Cleaning apparatus for cleaning reverse surface of semiconductor wafer

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is the object of the invention to provide a cleaning apparatus capable of cleaning the reverse surface of a semiconductor wafer without spinning the wafer.
Here, the "reverse surface" is the surface opposite to the major surface on which semiconductor treatments are performed to form a major region of a semiconductor device or chip.
Although the semiconductor treatments include coating, exposure, and development of a resist, forming of semiconductor films or oxide films, and etching, etc.
, only the treatments to a resist will be referred to in the embodiments described hereinbelow.
According to the present invention there is provided a cleaning apparatus for cleaning a reverse surface of a semiconductor wafer reverse to a major surface thereof to be subjected to semiconductor treatments, comprising: a pair of holders for holding the wafer therebetween such that the wafer is kept substantially horizontal with the major surface directed upward; holder driving means for moving the holders close to each other and away from each other in a horizontal direction; first supply means for supplying cleaning liquid to the reverse surface of the wafer held by the holders; washing means for removing, with the use of the cleaning liquid, a contaminant from the reverse surface of the wafer held by the holders; and second supply means for supplying a drying gas to the reverse surface of the wafer held by the holders.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.