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JP-7857048-B2 - Apparatus and method for drying and/or purifying pot-shaped hollow containers, particularly those used for transporting semiconductor wafers or EUV lithography masks.

JP7857048B2JP 7857048 B2JP7857048 B2JP 7857048B2JP-7857048-B2

Inventors

  • シュイーンレ、フランク

Assignees

  • ゲーエスエーツェー ジャーマン セミコンダクター イクイップメント カンパニー ゲーエムベーハー

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20230214
Priority Date
20220506

Claims (15)

  1. In particular, an apparatus (10) for drying and/or purifying a pot-shaped hollow body (12), which is a transport container for semiconductor wafers or EUV lithography masks, - The hollow body (12) includes a hollow body wall (14) that forms the inner surface (16) and the outer surface (22) of the hollow body, and the inner surface (16) defines the internal space (17) of the hollow body. - The hollow body (12) has a hollow body opening (18) surrounded by the hollow body wall (14), through which the internal space (17) of the hollow body is accessible. The aforementioned device (10) - Device wall (34) and, - The first holding means (30) can interact with the device (10) to hold the hollow body (12), - An exhaust device (60) for applying a vacuum to the internal space (17) of the hollow body, and/or - A conveying device (66) for transporting the cleaning fluid through the internal space (17) of the hollow body, - A replacement member (48) is provided which can be introduced into the internal space (17) of the hollow body through the hollow body opening (18), - The device wall (34) is releasably connectable to each other and has a first wall portion (36) and a second wall portion (38) that surround the internal space (40) of the device when connected. - The first holding means (30) includes a holding surface (32), - The first wall portion (36) forms the holding surface (32) that at least partially defines the internal space (40) of the device, - The apparatus (10) is characterized by comprising at least one fluid conduction device (46) that can conduct the cleaning fluid from the internal space (17) of the hollow body to the external surface (22) of the hollow body.
  2. The replacement member (48) is a through hole (50), - When the replacement member (48) is introduced into the internal space (17) of the hollow body, it is open to the internal space (17) of the hollow body. - Through this, the cleaning fluid can be transported into the internal space (17) of the hollow body, and/or a vacuum can be applied to the internal space (17) of the hollow body. The apparatus (10) according to claim 1, characterized by having a through hole (50).
  3. - The apparatus (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the replacement member (48) is releasably connectable to the apparatus wall (34) or is formed integrally with the apparatus wall (34).
  4. The apparatus (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a vacuum can be applied to the internal space (17) of the hollow body and/or the internal space (40) of the apparatus by using the fluid conduction device (46).
  5. The apparatus (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that the hollow body (12) has a cover (24) by which the hollow body opening (18) can be closed, and the apparatus (10) has a second retaining means (52) by which the cover (24) can be releasably fastened to the apparatus wall (34).
  6. The apparatus (10) according to claim 5, characterized in that the cover (24) has an inner surface (26) and an outer surface (28), and the apparatus (10) comprises a gripping and moving device (54) to which the cover (24) can be connected to the second holding means (52) such that the outer surface (28) of the cover faces the outer surface (22) of the hollow body.
  7. The apparatus (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one rectifier (70) is arranged in the internal space (40) of the apparatus, thereby enabling the flow of the cleaning fluid to be conducted into the internal space (40) of the apparatus.
  8. - The hollow body wall (14) forms an edge surface (20) surrounding the hollow body opening (18), The apparatus (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first retaining means (30) includes a locking device (33) by which the hollow body (12) can be sealed and connected to the edge surface (20) and releasably connected to the retaining surface (32).
  9. The apparatus (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the substitution member (48) has a heating device (98) by which the hollow body (12) can be heated for drying.
  10. The apparatus (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that the heating device (98) includes several infrared diodes (102).
  11. The apparatus (10) according to claim 10, characterized in that the replacement member (48) has a reflective surface that reflects infrared radiation emitted by the infrared diode.
  12. - The replacement member (48) surrounds the hollow space (92) accessible by the through opening (94), - The apparatus (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the heating device (98) is arranged in the hollow space.
  13. The apparatus (10) according to claim 12, characterized in that the replacement member (48) is made of a material that transmits infrared radiation, or contains such material.
  14. A method for purifying a pot-shaped hollow body (12), which is a transport container for semiconductor wafers or EUV lithography masks, using the apparatus (10) described in claim 1, - The first holding means (30) interacts with the hollow body wall (14), - The step of introducing the replacement member (48) into the internal space (17) of the hollow body, - A step of applying a vacuum to the internal space (17) of the hollow body by an exhaust device (60), and/or, A method comprising the step of transporting a cleaning fluid through the internal space (17) of the hollow body by a transport device (66).
  15. - The hollow body (12) has a cover (24) having an inner surface (26) and an outer surface (28) of the cover, which can thereby close the opening (18) of the hollow body. - The aforementioned device (10) - Device wall (34) and, - The cover (24) is thereby releasably fastened to the device wall (34) by a second retaining means (52), - It has a gripping and moving device (54) and The method described above is The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of using the gripping and moving device (54) to releasably fasten the cover by the second holding means (52) such that the outer surface of the cover (28) faces the outer surface of the hollow body wall (14).

Description

This invention relates particularly to an apparatus and method for drying and/or purifying a pot-shaped hollow container, which is a transport container for semiconductor wafers or EUV lithography masks. The manufacturing of highly integrated semiconductor circuits and other delicate semiconductor components today involves numerous processing steps in factories, where so-called semiconductor wafers undergo a wide range of steps. Most of these processing steps are performed in cleanrooms, where considerable effort is required to maintain a contaminant-free environment, particularly free of particles. Such complex processing is necessary because contact between particles and the semiconductor material of the wafer can affect the material properties, potentially rendering the entire production batch unusable and requiring disposal. As semiconductor circuit integration density increases, maintaining cleanliness becomes increasingly important. Since the effort required to maintain cleanliness increases exponentially with the size of the cleanroom, semiconductor wafers are not transported "open" from one processing station to the next. Instead, special transport containers (so-called FOUPs (front-opening unified pods)) are used. These are understood as box-shaped transport containers into which numerous semiconductor wafers are inserted. FOUPs are typically closed with a removable cover. Without the cover, the FOUP has a basic pot-like shape with a rectangular base. When the FOUP is closed, the inserted semiconductor wafers can be transported from one cleanroom to another while protected from the environment. When the FOUP reaches the processing station, it is opened, the semiconductor wafers are removed, and they are processed there. After processing, the semiconductor wafers are returned to the FOUP and then transported to the next processing station. Contamination of semiconductor wafers results in prolonged production downtime, making it necessary to periodically purify the FOUP (Fill-Off Processing Unit) with a purification fluid. The FOUP is particularly contaminated by wear particles from semiconductor wafers during introduction into and removal from the FOUP. The same applies to transport containers for EUV (extreme ultraviolet radiation) lithography masks. EUV lithography masks are used to manufacture extremely small integrated circuits. Like semiconductors, EUV lithography masks need to be transported, and similar situations arise. When FOUP is mentioned below, the description applies equally to transport containers for EUV lithography masks. Apparatus for purifying FOUP is known, for example, from U.S. Patent No. 5,238,703 (U.S., A), U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0046760 (U.S., A1), U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0102015 (U.S., A1), International Publication No. 2005/001888 (W.S., A2), and European Patent No. 1899084 (EP.S., B1). Such a purification system purifies the FOUP (Fuel-Oil Purification Unit) both internally and externally. Generally, the FOUP is more contaminated externally than internally. As a result, the purification fluid accumulates particles from both the external and internal surfaces during the purification process. Therefore, particles can be transported from the external to the internal surface. However, satisfactory purification results are only achieved when the particle count is reduced to a certain value or lower. To ensure sufficient particle removal by particles originating from the external surface, the purification process must be carried out for a correspondingly long duration. Once the purification process is complete, a vacuum acting on the exterior and/or interior surfaces may be applied. Applying a sufficiently high vacuum helps remove any residual purification fluid remaining on the surfaces of the hollow body and cover as a result of the purification process in the purification device. Furthermore, moisture diffuses into the microscopic pores on the surfaces of the hollow body and cover due to capillary action. This moisture can also be removed by vacuum, and drying is possible at a microscopic level. However, applying a sufficiently high vacuum is a relatively energy-intensive and cumbersome procedure, making the purification process more expensive and prolonged. U.S. Patent No. 5,238,703 (U.S., A)U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0046760 (US, A1)U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0102015 (US, A1)International Publication No. 2005/001888 (WO, A2)European Patent No. 1899084 (EP, B1) This figure shows the steps for operating the apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.This figure shows the steps for operating the apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.This figure shows the steps for operating the apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.This figure shows the steps for operating the apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.This fi