Apparatus and method for supplying chemicals
AssigneeFujitsu Microelectronics Limited
InventorNaoki Hiraoka
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A chemical supplying apparatus includes first and second mixing tanks for mixing and supplying chemical slurries used in a semiconductor fabrication process. The slurries are alternately provided from the first and second mixing tanks such that the slurry is continuously available to a processing apparatus for maximum efficiency. While one of the tanks is supplying the slurry, the other tank is cleaned and then used to prepare a new batch of the slurry.
Claims22
A method of producing a semiconductor device comprising:
- providing a first tank and a second tank for preparing a slurry to be used alternately from the tanks;
- preparing a first batch of the slurry in the first tank;
- polishing wafers with the slurry of the first batch in a CMP processing unit;
- delaying starting preparation of a second batch of the slurry in the second tank until a signal is received from the first tank indicating liquid level of the slurry in the first tank has dropped to a first preparation start value during a period of time when the slurry in the first tank is used for polishing the wafers, and then preparing a second batch of the slurry in the second tank;
- and
- beginning polishing additional wafers with the slurry of the second batch in the CMP processing unit when signal is received from the first tank indicating the liquid level of the slurry in the first tank has dropped to a second low level value.
A method for producing a semiconductor device comprising:
- providing a first tank and a second tank for preparing a slurry to be used alternately from the tanks;
- preparing a first batch of the slurry in the first tank;
- polishing wafers with the slurry of the first batch in at least one of a plurality of CMP processing units;
- delaying starting preparation of a second batch of the slurry in the second tank until a signal is received from the first tank indicating liquid level of the slurry in the first tank has dropped to a first preparation start value during a period of time when the slurry in the first tank is used for polishing the wafers, and then preparing a second batch of the slurry in the second tank;
- and
- beginning polishing additional wafers with the slurry of the second batch in at least one of the plurality of CMP processing units when a signal is received from the first tank indicating the liquid level of the slurry in the first tank has dropped to a second low level value.
A method of producing a semiconductor device comprising:
- providing a first and a second tank for preparing a slurry to be used alternately from the tanks;
- preparing a first batch of the slurry in the first tank;
- supplying the slurry of the first batch to a CMP processing unit to polishing at least one of a plurality of wafers;
- delaying starting preparation of a second batch of the slurry in the second tank until a signal is received from the first tank indicating liquid level of the slurry in the first tank has dropped to a first preparation start value during a period of time when the slurry in the first tank is used for polishing the wafers, and then preparing a second batch of the slurry in the second tank;
- and
- beginning supplying the slurry of the second batch to the CMP processing unit to polish at least another one of the plurality of wafers when a signal is received from the first tank indicating the liquid level of the slurry in the first tank has dropped to a second low level value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.