U.S. patent application number 15/453806 was filed with the patent office on 2017-10-05 for treatment apparatus for treating a surface of a body.
The applicant listed for this patent is Levitronix GmbH. Invention is credited to Reto Schoeb.
Application Number | 20170287739 15/453806 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42342852 |
Filed Date | 2017-10-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170287739 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Schoeb; Reto |
October 5, 2017 |
TREATMENT APPARATUS FOR TREATING A SURFACE OF A BODY
Abstract
The invention relates to a treatment apparatus (1) for treating
a surface (21) of a body (2) with a first treatment medium (31) and
a second treatment medium (32). In this respect, the treatment
apparatus (1) includes a holding device (5) rotatable about an axis
of rotation (4) for receiving and holding the body (2) and a rotary
drive (6) rotationally fixedly coupled to the rotatable holding
device (5) as well as a supply device (7) for supplying the first
treatment medium (31) and the second treatment medium (32) to the
surface (21) of the body (2) held in the holding device (5). The
treatment apparatus includes a collection container (8) having a
separation element (80) which separation element (80) divides the
collection container (8) into a first chamber (81) and into a
second chamber (82) such that the first treatment medium (31) can
be collected in the first chamber (81) and the second treatment
medium (32) can be collected separately in the second chamber (82).
In accordance with the invention, the collection container (8)
includes a base chamber part (800) not movable with respect to the
holding device (5) and the separation element (80) is movably
arranged between a first position (A) and a second position (B)
such that the first treatment medium (31) can be led off into the
first chamber (81) in the first position (A) and the second
treatment medium (32) can be led off into the second chamber (82)
in the second position (B).
Inventors: |
Schoeb; Reto;
(Rudolfstetten, CH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Levitronix GmbH |
Zurich |
|
CH |
|
|
Family ID: |
42342852 |
Appl. No.: |
15/453806 |
Filed: |
March 8, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13045437 |
Mar 10, 2011 |
|
|
|
15453806 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 21/6708 20130101;
H01L 21/6715 20130101; H01L 21/67051 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01L 21/67 20060101
H01L021/67 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 31, 2010 |
EP |
10158604.8 |
Claims
1. A treatment apparatus for treating a surface of a body,
comprising: a first treatment medium and a second treatment medium,
wherein the treatment apparatus includes a holding device rotatable
about an axis of rotation for receiving and holding the body, a
rotary drive rotationally fixedly coupled to the rotatable holding
device, and a supply device for supplying the first treatment
medium and the second treatment medium to the surface of the body
held in the holding device, wherein the treatment apparatus further
includes a collection container having a separation element, in
which the separation element divides the collection container into
a first chamber and a second chamber such that the first treatment
medium can be collected in the first chamber and the second
treatment medium can be separately collected in the second chamber,
wherein the collection container includes a base chamber part not
displaceable with respect to the holding device, and the separation
element is movably arranged between a first position (A) and a
second position (B), such that the first treatment medium can be
led off into the first chamber in the first position (A), and the
second treatment fluid can be led off into the second chamber in
the second position (B).
2. The treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
non-displaceable base chamber part includes a chamber bottom
through which the first treatment medium and the second treatment
medium can be led off from the collection container.
3. The treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
separation element is movable by means of a connecting rod between
the first position (A) and a second position (B).
4. The treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
separation element is movable by means of a spindle between the
first position (A) and a second position (B).
5. The treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
separation element is movable by means of a stretchable bellows
between the first position (A) and a second position (B).
6. The treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
separation element is formed in a presettable region of a flexible
wall.
7. The treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
rotatable holding device is provided in a process chamber.
8. The treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotary
drive is provided within the process chamber.
9. The treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotary
drive is a bearingless motor including a stator and a rotor
magnetically journalled in a bearingless manner with respect to the
stator, wherein the bearingless motor is designed preferably having
the stator and the rotor within the process chamber
10. The treatment apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the rotor
forms the holding device.
11. The treatment apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the rotor
is made as a ring.
12. The treatment apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the rotor
is permanently magnetic.
13. The treatment apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the
stator is provided outside the process chamber.
14. The treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the body
is a disk, in particular a wafer, for manufacturing microelectronic
components.
15. The treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a
manipulator (M), in particular a program-controlled rotor unit, is
provided for the automatic changing of the body.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/045,437 filed Mar. 10, 2011, entitled
"Treatment Apparatus for Treating a Surface of a Body," which
claims the priority of European Application No. 10 158 604.8, filed
on Mar. 31, 2010, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein
by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a treatment apparatus for treating
a surface of a body, in particular for treating a wafer in
accordance with the preamble of independent claim 1.
[0003] There is a need in a number of industrial processes, for
example in the manufacture of semiconductors and chips, to provide
specific surfaces of substrates, for example wafers, for the
manufacture of electronic components with suspensions in a
controlled manner to process their surfaces. Chemical-mechanical
planarization processes (CMP, cleaning and/or corroding of wafers
or the removal of photoresist to be removed using solvents, also
called polymer removal) are named as important examples here such
as are used in the semiconductor industry. In such processes, a
suspension, usually called a slurry, of typically very fine solid
particles and a liquid is applied to a rotating wafer and there
serves for the polishing or lapping of the very fine semiconductor
structures. Another example is the application of photoresist to
the wafer or the roughening of surfaces of computer hard disks to
prevent an adhesion of the writing/reading heads by adhesion
forces, that is, for example, by Van der Waals forces.
[0004] The surfaces must very frequently be processed with
different liquids in a plurality of sequential worksteps. In the
case of wafers for semiconductor manufacture, they are, for
example, mounted in the form of very thin disks in a process
chamber on a rotatable holder which is driven via a rotary axle by
an electric motor which is located outside the process chamber. The
thin wafer is set into a very fast rotation in this manner and its
surface has different treatment media, liquid treatment media as a
rule, applied to it successively.
[0005] It is common to all these worksteps that a specific quantity
of the corresponding treatment medium is applied to the rotating
wafer from a suitable supply device, for example from a nozzle. The
liquid is then transported away completely or, as in the coating of
the wafer, at least partly, to the outside beyond the margin of the
wafer, due to the centrifugal force so that the excess treatment
medium can be led off to the outside from the treatment
chamber.
[0006] Since the treatment media are very expensive as a rule, it
is endeavored to collect the different treatment media used
successively as separately as possible, to reprocess them where
possible and then to recirculate them into the treatment process
for reuse. In this respect, it is then also endeavored, for
environmental protection reasons alone, to collect the used media
separately in the treatment chamber if they cannot be used
again.
[0007] Such an apparatus is described, for example, in U.S. Pat.
No. 6,810,888 B2.
[0008] The aforesaid apparatus in accordance with U.S. Pat. No.
6,810,888 B2 in this respect substantially includes a rotatable
holder for holding a wafer as well as a nozzle arrangement which is
provided above the wafer and with which different liquids for the
processing and treatment of the surface of the wafer can be applied
to the surface of the wafer successively from different nozzles. A
system made up of a plurality of concentrically arranged ring
chambers is provided around the holder for the wafer for the
separate collection of the liquids applied successively to the
wafer in the treatment process. Each ring chamber in this respect
has a frustoconically designed run-off cone which is inclined in a
manner dropping toward the ring chamber and in a diverging manner
so that, when the inner margin of the run-off once is approximately
at the level of the rotating wafer, the liquid moves over the outer
margin of the wafer onto the run-off cone and over the run-off cone
into the provided ring chamber. The different liquids are thus
successively collected separately in the different concentric
chambers and can subsequently also be led off separately via
outflow lines from the different chambers to the outside for reuse
or for disposal.
[0009] To be able to supply the liquids to the different
concentrically arranged chambers successively, the run-off cones of
the different ring chambers are differently designed and the
different ring chambers are separately displaceable in a vertical
direction such that each run-off cone of each ring chamber can be
successively placed with respect to the wafer by a suitable control
of the vertical positions of the ring chambers such that the just
used treatment liquid can be led off into the provided ring
chamber.
[0010] The holder for the wafer, the nozzle arrangement for the
supply of the treatment liquids and the system of the ring chambers
are accommodated in a hermetically closed process chamber so that
the treatment of the wafers can also be carried out, for example,
under a presettable gas atmosphere, for example under a specific
process pressure or under an inert gas atmosphere, for example to
suppress oxidation processes on the surface of the wafer. Damaging,
e.g. corrosive or toxic liquids are also commonly used so that the
corresponding treatment steps can only be carried out in a closed
environment for environmental and safety reasons.
[0011] The ring chambers in which the liquids are collected are
provided with flexible outflow lines which make a vertical movement
of the ring chambers possible at all and via which the collected
liquid can be supplied from the process chamber to a recycling
system, for example. The motor for the drive of the wafer holder is
also located outside the process chamber for obvious reasons.
Indeed simply to prevent a contamination of the interior of the
process chamber by the motor, but also because the process chamber
should be kept as small as possible for different reasons
well-known to the skilled person. The holder for the wafers is
therefore set into rotation via a rotary axle by the outwardly
disposed motor.
[0012] The problem of the separate collection of the different
treatment media used is thus admittedly solved by the apparatus in
accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,888 B2 in principle. However,
such apparatus have some considerable disadvantages.
[0013] An important disadvantage of these treatment apparatus known
from the prior art is that all the ring chambers have to be moved
to and fro in a vertical direction to collect the different
treatment materials used successively separately. It is here a
complicated mechanical system of concentric chambers, which alone
already have a considerable weight together with the liquids
collected therein, which has to be moved in a cumbersome manner by
a vertically acting drive mechanism. The chambers which are
concentrically disposed in one another furthermore have to be
guided very precisely in one another and have to have a
corresponding guide mechanism since it is otherwise possible that
the concentric ring chambers wedge into one another on their
relative vertical movement, which naturally also occurs and results
in the standstill of the plant. The total plant must then be
switched off to remedy such problems since the process chamber has
to be opened. The negative consequences of such a stop are obvious.
Due to the guide mechanism for realizing a reliable vertical
movement of the total ring chamber system, the ring chamber system
with the guide mechanism and the vertical drive mechanism is
relatively large overall, which is contrary to the demand for a
process chamber volume which is as small as possible.
[0014] Since the ring chambers are displaceable in total in the
vertical direction, as already mentioned, the outflow lines must be
made as flexible lines. The flexible outflow lines are accordingly
under a strong mechanical load due to the constant vertical
movement to and fro of the ring chambers. The flexible outflow
lines must therefore be made from expensive, highly loadable
material since a bursting of the outflow lines in the interior of
the process chamber has to be prevented under all circumstances.
Particularly the outflow lines have to be monitored and serviced
correspondingly often, which is in turn associated with a
corresponding effort and/or cost.
[0015] Further serious disadvantages are due to the drive system.
Since the drive motor, as described above, has to be provided
outside the process chamber, the drive of the wafer holder takes
place via a drive axle which has to be sealingly journalled in a
leadthrough in the base of the process chamber. Such seals
generally have the problem that they always give off at least small
quantities of abrasive or very fine quantities of lubricant and
thus also give them off into the process chamber. Since this has to
be prevented at all costs, the corresponding leadthroughs for the
drive axle not only have to be extremely gastight, but also
encapsulated in a correspondingly complex and/or expensive manner.
Since a contamination of the chamber interior cannot be completely
prevented even with the largest technical effort, the process
chamber is frequently exposed to an overpressure of a process gas
so that the process gas urges the contaminants to the outside via
the seals and thereby does not allow them to penetrate into the
process chamber. This is naturally associated with a high effort
and/or expense simply to provide the process gas under the required
overpressure. On the other hand, there are processes which
preferably have to be carried out at an underpressure. Such
processes can then not be carried out using a plant in accordance
with U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,888 B2 since the process chamber would be
contaminated via the leadthrough of the drive axle from the outside
and by abrasive or lubricant from the seal if it is operated at an
underpressure with respect to a pressure present outside the
process chamber.
[0016] Apparatus in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,888 B2 are
generally also not usable for cases in which the wafer should
rather be installed suspended beneath the holder for processing for
technical process reasons or for other reasons, for example, since
the drive axle naturally does not allow such an arrangement of the
wafer at the holder for purely geometrical reasons. The wafer must
generally be installed lying, at the top at the holder on the side
disposed opposite the drive axles in the process chamber.
[0017] A further disadvantage is that the arrangement demands a lot
of space with regard to the axial direction. This is a
disadvantage, in particular when apparatus should be operated, for
example in a clean room, which should be kept as small as possible
for known advantageous reasons, especially naturally also because a
corresponding surrounding atmosphere has to be maintained which
requires a correspondingly elaborate design from an apparatus
aspecthaving exhaust systems, filter means, pumps possible means
for creating a protective gas atmosphere in the clean room and so
forth. The larger the clean room is the more elaborate the
aforementioned means for the operation of the clean room have to be
designed and the more elaborate and expensive the corresponding
operation of the clean room also becomes.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0018] Starting from the prior at, it is therefore an object of the
invention to propose a treatment apparatus for treating a surface
of a body with at least two different treatment media, in
particular for treating a disk-shaped wafer which allows the
different treatment media used to be collected separately and
specifically to be resupplied to the treatment process for reuse.
In this respect, problems with the ring chambers movable in the
vertical direction known from the prior art should be avoided. The
treatment apparatus should be flexible and simple in use, and in
particular permit a simple and reliable exchange, automated where
possible, of the bodies to be treated.
[0019] The problems known from the prior art with the leadthroughs
of the drive motors should also be solved by the invention by
specific embodiments so that a hermetic sealing of the treatment
chamber is possible in a simpler and safer manner and the body to
be treated should be able to be installed either beneath or above a
rotatable holder. Furthermore, the treatment apparatus should be
carried out as space saving as possible so that this takes up as
little space as possible.
[0020] The subjects of the invention satisfying these objects are
characterized by the features of independent claim 1.
[0021] The dependent claims relate to particularly advantageous
embodiments of the invention.
[0022] The invention relates to a treatment apparatus for treating
a surface of a body with a first treatment medium and a second
treatment medium. in this respect, the treatment apparatus includes
a holding device rotatable about an axis of rotation for receiving
and holding the body and a rotary drive rotationally fixedly
coupled to the rotatable holding device as well as a supply device
for supplying the first treatment medium and the second treatment
medium to the surface of the body held in the holding device. The
treatment apparatus includes a collection container having a
separation element, which separation element divides the collection
container into a first chamber and into a second chamber such that
the first treatment medium can be collected in the first chamber
and the second treatment medium separately in the second chamber.
In accordance with the invention, the collection container includes
a base chamber part not movable with respect to the holding device
and the separation element is movably arranged between a first
position and a second position such that the first treatment medium
can be led off into the first chamber in the first position and the
second treatment medium can be led off into the second chamber in
the second position.
[0023] It is thus essential to the invention that the collection
container, specifically made as a ring chamber, has a base chamber
part which is not displaceable with respect to the holding device.
The collection container of the present invention is thus not a
collection container composed of a plurality of concentric ring
chambers as is known from the above-described prior art, but the
collection container of the present invention is rather a fixed,
non-displaceable collection container which includes a plurality of
chambers for the separate collection of the different treatment
media. It is not the ring chamber in total which is movable here,
but rather only the one separation element or the plurality of
separation elements present, wherein the separation element is
arranged movable between a first position and a second position
such that the first treatment medium can be led off into the first
chamber in the first position and the second treatment medium can
be led off into the second chamber in the second position.
[0024] A plurality of serious disadvantages of the apparatus known
from the prior art are thereby remedied at the same time. Since the
collection container is a single, integral collection container
which is no longer formed from a plurality of concentric ring
chambers which are movable with respect to one another and which
each singly have to be moved to and fro in the vertical direction
to be able to collect the different treatment media used
successively separately, all complicated mechanisms can be
dispensed with. The collection container in accordance with the
invention does not have to be moved together with the liquid
collected therein. Instead, only the much lighter separation
elements, which are much easier to guide, have to be moved which
moreover do not have to be guided directly with respect to one
another like the concentric ring spaces in the prior art. The
demands on the precision of the vertical guide mechanism are
thereby a lot smaller, the structure is less complex and thus less
expensive, less prone to disturbances and less
maintenance-intensive than the complicated structure with
vertically movable concentric ring spaces.
[0025] Since the collection container in accordance with the
invention, unlike the ring chambers in the prior art, are not
displaceable in total in the vertical direction, but rather have a
fixed vertical position, no problematic flexible output lines with
the initially described problems have to be used either. Relatively
inexpensive and robust, non-flexible lines, for example, lines made
from suitable metals or suitable plastics can rather be used as the
drain lines for leading off the treatment media from the
chambers.
[0026] As will be described in more detail further below, the
invention develops further very substantial advantages if, in a
specific embodiment, instead of a conventional drive such as in
already described in principle e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,888 B2,
a bearingless motor is used which is, however, not compulsory for
the present invention.
[0027] In practice, the non-displaceable base chamber part will
include a chamber bottom through which the first treatment medium
and the second treatment medium can be led from the collection
container, can preferably be led off via rigid outflow lines.
[0028] The separation element can in this respect in principle be
displaced by any suitable mechanism between the first position and
the second position. In a first embodiment, the separation element
is movable by means of a connecting rod between the first position
and the second position. The connecting rod can in this respect be
moved in a manner known per se, for example by means of a linear
motor, by means of a hydraulic or pneumatic piston, via a gear or
any in any other suitable manner by a drive between the first
position and the second position.
[0029] In another embodiment, the separation element can be made
movable by means of a spindle between the first position and the
second position. The separation element can thus, for example, have
an internal thread into which a threaded bar engages so that the
separation element is displaceable between the first position and
the second position by rotation of the threaded bar.
[0030] A stretchable bellows is preferably provided at the
separation element so that the separation element is movable
between the first position and the second position by means of the
stretchable bellows. For this purpose, the stretchable bellows can
have a pressurized fluid, for example air or oil, applied to it in
a manner known per se to generate a movement in a first direction.
The opposite movement can then be generated, for example, in that
the bellows is made so that it is under an elastic fore in the
opposite direction so that on the relief of pressure the movement
in the opposite direction is automatically generated.
[0031] The separation element itself can naturally also be formed
from a flexible wall in a presettable region or can include a
flexible section so that a movement can be generated between the
first position and the second position by stretching or compressing
the flexible wall or the flexible section.
[0032] In an embodiment particularly important for practice, the
rotatable holding device is provided in a process chamber which is
preferably a hermetically closable process chamber and can, for
example, have a process gas and/or a presettable process pressure
applied to it.
[0033] Very particularly preferably, the rotary drive itself, that
is the motor for driving the holding device, is provided within the
process chamber.
[0034] As already mentioned further above, the rotary drive in an
embodiment particularly important for practice is a magnetically
journalled motor, in particular a bearingless motor, including a
stator and a rotor contactlessly magnetically journalled with
respect to the stator. In this respect, the rotor of the rotary
drive advantageously simultaneously forms the holding device. In
this respect, the rotor is in practice frequently made as a more or
less narrow ring and the rotor can advantageously be permanently
magnetic. In this respect, the stator is particularly preferably
provided outside the process chamber, whereby space can
substantially be saved in the process chamber, on the one hand. On
the other hand, the rotatingly driving part of the rotary drive,
namely the rotor of the rotary drive, lies completely in the
interior of the process chamber, whereas all the other parts of the
rotary drive, in particular the stator with all the necessary
electrical connections and control devices, lie outside the process
chamber without a mechanical connection or an electrical line
connection being necessary between the driving rotor and the part
of the rotary drive lying outside the process chamber.
[0035] In this specific embodiment, the invention develops further
substantial advantages.
[0036] Since the actual rotary drive, namely the rotor of the
bearingless motor, lies completely within the process chamber and,
apart from the magnetic drive field generated by the stator, no
physical connection is necessary from the rotor to outside the
process chamber, a leadthrough in the bottom of the process
chamber, in which a drive axle has to be sealingly journalled, is
also no longer necessary. The bearingless motor of the present
invention, which is known as such per se to the skilled person,
namely manages completely without a drive axle. The above-described
problems with the seals or with abrasive or the giving off of very
fine quantities of lubricant from the bearing can thus not occur at
all since bearings are no longer necessary. The process chamber can
thus be hermetically closed in a simple manner in the operating
state. A contamination of the chamber interior can thus be
practically completely prevented without any larger technical
effort. The process chamber therefore also no longer necessarily
has to be exposed to an overpressure of a process gas. Processes
which preferably have to be carried out under an underpressure can
also be carried out without problems in a treatment apparatus in
accordance with the invention since leaking leadthroughs through
which gas could penetrate from the outside into the process chamber
are no longer present.
[0037] In particular, then when an especially space saving compact
design is required the stator can also be arranged within the
process chamber. Advantageously the stator is then arranged within
the moveable separation elements. For protection of the stator
against the treatment media which can, for example be physically or
chemically aggressive substances, such as acids, alkaline solutions
or also abrasively acting media, or media which are present at an
increased temperature, the stator is advantageously encapsulated,
preferably completely encapsulated, for example with PTFE, Teflon,
PVC, stainless steel, or any other protective material. When the
stator of the bearingless engine is arranged within the process
chamber this automatically has several advantages. On the one hand,
the air gap between the rotor and the stator can be minimized,
whereby an effective electromagnetic coupling between the rotor and
the stator can be achieved.
[0038] A further important advantage is that such a stator arranged
in the interior of the process chamber takes up comparatively
little space with regard to the axial direction. This means the
drive motor is extraordinarily flat and a plurality of process
chambers can be readily stacked on top of each other in a very
compact manner, as the drive motor has no components which project
beyond the process chamber in the axial direction. The drive motor
also does not take up additional space beyond the process chamber
in the radial direction, as it is arranged completely within the
process chamber with all components. This is of particularly
beneficial advantage when the treatment apparatus in accordance
with the invention should, for example, be operated in a clean room
which should advantageously be kept as small as possible as already
mentioned. By making use of a treatment device in accordance with
the invention having a stator arranged within, without a problem a
plurality of different process chambers can simultaneously be
arranged within a clean room and can, for example be stacked, with
the demand of space for the installation of the process chambers
being reduced within the clean room. These previously described
advantages are only fully possible with a bearingless motor in
accordance with the present invention, whose stator is arranged
within the process chamber.
[0039] In practice, a treatment apparatus in accordance with the
invention will frequently be used for treating a disk, in
particular a wafer, for manufacturing microelectronic components.
Examples of treatment processes important for practice are named
here as representatives for further possible processes:
chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP), the cleaning and/or
corroding of wafers or the removal of photoresist with solvents,
also called polymer removal, such as are e.g. mainly, but not only,
used in the semiconductor industry.
[0040] If a bearingless motor is used as the drive, the wafer can,
for example, alternatively also be installed suspended beneath the
holder for processing since a disturbing drive axle is no longer
present. The wafer thus generally no longer has to be installed
lying, at the top at the holder on the side disposed opposite the
drive axle in the process chamber.
[0041] In industrial practice, a treatment apparatus of the present
invention will include a manipulator, in particular a program
controlled robot unit, for automatically changing the body, wherein
a plurality of individual treatment chambers is preferably
provided, wherein advantageously one single manipulator and only
some few manipulators are provided to place the wafers
automatically and in a program controlled manner into the treatment
apparatus or to remove them from them.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0042] FIG. 1A shows a first embodiment with a bearingless motor
with an outflow of the first treatment medium into the first
chamber.
[0043] FIG. 1B shows the embodiment in accordance with Fig. 1a with
an outflow of the second treatment medium into the second
chamber.
[0044] FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment with three chambers.
[0045] FIG. 2A shows a further embodiment in accordance with FIG.
2A with a two-side medium application.
[0046] FIG. 3A shows a separation element driven by means of a
linear motor.
[0047] FIG. 3B shows a section in accordance with FIG. 3A along the
line A-A.
[0048] FIG. 4 shows a separation element driver by means of a
spindle.
[0049] FIG. 5 shows a separation element drive by means of
bellows.
[0050] FIGS. 6A-6D shows a processing sequence with a wafer
installed in a lying position.
[0051] FIGS. 7A-7D shows a processing sequence with a wafer
installed suspended.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0052] Before the essential aspects of the invention is looked at
in more detail in the following with reference to specific
embodiments, the function of the bearingless motor should first be
briefly explained as it is shown by way of example and
schematically in the following Figures.
[0053] Within the framework of this application, a bearingless
motor is to be understood as a motor which forms an electromagnetic
rotary drive and which includes a magnetic rotor, preferably a
permanent magnetically excited rotor, and a stator, wherein the
rotor is journalled in a contactless manner by means of magnetic
forces. The characteristic which gives the bearingless motor its
name is that is does not have any separate magnetic bearing for the
rotor. For this purpose, the stator is designed as a bearing stator
and drive stator and the rotor as a passively magnetic rotor which
serves both as a bearing rotor and as a drive rotor. The stator is
designed or is provided with electric windings such that it
generates an electromagnetic rotary field which, on the one hand,
exerts a torque onto the rotor which drives its rotation about the
axis of rotation and which, on the other hand, exerts a transverse
force which can be set as desired onto the rotor so that its radial
position with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis of
rotation can be preset or actively controlled. In the operating
state, the rotor is thus actively controllable or drivable by means
of the electric windings of the stator with respect to three
degrees of freedom, namely the rotation about the axis of rotation
and the radial position in the plane perpendicular to the axis of
rotation (two degrees of freedom).
[0054] With respect to three further degrees of freedom, namely
tilts with respect to the plane perpendicular to the axis of
rotation (two degrees of freedom) and the axial position, the rotor
is passively magnetic in the bearingless motors known from the
prior art, that is it is stabilized by reluctance forces in a
non-controllable manner. The rotor is thus both drivable and
journallable in a contactless manner in the operating state by the
magnetic interaction between the bearing/drive stator and the rotor
without separate magnetic bearings being present for this
purpose.
[0055] The term "bearingless motor with magnetic rotor" is to be
understood in this sense within the framework of this application.
With respect to further details of the embodiment and of the
control or regulation of the bearingless motor, reference is made
here e.g. to EP 0 986 162 or to WO-A-96/31934 in which such a
bearingless motor is disclosed for the example of a rotary pump.
Reference is in particular also made in this connection to WO
2009/132707 A1 which discloses a bearingless motor with a ring
rotor such as can preferably be used in the present invention.
[0056] In this respect the rotor can inter alia be made in the form
of a compact disk or also as a ring, that is with a cut-out at the
center. A rotor made as a ring is also particularly preferably used
in the present invention. In particular with large rotors, the
embodiment of the rotor as a ring above all has the advantage, in
addition to its specific magnetic properties, that such an annular
rotor naturally has much less weight than a disk-shaped rotor with
the same outer dimensions because a substantial quantity of
material is saved by the cut-out at the center of the rotor in the
annular rotor. In another respect, it is also possible on the use
of an annular rotor to apply a treatment medium to the body
supported by the annular rotor, specifically a wafer, for
manufacturing microelectronic components, successively or
simultaneously from both sides, such as is shown schematically, for
example, in FIG. 2A with respect to a special embodiment.
[0057] FIGS. 1A and 1B show in a schematic representation a first
embodiment of a treatment apparatus 1 in accordance with the
invention having a bearingless motor 6. In this respect, FIG. 1A
differs from FIG. 1B only in that in accordance with FIG. 1A the
first treatment medium 32 is led into the first chamber 81 in a
first workstep, whereas in FIG. 1A the first method step is already
concluded and a second method step is shown in which an outflow of
the second treatment medium 32 into the second chamber 82 is just
being shown.
[0058] The specific embodiment of a treatment apparatus 1 in
accordance with the invention for treating a surface 21 of a body 2
with a first treatment medium 31 and a second treatment medium 32
includes a holding device 5 rotatable about an axis of rotation 4
for receiving and holding the body 2 which in the present example
is a wafer 2 for manufacturing microelectronic components. The
treatment device 1 further includes a rotor 61 of the rotary drive
6, said rotor being rotationally fixedly coupled to the rotatable
holding device 5, as well as a supply device 7 which is made in the
form of a nozzle pair 7 in the embodiment of FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B,
and which is provided for supplying the first treatment medium 31
and the second treatment medium 32 to the surface 21 of the body 2
held in the holding device 5. In this respect, the treatment
apparatus 1 further includes a collection container 8 with a
separation element 80 at which a respective run-out cone 83 is
provided. The separation element 80 with the run-out cone 83
divides the collection container 8 into a first chamber 81 and into
a second chamber 82 such that the first treatment medium 31 can be
collected in the first chamber 81 and the second treatment medium
32 can be collected separately in the second chamber 82.
[0059] The treatment apparatus 1 in this respect includes in a
manner known per se a process chamber in which at least the rotor
61 of the bearingless motor with the wafer 2, the supply device 7
and the collection container 8 are accommodated, whereas the stator
62 is preferably arranged, as shown in the Figures, outside the
process chamber. For reasons of clarity, the explicit
representation of the process chamber was omitted in the
Figures.
[0060] In this respect, the run-out cones 83 at the separation
element 80 are admittedly advantageous, but not absolutely
necessary. If, for example, the wafer is rotated at a very high
speed, it is also possible that the liquid 31, 32 hurled away from
the wafer is generally hurled up to the separation element 80
furthest away and therefore automatically lands in the correct
chamber 81, 82 even without a run-out cone 83 if only the height of
the separation elements 80 is suitably selected.
[0061] In accordance with the invention, the collection container 8
includes a base chamber part 800 not displaceable with respect to
the holding device 5 and having a chamber bottom 801, and the
separation element 80 with the run-out cone 83 is arranged movable
between a first position A and a second position B such that A in
accordance with FIG. 1A the first treatment medium 31 can be led
off into the first chamber 81 in the first position and B in
accordance with FIG. 1B the second treatment medium 32 can be led
off into the second chamber 82 in the second position.
[0062] To be able to supply the treatment media 31, 32 to the two
concentrically arranged chambers 81, 82 after one another, the
run-out cones 83 of the different separation elements 80 are
designed differently and the separation elements 80 are separately
displaceable in the vertical direction along the axis of rotation 4
in accordance with the representation such that each run-out cone
83 of each camera 81, 82 can be placed by a suitable control of the
vertical positions of the separation elements 80 after one another
with respect to the wafer such that the just used treatment medium
31, 32 can be led off into the provided chamber 81, 82.
[0063] So that the treatment media 31, 32, which are often very
expensive, can be reused, the chambers 81, 82 are connected via
lines to a recycling plant which is made up of two collection tanks
V in which the first treatment medium 31 and the second treatment
medium 32 are collected separately, are supplied from there in each
case to a pump P which supplied the two treatment media 31, 32,
separately in each case, to a filter F and to a heater H from where
the treatment media 31, 32 processed in this manner again are
supplied for reuse to the supply line 7 again.
[0064] It is self-explanatory in this respect that the invention is
not restricted to treatment apparatus 1 with which only two
different treatment media 31, 32 can be separately collected. A
second embodiment in accordance with FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B
respectively having three chambers is thus shown schematically with
reference to FIG. 2 with which three different treatment media can
be separately collected. The skilled person immediately understands
how the treatment chamber 1 is to be modified so that four or even
more different treatment media can also be separately
collected.
[0065] It is also possible, as already mentioned further above,
that the wafer 2 has the treatment medium 31, 32 applied from both
sides and is processed on both sides. This is possible in
accordance with FIG. 2A in that an annular rotor 61 is used,
wherein a further supply device 70, in addition to the supply
device 7 which is above the wafer 2, is arranged beneath the wafer
2 on the oppositely disposed side. A further collection container
is preferably provided in this respect for collecting the treatment
medium 31, 32 applied to the wafer 2 from below, said further
collection container not being shown explicitly in FIG. 2A for
reasons of clarity. This means, when an annular rotor 61 is used,
it is also possible to apply a treatment medium 31, 32 to the body
2 supported by the annular rotor 61, specifically a wafer 2, for
manufacturing microelectronic components, successively or
simultaneously from both sides, as is shown by way of example in
FIG. 2A with reference to a specific embodiment.
[0066] The displacement of the separation element 80 between
position A and position B can in this respect be technically
realized in any suitable manner. Only some possible technical
solutions are outlined by way of example with reference to FIG. 3A
and FIG. 3B respectively and to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. The skilled
person immediately understands that other solutions of equal effect
are also possible and are also covered by the present
invention.
[0067] In the example of FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B respectively, which
shows a section along the line A-A in accordance with FIG. 3A, an
embodiment is shown in which the separation element 80 is driven,
for example, by means of a linear motor not shown explicitly. The
chamber 81 shown is bounded by the fixed chamber wall 8100 and the
chamber 82 is bounded by the fixed chamber wall 8200 in the
vertical direction in accordance with the illustration. The
connecting rod 84 is arranged between the chamber walls 8100 and
8200, is drivable via the linear motor, not shown, and is connected
to the run-off cone 83 such that the separation element 80 together
with the run-off cone 83 is displaceable between position A and
position B by means of the connecting rod 84.
[0068] A similar solution is shown with respect to FIG. 4 in which
no connecting rod 84 is provided for displacing the separation
element 80, but rather a spindle 85 having an external thread and
cooperating with an internal thread which is provided in a borehole
87 of the separation element 80. The spindle 85 is in this respect
rotationally fixedly connected to a rotary drive, not shown
explicitly, so that the separation element 80 can be pushed into
position A by rotating the spindle 85 in one of the two directions
and can be pushed into position B by rotating the spindle 85 in the
opposite direction.
[0069] In accordance with FIG. 5, there is also the possibility of
moving the separation element 80 to and fro between position A and
position B by means of a bellows 86. If the bellows 86 is exposed
to a pressure D, for example, to compressed air under pressure B,
the elastic bellows 86 is extended in a manner known per se and the
separation element 80 is pushed with the run-off cone 83 upwardly
into position A in accordance with the illustration. If the
interior of the bellows is again relieved of the pressure D, the
bellows previously elastically stretched by the pressure D
contracts again back to its position of rest, whereby the
separation element 80 is conveyed back into position B.
[0070] Finally, another respective complete processing sequence is
shown schematically with reference to FIG. 6A to 6D and to FIG. 7A
to 7D respectively for processing a wafer 2 in a processing
apparatus 1 in accordance with the invention.
[0071] In this respect, the processing sequence of FIG. 6A to FIG.
6B only differs from that of FIG. 7A to FIG. 7B in that in the
embodiment of FIG. 6 a processing apparatus is used in which the
wafer 2 is arranged in a lying position, that is above the rotor 61
in accordance with the illustration, whereas the wafer 2 in the
example of FIG. 7 is arranged suspended, that is beneath the rotor
in accordance with the illustration.
[0072] In a first processing step (FIG. 6A and 7A respectively),
the wafer 2 is first treated by a first processing medium which is
led off into the inner chamber in accordance with the illustration.
For this purpose, all the separation elements 80 with the run-off
cone 83 are in position A. In accordance with FIG. 6B and FIG. 7B
respectively, the innermost separation element 80 with the run-off
cone 83 is then displaced into position B so that in a second
processing step the second processing medium is led into the center
chamber.
[0073] FIG. 6C and FIG. 7C respectively finally show a final third
workstep in which the wafer 2 is coated with a third processing
medium, e.g. with a lacquer. For this purpose, the two innermost
separation elements 80 are in the lower position B so that the
third coating medium is led off into the outermost chamber in
accordance with the illustration.
[0074] In FIG. 6D and FIG. 7D respectively all the separation
elements 80 with the run-off cone 83 are in the lower position B.
This allows a robot M automatically to remove the completely
processed wafer 2 from the now open process chamber (not shown) and
to load the process chamber with a new wafer 2 for a next complete
processing sequence.
[0075] It is understood that all the above-described embodiments of
the invention are only to be understood as examples or by way of
example and that the invention in particular, but not only,
includes all suitable combinations of the described
embodiments.
* * * * *