JP2001162233A - Washing method, washing and drying method and work feed apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To wash a flat plate-shaped work such as a magnetic disk or the like to a high washing degree. SOLUTION: A plurality of untreated works W are respectively mounted on holding members 32 for holding the works W through the through-holes of them and fed in washing treatment tanks 14a-14f while held by the holding members 32 to be washed and the washed works W are fed in a drying treatment tank 15 while held by the holding members 32 to be dried and the dried works W are detached from the holding members 32. The works W are fed in such a state that they are held through the through-holes thereof by the holding members 32 to be washed and dried. At a time of washing, a washing liquid is directly sprayed on the surfaces of the works W and, at a time of drying, the works W are directly exposed to a drying atmosphere.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning method and a cleaning / drying method having a cleaning step of cleaning a flat work having a through hole such as a magnetic disk substrate, and a work to be subjected to a cleaning processing. The present invention relates to a work transfer device for transferring.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a magnetic disk used as a storage medium for a computer is made of a material made of aluminum alloy or glass, and has a flat substrate having a through hole at the center, that is, a magnetic disk substrate. Later, it is manufactured by performing various surface treatments on the surface thereof. The surface treatment includes grinding, polishing, sputtering and plating.
After these processes are performed, the surface of the work is cleaned.

[0003] In order to perform such cleaning of a work, conventionally, as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-22411, a large number of works are accommodated in a container called a carrier and the cleaning liquid is filled in the container. Scrub cleaning is performed by a cleaning brush while transporting.

[0004]

However, if the work in the container is washed while housed in the container, especially when dip washing immersed in the washing solution is performed, the wraparound of the washing solution is sufficient. There was no limit to the degree of cleaning.

An object of the present invention is to enable a flat work such as a magnetic disk to be cleaned with a high degree of cleaning.

[0006]

A cleaning method according to the present invention is a cleaning method in which a flat work having a through hole is carried into a cleaning apparatus to perform a cleaning process. Attaching to a holding member held on the inner surface of the
The method includes a step of carrying the unprocessed work into the cleaning apparatus while holding the work by the holding member, and a step of removing the processed work from the holding member.

In the cleaning / drying method of the present invention, a flat work having a through-hole is carried into a cleaning apparatus to perform a cleaning process, and the cleaned work is carried into a drying apparatus to perform a drying process. A method, comprising: mounting an unprocessed work on a holding member that holds the inner surface of each of the through holes; and loading the unprocessed work into the cleaning processing apparatus while holding the unprocessed work by the holding member. A step of carrying out a cleaning process, a step of carrying the workpiece after the cleaning process into the drying processing apparatus while holding the workpiece by the holding member and performing a drying process, and a step of removing the workpiece after the drying process from the holding member. It is characterized by.

In the cleaning / drying method of the present invention, a plurality of flat workpieces having through holes are carried into a cleaning device to perform a cleaning process, and the cleaned workpiece is carried into a drying device to carry out the drying process. Cleaning and drying method, wherein a plurality of unprocessed works are mounted on a holding member that holds the upright state in contact with the inner surface of each of the through holes, and the unprocessed work is mounted on the holding member. Carrying in the washing processing apparatus in a state where it is held by the above, performing a washing process, carrying in the drying processing apparatus in a state where the work after the washing process is held by the holding member, and performing a drying process; Removing the work from the holding member.

In the cleaning and drying method according to the present invention, the workpiece is transported, cleaned and dried while keeping the workpiece held by the holding member from tilting by a predetermined amount or more. I do.

A work transfer device according to the present invention is a work transfer device for transferring a plurality of flat work pieces having through holes, wherein a plurality of works are in contact with the inner surfaces of the respective through holes and are set up. A holding member which is held by the transfer means and is conveyed by the conveying means, and a stopper which contacts the surface of the work when the work held by the holding member is inclined by a predetermined amount so that the work is not tilted by a predetermined amount or more. It is characterized by the following.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a washing and drying apparatus to which a washing and drying method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line A, and FIG. 4 is a side view taken along line BB in FIG.

This washing and drying apparatus has an apparatus main body 11, a carry-in section 12 arranged at one end thereof, and a carry-out section 13 arranged at the other end thereof.
Six cleaning tanks 14a to 14f and one drying processing tank 15 are incorporated in 1a.

Pure water is supplied to each of the cleaning tanks, and vibration of a predetermined frequency is applied to the pure water by vibrators provided in each of the cleaning tanks. For example, four cleaning tanks 14a to 14
In 14d, vibration of a frequency of 132 kHz or more is applied, and in the two downstream cleaning tanks 14e and 14f, vibration of a frequency of 1 MHz or more is applied. In each of the cleaning tanks, the work W moves vertically. The cleaning process is performed while reciprocating. The drying treatment tank 15 sprays a vapor of IPA (isopropyl alcohol) onto the work, and the surface of the work is dried by a vapor layer of IPA.

The loading section 12 has a loading conveyor 16a which moves in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1, and the loading conveyor 16a is disposed submerged in a water tank 17 containing pure water. A cassette 1 for accommodating a predetermined number of magnetic disk substrates as works W
8a is conveyed by the carry-in conveyor 16a in the direction shown by the arrow.

The unloading section 13 has an unloading conveyor 16b which moves in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1, and a cassette 18b accommodating the same number of works W as the unloading section is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow by the unloading conveyor 16b. It is designed to be transported.

A processing conveyor 2 is provided in the housing 11a.
1, the processing conveyor 21 has an advancing portion along each of the above-described cleaning tanks 14a to 14f and the drying processing tank 15, and a return portion on the opposite side, and has a loop shape as a whole. ing. Work transfer carriers, ie, work transfer jigs 22, are mounted on the processing conveyor 21 at predetermined intervals, and the respective work transfer jigs 22 circulate at predetermined pitches as indicated by arrows. ing. In the case shown in FIG.
Although the plurality of work transfer jigs 22 are mounted, any number of work transfer jigs can be mounted.

A work transfer device 23 is provided between the carry-in section 12 and the apparatus main body 11, and all the unprocessed works in the cassette 18a can be moved at once by the work transfer jig 22 by the work transfer device 23. It is designed to be attached to. On the other hand, a work transfer machine 24 is provided between the apparatus main body 11 and the unloading unit 13, and the work after the drying process is removed from the work transfer jig 22 to the unloading unit 13 at a time by the work transfer machine 24. It is supposed to be.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show one of the work transfer jigs 22 in an enlarged scale.
Has a support bracket 31 attached to and moved by the processing conveyor 21. The support bracket 31 extends horizontally and has a rod-shaped holding member 3.
2 are installed. As shown in FIG. 4, the holding member 32 has a core portion 33 made of a round bar and a collar portion 34 fitted outside the core portion 33.
Twenty-five cutouts 35 are formed in accordance with the number of works accommodated in the cassettes 18a and 18b. Therefore, in the case shown in the drawing, the 25 workpieces W are held by the holding member 32 in a state where the inner surface of the through hole H formed in the center portion comes into contact with the holding member 32 and stands upright.

The support bracket 31 is provided with a vertically movable bracket 36 so as to be vertically movable.
6 is provided with two bar members 37 and 38. Each bar 37, 38 is parallel to the holding member 32, and 26 disk-shaped stoppers 41 are attached at predetermined intervals. A part of the outer peripheral portion of the work W held on the inner surface by the holding member 32 enters the gap between the adjacent stoppers 41, and the work W comes into contact with the stopper 41 when the work W is inclined by a predetermined amount. Work W is more than fixed amount
Is not tilted.

By moving the vertically moving bracket 36 upward so as to separate from the holding member 32, the cassette 18a
Thus, the unprocessed work W can be mounted on the holding member 32, and the processed work can be taken out of the holding member 32 into the cassette 18b.

Next, a procedure for cleaning and drying the surface of the work W using the above-described cleaning and drying apparatus will be described.

The work W is a magnetic disk substrate after the polishing process is completed and before the sputtering process is performed. The work W after the polishing process is housed in the cassette 18a and carried into the upstream end of the carry-in conveyor 16a. Transported downstream. Cassette 18a conveyed by carry-in conveyor 16a to the carry-in position with respect to processing conveyor 21
Is lifted by a lifter (not shown), and is moved in the horizontal direction by the work transfer machine 23.

An empty work transfer jig 22 holding no work W is located at this carry-in position. When the cassette 18a is horizontally moved by the work transfer machine 23, the holding member 32 of the work transfer jig 22 is held. Penetrates through the through holes H of all unprocessed works W in the cassette 18a, and all the works W are held by the holding members 32 on the inner surfaces of the through holes H. At this time, the vertical movement bracket 36 is moved up so that the stopper 41 does not interfere with the work W.

When the vertical movement bracket 36 is moved down while the work W is held by the holding member 32 while being in contact with the inner surface of the through hole H, the upper end of the work W is inserted into the gap between the stoppers 41. Part of the part enters, and the work W is prevented from falling down. Thus, the process of mounting the predetermined number of works W on the holding member 32 is completed.

When the processing conveyor 21 is operated after the mounting process is completed, the work W held upright on the holding member 32 is transferred to the cleaning tank 14a. In the cleaning tank 14a, the work W is cleaned by pure water to which vibration is applied while reciprocating up and down by the holding member 32.

The work W which has been subjected to the cleaning process for a predetermined time in the cleaning tank 14a is sequentially held by the processing conveyor 21 while being held by the holding member 32.
After being transported from b to the cleaning tank 14f and subjected to the cleaning process, it is transported to the drying processing tank 15 and dried.

In this way, the workpiece W after the cleaning and drying processes is conveyed by the processing conveyer 21 to the position of the carry-out end while being held by the holding member 32. As described above, when the cleaning process, the drying process, and the transport are performed, the through holes H formed in the work W are used,
Since the work is held by the holding member 32 at that portion, the work is not covered by the cassette or the like, and the cleaning process is performed in a state where the work is directly exposed to the cleaning liquid. Therefore, these processes can be performed efficiently. Even if the work W is tilted by a predetermined amount or more in either direction on both sides when the work or the work is performed, the fall of the work is regulated by the stopper 41, so that the work W is always in an upright state and is conveyed. And processing are performed.

After being transported to the position of the unloading end of the processing conveyor 21, the vertical movement bracket 36 of the work transporting jig 22 moves upward, and the interference between the stopper 41 and the workpiece W is avoided. After the cassette 18b at the unloading position of the unloading conveyor 16b is lifted by a lifter (not shown), the cassette 1b is moved by the work transfer machine 24.
8b is moved in the horizontal direction. Thereby, the holding member 3
The processed work W held in 2 is returned from the holding member 32 to the cassette 18b and stored in the cassette 18b.

Cassette 1 containing processed work
8b is moved down, transported by the unloading conveyor 16b to the position of the unloading end as shown by the arrow, and then transported to the next processing step, the sputtering step.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a modification of the work transfer jig 22 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and showing a portion similar to that of FIG. 4. In this case, the support bracket 31 has two rods. Materials 37, 38 are rotatably mounted, and stoppers 41 formed of eccentric disks are fixed to the respective rods 37, 38.

When the rods 37 and 38 are rotated so that the major axis of the stopper 41 is on the lower side as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5, the work W held by the holding member 32 is tilted by a predetermined amount or more. Can be regulated. On the other hand, when the bar members 37 and 38 are rotated so that the short diameter portion of the stopper 41 is on the lower side as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.
And the stopper 41 do not interfere with each other, and the operation of mounting the unprocessed work W from the cassette 18a to the holding member 32 and the operation of removing the processed work W from the holding member 32 to the cassette 18b are performed. Can be.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the present invention, the present invention is applied for cleaning the magnetic disk substrate before the polishing process is completed and before the sputtering process is performed. The present invention can be applied to various cleaning processes without being limited to the embodiment, when cleaning a workpiece having a through-hole, such as a cleaning process. The number of works to be held by the holding member 32 is not limited to 25 described above, but may be one or an arbitrary number. Further, the holding member 32 may be used not only when it is used horizontally, but also when it is inclined or used vertically.

[0035]

According to the present invention, when a workpiece is processed by the cleaning apparatus or the drying apparatus added thereto, the workpiece can be directly exposed to the cleaning liquid or the drying steam. The work can be washed with a high degree of washing. Further, the drying process can be performed efficiently. Since the work held by the holding member is held by the stopper so as not to be tilted by a predetermined amount or more, it is possible to prevent the work from falling down during transportation or processing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a cleaning / drying apparatus to which a cleaning / drying method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an arrow view along line BB in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a portion similar to FIG. 4 in a modification of the work transport jig.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Device main body 12 Carry-in part 13 Carry-out part 14a-14f Cleaning processing tank 15 Drying processing tank 16a Carry-in conveyor 16b Carry-out conveyor 18a, 18b Cassette 21 Processing conveyor 22 Work conveyance jig 23, 24 Work transfer machine 32 Holding member 35 Notch 36 Vertical bracket

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning method in which a plate-shaped work having a through hole is carried into a cleaning apparatus to perform a cleaning process, wherein a step of attaching an unprocessed work to a holding member holding the inner surface of the through hole. Cleaning, wherein the unprocessed work is held by the holding member and carried into the cleaning apparatus to perform the cleaning process; and the processed work is removed from the holding member. Method. 2. A cleaning and drying method in which a flat plate-shaped work having a through hole is carried into a cleaning treatment device to perform a cleaning treatment, and the washed work is carried into a drying treatment device to carry out a drying treatment. Mounting the unprocessed work on a holding member that holds the inner surface of each of the through holes; and carrying out the cleaning process by loading the unprocessed work into the cleaning apparatus while holding the unprocessed work by the holding member. A cleaning step of carrying the workpiece after the cleaning process to the drying processing apparatus while holding the workpiece by the holding member and performing a drying process; and removing the workpiece after the drying process from the holding member. Drying method. 3. A cleaning and drying method in which a plurality of flat workpieces having through holes are carried into a cleaning apparatus to perform a cleaning process, and the cleaned workpiece is carried into a drying apparatus to perform a drying process. Attaching a plurality of unprocessed works to a holding member that holds the upright state in contact with the inner surface of each of the through holes; and a step in which the unprocessed work is held by the holding member. Carrying in the cleaning device and performing the cleaning process, carrying in the drying device with the workpiece after the cleaning process being held by the holding member, and performing the drying process; and holding the workpiece after the drying process in the holding member. Cleaning and drying method. 4. The cleaning and drying method according to claim 2, wherein the workpiece is transported, cleaned, and dried while the workpiece held by the holding member is not tilted by a predetermined amount or more. A washing and drying method. 5. A workpiece transfer device for transporting a plurality of flat workpieces having through holes, wherein the plurality of workpieces are held in contact with the inner surfaces of the respective through holes in an upright state, and the transport means is provided. And a stopper that contacts the surface of the work when the work held by the holding member is tilted by a predetermined amount and prevents the work from tilting by a predetermined amount or more. Transport device.