JPH0377347A - Method for aligning facet of wafer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To execute a whole cleaning operation by using a cleaning chemical, to be of a solid structure and to enhance a production efficiency by a method wherein a first roller and a second roller are arranged in the same casing and the second roller is situated in a position which is somewhat higher than that of the first roller. CONSTITUTION:A first roller 21 and a second roller 22 are attached detachably in a casing 10; a bearing 10a for the first roller 21 is situated in a casing position which is somewhat lower than that of a bearing 10b for the second roller 22. When a wafer cassette 5 whose facets 6a are irregular is placed on the side of the first roller 21 and the roller 21 is turned, individual wafers 6 are turned inside comb-shaped thin sheets 5a and 5b. When the facets 6a come to the first roller, they are arranged downward. When the facets 6a are arranged, the wafer cassette 5 is moved to the side of the second roller 22 and the second roller 22 is turned. When the facets 6a have reached a desired position, their turning operation is stopped. In this manner, the facets can be aligned freely.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for aligning facets provided on a semiconductor wafer.

[Conventional technology]

Figures 3-A and 313 are cross-sectional views showing the conventional facet alignment method, in which (1) is the facet aligner housing, (2) is a cylindrical roller that connects the housing (1) to the central bearing (Ia). It is fitted and rotated by hand or by a motor. (3) is a float plate with a coil spring (4
a), (4b), (4C) and (4d) and (4e), (4,f)-(4g) and (4g) in the same way towards the back side of this drawing.
h), and one of these is supported.

(5) is a wafer cassette, which holds a large number of semiconductor wafers (6) at equal intervals (provided with comb-shaped groove plates (5a) and (5b) I), each of which is fixed by a bar (5C). The interval is fixed.

Now, in manufacturing semiconductor devices, in order to burn a predetermined circuit pattern on a semiconductor wafer or to divide the wafer into individual chips, some sort of positioning part is essential for the semiconductor wafer, and usually the semiconductor wafer is crystallized. The notch at the position f in consideration of the direction, that is, the Noah set (6a
) are provided at one or two locations, but it is necessary to align these facets in a certain direction throughout the manufacturing process.

The conventional facet aligner first maintains the float plate (3) at the upper limit position as shown in Figure 3-A, and then moves the wafer cassette (5).
) and rotate the roller (2) in any direction.

Then, at the position where 7γ set (6a) has reached the lower limit, now
6) is caught on the lower end of the comb-shaped groove that does not lose its frictional force with the roller (2), thereby achieving so-called downward facet alignment.

Next, when the wafer cassette (5) is pushed down, the fleet plate (3) is lowered, and the facets (6a) and rollers (
When the friction with 2) is restored and the roller is rotated in this state, the facets (6a) can be aligned laterally or upwardly.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional facet alignment method, when aligning the facets (6a) horizontally or upwardly, the float plate (3)
Because it is difficult to hold the wafer cassette (5) using sticky metal springs (4a) to (4h) or to hold down the wafer cassette (5), a motor is used to rotate the roller (2). It needed a drive.

However, during the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, especially during the thermal diffusion of impurities, the wafer (6) must not be brought into contact with anything other than parts whose cleanliness has been confirmed before it is introduced into the diffusion apparatus. This is because the substance adhering to the wafer (6) contaminates the surface of the rewafer (6) which is simultaneously diffused into the wafer (6), causing pattern defects.

For this reason, the facet aligner should be cleaned regularly and its cleanliness should be checked, and NHsOH + HiO
A strong acid-alkali such as *, Hcl + HNOs, etc. is used.

However, the facet aligner using the metal component described above has the drawback that it cannot be cleaned sufficiently.

Furthermore, when horizontally or downwardly aligning, the float height tends to be incorrect, and accuracy is often lacking.

This invention solves these drawbacks, and its purpose is to enable complete washing with cleaning chemicals.

Another object of the present invention is to obtain a wafer facet alignment method that has a robust structure with less deviation and can further improve production efficiency.

[Means to solve the problem]

In the facet alignment method according to the present invention, first and second rollers are arranged in the same housing, and the roller @2 is set at a position slightly higher than the first roller.

[Function] The roles of the first and second rollers in this invention are shared, and the position of the first roller is fixed where the facets are facing downward, and the position of the second roller is fixed where the facets are facing horizontally or downwardly. The wafer cassette is fixed in the upward direction (fixed at this point), so the structure is simple - the operator can place the wafer cassette in the 10th position.
All you have to do is replace the space between the -r and the 20th -r.

[Embodiments of the invention]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing one embodiment of the present invention.
The 10th-Ra01. ) and the 20th roller 122 are detachably attached, and the bearing (10a) for the 10th roller (2D) is located at a somewhat lower position than the bearing (10b) for the 20th roller. In this case, the wafer cassette (5) with uneven facets (6a) is first placed in the 10th-
Place it on the Ra (], Oa) side and press the 10th Ra c! 1
When 1 is rotated by hand, each wafer (
6) rotates within the comb-shaped groove plates (5a) and (5b), and when the facet (6a) comes to the 10th roller, the frictional force is lost and the facet (6a) is aligned downward.

Now, when aligning the facets (6a) laterally or upwardly, move the wafer cassette (5) further to the 20th-larger side, and similarly rotate the 20th-larger □□□ by hand.

At this time, the rotation of the 20th roller (2) may be stopped when the facet (6a) reaches the desired position. In this way, facet alignment can be performed freely. Furthermore, the 20th-
The diameter of the 10th lar may be made larger than that of the 10th lar.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a main part showing another embodiment of the present invention, in which two wafer cassettes (5) are arranged in a bottom row and facet alignment is performed simultaneously. in this case,(
200) is a stepped roller, and when the facet (6a) is directed downward, it is processed relatively on the side of the small mouth shuttle (210),
- Once the wafer cassettes (6a) are aligned downward, the entire wafer cassette l-f51 can be processed using the roller on the relatively large-diameter portion (220).The design of the present invention is simple in configuration and operation, so the component parts can be easily removed. Easy to make from chemical resistant materials. All of these are fluororesins such as Teflon, polyetheretherketone, and polyamide.

Since it can be manufactured from plastic such as high-density polyethylene, the facet aligner can be washed periodically or temporarily, and facet alignment can be performed without contaminating the wafer (6).

In the above embodiment, when the wafer cassettes are arranged in series, one of the cassettes is made coaxial, but the effect is the same even if the wafer cassettes are arranged independently.

By the way, in this specification, a semiconductor wafer is described, but other substrates having a similar configuration, such as a sapphire substrate, a glass substrate, and a crystal substrate, can also be used.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention has the effect that facet alignment can be easily performed and the cleaning performance is excellent due to the simple and robust structure of placing two rollers on the same housing.

Furthermore, by using two rollers coaxially, it is possible to align the wafer cassettes in series and simultaneously perform facet alignment within the two cassettes.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view of a facet aligner showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of main parts of the facet aligner showing another embodiment of the present invention. 3-A and 3-B are front sectional views of a conventional facet aligner. In the figure - (5) is a wafer cassette, (5a) and (5b) are comb-shaped groove plates, (6) is a wafer (6a) is a facet (!
0 is the housing, (2fl l-!10th-ler, is the 20th
- It is ra. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] When aligning the facets of wafers in a wafer cassette having opposing comb-shaped grooves, a rotating roller is set at a first position on the same housing to rotate the wafer and align the facets of the wafer downward; Next, in the second position, the rotating roller is set at a position somewhat higher than the rotating roller in the first position, and the wafer cassette is placed in the second position, and the face aligner of the wafer is oriented upward or sideways. A wafer facet alignment method characterized by aligning wafers.