US 6,145,519 AGranted

Semiconductor workpiece cleaning method and apparatus

AssigneeMitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsToko Konishi, Cozy Ban

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Abstract

A semiconductor workpiece cleaning apparatus includes a cleaning arrangement that cleans a semiconductor workpiece by use of a cleaning liquid, a charging arrangement that brings into a chamber a drying liquid, and a discharging arrangement that discharges the cleaning liquid. The cleaning arrangement cleans the workpiece by spraying chemical liquid and/or pure water in the chamber, and by immersing the workpiece in the chemical liquid and/or pure water. The charging arrangement takes in the drying chemical liquid or vapor so as to contact the processing chemical liquid or pure water in which the semiconductor workpiece is immersed. The discharging arrangement discharges the processing chemical liquid or pure water while preserving an interface between the processing chemical liquid or pure water and the drying chemical liquid or vapor.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A semiconductor workpiece cleaning apparatus comprising:

a chamber for processing a semiconductor workpiece;
a support apparatus for supporting the semiconductor workpiece in said chamber;
a cleaning apparatus for cleaning the semiconductor workpiece in said chamber by spraying said semiconductor workpiece first with a processing chemical liquid and secondly with pure water in said chamber, and then by immersing the semiconductor workpiece firstly in a second processing chemical liquid and secondly in pure water in said chamber;
a charging apparatus for bringing a drying chemical into contact with said pure water in which the semiconductor workpiece is immersed, said drying chemical being in at least one of a liquid form and a vapor form, said drying chemical and said at least one of said processing chemical liquid and pure water forming an interface therebetween;
and
a discharging apparatus for discharging said at least one of said processing chemical liquid and pure water from said chamber while preserving said interface during discharge.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/857,364Filed 15 May 1997
Priority: JP 8-29909711 Nov 1996
Granted: 14 Nov 2000
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

H10P 70/15
Cleaning before device manufacture, i.e. Begin-Of-Line process: by wet cleaning only
B08B 3/02
Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam: cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
B08B 3/08
Cleaning involving contact with liquid: the liquid having chemical or dissolving effect
B08B 3/10
Cleaning involving contact with liquid: with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by…