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US 7,741,583 B2Granted
Bake plate lid cleaner and cleaning method
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorsMark G. Winkler, Thomas E. Winter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and system for positioning a wafer on a bake plate in a processing module that includes lowering a bake plate cover assembly over the wafer during a baking process, raising the bake plate cover assembly after the baking process, removing the wafer, determining whether the bake plate cover assembly requires cleaning, then either processing another wafer if the cover assembly does not need cleaning or establishing a cleaning process for the bake plate cover assembly if the cover does need cleaning. Automated sensing of the state of the cover assembly may be employed, and cleaning process may be automatically performed in response to the cleaning need determination.
Claims18
A method of processing a wafer comprising:
- positioning a wafer on a bake plate in a processing module (930);
- lowering a bake plate cover assembly (910) having a bake plate cover (911) over the wafer during a baking process;
- raising the bake plate cover assembly (910) after the baking process;
- removing the wafer from the bake plate;
- determining a first processing state for the bake plate cover assembly (910) and either processing another wafer if the first processing state is a first value or establishing a cleaning process for the bake plate cover assembly (910) if the first processing state is a second value, wherein the establishing the cleaning process comprises:
- moving the bake plate cover assembly (910) to a cleaning module (940) having a nozzle assembly (950) therein,
- positioning the nozzle assembly (950) at a first cleaning position within the bake plate cover (911);
- rotating the nozzle assembly (950) at a first cleaning speed within the bake plate cover (911) while spraying a first solvent solution on an inner surface (915) of the bake plate cover (911);
- and
- rotating the nozzle assembly (950) at a first drying speed within the bake plate cover (911) while spraying on the inner surface (915) of the bake plate cover (911) a first drying gas that comprises nitrogen (N2);
- and
- determining a second processing state for the bake plate cover (911) and either moving the bake plate cover assembly (910) to the processing module (930) if the second processing state is a first value or re-cleaning the bake plate cover (911) if the second processing state is a second value.
9 more elements
A system for processing a wafer comprising:
- a wafer transporting system for positioning a wafer on a bake plate in a processing module (930), and for removing the wafer after the wafer is processed;
- first position control units (921) for lowering a bake plate cover assembly (910) having a bake plate cover (911) over the wafer during a baking process, and for raising the bake plate cover (911) after the baking process;
- a controller programmed to determine a first processing state for the bake plate cover (911) and for either instructing the processing module (930) to process another wafer if the first processing state is a first value or for determining a cleaning process for the bake plate cover (911) if the first processing state is a second value;
- a translation assembly (920) configured for moving the bake plate cover assembly (910) to a cleaning module (940) when the first processing state is the second value;
- a nozzle assembly (950) configured to be removably positioned within the bake plate cover (911) by the translation assembly (920);
- and
- a control assembly (945) configured to rotate the nozzle assembly (950) at a first cleaning speed for a first time within the bake plate cover (911) while the nozzle assembly (950) sprays a re-circulated solvent solution on an inner surface (915) of the bake plate cover (911), to rotate the nozzle assembly (950) at a second cleaning speed for a second time within the bake plate cover (911) while the nozzle assembly (950) sprays a non-re-circulated solvent solution on the inner surface (915) of the bake plate cover (911), and to rotate the nozzle assembly (950) at a first drying speed for a third time within the bake plate cover (911) while the nozzle assembly (950) sprays a first drying gas on the inner surface (915) of the bake plate cover (911), and wherein the controller determines a second processing state for the bake plate cover (911) and either instructs the translation assembly (920) to move the bake plate cover assembly (910) to the processing module (930) if the second processing state is a first value or instructs the cleaning module (940) to re-clean the bake plate cover (911) if the second processing state is a second value.
4 more elements
A system for processing a wafer comprising:
- means for positioning a wafer on a bake plate in a processing module (930);
- means for lowering a bake plate cover assembly (910) having a bake plate cover (911) over the wafer during a baking process;
- means for raising the bake plate cover assembly (910) after the baking process;
- means for removing the wafer from the bake plate;
- means for determining a first processing state for the bake plate cover assembly (910);
- and
- means for responding to the determining means for either processing another wafer if the first processing state is a first value or for establishing a cleaning process in a cleaning module (940) for the bake plate cover assembly (910) if the first processing state is a second value, wherein the cleaning module (940) comprises:
- means for moving the bake plate cover assembly (910) to the cleaning module (940);
- means for positioning a nozzle assembly (950) at a first cleaning position within the bake plate cover (911);
- means for rotating the nozzle assembly (950) at a first cleaning speed within the bake plate cover (911) while spraying a first solvent solution on an inner surface (915) of the bake plate cover (911);
- means for rotating the nozzle assembly (950) at a first drying speed within the bake plate cover (911) while spraying on the inner surface (915) of the bake plate cover (911) a first drying gas that comprises nitrogen (N2);
- means for determining a second processing state for the bake plate cover (911);
- and
- means for moving the bake plate cover assembly (910) to the processing module (930) if the second processing state is a first value.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.