JP2014239141A - Cleaning method and cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and an apparatus capable of suppressing the reattachment of an object to be cleaned mixed in a cleaning medium when cleaning a member to be cleaned such as a semiconductor substrate and realizing high processing capability. A step B in which a processing liquid 2 is sprayed onto a member 1 to be cleaned while the member 1 to be cleaned is submerged in a processing liquid 2, a processing liquid 2 in which the member 1 to be cleaned is submerged, and a processing liquid sprayed in step B The above-mentioned problem is solved by a method in which step C and step C are performed while holding the state in which the member 1 to be cleaned is submerged in the treatment liquid 2. Further, a treatment tank 11 that sinks the member to be cleaned 1 in the treatment liquid 2, an injection unit 21 that injects the treatment liquid 2 onto the member 1 to be cleaned disposed in the treatment tank 11, and a treatment liquid 2 in the treatment tank 11. The apparatus has the discharge means 31 for discharging and a control means for ejecting the processing liquid 2 and discharging the processing liquid 2 while maintaining the state in which the member to be cleaned 1 is submerged in the processing liquid 2, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem. . [Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning method and a cleaning apparatus for a member to be cleaned such as a semiconductor substrate. More specifically, by controlling the introduction of the cleaning medium by the shower and the derivation of the introduced cleaning medium, the object to be cleaned mixed in the cleaning medium when cleaning the member to be cleaned such as a semiconductor substrate is reattached. The present invention relates to a cleaning method and a cleaning apparatus that can be suppressed.

  One method for producing a metal thin film pattern on a semiconductor substrate is a lift-off method. In the lift-off method, after forming a resist pattern on a semiconductor substrate, a metal thin film is further formed, and then the resist pattern formed on the semiconductor substrate and the metal thin film formed on the resist pattern are peeled off. This is a method for producing a metal thin film pattern.

  As a means for peeling off the resist pattern and the metal thin film, single wafer processing is performed. For example, in Patent Document 1, a resist stripping solution is applied while rotating a semiconductor substrate one by one, and then a processing solution is sprayed from a nozzle while rotating the semiconductor substrate to swell the surface layer portion of the resist. A technique for peeling a metal thin film formed on a resist has been proposed. In this technique, a rinsing liquid such as pure water is supplied onto the semiconductor substrate in order to discharge the metal thin film to the outside of the semiconductor substrate or to prevent the surface of the semiconductor substrate from drying. However, with this technique, the treatment liquid for swelling and peeling the surface layer of the resist collides with the rinsing liquid for discharging the metal thin film to the outside, resulting in the generation of droplets and mist of both liquids. was there. This problem causes a problem that an unnecessary metal thin film peeled off from the semiconductor substrate is again attached to the semiconductor substrate.

  With respect to such a problem, in Patent Document 2, a gas discharge nozzle that blows a gas that pushes away the rinse liquid flowing on the surface of the rotating semiconductor substrate and prevents the rinse liquid from colliding with the processing liquid ejected from the ejection nozzle is provided. The technology to provide is proposed. In this technology, gas is ejected from the gas discharge nozzle to push away the rinsing liquid and prevent collision between the processing liquid and the rinsing liquid, thus preventing droplets and mist generated by the collision between the processing liquid and the rinsing liquid. It is supposed to be possible.

  On the other hand, batch sheet processing is performed as a means for peeling off the resist and the metal thin film by the lift-off method. Unlike single wafer processing as described above, batch single wafer processing accommodates a plurality of semiconductor substrates in a cassette, immerses them in a peeling tank by batch processing, and applies ultrasonic waves from the side and back of the tank. This is a technique for removing the metal thin film on the resist pattern by swollen the resist and then removing the semiconductor substrates from the cassette one by one by single wafer processing and spraying a jet water stream while rotating while holding the spin chuck. .

  With this technology, with the recent increase in the diameter of semiconductor substrates, it is difficult to uniformly apply ultrasonic waves to all the semiconductor substrates, and the swelling effect of the resist may become uneven. In addition, when the peeling tank is formed in an overflow structure, the peeled metal thin film floats in the tank and may reattach to the semiconductor substrate when the semiconductor substrate is taken out from the peeling tank. Therefore, before the semiconductor substrate is adsorbed on the spin chuck and cleaned, the back surface of the semiconductor substrate has to be cleaned in advance.

  With respect to such a problem, in Patent Document 3, a dip tank unit in which a peeling tank and a replacement tank are adjacent to each other and the upper surface thereof is covered with a chamber is configured, and a holder that can hold a semiconductor substrate in a horizontal state and an upright state in the chamber. Proposed devices have been proposed. In this apparatus, the holder can move up and down and move laterally, the semiconductor substrate is immersed in a peeling tank in an upright state, the resist swells, and then ultrasonic waves are irradiated along the substrate surface. The semiconductor substrate is taken out from the peeling tank while being drained at once and showering with a clean peeling liquid. With such a technique, even a large-diameter semiconductor substrate can be lifted off on the entire surface, the amount of the stripping solution and the replacement solution is small, and the problem of reattachment of the stripped metal film can be solved.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 01-041217 JP 2006-269517 A JP 2005-183859 A

  However, the single wafer processing of Patent Document 2 and the batch single wafer processing of Patent Document 3 have a problem in that the processing capability is not sufficient because the metal thin film is peeled one by one for each sheet. It was. In addition, the conventional method in which both swelling and peeling are performed batchwise is preferable in that many semiconductor substrates can be processed at the same time. However, the degree of peeling between each part of the semiconductor substrate or between the semiconductor substrates may vary, or peeling may occur. The problem that the deposited metal thin film reattaches to the semiconductor substrate has not been solved.

  The present invention provides a new cleaning technique capable of solving the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to clean an object to be cleaned mixed in the cleaning medium when cleaning a member to be cleaned such as a semiconductor substrate. An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning method and a cleaning apparatus that can suppress redeposition and can realize a high throughput.

  (1) A cleaning method according to the present invention for solving the above-described problem includes an injection step of injecting a processing liquid toward the plurality of members to be cleaned in a state where the plurality of members to be cleaned are submerged in the processing liquid; A discharge step for discharging the treatment liquid in which the plurality of members to be cleaned are submerged and the treatment liquid injected in the injection step, and the injection step and the discharge step are performed on the plurality of members to be cleaned. It is characterized by being carried out while maintaining a state immersed in the liquid.

  According to the present invention, the injection step and the discharge step are performed while maintaining a state in which a plurality of members to be cleaned (for example, cleaned semiconductor substrates) are submerged in the processing liquid. The separated object to be cleaned (unnecessary object) is discharged together with the processing liquid in which the member to be cleaned is submerged and the sprayed processing liquid in the discharging step. As a result, it is possible to prevent the object to be cleaned from reattaching to the member to be cleaned in a floating state. Further, according to the present invention, unlike the conventional cleaning method performed for each sheet, a plurality of members to be cleaned can be processed together, so that the processing capability can be increased.

  In the cleaning method according to the present invention, it may be controlled such that the treatment liquid injection amount in the injection step is gradually increased and the treatment liquid discharge amount in the discharge step is gradually increased.

  According to the present invention, while maintaining the state in which the plurality of members to be cleaned are submerged in the processing liquid, the amount of processing liquid ejected in the ejecting step is gradually increased and the amount of processing liquid ejected in the discharging step is gradually increased. Since the control is performed so as to increase, cleaning of the member to be cleaned can be performed gently without performing abrupt cleaning by spraying the processing liquid in the spraying step.

  In the cleaning method according to the present invention, an immersion step for immersing the plurality of members to be cleaned in a treatment liquid may be provided before the spraying step.

  According to this invention, when the member to be cleaned is, for example, a semiconductor substrate on which a resist and a metal thin film are formed, it is preferable to provide an immersion step for immersing a plurality of substrates in the processing liquid before the spraying step. Since the resist can be swollen by this dipping step, the resist and the metal thin film can be easily peeled off by applying the spraying step and the discharging step described above, and the semiconductor substrate is lifted off by the lift-off method. Patterning can be performed with high processing efficiency without reattaching suspended matter to the semiconductor substrate.

  In the cleaning method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of members to be cleaned are stored in a storage member.

  According to this invention, since a plurality of members to be cleaned are accommodated in the accommodating member (for example, rack), they can be conveyed for each accommodating member. As a result, the cleaning process can be performed efficiently, and the processing capacity can be increased.

  (2) A cleaning apparatus according to the present invention for solving the above-described problems is disposed in a processing tank for sinking a plurality of members to be cleaned in a processing liquid, and an upper part of the processing tank, and is disposed in the processing tank. A spraying means for spraying the processing liquid toward the plurality of members to be cleaned; a discharge means disposed at a lower portion of the processing tank for discharging the processing liquid in the processing tank; Control means for ejecting the treatment liquid from the ejection means and discharging the treatment liquid from the discharge means while maintaining the state where the cleaning member is submerged in the treatment liquid in the treatment tank. It is characterized by.

  According to this invention, it has the control means for ejecting the processing liquid from the ejecting means and discharging the processing liquid from the discharging means while maintaining the state in which the plurality of members to be cleaned are submerged in the processing liquid in the processing tank. Therefore, the object to be cleaned (unnecessary object) separated from the member to be cleaned by the sprayed processing liquid is discharged together with the processing liquid in which the member to be cleaned is submerged and the processing liquid sprayed from the spraying means. As a result, it is possible to prevent the object to be cleaned from reattaching to the member to be cleaned in a floating state. In addition, according to the present invention, unlike a conventional cleaning apparatus that performs each sheet, a plurality of members to be cleaned can be processed together, so that the processing capability can be increased.

  The cleaning apparatus according to the present invention may include a control unit for gradually increasing the amount of treatment liquid ejected by the ejection unit and gradually increasing the amount of treatment liquid discharged by the discharge unit.

  According to the present invention, while maintaining the state in which the plurality of members to be cleaned are submerged in the processing liquid, the amount of the processing liquid ejected by the ejecting means is gradually increased, and the amount of the processing liquid discharged by the discharging means is gradually increased. Since the control means for increasing is provided, the cleaning of the member to be cleaned can be performed gently without being abruptly performed by spraying the processing liquid by the spraying means.

  In the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, the processing tank may be used as a processing tank in which the plurality of members to be cleaned are immersed in the processing liquid before the processing liquid is sprayed toward the member to be cleaned.

  According to this invention, when the member to be cleaned is, for example, a semiconductor substrate on which a resist and a metal thin film are formed, a plurality of members to be cleaned are immersed in the processing liquid before the processing liquid is sprayed toward the member to be cleaned. Since it is used as a treatment tank, the resist can be swollen by the immersion. As a result, the resist and the metal thin film can be easily peeled off by applying the spray of the processing liquid by the spraying means and the discharge of the processing liquid by the discharging means, and the semiconductor substrate by the lift-off method. The patterning can be performed with high processing efficiency without reattaching suspended matter to the semiconductor substrate.

  In the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, a recovery unit that recovers the object to be cleaned that has detached from the member to be cleaned may be provided.

  According to this invention, since the recovery means for recovering the object to be cleaned detached from the member to be cleaned is provided, when the member to be cleaned is, for example, a semiconductor substrate on which a resist and a metal thin film are formed, it is peeled off together with the resist. The metal thin film can be recovered. As a result, the recovered metal thin film can be reused as a resource.

  In the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the nozzles are a plurality of shower nozzles arranged evenly toward the plurality of members to be cleaned.

  According to the cleaning method and the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, when cleaning a member to be cleaned such as a semiconductor substrate, it is possible to suppress the reattachment of the object to be cleaned mixed in the cleaning medium and to have a high processing capability. realizable.

It is a typical block diagram which shows an example of the washing | cleaning method and washing | cleaning apparatus which concern on this invention. It is typical explanatory drawing which shows the structure in a processing tank. It is explanatory drawing which shows the front form which injects a process liquid from a nozzle to the to-be-cleaned member accommodated in the accommodating member. It is explanatory drawing which shows the side surface form which injects a process liquid from a nozzle to the to-be-cleaned member accommodated in the accommodating member. It is the top view which looked at the processing tank from the upper side. It is explanatory drawing of each step of the washing | cleaning method. It is explanatory drawing of the lift-off method.

  Hereinafter, a cleaning method and a cleaning apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention can be variously modified as long as it has the technical features, and is not limited to the specific embodiments described below. In addition, the cleaning method and the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention are referred to as “DoM Jet System”.

[Cleaning method and cleaning device]
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, the cleaning method according to the present invention has a plurality of members 1 to be cleaned submerged in the treatment liquid 2 and the treatment liquid 2 toward the plurality of members 1 to be cleaned. And a discharge step C for discharging the processing liquid 2 in which the plurality of members to be cleaned 1 are submerged and the processing liquid 2 injected in the injection step B. And it is comprised so that the injection | pouring step B and the discharge | emission step C may be performed, hold | maintaining the state which submerged the some to-be-cleaned member 1 in the process liquid 2. FIG.

  In this cleaning method, the injection step B and the discharge step C are performed while maintaining a state in which a plurality of members to be cleaned (for example, cleaned semiconductor substrates) 51 are submerged in the processing liquid 2. The object to be cleaned (unnecessary object) 54 separated from the member 1 to be cleaned is discharged together with the processing liquid 2 in which the member 1 to be cleaned is submerged and the sprayed processing liquid 2 in the discharging step C.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, the cleaning apparatus 10 according to the present invention is disposed in a processing tank 11 for sinking a plurality of members to be cleaned 1 in a processing liquid 2 and an upper part 12 of the processing tank 11. The injection means 21 for injecting the treatment liquid 2 toward the plurality of members to be cleaned 1 arranged in the treatment tank 11 and the treatment liquid in the treatment tank 11 are arranged in the lower part 13 of the treatment tank 11. 2, while discharging the treatment liquid 2 from the injection means 21 while maintaining the state in which the plurality of members to be cleaned 1 are submerged in the treatment liquid 2 in the treatment tank 11, and the discharge means 31. And a control means for discharging the processing liquid 2 from the apparatus.

  The cleaning apparatus 10 ejects the treatment liquid 2 from the ejection means 21 and discharges the treatment liquid 2 from the discharge means 31 while maintaining a state in which the plurality of members to be cleaned 1 are submerged in the treatment liquid 2 in the treatment tank 11. Therefore, the object to be cleaned (unnecessary object) 54 separated from the member to be cleaned 1 by the sprayed processing liquid 2 is processed by the processing liquid 2 in which the member to be cleaned 1 is submerged and sprayed by the spraying means 21. It is discharged together with the liquid 2.

  By the above-described action, the cleaning method and the cleaning apparatus 10 according to the present invention can prevent the object to be cleaned 54 from reattaching to the member to be cleaned 1 in a floating state. Further, unlike the conventional cleaning method and apparatus for each sheet, a plurality of members to be cleaned 1 can be processed together, so that the processing capability can be increased.

[Each component]
Hereinafter, each structure of the cleaning method and the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail. In the following, each step constituting the cleaning method will be described while explaining the configuration of the cleaning apparatus.

(To be cleaned)
The member 1 to be cleaned is not particularly limited, and various objects can be cleaned. For example, as described with reference to FIG. 7, a processing substrate used in a lift-off method may be used. This processing substrate has a resist 52 provided on the semiconductor substrate 51 and a metal thin film 53 provided on the resist 52. In addition, it may be another object to be cleaned, for example, various circuit boards represented by a printed board or the like, or a circuit board in which a TFT circuit is provided on a glass substrate or a silicon substrate. Alternatively, other substrates may be used. In any case, the object to be cleaned 54 is prevented from adhering again to the member 1 to be cleaned in a floating state, and a plurality of members 1 to be cleaned are processed at the same time to increase the processing capacity. Any cleaning member 1 may be used.

  The member to be cleaned 1 is accommodated in an accommodation cassette 15 which is an accommodation member. The accommodating cassette 15 is a member for accommodating a plurality of members to be cleaned 1 and realizing efficient batch processing. As the storage cassette 15, for example, a cassette as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is preferably used. The size, shape, and material of the storage cassette 15 are not particularly limited, and are selected in consideration of the number and size of the cleaning target members 1 to be stored, the type of processing liquid, and the like. It may be a general general-purpose product or a custom-made product designed exclusively. For example, a metal molded product such as stainless steel or a resin molded product such as polycarbonate can be used. Thus, since the to-be-cleaned member 1 is accommodated in the accommodating cassette 15, it can convey for every accommodating cassette 15, As a result, the efficiency of a washing | cleaning process can be implement | achieved and processing capacity can be improved. it can.

  Of the processing substrates used in the lift-off method, when the object to be cleaned 54 including the metal thin film 53 and the resist 52 is to be peeled off as large as possible, a preferable storage cassette 15 includes a processing liquid passage port 29 shown in FIG. A corresponding opening is preferably provided in the lower part of the storage cassette 15. The entire opening may be open or may have a perforated shape such as punching metal. By providing such an opening in the lower part of the storage cassette 15, the object to be cleaned 54 peeled off in a large state can be collected by the collection net 41 as a collection means without being destroyed. The side wall of the storage cassette 15 may or may not have holes or slits, but those having no holes or slits suppress the destruction of the object 54 to be cleaned. Easy to do.

(Immersion means, immersion step)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dipping means includes at least a treatment tank 11 for immersing the plurality of members to be cleaned 1 in the treatment liquid 2.

  The treatment tank 11 may be used as the treatment tank 11 in which the plurality of members to be cleaned 1 are immersed in the treatment liquid 2 before the treatment liquid 2 is sprayed toward the member 1 to be cleaned. When the member 1 to be cleaned is a semiconductor substrate 51 on which a resist 52 and a metal thin film 53 are formed, for example, as shown in FIG. 7C, the processing bath 11 supplies the processing liquid 2 toward the member 1 to be cleaned. Before spraying, the plurality of members to be cleaned 1 are used as tanks for immersing them in the treatment liquid 2. That is, before the treatment liquid 2 is ejected (before the ejection step B), the plurality of members to be cleaned 1 are immersed in the treatment liquid 2 (immersion step A, see FIG. 6A). By so doing, the resist 52 can be swelled by the immersion, and after that, by applying the ejection of the treatment liquid 2 by the ejection means 21 described later and the ejection of the treatment liquid 2 by the ejection means 31 described later, It is possible to easily peel the object to be cleaned 54 including the resist 52 provided on the semiconductor substrate 51 and the metal thin film 53 provided on the resist 52. As a result, the patterning of the semiconductor substrate 51 by the lift-off method can be performed with high processing efficiency without reattaching floating substances to the semiconductor substrate 51.

  The upper part of the processing tank 11 is open, and the storage cassette 15 that stores the member to be cleaned 1 is put into the processing tank from the opened part. As shown in FIG. 3, the loaded storage cassette 15 is placed on a cassette receiving member 14 provided in the processing tank. The cassette receiving member 14 is usually formed of stainless steel or the like similar to that of the processing tank 11, and the surface thereof is usually provided with a hole such as a punching metal, but is not limited thereto.

  Reference numeral 14a is a cassette guide for guiding the storage cassette 15 to a predetermined position, reference numeral 16 is a cassette holding member for holding the storage cassette 15, and reference numeral 17 is a cassette holding member for holding the storage cassette 15. It is a lifting device that lifts and lowers 16. In the illustrated example, the lifting device 17 lifts and lowers the cassette holding member 16. However, the cassette holding member 16 may be a fixed type and may be a device that moves the storage cassette 15 up and down.

  Although the shape and material of the treatment tank 11 are not particularly limited, it is usually preferable to select a chemical resistant material such as stainless steel. For example, when patterning the semiconductor substrate 51 by the lift-off method, it is preferable to select in consideration of the type of processing liquid used for the processing.

  An ultrasonic cleaning device 35 may be provided in the lower part of the processing tank 11 as necessary. The ultrasonic cleaning device 35 can be arbitrarily operated according to the mode of the cleaning process of the member 1 to be cleaned. In particular, the effect is great when used in combination with a processing liquid deaerator 91 described later. Note that the ultrasonic cleaning device 35 is a powerful cleaning auxiliary means, and can be preferably applied to the peeling of the resist 52 and the metal thin film 53 on the semiconductor substrate 51, and the metal thin film 53 is broken finely. Therefore, when the metal thin film 53 is to be peeled as large as possible, the ultrasonic cleaning device 35 can not be operated.

(Injection means, injection step)
The ejection means 21 is a means for ejecting the treatment liquid 2 toward the plurality of members to be cleaned 1 disposed in the upper portion 12 of the treatment tank 11 and disposed in the treatment tank 11.

  The injection means 21 is preferably a plurality of shower nozzles arranged evenly toward the plurality of members to be cleaned 1 as shown in FIG. As the shower nozzle, a straight nozzle, a flat cone nozzle, a full cone nozzle, or the like can be used. A shower nozzle having a preferable shape can be selected from these shower nozzles.

  Of the processing substrates used in the lift-off method shown in FIG. 7, when it is desired to peel the object 54 made of the metal thin film 53 and the resist 52 as large as possible, it is preferable to use a full cone nozzle.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a plurality of ejection means 21 are arranged above the member to be cleaned 1. For example, when the member 1 to be cleaned is the semiconductor substrate 1 accommodated in the accommodation cassette 15, a plurality (four in the illustrated example) are arranged and accommodated in the radial direction of the semiconductor substrate 1 (also referred to as the substrate surface direction). A plurality (eight in the illustrated example) are also arranged in the longitudinal direction of the cassette 15 (also referred to as the direction in which the semiconductor substrates 1 are arranged). It is preferable that the number and arrangement of the shower nozzles are arbitrarily set depending on the size of the member 1 to be cleaned and the arrangement of the member 1 to be cleaned in the storage cassette 15.

  In the example shown in the drawing, eight injection means (shower nozzles) 21 are attached to the nozzle pipe 22 at regular intervals. The nozzle pipes 22 to which the shower nozzles 21 are attached are arranged at equal intervals in four rows in the radial direction of the semiconductor substrate 1. The four rows of nozzle pipes 22 are integrally held by a holding member 23 and attached to a lifting device 27. By operating the elevating device 27, the shower nozzle 21 can be moved closer to or away from the member to be cleaned 1.

  The injection amount of the injection means 21 can be arbitrarily controlled for each shower pipe 22. Such control can be adjusted by opening and closing the valves of each shower pipe. As a result, in the example shown in the figure, it is possible to increase or decrease any shower piping in the four rows. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, out of four rows of shower piping, the flow rate of the two rows of shower piping on both sides is increased to increase the injection amount of the shower nozzles 21a and 21d, or the flow rate is decreased to decrease the shower nozzle. The injection amount of 21a and 21d can be reduced. The control in the injection step B may be automatic control or manual control. The time of the injection step B is arbitrarily set, and may be, for example, 1, 2 seconds, 5, 6 seconds, or 10 seconds or more.

(Discharge means, discharge step)
The discharge means 31 is disposed in the lower part 13 of the processing tank 11 and is a means for discharging the processing liquid 2 in the processing tank 11.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the discharge means 31 can include a discharge port provided below the processing tank 11. Usually, the lower side wall of the processing tank 11 is inclined obliquely, and the discharge port 31 is provided at the lowest point. The storage cassette 15 for storing the member to be cleaned 1 has a processing liquid passage port 29 opened below, and the processing liquid 2 sprayed from the shower nozzle 21 passes through the processing liquid after the member to be cleaned 1 is cleaned. It flows downward from the mouth 29. The processing liquid 2 that has passed through the processing liquid passage port 29 is discharged from the discharge port 31 of the processing tank 11.

  The control in the discharging step C may be automatic control or manual control. In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the injection step B and the discharge step C are performed while maintaining the state in which the plurality of members to be cleaned 1 are submerged in the treatment liquid 2, so The discharge amount of the treatment liquid 2 and the introduction amount of the treatment liquid 2 in the above-described injection step B are set within a range in which the immersed state can be maintained, and the amount is controlled to be the same amount or almost the same amount. Is done. When the discharge amount and the introduction amount are the same or substantially the same, the time of the discharge step C is arbitrarily set corresponding to the time of the injection step B described above. For example, when the ejection step B is 1 or 2 seconds, the discharge step C performed while maintaining the state in which the member 1 to be cleaned is submerged in the treatment liquid 2 is also 1 or 2 seconds, and the ejection step B is 5 or 6 In the case of the second, the discharging step C performed while keeping the member 1 to be cleaned submerged in the processing liquid 2 is similarly 5 or 6 seconds.

  In the discharge step C, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), after the processing in which the introduction amount in the injection step B and the discharge amount in the discharge step C are the same or substantially the same, as shown in FIG. 6 (c). Further, the discharge amount of the discharge step C is increased more than the introduction amount of the injection step B, and the water level of the processing liquid 2 is lowered. As a result of such treatment, if there is an object 54 to be cleaned that floats in the treatment liquid 2 while the water level of the treatment liquid 2 is going down, even if the object 54 to be cleaned adheres to the member 1 to be cleaned. The cleaning object 54 can be washed away with the processing liquid 2 sprayed from the shower nozzle 21.

  While the water level of the processing liquid 2 is decreasing, only the processing liquid 2 may be injected from the injection nozzle, or the processing liquid 2 and gas (air, nitrogen, etc.) may be mixed and injected at the same time. Further, even when the level of the processing liquid 2 being discharged is lower than the member to be cleaned 1 (for example, a semiconductor substrate), only the processing liquid 2 may be injected from the injection nozzle, or the processing liquid 2 and the gas (Air, nitrogen, etc.) may be mixed and injected at the same time, but only gas may be injected. When only gas is injected, the member to be cleaned 1 can be drained.

  The size and shape of the discharge port 31 are arbitrarily set according to the injection amount and the discharge speed. The discharged processing liquid 2 flows into the circulation tank 81 as shown in FIG. The cleaning target 54 contained in the processing liquid 2 that has flowed into the circulation tank 81 is collected by the collection net 41 as necessary. After the cleaning process is completed, the processing liquid 2 can be circulated through the circulation pump 82, the filters 83, 84, 85, and the heat exchanger 86, and the fine object 54 contained in the processing liquid 2 is removed by the filter. Thus, it can be used for the next cleaning process.

(Control means)
The control means ejects the treatment liquid 2 from the ejection means 21 and discharges the treatment liquid 2 from the discharge means 31 while maintaining the state in which the plurality of members to be cleaned 1 are submerged in the treatment liquid 2 in the treatment tank 11. Means.

  By this control means, it is possible to gradually increase the amount of treatment liquid ejected by the ejection means 21 (ejection step B) and gradually increase the amount of treatment liquid ejected by the discharge means 31 (discharge step C). Such control of the injection amount and the discharge amount gradually increases the discharge amount and the discharge amount while maintaining the state in which the plurality of members to be cleaned 1 are submerged in the treatment liquid 2. The cleaning of the member 1 to be cleaned can be performed gently without being abruptly performed by spraying the liquid. Such control is preferable particularly in the initial stage of cleaning. As a result, when the semiconductor substrate 1 is processed by the lift-off method, the object to be cleaned 54 composed of the metal thin film 53 and the resist 52 can be peeled off in a state as large as possible.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of each step of the cleaning method. First, the member to be cleaned 1 stored in the storage cassette 15 is set at a predetermined position in the processing tank 11, and then the processing liquid 2 covers the member 1 to be cleaned as shown in FIG. Is satisfied. For example, when the semiconductor substrate 1 is processed by the lift-off method, the resist 52 provided on the semiconductor substrate 1 swells by the immersion step A.

  Next, the shower nozzle 21 descends from above and is set near the top of the member 1 to be cleaned. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 2B, the injection step B and the discharge step C are performed simultaneously. At this time, the control of the injection amount and the control of the discharge amount are performed, and the discharge amount is gradually increased while gradually increasing the injection amount while maintaining the state in which the plurality of members to be cleaned 1 are submerged in the treatment liquid 2.

  After performing a cleaning process for a predetermined time (for example, about 1 to 3 seconds), the shower nozzle 21 is closed and the processing liquid 2 in the processing tank 11 is discharged as in the discharging step C shown in FIG. . In the case where the object to be cleaned 54 is recovered, the recovery step D may also be performed.

  Finally, as shown in FIG. 6D, the shower nozzle 21 is lifted upward, and then the storage cassette 15 is also lifted.

  Subsequently, the storage cassette 15 that stores the unprocessed member 1 to be cleaned is placed in the processing tank 11 and the above processing is repeated.

(Recovery means)
The recovery means is an object to be cleaned (unnecessary object) 54 generated by cleaning the member to be cleaned 1. This recovery means is provided as necessary depending on the type and size of the object 54 to be cleaned. When the object to be cleaned 54 is the object to be cleaned 54 composed of the metal thin film 53 and the resist 52 which are peeled off by the lift-off method described above, it is preferable to provide a recovery net 41 (see FIG. 1) as recovery means. Such a recovery net 41 can be a stainless steel net, and the mesh (mesh) can be selected according to the size of the peeled metal thin film 53.

  By providing such recovery means, when the member to be cleaned 1 is, for example, the semiconductor substrate 51 on which the resist 52 and the metal thin film 53 are formed, the metal thin film 53 peeled off together with the resist 52 is efficiently recovered as the object to be cleaned 54. be able to. As a result, the recovered metal thin film 53 can be reused as a resource.

(Other)
The processing liquid 2 is arbitrarily selected according to the purpose of cleaning and the type of the member 1 to be cleaned, and may be an organic processing liquid such as an organic solvent, or may be an inorganic processing liquid. Such a treatment liquid 2 is normally used by circulating in the path shown in FIG. 1 by arbitrarily operating the valve shown in FIG. Circulation of the treatment liquid 2, supply to the treatment tank 11, and supply to the shower nozzle 21 can be performed by various methods.

  For example, in the stage of the immersion step A, the treatment liquid 2 can be supplied to the treatment tank 11 by pump circulation. On the other hand, in the stage of the injection step B, the treatment liquid 2 put in the canister 71 is pressurized with gas (air, nitrogen gas, etc.) (usually about 0.2 MPa to 0.6 MPa), and from the canister 71 in a high pressure state. It is preferable to send out all at once and discharge from the tip of the shower nozzle 21. Since the treatment liquid 2 sent from the canister 71 is shower-jetted at a high pressure, even a thin film can be peeled off instantaneously.

  Further, the processing liquid 2 may be processed by the processing liquid degassing device 91. The treatment liquid 2 deaerated by the treatment liquid deaerator 91 is likely to penetrate into the gaps between the fine patterns, for example. As a result, cleaning using the treatment liquid 2 can be performed effectively. In particular, it is preferable when the ultrasonic cleaning device 35 is used, and the cleaning efficiency can be improved. As an application example using the degassed treatment liquid 2, it is possible to shorten the treatment time by increasing the effect of ultrasonic cleaning, or to improve the yield by spreading the effect of ultrasonic cleaning to every corner. Or the processing temperature can be lowered as compared with a processing solution that is not processed.

  As described above, the cleaning method and the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention can prevent the object to be cleaned 54 from reattaching to the member to be cleaned 1 in a floating state. Further, unlike the conventional cleaning method and apparatus for each sheet, a plurality of members to be cleaned 1 can be processed together, so that the processing capability can be increased.

1 Member to be cleaned (semiconductor substrate)
2 treatment liquid 10 cleaning device 11 treatment tank 12 upper part of treatment tank 13 lower part of treatment tank 14 cassette receiving member 14a cassette guide 15 accommodation member (accommodation cassette)
16 Cassette holding member 17 Lifting device 18 Overflow tank 19 Overflow tank outlet 21 Injection means (nozzle)
22 Nozzle Piping 23 Nozzle Piping Holding Member 27 Nozzle Lifting Device 28 Overflow Wall 29 Treatment Liquid Passing Port 31 Discharge Means (Discharge Port)
35 Ultrasonic cleaning equipment 41 Recovery means (recovery network)
51 Semiconductor substrate 52 Resist 53 Metal thin film 54 Object to be cleaned (unnecessary object)
71 Canister 72 Compressed gas 81 Circulating tank 82 Circulating pump 83, 84, 85 Filter 86 Heat exchanger (heater)
88 Liquid level sensor 91 Treatment liquid deaerator 92 Nozzle 95 Pressure sensor A Immersion step B Injection step C Discharge step D Collection step

Claims (9)

Injecting the processing liquid toward the plurality of members to be cleaned in a state where the plurality of members to be cleaned are submerged in the processing liquid;
A discharge step of discharging the treatment liquid submerged in the plurality of members to be cleaned and the treatment liquid ejected in the ejection step;
The injection step and the discharge step are performed while maintaining the state in which the plurality of members to be cleaned are submerged in a processing liquid.
A cleaning method characterized by the above.   The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein control is performed such that the amount of treatment liquid ejected in the ejection step is gradually increased and the amount of treatment liquid ejected in the discharge step is gradually increased.   The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein an immersion step is provided in which the plurality of members to be cleaned are immersed in a treatment liquid before the spraying step.   The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of members to be cleaned are stored in a storage member. A treatment tank for immersing a plurality of members to be cleaned in a treatment liquid;
Injecting means for injecting a processing liquid toward the plurality of members to be cleaned disposed in an upper part of the processing tank,
A discharge means disposed at a lower portion of the treatment tank for discharging the treatment liquid in the treatment tank;
Control means for ejecting the treatment liquid from the ejection means and discharging the treatment liquid from the discharge means while maintaining the state where the plurality of members to be cleaned are submerged in the treatment liquid in the treatment tank; ,
A cleaning apparatus comprising:   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a control unit configured to gradually increase the amount of treatment liquid ejected by the ejection unit and gradually increase the amount of treatment liquid discharged from the discharge unit.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the treatment tank is a treatment tank in which the plurality of members to be cleaned are immersed in the treatment liquid before the treatment liquid is sprayed toward the member to be cleaned.   The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7, further comprising a recovery unit that recovers an object to be cleaned detached from the member to be cleaned. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the spraying means is a plurality of shower nozzles that are equally arranged toward the plurality of members to be cleaned.

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