Method and device for chemically treating substrates

Details Method and device for chemically treating substrates Method and device for chemically treating substrates

1995-01-13

1996-10-29

Warden, Jill

Cleaning and liquid contact with solids

Processes

Including application of electrical radiant or wave energy...

134 26, 134 31, 134 32, 134 37, 134902, 134 61, 134105, 134186, 34 77, 34 78, B08B 310, B08B 312, B08B 1102

Patent

active

055693300

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method for chemically treating substrates in which at least one substrate is subsequently subjected to a chemical treatment, a washing step, and a drying step, and a device for performing the aforementioned chemical treatment.
To date an automatic wet treatment device has a series of tubs or of reservoirs for a sequence of chemical wet processes. After completion of a certain chemical process sequence the substrate, for example, a silicon wafer, is immersed in a separate washing, respectively, rinsing tub and subsequently dried.
The drying of the substrate can, for example, be performed with a centrifuge, but can also be carried out during the slow removal of the substrate from the washing tub.
From European document 0 385 536 the so-called Marangoni dryer is known. In the method disclosed in this patent a vapor is applied to the substrate in addition to the slow removal of the substrate from the bath, whereby the vapor does not condense on the substrate, but diffuses into the liquid. At the liquid meniscus of the substrate surface a concentration gradient will result and thus a surface tension gradient. This gradient results in a liquid movement away from the substrate into the liquid (Marangoni effect) and leads to a residue-free drying of the substrate.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,752 a device and a method are known for rinsing and drying wafers, whereby the wafer is enclosed in a cassette. The wafers are removed from the rinsing bath separate from the cassette and are subsequently inserted into the cassettes that have been slowly removed and dried also.
The described device, respectively, methods have the following disadvantages: The rinsing reservoir in each case is a separate bath from the other process reservoirs and serves only for rinsing the substrate. However, an individual and separate rinsing reservoir means an increased space requirement. Furthermore, the substrate must be moved through the surface of the fluid used for the chemical treatment into the air and subsequently must be inserted into the rinsing fluid which, and this may have disadvantageous effects with respect to the particle contamination of the substrate, as is well known in the art. This is especially true for hydrophobic surfaces, for example, after HF treatment. Furthermore, the insertion into, respectively, removal of the substrates from the various baths for chemical treatment, respectively, the rinsing step results in an increased time expenditure. Also, the known devices, respectively, methods always require a cassette (carrier) for handling the substrates.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a method for chemically wet treating, respectively, a device for such a method which economizes the process sequence of an automatic wet treatment device, i.e., saves time and space. A further object of the invention is to minimize the contamination of the substrate during such a sequence of chemical wet processes. Finally, a further object of the invention is to make obsolete the need for a cassette or similar holding device for the substrate in connection with the insertion of the substrate into respectively, the removal of the substrate from the reservoirs.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This object is inventively solved by performing the chemical treatment and the washing process in the same reservoir.
The inventive method is primarily characterized by the steps of: treatment fluid; container; and
The method advantageously further comprises the step of replacing the at least one treatment fluid used in the chemical treatment step with the washing fluid. The step of replacing preferably includes the step of displacing the at least one treatment fluid with the washing fluid.
The washing step includes the step of introducing the washing fluid into the container and simultaneously draining the at least one treatment fluid. The washing fluid is expediently introduced at a location that is different from a location of draining the at least one treatment fluid. The loca

REFERENCES:
patent: 4611966 (1986-09-01), Johnson
patent: 4722752 (1988-02-01), Steck
patent: 4841645 (1989-06-01), Bettcher et al.
patent: 4936328 (1990-06-01), Yatabe
patent: 5226242 (1993-07-01), Schwenkler
patent: 5275184 (1994-01-01), Nishizawa et al.
patent: 5369891 (1994-12-01), Kamikawa

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