JP2005279451A - Substrate treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treatment apparatus that is capable of evenly allowing brush bristle to act on a brush washing face, even to the substrate to be treated having a large size. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate washing apparatus 1 is characterized in that the washing brush 12 of the substrate S to be washed is provided with the brush body part 10 equipped with the plane brush washing face 12H flocked against the plane brush footing 11 and the brush fitting base 2 comprised of rigid members having the supporting material 21 to support the brush body part 10 by hanging, which is installed at the reverse face 111 side of the brush footing 11. In the supporting material 21 to which the brush fitting base 2 is fitted, the brush bristle end of the brush washing face 12H doubles as a straightening means A capable of partially adjusting the length which is brought into contact with the surface of the substrate S. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to various processes, for example, a cleaning process, on a substrate to be processed such as a glass substrate for LCD or PDP, a semiconductor substrate in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display device (LCD), a plasma display device (PDP), a semiconductor device and the like. In particular, the present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus suitable for processing a large-sized substrate.

  In a substrate production line such as a glass substrate for LCD or PDP, a substrate cleaning apparatus is provided after a specific processing apparatus using a chemical solution such as an etching process to clean and remove foreign matters such as thin films and particles remaining on the substrate surface. Things have been done. Such a substrate cleaning apparatus generally has a configuration in which a cylindrical roll brush is brought into contact with the surface of the substrate while supplying a cleaning liquid such as pure water to the substrate conveyed by a conveying means such as a roller conveyor. . Such a roll brush has a cylindrical shape by using a brush shaft that is driven to rotate as a brush base, and brush hairs are closely erected (planted) around the entire circumference of the brush base ( In other words, it has a cylindrical brush cleaning surface), and is configured to obtain physical cleaning power for the substrate by rotating the brush shaft while the roll brush is in contact with the substrate. Yes.

On the other hand, for example, in Patent Document 1, a brush cleaning device using a brush plate in which brush hairs are implanted in a mesh-like flexible sheet member, that is, a planar shape in which brush hairs are implanted in a flat brush base. A brush cleaning device having a brush plate having a brush cleaning surface is disclosed. This brush cleaning device is provided with a housing for supplying cleaning liquid to the back side of the brush plate, and cleaning the brush plate (planar brush cleaning surface) with the supply pressure of the cleaning liquid while discharging the cleaning liquid from the mesh of the brush plate. It is the structure pressed against the surface of the substrate.
JP-A-6-29267

  By the way, in recent years, there is a tendency to increase the size of LCDs and PDPs, and the glass substrates used for these also tend to increase in size. When various types of processing are performed on such a large-sized substrate, for example, when the cleaning processing is performed with the above-described roll brush, problems appear in terms of the accuracy of the apparatus. That is, in general, the roll brush is arranged so as to be bridged on the substrate surface side in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the substrate, but the roll brush is also enlarged (lengthened) as the substrate is enlarged. As a result, the central portion of the roll brush in the longitudinal direction may bend along with the increase in length. When such “deflection” occurs, the gap between the roll brush and the substrate to be processed is not constant in the longitudinal direction of the roll brush, that is, the length that the brush bristles of the roll brush contact the substrate surface is roll length. There is a disadvantage that it becomes non-uniform in the longitudinal direction of the brush.

  When the “non-uniformity” as described above occurs, the degree to which the bristle acts on the substrate is partially different, and for example, the degree of cleaning of the substrate surface varies. In order to eliminate such inconvenience, for example, the brush shaft of the roll brush may be configured with a member having extremely high rigidity and straightness. However, the use of such a special brush shaft increases the cost of the substrate processing apparatus. Will be invited. Moreover, when the further enlargement of the glass substrate for LCD and PDP progresses, it does not become a fundamental problem-solving means.

  Moreover, the situation is the same also in a brush cleaning apparatus provided with a planar brush cleaning surface like patent document 1. FIG. That is, when processing (cleaning) a large-sized substrate, the above-mentioned “bending” or the like occurs in the planar brush cleaning surface, and the gap between the brush cleaning surface and the substrate to be processed is uniform. There is a problem of not becoming. In particular, in the brush cleaning apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the brush plate is pressed against the substrate surface with the supply pressure of the cleaning liquid. With such a configuration, the brush hair on the brush cleaning surface is applied to a large-sized substrate. It is practically impossible to bring the substrate uniformly into contact with the entire surface.

  The present invention has been made in view of the problems as described above, and provides a substrate processing apparatus capable of uniformly acting brush hairs on a brush cleaning surface even on a large-sized substrate to be processed. Objective.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a brush main body having a planar brush processing surface in which brush hairs for substrate processing are provided upright with respect to a flat brush base; and the brush base And a brush mounting base that supports the brush main body, and the brush mounting base can partially adjust the degree to which the brush tip of the brush treatment surface acts on the substrate surface. A correction means is provided. According to this structure, since the said correction | amendment means is provided in the brush mounting base with which the brush main-body part provided with the planar brush processing surface is supported, the degree to which the brush hair tip of a brush processing surface acts on a substrate surface Can be partially adjusted on the planar brush treatment surface. Therefore, for example, even when a deflection or the like occurs in the central portion of the brush main body and the contact length of the brush tip with respect to the substrate surface due to the “deflection” occurs, the unevenness is reduced by the correction means. You can correct it. In the above configuration, the “degree of the brush tip acting on the substrate surface” means that the “brush tip is a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus of a type in which the brush tip is brought into direct contact with the substrate surface for processing. In the case of a substrate processing apparatus of a type that does not directly contact the brush tip with the substrate surface but performs processing in the presence of a cleaning liquid or the like, the “brush tip and the substrate surface” Means the interval.

  As a substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, for example, a substrate processing apparatus that performs cleaning of the surface of the substrate by bringing a bristle into contact with the substrate while supplying a cleaning liquid is representative, but not limited thereto. For example, the present invention can be applied to general substrate processing apparatuses that perform various processes by applying brush hairs to a flat substrate, such as a rubbing apparatus that performs a rubbing process on a glass substrate for LCD (surface alignment film).

  There is no particular limitation on the support form of the brush main body by the brush mounting base, and any support can be used as long as it can stably support the brush main body. Specifically, a plurality of suspension support portions are provided on the brush attachment base, the brush body portion is suspended by the suspension support portion, the outer peripheral edge portion of the brush body portion is retained by a frame-like member, etc. Can be illustrated.

  The correction means in the present invention is for making it possible to partially adjust the degree of the brush bristles of the brush processing surface acting on the substrate surface on the brush processing surface. In general, when bending occurs in the brush body, the brush tip height in the bent portion is matched with the other portion, and the unevenness of the brush tip height in the brush processing surface is corrected. To flatten the surface. In addition, on the contrary, it is also possible to intentionally change part of the brush hair height on the brush processing surface to change the action degree of the brush hair on the substrate. The correction means is not particularly limited as long as the brush tip height can be moved up and down substantially, for example, a mechanism that partially presses or lifts the back surface of the brush base on which the brush hair is erected (planted). Etc. can be adopted. As such a mechanism, a screw adjusting mechanism such as a pressing screw or a pulling screw, a hydraulic mechanism, an actuator, or an adjusting mechanism using a piezoelectric element can be used.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the brush body is held by a rigid brush mounting base including a support member that supports the back side of the brush base in a multipoint manner. The correction means is an interval adjusting mechanism that is attached to the support material, and that allows the interval between the brush mounting base and the back side of the brush base to be adjusted. According to this configuration, the rigid brush mounting base serves as a support reference surface for the brush body, and the support material that supports the brush body serves also as the correction means. In other words, the distance between the back surface of the brush base where the brush bristles are erected and the brush mounting base is adjusted by the distance adjustment mechanism attached to the support material, so that the brush bristles height on the brush processing surface is linked. Will be adjusted to.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising cleaning liquid supply means for supplying a cleaning liquid for cleaning the surface of the substrate, wherein the brush main body portion supplies the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply means to the substrate. In order to discharge to the surface, the substrate is for cleaning a substrate having a cleaning liquid discharge hole provided in a brush hair standing surface in the brush base. According to this configuration, when the present invention is applied to the substrate cleaning apparatus, it is not necessary to separately install a nozzle or the like for supplying the cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid can be effectively supplied to the cleaning operation site by the brush hair. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the cleaning liquid discharge hole has a hole arrangement or a hole shape in which the cleaning liquid is supplied to the substrate surface via the bristles. .

  A substrate processing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising a swinging unit that swings at least the brush processing surface of the brush body in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate to be processed. . According to this configuration, the processing action can be enhanced as compared with the case where the planar brush processing surface is simply brought into contact with the substrate. For example, in the case of a substrate cleaning apparatus, the cleaning effect can be improved by swinging the brush processing surface by the swinging means.

  A substrate processing apparatus according to a sixth aspect is the substrate processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the swinging means is a vibrator connected to a brush mounting base. According to this configuration, the vibration force generated by the vibrator is applied to the brush mounting base, and the vibration force is transmitted to the brush body through the support member.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect, wherein the vibrator includes a pair of vibration motors provided with unbalanced weights. As the vibrator, for example, a brush mounting base may be supported by a linear guide or a linear bush, and a linear reciprocating motion may be performed using an air cylinder or a crank mechanism. However, if a pair of vibration motors with unbalanced weights is used as in this configuration, the rotation direction and the number of rotations of both motors are controlled so that the plane is parallel to the surface of the substrate to be processed. It becomes possible to appropriately control the direction of motion of the brush processing surface.

  A substrate processing apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the brush main body portion stands in a line so that the brush hair extends in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the substrate to be processed with respect to the flat brush base portion. At least a first brush bristle row arranged at a predetermined interval from the first brush bristle row, and at least a second brush bristle row in which the brush bristle is erected in a line shape. It is characterized by that. According to this configuration, since the first brush bristle row and the second brush bristle row are arranged at a predetermined interval, for example, the interval between both brush rows is adjusted (that is, the amount of brush bristle contacting the substrate is reduced). By adjusting), the contact area (degree of action) between the substrate and the brush hair can be adjusted. Note that it is preferable that the widths of these brush bristle rows be constant since the processing action (cleaning action) on the substrate can be made uniform in the substrate width direction. Of course, the first brush bristle row and the second brush bristle row are not two rows but may be a plurality of rows of three or more rows.

  A substrate processing apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the eighth aspect, wherein the bristle constituting the first brush bristle row and the brush bristle constituting the second brush bristle row are constituted by brush hairs having different properties. It is characterized by that. According to this configuration, the first brush bristle row and the second brush bristle row can perform a plurality of processes having different actions on the substrate. For example, in the case of a substrate cleaning apparatus, particles having different sizes in the first brush hair row and the second brush hair row can be used as the cleaning target. Examples of brush hairs having different properties include those having different materials, the outer diameter of the bristle, the cross-sectional shape or tip shape of the bristle, the bending degree of the bristle, and the like. In addition, while using brush hair of the same quality, by changing the flocking density between the first brush hair row and the second brush hair row, etc., when viewed as both hair rows as a whole, “different properties” "Is also included.

  A substrate processing apparatus according to a tenth aspect of the present invention provides the substrate processing apparatus according to the eighth aspect, wherein a cleaning liquid supply path along the arrangement form of the first brush bristle row and the second brush bristle row is provided inside the brush base to clean the substrate surface. The cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply means for supplying the cleaning liquid for cleaning is provided in the vicinity of the standing surface of the first brush bristle row and the second brush bristle row, from the cleaning liquid discharge hole communicating with the cleaning liquid supply path It is characterized by being made to discharge. According to this configuration, the cleaning liquid can be effectively supplied to the cleaning portion by the first brush hair row and the second brush hair row.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the first aspect, even when the contact length of the brush tip with respect to the substrate surface is uneven, the unevenness can be corrected by the correcting means. Even when the brush body is inevitably bent and deformed (when the gap between the brush cleaning surface and the substrate to be processed is non-uniform), the brush cleaning surface The brush hair can be applied to the substrate uniformly over the entire surface. Therefore, when the present invention is applied to a substrate cleaning apparatus, it is possible to suppress variations in the degree of cleaning of the substrate surface resulting from the non-uniformity of the degree of action of the brush tip on the substrate surface, so that high-quality substrate processing can be performed. The effect of becoming.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the second aspect, since the rigid brush mounting base serves as a support reference surface of the brush body, and the support material that supports the brush body also serves as the correction means, it is relatively simple. The support structure of the brush body and the correction means can be constructed with a simple structure, and the structure of the substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. Note that it is practically impossible to provide such a simple correction means with the conventional roll brush type, and it can be said that there is an advantage over the prior art in this respect.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the third aspect, when the present invention is applied to the substrate cleaning apparatus, it is not necessary to separately install a nozzle or the like for supplying the cleaning liquid, and thus the apparatus can be downsized. Become. In addition, since the cleaning liquid can be effectively supplied to the cleaning operation site by the bristles, reliable cleaning can be performed. In addition, cleaning liquid (pure water, etc.) stays in the brush base and bacteria propagate, and the dead bodies may fall on the substrate to be cleaned, resulting in problems. Since the cleaning liquid discharge hole is provided on the installation surface, such a retention of the cleaning liquid is less likely to occur, which is effective as a countermeasure against bacteria.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the fourth aspect, since the cleaning liquid is supplied to the substrate surface via the brush bristles, the brush bristles themselves are cleaned each time the cleaning liquid is discharged, and more at the brush base. The retention of the cleaning liquid is less likely to occur, so that the above-mentioned countermeasures against bacterial propagation can be taken.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the fifth aspect, the processing action can be enhanced compared to the case where the planar brush processing surface is simply brought into contact with the substrate. For example, in the case of the substrate cleaning apparatus, the shaking of the brush processing surface by the swinging means is performed. Since the cleaning effect can be improved by movement, a similar cleaning effect can be expected even with a relatively small size brush body, and there is an advantage that the apparatus can be downsized accordingly.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the sixth aspect, the swinging means for swinging the brush processing surface of the brush main body in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate to be processed can be configured with a relatively simple configuration. become able to.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the seventh aspect, by using a pair of vibration motors provided with unbalanced weights, the direction of movement of the planar brush processing surface is appropriately set within a two-dimensional plane parallel to the surface of the substrate to be processed. Since the control becomes possible, the processing ability (cleaning ability) for the substrate can be further improved.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the eighth aspect, since the contact area (working area) between the substrate and the brush bristles can be adjusted, the processing action on the substrate is appropriately adjusted by a simple method of adjusting the standing amount of the bristles. There is an effect that can be done.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the ninth aspect, the first brush bristle row and the second brush bristle row standing on one brush main body can perform a plurality of processes having different actions on the substrate. It becomes like this. Since the conventional roll brush method is a rotary contact method, it is not possible to partially change the properties of the brush hair. In such a case, a roll brush in which brush hairs having different properties are implanted is prepared, and this is used as a substrate. There is a disadvantage that a plurality of substrates need to be arranged in the transport direction (naturally, it is necessary to provide a driving mechanism for each roll brush), and the substrate processing apparatus becomes large. Can be achieved.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the tenth aspect, when the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to the substrate cleaning apparatus adopting the above-described brush hair row system, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the first brush hair row and the second brush hair row. Since it can supply effectively to the washing | cleaning operation | movement site | part by this brush hair row | line | column, reliable washing | cleaning can be performed.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an etching processing apparatus E to which the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is suitably applied. This etching processing apparatus E is an apparatus that performs a process of etching a thin film formed on a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, for example, and stocks a loader E1 and an unloader E2 and a substrate to be processed or a substrate after processing. A transfer robot E3 having a robot hand for carrying in and out the substrate to and from the cassette C to be carried out, and a substrate for carrying out various processes on the substrate while carrying the substrate to be processed by a substrate carrying means (not shown) It is comprised from the process part E4, ie, the board | substrate process part E4 which consists of the etching unit E41, the water washing process unit E42, and the drying unit E43.

  The etching unit E41 of the substrate processing unit E4 is a unit that performs an etching process on the substrate to be processed. For example, an etching solution is supplied from the nozzle to the surface of the substrate being transferred, and the etching solution is allowed to act on the substrate surface. Is etched. The water washing processing unit E42 (substrate cleaning apparatus) supplies pure water or the like to the substrate surface to clean the substrate in order to clean the surface of the substrate that has been subjected to the etching process. The drying unit E43 supplies warm air or the like to the substrate after washing with water to dry the front and back surfaces of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention can be suitably used as the water washing processing unit E42 (substrate cleaning apparatus) in such an etching processing apparatus E, for example. Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention applied to such a substrate cleaning apparatus will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram simply showing the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present invention. The substrate cleaning apparatus 1 has a planar brush cleaning (processing) surface in which brush hairs 12 for cleaning a substrate S to be cleaned (processed) are erected (planted) against a flat brush base 11. The brush main body 10 provided with 12H, and the brush mounting base 2 made of a rigid member provided on the back surface 111 side of the brush base 11 and provided with a support member 21 that supports the brush main body 10 in a suspended manner. ing. The brush mounting base 2 is provided with a correction means A that allows the brush hair tip of the brush cleaning surface 12H to partially adjust the length of contact with the surface of the substrate S. Then, the support material 21 is configured to also serve as the correction means A. This will be described in detail later.

  A swinging means 3 is attached to the brush mounting base 2, and the brush mounting base 2 is swung, for example, in the horizontal direction of the drawing by the vibration applied from the swinging means 3. The brush cleaning surface 12H of the brush main body 10 that is supported in this manner is swung in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate S to be cleaned. The swinging means 3 includes a vibrator 31 whose output shaft is connected to the brush mounting base 2 and a drive source 32 composed of an electric motor, a pneumatic device, or the like for driving the vibrator 31. .

  The cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply means 4 to the brush base 11 of the brush body 10. The cleaning liquid supply means 4 includes a cleaning liquid tank 41 for storing a cleaning liquid such as pure water, a piping path 42 for sending the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank 41 to the brush base 11, and a supply pump 43 provided in the middle of the piping path 42.

  Inside the brush base 11, a flow path 13 for circulating the cleaning liquid is provided, and an opening end 13 </ b> E of the flow path 13 is connected to a terminal portion of the pipe path 42, and is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply means 4. It is designed to accept the cleaning liquid that comes. In order to discharge this cleaning liquid onto the surface of the substrate S, a large number of cleaning liquid discharge holes 131 are provided on the surface of the brush base 11 where the bristles 12 are erected.

  The operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. First, the height position of the brush base 11 is set. In consideration of the diameter and material of the bristles 12 and the particle size of the particles to be cleaned, the height position is determined by the pressure and the contact area of the substrate S to be cleaned. 12 is determined from the viewpoint of contact. Next, the fine adjustment of the hair tip height of the brush hair 12 on the brush cleaning surface 12H, that is, the length with which the hair tip of the brush hair 12 contacts the surface of the substrate S is substantially the same over the entire surface of the brush cleaning surface 12H. Thus, adjustment by the correction means A (support material 21) is performed.

  Specifically, when the brush base 11 is of a large area type to accommodate a large substrate S, the entire surface of the brush base 11 is used unless a molded product made of a special material is used. (In other words, the entire surface of the brush cleaning surface 12H) does not have a complete flatness, and any of the portions are bent downward, and the bristles 12 are partially uneven in height. May be. When such an event is recognized, the correction means A (support material 21) close to the bent portion is adjusted, and the suspension support height of the brush body 10 (brush base portion 11) by the support material 21 is adjusted. The bent portion is raised and the bent portion is lifted upward so that the bristles 12 have the same height. That is, partially lifting the bent portion of the brush base 11 on which the brush bristles 12 are erected from the back surface 111 side (reducing the gap G between the brush base 11 and the brush mounting base 2 partially). Thus, the partial protrusion of the brush bristles 12 due to the bending of the brush base 11 is corrected.

  After such correction is completed, the substrate S is cleaned. In this cleaning process, the supply pump 43 of the cleaning liquid supply means 4 is operated to discharge the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid discharge hole 131 provided in the brush base 11 toward the substrate S, while the vibrator 31 is driven by the drive source 32. Drive to swing the brush mounting base 2. As a result, the brush cleaning surface 12H comes into rocking contact with the surface of the substrate S being conveyed in the presence of the cleaning liquid, and the brush bristles 12 act on the substrate S to remove particles and the like.

  The above is the overall schematic configuration and schematic operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. Subsequently, the mode of each main part will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view showing in detail the main part of the simple configuration diagram shown in FIG. 2, particularly the brush body 10 and the correction means A. First, the brush main body 10 will be described. On the surface of the brush base 11 facing the substrate S, a large number of bundles are planted in units of a bristle bundle 120 in which a predetermined number of bristles 12 are bundled. This flocking employs a method in which the root portion 120B of the brush bristle bundle 120 is inserted into a housing recess provided on the surface of the brush base 11. The brush bristles 12 planted in this way form a planar brush cleaning surface 12H on the hair tip 12S side. The brush bristles 12S of the brush cleaning surface 12H come into contact with the substrate S conveyed in the direction of arrow a in the figure by the conveying roller (conveying means) 5 by a predetermined length. Foreign matters such as particles adhering to the pattern grooves drawn on the surface are swept out.

  A cleaning liquid circulation channel 13 provided in the brush base 11 includes a relatively large-diameter reservoir 132 and a relatively small-diameter cleaning liquid discharge hole 131 formed in large numbers so as to communicate with the reservoir 132. It consists of. The storage portion 132 and the cleaning liquid discharge hole 131 are in a relationship of a main pipe and a branch pipe and have a so-called manifold structure. The cleaning liquid discharge holes 131 are provided in the hair interstitial portion of the brush bristle bundle 120. By arranging the cleaning liquid discharge holes 131 between the brush bristle bundles 120, most of the cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge holes 131 is removed from the brush bristles 12 ( It is supplied to the surface of the substrate S via the brush bristle bundle 120).

  By adopting such a supply form of the cleaning liquid, a fresh cleaning liquid is always supplied to the root portion 120B of the brush bristle bundle 120 to keep it clean. Therefore, the problem that the cleaning liquid stays in the root portion 120B and the bacteria propagate is solved. In addition, it is good also as a hole shape which orient | assigns the discharge direction of the washing | cleaning liquid discharge hole 131 to the said root part 120B so that a washing | cleaning liquid may be supplied to the root part 120B of the bristle 12 more reliably.

  Next, a specific mode of the correction means A will be described. In this embodiment, the support member 21 that also serves as the correction means A includes a suspension bolt 210 having one end fixed to the brush base 11, an adjustment nut 213, and a fixing nut 214. The suspension bolt 210 is provided with a large-diameter threaded portion 212 on one end side, while the main body barrel 211 is formed with a threaded portion 211N. The large-diameter screw portion 212 is screwed into a screw recess 112 provided on the back surface 111 side of the brush base portion 11. The suspension bolt 210 is fastened with a fixing nut 214 for retaining, so that the main body body 211 protrudes from the brush base 11 toward the back surface thereof, and one end side of the suspension bolt 210 is fixed to the brush base 11. It is set as the structure.

  The other end side of the suspension bolt 210 passes through the through hole 22 provided in the brush mounting base 2 and protrudes to the upper surface side of the brush mounting base 2. The adjustment nut 213 is screwed into the threaded portion 211N on the upper surface side of the brush mounting base 2. The lower surface of the adjustment nut 213 is in contact with the upper surface side of the brush mounting base 2 via the buffer member 215, and the suspension bolt 210 is locked on the corresponding contact surface, whereby the brush base 11 (brush main body portion 10). Is supported by suspension.

  Since the suspension bolt 210 is attached in this way, the length of the gap G between the lower surface of the brush mounting base 2 and the back surface 111 of the brush base 11 is adjusted by rotating the adjustment nut 213. be able to. That is, it functions as a gap adjusting mechanism for the gap G. Therefore, if there is a portion where the brush base 11 is bent downward, the adjustment nut 213 of the suspension bolt 210 attached in the vicinity thereof is rotated in the tightening direction so as to lift the portion upward. This makes it possible to correct the “deflection”.

  The arrangement of the suspension bolt 210 that also serves as the correction means A as described above with respect to the brush mounting base 2 can support the back surface 111 of the brush base portion 11 from multiple points, and can effectively correct the “deflection”. There is no particular limitation as long as it is an arrangement interval. For example, as shown to Fig.4 (a), when it is the rectangular brush attachment base 2, the suspension bolt 210 can be arrange | positioned in zigzag form. Moreover, as shown in FIG.4 (b), when it is the brush attachment base 2 near a square, the suspension bolt 210 can be arrange | positioned at an nxm row shape.

  In addition, if there is a part where the brush base 11 is warped upward due to factors such as molding habit and heat history, the adjustment nut 213 is rotated in the direction to loosen contrary to the above case, and a pressing force is applied to the part. This makes it possible to correct the “warp” and the like. In particular, when there is no “deflection” or “warp”, the suspension of the minimum necessary part for stably supporting the brush body 10 (for example, the part located at the corner part of the brush mounting base 2) The adjustment nut 213 may be screwed only to the bolt 210, and the adjustment nut 213 may not be screwed to the other suspension bolts 210.

  Next, specific modes of the swinging means 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 illustrates a direction (indicated by an arrow c in the drawing) in which the brush mounting base 2 (brush cleaning surface 12H) is orthogonal to the traveling direction of the substrate S (indicated by an arrow b in the drawing) using the crank mechanism 30 (vibrator 31). (Direction) shows an example of the swinging means 3 that makes a linear reciprocating motion. The crank mechanism portion 30 is driven by an electric motor (drive source) 32, and a shaft support pin 312 protrudes in the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the rotating disk 311 coupled to the rotating shaft 321 of the electric motor 32. Then, a connecting hole provided on one end side of the drive shaft 313 is loosely fitted to the shaft support pin 312. A connecting hole provided on the other end side of the drive shaft 313 and a shaft support portion 23 protruding from the side end edge of the brush mounting base 2 are rotatably connected by a connecting pin 231.

  On the other hand, the brush mounting base 2 is supported by a linear guide 241 so as to be capable of linear reciprocation in the direction of arrow c in the figure. Instead of this linear guide 241, a linear bush or the like may be used.

  In such a configuration, when the electric motor 32 is driven, the rotating disk 311 coupled to the rotating shaft 321 of the electric motor 32 is rotated, and the shaft support pin 312 projecting from the rotating disk 311 is rotated. The drive shaft 313 to which one end side is connected performs a crank operation in the horizontal direction of the drawing. By this crank operation, the brush mounting base 2 connected to the drive shaft 313 by the connecting pin 231 reciprocates (vibrates) in the direction of the arrow c in the figure while being guided by the linear guide 241. Instead of such a linear reciprocating mechanism using the crank mechanism 30 and the electric motor 32, a linear reciprocating mechanism using an air cylinder or the like may be adopted.

  FIG. 6 is a side view showing another embodiment of the swing mechanism 3. In order to enhance the cleaning effect, it is important that the brush cleaning surface 12H is brought into contact with the substrate S with simple linear reciprocating vibrations with various vibration trajectories. Therefore, in this embodiment, the concept is that the brush mounting base 2 (brush cleaning surface 12H) is configured to be able to freely move in a two-dimensional plane parallel to the substrate S.

  In this embodiment, the brush mounting base 2 is held at its lower surfaces by the support 25 including the ball bearings 251 so that the above-described free movement can be performed, and the movement range of the brush mounting base 2 is restricted. Therefore, the side end is held by the holding spring 242. Note that, instead of such a holding method, the brush mounting base 2 can be held so that a two-dimensional plane parallel to the substrate S can freely move by a magnetic levitation method or the like.

  An electric motor 33 serving as a vibration source is fixed to the end of the brush mounting base 2 by a fastening bolt 334. The electric motor 33 is fixed so that the shaft output surface of the electric motor 32 faces the brush mounting base 2 so that the rotating shaft 331 passes through the through hole 201 provided at the end of the brush mounting base 2. Yes. An unbalance weight 332 including an unbalance portion 333 is attached to the distal end side of the rotating shaft 331.

  In such a configuration, when the electric motor 33 is driven to rotate, the unbalance weight 332 is also rotated. At this time, an eccentric force is generated on the rotating shaft 331 due to the presence of the unbalance portion 333. . Since the electric motor 33 is fixed to the brush mounting base 2 with the fastening bolt 334, the eccentric force generated by the rotation of the unbalance weight 332 is propagated as a vibration force with respect to the brush mounting base 2. . As described above, the brush mounting base 2 is held by the holding spring 242 and the support 25 including the ball bearing 251 so as to freely move in a two-dimensional plane parallel to the substrate S. Thus, it moves in various directions in the two-dimensional plane. The mode of such movement can be selected as appropriate depending on the number of rotations of the electric motor 33 and the setting state of the unbalance portion 333 in the unbalance weight 332.

  FIG. 7 is a side view showing still another embodiment of the swing mechanism 3. In this embodiment, the first electric motor 34 and the second electric motor 35 each having unbalanced weights 342 and 352 are fixedly disposed at both ends of the brush mounting base 2, so that the brush mounting base 2 (brush cleaning) The oscillating mechanism 3 that can be controlled to move the surface 12H) along various trajectories is illustrated.

  Also in this embodiment, the brush mounting base 2 is held by a holding spring 242 and a support 25 having a ball bearing so that a two-dimensional plane parallel to the substrate S can freely move. The back surface side of the first electric motor 34 is fixed to the lower surface of one end side of the brush mounting base 2 by a fastening bolt 344. An unbalance weight 342 having an unbalance portion 343 is fixed to the rotating shaft 341 of the first electric motor 34. Similarly, a second electric motor 35 is fixed to the lower surface on the other end side of the brush mounting base 2 by a fastening bolt 354, and an unbalance weight 352 having an unbalance portion 353 is fixed to the rotating shaft 351. The first electric motor 34 and the second electric motor 35 used in this embodiment are reversible motors that can be freely controlled to rotate forward and reverse.

  In such a configuration, various vibration modes can be obtained by controlling the rotation direction and the rotation phase (the position of the unbalanced weight) of the first and second electric motors 34 and 35. For example, when the first and second electric motors 34 and 35 are rotated in opposite directions, various linear vibration modes as shown in FIG. 8 can be obtained. That is, as shown in FIG. 8A, an unbalance portion 343 of the unbalance weight 342 included in the first electric motor 34 and an unbalance portion 353 of the unbalance weight 352 included in the second electric motor 35 are provided. If they are rotated in reverse as a phase relationship that approaches and separates synchronously, vibration in the vertical direction occurs as shown in the column of vibration mode. As shown in FIG. 7, when the first and second electric motors 34 and 35 are attached to the brush attachment base 2, the linear vibration mode in the depth direction of the drawing is obtained.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the unbalanced portion 343 is rotated in the reverse direction by 90 ° advance phase with respect to the unbalanced portion 353, a vibration mode in the right oblique direction is set. Further, as shown in FIG. 8C, when the unbalanced part 343 and the unbalanced part 353 are rotated in the reverse direction while shifting the phase by 180 °, the horizontal vibration mode is set. In the case of the swing mechanism 3 shown in FIG. 7, this is a linear vibration mode in the horizontal direction of the drawing. Further, as shown in FIG. 8D, when the unbalanced portion 343 is rotated in the reverse direction with a 90 ° delay phase with respect to the unbalanced portion 353, a vibration mode in the diagonally left direction can be obtained.

  On the other hand, when the first and second electric motors 34 and 35 are rotated in the same direction, a vibration mode that draws a rotation locus as shown in FIG. 9 can be obtained. That is, as shown in FIG. 9A, an unbalance portion 343 of the unbalance weight 342 included in the first electric motor 34 and an unbalance portion 353 of the unbalance weight 352 included in the second electric motor 35 are provided. If they are rotated as a phase relationship that rotates synchronously at the same position, a large circular orbit vibration mode is obtained as shown in the vibration mode column. When this is applied to the swing mechanism 3 shown in FIG. 7, the brush mounting base 2 is in a mode in which it vibrates greatly in a two-dimensional plane parallel to the substrate S.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the unbalance unit 343 is rotated in the same direction with a 90 ° delay phase with respect to the unbalance unit 353, or as shown in FIG. 9D, the unbalance unit 343 Is rotated in the same direction at a phase advanced by 90 ° with respect to the unbalanced portion 353, a vibration mode of a relatively small circular orbit is obtained. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9C, when the unbalanced portion 343 is rotated in the same direction by shifting the phase by 180 ° with respect to the unbalanced portion 353, the mutual vibration mode is canceled and the vibrationless mode is set. .

  As described above, by appropriately selecting the rotation direction of the pair of first and second electric motors (vibration motors) 34 and 35 having the unbalance weights 342 and 352 and the phase relationship between the unbalance portions 343 and 353. The brush cleaning surface 12H can be brought into contact with the substrate S along various trajectories, and the cleaning effect of the substrate S can be further improved. Further, the vibration modes shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are based on the premise that the first and second electric motors 34 and 35 are rotated at the same speed, but the rotational speeds of the two are relatively different. This makes it possible to draw a more complicated motion trajectory.

  Next, a specific embodiment of the brush body 10 will be described. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a preferred example of the brush body 10, and FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 10. In this embodiment, a first brush bristle row 121 erected in a line shape so as to extend in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the substrate S to be processed with respect to the flat brush base 11a, The first brush bristle row 121 is disposed at a predetermined distance D1 from the first brush bristle row 121 in the substrate traveling direction, and similarly, the second brush bristle row 122 in which the brush bristle is erected in a line shape, and the second brush bristle similarly. The brush body portion 10 is configured by including a third brush bristle row 123 disposed at a predetermined interval D2 with respect to the row 122.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the first brush bristle row 121 is a brush in which a large number of bristle bundles 121U are regularly planted on a belt-like brush root part 121B, and the brush bristle tip side is formed into an elongated flat surface. It is a cleaning surface 121H. The 2nd brush bristle row 122 and the 3rd brush bristle row 123 are also the same composition, and are provided with long and thin planar brush washing surfaces 122H and 123H, respectively. In addition, the widths of the first to third brush bristle rows 121 to 123 are set to be constant over the longitudinal direction in order to make the processing action on the substrate S constant in the width direction of the substrate S.

  Inside the brush base portion 11a, a reservoir 130 that is a cavity for receiving the cleaning liquid is provided, and a pipe 42 that guides the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank is connected to the reservoir 130 so that the cleaning liquid is supplied from the outside. ing. The storage portion 130 is provided on the end side of the brush base portion 11a, and the storage portion 130 has a branch channel provided in a strip shape at positions corresponding to the first to third brush hair rows 121 to 123. 133 is provided.

  The branch flow path 133 has a wide concave groove shape opened on the lower surface side of the brush base portion 11a, and a locking portion 133E for sandwiching the belt-like brush root portion 121B from both sides at the upper end edge of the opening. have. That is, the side portion of the belt-like brush base portion 121B is fitted and fixed by the locking portion 133E, and the opening of the branch flow path 133 is closed by the fitting and fixing, whereby the branch flow path 133 functions as a cleaning liquid flow path. It is designed to fulfill. In other words, the structure of the brush base portion 11a is simplified by using the attachment portion of the brush root portion 121B and the flow passage for circulating the cleaning liquid as the branch flow passage 133.

  A cleaning liquid discharge hole 134 for discharging the cleaning liquid to the surface of the substrate S is provided at the base part of the locking part 133E (in the vicinity of the standing surface of the first brush bristle row 121). Further, the brush root portion 121B is also provided with a cleaning liquid discharge hole 135 for supplying the cleaning liquid exclusively from the root portion of the brush bristle bundle 121U to the surface of the substrate S via the brush bristles. Note that the installation mode of the cleaning liquid discharge hole is not limited to this, and the cleaning liquid discharge hole 135 of the brush root portion 121B may be omitted. In addition, the attachment portion of the brush base portion 121B may be provided on the lower surface side of the brush base portion 11a, and a cleaning liquid discharge hole may be provided in the vicinity of the brush root portion 121B from a branch channel 133 provided as a separate closed pipe.

  According to the brush main body portion 10 configured as described above, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the pipe line 42 to the storage section 130, and the cleaning liquid flows to each branch flow path 133, and the first to the first cleaning liquid discharge holes 134 and 135. The substrate S being transported is sequentially cleaned by the brush cleaning surfaces 121H to 123H while being discharged to the substrate cleaning site by the third brush bristle rows 121 to 123.

  In addition, according to this configuration, the brush tip can be brought into contact with the substrate S as surface contact, as compared with the conventional roll brush method in which the brush tip can be practically brought into contact with the substrate S only in a line contact state. Therefore, not only the improvement of the cleaning effect can be expected, but also the arrangement interval D1 between the first brush bristle row 121 and the second brush bristle row 122 or the second brush bristle row 122 and the third brush bristle row 123 By appropriately adjusting the arrangement interval D2 (that is, adjusting the amount of the bristle in contact with the substrate S), the contact area between the substrate S and the bristle (the area of the brush cleaning surface contacting the substrate) can be adjusted. An appropriate cleaning effect can be obtained.

  In such a brush base portion 11a, brush hairs constituting the first brush hair row 121 and brush hairs constituting the second brush hair row 122 and / or the third brush hair row are different in nature. It can also be composed of hair. That is, for example, the first brush bristle row 121 is made of nylon fibers, and the second and third brush bristle rows 122 and 123 are made of Teflon (registered trademark) fibers having different diameters. By doing so, particles of different sizes can be used as cleaning targets in each brush hair row.

  According to the conventional roll brush method, when cleaning different types of particles as targets, it is necessary to arrange roll brushes having brush hairs corresponding to each target in tandem, which causes an increase in the size of the substrate cleaning apparatus. However, according to the configuration according to the present embodiment, the same effect can be obtained by arranging the brush bristle rows composed of the bristle bundles corresponding to each target in multiple rows on one flat brush base portion 10a. In addition, there is an advantage that the apparatus is not increased in size.

  In the embodiments described above, the substrate processing apparatus (substrate cleaning apparatus 1) of the type that performs processing by bringing the brush tip into direct contact with the substrate surface has been described, but the present invention directly contacts the brush tip with the substrate surface. In addition, the present invention can be applied to a substrate processing apparatus that performs processing in the presence of a cleaning liquid or the like. For example, a planar brush treatment surface is disposed opposite to the substrate surface by a predetermined length, and the brush body is moved at high speed (high-speed circular movement, high-speed rotation movement, etc.) with a cleaning liquid interposed therebetween. Thus, the present invention can also be applied to a substrate cleaning apparatus that performs a cleaning process on the substrate surface. In this case, the degree to which the brush tip acts on the substrate surface depends on the distance between the brush tip and the substrate surface, and the adjustment between the two is described in detail in the above embodiment. If it is carried out partly by means A, it is possible to correct non-uniformity in the degree of action of the brush bristles as described above.

It is the schematic which shows the etching processing apparatus E with which the substrate processing apparatus concerning this invention is applied suitably. It is a block diagram which shows simply the board | substrate cleaning apparatus concerning this invention. It is a partially broken side view which shows in detail the brush main-body part which is the principal part of the board | substrate cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 2, and a correction means. It is a top view which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the correction means. It is a top view which shows the embodiment of a rocking | swiveling means. It is a side view which shows the other embodiment of a rocking | fluctuation means. It is a side view which shows other embodiment of a rocking | fluctuation means. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the vibration mode (reverse direction rotation) by the rocking | fluctuation means shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the vibration mode (same direction rotation) by the rocking | fluctuation means shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows suitable embodiment of a brush main-body part. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the XX line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Board | substrate washing | cleaning apparatus 10 Brush main-body part 11 Brush base part 111 The back surface side of a brush base part 12 Brush hair 12S Brush hair tip 12H Brush cleaning surface 121 1st brush hair row 122 2nd brush hair row 123 3rd brush hair row 13 Flow path for cleaning liquid flow 131, 134, 135 Cleaning liquid discharge hole 133 Branch flow path (cleaning liquid supply path along the arrangement of the brush hair rows)
2 Brush mounting base 21 Support material (correction means)
3 Oscillating means 31 Vibrator 32, 33, 34, 35 Electric motor (drive source, vibration motor)
332, 342, 352 Unbalance weight 4 Cleaning liquid supply means S Substrate

Claims (10)

A brush body portion having a planar brush treatment surface in which brush hairs for substrate processing are erected with respect to a plate-like brush base portion, and provided on the back side of the brush base portion to support the brush body portion And a brush mounting base
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the brush mounting base is provided with a correcting unit that allows a degree of the brush hair tip of the brush processing surface to act on the substrate surface. The brush body is structured to be held by a rigid brush mounting base provided with a support material that supports the back side of the brush base from multiple points.
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction means is an interval adjusting mechanism that is attached to the support member and that allows an interval between the brush mounting base and the back surface side of the brush base to be adjusted. A cleaning liquid supply means for supplying a cleaning liquid for cleaning the substrate surface;
The brush body is for cleaning a substrate having a cleaning liquid discharge hole provided on a brush hair standing surface in the brush base so as to discharge the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply means to the substrate surface. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1.   4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cleaning liquid discharge hole has a hole arrangement or a hole shape in which the cleaning liquid is supplied to the substrate surface via the bristles.   2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a swinging means for swinging at least a brush processing surface of the brush body in a direction parallel to a surface of the substrate to be processed.   6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the swinging means is a vibrator connected to a brush mounting base.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the vibrator includes a pair of vibration motors provided with unbalanced weights. A first brush bristle row erected in a line so that the brush body extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the substrate to be processed by the brush bristles with respect to the flat brush base;
2. The substrate according to claim 1, further comprising at least a second brush bristle row arranged at a predetermined interval from the first brush bristle row and similarly having brush hairs erected in a line shape. Processing equipment.   9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the brush bristles constituting the first brush bristle row and the brush bristles constituting the second brush bristle row are constituted by brush hairs having different properties. Inside the brush base, a cleaning liquid supply path is provided along the arrangement form of the first brush hair row and the second brush hair row,
A cleaning liquid supplied from a cleaning liquid supply unit that supplies a cleaning liquid for cleaning the substrate surface is provided in the vicinity of the standing surface of the first brush bristle row and the second brush bristle row, and communicates with the cleaning liquid supply path. 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is configured to discharge from a cleaning liquid discharge hole.

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