US 6,629,538 B2Granted

Method for cleaning semiconductor wafers in a vacuum environment

AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.

InventorsKenetsu Yokogawa, Yoshinori Momonoi, Masaru Izawa, Shinichi Tachi

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Abstract

A method of dry cleaning surfaces of a semiconductor wafer includes the steps of placing a processed wafer in a vacuum environment and positioning a pad near each of a front surface and a back surface of the wafer. Cleaning gas is injected into a small clearance formed between each pad and the front and rear surfaces to generate a high-speed gas flow along the surface of the wafer. Particles left at the surfaces of the processed wafer are physically cleaned and removed with the high-speed gas flow. In order to assist this physical cleaning action, it is also possible to apply either a chemical cleaning method or an electrical cleaning method under application of plasma.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of cleaning surfaces of a wafer, comprising the steps of:

(a) transferring a wafer into a vacuum container evacuated by a vacuum evacuating means;
(b) supporting a peripheral section of said wafer for rotational movement;
(c) rotating said wafer in a circumferential direction;
(d) positioning a pad adjacent each of a front surface and a rear surface of said wafer;
(e) supplying a gas into a clearance between each of said pads and one of said front surface and said rear surface of said wafer through an opening formed in each of said pads;
(f) moving said pads and said wafer relative to each other;
and
(g) controlling a gas flow speed in said clearances by adjusting the amount of clearance between each of said pads and one of said front surface and rear surface of said wafer.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/811,652Filed 20 Mar 2001
Priority: JP 2001-00715616 Jan 2001
Published: US 2002/0092541 A118 Jul 2002
Granted: 7 Oct 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H10P 70/12
Cleaning before device manufacture, i.e. Begin-Of-Line process: by dry cleaning only
B08B 1/10
Cleaning by methods involving the use of tools: characterised by the type of cleaning tool
B08B 1/36
Using rotary cleaning members: rotating about an axis orthogonal to the surface
B08B 5/02
Cleaning by methods involving the use of air flow or gas flow: cleaning by the force of jets, e.g. blowing-out cavities