Spin rinse dryer with improved drying characteristics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12590760-B2
Application number	US-202117510333-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2021
Priority date	Nov 17, 2020
Publication date	Mar 31, 2026
Grant date	Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

A spin rinse dryer for treating a substrate has an enclosure, a rotatable support for supporting the substrate, a rotatable member located within the enclosure above the rotatable support, and a drive for rotating the rotatable member. During cleaning of the wafer, liquid that splashes up from the wafer will strike the rotatable member, rather than the upper wall of the enclosure, and may form droplets on the rotatable member. After the flow of cleaning liquid has stopped, the drive can rotate the rotatable member at high speed, which tends to throw the liquid droplets off the rotatable member through centrifugal force. The liquid then runs down the walls of the enclosure, away from the wafer, so that there is a much reduced chance of contamination of the cleaned wafer. The rotatable member and support may be integrally formed and rotated together or may be separate members.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A spin rinse dryer for treating a substrate, including:
an enclosure formed by a main body and a lid; a rotatable support located within the enclosure for supporting the substrate; a rotatable member located within the enclosure above the rotatable support, the rotatable member having a continuous lower surface and a top, wherein the top of the rotatable member is positioned within 3 mm to a lower surface of the lid, wherein the enclosure and the rotatable member are both circular in plan view, and wherein a circular edge of the rotatable member extends to within 10 mm or less of the main body; a drive for rotating the rotatable member; a liquid cleaning fluid source that includes a liquid cleaning fluid; and at least one nozzle in fluid communication with the liquid cleaning fluid source, wherein the at least one nozzle is configured to direct the liquid cleaning fluid toward the substrate located on the rotatable support, wherein the spin rinse dryer is capable of operating at pressures below atmospheric pressure.

2 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the lower surface of the rotatable member is arranged to be substantially parallel to an upper surface of a substrate when the substrate is supported by the rotatable support.

3 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotatable support is connected to the rotatable member such that the rotatable support and the rotatable member rotate together.

4 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 3 , wherein a number of arms extend downwards from the rotatable member, and a prong extends radially inwardly from the lower end of each arm, the prongs acting as the rotatable support.

5 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 4 , wherein there are three of the arms that are circumferentially equispaced.

6 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the drive is located alongside the enclosure, and is connected to the rotatable member and the rotatable support so as to drive the rotatable member and the rotatable support to rotate.

7 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotatable support and the rotatable member are not connected to each other, and rotate separately.

8 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the rotatable support and the rotatable member are arranged to rotate about a common axis.

9 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 7 , wherein a single of the drive is located alongside the enclosure, and is connected to both the rotatable member and the rotatable support so as to drive the rotatable member and the rotatable support to rotate.

10 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the drive is connected to the rotatable member and the rotatable support via a telescopic shaft.

11 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 7 , wherein two of the drives are located alongside the enclosure, a first of the drives being connected to the rotatable member so as to drive the rotatable member to rotate, and a second of the drives being connected to the rotatable support so as to drive the rotatable support to rotate.

12 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the rotatable member is less than an internal diameter of the enclosure.

13 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the rotatable member is greater than a diameter of the substrate to be treated.

14 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotatable member is formed from a hydrophobic material.

15 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotatable member is formed as a single part.

16 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotatable member is formed with reinforcing features.

17 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one nozzle is located above and below the rotatable support.

18 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a vertical height of the spin rinse dryer is less than around 300 mm.

19 . The spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the enclosure encloses the rotatable support and the rotatable member.

20 . An apparatus for processing a substrate comprising a stack of substrate processing modules in which at least one of the modules is a spin rinse dryer as claimed in claim 1 .

Assignees

• Spts Technologies Ltd

Inventors

• Thomas Trevor
• Ayres Martin

Classifications

• F26B25/10

  Floors, roofs, or bottoms; False bottoms · CPC title

• F26B11/18

  on or in moving dishes, trays, pans, or other mainly-open receptacles · CPC title

• H10P72/7614

  characterised by a plurality of individual support members, e.g. support posts or protrusions · CPC title

• H10P72/7616

  characterised by a coating, a hardness or a material · CPC title

• H10P72/0408

  for drying · CPC title