Patent ID: 6732750
Filing Date: 2004-05-11
Classification: B08B,H01L,Y10S

Abstract:
A semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus comprising:a loading unit having a wafer cassette, said cassette being configured to support a plurality of semiconductor wafers horizontally as parallel to an X-Y plane; a first wafer moving mechanism movable along the direction of a Y-axis in said X-Y plane towards and away from said cassette to extract wafers from said cassette, said first wafer moving mechanism comprising a pad configured to support the wafers, and a revolving body to which said pad is connected, said revolving body being rotatable about an X-axis perpendicular to said Y-axis and also lying in said X-Y plane, whereby rotation of said revolving body about said X-axis from a first position to a second position elevates the wafers supported by said pad and orients the wafers vertically; an inner bath spaced apart from said loader along the direction of said X-axis, and in which the semiconductor wafers are cleaned with a cleaning solution; a marangoni dryer including a hood that is movable along the direction of said X-axis and vertically along the direction of a Z-axis that is orthogonal to said X- and Y- axes, said hood being supported above said inner bath, wherein downward movement of said hood along the direction of said Z-axis can bring said hood against the inner bath in a sealed engagement therewith, and upward movement of said hood along the direction of said Z-axis can space said hood vertically above said inner bath; and a knife that supports the semiconductor wafers loaded into the inner bath at a lower portion of the inner bath, and is movable along the direction of said Z-axis to raise and lower the semiconductor wafers supported thereon relative to said inner bath.