JP2009164346A - Substrate treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform a uniform and efficient treatment by a substrate treatment apparatus targeting a large-area substrate treatment using a treating liquid. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate treatment apparatus, which treats a substrate mounted on a conveying table while conveying the substrate, includes: a suction unit for sucking the treating liquid; and a blocking unit for blocking the treating liquid in this order from upstream to downstream in the conveyance direction of the substrate. Further, a cleaning unit having a brush for brushing a surface of the substrate can be disposed upstream. The cleaning unit comprises a plurality of brush units whose positions can be adjusted independently of each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a processing technology for a substrate such as a liquid crystal display device (LCD), a plasma display device (PDP), and a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a large substrate with a processing solution such as a chemical solution or a cleaning solution. is there.

  A manufacturing process of a glass substrate for LCD or PDP includes a process of processing with an etching solution or a cleaning solution.

  For example, in a cleaning line for glass substrates for LCDs and PDPs, foreign substances such as organic substances and particles remaining on the substrate surface are removed using a cleaning liquid. Here, a cylindrical roll brush is generally used. However, as the size of the panel is increased, the area of the substrate is also increased, so that the main axis of the roll brush that is rotationally driven is affected. Specifically, a deflection occurs in the central portion, and the removal rate of particles and foreign matters in the substrate surface becomes non-uniform, resulting in a decrease in cleaning performance. For example, when the length of the roll brush in the major axis direction is 1000 mm, the deflection in the central portion is 0.013 mm, whereas when the length in the major axis direction is as long as 2200 mm and 3000 mm, the deflection is 0. It increases to 15mm and 0.96mm.

In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate processing apparatus in which a roll brush having a specific flocking density, a wire diameter, and a length is brought into contact with and slides on a substrate surface. Further, Patent Document 2 proposes a substrate processing apparatus having correction means capable of partially adjusting the contact distance between the flat brush and the substrate surface in order to make the bristles act uniformly on a large size substrate. .
JP 09-326377 A JP-A-2005-279451

  However, in Patent Document 1, as described above, the longer the length in the major axis direction, the greater the deflection of the central portion, and the cleaning power on the substrate surface becomes non-uniform in a large substrate.

  In Patent Document 2, it is difficult to uniformly adjust a flat brush extending over several meters. For example, when resin is used as a material, the influence of distortion on the brush base (the portion where the brush hair is planted) is It cannot be ignored. The brush base portion is warped on the back surface due to the distortion, and cannot reliably adhere to the shaft member (a member for connecting to the swinging means and attaching the base portion). And the clearance gap which arose between the shaft member and the brush base becomes a cause of instability. If brush hairs are allowed to act on the substrate surface in this state, foreign matter partially remains, resulting in an uneven cleaning surface.

  The present invention is directed to a processing apparatus using a processing solution used in a manufacturing process of a large-area substrate, and an object thereof is to perform uniform processing efficiently. It is another object of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus that removes foreign matters on the substrate surface, suppresses re-adhesion, and reduces processing liquid (cleaning liquid) remaining on the substrate surface. A further object is to enable uniform brushing of the substrate.

  In order to solve the above problems, a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention includes a processing liquid suction mechanism and a processing liquid blocking mechanism.

  For example, the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus that performs processing while transporting a substrate placed on a transport table using a processing liquid, and upstream of the substrate transport direction. In order from the side, a suction unit for sucking the processing liquid and a blocking unit for blocking the processing liquid are arranged.

  In the substrate processing apparatus, a cleaning unit including a brush for brushing the surface of the substrate may be disposed upstream of the suction unit.

  In order to uniformly brush the substrate, the substrate processing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a cleaning unit including a brush for brushing the surface of the substrate. The cleaning unit includes a plurality of brush units in which brush hairs are planted on a brush base, each of which can be removed and the distance from the substrate surface can be adjusted.

  According to the present invention, particles and foreign matters adhering to the surface of a large-area substrate can be uniformly removed as compared with the prior art. Further, the reattachment rate is reduced and the processing liquid on the substrate surface is efficiently removed, so that the amount of cleaning water brought into the next process can be greatly reduced. Furthermore, brushing can be performed uniformly.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate processing apparatus 100 to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

  The substrate processing apparatus 100 is an apparatus that performs a cleaning process on the substrate surface 201 while transporting the substrate 200. The substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a transport table 110 for transporting the substrate 200 in a predetermined direction (transport direction X; right direction in FIG. 1), a cleaning unit 1 for cleaning the substrate surface 201, and a substrate surface 201. A suction unit 2 for sucking and removing the cleaning liquid and a blocking unit 3 for blocking the cleaning liquid are provided.

  The cleaning unit 1, the suction unit 2, and the blocking unit 3 are arranged in this order from the upstream in the transport direction X.

  As will be described later, the cleaning unit 1 includes a mechanism for supplying a cleaning liquid and a brush for brushing the substrate surface.

  While the substrate 200 is being conveyed, the cleaning unit 1 sprays the cleaning liquid and brushes the substrate 200. Particles and foreign matter detached by brushing move into the cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid is sucked by the suction unit 2 together with the particles and foreign matters, and is removed from the substrate surface. On the other hand, the blocking unit 3 blocks the cleaning liquid and prevents it from flowing downstream from the blocking unit 3.

  A part of the cleaning liquid flows down from the end of the substrate 200 to the side of the transfer table 110 without being sucked by the suction unit 2.

  Further, when the surface of the substrate 200 is completely dried, it causes a water spot, which affects the processing of the next process. Therefore, the suction force of the suction unit 2 and the blocking force of the blocking unit 3 are adjusted so that the surface of the substrate 200 is discharged to the downstream side in a properly wet state.

  First, the transport table 110 will be described.

  The transport table 110 receives the load of the substrate 200 and contacts the back surface of the substrate 200 to send the substrate 200 in the transport direction X. Therefore, the transport table 110 includes a plurality of transport rollers 33 arranged in the transport direction X. The transport roller 33 is connected to a drive motor (not shown) and rotates to transport the substrate 200 in the transport direction X using a frictional force generated on a contact surface with the substrate 200. The conveyance speed is controlled by a control device (not shown).

  FIG. 2 is a diagram of the transport table 110 viewed from the side, and is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of the transport rollers 33.

  As shown in the drawing, the conveyance roller 33b below the suction unit 2 is lower in the direction of gravity (for example, 1 to 10 mm lower) than the conveyance rollers 33a and 33c below the cleaning unit 1 and the blocking unit 3 and the like. Has been placed. That is, the contact surface at the position of the suction unit 2 is arranged to be lower in the direction of gravity than the contact surfaces at other positions. Thereby, in the portion of the suction unit 2, the substrate 200 is bent in the direction of gravity, so that the cleaning liquid W is easily collected and sucked by the suction unit 2.

  In the present embodiment, an air curtain (also referred to as an air knife) that blows out air is employed as the blocking unit 3. By adjusting the arrangement of the air curtain, the cleaning liquid W can be efficiently stored directly under the suction unit 2.

  Such a configuration (a configuration in which the conveyance roller 33b below the suction unit 2 is lowered and the substrate 200 is bent) is not always essential. What is necessary is just to employ | adopt suitably according to the bending condition of the board | substrate to process, the tolerance | permissibility of bending, and the property (viscosity etc.) of a washing | cleaning liquid.

  Furthermore, the transport table 110 can be configured to be transportable while tilting the substrate 200 in order to reduce the size of the apparatus. In such a case, the transport roller 33 is inclined and installed so that the substrate 200 is transported while being inclined at a predetermined angle θ (for example, 1 to 10 °) with respect to the horizontal direction. In the example of FIG. 1, by setting the inclination angle θ to 1 to 10 °, the substrate 200 is inclined and conveyed so that the front side is low and the back side is high.

  Next, the cleaning unit 1 will be described.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the cleaning unit 1 includes a support member 11 and a brush unit 6. The support member 11 extends over the width of the substrate 200 in the substantially vertical direction Y of the transport direction X of the substrate 200. The support member 11 is connected to a swing cylinder 9 which receives a load by a bearing 9 and reciprocates. The reciprocating motion of the swing cylinder 9 is controlled by a control device.

  By installing such a swinging mechanism, the sliding distance per unit time of the brush bristles 5 of the brush unit 6 with respect to the substrate surface 201 is lengthened, the cleaning efficiency is improved, and the in-plane removal rate is made uniform. Yes. In order to improve the cleaning efficiency over a large area substrate, it is necessary to accelerate the conveyance speed, and it is important to secure a sliding distance per unit time. The swing of the cleaning unit 1 (brush unit 6) is effective for improving the cleaning efficiency.

  Each brush unit 6 constituting the cleaning unit 1 can be detached independently.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the brush unit 6. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the brush unit 6. FIG. 4B is a plan view seen from a brush surface (A-A ′ surface in FIG. 4A) that is a surface acting on the substrate surface 201.

  The brush unit 6 includes a brush base 4 and brush hairs 5 provided directly on the brush base 4.

  The brush bristles 5 form a predetermined amount of hair bundles 12 and are planted on the brush base 4 at predetermined intervals. The arrangement of the hair bundle 12 may be linear or staggered. The front end group 15 of the hair bundle 12 is aligned in a flat shape so as to exactly match the substrate surface 201. Thereby, the brush unit 6 becomes a “flat brush”.

  As the material of the brush base 4, vinyl chloride, polypropylene, or the like is generally used. Furthermore, in order to improve the flocking density, the distance between flocking holes is improved from 3 mm pitch to 1 mm pitch by using bisphenol skeleton epoxy resin, polyphenylene sulfide, or high rigidity metal SUS304, metal such as iron. And the flocking density is increased.

  Further, in order to supply the cleaning liquid efficiently, the brush unit 6 is provided with a cleaning liquid supply port 13 between the hair bundles 12 that have been implanted.

  The cleaning liquid supply port 13 is provided between the hair bundles 12 at a predetermined interval. There are preferably a plurality of cleaning liquid supply ports 13 for one brush unit 6.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, foreign matters on the substrate surface 201 can be uniformly removed by arranging the hair bundles 12 and the supply ports 13 in a staggered manner. The supply port 13 is an outlet of the supply pipe 14 for the cleaning liquid.

  The cleaning liquid supply pipe 14 is connected to a cleaning liquid storage tank (not shown). That is, the cleaning liquid from the storage tank of the cleaning liquid branches through a branch pipe on the way and is supplied to each brush unit 6. Further, when the brush unit 6 includes a plurality of supply ports 13, the cleaning liquid is branched and discharged from each supply port 13.

  Note that the discharge amount of the cleaning liquid can be appropriately adjusted according to the type of substrate to be cleaned, the type of foreign matter, and the like.

  Next, a mechanism for adjusting the height position of the brush unit 6 will be described.

  As described above, the cleaning unit 1 includes a plurality of brush units 6. Each brush unit 6 is fixed in a state of being suspended from the support member 11. On the other hand, since the support member 11 is a long member, the center portion is bent due to the weight of the brush unit 6. Therefore, if the hanging heights of the brush units 6 are the same, the brush surface particularly acts on the substrate surface 201 particularly in the portion corresponding to the central portion of the substrate 200. This prevents uniform brushing. Therefore, by adjusting the distance from the support member 11 for each brush unit 6, the position of the brush surface is made uniform with respect to the substrate surface.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for illustrating a mechanism for adjusting the height position of the brush unit 6.

  The brush unit 6 is coupled to the support member 11 by screws 101 (101a, 101b) penetrating the support member 11. A screw thread (male screw) is provided at the tip 102 of the screw 101. A screw receiver (female screw) 41 is disposed on the surface of the brush base 4 facing the support member 11 (see FIG. 3). The screw 101 inserted so that the head is on the upper side of the support member 11 is rotationally coupled to the screw receiver 41.

The distance between the support member 11 and the brush unit 6 is adjusted by the spacer 19. Specifically, the screw 101 penetrates the spacer 19 together with the support member 11 and is coupled to the screw receiver 41. The length (thickness) of the spacer 19 is shorter as it is closer to the center portion of the support member 11. It is adjusted so that the brush surface constituted by the plurality of brush units 6 is substantially horizontal. Thereby, even if the support member 11 is bent, the brush surface can be applied to the substrate surface 201 uniformly.

  In addition, when the substrate 200 is warped, the brush unit 6 acting on the warped portion may be tilted as shown in FIG. 6 so that the brush surface acts on the substrate surface 201 with an equal force. it can.

  Therefore, the brush unit 6 is fixed by the two screws 101a and 101b in the longitudinal direction of the support member 11 so that the brush unit 6 can be tilted and fixed. By changing the length (thickness) of the spacer 19 according to the position of the screws 101 a and 101 b, one brush unit 6 can be tilted and fixed so that the brush surface is aligned with the warp of the substrate 200. . In the example of FIG. 6, warping occurs at both ends of the substrate 200. The brush units 6 can be independently adjusted in the height direction and can be fixed with an inclination, so that the brush surfaces are aligned with the shape of the warp at both ends of the substrate 200. The position can be adjusted. As a result, the brush surface can be applied to the substrate surface 201 with a uniform force.

  In FIG. 6, the warp of the substrate 200 is extremely drawn for easy understanding. Further, when the substrate 200 is warped, the swinging width of the cleaning unit 1 is appropriately adjusted according to the magnitude of the warp.

  5 and 6 are examples, and there is no limitation on the method of attaching the brush unit 6 to the support member 11.

  Since the portion of the support member 11 to which the brush unit 6 is attached is a direct factor that affects the cleaning efficiency, it is necessary to use a material with high rigidity, such as SUS304, iron, carbon, or the like, which is less affected by bending due to the long axis. desirable.

  Next, the arrangement of the brush units 6 will be described.

  In FIG. 7A, rectangular brush units 6 are linearly arranged in the longitudinal direction (swing direction Y) of the cleaning unit 1. This is the simplest arrangement and easy to assemble.

  FIG. 7B shows an example in which the brush units 6 are arranged in a staggered manner. FIG. 7C shows an example where the gap between adjacent brush units 6 is large in a staggered arrangement.

  The staggered arrangement is an arrangement in which the brush units 6 are combined in a staggered manner so that the lower side of the brush surface of one brush unit 6 and the upper side of the adjacent brush unit 6 are partially overlapped. In other words, the plurality of brush units 6 are arranged in a plurality of rows perpendicular to the transport direction X, and each brush unit constituting the first row is between the second brush units 6. It is arranged at a position corresponding to the gap. By doing so, the effect of the gap between the brush units 6 can be reduced as compared with the case of FIG. 7A, so that the cleaning efficiency is improved. Further, particles and foreign matter on the substrate surface 201 can be removed uniformly.

  This effect can be achieved without a staggered arrangement. For example, as shown in FIG. 7D, the parallelogram brush units 6 may be linearly arranged. That is, the side of the brush unit 6 facing the other adjacent brush unit 6 is shaped to be inclined with respect to the transport direction X. The brush units 6 are arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning unit 1. In this way, the effect of the gap between the brushes can be reduced as in the case of the staggered arrangement.

  The configuration of the shape and arrangement of the brush unit 6 is selected according to the sliding conditions of the target substrate 200. By selecting appropriately, the cleaning efficiency of the substrate surface 201 becomes uniform, and a constant cleaning power can be maintained.

  The cleaning unit 1 has been described above.

  Note that the cleaning unit 1 may be configured so that a roll brush can be used as long as it is not affected by the bending in the long axis direction. In this case, although it is difficult to apply to a large-area substrate, there is no problem in cleaning efficiency even if a roll brush is applied up to a range where the major axis is 2000 mm.

  Next, the suction unit will be described.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the suction unit 2 is configured such that a plurality of suction nozzles 27 are divided into divided water absorption nozzle mounting portions 26 and installed in a line shape. Further, a suction adjustment valve 28 for adjusting the suction amount is provided at the upper part of the suction nozzle attachment portion 26, so that the suction amount can be adjusted and the suction amount can be adjusted according to the remaining amount of the processing liquid. The suction adjustment valve 28 is controlled by a control device.

  As a result, the suction unit 2 can efficiently and quickly suck the cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning unit 1 and the particles and foreign matters included in the cleaning liquid detached from the substrate surface 201 from the suction nozzle 27. .

  Note that the suctioned cleaning liquid may be supplied again from the brush unit 6 as a cleaning liquid.

  In this embodiment, the substrate surface 201 is transported to the next process in a state where the wettability is uniformly maintained without being completely dried.

  In addition, when the substrate 200 is transported while being inclined, the cleaning liquid tends to remain on the lower side of the inclined substrate 200 (front side in FIG. 1), and re-adhesion is likely to occur. On the other hand, the higher one of the substrate 200 (the back side in FIG. 1) has less residual cleaning liquid and a low probability of reattachment. For this reason, depending on the position of the substrate 200, the behavior of the foreign matter detached by the bristles 5 and the amount of cleaning liquid remaining on the substrate surface differ. In such a case, it is necessary to adjust the suction force. Therefore, the suction force of the suction nozzle 27 positioned on the lower side of the inclined substrate 200 is increased, and the suction force of the suction nozzle 27 positioned on the higher side of the substrate 200 is decreased. Thereby, the lower re-deposition rate of the substrate 200 is suppressed, and uniform cleaning efficiency is ensured.

  In addition, the height of the nozzle attachment portion 26 of the suction unit 2 can be adjusted by the same position adjustment mechanism as that of the brush unit 6 of the cleaning unit 1.

  The material of the suction nozzle 27 is preferably a polymer resin having high rigidity and low corrosivity, such as vinyl chloride, polystyrene resin, fluorine resin, or silicon resin. The metal is selected from aluminum, stainless steel, iron, titanium, and alloys containing the metal, and stainless steel or titanium metal having low corrosivity is preferable.

  Further, in the processing step according to the present invention, the processing liquid (cleaning liquid) on the substrate surface 201 is not completely removed or dried. The treatment liquid is left to the extent that it does not affect the wet process such as rinsing and etching in the next process. This is because, if it is completely dried in the cleaning process, it may cause defective cleaning such as a watermark.

  Further, the processing liquid sucked by the suction unit 2 is not limited to the cleaning liquid described above. In some cases, the developer or etchant remains on the substrate.

  Next, the blocking unit 3 will be described.

  The blocking unit 3 is installed to block the cleaning liquid. In FIG. 1, the blocking unit 3 is an air curtain that blows air from nozzles (slits, holes, cylinders, etc.). In order to prevent the backflow of the cleaning liquid due to the influence of the airflow, the suction unit 2 is installed downstream from the influence of the airflow. In addition, it is desirable that the air curtain be installed by adjusting the nozzle direction and the air volume so that the liquid level of the cleaning liquid becomes the highest immediately below the suction unit 2 (see FIG. 2).

  Not only this but as shown in FIG. 8, you may comprise the blocking unit 3 with the polymer resin roll 3 '. The polymer resin roll 3 ′ is suitably made of a wear-resistant and chemical-resistant material that has no adhesion to the substrate 200 and hardly deforms. When a polymer resin is used, a polymer absorber such as cellulose may be used. However, it is not preferable when a large amount of substrates are processed because it is easily swollen by water absorption and changes its shape. The polymer resin used in the present invention is more preferably a polymer resin having a rigidity lower than that of the substrate 200 in consideration of scratches, scratches and the like on the substrate. For example, polyurethane-based, polyamide-based, polyacrylic acid-based, fluororesin-based, and silicon-resin-based are selected, and among these, polyurethane is most preferable based on the above reasons.

  The form of the blocking unit 3 is not limited to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, and a scraper having the shape shown in FIG. 9 (A), (B) or (C) may be used. The scraper is preferably curved so as to follow the warp of the substrate 200 so that the cleaning liquid can be easily blocked. Which shape of the scraper is used is appropriately determined according to the properties such as the viscosity of the treatment liquid. The scraper attachment portion 31 is preferably a support member having high rigidity. When the scraper attachment portion 31 is a metal material, it is selected from aluminum, stainless steel, iron, and titanium. Considering the influence of an unspecified treatment solution, a slenless system or a titanium system, which hardly corrodes, is preferable. In the case of resin, it is selected from vinyl chloride, polypropylene resin and the like. The scraper blocking plate 32 (32A, 32B, 32C) is selected from soft resin materials, and is selected from polyurethane, polyamide, polyacrylic acid, fluororesin, and silicon resin.

  The substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

  According to the above embodiment, particles and foreign matters adhering to the surface of the large area substrate can be uniformly removed. Further, the reattachment rate is reduced and the processing liquid on the substrate surface is efficiently removed, so that the amount of cleaning water brought into the next process can be greatly reduced. Furthermore, brushing can be performed uniformly.

<Second Embodiment>
In the manufacturing process of FPD (Flat Panel Display), water replacement is performed to stop the reaction after chemical treatment. In the prior art, the chemical solution on the workpiece (substrate) surface is poured with a large amount of pure water to dilute the chemical solution on the workpiece surface and stop the reaction.

  In addition, the chemical solution on the workpiece surface can be collected for reuse of expensive chemical solution, or the chemical solution on the workpiece surface can be removed from the workpiece surface using an air curtain to reduce the amount of pure water used for rinsing to stop the reaction. Technology to do is also carried out.

  As the workpiece size increases, the amount of chemical solution remaining on the workpiece surface before water replacement becomes a problem due to an increase in the amount of chemical solution taken out, an increase in the amount of pure water used for rinsing, and non-uniformity in the work surface due to dilution. There is a need to reduce it.

  However, if the discharge capacity of the conventional air curtain is improved in order to reduce the amount of chemical remaining on the workpiece surface, there is a problem that the workpiece surface is damaged or uneven.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, a chemical solution blocking mechanism and a chemical solution suction mechanism are used in order to reduce the amount of the chemical solution remaining on the workpiece surface before water replacement. Then, it is possible to reduce the amount of chemical solution taken out, reduce the amount of pure water used for rinsing, make the chemical solution treatment in-plane uniform, reduce the air consumption amount, and prevent damage to the workpiece surface.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a product that is uniform in the surface of the chemical reaction and a manufacturing apparatus that reduces the running cost of the chemical, pure water, and air.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a view when the substrate processing apparatus is viewed from the same direction as FIG.

  A workpiece (substrate) 303 that is a workpiece is transported in the horizontal direction X by a transport base 305.

  On the surface of the work 303, a chemical liquid 304 is spread and accumulated as a processing liquid.

  A chemical solution suction unit 302 and a chemical solution blocking unit 301 are installed in this order in the traveling direction of the work 303.

  In this embodiment, an air curtain is used for the chemical liquid blocking unit 301. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a workpiece 303 and a narrow gap blade or roller may be used.

  As the work 303 approaches the chemical liquid blocking unit 301, the chemical liquid 304 on the surface of the work is pushed back in a direction opposite to the traveling direction X of the work 303. The pushed chemical liquid 304 is efficiently sucked by the chemical liquid suction unit 302 and used again as a processing liquid.

  When the transport table 305 is inclined at 10 degrees or less in the width direction of the work 303 (corresponding to θ <10 ° in FIG. 1), the chemical solution suction unit 302 and the chemical solution blocking unit 301 are used. Is preferably installed below in the width direction. Then, the mechanism can be fulfilled effectively.

  The distance d between the suction port of the chemical liquid suction unit 302 and the surface of the workpiece 303 is preferably 5 mm or less. If it is 10 mm or more, suction becomes difficult.

  Furthermore, when the chemical liquid blocking unit 301 is an air curtain, the angle θs formed by the air blowing direction and the surface of the workpiece 303 is desirably 50 degrees or less. When θs is large, damage is likely to occur due to the impact force on the workpiece surface.

  Moreover, when the conveyance speed of the workpiece | work 303 is large, the pushing back force of the chemical | medical solution 304 becomes insufficient, and the suction | attraction amount of a chemical | medical solution reduces. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the conveyance speed as appropriate.

  The second embodiment has been described above.

  The above embodiment can be variously modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described by way of examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

<Example 1>
A substrate (referred to as “evaluation substrate”) for evaluating the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention (see FIG. 1) is a 2160 × 2460 (mm ² ) large-area glass substrate immediately after reception. The blocking unit 3 used an air curtain. Particle and foreign matter inspection before and after cleaning was measured with a foreign matter inspection device, and the foreign matter removal rate, reattachment rate, and residual amount of cleaning liquid were determined by the following formulas 1, 2 and 3.

Formula 1: (foreign matter removal rate) = {(number of foreign matter before cleaning) − (number of foreign matter after cleaning)} / (number of foreign matter before cleaning) × 100

Formula 2: (Reattachment rate) = (Number of foreign matter again attached) / (Number of foreign matter after cleaning) × 100

Formula 3: (Cleaning liquid remaining rate) = {(Cleaning liquid remaining amount A) − (Cleaning liquid remaining amount B)} / (Cleaning liquid remaining amount A) × 100
here,
(Residual amount of cleaning liquid A) = (Substrate weight including cleaning water without nozzle suction) − (Substrate weight)
(Remaining amount of cleaning liquid B) = (Substrate weight including cleaning water with nozzle suction) − (Substrate weight)
Further, scratches and scratches after cleaning were visually observed by projecting a range of a central radius of 125 mm of the substrate with a projector. In this example, evaluation was performed after the brush base (brush mounting portion) prepared in advance was placed in close contact with each brush unit (flat brush) so that the contact distance to the substrate surface was constant. It was.

  Table 1 shows the implementation conditions (Nos. 1 to 6) of this example and the evaluation results. Implementation condition No. 5 is a case where the substrate is transported while being inclined, and the suction force of the suction nozzle changes between a position 1400 mm from the upper side (higher side) and a position 1000 mm from the lower side (lower side). I am letting.

<Example 2>
In order to grasp the uniformity of the particle and foreign matter removal rate on the substrate surface, in the same glass substrate 2160 × 2460 (mm2) used in Example 1, the back surface is perpendicular to the transport direction from the substrate center, and is equally spaced from side to side. Insert the alignment mark (marking) with No. Evaluation was carried out according to the washing conditions of 3. As for the evaluation range before and after cleaning such as the removal rate, the foreign matter removal rate was calculated from the above equation 1 after measuring the foreign matter before and after cleaning with an optical microscope in the region of φ125 mm from the center of the alignment mark.

  Table 2 shows the implementation results.

<Comparative Example 1>
Unlike the said Example, the brush drive part was changed into the rotation type using the roll brush as a washing | cleaning unit.

  Table 3 shows the implementation conditions (No. 11, No. 12) in this case and the evaluation results.

<Comparative example 2>
In order to grasp the uniformity of the particle and foreign matter removal rate on the substrate surface by the roll brush method, an evaluation substrate was prepared in the same manner as in Example 2, and No. 1 in Table 3 was obtained. Cleaning evaluation was carried out under the same conditions as in No. 11, and the foreign matter removal rate was calculated. Table 4 shows the results.

  The evaluation result of an Example and a comparative example is demonstrated below. The target values of the foreign matter removal rate, the reattachment rate, and the cleaning liquid remaining rate are a foreign matter removal rate of 90% or higher, a reattachment rate of 30% or lower, and a cleaning liquid residual rate of 60% or higher. From the results in Table 1, it was found that the above example sufficiently satisfied the target values of the respective items. A sufficient cleaning effect could be obtained by applying the flat brush of the present invention. On the other hand, the cleaning with the roll brush of the comparative example could not satisfy the target values for the foreign matter removal rate, the reattachment rate, and the cleaning liquid remaining rate.

  Further, the in-plane foreign matter removal rate of the cleaning method using a plurality of flat plate brushes of Example 2 was uniformly 90% or more even in a large area, satisfying the target value of 90% or more. On the other hand, in the roll brush method of Comparative Example 2, the in-plane foreign matter removal rate varied, and the foreign matter removal rate decreased by about 30% from the central portion on the outer periphery of the substrate.

1 is a schematic view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. Diagram for explaining the arrangement of transport rollers Schematic diagram of brush unit (A) Cross-sectional view of the brush unit, (B) Plan view seen from the brush surface The figure for demonstrating the height adjustment mechanism of a brush unit The figure for demonstrating the height adjustment mechanism of a brush unit The figure which shows the example of arrangement of a brush unit Schematic of the substrate processing apparatus when the blocking unit is a roll (A)-(C) The figure which shows a scraper Schematic of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Substrate processing apparatus, 110 ... Conveyance stand, 33 ... Conveyance roller,
1 ... cleaning unit, 2 ... water absorption unit, 3 ... blocking unit,
4 ... Brush base, 5 ... Brush hair, 6 ... Brush unit,
8 ... Bearing, 9 ... Swing cylinder,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Support member, 12 ... Hair bundle, 13 ... Supply port of cleaning liquid, 14 ... Supply pipe of cleaning liquid,
19 ... Spacer, 101a, 101b ... Screw, 41 ... Screw receiver, 102 ... Screw cutting,
26 ... Suction unit mounting portion, 27 ... Suction nozzle, 28 ... Suction adjustment valve 200 ... Substrate, 201 ... Substrate surface 301 ... Chemical solution blocking unit, 302 ... Chemical solution suction unit, 303 ... Workpiece,
304 ... chemical solution, 305 ... conveying table

Claims (16)

A substrate processing apparatus that performs processing while transporting a substrate placed on a transport table using a processing liquid,
In order from the upstream side of the substrate transfer direction,
A suction unit for sucking the treatment liquid;
A blocking unit for blocking the treatment liquid;
The substrate processing apparatus characterized by arrange | positioning. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
Upstream from the suction unit,
A substrate processing apparatus comprising a cleaning unit having a brush for brushing the surface of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The washing unit is
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrate processing apparatus swings substantially perpendicularly to a substrate transport direction. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The brush
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a brush surface in contact with a surface of a substrate is a flat brush. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The washing unit is
It has a plurality of brush units with brush hairs planted on the brush base,
Each of the brush units is removable. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The washing unit is
It has a plurality of brush units with brush hairs planted on the brush base,
Each of the brush units can be adjusted in position. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The washing unit is
A support member provided across the transport table in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate;
A plurality of brush units having brush hairs planted on a brush base,
Each of the brush units is coupled to the support member via an adjustment member capable of adjusting a distance from the support member. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The washing unit is
A support member provided across the transport table in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate;
A plurality of brush units having brush hairs planted on a brush base,
Each of the brush units is coupled to the support member via an adjustment member that can be disposed at an angle. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The washing unit is
It has a plurality of brush units with brush hairs planted on the brush base,
The brush unit is
A substrate processing apparatus, which is arranged in a staggered arrangement. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The washing unit is
It has a plurality of brush units with brush hairs planted on the brush base,
The brush units are arranged in a row substantially perpendicular to the transport direction, and
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein opposing sides of adjacent brush units are inclined with respect to a transport direction. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The washing unit is
A substrate processing apparatus comprising a cleaning agent supply port for supplying a cleaning agent. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the cleaning agent supply port exists between a bundle of brush hairs. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The carrier is
A plurality of rollers that receive a load of the substrate, contact a surface opposite to a surface to be cleaned, and send the substrate in a transport direction;
Of the plurality of rollers, the lower roller of the suction unit is disposed lower in the direction of gravity than the other rollers. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The carrier is
A mechanism for inclining and transporting the substrate;
The suction unit is
Provided with a plurality of nozzles capable of adjusting the suction amount in a direction substantially perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate, among the nozzles, the nozzle disposed at a lower position of the substrate has a larger suction amount A substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The blocking unit is
A substrate processing apparatus comprising an air curtain, a roll, or a scraper. A substrate processing apparatus for performing processing while transporting a substrate placed on a transport table,
A cleaning unit including a brush for brushing the surface of the substrate;
The washing unit is
A substrate processing apparatus comprising a plurality of brush units in which brush bristles are planted on a brush base, each of which can be removed, and the distance from the substrate surface can be adjusted.

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