Apparatus and method for cleaning semiconductor substrate

1. A cleaning apparatus for a semiconductor substrate, comprising:

a belt conveyor which feeds a semiconductor substrate;

a treatment head which defines a cleaning space through which the semiconductor substrate is fed by the belt conveyor, the treatment head executing a cleaning treatment, a rinsing treatment and a drying treatment for the semiconductor substrate passed through the cleaning space;

a rinse water supplying mechanism which supplies rinse water adjusted to a predetermined pH value indicative of acidity to the treatment head and applies heat to the rinse water thereby to set a temperature of the rinse water to 70° C. or above; and

an optical mechanism configured to recognize a pattern on the semiconductor substrate so that the semiconductor substrate can be automatically placed on the belt conveyor with a direction of the pattern recognized by the optical mechanism and a feeding direction of the belt conveyor having a predetermined relationship,

wherein in the rinsing treatment, the treatment head is configured to rinse the semiconductor substrate for a first treating time set to not more than 10 seconds and in the drying treatment, the treatment head is configured to dry the semiconductor substrate for a second treating time set to not more than 10 seconds and to depressurize a part of the semiconductor substrate, which part is under the drying treatment,

wherein the rinse water supplying mechanism includes a deionized water supplying section, a hydrochloric acid supplying section, a rinse water mixing section which stores and mixes the deionized water delivered from the deionized water supplying section and the hydrochloric acid delivered from the hydrochloric acid supplying section, and a control section which controls the deionized water supplying section and the hydrochloric acid supplying section;

wherein the rinse water mixing section includes a pH sensor which detects a pH value of the rinse water stored in the rinse water mixing section, a temperature sensor which detects a temperature of the rinse water stored in the rinse water mixing section, and a heater which applies heat to the rinse water stored in the rinse water mixing section,

wherein the control section is configured to receive detection signals from the pH sensor and the temperature sensor and to control the heater;

wherein the treatment head includes an upper head and a lower head and is configured to insert the semiconductor substrate into the cleaning space located between the upper and lower heads of the treatment head and to cause the semiconductor substrate to pass through the cleaning space while being fed by the belt conveyor;

wherein the treatment head includes a chemical treatment section, a rinse treatment section and a drying treatment section, all the sections being disposed sequentially from a side of the semiconductor substrate that is firstly inserted into the cleaning space;

wherein the chemical treatment section is configured to discharge a cleaning chemical onto a surface of the semiconductor substrate thereby to chemically clean the semiconductor substrate and retrieve the used chemical;

wherein the rinse treatment section is configured to discharge the rinse water onto a surface of the semiconductor substrate thereby to rinse the semiconductor substrate and retrieve the used rinse water;

wherein the drying treatment section includes a drying treatment mechanism configured to execute both a drying treatment with use of a drying solvent and lamp annealing in execution of a drying treatment, the drying treatment section being configured to form a pressure-reduced space above a region of the semiconductor substrate corresponding to the drying treatment section; and

wherein the semiconductor substrate is aligned on the belt conveyor so that a line-and-space pattern formed thereon extends in a direction substantially parallel to a direction in which the semiconductor substrate is fed.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the drying treatment section sprays drying IPA and N 2 on a surface of the semiconductor substrate.