JP2004535071A - Method for removing contaminants from flat media carrier, flat media carrier cleaning device, media carrier cleaning device, and box cleaning system - Google Patents

Abstract

A machine (10) for cleaning containers (52), such as a flat media carrier (52) or a box (52), places the cleaning liquid on a container (52) supported on a rotating rotor (70) in a chamber (24). An inner array and an outer array (R1-R8) of nozzles arranged to spray. The cleaning liquid, which is a mixture of water and a detergent or a surfactant, is prepared by directly drawing out the surfactant from the surfactant storage container (35) using a metering pump (48, 49). The flow rate of the water is measured by flow meters (116, 118) and combined with a metering pump (48, 49) to produce an appropriate amount of surfactant to produce a mixture of the desired surfactant concentration to remove contaminants. The agent is injected into the channel (140). The box holder assemblies (250a-250d) on the rotor (70) include upper and lower hooks (322, 324) that secure the box (52) to the rotor (70). The box door holder assemblies (206a, 206b) are provided on the rotor (70).

Description

【Technical field】
[0001]
The field of the invention relates to cleaning equipment for rinsing and drying containers and carriers used to hold and process semiconductor wafers, substrates, flat panel displays, and other flat media. .
[Background Art]
[0002]
Flat media, such as silicon or other semiconductor wafers, substrates, photomasks, flat panel displays, data disks and similar products, require very low levels of contamination. Even small contaminants can cause defects. Therefore, high levels of cleanliness need to be maintained at all or almost all stages of production of these types of flat media. Although "wafer" may be understood to mean any type of flat media, the described flat media is hereinafter referred to as "wafer".
[0003]
Wafers are usually processed in batches. Silicon wafers undergo a number of batch processing steps, such as oxidation, photolithography, diffusion, chemical vapor deposition, metallization, and etching, for example, in the manufacture of semiconductor chips used in computers, phones, televisions, and other electronic products. Will be. Batch handling may be performed for the entire production process, or for one or more processing steps or associated handling operations. This type of batch processing almost always utilizes some type of carrier or container to hold the wafers to be processed.
[0004]
A wafer carrier, wafer box, wafer cassette, wafer boat, or wafer container holds a group of wafers. At certain stages in the manufacturing process, the wafer carrier must be cleaned. Typically, they are difficult to clean because they have features that include slots, grooves or openings, and inner corners that can capture contaminants. The difficulty in cleaning is highlighted by the very low contamination levels required for wafer processing.
[0005]
Therefore, cleaning the wafer carrier remains a difficult, time consuming, and relatively expensive procedure. Adhesive-backed labels, fingerprints, dust, metal particles, photoresist, and organic compounds can also contaminate the wafer carrier.
[0006]
Various machines have been manufactured and used to clean wafer carriers. In these machines, the carrier is mounted on a rotor and the cleaning liquid is sprayed on the carrier, while the carrier rotates within the chamber. This rotational movement minimizes processing time and further assists in drying the carrier. In certain applications, detergents or surfactants are introduced and mixed with deionized water. In such uses, the surfactant acts as a wetting agent to help remove loosely adhered particles, while the detergent chemically reacts with contaminants and acts to wash and separate them. . Surfactants are typically used only once and discarded as waste. The detergent may be regenerated when concentrated.
[0007]
Surfactants or detergents are usually held in containers or tanks. Since the surfactant or detergent stream is applied at a low flow rate to produce the required concentration level, control of the surfactant or detergent volume flow to the carrier can be difficult. Previously, surfactants were pumped from bulk containments into holding tanks that diluted to the required level. The diluted surfactant solution is then withdrawn from the holding tank by a Venturi tube into a stream of water that is mixed or aspirated with water. The mixture of water and surfactant is then directed to a rinsing manifold, ready for injection into a wafer carrier.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
[0008]
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved machine for cleaning carriers and containers for flat media.
[0009]
Facilitating loading or unloading of carriers or boxes and their doors to and from the rotor, and maintaining a well-balanced rotor under various conditions, remains an engineering challenge. Accordingly, it is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved rotor.
[Means for Solving the Problems]
[0010]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a flat media carrier cleaning apparatus that includes a rotor rotatably mounted within a chamber. A nozzle in the chamber is arranged to spray a cleaning mixture of water and a detergent or surfactant onto a carrier supported on the rotor. The cleaning mixture is dispensed by withdrawing the surfactant directly from the surfactant bulk container using a metering pump. The flow rate of the water is measured by a flow meter and, in combination with a metering pump, an appropriate amount of surfactant is injected into the water channel to produce a mixture at the desired surfactant concentration to remove contaminants. .
[0011]
In a second aspect of the present invention, the surfactant or detergent solution is provided at or upstream of an in-line mixing control valve so that the water and surfactant are thoroughly mixed before being injected into the wafer carrier. , Injected into the channel.
[0012]
In a third aspect of the invention, a wafer carrier is provided with a plurality of rinsing manifolds for spraying the carrier, a flow meter is provided in an inlet channel for each manifold, and each channel is provided with a desired A separate metering pump for surfactant injection is provided so that an appropriate amount of surfactant can be injected into each channel in order to create a mixture of surfactant concentrations.
[0013]
In a fourth aspect, a system for cleaning a carrier used to handle a wafer includes a box cleaning apparatus having a rotor in a closed container. The box holder assembly on the rotor includes upper and lower hooks that secure the box to the rotor. A box door holder assembly is provided on the rotor. The box door holder assembly preferably has a number of box door holding positions. Advantageously, each box door holding position is provided with a door guide and a door hook for holding the door. The box door holder assembly avoids the need to separately clean the doors, and allows both the box and those doors to be cleaned using a centrifugal cleaner.
[0014]
In a fifth and separate embodiment, the rotor is provided with an even number of box holder assemblies symmetrically spaced around the rotor and an even number of door holder assemblies symmetrically spaced around the rotor. This makes it possible to prevent the rotor from becoming unbalanced.
[0015]
In a sixth aspect, the spray manifold has a straight spray nozzle and a bent spray nozzle. Straight spray nozzles supply the spray into the center of the rotor and directly into the box. Bent spray nozzles, oriented in and / or away from the direction of rotation, should be positioned to spray leading and / or trailing surface, corner and box features. . This results in improved cleaning.
[0016]
Also, the spray manifold may have curved spray nozzles oriented at upward and / or downward angles.
[0017]
Other and further objects, inventive features, and advantages are set forth below. The invention also has sub-combinations of the features described above.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0018]
Turning now to the details of the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a carrier cleaning machine 10 having a frame 12 and a housing panel 14 that form a closed container. The back door 16 and the front door 16A are provided on the front and back of the machine 10. Generally, machine 10 is installed in a clean room of the type used in semiconductor manufacturing. The air filter closed container 18 is located above the front door 16A and includes a filter for filtering air in a clean room. An exhaust duct 26 extends from the top of the machine 10 at the rear right corner and is typically connected to the facility or building exhaust duct.
[0019]
Referring to FIGS. 3, 6 and 9, the cylindrical chamber 24 is supported within the frame 12. The chamber 24 has a cylindrical side wall 25, and is sealed upside down by an upper plate 36 and a bottom plate 38. The upper plate 36 has a central opening 37 so that air passing through the filter box 18 flows downward through the chamber 24. An exhaust plenum 50 at the lower back and right side of the chamber 24 is connected to an exhaust duct 26 to move air out of the chamber 24. An exhaust opening 39 in the exhaust plenum 50 at the bottom of the chamber 24 exhausts fluid from the chamber.
[0020]
Referring to FIGS. 5, 9 and 13, an external rinsing manifold 28 (R1-R4), each having, for example, twelve spray nozzles, is provided with a chamber 24 on chamber cylindrical side wall 25. Positioned around the outer circumference. The external rinsing manifold 28 is shown in FIGS. 4-6 and FIGS. 10A, B as long as the rinsing spray nozzle 30 of the external rinsing manifold 28 is properly positioned to play on the workpiece, ie, the wafer carrier. It may be on the outer side of the cylindrical side wall 25 or on the inner side of the cylindrical side wall 25 as shown in FIG.
[0021]
The internal rinse manifold 29 includes an internal rinse manifold (R5-R8) having a number of rinse spray nozzles 30 oriented to spray outward on a workpiece (i.e., wafer carrier, container or lid). Accordingly, it is positioned near the center of the chamber 24.
[0022]
Similarly, outer drying manifolds 64 (D5-D8), each having multiple drying spray nozzles 66, are spaced around the circumference of the chamber 24 on the cylindrical side wall 25 of the chamber. Also, an internal drying manifold 65 (D1-D4), each having a number of drying spray nozzles 66, is positioned near the center of the chamber 24. A preferred orientation of the drying manifold (D1-D8) and the rinsing manifold (R1-R8) is shown in FIG.
[0023]
With reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B, an external dry manifold 64 is connected to a supply 120 of pressurized gas, such as air or nitrogen, via a distribution manifold 61 and then via a control valve 63a via a fluid path 63. Have been. Similarly, the internal drying manifold 65 is connected to the pressurized gas supply 130 via the distribution manifold 68 and then via the fluid valve 67 via the control valve 67a. The external rinsing manifold 28 is connected to a control valve 170 and a deionized (DI) water source 110 via a distribution manifold 141 and thereafter by a fluid path 140. The internal rinsing manifold 29 is connected to the control valve 180 and the DI-water source 110 via a distribution manifold 151 and thereafter by a fluid path 150. The pressurized gas path is also connected to the spray manifold via control valves 170, 180 for purification. The boost pump 46 increases the pressure of DI water from the external water source 110 to the rinsing manifolds 28,29.
[0024]
The control valves 170, 180 are preferably mixing control valves that allow the surfactant to be thoroughly mixed into the DI water.
[0025]
Referring to FIGS. 3 to 6 and FIGS. 10A, B to 12, the surfactant tank or bottle 35 is connected to the surfactant metering pumps 48, 49 via a fluid path 190. The surfactant metering pump 48 is connected to the mixing control valve 170 via the fluid path 192. Pump 48 pumps the surfactant from tank or bottle 35 to control valve 170, where it is mixed with DI water for injection into external rinse manifold 28 via fluid path 140. The surfactant metering pump 49 is connected to the control valve 180 via the fluid path 194. Pump 49 pumps surfactant from tank or bottle 35 to control mixing valve 180 where it is mixed with DI water for injection into external rinsing manifold 29 via fluid path 150.
[0026]
A drain opening 39 at the bottom of the chamber 24 leads to a diverter 90 that connects the drain opening 39 to either the collection tank 42 or the facility waste drain 92.
[0027]
On the surfactant side, a return path 142 from the fluid path 192, near the mixing control valve 170, is provided for refluxing the surfactant (under control of the control valve 145) to the container 35; And, a return path 152 from the fluid path 194, near the mixing control valve 180, is provided for refluxing the surfactant to the container 35 (under control of the control valve 155). On the DI water side, a recirculation path 147 from the fluid path 115, near the mixing control valve 170, provides recirculation of the DI water; and, from the fluid path 117, near the mixing control valve 180. Recirculation path 157 provides for recirculation of DI water. Recirculation paths 147, 157 provide water flow through the tool even when the tool is idle to avoid the formation of bacteria in the path and valves.
[0028]
Referring to FIG. 9 for a time, an air heater 58 is provided in the air inlet plenum 56 of the inlet opening 37 which is connected to the rear and the center of the air filter box 18 or the upper part of the chamber 24. A blanket heater 55 is also provided around the upper part of the chamber 24. Computer / controller 112 is linked to and controls various pumps, valves, heaters, and flow sensors.
[0029]
Referring to FIGS. 6-9, rotor 70 is rotatably supported within chamber 24 on base 104. The rotor has a top ring 72 and a bottom ring 74 connected by a frame structure 75. The rudder 76 is pivotally supported by upper and lower rudder supports 82 extending radially outward from the top ring 72 and the bottom ring 74. As shown in FIG. 9, each ladder 76 includes a number of compartments 78 for holding a container, or carrier 85, or container lid 87. The configuration of the ladder 76 and the design of the compartment 78 on the ladder 76 are adapted to the particular size and type of carrier, container, and lid to be cleaned. The entire rotor 70 is rotatably supported on the center column 100 and on a rotor shaft 106 in the center column 100. The rotor drive motor 102 rotates the rotor 70. The detailed design features of rotor 70, center column 100, and rotor shaft 106 are well known and are described in US Pat. No. 5,224,503. Alternatively, the tool may consist of a non-rotating ladder.
[0030]
In use, machine 10 is typically installed in a silicon wafer or other flat media manufacturing facility. As the wafer is moved through the various processing steps, the carrier 85 will become contaminated and must be cleaned before the wafer is replaced in the carrier. Door 16 or door 16A of machine 10 is opened. The rotor 70 is rotated or indexed until the rudder 76 lines up with the door. Thereafter, ladder 76 is rotated 180 ° so that empty compartment 78 is accessible through door 16. The carrier 85 is loaded into the compartment 78 and the ladder returns to its original position, so that the compartment 78 is directed inside the chamber 24. The ladder 76 is preferably provided with a latch or clasp such that the compartment 78 faces the interior of the chamber 24 and secures the ladder in a closed or operative position. Thereafter, by rotating the rotor 70 (by hand or through control of the rotor drive motor 102), the next ladder 76 is brought into line with the door for loading. Loading continues until all ladders 76 are filled.
[0031]
As shown in FIG. 6, the facility panel 40 on the machine 10 measures fluid / gas flow, as well as gauges and valves to control deionized water and gas such as nitrogen or air. It has a connection to input 10 and a connection to a waste discharge pipe 92.
[0032]
Detergent tank 35 is supplied with a detergent or surfactant, such as Valtron DP 94001 (a high pH alkaline detergent), which is a suitable surfactant for removing photoresist, for example. The term "surfactant" as used in this application means a surfactant or detergent. Controller 112 directs DI water to mixing control valves 170, 180 to create the desired DI water / surfactant mixture to be injected into each rinse manifold 28, 29 through appropriate control of valves and pumps. And a surfactant. The DI water boosting pump 46 increases the water pressure in the supply path 114 in order to supply DI water to both the mixing control valve 170 and the mixing control valve 180. A flow meter 116 is located in the fluid path upstream of the external rinse mixing control valve 170 to measure the flow rate of the supplied DI water. Similarly, a flow meter 118 is located in the fluid path upstream of the internal rinse mix control valve 180 to measure the flow rate of the supplied DI water.
[0033]
The system combines flow meter 116 with the control of metering pump 48 to set a reasonably accurate surfactant concentration for the DI water / surfactant mixture injected into external rinse manifold 28. Is calibrated initially by using the information in Similarly, the system can be used in combination with the control of a metering pump 49 to set a reasonably accurate surfactant concentration for the DI water / surfactant mixture injected into the internal rinse manifold 29. Initially calibrated by using information from total 118. The solution is preferably 1: 10000 surfactant, balanced for each manifold, DI water, but has separate flow control / metering and surfactant concentration levels are individually It may be set.
[0034]
The metering pumps 48 and 49 are preferably a type of positive displacement pump such as a diaphragm pump. The flow rate of such a diaphragm pump may be adjusted by adjusting the pump stroke (which sets the pumping volume per stroke) and / or the pump speed (which is the number of strokes per minute). The pump is preferably set at a relatively high speed so that the surfactant is delivered to the system less rhythmically / intermittently.
[0035]
The system operator adjusts the concentration of surfactant / DI water by adjusting the pump stroke (which sets the pumping volume per stroke) and / or the pump speed (which is the number of strokes per minute) May be.
[0036]
The system may be operated by presetting the pumping rates for the metering pumps 48, 49 and the concentration of surfactant / DI water, while the electronic control system operates with the flow meters 116, 118 and the pumping rate of the metering pumps. May be executed using the input from the electronic control of the above.
[0037]
A low level sensor 35a may be provided on the surfactant container 35 to warn that the fluid level in the container is low and needs replacement. Sensor 35a may be a liquid sensor in the container, or a capacitive sensor located outside the container, or any other suitable device. This sensor may only determine when the level reaches a particular (low) level to indicate when the surfactant should be replaced, or some types of sensors may have a signal corresponding to the surfactant level. May be provided. For example, the tray 35b into which the container 35 is inserted (see FIG. 11) provides the weight of the container 35 with a change in the weight of the container as measured by a load cell that provides an indication of the fluid level to the weight of the container 35. For this purpose, a load cell for supporting the surfactant container 35 may be included.
[0038]
The controller 112 controls the rotor drive motor 102 so that the rotor 70 rotates in the first direction at a low speed, for example, 1-50 rpm. Under the control of pumps 46, 48, 49 and valves 170, 180, the DI water / surfactant solution is sprayed onto carrier 85 on a rotating rotor.
[0039]
After a sufficient duration, for example 3-10 minutes, for better spray coverage, the rotor 70 reverses direction while continuing to spray the surfactant solution. An internal rinsing manifold 29 located inside the rotor 70 sprays outward from the center of the chamber 24 radially. An external rinsing manifold 28 located around the cylindrical side wall 25 of the chamber sprays radially inward toward the center of the chamber. This double spray operation, combined with the two-way rotation of the rotor 70, provides virtually complete coverage of all surfaces of the container 85.
[0040]
After the surfactant solution has been applied, the manifold is purged with gas or nitrogen flowing through check valves 143, 153 and control valves 170, 180, as shown in FIGS.
[0041]
During the detergent wash cycle, diverter valve 90 is positioned to direct fluid to facility waste drain 92. Typically, when machine 10 begins the rinsing cycle, diverter 90 remains in position connecting drain opening 39 to facility waste drain 92. DI water is sprayed from all rinsing manifolds (R1-R8) onto carrier 85, while rotor 70 rotates in a first direction, for example at 1-50 rpm, preferably about 6 rpm, and then reverses. Rotate in the opposite direction. Subsequently, the heater 58 is turned on, and the rotor is accelerated to, for example, 300 rpm, whereby water droplets on the container 85 are shaken off the container by centrifugal force, and the container is dried. A blanket heater 55 is outside the top of the chamber 24 and is continuously on to warm the top of the chamber. The DI rinse water flows out to the waste drain 92.
[0042]
For example, DI water (without surfactant) is circulated through the chamber. If a water circulation mode is desired, the diverter valve 90 may be switched to a position.
[0043]
While the machine 10 helps in cleaning various contaminants, certain cleaning parameters such as surfactant, rinse water and air / gas spray duration, rotation speed and sequence, heater operation, surfactant concentration, etc. If there are different containers and contaminants, etc., they may be modified slightly for optimal results, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description herein.
[0044]
Surfactants are generally not flammable or explosive and do not have comparable environmental losses associated with solvents. On the other hand, surfactants can be very expensive. For DI water / surfactant mixtures, the system uses a metering pump to achieve accurate and consistent surfactant concentration, and the system preserves the surfactant.
[0045]
Turning now to the design shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the rotor assembly 236 has an even number of box holder assemblies 250a, 250b, 250c, 250d symmetrically disposed on the rotor frame 244. ing. Similarly, an even number of door holder assemblies 260a, 260b are symmetrically arranged on the rotor frame 244.
[0046]
Each box holder assembly 250a-250d has the same design and is positioned radially opposite the other box holder assemblies. In particular, box holder assembly 250a is positioned radially opposite box holder assembly 250c; and box holder assembly 250b is positioned radially opposite box holder assembly 250d. Similarly, door holder assemblies 260a, 260b are positioned radially opposite one another. Thus, the rotor assembly 236 has a box holder assembly and a door holder assembly that are symmetrically arranged in a rotationally balanced configuration.
[0047]
Box holder assemblies 250a-250d and door holder assemblies 260a, 260b are attached to rotor frame 244 to form rotor assembly 236. The rotor frame 244 includes a top ring plate 246 and a bottom ring plate 248 that are attached to the core structure 245. Box holder assemblies 250a-250d are securely attached to top and bottom ring plates 246, 248, preferably through bolts 275.
[0048]
Referring to FIG. 16, each door holder assembly 260a, 260b has a top plate 272, a bottom plate 276, an intermediate plate 274, side plates 278, 280, and an arm 292 attached to the side plate. Each door holder assembly 260 is preferably securely attached to the top and bottom ring plates 246, 48 of the rotor frame 244 through bolts 275 extending through the top and bottom plates 272 and 276 of the door holder assembly.
[0049]
Each door holder assembly 260a, 260b generally has an upper compartment 306 and a lower compartment 308 separated by an intermediate plate 274. Still referring to FIG. 16, each of the compartments 306, 308 has two compartments, an upper compartment 306, shown to hold doors 325a, 325b, and a lower compartment, shown to hold doors 325c, 325d. A door holding position is provided. The door holding positions are preferably mirror images of each other.
[0050]
Referring also now to FIGS. 18 and 19, each compartment 306, 308 has a bottom or tray 335, and a pair of left hooks 322, and a pair of right hooks 324, and a top plate 340. FIG. 18 shows details of the compartment elements. FIG. 19 shows details of the bottom tray 335. Door slots 336, 337 are provided in bottom tray 335 to receive the bottom edge of the door. The slots 336, 337 are arranged radially with respect to the rotor spin axis AA. Slots 336, 337 each include a rear bevel 338, 339 at its radially inward or rearward end. Each of the hooks 322, 324 has a leg 325 and a foot 327 attached to the leg 325. The hooks 322, 324 are preferably mirror images of each other. Leg 325 extends circumferentially (ie, generally tangential to the rotational path of the rotor). The foot 327 extends radially inward toward the rotation axis AA of the rotor. The doors are held in each door holder so that they are almost aligned or parallel to the radius R of the rotor. As shown in FIG. 16, the plane P of the wide flat side of the door is preferably within ± 30, 20, or 10 degrees with respect to the radius R.
[0051]
In use, the enclosure door 16 (shown in FIG. 1) is opened to load the door into the door holder assembly 260, and the rotor assembly is moved so that the door holder assembly 260a or 260b is aligned with the enclosure door 16. It is indexed or rotated until it moves. Thereafter, doors 325a-d are manually loaded into door holder assemblies 260a or 260b.
[0052]
Upon installation of a door (eg, door 325a) into the compartment, the lower portion of door 325a fits within door slot 336. The door slots assist in laterally supporting the door (eg, holding the door against lateral movement). The door (e.g., door 325a) is installed in the door holder by vertically inserting the door through an opening in the compartment that passes through slot 336 and through side hook 322. Thereafter, the door is moved laterally into position over slot 336. The bottom of the door engages a ramp 338 that guides the bottom of the door down into the slot 336 and radially outward. The radially outward facing door edge also contacts the side hooks 322. Once in the slot 336, the door returns radially outward until it engages the side hooks 322. Thereafter, the door 325a is reliably positioned and held in place by the hook against the movement due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotating rotor. Similarly, each of the other doors is loaded. A center guide 344 on the bottom tray 335 helps guide the interior or back end of the door into the door slot. The door 325 is unloaded from the door holder assembly 260 by using the reverse of the sequence of steps described above.
[0053]
When loaded into the door retention position, the door is in a vertical position, i.e., one end of the door faces the rotor axis AA and the other end of the door faces radially outward from the rotor. Yes (and engaged by hooks). The plane or surface of the door is vertical and orthogonal to the path of travel of the rotor. One door plane faces an adjacent door plane in the same compartment 306 or 308. The door is held on the side of compartment 306 or 308. The center area of the compartment is empty to allow space for loading and unloading. The door holder assemblies 260a, 260b are much narrower than the box holder assemblies and occupy a smaller sector of the rotor assembly.
[0054]
Using the sequence described above, door holder assemblies 260a, 260b are loaded with doors 325a-d, typically with two doors in upper compartment 306 and two doors in lower compartment 308.
[0055]
The two door holder assemblies 260a, 260b each carry four doors, for a total of eight doors. Rotor assembly 236 has four box holder assemblies 250a-d, each assembly holding two boxes, for a total of eight boxes. As a result, eight boxes and box doors can be cleaned in a single cycle of the cleaning system. Loaded symmetrically about spin axis AA, rotor assembly 236 is in equilibrium.
[0056]
Here the rotor is described with four box holder assemblies and two door holder assemblies, each with two (upper and lower) compartments, but made with other parts and configurations Is also used.
[0057]
Referring to FIG. 20, in an improved centrifugal box cleaner embodiment 400, the outer spray manifolds 402, 404, 406, 408, 410 direct fluid in a radially inward direction on and into the box or vessel 85. Spray. An internal liquid spray manifold 412 sprays the liquid radially outward on the back of the box. Internal liquid spray manifold 412 is radially positioned within rotating rotor 403. The outer spray manifolds 402, 404, 406, 408, 410 may be located inside the enclosure 401 as shown in FIG. 20, or the manifold may be configured such that the manifold nozzle extends through the opening of the enclosure. Positioned outside 401.
[0058]
Also, the inner and outer liquid spray manifolds may be set to spray a gas, such as clean dry air, into the box cleaner 400 during the drying cycle. Alternatively, separate internal and / or external gas spray manifolds may be provided.
[0059]
Referring to FIGS. 21 and 22, the first external liquid spray manifold 402 has a number of spray nozzles 430, 432, preferably evenly spaced. The nozzle 430 is a straight spray nozzle that jets directly toward the spin axis and the center C of the rotor 36. The straight spray nozzle 430 may be a conical nozzle that emits in a conical pattern, for example, surrounding a solid angle of 10-60 °, or 15-45 °, and more preferably about 30 °. Alternatively, straight spray nozzle 430 may be a fan-type nozzle that forms a flutter spray pattern. Also, the nozzles 432 included on the first manifold 402 are curved spray nozzles to enhance the effectiveness of the cleaning box. The first manifold 402 preferably has two or four curved spray nozzles 432 separated by at least one, and preferably several, straight spray nozzles 430.
[0060]
Referring to FIG. 22, the curved spray nozzle 432 on the first external liquid spray manifold 402 moves away from the approaching FOUP box or container at an angle θ or in the direction of rotor rotation A. It is configured to bend and spray. A straight spray nozzle 430 on the first manifold 402 sprays directly toward the center C of the rotor assembly. Straight spray nozzles 430 on the first manifold 402 clean various surfaces of the box, similar to existing spray techniques. However, to clean the interior corners of the box, the bent spray nozzles 432 on the first manifold 402 should be configured as shown in FIG. If desired, all nozzles on the first manifold 402 may be curved spray nozzles 432 oriented to spray at the angle θ shown in FIG. Alternatively, all nozzles may be curved spray nozzles 432, which may have different spray angles. However, the first manifold 402 preferably has two or four curved spray nozzles 432, both oriented to spray at an angle θ, with the remaining nozzles being straight spray nozzles 430. Thus, the first manifold 402 preferably has two or four bent spray nozzles 432, and five or seven straight spray nozzles 430, and preferably all nozzles are equally spaced . Of course, other numbers and configurations may be used.
[0061]
Referring to FIGS. 21 and 22, the second outer spray manifold 404 is preferably oriented at approximately 90 ° relative to the first manifold 402 on or within the enclosure. The second manifold 404 has a straight spray nozzle 430 that preferably emits in a direction generally orthogonal to the spray from the straight spray nozzle 430 on the first manifold 402. The second manifold 404 was also oriented to spray toward the center C, radially inward, but at a downward angle θ (angled toward the bottom of the rotor or box washer 400). , At least one, preferably 2-4, curved spray nozzles 432.
[0062]
The third external liquid spray manifold 406 is preferably designed substantially as a mirror image of the first external liquid spray manifold 402. That is, the third external liquid spray manifold 406 has a straight spray nozzle that sprays toward the center C, and further at an angle θ toward the approaching box and in a direction opposite to the rotational direction A. It has an attached, bent spray nozzle 432.
[0063]
The fourth external liquid spray manifold 408 includes a straight spray nozzle 430 that sprays toward the center C, and at least is directed to spray upward at an angle θ (toward the top of the box cleaning device 400). It has one (preferably 2-4) bent spray nozzles 432.
[0064]
A curved downwardly directed spray nozzle 432 on the second external spray manifold 404 and an upwardly directed curved nozzle 432 on the fourth external spray manifold 408 to avoid obstruction of adjacent spray nozzles. The bent spray nozzles 432 are advantageously separated from the upper and lower straight spray nozzles 430 (respectively) by a distance sufficient to avoid extensive collision of the spray pattern. Consequently, the spacing between the straight spray nozzle 430 on the second and fourth outer spray manifolds 404, 408 and the curved spray nozzle 432 is preferably not equal. In contrast, the spacing between the curved spray nozzles 432 on the first external liquid spray manifold 402 and the third external liquid spray manifold 406 may be substantially uniform and is preferred.
[0065]
The upward and downward angles of the bent spray nozzles 432 on the fourth external liquid spray manifold 408 and the second external spray manifold 404 are not necessarily equal to each other, or It is not necessarily equal to the angle θ of the bent spray nozzle 432 on the liquid spray manifold 402 and the third external liquid spray manifold 406. This angle may be changed in different applications, but all angles (right at manifold 402, down at manifold 404, left at manifold 406, and up at manifold 408) ) Is preferably between 10-80 °, 20-70 °, 30-50 °, more preferably between 40-50 °. In the embodiment shown, all bent spray nozzles are designed to spray at an angle θ of 45 °.
[0066]
Advantageously, the manifolds 402, 404, 406, 408 are evenly spaced at 90 ° around the circumference of the chamber inner wall. Between each of the manifolds 402, 404, 406, 408 having a bent spray nozzle, as shown in FIG. 22, preferably at least one straight spray manifold having only a straight spray nozzle 430 Preferably, there is a tube 410.
[0067]
The internal spray manifolds 412 all preferably have only a straight spray nozzle 430, which primarily cleans the back of the box. However, the inner spray manifold 412 may also have a curved spray nozzle 432, similar to the outer spray manifold.
[0068]
In the embodiment shown, there are a total of eight external spray manifolds 402, 404, 406, 408 and four external straight spray manifolds 410. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 22, there are eight internal liquid spray manifolds, aligned with the external spray manifold, or vertically offset. They may also be angularly offset such that the spray from the inner liquid spray manifold 412 is directed to a point between the two outer spray manifolds. If desired, the vertical position of the nozzles 430, 432 on the external spray manifold may be offset or staggered to provide a wider spray coverage.
[0069]
As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, a curved spray nozzle 432 extends across the nozzle outlet 436 and creates a conical spray pattern 434 oriented at an angle θ to the axial end of the nozzle body 438. Includes During installation, axis N generally intersects the center of rotation of rotor C, while guide surface 434 causes the spray pattern to spread at an angle θ with respect to axis N.
[0070]
21 to 26 show the operation of the box cleaning device 400 when the rotor carries the box and rotates in the direction A. The cleaning liquid is preferably supplied to all manifolds 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412 such that the liquid is sprayed simultaneously from all nozzles 430, 432 on all manifolds. In FIG. 21, a straight spray from the straight spray nozzle 430 of the manifold 410 has reached and cleaned the particular side and back interior surfaces of the box. When the rotor moves the box to the position shown in FIG. 16, the straight spray nozzles 430 on the manifold 402 move over the box and the box in a pattern and shape similar to the straight spray from the manifold 410 in FIG. It is preferred to spray into. However, the bent spray nozzle 432 on the manifold 402 sprays at an angle θ so that the rear outer side 452, and the distal inner corner 454, and the inner side wall 456 are more directly sprayed and cleaned. I have.
[0071]
Turning to FIG. 23, as box 52 rotates into the area of manifold 404, straight nozzle 430 on manifold 404 is moved into and on the box in a similar manner as straight nozzle 430 on manifolds 410, 402. Spray. However, the bent spray nozzle 432 on the manifold 404 sprays downward at an angle, thus better cleaning the upward surface 450 of the box.
[0072]
Turning to FIG. 24, the rotation of the rotor moves the box into the area of the manifold 406. Straight spray nozzle 430 on manifold 406 sprays into and onto the box as described above for the straight spray nozzles on manifolds 412, 402, 404. A curved spray nozzle 432 on the manifold 406 sprays at an angle minus θ to better cover and clean the leading outer sidewall and trailing inner corner of the box.
[0073]
Referring to FIG. 25, as box 52 moves into range of manifold 408, straight spray nozzle 430 on manifold 408 sprays into and onto the box, as described above. The curved spray nozzle 432 on the manifold 408 sprays upwards, so that the lower surface of the box is better cleaned. The rotor usually rotates at 200-500 rpm. Generally, after rotating in direction A, the direction of rotation is reversed. As a result, the tip / tail relationship of the bent nozzles on manifolds 402, 406 is also reversed.
[0074]
For production efficiency, manifolds 402-410 can be identical, and subsequently nozzles 420, 432 are subsequently installed leftward, rightward, upward, or downward as described above. As a result, the manufacture of all manifolds 402, 404, 406, 408, 410 requires only a single manifold design and only two nozzle designs. In this case, the manifold 404 with the downward spray nozzle 432 and the manifold 408 with the upward spray nozzle 432 are used to prevent the upward or downward bent spray pattern from interfering with the adjacent straight spray pattern. The nozzle hole can be closed by the plug 460.
[0075]
The straight spray nozzle 430 preferably emits at a solid cone angle of 15-45 °, preferably about 30 °. All external spray manifolds preferably have more straight spray nozzles than bent spray nozzles. This achieves cleaning of the rotor itself, similar to a box. Using all bent spray nozzles on the manifold tends to reduce rotor cleaning. For a rotor having a ladder, such as ladder 50 having two box locations, there are preferably two, three, or four bent nozzles on manifolds 402-408. For ladders with more box positions, there are preferably more bent nozzles.
[0076]
As a result, improved cleaning is achieved by directing the spray nozzles on the manifold to angles toward or away from the direction of rotation, or upwards or downwards. Of course, the straight spray nozzle may be equally mounted on the manifold such that the nozzle emits at an angle, at an angle, or offset to achieve the stated advantageous result, Alternatively, the manifold itself may be bent. The bent spray pattern may also be used in a box washer having a rotor that also holds a box or FOUP door. Manifolds 402-408 also have at least one bent spray nozzle that sprays in the positive θ direction, as well as at least one bent spray nozzle that sprays in the negative θ direction (on the same manifold). Is also good.
[Brief description of the drawings]
[0077]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a front part, an upper part, and a right side of the present cleaning apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear part, the upper part, and the left side.
FIG. 3 is a front, top, and right perspective view of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the cover removed.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rear part, the upper part, and the left side.
FIG. 5 is a rear, top, and left perspective view with various components removed for illustration purposes.
FIG. 6 is a front, top, and right perspective view of certain key components of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1-5.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the rotor removed from the chamber.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the same.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the movement of air through the device.
FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram illustrating fluid flows and interconnections within the machine.
FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram illustrating fluid flow and interconnections within the machine.
FIG. 11 is a front left perspective view of a preferred configuration and control valve system for the pumping of FIGS. 10A and 10B.
12 is a perspective view of the rear right side of the configuration of FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view showing the orientation of the spray manifold and nozzle.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an alternative rotor in the cleaning system shown in FIG.
FIG. 15 is a plan view of the rotor shown in FIG. 15;
FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the upper left side of the door holder assembly of the rotor of FIGS. 14 and 15;
FIG. 17 is a right side front view of the same.
FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of the upper compartment of the door holder assembly of FIG.
FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the lower tray of the compartment of FIG. 18.
FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the enclosure, rotor, and spray manifold of the system shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 21 is an illustration of spray pattern, nozzle orientation, and container / rotor movement within the system shown in FIG. 20.
FIG. 22 is an illustration of the spray pattern, nozzle orientation, and vessel / rotor movement within the system shown in FIG. 20.
FIG. 23 is a diagram of the spray pattern, nozzle orientation, and vessel / rotor movement within the system shown in FIG. 20.
FIG. 24 is an illustration of spray pattern, nozzle orientation, and container / rotor movement within the system shown in FIG.
FIG. 25 is an illustration of spray pattern, nozzle orientation, and vessel / rotor movement within the system shown in FIG. 20.
FIG. 26 is a diagram of the spray pattern, nozzle orientation, and vessel / rotor movement within the system shown in FIG. 20.
FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a bent spray nozzle used in the system shown in FIG.
FIG. 28 is an enlarged sectional view of the nozzle shown in FIG. 27;
FIG. 29 is a perspective view of a cross section of a left or right spray manifold.
FIG. 30 is a perspective view of a cross section of the upper or lower spray manifold.
[Explanation of symbols]
[0078]
28 External rinse manifold, 29 Internal rinse manifold, 48 Surfactant infusion pump, 49 Surfactant infusion pump, 65 Internal dry manifold, 66 External dry manifold, 120 External N _Two Supply, 130 internal N _Two supply.

Claims (46)

A method for removing contaminants from a flat media carrier, including the following steps:
Loading the carrier onto a rotor in a flat media carrier cleaning machine;
Rotating the rotor;
Spraying the water / surfactant mixture onto the carrier via the inlet route by the following steps:
Injecting water into the inlet path;
Measuring the flow of water entering the inlet path,
Pumping the surfactant directly from the containment vessel to the inlet path using a flow metering pump;
Mixing surfactant and water to obtain a surfactant / water mixture,
Setting the flow rate of the flow metering pump to achieve the desired surfactant concentration for the surfactant / water mixture. The method of claim 1, further comprising the following steps:
Stopping pumping the surfactant;
Rinsing the carrier by spraying the carrier only with water. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the following steps:
Stopping injecting water into the inlet channel;
Drying the carrier by spraying a drying gas onto the carrier. The method of claim 4, wherein the drying gas is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen and compressed air. The method of claim 1, wherein the water comprises deionized water. The method of claim 1, further comprising rotating the rotor at 1-50 rpm while spraying the admixture toward the carrier. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting a flow rate of the surfactant pumped into the inlet path by an adjusting operation of the metering pump. The method of claim 1, wherein the surfactant and water are injected into the inlet path via a mixing control valve, under the control thereof. Flat media carrier cleaning equipment, including:
A rotor rotatably mounted in the chamber;
A first inner array of nozzles and a first outer array of nozzles arranged to spray a fluid onto a media carrier on the rotor;
A first control valve connected to the first inner array of nozzles by a first fluid path;
A first water inlet path for supplying water to a first control valve;
A first flow meter for measuring water flow through the first water inlet path;
A second control valve connected to the first outer array of nozzles by a second fluid path;
A second water inlet path for supplying water to a second control valve;
A second flow meter for measuring water flow through the second water inlet path;
Surfactant storage container;
A first surfactant injection path connecting the surfactant containment vessel to the first control valve;
A first metering pump in a first surfactant injection path, wherein the surfactant is pumped directly from the surfactant reservoir to the first control valve at a controllable delivery rate;
A second surfactant injection path connecting the surfactant containment vessel to the second control valve;
A second metering pump in the second surfactant injection path, pumping the surfactant directly from the surfactant reservoir to the second control valve at a controllable pumping rate;
A pressurized water source connectable to the first and second water inlet paths. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a housing around the chamber. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a boost pump connected to a water source to provide a desired inlet water pressure to the first and second water inlet paths. The flow rate of each of the first and second metering pumps can be individually controlled to supply the desired surfactant concentration to the surfactant / water mixture for each of the first and second fluid paths The device of claim 9, wherein: An interface connected between the first surfactant injection path closest to the first control valve and the surfactant enclosure to provide a surfactant return path to the surfactant enclosure; The device of claim 9, further comprising an activator return path. 10. The recirculation path of claim 9, further comprising a recirculation path connected between the first water inlet path closest to the first control valve and the water source to provide a recirculation path for water to return to the water source. Equipment. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first control valve comprises a mixing control valve for mixing water and surfactant. Media carrier cleaning equipment, including:
A rotor rotatably mounted in the chamber;
Multiple media carriers that can be inserted into the chamber and onto the rotor;
An internal array of nozzles arranged and arranged in the chamber for spraying a fluid onto the media carrier on the rotor;
An external array of nozzles arranged and arranged in the chamber for spraying a fluid onto the media carrier on the rotor;
A first control valve connected to the internal array of nozzles by a first fluid path;
A first water inlet path for supplying water to a first control valve;
A second control valve connected to the external array of nozzles by a second fluid path;
A second water inlet path for supplying water to a second control valve;
Surfactant storage container;
A first surfactant injection path connecting the surfactant containment vessel to the first control valve;
A first metering pump in the first surfactant injection path, pumping the surfactant from the surfactant storage vessel to the first control valve at a controllable pumping rate;
A second surfactant injection path connecting the surfactant containment vessel to the second control valve;
A second metering pump in the second surfactant injection path, pumping the surfactant from the surfactant storage vessel to the second control valve at a controllable pumping rate;
A water source connected to the first and second control valves;
A first and a first to create a desired surfactant concentration in the surfactant / water mixture supplied to the first and second fluid paths to each of the inner and outer arrays of nozzles. Means to control the pump rate of each of the two doses. 17. The device of claim 16, further comprising:
A first flow meter disposed in the first water inlet path for measuring a flow rate of water supplied to the first control valve;
A second flow meter disposed in the second water inlet path for measuring a flow rate of water supplied to the first control valve. 17. The device of claim 16, wherein the first control valve comprises a mixing control valve for mixing the surfactant and water. Connected between the first surfactant injection path closest to the first control valve and the surfactant containment vessel to provide a return path for the surfactant to the surfactant containment vessel; 17. The device of claim 16, further comprising a surfactant return path. 17. The recirculation path of claim 16, further comprising a recirculation path connected between the first water inlet path closest to the first control valve and the water source to provide a recirculation path for water to return to the water source. Equipment. 17. The device of claim 16, further comprising:
A first distribution manifold located within the first fluid path;
Multiple internal nozzle manifolds, each having a number of internal nozzles connected thereto, connected to a first distribution manifold, where the first distribution manifold is a surfactant / water mixture To the internal nozzle manifold;
A second distribution manifold disposed within the second fluid path;
A number of external nozzle manifolds, each having a number of outer nozzles connected thereto, connected to a second distribution manifold, where the second distribution manifold comprises a surfactant / water mixture. Dispense agent into external nozzle manifold. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first metering pump comprises a positive displacement diaphragm pump, and wherein the means for controlling the pumping rate of the first metering pump comprises means for adjusting a pumping speed. 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said means for controlling a pumping rate of a first metering pump further comprises means for adjusting a pump stroke length. Box cleaning system, with boxes each having a door, used to hold flat media, including:
rotor;
First and second box holder assemblies each having at least one box holding position and symmetrically positioned on opposite sides of the rotor; and
First and second box door holder assemblies each having at least one door holding position and symmetrically positioned on opposite sides of the rotor. 25. The first box door holder assembly includes a first pair of hooks on a first side of the box door holder assembly and a second pair of hooks on a second side of the box door holder assembly. System. 26. The system of claim 25, wherein each hook includes one leg and one foot attached to the leg. 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the legs of each pair of hooks extend toward each other. 28. The system of claim 27, wherein the foot of each pair of hooks extends radially inward toward the axis of rotation of the rotor. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the first box door holding assembly has separate first and second box door holding positions for holding the box door in a vertical position. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein at least one of the first and second door holder assemblies further comprises a centered guide on a bottom surface of the door holder assembly. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the first door holder assembly holds the door using upper and lower edges of the door aligned on a radius of the rotor. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein each box holder assembly includes two box holding locations. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein each door holder assembly includes four box holding positions. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the location of each box door includes an upper door hook, a lower door hook, and a bottom slot that receives a bottom edge of the box door. 35. The system of claim 34, wherein the slot includes a ramp at one end. A left side plate and a left side plate attached to a top plate, an intermediate plate, and a bottom plate, each forming a top compartment and a bottom compartment having a number of upper and lower door hooks and a number of bottom slots; 27. The system of claim 24, comprising a right side plate. 37. The system of claim 36, wherein the left upper and lower left door hooks are attached to the left side plate, and the right upper and right lower door hooks are attached to the right side plate. 37. The system of claim 36, wherein the box door is positioned in a vertical plane parallel to the radius of the rotor when positioned in the bottom slot. 38. The system of claim 37, wherein the box door is restrained with at least one door hook against movement due to centrifugal force holding an outer edge of the door. 25. The system of claim 24, further comprising a rotor rotatably mounted within the enclosure, and an enclosure with a number of spray nozzles within the enclosure positioned to spray fluid toward the rotor. . A box cleaning system used to hold flat media substrates and box doors, including:
rotor;
Door holder assembly on rotor with door holder, including:
Upper and lower left hooks and upper and lower right hooks horizontally spaced from the upper and lower left hooks;
With each hook having a leg extending toward the central region of the door holder assembly, and with each hook having a foot attached to the leg and extending inward toward the axis of rotation of the rotor. A box cleaning system used to hold a flat media substrate, with each box having a door, including:
rotor;
First and second box holding means symmetrically positioned on opposite sides of the rotor for holding a box; and
First and second door holding means symmetrically positioned on opposite sides of the rotor for holding a box door. A cleaning system for cleaning boxes used to move and store semiconductor wafers, including:
Closed container;
A rotor having a box position for holding the box and rotatably supported in a closed container;
A multiple spray manifold positioned for spraying a cleaning or rinsing liquid toward a rotor, wherein at least one of the spray manifolds has multiple straight spray nozzles and further has at least one bent spray nozzle. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the water mixture is sprayed at an angle [theta] to the rotating rotor. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least one of the nozzles in the first outer array is oriented at an angle with respect to other nozzles in the first outer array. 41. The system of claim 40, wherein at least one of the spray nozzles is a curved spray nozzle.

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