JP2002049144A - Substrate end face cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide such a substrate end face cleaning device which shortens the time required for cleaning and does not contaminate the main pattern parts and rear surface of a photomask, etc. SOLUTION: A substrate 71 held by substrate-fixing arms 21 moves to a prescribed position and is set approximately near to the central axis position of scrubbing brushes 11. Next, simultaneously when the scrubbing brushes 11 move to the end faces of the substrate 71, detergents are injected like showers from the scrubbing brushes 11 to the substrate end face and the scrubbing brushes 11, by which the cleaning of the opposite substrate end faces on one side is carried out. Further, the substrate is rotated 90 deg. by a substrate-fixing chuck 32 and is again moved approximately near to the central axis position of scrubbing brushes 11 by the substrate-fixing arms 21 and the cleaning of the opposite substrate end faces on the other side is carried out.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of a cleaning apparatus for cleaning an end face of a substrate such as a photomask used for photolithography used in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional photomask cleaning apparatus used in the manufacture of a semiconductor device uses a photomask front surface (a surface on which a main pattern portion on which a circuit pattern is formed) and a rear surface when performing scrub cleaning. Is used. However, it has recently become known that the portion of the photomask to which the most contaminants are attached is the end face that directly contacts a transport belt or the like when transporting the photomask.

In general, when cleaning the end face of a photomask, a so-called immersion cleaning method is used in which the photomask is immersed in a cleaning tank filled with a cleaning agent for the photomask for cleaning. However, in this method, since both the end face and the main pattern portion are immersed in the same cleaning tank at the same time, contaminants separated from the end face migrate to the main pattern portion and adhere again, so that the main pattern portion is rather removed. May be contaminated.

In order to solve this problem, a substrate edge cleaning apparatus as shown in FIG. 4 has recently been used for cleaning only the edge of the substrate. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 200 denotes a substrate end surface cleaning apparatus, 111 denotes a scrub brush, 121 denotes a substrate, 112 denotes a rotation direction of the scrub brush, and 122 denotes a moving direction of the substrate. That is, in the cleaning device having this structure, the axial direction of the scrub brush 111 is arranged at right angles to the end surface (side) of the substrate.

[0005]

However, in the cleaning apparatus having this structure, the cleaning is performed while rotating the scrub brush 111 and moving it along the end face of the substrate.
There is a problem that it takes a long time to complete the cleaning. The present invention has been devised in view of the above problems, and provides a substrate end surface cleaning apparatus that reduces the time required for cleaning and does not contaminate a main pattern portion and a back surface of a photomask or the like. With the goal.

[0006]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides at least a scrub brush, a substrate fixing arm, and a substrate rotating chuck, wherein the scrub brush is provided. An axial direction of the brush is arranged in parallel with an end surface (side) of the substrate, and is a substrate end surface cleaning device. According to this substrate end surface cleaning apparatus, the scrub brush is installed so that the axial direction thereof is parallel to the end surface (side) of the substrate, so that the time required for cleaning can be greatly reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate edge cleaning apparatus according to the first aspect, the two scrub brushes are arranged in parallel so that opposite end faces (sides) of the substrate can be simultaneously cleaned. And a substrate end surface cleaning apparatus characterized in that the apparatus is disposed on a substrate edge cleaning apparatus. According to this substrate end face cleaning apparatus, two scrub brushes are provided, and two end faces can be cleaned at the same time, so that the time required for cleaning can be further reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate edge cleaning apparatus according to the first or second aspect, further comprising a shower nozzle for brush rinsing. According to this substrate end surface cleaning apparatus, the cleaning agent is scrubbed on the scrub brush while the cleaning agent is sprayed from the shower nozzle for brush rinsing, so that the contaminants adhering to the end surface of the substrate are removed.
It can be more reliably removed from the end face.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate edge cleaning apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising a substrate rinsing shower nozzle. It was done. According to this substrate edge cleaning device, the cleaning agent is sprayed from the substrate rinsing shower nozzle onto the front and back surfaces of the mask, so that the contaminants removed from the edge by the scrub brush are immediately washed away, and, for example, a photomask or the like is used. Contamination of the main pattern portion and the back surface can be prevented.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a partial configuration of a scrub brush 11 and a substrate 71 in a substrate edge cleaning apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, 10
0a is a schematic view of a partial configuration of the substrate edge cleaning apparatus 100,
Denotes a scrub brush, 71 denotes a substrate, 12 denotes a rotating direction of the scrub brush, and 72 denotes a moving direction of the substrate. That is, in the cleaning device having this structure, the axial direction of the scrub brush 11 is arranged parallel to the end face (side) of the substrate 72.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic structural views showing the outline of the substrate edge cleaning apparatus 100 when cleaning the substrate edge using the substrate edge cleaning apparatus 100 of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a state of the substrate edge cleaning apparatus in a standby state where the substrate 71 to be cleaned is not mounted, and FIG. 3B shows a state in which the edge of the substrate 71 to be cleaned is being cleaned. 2 shows the state of the substrate edge cleaning apparatus.

FIG. 2 shows the substrate edge cleaning apparatus 100 in a standby state, in which the scrub brush 11 is constantly rotating in the rotation direction 12, and the cleaning liquid is constantly sprayed from the brush self-cleaning nozzle 81 in a shower. Waiting.

FIG. 3B shows a state of the substrate edge cleaning apparatus for cleaning the edge of the substrate 71 which is the object to be cleaned. First, a substrate fixing arm as shown in FIG. The substrate 71 held by 21 moves to a predetermined position, and is set near the center axis position of the scrub brush 11.
Next, the scrub brush 1 rotating in the rotation direction 12
At the same time as 1 moves to the end face of the substrate 71, the cleaning agent is sprayed from the shower nozzle 41 for brush rinsing to the end face of the substrate and the scrub brush 11 in a shower shape, and one of the opposing end faces of the substrate is cleaned. The substrate 71 whose one end face of the opposing substrate has been cleaned is placed on the substrate fixing chuck 31 by the substrate fixing arm 21 and the substrate 71 is removed.
Is released. When the substrate fixing chuck 31 is rotated by 90 degrees, the substrate 71 is again held by the substrate fixing arm 21, moved to near the center axis position of the scrub brush 11, and the other opposing substrate end face is cleaned. Is performed, and contaminants adhering to the end face of the substrate can be reliably removed from the end face of the substrate.

Further, during the cleaning of the substrate end surface, the cleaning agent is sprayed onto the front and back surfaces of the substrate from the substrate rinsing shower nozzles 51 and 61 in a shower shape, so that the contaminants removed from the substrate end surface by the scrub brush 11 are immediately. By being washed away, contamination of the main pattern such as a photomask and the back surface can be prevented.

Substrate 71 for which substrate edge cleaning in four directions has been completed
Is moved to a predetermined place by the substrate fixing arm 21, and another substrate 71 is supplied to the substrate edge cleaning device 10.
At 0, the cleaning of the substrate end face is sequentially repeated.

[0016]

Since the substrate edge cleaning apparatus of the present invention has the above-described structure, it has the following effects. 2 so that the axial direction of the scrub brush is parallel to the end face (side) of the substrate.
Since this is installed and two end faces can be cleaned at the same time, the time required for cleaning can be greatly reduced. In addition, since the end face of the substrate is scrubbed while the cleaning agent is sprayed from the shower nozzle for brush rinse onto the scrub brush, contaminants attached to the end face of the substrate can be more reliably removed from the end face. Furthermore, since the cleaning agent is sprayed onto the front and back surfaces of the mask from the substrate rinsing shower nozzle, the contaminants removed from the end surfaces by the scrub brush are immediately washed away, for example, the main pattern portion such as a photomask and the back surface. Pollution can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an outline view of a partial configuration showing a positional relationship between a scrub brush and a substrate in a substrate edge cleaning apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of the substrate edge cleaning apparatus of the present invention, showing a standby state in which no substrate is mounted.

FIG. 3A is a schematic view of a partial configuration of a substrate edge cleaning apparatus of the present invention, showing a state in which a substrate is held by a substrate fixing arm and set between scrub brushes.
(B) is a schematic view of the configuration of the substrate edge cleaning apparatus of the present invention, showing a cleaning state of the substrate edge.

FIG. 4 is a partial schematic view showing a positional relationship between a scrub brush and a substrate in a conventional substrate end surface cleaning apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

11, a brush for scrubbing 12, a rotating direction of a brush 21, an arm for fixing a substrate 31, a chuck for fixing a substrate 41, a shower nozzle for brush rinsing 42, 82, a cleaning shower 51, 61 ... shower nozzles for substrate rinsing 52, 62 ... rinsing showers 71, 121 ... substrate 72, 122 ... moving direction of substrate 81 ... brush self-cleaning nozzle 100 ... substrate edge cleaning device 100a of the present invention 100 for scrub Substrate edge cleaning device 100b showing positional relationship between brush and substrate 100b ... Substrate edge cleaning device 200 showing positional relationship between substrate, substrate fixing arm and scrub brush 200 ... Conventional substrate edge cleaning device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 21/304 644 H01L 21/30 502P

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A scrub brush, a substrate fixing arm, and a substrate rotating chuck, wherein the scrub brush has an axial direction parallel to an end surface (side) of the substrate. An apparatus for cleaning a substrate end face. 2. The scrubbing device according to claim 1, wherein two scrub brushes are arranged in parallel so that opposite end faces (sides) of the substrate can be washed at the same time. A substrate edge cleaning apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. The substrate edge cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a shower nozzle for brush rinsing. 4. A substrate edge cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a shower nozzle for rinsing the substrate.