Chemistry: electrical and wave energy – Processes and products – Processes of treating materials by wave energy
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-27
2003-03-18
Mayekar, Kishor (Department: 1741)
Chemistry: electrical and wave energy
Processes and products
Processes of treating materials by wave energy
C204S158200, C134S001000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06533902
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultraviolet processing apparatus used in various processes in manufacturing a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In manufacturing processes of semiconductor devices or liquid crystal display devices, currently used are surface cleaning apparatus/purification apparatus performing chemical processes for purification of substrates and minutely processed surfaces, and purification of atmosphere and gas to be supplied to processes.
Techniques and systems as described below have been developed and submitted for purification of substrate/device surface, and purification of atmosphere and gas.
1. Wet cleaning system using ozone water
As part of a process in which a one-by-one wafer cleaning apparatus is used, and various liquid chemicals are flowed down on spinning surfaces to remove metal contamination/particle contamination, “ozone water cleaning system” has been developed in which ozone water supplied from an ozone water supply apparatus is flowed down to remove organic matter contamination (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 161672/1995).
2. Dry cleaning system and photoresist removal system by UV/ozone method “UV/ozone cleaning system” uses a low-pressure mercury lamp as a light source, and removes organic matter contamination of a surface in generation/decomposition of ozone by ultraviolet rays of wavelengths of 253.7 nm and 184.9 nm and by strong oxidation of atomic active oxygen (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 369222/1992). Besides, a removal technique of photoresist has been presented in which ultraviolet rays are applied in a highly-concentrated ozone atmosphere in combination with an ozone generator.
3. Gas purification system by catalyst or adsorbent-filled column
For removing impurities, e.g., water and organic matters in atmospheric gas (such as nitrogen/argon/helium)/material gas (such as oxygen/hydrogen) to be supplied to a process apparatus, processing by a filled column with a catalyst or adsorbent is known.
4. A technique has been presented in which purification processing of semiconductor substrates is performed by generating active matters in a gas phase with excimer laser ultraviolet rays (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 126638/1987).
The above systems can not have the cluster performance, high throughput performance, and time-sharing performance required for future processing apparatus for the below reasons. That is, for changing from a conventional large-capacity batch processing apparatus to a small-sized one-by-one processing apparatus, disposing to each processing apparatus as cluster, and processing with directly connecting to the processing apparatus, the same throughput as the processing apparatus is required. For this, processing steps must be time-shared in a unit of second.
(1) The conventional wet cleaning system using the ozone water supply apparatus must be provided with a large number of apparatus and so increases in size and is not a cluster apparatus. Anyway, a combination of a silent-discharge type or electrolysis type ozone generator and a diaphragm type or absorption type ozone dissolution apparatus is indispensable.
Since ozone is continuously generated and it can not be time-shared, an ozone decomposition apparatus is indispensable for processing a large quantity of surplus ozone. In case of electrolysis type, a decomposition and removal apparatus for hydrogen generated at the same time must be accompanied. The ozone dissolution apparatus has need of a pressure controller for ozone gas in either case of diaphragm type and absorption type.
(2) The low-pressure mercury lamp used in the UV/ozone method dry cleaning system is a continuous luminescence type light source, and a system with high throughput by a time-sharing process can not be constructed.
(3) In the gas purification system by the filled column with a catalyst or adsorbent, deterioration of performance of the catalyst or adsorbent with time elapsing can not be avoided, and it lacks in reliability of always maintaining the purity.
(4) The excimer laser generator is not easy in its construction and handling. Laser lights are not always required for photochemical reactions for surface cleaning. In this case, an excimer ultraviolet lamp is proper.
In semiconductor/liquid crystal manufacturing processes, progress of each process apparatus is requested in directions that the installation area is as small as possible, the processing speed is as fast as possible, the reliability of processing is as high as possible, and they are connected in a cluster fashion to each other and there is no contamination due to conveyance. For this reason, an apparatus for surface cleaning/surface processing also must be changed from conventional batch type into one-by-one type and a cluster apparatus directly connected to a process apparatus.
At this time, the “processing speed and apparatus size” of the apparatus must be the same as those of the other process apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ultraviolet processing apparatus and an ultraviolet processing method in which an ultraviolet light reaction system is constructed for surface cleaning/surface processing, and “processing speed and apparatus size” that can not be attained by any conventional chemical reaction system, is realized. That is, it is to realize time-sharing performance/high-throughput performance/compact size.
In order to attain the above object, an ultraviolet processing apparatus according to the present invention is used for purification of a surface and a material in relation to manufacturing a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display device, and comprises, as a light source, an ultraviolet lamp for applying ultraviolet rays of a wavelength that 50% transmissive distances to air, water, steam, and a gas are 2 mm or more, respectively.
According to an aspect of the ultraviolet processing apparatus of the present invention, said surface is one selected from among process surfaces from a substrate to a semiconductor device, surfaces of process apparatus and process apparatus parts, and surfaces of apparatus and apparatus parts in relation to lithographic processes.
According to an aspect of the ultraviolet processing apparatus of the present invention, said material is one selected from among raw water, pure water, drain, air, general gases, and special material gases. Here, as examples of the general gases and special material gases, listed are N
2
, O
2
, and CO
2
as the general gases, and H
2
, He, B
2
H
6
, and SiO
4
as the special material gases.
According to an aspect of the ultraviolet processing apparatus of the present invention, said ultraviolet lamp is an excimer ultraviolet lamp.
According to an aspect of the ultraviolet processing apparatus of the present invention, it is disposed in a surface purification apparatus using steam, and a surface being processed with steam is irradiated with ultraviolet rays that 50% transmissive distance to steam is 2 mm or more, in a superimposition manner with steam.
According to an aspect of the ultraviolet processing apparatus of the present invention, it is disposed in a one-by-one surface purification apparatus, and a surface being processed with steam is irradiated with ultraviolet rays that 50% transmissive distance to steam is 2 mm or more, in a superimposition manner with steam to remove organic matters and adhering particles.
According to an aspect of the ultraviolet processing apparatus of the present invention, it is disposed in a one-by-one surface purification apparatus, and a surface being cleaned with ultrapure water or a liquid chemical is irradiated with ultraviolet rays that 50% transmissive distance to air is 2 mm or more, to perform a radical reaction process.
According to an aspect of the ultraviolet processing apparatus of the present invention, it is disposed in a resist removal apparatus used in a lithographic
Miki Nobuhiro
Nitta Takahisa
Connolly Bove & Lodge & Hutz LLP
Mayekar Kishor
Sipec Corporation
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