Wafer cleaning apparatus and wafer cleaning method using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12042828-B2
Application number	US-202318299279-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2023
Priority date	Sep 3, 2019
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

A wafer cleaning apparatus is provided. The wafer cleaning apparatus includes comprising a chamber configured to be loaded with a wafer, a nozzle on the wafer and configured to provide liquid chemicals on an upper surface of the wafer, a housing under the wafer, a laser module configured to irradiate laser on the wafer, a transparent window disposed between the wafer and the laser module, and a controller configured to control on/off of the laser module, wherein the controller is configured to control repetition of turning the laser module on and off, and retain temperature of the wafer within a temperature range, and a ratio of time when the laser module is on in one cycle including on/off of the laser module is 30% to 50%.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for cleaning a wafer, comprising:
loading a wafer within a chamber including a housing spaced apart from and under the wafer;
providing liquid chemicals on an upper surface of the wafer;
irradiating laser to a lower surface of the wafer by turning on a laser module, the laser supplied external to the housing, the laser module being within the housing;
retaining a temperature of the wafer within a temperature range by controlling an on/off state of the laser module;
etching the wafer while the temperature of the wafer is retained within the temperature range;
turning off the laser module after etching of the wafer completes; and
unloading the wafer from the chamber.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the retaining temperature of the wafer within the temperature range includes a ratio of time the laser module is on is 30% to 50% in one cycle of the on/off state of the laser module.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the retaining temperature of the wafer within the temperature range includes the laser module being on 0.5 to 3 seconds in one cycle of the on/off state of the laser module.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the wafer includes a silicon oxide layer and a silicon nitride layer, and
the etching the wafer etches the silicon nitride layer.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the etching the wafer comprises
etching the silicon oxide layer and the silicon nitride layer, and
regenerating the etched silicon oxide layer.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature range of the wafer is 170° C. to 250° C.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the irradiating the laser to the lower surface of the wafer includes that the laser irradiated from the laser module penetrates through a transparent window formed between the laser module and the wafer and is irradiated to the lower surface of the wafer.

8. A method for cleaning a wafer, comprising:
loading a wafer including a first layer and a second layer within a chamber including a housing spaced apart from and under the wafer;
providing liquid chemicals on an upper surface of the wafer;
irradiating laser to a lower surface of the wafer by turning on a laser module, the laser supplied external to the housing, the laser module being within the housing;
retaining a temperature of the wafer within a temperature range by controlling an on/off state of the laser module, a ratio of time the laser module is on is 30% to 50% in one cycle of the on/off state of the laser module; and
etching the second layer of the wafer while the temperature of the wafer is retained within the temperature range.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein
the first layer is a silicon oxide layer, and
the second layer is a silicon nitride layer.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the etching the second layer comprises
etching the first layer and the second layer, and
regenerating the etched first layer.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the laser is irradiated entirely to the lower surface of the wafer.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the irradiating the laser to the lower surface of the wafer comprises
irradiating a first laser irradiated from the laser module to the lower surface of the wafer, and
irradiating a second laser, which is generated as the first laser sequentially reflects from the lower surface of the wafer and a reflecting plate formed within the chamber, to the lower surface of the wafer.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shin Seung Min
• Jang Hun Jae
• Kim Seok Hoon
• Kim Young-Hoo
• Kim In Gi
• Kim Tae-Hong
• Lee Kun Tack
• Cha Ji Hoon
• Choi Yong Jun

Classifications

• H10P72/7618

  characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating carrousel · CPC title

• H10P72/0602

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0431

  Apparatus for thermal treatment · CPC title

• H10P72/0422 Primary

  for wet etching · CPC title

• H10P72/0414

  using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles · CPC title