IP Library Granted Patent US 11,766,703
Granted Patent B2
US 11,766,703 · App. 16/532,701 · Granted Sep 26, 2023

Apparatus and method for wafer cleaning

Inventors: Bo Chen Chen (Hsinchu, TW); Sheng-Wei Wu (Zhubei, TW); Yung-Li Tsai (Houlong Town, TW)
Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
B08B7/04A46B13/023B08B1/002B08B1/02B08B3/041H01L21/02057H01L21/67046H01L21/67051B08B1/04
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,766,703
App. No.
16/532,701
Granted
Sep 26, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method for wafer cleaning. The apparatus can include a wafer holder configured to hold a wafer; a cleaning nozzle configured to dispense a cleaning fluid onto a first surface (e.g., front surface) of the wafer; and a cleaning brush configured to clean a second surface (e.g., back surface) of the wafer. Using the cleaning fluid, the cleaning brush can clean the second surface of the wafer with a scrubbing motion and ultrasonic vibration.

Claims (47)

1. A method for cleaning a substrate, comprising:

loading the substrate on a holder, wherein a first surface of the substrate is separated from the holder;

dispensing, via a spray outlet of a cleaning brush, a cleaning fluid onto a second surface of the substrate, the cleaning brush further comprising a plurality of bristles and a brush body, wherein the spray outlet comprises a conductive layer to reduce static electric charge, and wherein the conductive layer comprises carbon nanotubes; and

scrubbing, by the plurality of bristles of the cleaning brush, the second surface of the substrate, wherein scrubbing the second surface comprises displacing the brush body with respect to a center of the substrate, and rotating the brush body.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein scrubbing the second surface further comprises vibrating the cleaning brush.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein rotating the brush body comprises rotating the brush body counterclockwise, clockwise, or counterclockwise and clockwise alternately at a rotational speed less than about 2500 rpm.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein scrubbing the second surface further comprises:

detecting, by a pressure sensor, a first pressure to the cleaning brush against the substrate;

determining that the first pressure is outside a threshold pressure range; and

applying a second pressure, different from the first pressure, to the cleaning brush against the substrate, wherein applying the second pressure comprises moving the cleaning brush farther away from or closer to the substrate.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein loading the substrate comprises securing the substrate horizontally onto the holder, and wherein scrubbing the second surface comprises vertically moving the brush body in contact with the second surface.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein loading the substrate comprises securing the substrate vertically onto the holder and rotating the holder, and wherein scrubbing the second surface comprises horizontally moving the brush body in contact with the second surface.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the holder comprises a heating plate, further comprising heating the substrate with the heating plate.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising dispensing an other cleaning fluid onto the first surface of the substrate, wherein the other cleaning fluid comprises a different material from the cleaning fluid.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of bristles comprises a first coating layer, further comprising:

detecting, by an image sensor, an image of the plurality of bristles;

comparing the image to a baseline image of a second coating layer of a plurality of bristles of an unused cleaning brush;

determining a color change in the first coating layer of the plurality of bristles based on the comparison; and

replacing the cleaning brush with the unused cleaning brush based on the determination.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, based on a location, an area of the second surface of the substrate that has been cleaned by the cleaning brush.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of bristles have lengths different from each other.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein scrubbing the second surface further comprises: determining that a first pressure is below a threshold pressure range; and adjusting a time duration of scrubbing the second surface.

13. A method for cleaning a substrate, comprising:

loading the substrate onto a holder, the substrate comprising front and back surfaces;

dispensing a cleaning fluid on the back surface of the substrate through spray outlets of a cleaning brush, wherein each of the spray outlets comprises a conductive layer of carbon nanotubes;

scrubbing, by a plurality of bristles of the cleaning brush, the back surface of the substrate by displacing a brush body of the cleaning brush with respect to a center of the substrate, and rotating the brush body;

detecting, by an image sensor, a first color of a first coating layer surrounding sidewalls of the plurality of bristles; and

replacing the cleaning brush with an unused cleaning brush in response to the first color being different from a second color of a second coating layer surrounding sidewalls of a plurality of bristles of the unused cleaning brush.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein top sidewall portions of the plurality of bristles of the cleaning brush are uncovered by the first coating layer in response to the first color being different from the second color.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising comparing the first color of the first coating layer to the second color of the second coating layer.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

determining, by a sensor, a real-time location of the cleaning brush on the substrate; and

determining, based on the real-time location, an area of the back surface of the substrate that has been cleaned by the cleaning brush.

17. A method for cleaning a substrate, comprising:

loading the substrate onto a holder, the substrate comprising first and second surfaces;

rinsing the first surface by dispensing, with a nozzle, a cleaning fluid onto the first surface of the substrate;

dispensing, with spray outlets on a cleaning brush, the cleaning fluid onto the second surface, opposite to the first surface, of the substrate, the cleaning brush further comprising a plurality of bristles and a brush body, wherein the spray outlets comprise conductive layers of carbon nanotubes;

detecting, by an image sensor, a first color of a first coating layer of the plurality of bristles; and

replacing the cleaning brush with an unused cleaning brush in response to the first color being different from a second color of a second coating layer of a plurality of bristles of the unused cleaning brush; and

cleaning the second surface of the substrate, comprising:

applying a pressure to the cleaning brush against the substrate; and

scrubbing, by the plurality of bristles, the second surface of the substrate by displacing the brush body with respect to a center of the substrate and rotating the brush body.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

tracking, by a sensor, a location of the cleaning brush on the substrate; and

determining, based on the location, an area of the second surface of the substrate that has been cleaned by the cleaning brush.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the nozzle comprises a conductive layer of carbon nanotubes to reduce static electric charge.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the nozzle comprises a conductive layer comprising a carbon concentration between about 0.025 wt % and about 0.1 wt %.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 23, 2024
From: CHEN, BO-CHEN, MR.
To: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 066544/0179 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 12, 2023
From: WU, SHENG-WEI; TSAI, YUNG-LI; CHEN, BO CHEN
To: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 064222/0306 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62764651 · Aug 15, 2018
Related Publication 20200055099A1 · Feb 20, 2020