Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Apparatus – With means to movably mount or movably support the work or...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-28
2003-05-27
Gulakowski, Randy (Department: 1746)
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Apparatus
With means to movably mount or movably support the work or...
C134S902000, C118S500000, C156S345510
Reexamination Certificate
active
06568412
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary processing apparatus for processing substrates, such as semiconductor wafers, by using a liquid, such as a chemical liquid or pure water.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known rotary processing apparatus of this kind is provided with a rotor for holding a plurality of disk-shaped substrates, such as semiconductor wafers, in a parallel arrangement. The rotor has a plurality of holding bars disposed around substrates and capable of being brought into contact with the circumferences of the wafers to hold the wafers on the rotor. Each holding bar is provided with positioning grooves in its parts to be brought into contact with wafers. Wafers can be securely held in the positioning grooves of the holding bars. The rotor holding substrates is rotated and the substrates are sprayed with a liquid, such as a chemical liquid or pure water, to remove completely particles, contaminants including organic contaminants, and residual pieces of a resist film and an oxide film to be completely removed from the wafers. The wafers can be dried by forcing the liquid to move radially outward by centrifugal force produced by rotating the rotor. However, it has been found that drying the wafers by rotating the rotor takes time because the liquid apt to stay in the positioning grooves of the holding bars.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the aforesaid problem and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a rotary processing apparatus that uses a liquid for processing substrates, capable of drying the substrates in a short drying time.
To achieve the objective, the present invention provides a rotary processing apparatus, which includes a rotor capable of rotation and provided with a plurality of holding bars that hold substrates, wherein each holding bar is provided with a plurality of positioning grooves to receive peripheral parts of the substrates when the holding bars hold the substrates, and each holding bar is also provided with drain passages that drain a liquid from the positioning grooves.
In the above apparatus according to the present invention, each drain passage may be a drain groove connected to the positioning groove and formed in a surface of the holding bar so as to extend away from an axis of rotation of the rotor.
The above apparatus according to the present invention may be configured so that: the rotor has a pair of flanges; the plurality of holding bars includes at least one fixed holding bar disposed between the pair of flanges and fixed to the flanges; the fixed holding bar has opposite threaded end parts penetrating through the flanges and projecting outside the flanges, respectively; the fixed holding bar is fixed to the flanges by screwing cap nuts on the threaded end parts of the fixed holding bar, respectively; and sealing members are disposed between bearing surfaces of the cap nuts and the corresponding flanges, respectively.
The above apparatus according to the present invention may also be configured so that: the rotor has a pair of flanges, between which the holding bars are arranged; one of the flanges is fastened to a rotor driving drive shaft disposed on the outer side of the one of the flanges with a bolt; the one of the flanges is provided with a counterbore to receive a head of the bolt; and the counterbore is tapered so that a diameter of an inner surface the counterbore becomes greater as the inner surface goes away from a bottom surface of the counterbore.
Furthermore, the rotary, according to the present invention al least one of the plurality of holding bars may be a movable holding bar, and the movable holding bar may be moved to enable the insertion of the substrates in a space surrounded by the plurality of holding bars.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4516523 (1985-05-01), Knox
patent: 5022419 (1991-06-01), Thompson et al.
patent: 5672212 (1997-09-01), Manos
patent: 5727582 (1998-03-01), Terui
patent: 6318389 (2001-11-01), Schmidt et al.
Gulakowski Randy
Perrin Joseph
Smith , Gambrell & Russell, LLP
Tokyo Electron Limited
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