TWI568509B - Apparatus for preventing chamber from particle pollution and cleaning chamber - Google Patents

Description

Device for preventing dust particles from entering the chamber and cleaning the chamber

This invention relates to a chamber apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for preventing dust particles from entering the chamber and cleaning the chamber.

In recent years, electronic products have flourished, and semiconductor devices have been widely used in many electronic products because of their high degree of integration, lightness, and shortness, such as processors, memory, and others. Integrated circuit (IC), light-emitting diode (LED), charge coupled device (CCD), complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), etc. In terms of image display, an LCD panel, or a LED panel, and an OLED panel are widely used due to an increase in demand for a flat display. Furthermore, package substrates and printed circuit boards (PCBs) are indispensable components in integrated circuit components and many electronic devices.

Most of these products or semi-finished products are manufactured on a substrate. For example, semiconductor devices are mostly fabricated on a semiconductor substrate such as a germanium substrate, a germanium substrate, a gallium arsenide substrate, or the like. The liquid crystal display panel is fabricated on a glass substrate, and even recently developed on a flexible plastic substrate. The substrate of the light-emitting diode is, for example, a sapphire substrate, an epitaxial substrate or the like. The package substrate and the printed circuit board are fabricated on an organic substrate. However, the manufacturing methods of these products include: thin film deposition, such as physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition. (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), etc., photolithography, electroplating, etching, thermal oxidation, chemical mechanical polishing, spin coating, screen printing, and the like. And each product is completed after dozens or hundreds of the above processes. In order to improve the yield and quality of these products, these processes need to be carried out in a very clean environment, such as a clean room, or a vacuum chamber, because these processes or products are very sensitive to dust particles. For example, for a lithography process, exposure is typically performed in a stepper, which affects the yield of the substrate when the substrate (such as a wafer) or platform is contaminated with dust particles. For example, when there are dust particles on the back of the wafer or on the stage of the exposure machine, the wafer will not be placed on the platform and it will not remain absolutely flat, but it will be slightly tilted, which will cause the exposure of some areas to defocus (defocus ), which in turn affects the exposure yield.

In order to prevent dust contamination on the back surface of the wafer or the platform of the exposure machine, the wafer back surface is scrubbed before the exposure to remove dust particles on the back side of the wafer. However, this method increases process steps and costs. Another conventional solution, when the exposure process finds that a certain fixed position is defocused, the position of the platform dust particles is confirmed by strong light, and then the solvent is manually wiped. Then, the inspection wiping step is repeated until the dust particles are completely removed, which takes about 1 to 2 hours. The disadvantage of this method is that it takes time and cost, and is inefficient.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a chamber dustproof device that can effectively prevent dust particles from entering the chamber and effectively remove dust particles that may be present on the platform in the chamber.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a chamber dustproof device is provided, which is suitable for use in a chamber having at least one inlet, and a platform disposed in the chamber, the chamber dustproof device including at least one air curtain device, Disposed at the inlet for injecting a gas to prevent at least A dust particle enters the chamber.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a chamber dustproof device is proposed, which is suitable for use in a chamber having at least one platform disposed in the chamber, the chamber dustproof device including a platform cleaning device, removably configured In the chamber, at least one dust particle on the platform is adapted to utilize a gas purge.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, the direction in which the air curtain device injects the gas is toward the outside of the chamber. The platform cleaning device includes an air knife or a gas injection device. The gas injection device has a gas storage container, and a gas nozzle is connected to the gas storage container, wherein the gas storage container is adapted to store a gas such that the gas is in a high pressure and low temperature state, and the gas nozzle is adapted to spray the gas into the platform in the chamber. When the chamber is at normal temperature and pressure, part of the gas is ejected into a solid state. However, the gas system sprayed on the platform is nitrogen, argon, helium, or other inert gas.

10‧‧‧ chamber

12‧‧‧ Entrance

14‧‧‧ platform

16‧‧‧Substrate

18‧‧‧Air curtain device

‧‧‧‧ angle

20,38‧‧‧ gas

30‧‧‧ Platform cleaning device

32‧‧‧ gas storage container

34‧‧‧ gas nozzle

1 is a schematic view of a chamber dustproof device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic view of a chamber dustproof device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a schematic view of a chamber dustproof device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

The advantages, spirits and features of the present invention will be described and discussed in detail by reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be noted that, in order to make the invention more comprehensible, the appended drawings are only schematic representations, and the related dimensions are not shown in actual scale.

For the sake of the advantages and spirit of the invention, the spirit and the features may be more easily and clearly understood, and the detailed description and discussion will be made by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the embodiments are merely representative embodiments of the present invention, and the specific methods, devices, conditions, materials, and the like are not intended to limit the invention or the corresponding embodiments.

The chamber dustproof device of the present invention can be applied to an exposure machine of various substrates, such as a semiconductor substrate corresponding to a semiconductor device (such as a germanium substrate, a germanium substrate, a gallium arsenide substrate, etc.), a glass substrate of a liquid crystal display panel, and flexibility. An exposure machine for a plastic substrate, a sapphire substrate of a light-emitting diode, an epitaxial substrate, an organic substrate such as a package substrate and a printed circuit board. It can even be applied to other machines of the above-mentioned substrate, as long as the platform in the machine can affect the process or product yield for surface dust particles.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a schematic diagram of a chamber dustproof device according to an embodiment of the invention. The chamber dust guard of the present invention is suitable for use in a chamber 10, such as a chamber of an exposure stepper. The chamber 10 has an inlet 12 that allows the substrate to be processed for processing, such as allowing a wafer to enter the chamber 10 from the inlet 12. The chamber 10 has a platform 14 for carrying and fixing a substrate 16 to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer. In general, the chamber 10 has a door (not shown) at the inlet 12, and the chamber 10 should maintain a certain degree of cleanliness to ensure process yield. When the substrate 16 is about to enter the chamber 10, the door will open, at which point the chamber 10 will communicate with the outside, leaving the dust particles at risk of entering the chamber 10. The chamber dust protection device of the present invention includes an air curtain device 18 disposed at the inlet 12 for injecting a gas (as indicated by arrow 20), such as air or other passive gas. The configuration of the air curtain device 18 preferably has an angle of inclination a such that the ejected gas 20 faces the exterior of the chamber 10. When the chamber 10 door is opened, the air curtain device 18 is activated to inject the gas 20 to form an air curtain, which can be used as a barrier for dust particles. It is also possible to blow the dust particles outward to prevent the dust particles from entering the chamber 10. It should be noted that the gas 20 ejected by the air curtain device 18 may have a certain pressure or speed to achieve the effect of the barrier. Furthermore, the angle α of the air curtain device 18 can also be equal to zero, that is, the air curtain device 18 injects the gas 20 vertically downward.

Referring to FIG. 2, a schematic diagram of a chamber dustproof device according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. Taking the exposure machine as an example, as described above, when there are dust particles between the platform 14 and the substrate 16 (shown in FIG. 1) in the chamber 10, for example, 10 micron dust particles may cause the substrate 16 to be partially or The overall slight tilt causes the exposure process to defocus, and the distortion of the graphics conversion causes errors and defects in subsequent processes. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the chamber dust protection device of the present invention is suitable for use in a chamber 10 having a platform 14 disposed in the chamber 10 and a chamber dust containment device including a platform cleaning device. In certain embodiments of the invention, the platform cleaning device 30 can be an air knife that provides high pressure, high velocity airflow. When the chamber 10 is subjected to a process for a period of time, there may be a concern of dust particle contamination, and at this time, the airflow of the air knife may be sprayed on the platform 14 to remove the dust particles.

In another embodiment of the invention, the platform cleaning device 30 can be a gas injection device. The gas injection device 30 has a gas storage container 32, and a gas nozzle 34 is connected to the gas storage container 32 through a line 36. The gas storage container is adapted to store a gas such that the gas is in a high pressure and low temperature state (the gas molecules may be in a liquid state). And the gas nozzle 34 is adapted to spray the gas 38 onto the platform 14 in the chamber 10. When the chamber 10 is at normal temperature and pressure, the gas 38 absorbs a large amount of heat in the environment due to the instantaneous drop from the high pressure to the low pressure. The vicinity of the outlet of the nozzle 34 is extremely cold, and some of the gas molecules appear solid when ejected. The gas 38 may be nitrogen, argon, helium, or other inert gas, preferably argon, which has a relatively large molecular weight and can impinge on the dust particles attached to the platform 14, causing it to fall off and be carried by the gas stream 38. Off the surface of the platform 14. Although gas 38 is ejected Part of the solid state appears to hit the surface of the platform 14, but then vaporizes and volatilizes.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, the dust cleaning of the platform cleaning device 30 of the present invention is performed after the substrate (shown in FIG. 1) is removed from the chamber 10. Therefore, the user can also set a fixed period, that is, perform dust cleaning work, for example, after the N-sheet substrate completes the exposure process, a platform cleaning process is performed. The periodic cleaning procedure described above can be achieved using appropriate hardware and/or software. In order to clean the surface of the entire platform 14, the platform cleaning device 30 can be mounted on a conveyor (not shown) in the chamber 10, such as a robot, or a slide rail, or even directly mounted. On the actuator of the exposure lens in the exposure machine. In some embodiments of the present invention, the platform cleaning device 30 can be detachably mounted in the chamber 10, that is, when the platform is contaminated by dust particles, it is installed in the chamber 10. After the dust particles are removed, they are disassembled and the subsequent process moves are continued.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 simultaneously. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a chamber dustproof device according to still another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the chamber dustproof device of the present invention can be combined with the air curtain device 18 of FIG. 1 and the platform cleaning device 30 of FIG. 2, and the air curtain device 18 prevents the dust particles from entering the chamber 10 when the substrate enters the chamber. And when the substrate is removed from the chamber 10, the platform cleaning device 30 is used to remove the dust particles on the platform 14 to avoid the influence of the dust particles on the process and improve the process and product yield. It should be noted that the air curtain device 18 and the platform cleaning device 30 can be simultaneously applied and installed in the chamber 10 (as shown in FIG. 3), or can be separately disposed in the chamber 10, as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. .

The features and spirit of the present invention will be more apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments. On the contrary, its purpose is to cover various changes and equal arrangements. Within the scope of the patent scope of the invention as claimed. The present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any one skilled in the art can make various modifications and retouchings without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope is subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached.

10‧‧‧ chamber

12‧‧‧ Entrance

14‧‧‧ platform

18‧‧‧Air curtain device

‧‧‧‧ angle

20,38‧‧‧ gas

30‧‧‧ Platform cleaning device

32‧‧‧ gas storage container

34‧‧‧ gas nozzle

Claims (8)

A chamber dustproof device is suitable for use in a chamber having at least one inlet, and a platform is disposed in the chamber, the chamber dustproof device comprising: at least one air curtain device disposed at the inlet for Spraying a gas to prevent at least one dust particle from entering the chamber; and a platform cleaning device adapted to be disposed in the chamber to remove at least one dust particle on the platform; wherein the platform cleaning device comprises A gas injection device, wherein the gas injection device has a gas storage container, and a gas nozzle is connected to the gas storage container, wherein the gas storage container is adapted to store a gas such that the gas is in a high pressure and low temperature state, and the gas nozzle Suitable for spraying the gas onto the platform in the chamber. When the chamber is at normal temperature and pressure, the gas is ejected to a solid state to strike the dust particles attached to the platform, and the gas hits the platform. It is vaporized and volatilized. The chamber dustproof device of claim 1, wherein the air curtain device injects the gas in a direction toward the outside of the chamber. The chamber dustproof device of claim 1, wherein the platform cleaning device is removably disposed in the chamber. The chamber dustproof device of claim 1, wherein the platform cleaning device comprises an air knife. The chamber dust protection device of claim 1, wherein the gas system is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, argon, helium, blunt gas, and combinations thereof. A chamber dustproof device suitable for use in a chamber having at least one platform disposed therein In the chamber, the chamber dustproof device comprises: a platform cleaning device removably disposed in the chamber to be adapted to remove at least one dust particle on the platform by using a gas; wherein the platform cleaning device comprises a a gas injection device, wherein the gas injection device has a gas storage container, and a gas nozzle is connected to the gas storage container, wherein the gas storage container is adapted to store the gas so that the gas is in a high pressure and low temperature state, and the gas nozzle is suitable Spraying the gas on the platform in the chamber. When the chamber is at normal temperature and pressure, part of the gas is ejected into a solid state to hit the dust particles attached to the platform, and the gas hits the platform. It is vaporized and volatilized. The chamber dustproof device of claim 6, wherein the platform cleaning device comprises an air knife. The chamber dust protection device of claim 6, wherein the gas system is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, argon, helium, blunt gas, and combinations thereof.