air including the cleaning step can be performed. Will be possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an appearance of a cleaning system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a part of the cleaning system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram illustrating an example of a cleaning device used in the cleaning system illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view showing a flow of a cleaning method of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a modification of the turbulence forming means.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a modification of the attachment mechanism of the holding means.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a modification of the cleaning system of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a flow performed by using the cleaning system shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a conventional etching process.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional cleaning device.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a cleaning fluid introduction section provided at a fluid introduction port of a cleaning processing container and a cleaning fluid discharge section provided at a fluid discharge port.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cleaning fluid introduction unit provided at a fluid introduction port of a cleaning processing container and a cleaning fluid discharge unit provided at a fluid discharge port.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a part of another example of the cleaning system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a part of a third embodiment which is still another example of the cleaning system.

FIG. 16 is a front view showing a cleaning apparatus according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a plan view showing a processing apparatus in which a cleaning device is incorporated as a part.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 20 cleaning system 22A to 22H cleaning device 30, 30-2 fluid storage tank 32, 32-2 cleaning fluid 44, 44-2 standby circulation system 46A to 46D, 46A-2 to 46D-2 supply path 51A to 51D cleaning fluid circulation Paths 54A to 54D Rinse fluid supply system 58 Dry gas supply system 72 Cleaning treatment container 74 Fluid inlet 76 Fluid outlet 94 Wafer clamper (holding means) 100 Sound wave irradiation unit (turbulence forming means) 102 Element substrate 104 Ultrasonic element 108 Buffer tank 112 Ultrasonic S Processing space W Semiconductor wafer (object to be processed)

Continuing on the front page (72) Hideto Goto, Inventor Tokyo Electron Co., Ltd., 5-3-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Mori 650 Mitsuzawa, Hosakacho, Nirasaki, Yamanashi Prefecture Tokyo Electron Limited Inside

Claims (26)

[Claims] A cleaning container having a processing space for accommodating the object to be processed, a fluid storage tank for storing a cleaning fluid for processing the object to be processed, and a cleaning processing container from the fluid storage tank. A supply path for supplying the cleaning fluid, and a return flow path for returning the cleaning fluid from the cleaning processing vessel to the fluid storage tank, the cleaning processing vessel, the fluid storage tank,
Forming a cleaning fluid circulation path closed by the supply path and the annular flow path; a cross-sectional area of the processing space perpendicular to a laminar flow direction of the fluid crossing the processing target is in the direction; A cleaning device characterized in that the cleaning device is larger than the maximum value of the cross-sectional area of the object perpendicular to the processing object by a predetermined factor. 2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a recovery fluid supply system for supplying the recovery fluid to the cleaning processing container without exposing the recovery fluid to the outside air and recovering the cleaning fluid in the fluid storage tank. The cleaning device according to item 1. 3. A rinsing fluid supply system for supplying a rinsing fluid to the cleaning processing container without exposing the rinsing fluid to the outside air; a drying fluid supply system for supplying a drying fluid to the cleaning processing container without exposing the drying fluid to the outside air; The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a supply control unit configured to perform a control so as to selectively and continuously supply each of the fluids to the container one by one. 4. The rinsing fluid supply system and the drying fluid supply system are connected to the cleaning fluid circulation path, and the rinsing fluid and the drying fluid are supplied to the cleaning processing container through the cleaning fluid circulation path. Claim 3 characterized by the following:
The cleaning device according to item 1. 5. A cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second fluid storage tank for storing a residual liquid processing cleaning fluid for replacing a rinse fluid remaining in the cleaning fluid circulation path with the cleaning fluid, wherein the second liquid storage tank stores the residual liquid processing cleaning fluid. A closed residual liquid processing circulation path is formed for flowing through the cleaning fluid circulation path without exposing to the outside air and recovering the residual liquid processing cleaning fluid to the second fluid storage tank. Item 5. A cleaning device according to Item 4. 6. The residual liquid processing circulation flow path is provided with a bypass pipe for flowing the cleaning liquid for residual liquid processing by bypassing the cleaning processing container. The cleaning device according to the above. 7. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a dedicated drying fluid pipe for supplying only the drying fluid to the cleaning processing container. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined magnification is about 1.5 to about 300.
The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cleaning device is doubled. 9. The fluid storage tank includes a plurality of storage tanks for storing a cleaning fluid corresponding to each of the plurality of types of deposits attached to the surface of the object to be processed. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of 8 above. 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object to be processed is a plate-like body, and fluid guide means for flowing the cleaning fluid is provided in parallel with the plate surface. Cleaning equipment. 11. A cleaning fluid introducing portion connected to a fluid introduction port of the cleaning processing container and having a flattened flared connection connected to a fluid discharge port of the cleaning processing container. The cleaning device according to claim 10, further comprising a cleaning fluid discharge unit. 12. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising turbulence forming means for promoting turbulence formation of the cleaning fluid passing through the cleaning processing container. 13. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the turbulence forming unit is a sound wave irradiation unit that irradiates a sound wave to the surface of the object to be processed. 14. The ultrasonic wave irradiation unit according to claim 13, wherein the ultrasonic wave irradiation unit comprises an ultrasonic element for generating an ultrasonic wave and a buffer tank for transmitting the ultrasonic wave generated by the ultrasonic element.
The cleaning device according to item 1. 15. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the turbulent flow forming means is an uneven portion provided on an inner wall surface of the cleaning processing container. 16. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, and a longitudinal direction is provided.
A cleaning system characterized in that a plurality of cleaning systems are arranged in one direction. 17. A transfer chamber capable of maintaining airtightness, a load lock chamber airtightly connected to the transfer chamber for loading and unloading an object to and from the outside, and an airtight seal through the transfer port to the transfer chamber. At least one vacuum processing chamber connected to the cleaning chamber; a cleaning device airtightly connected to the transfer chamber via a loading / unloading port; and a load lock chamber, the vacuum processing chamber, and the cleaning provided in the transfer chamber. Transport means for transporting the object to be processed between the cleaning apparatus and the cleaning apparatus,
A cleaning processing container in which a processing space for accommodating the processing target is formed, a fluid storage tank for storing a cleaning fluid for processing the processing target, and the cleaning fluid from the fluid storage tank to the cleaning processing container. A supply path for supplying, and a return flow path for returning the cleaning fluid from the cleaning processing container to the fluid storage tank; a cleaning fluid sealed by the cleaning processing container, the fluid storage tank, the supply path, and the return flow path; Forming a circulation path, a cross-sectional area of the processing space perpendicular to a laminar flow direction of the fluid crossing the processing object is a maximum value of the processing object cross-sectional area perpendicular to the direction; A processing device characterized in that the processing device is larger than the processing device by a predetermined factor. 18. A fluid storage tank containing a cleaning fluid,
A cleaning process having a processing space in which a cross-sectional area perpendicular to the flow direction of the laminar flow of the fluid crossing the processing object is predetermined times larger than a maximum value of a cross-sectional area of the processing object perpendicular to the direction; A cleaning method, comprising: supplying the cleaning fluid to a container to process the object to be processed; and circulating the cleaning fluid without exposing the cleaning fluid to the outside air by returning the cleaning fluid to the fluid storage tank. 19. The processing object is processed by sequentially supplying, as the cleaning fluid, a plurality of types of cleaning fluids respectively corresponding to the plurality of types of deposits attached to the processing object. The cleaning method according to claim 18. 20. The cleaning fluid, comprising: a resist removing liquid for removing a resist mask patterned on the surface of the object; and a resist removing liquid for dry-etching the object using the resist mask as a mask. 2 of side wall protective film removing solution for removing side wall protective film adhering to side wall
20. The cleaning method according to claim 19, wherein the cleaning is performed by supplying the resist removing liquid after supplying and processing the side wall protective film removing liquid. 21. The cleaning method according to claim 18, wherein the object on which the copper wiring layer is formed is processed. 22. The cleaning method according to claim 18, wherein the recovery fluid is supplied to the cleaning processing container without exposing the recovery fluid to the outside air, and the cleaning fluid is recovered in the fluid storage tank. Method. 23. A rinsing step in which a rinsing fluid is supplied to the cleaning processing container without exposing it to the outside air to wash out the one cleaning fluid that has processed the object to be processed, 23. The cleaning method according to claim 18, further comprising: a drying treatment step of drying the rinse fluid by supplying the rinse fluid without exposing the rinse fluid. 24. A cleaning fluid for residual liquid treatment for replacing a rinse liquid remaining in the cleaning fluid circulation path through which the cleaning fluid circulates with a cleaning fluid, is stored in a second fluid storage tank, and the cleaning fluid circulation path is provided. 24. The cleaning fluid for residual liquid treatment is supplied to the second fluid without exposing the same to the outside air, and the cleaning fluid for residual liquid treatment is recovered to the second fluid storage tank.
The washing method according to 1. 25. The cleaning method according to claim 18, wherein the object to be processed is a plate-like body, and the processing is performed by flowing the cleaning fluid in parallel to the plate surface. 26. The cleaning method according to claim 18, wherein the object is processed while forming a turbulent flow in the cleaning fluid in the cleaning processing container.