JP2002079189A - Cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning device for cleaning the surface of a substrate to be cleaned with pressure suitable to the surface state. SOLUTION: A cleaning mechanism is provided with a freely rotary roll brush 52 for cleaning the surface of the substrate G held by a chuck 47, a roll brush arm 51 being a holding member for holding the brush 52, a supporting rod disposed on the arm 51, an elevating/lowering means for elevating/lowering the arm 51, a case for housing the brush 52, the arm 51 and the supporting rod, and a height adjusting member in which a step of a prescribed difference in level is formed and which is disposed feely slidably in the case. The height of the brush 52 is adjusted by sliding the height adjusting member so that the bottom of the supporting rod is brought into contact with the plane of the prescribed height of the height adjusting member when the arm 51 is lowered.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a spinner type cleaning apparatus for cleaning substrates such as glass substrates for liquid crystal displays (LCD) and semiconductor wafers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a liquid crystal display (LC)
In the manufacturing process of D) and a semiconductor device, a substrate to be processed is widely used by using a liquid processing apparatus called a spinner type.
Various liquid processes such as a cleaning process, a resist coating process, and a developing process for a CD substrate or a semiconductor wafer are performed. For example, in a cleaning process of a substrate to be processed, a brush having a cylindrical appearance (roll brush) is rotated around the long axis while supplying a cleaning liquid to the substrate or the brush while the substrate to be processed is held substantially horizontally. Meanwhile, after the supply of the cleaning liquid is stopped by horizontally scanning along the surface of the substrate to be processed, a method of rotating the substrate to be processed at a predetermined rotation number to remove the cleaning liquid attached to the substrate to be processed is used. I have.

In such a cleaning process, conventionally, the height of the brush during the cleaning process has been fixed. That is,
Unless brush wear was considered, the brush was always in contact with the surface of the substrate to be processed with a constant pressure. Also, regardless of the scan direction of the brush, the rotation direction of the brush is constant,
Either clockwise or counterclockwise around the major axis.

[0004]

In recent years, the number of layers formed on a substrate to be processed has been increased, and it has become necessary to clean the surface of the substrate each time each layer is formed. In this case, by appropriately setting appropriate cleaning processing conditions in accordance with properties such as hardness of the cleaning processing surface, particles or the like adhering to the cleaning processing surface can be removed without damaging the cleaning processing surface. Need to be removed. However, when the pressure of the brush cannot be changed as in the related art, for example,
The pressure of the brush is large against a film of a certain material formed on the surface of the substrate to be processed, causing scratches and the like on the cleaning processing surface, while the pressure of the brush is small against another material. Therefore, it has been difficult to cope with the above trend, for example, the removal of particles and the like becomes insufficient.

In order to more effectively remove particles adhering to a substrate to be processed, for example, when a processing solution containing particles swept out of the substrate surface tends to remain on the substrate, the particles are removed once. There is a concern that particles may reattach to the substrate surface, and it is considered important to control the rotation direction and the scanning direction of the brush so that such a state is unlikely to occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and has as its object to provide a cleaning apparatus capable of performing a cleaning process by pressing according to the surface properties of a substrate to be processed. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus capable of performing a cleaning process for reducing the amount of particles remaining on the substrate surface.

[0007]

That is, the present invention, as a first invention, has a holding means for mounting and holding a substrate, and a cleaning means for cleaning the surface of the substrate held by the holding means. A cleaning processing apparatus, wherein the cleaning means is a brush for cleaning the surface of the substrate while being in contact with the surface of the substrate held by the holding means; and a cleaning position and a retreat position above the brush. And a multi-stage positioning mechanism for adjusting the height position of the brush at the cleaning position in a stepwise manner.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning apparatus having a holding means for mounting and holding a substrate, and a cleaning mechanism for cleaning a surface of the substrate held by the holding means, The cleaning mechanism includes a rotatable brush that cleans the surface of the substrate in contact with the surface of the substrate held by the holding unit, a holding member that holds the brush, and a cleaning member that is provided on the holding member. A supporting rod, a moving means for moving the holding member up and down so as to move the brush between a cleaning position and a retreat position above the cleaning rod, and a case accommodating the brush, the holding member and the supporting rod. A predetermined step is formed, a height adjusting member slidably disposed in the case, and wherein the bottom of the support bar is positioned at a predetermined position when the holding member is lowered. Height adjustment member By contact with the surface of the height, to provide a cleaning apparatus, characterized in that the height adjustment in the cleaning position of the brush is made.

Further, the present invention provides, as a third invention, a cleaning apparatus comprising a holding means for mounting and holding a substrate, and a washing means for cleaning the surface of the substrate held by the holding means, The cleaning unit is a brush that cleans the surface of the substrate in contact with the surface of the substrate held by the holding unit, is long in one axis direction, and is rotatable around an axis,
A drive mechanism for moving the brush in a direction perpendicular to the one axis direction along the surface of the substrate held by the holding means, and arbitrarily changing a rotation direction of the brush regardless of a movement direction of the brush by the drive mechanism. And a rotation drive mechanism that can be set to the following.

Further, the present invention provides, as a fourth invention, a cleaning apparatus comprising: holding means for mounting and holding a substrate; and a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the surface of the substrate held by the holding means. A cleaning mechanism that cleans the surface of the substrate while being in contact with the surface of the substrate held by the holding unit, and that holds the brush that is long in one axis direction and rotatable around the axis; A holding member, a support rod disposed on the holding member, a moving unit for moving the holding member up and down so as to move the brush between a cleaning position and a retracted position above the cleaning position, A case accommodating a holding member and the support rod, a predetermined step formed, a height adjusting member slidably disposed in the case,
A drive mechanism for moving the brush together with the case in a direction perpendicular to the uniaxial direction along a surface of the substrate held by the holding means; and a rotation direction of the brush related to a movement direction of the brush by the drive mechanism. And a rotation drive mechanism that can be arbitrarily set, the bottom portion of the support rod when the holding member is lowered, a predetermined height of the height adjustment member positioned at a predetermined position. Provided is a cleaning apparatus, wherein the height of the brush at the cleaning position is adjusted by contacting the surface.

According to the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, when the brush is lowered, the support rod is in contact with the predetermined height surface of the height adjusting member, whereby the height of the brush is adjusted. It is possible to change the pressure of the brush on the substrate to be processed. In this way, it is possible to perform a cleaning process without damaging the substrate as a pressing force suitable for the properties of the substrate surface, which contributes to an improvement in quality and an improvement in production yield.

Further, since the rotating direction and the scanning direction of the brush can be arbitrarily selected, dirt on the substrate surface such as particles can be effectively removed, and the pressing adjustment of the brush is also used. This makes it possible to further improve the performance of removing particles and the like. The substrate thus obtained is a product having few particles and the like, maintaining high quality, and having excellent reliability. In addition, since the cleaning process can be performed efficiently, the processing time, and thus the tact time, can be reduced, thereby reducing running costs and improving productivity.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a cleaning unit (S) which is an embodiment of the cleaning apparatus of the present invention.
CR) LCD substrate G having 21a and 21b (substrate G)
1 is a plan view showing a resist coating and developing processing system 100 of FIG.

Resist coating / developing processing system 100
A processing unit 2 having a plurality of processing units for performing a series of processes including resist coating and development on the substrate G, and an exposure apparatus. And an interface unit 3 for transferring the substrate G to and from the processing unit 2 (not shown). The cassette station 1 and the interface unit 3 are disposed at both ends of the processing unit 2.

The cassette station 1 has a transport mechanism 1 for transporting the substrate G between the cassette C and the processing section 2.
0 is provided. Then, the cassette C is loaded and unloaded at the cassette station 1. Also, the transport mechanism 1
0 is a transport path 10 provided along the direction in which the cassettes are arranged.
The transfer arm 11 is provided with a transfer arm 11 which can move the substrate G between the cassette C and the processing unit 2.

The processing section 2 is divided into a front section 2a, a middle section 2b, and a rear section 2c.
13 and 14. Each processing unit is arranged on both sides of these transport paths. The relay sections 15 and 16 are provided between them.

The front section 2a has a main transfer device 17 movable along the transfer path 12. On one side of the transfer path 12, two cleaning units (SCR) 21a and 21b are arranged. On the other side of the transport path 12, a processing block 25 in which an ultraviolet irradiation unit (UV) and a cooling unit (COL) are stacked in two stages, a heating processing unit (HP)
Are arranged in two stages, and a processing block 27 in which cooling units (COL) are overlapped in two stages.

The middle section 2b includes a main transfer device 18 movable along the transfer path 13. On one side of the transfer path 13, a resist coating unit (CT) 22 and a peripheral edge of the substrate G are provided. A peripheral resist removal unit (ER) 23 for removing the resist of the portion is provided integrally,
On the other side of the transport path 13, a processing block 28 in which a heat processing unit (HP) is stacked in two stages, a processing block 29 in which a heating processing unit (HP) and a cooling processing unit (COL) are vertically stacked. , And a processing block 30 in which an adhesion processing unit (AD) and a cooling unit (COL) are vertically stacked.

Further, the rear section 2c is provided with a main transport device 19 which can move along the transport path 14.
On one side, three development processing units (DEV) 24
a, 24b, and 24c are arranged, and a processing block 31 in which a heating processing unit (HP) is stacked in two stages on the other side of the transport path 14, and both a heating processing unit (HP) and a cooling processing unit ( COL) are disposed on top of each other.

The processing unit 2 includes a cleaning unit (SCR) 21a, a resist coating unit (CT) 22, and a developing unit (DEV) 2 on one side of the transport path.
Only the spinner type unit like 4a is arranged,
On the other side, only a heat processing unit such as a heat processing unit (HP) or a cooling processing unit (COL) is arranged.

A chemical solution supply unit 34 is disposed at a portion of the relay units 15 and 16 on the side where the spinner system unit is disposed, and a space 35 for performing maintenance of the main transport units 17, 18 and 19 is provided. Have been.

The main transporting devices 17, 18, and 19 each include an X-axis driving mechanism in two directions, ie, an X direction and a Y direction in a horizontal plane.
It has a shaft drive mechanism and a vertical Z-axis drive mechanism, and further has a rotation drive mechanism that rotates about the Z-axis, and each has an arm that supports the substrate G.

The main transfer device 17 has a transfer arm 17a, transfers the substrate G to and from the transfer arm 11 of the transfer mechanism 10, and loads and unloads the substrate G to and from each processing unit in the front stage 2a. Further, it has a function of transferring the substrate G to and from the relay unit 15. Further, the main transfer device 18 has a transfer arm 18a, transfers the substrate G to and from the relay unit 15, and loads and unloads the substrate G to and from each processing unit in the middle unit 2b. And a function of transferring the substrate G during the transfer. Further, the main transfer device 19 has a transfer arm 19a, transfers the substrate G to and from the relay unit 16, loads and unloads the substrate G to and from the respective processing units in the rear-stage unit 2c, and further connects to the interface unit 3. And a function of transferring the substrate G during the transfer. The relay unit 1
5 and 16 also function as cooling plates.

The interface unit 3 includes an extension 36 for temporarily holding the substrate G when transferring the substrate G to and from the processing unit 2, and two buffers provided on both sides of the extension 36 for disposing a buffer cassette. A stage 37 and a transport mechanism 38 for loading and unloading the substrate G between the stages 37 and an exposure apparatus (not shown) are provided. The transport mechanism 38 includes a transport arm 39 that can move on a transport path 38 a provided along the direction in which the extension 36 and the buffer stage 37 are arranged. The transport arm 39 allows the substrate G to be moved between the processing unit 2 and the exposure apparatus. Is carried out.

By integrating and integrating the processing units in this manner, space can be saved and processing efficiency can be improved.

In the resist coating / developing processing system 100 configured as above, the substrate G in the cassette C
Is transported to the processing unit 2, where the first stage 2 a
The surface modification / cleaning process is performed by the ultraviolet irradiation unit (UV) of the processing block 25, and the cooling unit (CO
L), the cooling unit (SCR) 21a
After being subjected to scrubber cleaning in 21b and being heated and dried in one of the heat treatment units (HP) in the processing block 26, the cooling unit (CO
L).

Thereafter, the substrate G is transported to the middle section 2b,
In order to enhance the fixability of the resist, the upper adhesion processing unit (AD) of the processing block 30 is subjected to hydrophobizing treatment (HMDS treatment) and cooled by the lower cooling processing unit (COL).
A resist is applied in T) 22, and an extra resist on the periphery of the substrate G is removed in a peripheral resist removal unit (ER) 23. Thereafter, the substrate G is pre-baked in one of the heat processing units (HP) in the middle section 2b, and the lower cooling unit (CO) in the processing block 29 or 30 is processed.
L).

Thereafter, the substrate G is transferred from the relay unit 16 to the exposure device via the interface unit 3 by the main transfer unit 19, where a predetermined pattern is exposed. And
The substrate G is carried in again via the interface unit 3,
If necessary, the processing blocks 31, 32, and 3 of the post-stage unit 2c
After the post-exposure bake processing is performed in any one of the heat processing units (HP), the development processing is performed in any of the development processing units (DEV) 24a, 24b, and 24c to form a predetermined circuit pattern. The developed substrate G is subjected to post-baking in one of the heat treatment units (HP) in the subsequent stage 2c, and then cooled in one of the cooling units (COL). It is accommodated in a predetermined cassette on the cassette station 1 by the transfer mechanism 18 and 17.

Next, the cleaning unit (S
CR) 21a and 21b will be described. Since these have the same structure, the cleaning unit (SCR)
21a will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a sectional view schematically showing the cleaning unit (SCR) 21a, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the cleaning unit (SCR) 21a shown in FIG.

The cleaning unit (SCR) 21a has a sink 41, a substrate delivery shutter 42 for carrying in and out the substrate G is provided above the sink 41, and a lifter 43 for delivering and receiving the substrate G is moved up and down. It is provided freely. Under the sink 41, two under cups 4
4 and 45 are provided, and a cup 46 is provided inside the under cup 44 so as to be able to move up and down.

Inside the cup 46, there is provided a chuck 47 having a mechanism for holding and mechanically holding the peripheral edge of the substrate G, and this chuck 47 is rotated by a rotation drive mechanism 48 provided below the chuck 47. It is supposed to be. As shown in FIG. 3, substrate guides 49 for guiding the substrate G when holding the substrate G are provided at four corners of the chuck 47.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG.
Inside, a cleaning mechanism 50 having a roll brush arm 51 holding a roll brush 52 is provided. The roll brush arm 51 is provided so as to be able to scan the substrate G in the X direction by a linear drive mechanism 98 including a guide rail 61 described later. The structure of the cleaning mechanism 50 is shown in more detail in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, and a cross-sectional view when viewed from arrow A in FIG. 4 is shown in FIG.

The roll brush arm 51 includes a top plate 51a.
And a guide wall 51b. The roll brush arm 51 can be moved up and down by an elevating mechanism 53 disposed on the lower surface of the top plate of the case 57, so that the roll brush 52 can be moved between the washing position and the retracted position. . FIGS. 4 and 5 show a state in which the roll brush arm 51 is lowered and the roll brush 52 is at the cleaning position where the roll brush 52 is exposed from the case 57. 52 can be accommodated in the retracted position in the case 57. 4 and 5, the elevating mechanism 53 is a case 57.
Although it is provided inside, it may be provided on the top surface of the top plate of the case 57.

The machine axis (rotation axis) 52a of the roll brush 52
Is held between the guide walls 51b at a predetermined position, and the roll brush 52 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise around the machine axis 52a by the rotation drive mechanism 99 regardless of the scanning direction of the roll brush arm 51. It is also rotatable in the direction. By arbitrarily combining the rotation direction of the roll brush 52 and the scan direction of the roll brush arm 51 in this manner, a variation in the cleaning method can be provided to more effectively select a state suitable for the cleaning purpose. It is possible to reduce the processing time and the tact time by performing the efficient cleaning in this way.

A guide wall 5 is provided above the roll brush 52.
1b, the plurality of cleaning liquid discharge ports 54
The first cleaning liquid discharge nozzle 54 in which a is formed is provided, and the cleaning liquid sent from a cleaning liquid supply source (not shown) is discharged from the first cleaning liquid discharge nozzle 54 toward the roll brush 52. ing.

Further, between the guide walls 51b, a plurality of second
A second cleaning liquid discharge nozzle 55 provided with a cleaning liquid discharge port 55a is provided. For example, the second cleaning liquid discharge port 55
From a, the cleaning liquid is discharged in a substantially elliptical cone shape directly toward the substrate G so as not to hit the roll brush 52. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the second cleaning liquid discharge nozzle 55 may be interposed between the guide walls 51b and disposed at a fixed position, but is not shown between the second cleaning liquid discharge nozzle 55 and the top plate 51a. An elevation mechanism may be provided so that the height position can be adjusted freely.

A case arm 59 is attached to the case 57. The case arm 59 is driven by a belt or the like, guided by two parallel guide rails 61 extending in the X direction, and slidable in the X direction. Is configured. By the linear drive mechanism 98 configured using the guide rails 61 and the like, the roll brush arm 51 and the roll brush 52 connected to the case 57 can scan in the X direction together with the case 57. It is also preferable that the case 57 be provided with an exhaust mechanism for exhausting the inside of the case 57 to have a structure capable of eliminating particles and the like generated in the case 57.

A support rod 56 having a predetermined length is provided at two positions on the roll brush arm 51, and a height adjusting member 62 is provided on the upper surface of the lower wall of the case 57 in accordance with the position of the support rod 56. Are arranged. Position of support rod 56 in Y direction and X
The direction position is fixed, and can be moved up and down together with the roll brush arm 51 only in the Z direction. Height adjustment member 6
2, a predetermined number of steps at a predetermined height, for example, four steps at a height of 0.5 mm for one step, are formed by lever 63 connected through the side wall of case 57.
It is configured to be slidable in any direction. Here, since the height adjusting members 62 provided at two locations are connected by the connecting rod 64, it is sufficient that the lever 63 is provided on one of the height adjusting members 62.

The operation of sliding the lever 63 can be manually performed by the operator, but it can be configured so that it can be automatically performed in conjunction with a switch or a program.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the height adjusting member 62 and the support rod 56. The step surfaces of the same height of the two height adjusting members 62 are located directly below the two support rods 56. When the roll brush arm 51 is lowered, the lower end of the support rod 56 comes into contact with the step surface of a predetermined height formed on the height adjusting member 62, and the roll brush at the cleaning position A height of 52 is set.

That is, the elevating mechanism 53 includes the roll brush 52
Is raised and lowered together with the roll brush arm 51, but does not have a function of finely adjusting the position of the roll brush 52, and the fine adjustment of the position of the roll brush 52 at the cleaning position is performed by the height adjustment member 62. . Height adjustment member 6
The height and number of steps formed in 2 can be arbitrarily selected.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the height adjusting member 6
If the support bar 56 is grounded to the low step surface formed in Step 2, the pressure of the roll brush 52 against the substrate G can be increased. Such a state is suitably set, for example, when the substrate G on which the resist film is not formed is extremely dirty. The intermediate heights shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C are used when performing a normal cleaning process.
For example, when it is desired to perform a cleaning process in which the mechanical load on the resist film is reduced, such as a cleaning process after the formation of a resist multilayer film, the height adjustment is performed as shown in FIG. The support rod 56 is grounded on the high step surface formed on the member 62, so that the pressing of the roll brush 52 against the substrate G can be reduced. By setting the pressure of the roll brush 52 suitable for the surface state of the substrate G using the height adjusting member 62 in this manner, while maintaining the surface properties of the substrate G in good condition,
It is possible to perform cleaning excellent in the performance of removing particles and the like.

The line shower arm 6 is located on the opposite side of the roll brush arm 51 across the chuck 47.
5 and a linear drive mechanism 97 using a belt drive in the same manner as the roll brush arm 51.
It is possible to scan in the direction. Below the line shower arm 65, a line shower slit nozzle 66 for discharging a cleaning liquid such as pure water in a line is provided. The discharge of the cleaning liquid from the line shower slit nozzle 66 is performed after the cleaning process using the roll brush 52 is completed. At this time, while the line shower arm 65 is reciprocated between the center and the periphery of the substrate G, Rotate G. The cleaning liquid discharged onto the substrate G is shaken off by the rotation of the substrate G, whereby the surface of the substrate G is cleaned.

As shown in FIG. 7, the chuck 47
, A rotary drive mechanism 48 for rotating the roll brush arm 51, a rotary drive mechanism 99 for the roll brush 52, the case arm 59 and the case 57, and the roll brush arm 51 disposed in the case 57. The linear drive mechanism 98 for scanning and the linear drive mechanism 97 for scanning the line shower arm 65 are controlled by the control device 70. The control device 70 fixes the substrate G and performs brush cleaning with the roll brush 52 while scanning the roll brush arm 51, and performs cleaning liquid cleaning while rotating the substrate G and scanning the line shower arm 65. Is controlled. The processing liquid supply mechanism not shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 is also controlled by the control device 70.

Next, the cleaning operation in the cleaning unit (SCR) 21a configured as described above will be described.
First, when the substrate G is carried in via the substrate delivery shutter 42 and the lifter 43 and is held by the chuck 47, scanning of the roll brush arm 51 is started. Before the scanning of the roll brush arm 51 is started, the lever 63 provided on the case 57 is slid according to the state of the surface of the substrate G to be processed, for example, whether or not a resist film is formed. The height surfaces of the two height adjustment members 62 that are grounded are set, and the adjustment of the pressing of the roll brush 52 against the substrate G is performed in advance. When the roll brush arm 51 reaches the periphery of the substrate G,
The roll brush arm 51 is lowered using the lifting mechanism 53, and the roll brush 52 is exposed from the case 57 (the state shown in FIG. 4).

While supplying a predetermined cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid discharge port 54a toward the rotating roll brush 52, the roll brush arm 51 is scanned along the surface of the substrate G to perform scrubber cleaning. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a combination of the scan direction of the roll brush arm 51 and the rotation direction of the roll brush 52 in this scrubber cleaning.

As shown in FIG. 8A, in one method of scrubber cleaning, when the roll brush 52 is scanned from left to right, the roll brush 52 is rotated counterclockwise, and the roll brush 52 is rotated to the right. This is a method in which the roll brush 52 is rotated clockwise when scanning from the left to the left, and in each case, the roll brush 52 is rotated while scraping the cleaning liquid in the traveling direction of the roll brush 52.

As shown in FIG. 8B, another method of scrubber cleaning is to rotate the roll brush 52 clockwise when the roll brush 52 is scanned from left to right, and to rotate the roll brush 52. This is a method of rotating the roll brush 52 in a counterclockwise direction when scanning from right to left. In each case, a cleaning liquid is introduced into the contact portion with the substrate G from the traveling direction of the roll brush 52, and the roll brush 52 scans. In this case, the cleaning liquid is swept to the rear. Further, the scrubber cleaning method shown in FIG. 8C uses the roll brush 52 shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B.
Are combined.

Regarding the rotation direction and the scanning direction of the roll brush 52, which method shown in FIG.
It may be determined according to the surface condition of the substrate G, and the support rod 56
In combination with the adjustment of the pressure of the roll brush 52 using the height adjustment member 62 and the height adjustment member 62, it is possible to perform an efficient and high cleaning ability cleaning process. As a result, the cleaning processing time is shortened, and thus the tact time is shortened, the running cost is reduced, the productivity is increased, and the quality of the substrate G is also improved.

Before the scrubber cleaning, a predetermined cleaning liquid may be discharged from the second cleaning liquid discharge port 55a to the surface of the substrate G to wet the surface of the substrate G, or a predetermined cleaning liquid may be discharged from the second cleaning liquid discharge port 55a. The scrubber cleaning may be performed while discharging the cleaning liquid onto the surface of the substrate G. After the scrubber cleaning, for example, a predetermined cleaning liquid is discharged toward the substrate G from the second cleaning liquid discharge port 55a, and particles or the like attached to the surface of the substrate G can be removed by the discharge pressure of the cleaning liquid.

After the scrubber cleaning and the cleaning processing using the second cleaning liquid discharge nozzle 55 are completed,
With the roll brush arm 51 retracted, the scanning of the line shower arm 65 is started and the substrate G
Is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed. A predetermined amount of cleaning liquid is discharged from the line shower slit nozzle 66, whereby the surface of the substrate G is rinsed. In this rinsing process, at the same time, a predetermined cleaning liquid is discharged toward the rear surface of the substrate G from a cleaning liquid discharge nozzle for cleaning the rear surface provided below the chuck 47 not shown in FIGS. It is preferable to perform a rinsing process. After the rinsing process is completed, the line shower arm 65 is retracted, the substrate G is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed, the processing liquid on the substrate G is shaken off, and spin drying is further performed at a high speed. The dried substrate G is then carried out via the substrate delivery shutter 42 and the lifter 43.

The line shower slit nozzle 66
After the rinsing process using, a cleaning process of discharging a predetermined cleaning solution toward the substrate G from the second cleaning solution discharge port 55a may be performed. However, in this embodiment, since the second cleaning liquid discharge nozzle 55 is attached to the roll brush arm 51 together with the roll brush 52, the cleaning liquid is prevented from dripping from the roll brush 52 previously used in the scrubber cleaning. Is preferred.

In the above embodiment, the case where the cleaning processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to the resist coating / developing processing system for the LCD substrate has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to any apparatus that performs a cleaning process on the substrate surface. In addition, the LCD substrate has been described as a substrate to be processed.
Other substrates such as a CD substrate can also be used.

[0053]

As described above, according to the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the height of the roll brush can be finely adjusted, whereby the pressing of the roll brush against the substrate can be made appropriate. Cleaning conditions suitable for the surface condition can be realized. As a result, damage to the substrate by the brush is reduced, the production yield is improved, the quality of the substrate is increased, and a product with excellent reliability can be obtained. Since the rotation direction and the scanning direction of the roll brush can be arbitrarily selected, particles and the like can be effectively removed, thereby obtaining a high-quality substrate with few foreign matters in the particles and the like. Becomes possible. Further, since efficient cleaning can be performed, the cleaning processing time and the tact time can be shortened, and the effect of improving productivity can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a resist coating / developing processing system using a cleaning processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a cleaning unit which is an embodiment of the cleaning processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cleaning unit shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a cleaning mechanism provided in a cleaning unit which is an embodiment of the cleaning apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is another sectional view showing the cleaning mechanism shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the positional relationship between the height adjusting member and the support rod shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a control system of the cleaning unit shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a combination of a scanning direction and a rotating direction of the roll brush in the cleaning mechanism shown in FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1; Cassette station 2; Processing part 3; Interface part 21a; Cleaning unit (SCR) 51; Roll brush arm 52; Roll brush 53; Lifting mechanism 54; Rod 57; Case 59; Case arm 61; Guide rail 62; Height adjusting member 63; Lever 100; Resist coating / developing processing system G; LCD substrate (substrate to be processed)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 3B116 AA03 AB33 AB42 BA02 BA13 BA34 CD43

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning apparatus comprising: a holding unit for mounting and holding a substrate; and a cleaning unit for cleaning a surface of the substrate held by the holding unit, wherein the cleaning unit includes the holding unit. A brush for cleaning the surface of the substrate while being in contact with the surface of the substrate held on the surface of the substrate; moving means for moving the brush between a cleaning position and a retracted position above the cleaning position; A multi-stage positioning mechanism for adjusting the height position of the brush in a stepwise manner. 2. A cleaning apparatus comprising: a holding unit for mounting and holding a substrate; and a cleaning mechanism for cleaning a surface of the substrate held by the holding unit, wherein the cleaning mechanism includes the holding unit. A rotatable brush for cleaning the surface of the substrate while being in contact with the surface of the substrate held on the holding member; a holding member for holding the brush; a support rod disposed on the holding member; and the brush. Moving means for moving the holding member up and down so as to move the brush between the cleaning position and the retreat position above the cleaning position, a case accommodating the brush, the holding member and the support rod, a predetermined step is formed, A height adjusting member slidably disposed on the case; and a predetermined height of the height adjusting member in which a bottom of the support bar is positioned at a predetermined position when the holding member is lowered. Contact the surface of In, cleaning apparatus, characterized in that the height adjustment in the cleaning position of the brush is made. 3. A cleaning apparatus comprising: a holding unit for mounting and holding a substrate; and a cleaning unit for cleaning a surface of the substrate held by the holding unit, wherein the cleaning unit includes the holding unit. Cleaning the surface of the substrate in a state of being in contact with the surface of the substrate held by the brush, a brush that is long in one axis direction and can rotate around the axis, and the brush is applied to the surface of the substrate held by the holding means. A driving mechanism for moving the brush in a direction perpendicular to the uniaxial direction, regardless of a moving direction of the brush by the driving mechanism,
A rotation drive mechanism capable of arbitrarily setting a rotation direction of the brush; 4. A cleaning processing apparatus comprising: holding means for mounting and holding a substrate; and a cleaning mechanism for cleaning a surface of the substrate held by the holding means, wherein the cleaning mechanism comprises: A brush that cleans the surface of the substrate while being in contact with the surface of the substrate held by the brush, is long in one axis direction, is rotatable around the axis, a holding member that holds the brush, and A supporting rod provided, moving means for moving the holding member up and down so as to move the brush between a cleaning position and a retracted position above the cleaning rod, and accommodating the brush, the holding member and the supporting rod. A case, a predetermined step is formed, a height adjusting member slidably disposed in the case, and the brush together with the case, the brush being perpendicular to the uniaxial direction along a surface of the substrate held by the holding means. Direction And a rotation drive mechanism capable of arbitrarily setting a rotation direction of the brush regardless of a movement direction of the brush by the drive mechanism, when the holding member is lowered. The height of the brush at the cleaning position is adjusted by contacting the bottom of the support rod with a surface of the height adjusting member positioned at a predetermined position at a predetermined height. Processing equipment.