JP2003220366A - Cleaning apparatus for substrate and cleaning method using this apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning apparatus for a substrate capable of detecting whether a solvent is certainly supplied to a cleaning member for cleaning the electrode surface of the substrate plate. <P>SOLUTION: This cleaning apparatus is equipped with the cleaning member 15 coming into contact with the substrate 5 while relatively moving with respect to the substrate 5 to clean the electrode on the substrate plate 5, a nozzle 24a for dropping a solvent to the part coming into contact with the electrode of the cleaning member before bringing the cleaning member into contact with the electrode, a sensor 28a for detecting the dropping number of liquid drops of the solvent dropped from the nozzle and a control unit 29 having the dropping number of the liquid drops of the solvent and a dropping time required for dropping the solvent corresponding to the dropping number of the liquid drops set thereto and comparing and judging whether the dropping numbers of the liquid drops of the solvent reach set numbers before and after arriving at the dropping time set on the basis of the detection signal of the sensor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning device and a cleaning method for cleaning electrodes formed on a substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A substrate such as a liquid crystal panel is provided with electrodes along the edge of the substrate, and TCP (Tape
It is configured by joining and mounting electronic components such as a carrier package) and an IC chip.

The electrodes and electronic components are electrically connected via an anisotropic conductive film. Therefore, in order to obtain a good electrical continuity in the joint portion, it is necessary that the electrode surface is not contaminated due to dust adhesion or the like. Therefore, prior to attaching the anisotropic conductive film to the electrode surface of the substrate, the electrode surface is cleaned with a cleaning device.

The cleaning device has a table for transporting the substrate along a predetermined direction, and a tape-shaped cleaning member which is stretched between the supply reel and the take-up reel is provided above the table. . A volatile solvent such as alcohol is dripped into this cleaning member from the nozzle to allow it to soak in,
The electrode surface is cleaned by moving the portion soaked with the solvent to a predetermined position and contacting the electrode surface at the edge of the substrate to be transferred with a predetermined pressure.

Since the tip of the above-mentioned nozzle onto which the solvent is dripped has a small diameter, clogging often occurs, and bubbles may be mixed in the solvent to prevent proper dropping.
In that case, since the electrode surface of the substrate is rubbed by the dry cleaning member, static electricity is generated by the friction, and the static electricity may destroy the circuit element formed in the substrate through the electrode. is there.

Therefore, conventionally, the number of droplets of the solvent dripped from the nozzle in a drop shape is counted by, for example, a reflection type optical sensor provided near the nozzle, and the droplet is generated based on the count value by the optical sensor. It is determined whether or not the droplet has been properly dropped, and if it is appropriate, the substrate is cleaned by the portion of the cleaning member on which the droplet has been dropped.

[0007]

By the way, the solvent dropped from the nozzle has a small diameter at the tip of the nozzle. Therefore, the droplet does not drop from the tip of the nozzle due to the surface tension of the solvent and becomes a liquid pool state. There is. In that case, if the solvent accumulated at the tip of the nozzle fluctuates, the fluctuation may cause the optical sensor to erroneously detect that a predetermined number or more of liquid droplets have dropped from the nozzle.

As a result, the cleaning of the substrate is started even though the proper number of droplets has not been reached, and the electrode surface of the substrate is cleaned at the portion of the cleaning member where the solvent is not sufficiently or completely impregnated. Therefore, there is a possibility that the circuit element may be destroyed due to the generation of static electricity.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate cleaning device and a cleaning method capable of preventing the destruction of circuit elements due to the generation of static electricity.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a cleaning device for cleaning an electrode formed on a substrate, the cleaning member being in contact with the electrode while moving relative to the substrate to clean the electrode. A nozzle for dropping a solvent onto a portion of the cleaning member that comes into contact with the electrode before the cleaning member comes into contact with the electrode; a detection unit that detects the number of droplets of the solvent that is dropped from the nozzle; The number of drops and the time required to drop the solvent of the number of drops are set, and the number of drops of the solvent before and after the arrival of the drop time set based on the detection signal of the detection means is set. A cleaning device for a substrate is provided with a control means for comparing and determining whether or not the number has been reached.

Either the portion of the cleaning member facing the nozzle or the nozzle is provided so as to be in contact with each other by an elevating mechanism, and the number of droplets detected by the detecting means after the set dropping time. Is less than the set number, it is preferable to bring the cleaning member into contact with the nozzle by the elevating mechanism.

When the number of droplets detected by the detecting means reaches the set number before the set dropping time, it is preferable to restart the dropping of the solvent onto the cleaning member from the beginning.

In a cleaning method in which a cleaning member is brought into contact with an electrode formed on a substrate for cleaning, a setting step of setting the number of drops of the solvent dropped onto the cleaning member and the dropping time required to drop the solvent of the dropped number A dropping step of dropping the solvent to the cleaning member based on the dropping number and the dropping time set in the setting step, and detecting the dropping number of the solvent during the dropping step. A detection step of detecting an elapsed time from the start of the dropping of the solvent, and a determination step of determining whether or not the cleaning by the cleaning member can be performed based on the number of drops detected in the detecting step and the elapsed time, The method for cleaning a substrate is characterized by comprising:

If the detected number of drops is less than the set number of drops after the elapsed time has passed the previous drop time, the nozzle and the cleaning member are brought relatively close to each other. It is preferable to contact the cleaning member.

If the detected number of drops exceeds the set number of drops before the elapsed time has passed the drop time, it is preferable to restart the dropping step from the beginning.

According to the present invention, the number of drops of the solvent and the dropping time required for dropping the solvent of the number of drops are set, and the detected number of drops before and after the set dropping time is reached. In order to compare the number of drops to the set number of drops, if the number of drops reaches the set number before the drop time reaches, and if the number of drops does not reach after the drop time reaches, the dropping of the solvent to the cleaning member is abnormal. Can be determined.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the cleaning device of the present invention, and FIG.
Is a side view, and this cleaning device includes a main body 1. A transport device 2 is provided on the front side of the main body 1. The carrying device 2 has an X table 3 which is driven in the X direction along the width direction of the main body 1, a Y table 4 which is provided on the X table 3 and is driven in the Y direction perpendicular to the front surface of the main body 1. The Y table 4 is provided with a holding unit 6 that holds the substrate 5 such as a liquid crystal panel by suction.
Therefore, the substrate 5 held by the holder 6 is driven in the XY directions.

A plurality of electrodes (not shown) are provided on the upper surface of the edge of the substrate 5 along a predetermined direction. The holding portion 6 is formed smaller than the substrate 5. Then, the substrate 5 is held by the holding portion 6 with the edge portion on which the electrodes are formed facing the front surface of the main body 1.

On the front surface of the main body 1, an upper cleaning section 11 located on the upper side with the substrate 5 held by the holding section 6 interposed therebetween.
And a lower cleaning unit 12 that is located on the lower side. The cleaning units 11 and 12 have supply reels 13a and 13b and take-up reels 14a and 14b, which are vertically symmetrical. A cleaning member 15 made of a soft tape-shaped cloth having excellent abrasion resistance is wound around each of the supply reels 13a and 13b. The cleaning members 15 are first to third
Relay rollers 16a to 16c and one take-up roller 17
It is adapted to be wound around each of the take-up reels 14a and 14b via.

The supply reels 13a, 13b and the take-up reels 14a, 14b are respectively provided with motors 18a, 18b and 19a, 19 for applying an appropriate tension to the cleaning member 15.
drive motors 21a, 21b for driving the take-up roller 17 are connected to the take-up roller 17.
Are connected.

Therefore, the cleaning member 15 of the upper cleaning unit 11 and the lower cleaning unit 12 is wound from the supply reels 13a, 13b to the take-up reels 14a, 14b by the operation of the drive motors 21a, 21b. Has become.

Each motor is provided inside the main body 1, and the rollers and reels other than the first and second relay rollers 16a and 16b are rotatably provided on the front surface of the main body 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first and second relay rollers 16a and 16b are rotatably attached to a movable plate 31 provided on the front surface of the main body 1 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. There is. The movable plate 31 is vertically driven by a first cylinder 32 provided on the front surface of the main body 1.

Therefore, when the movable plate 31 is driven in the upward direction by the first cylinder 32 and the movement of the movable plate 31 causes the first and second relay rollers 16a and 16b to interlock with each other,
The first and second relay rollers 16 of the cleaning member 15
The parts engaged with a and 16b are also interlocked. That is, the movable plate 31 and the first cylinder 32 constitute an elevating mechanism for raising the portion of the cleaning member 15 located between the first and second relay rollers 16a and 16b.

Pressing rollers 22a and 22b are provided between the second relay roller 16b and the third relay roller 16c. Each pressing roller 22a, 22b has a second
The upper and lower cylinders 23a and 23b are driven in a direction of moving toward and away from the plate surface of the substrate 5. As a result, the pressing rollers 22a and 22b press the cleaning member 15 from above and below against the edge of the substrate 5 positioned at the cleaning position of the cleaning units 11 and 12 by the holding unit 6 with a predetermined pressure. Will be attached.

An upper nozzle 24a and a lower nozzle 24b are arranged with their tips opposed to each other in a portion of the cleaning member 15 between the first relay roller 16a and the second relay roller 16b.

Each nozzle 24a, 24b is connected to a container 25 containing a solvent such as alcohol via a supply tube 26. A pump 27 is provided in the middle of the supply tube 26. The pump 27 is adapted to intermittently compress the solvent in the container 25 by the rollers rotating in the middle of the tube 26 along a predetermined direction, whereby the nozzles 24a, 24b.
It is designed to be dropped from.

The upper nozzle 24a and the lower nozzle 24b
The solvent dripped from and drops toward the cleaning member 15. As a result, the solvent dripped from the nozzles 24a and 24b permeates the cleaning member 15, respectively.

When the solvent is dropped onto the cleaning member 15, it is normally dropped as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the surface tension of the solvent may cause a liquid pool in which the solvent does not drip from the nozzles 24a and 24b and adheres to and remains at the nozzle tips. In that case, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 4, the first cylinder 32 is driven,
Along with the movable plate 31, as shown by a chain line in FIG.
When the relay rollers 16a, 16b are raised, the portion of the cleaning member 15 between the pair of relay rollers 16a, 16b also rises and comes into contact with the tips of the nozzles 24a, 24b. As a result, the solvent remaining on the nozzles 24a and 24b can be absorbed by the cleaning member 15.

Although FIG. 4 shows only the lifting mechanism of the upper cleaning unit 11, the lower cleaning unit 12 of the lifting mechanism has the same structure.

The upper nozzle 24a and the lower nozzle 24b
Sensors 28a and 28b, which are, for example, reflection type optical sensors or the like, are arranged as detection means for counting the number of droplets of the solvent dropped from the nozzles 24a and 24b.

The nozzles 24 of the cleaning units 11 and 12
a, 24b and the sensors 28a, 28b are respectively the head 3
Although not shown in detail, each head 30 is attached to the main body 1 so as not to interfere with the vertical movement of the movable plate 31.

Detection signals from the sensors 28a and 28b are input to the control device 29. As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 29 has an input portion 41 to which detection signals from the sensors 28a and 28b are input, a set time T for dropping the solvent from the nozzles 24a and 24b, and a dropping time within that time. The lower limit of the number of drops α to be set is set by the setting unit 42, the detection number input to the input unit 41 and the number of drops α set by the setting unit 42 are set to the dropping time T after the start of the dropping of the solvent.
And a drive unit 44 that selectively outputs drive signals D ₁ and D ₂ to the pump 27 and the first cylinder 32 based on the comparison in the comparison unit 43. Is equipped with.

Next, a procedure for cleaning the electrodes provided on the substrate 5 by the cleaning device having the above structure will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, as shown by S ₁ , the number of drops of solvent α is set by the setting section 42 of the controller 29, and in S ₂ , the drop time T of the solvent required to drop the number of drops α set by S ₁ is set. To set. Thereby, the condition is that the solvent is dropped by the set number α or more within the dropping time T.

In S ₃ , the pump 27 is operated based on the set dropping number α and dropping time T, and the solvent is transferred from the container 25 to the cleaning member 15 from the upper nozzle 24 a and the lower nozzle 24 b via the supply tube 26. Dropped.

[0038] In S _4, the actual number of drops C sensors 28a of solvent dropwise to the cleaning member 15, while being detected by 28b, the measurement of the elapsed time t after the dropping of the solvent is started is started, The detection signal is the control device 29
Is input to the input unit 41. In S ₅ , the elapsed time t input to the input unit 41 is compared with the drip time T set by the setting unit 42.

In the comparison in S ₅ , if the elapsed time t has not reached the dropping time T, the determination is NO, and the processing in the next step S ₆ is performed. If the elapsed time t has reached the drip time T, the determination is YES,
Processing in the next step S ₁₀ is performed.

At S ₆ , the actual dropping number C of the solvent dropped on the cleaning member 15 detected by the sensors 28 a and 28 b and input to the input section 41 of the control device 29 is set by the setting section 42. Compared with the number α.

As a result of the comparison in S ₆ , if the actual number of drops C is less than the set number of drops α, the determination is NO.
Then, the process returns to S ₄ and the dropping of the solvent is continued.

On the other hand, S₆As a result of the comparison in
If the number of drops is α or more, the determination is YES and S
₇In operation, the cleaning unit is operated by the operation of the first cylinder 32.
First and second relay rollers 16a and 16b of the material 15
The part located between them is moved up and down, and when moving up, the cleaning member
The nozzle 15 is in contact with the nozzles 24a and 24b. Next, S
₈At a predetermined amount, the cleaning member 15 is fed to
Unused portion of the material 15 on which the solvent has not yet been dripped
Are positioned directly below the nozzles 24a, 24b. Furthermore
To S₉At, the number of drops C detected and the elapsed time t
And are reset, then S_ThreeReturn to the dropping start process
It

That is, the fact that the number of drops C becomes equal to or more than the number of drops α before the elapsed time t reaches the drop time T is accumulated at the tips of the nozzles 24a and 24b as shown in FIG. 7 (b). As a result of the shaking of the solvent, the sensors 28a, 28
It is considered that b is erroneously detected, and there is a possibility that the number of drops of the solvent cannot be accurately detected even if the dropping is continued as it is, so the dropping of the solvent is interrupted and the dropping of the solvent is restarted from the beginning.

In S ₁₀ , the actual drop number C of the solvent detected by the sensors 28 a and 28 b is compared with the drop number α set by the setting section 42.

The result of the comparison in _{S 10,} when dropping amount C was added dropwise a few α or more, the determination is YES, the next step S
The process of 11 is performed. That is, when the elapsed time t reaches the drip time T and becomes equal to or more than the drip number α, it is considered that a predetermined amount of the solvent is dripped on the cleaning member 15, and therefore it is determined that the cleaning is possible, and the control device 29 determines Drive unit 44
Take-up reels 14a, 14b and pressing roller 22
A drive signal is output to a and 22b, and cleaning is started.

That is, the cleaning member 15 is wound around the take-up reels 14a and 14b, and the portion of the cleaning member 15 on which the solvent is dropped is sent to a position facing the pressing rollers 22a and 22b, and then the pressing member is pressed. Rollers 22a, 2
2b is pressed by the upper and lower cylinders 23a and 23b. As a result, the portion of the cleaning member 15 onto which the solvent has been dropped is pressed against the edges of the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 5 with a predetermined pressure.

When the cleaning member 15 is pressed against the substrate 5, the transfer device 2 operates to transfer the substrate 5 in the X direction shown in FIG. As a result, the edge of the substrate 5 including the electrode surface is cleaned by the portion of the cleaning member 15 onto which the solvent has been dropped, without causing the generation of static electricity, and the cleaning is completed.

The result of the comparison in S _10, if number of drops C was less than dropping several alpha, determination is NO, the processing in the subsequent second process S12 is performed. That is, if the number of drops C is less than the number of drops α at the time when the elapsed time t reaches the drop time T, as shown in FIG.
It is considered that a liquid pool is generated in b.

[0049] Therefore, in this case, the drive signal from the drive unit 44 to the first cylinder 32 is outputted, first by operating the first cylinder 32 as shown by S _12, the second
The relay rollers 16a and 16b of the cleaning member 15
The portions of the rollers 16a and 16b stretched are brought into contact with the nozzles 24a and 24b. As a result, the cleaning member 15 absorbs the solvent remaining on the nozzles 24a and 24b, so that a desired amount of solvent is supplied.

That is, if the pump 27 is operating normally, the amount of solvent corresponding to the preset number of drops α is being sent from the pump 27 to the nozzles 24a and 24b. Cleaning member 1 on 24a and 24b
When 5 is brought into contact, the cleaning member 15 absorbs a predetermined amount of solvent sent to this nozzle.

In this way, if a predetermined amount of solvent is supplied to the cleaning member 15, after the cleaning member 15 is lowered,
Return to the cleaning start step of S ₁₁ . Therefore, N in S ₁₀
Even in the case of O, as in the case of YES, the electrode surface of the substrate 5 can be satisfactorily cleaned without causing the generation of static electricity.

In the above-mentioned one embodiment, a part of the cleaning member 15 is raised by using the elevating mechanism and the cleaning member 15 is brought into contact with the nozzles 24a and 24b where the solvent remains, but the nozzle is lowered. Alternatively, the cleaning member 15 may be brought into contact with the cleaning member 15.

[0053] In _addition, if the result of the determination in _{S 10} is NO,
In addition to liquid pool, pump 27 malfunctions, supply tube 26
There may be other causes such as the inclusion of air bubbles in the interior, so an alarm may be issued to prompt the operator to inspect for safety.

Further, although the case where the electrodes are formed on the upper surface of the edge portion of the substrate 5 has been described in the above-mentioned one embodiment, the present invention can be applied even when the electrodes are formed on both upper and lower surfaces of the substrate. Is.

[0055]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the cleaning work from being performed in the state where the solvent is not sufficiently supplied to the cleaning member, and the circuit element is prevented from being generated due to the generation of static electricity. Can be prevented from being destroyed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a cleaning device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the cleaning device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 1 excluding a carrying device.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of an upper cleaning unit of the cleaning device shown in FIG.

5 is a detailed view of a control device of the cleaning device shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation.

FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram of a state where a solvent is normally dropped from the tip of a nozzle, and FIG. 7B is an explanatory diagram when a liquid pool is generated at the tip of the nozzle.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... Carrier 5 ... Substrate 15 ... Cleaning member 24a ... Upper nozzle 24b ... Lower nozzle 28 ... Sensor (detection means) 29 ... Control device 42 ... Setting unit 43 ... Comparison section

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 3B116 AA02 AB13 AB37 AB47 BA08                       BA22 BA34 CD42 CD43                 3B201 AA02 AB13 AB37 AB47 BA08                       BA22 BA34 CD42 CD43                 4K053 PA13 QA04 SA12 XA01 XA22                       XA50 YA04

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning device for cleaning an electrode formed on a substrate, comprising: a cleaning member that contacts the electrode and cleans the electrode while moving relative to the substrate; Nozzle for dropping the solvent onto the portion of the cleaning member that comes into contact with the electrode before contact with the cleaning member, detection means for detecting the number of droplets of the solvent dropped from this nozzle, the number of drops of the solvent and the solvent of the number of drops With the time required to drop the is set, whether the number of drops of the solvent before and after the arrival of the drop time set based on the detection signal of the detection means has reached a set number. A substrate cleaning apparatus comprising: a control unit for comparing and determining. 2. A portion of the cleaning member facing the nozzle or one of the nozzles is provided so as to be able to contact each other by an elevating mechanism, and the liquid detected by the detecting means after the set drip time. The substrate cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member and the nozzle are brought into contact with each other by the elevating mechanism when the number of drops does not reach a set number. 3. When the number of droplets detected by the detection means reaches a set number before the set dropping time, the dropping of the solvent onto the cleaning member is restarted from the beginning. The substrate cleaning device according to claim 1, which is characterized in that. 4. A cleaning method in which a cleaning member is brought into contact with an electrode formed on a substrate to clean the electrode, and the number of drops of the solvent dropped onto the cleaning member and the dropping time required to drop the solvent of the dropped number are set. A setting step, a dropping step of dropping the solvent onto the cleaning member based on the number of drops set in the setting step and the dropping time, and a number of drops of the solvent detected during the dropping step In addition, a detection step of detecting an elapsed time from the start of dropping the solvent, and a determination step of determining whether or not cleaning by the cleaning member can be performed based on the number of drops and the elapsed time detected in the detecting step. And a method for cleaning a substrate, comprising: 5. When the detected number of drops is less than the set number of drops after the elapsed time has passed the first drop time, the nozzle and the cleaning member are relatively brought close to each other. The method for cleaning a substrate according to claim 4, wherein a nozzle and the cleaning member are brought into contact with each other. 6. The dropping step is performed again from the beginning when the detected number of drops exceeds the set number of drops before the elapsed time exceeds the drop time. Item 4. A method for cleaning a substrate according to item 4.