JP2010021457A - Method of cleaning brush - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of cleaning a brush, in which foreign matter sticking to the brush can be sufficiently removed. <P>SOLUTION: The method of cleaning the brush includes: a step in which the brush 14 having been used for scrubbing cleaning is dipped in cleaning fluid 44 reserved in a cleaning tank 22 and ultrasonic vibrations are applied to the cleaning fluid; and a step in which the brush is rotated in contact with a cleaning substrate 24 provided in the cleaning tank. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a brush cleaning method, and more particularly to a brush cleaning method for cleaning a brush used for scrub cleaning.

  In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, foreign matter may adhere to the back side of the semiconductor substrate.

  When various processes are performed in a state where foreign matter is attached to the back side of the semiconductor substrate, the foreign matter may be separated from the back side of the semiconductor substrate and attach to the front side of the semiconductor substrate.

  If it does so, the fall of the reliability of a semiconductor device and the fall of a manufacturing yield will be caused.

  Accordingly, it has been proposed to scrub the back side of the semiconductor substrate using a brush.

  When the back surface side of the semiconductor substrate is scrubbed with a brush, foreign matter (particles) removed from the back surface side of the semiconductor substrate adheres to the brush. When a new semiconductor substrate is scrubbed using a brush with foreign matter attached, the foreign matter that had adhered to the semiconductor substrate that was previously scrubbed will adhere to the newly scrubbed semiconductor substrate. There is a risk that.

For this reason, it is preferable to remove the foreign substances adhering to the brush as appropriate. Conventionally, removal of foreign substances has been attempted by spraying pure water onto a brush used for scrub cleaning.
JP 2006-27895 A JP 2000-208462 A JP-A-6-333895

  However, even if pure water is sprayed on the brush, there are cases where the foreign matter adhering to the brush cannot always be sufficiently removed.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a brush cleaning method capable of sufficiently removing foreign matter adhering to the brush.

  According to one aspect of the embodiment, a step of immersing a brush used for scrub cleaning in a cleaning liquid stored in a cleaning tank, applying ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning liquid, and providing the brush in the cleaning tank And a step of rotating the brush while being in contact with the cleaning substrate.

  According to the embodiment, the foreign matter adhering to the brush is released from the brush by ultrasonic cleaning, and then the brush is rotated while being in contact with the cleaning substrate, so that the foreign matter adhering to the brush is sufficiently removed. Can do.

[First Embodiment]
A brush cleaning method according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Semiconductor manufacturing equipment)
First, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus used in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus used in this embodiment. FIG. 1A is a plan view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

  The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus (substrate processing apparatus, substrate cleaning apparatus) used in this embodiment performs scrub cleaning on the turntable 12 that rotates the semiconductor substrate (semiconductor wafer) 20 (see FIG. 3) and the semiconductor substrate. The brush 14, an arm 16 that supports the brush 14, and a brush standby unit 18 that waits for the brush 14.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the base 10 is provided with a disk-shaped turntable 12. On the turntable 12, a semiconductor substrate (see FIG.) 20 (see FIG. 3) is placed. The turntable 12 is provided with a fixing means (not shown) for fixing the semiconductor substrate 20 to the turntable 12. As the fixing means, for example, a pin chuck or the like is used.

  A nozzle (not shown) is provided above the turntable 12. The nozzle is for appropriately supplying a chemical solution or the like onto the semiconductor substrate 20 placed on the turntable 12.

  An arm 16 is provided on the side of the turntable 12. The base 16a of the arm 16 is provided with a drive mechanism (not shown) for driving the arm. A brush 14 used for scrub cleaning is attached to the tip 16b of the arm 16. A rotation mechanism (not shown) for rotating the brush 14 is provided at the distal end portion 16 b of the arm 16. When scrub cleaning the semiconductor substrate 20, the arm 16 moves the brush 14 onto the semiconductor substrate 20 and rotates the brush 14 while pressing the brush 14 against the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 20. When scrub cleaning is not performed on the semiconductor substrate 20, the arm 16 moves the brush 14 to the brush standby unit 18 and waits.

  The brush 14 is made of, for example, a porous body. As a material for the brush 14, for example, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA: PolyVinyl Alcohol) is used.

  The brush standby unit 18 is provided with a cleaning tank 22 for cleaning the brush 14 used for scrub cleaning (see FIG. 1B).

  A cleaning substrate 24 that is used when cleaning the brush 14 is provided in the cleaning tank 22. For example, a silicon substrate is used as the cleaning substrate 24. The cleaning substrate 24 is supported by a base 26 for supporting the cleaning substrate 24.

  The upper surface of the cleaning substrate 24, that is, the surface with which the brush 14 comes into contact when cleaning the brush 14 is preferably subjected to a mirror surface treatment as will be described later.

  An ultrasonic oscillator 28 is provided in the cleaning tank 22. The ultrasonic oscillator 28 is for applying ultrasonic vibration to the liquid stored in the cleaning tank 22.

  A piping 30 for supplying a cleaning liquid is connected to the cleaning tank 22. The cleaning tank 22 is connected to a pipe 32 for supplying pure water. The cleaning tank 22 is connected with a pipe 34 for draining liquid from the cleaning tank 22. Valves 36, 38, and 40 are provided in the respective pipes 30, 32, and 34, respectively.

  The cleaning tank 22 is provided with a plurality of nozzles 42 for injecting pure water onto the brush 14 at a high pressure.

  Thus, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 2 used in this embodiment is configured.

(Brush cleaning method)
Next, the brush cleaning method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the brush cleaning method according to the present embodiment. 3 to 9 are process diagrams illustrating the brush cleaning method according to the present embodiment.

  The scrub cleaning for the semiconductor substrate (semiconductor wafer) 20 is performed as follows.

  FIG. 3A shows a standby state. As shown in FIG. 3A, the brush 14 is located in the brush standby unit 18.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the semiconductor substrate 20 to be scrubbed is placed on the turntable 12. Here, a case where the foreign matter adhering to the back side of the semiconductor substrate 20 is removed by scrub cleaning will be described as an example. For this reason, the semiconductor substrate 20 is placed on the turntable 12 so that the back side of the semiconductor substrate 20 is on the upper side. The semiconductor substrate 20 is fixed to the turntable 12 by fixing means (not shown) provided on the turntable 12.

  In addition, when removing the foreign matter adhering to the surface side of the semiconductor substrate 20 by scrub cleaning, the semiconductor substrate 20 may be placed on the turntable 12 so that the surface side of the semiconductor substrate 20 is on the upper side.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4A, the brush 14 is positioned on the semiconductor substrate 20 by driving the arm 16. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4B, no cleaning liquid or the like is stored in the cleaning tank 22.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5A, by driving the arm 16, the brush 14 is rotated while the lower part of the brush 14 is in contact with the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 20. More specifically, the brush 14 is rotated while pressing the lower part of the brush 14 against the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 20. At this time, the semiconductor substrate 20 is also rotated by driving the turntable 12. A cleaning liquid (not shown) for cleaning the semiconductor substrate 20 is supplied onto the semiconductor substrate 20. As the cleaning liquid, for example, pure water, APM (Ammonia-Hydrogen Peroxide Mixture) liquid, functional water such as carbonated water, ozone water, hydrogen water, ion water, or the like is used. When cleaning the semiconductor substrate 20, the position of the brush 14 is appropriately moved in the horizontal direction so that the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 20 is evenly cleaned. Thus, scrub cleaning is performed on the semiconductor substrate 20 (step S1).

  When scrub cleaning is performed on the semiconductor substrate 20, as shown in FIG. 5B, the cleaning liquid 44 is supplied into the cleaning tank 22 provided in the brush standby unit 18, and The provided cleaning substrate 24 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 44 (step S1). The cleaning liquid 44 is supplied into the cleaning tank 22 by opening a valve 36 provided in the pipe 30. As the cleaning liquid 44, for example, an alkaline cleaning liquid is used. As the alkaline cleaning liquid, for example, an APM (Ammonia-Hydrogen Peroxide Mixture) liquid that is a chemical liquid containing ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, and water is used. The cleaning substrate 24 is cleaned by the cleaning liquid 44 stored in the cleaning tank 22. In the present embodiment, when scrub cleaning is performed on the semiconductor substrate 20, the cleaning liquid 44 is supplied to the cleaning tank 22 and the cleaning substrate 24 is cleaned, which can contribute to an improvement in throughput. The supply of the cleaning liquid 44 is performed until a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 44 is stored in the cleaning tank 22. When a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid 44 is stored, the valve 36 provided in the pipe 30 is closed.

  After the scrub cleaning for the semiconductor substrate 20 is completed, as shown in FIG. 6, by driving the arm 16, the brush 14 is moved to the brush standby unit 18 and the cleaning liquid 44 stored in the cleaning tank 22 is brushed. 14 is immersed (step S2). When the brush 14 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 44, the entire brush 14 may be immersed in the cleaning liquid 44, or a part of the brush 14 may be immersed in the cleaning liquid 44. However, it is desirable that at least the dirty portion of the brush 14 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 44. There is a high possibility that foreign matter adheres to the lower portion of the brush 14 when scrub cleaning is performed. Accordingly, at least the lower part of the brush 14 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 44.

  Next, ultrasonic vibration is applied to the cleaning liquid 44 by the ultrasonic oscillator 28 in a state where the brush 14 and the cleaning substrate 24 are immersed in the cleaning liquid 44 (step S3). Accordingly, the brush 14 and the cleaning substrate 24 are cleaned by an ultrasonic cleaning method. The reason why ultrasonic cleaning is performed on the brush 14 and the cleaning substrate 24 is to release the foreign matter adhering to the brush 14 and the cleaning substrate 24 from the brush 14 and the cleaning substrate 24. When performing ultrasonic cleaning on the brush 14 and the cleaning substrate 24, it is preferable to perform ultrasonic cleaning in a state where the lower surface of the brush 14 and the upper surface of the cleaning substrate 24 are not in contact with each other. . When ultrasonic cleaning is performed in a state where the lower surface of the brush 14 and the upper surface of the cleaning substrate 24 are in contact with each other, the foreign matter is sufficiently released at the portion where the brush 14 and the cleaning substrate 24 are in contact with each other. This is because there are cases where it cannot be done.

  In the alkaline cleaning liquid, it is considered that the brush 14 and the foreign matter are charged with the same polarity. For this reason, in the alkaline cleaning liquid, it is considered that the foreign matter released from the brush 14 repels the brush 14 and the foreign matter is unlikely to adhere to the brush 14 again. For this reason, it is preferable to use an alkaline cleaning liquid as the cleaning liquid 44.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7A, the arm 16 is driven to rotate the brush 14 while bringing the lower surface of the brush 14 into contact with the upper surface of the cleaning substrate 24 (step S4). Wash with a scrape. When scrubbing the brush 14, not only the brush 14 is rotated but also the brush 14 is appropriately moved in the horizontal direction. The reason why the brush 14 is not only rotated but also moved in the horizontal direction is to effectively remove foreign matter adhering to the brush 14. In this way, the foreign matter adhering to the brush 14 adheres to the upper surface of the cleaning substrate 24 or floats in the cleaning liquid 44. The number of rotations of the brush 14 is, for example, about 100 rotations / minute. The pressure for pressing the brush 14 against the cleaning substrate 24 is, for example, about 10 to 100 g weight / cm ² .

  Next, by driving the arm 16, the brush 14 is moved above the cleaning substrate 24, and the brush 14 and the cleaning substrate 24 are separated (see FIG. 7B). At this time, pure water 46 is sprayed onto the brush 14 at a high pressure while rotating the brush 14 (step S5). The pure water 46 is ejected from the nozzle 42. At this time, the cleaning liquid 44 stored in the cleaning tank 22 is drained through the pipe 34. The drainage of the cleaning liquid 44 from the cleaning tank 22 is performed by opening a valve 40 provided in the pipe 34. When draining the cleaning liquid 44 from the cleaning tank 22, the water level of the cleaning liquid 44 gradually decreases as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, so that foreign matter floating on the surface of the cleaning liquid 44 is obtained. May reattach to the brush 14 due to surface tension. However, since the cleaning liquid 44 is discharged from the cleaning tank 22 while jetting pure water to the brush 14 at high pressure, the foreign matter reattached to the brush 14 is sufficiently washed away by the pure water 46 jetted at high pressure. After draining the cleaning liquid 44 from the cleaning tank 22 is completed, the valve 40 provided in the pipe 34 is closed.

  Next, pure water 48 is supplied into the cleaning tank 22 through the pipe 32. The pure water 48 is supplied into the cleaning tank 22 by opening a valve 38 provided in the pipe 32. The supply of the pure water 48 into the cleaning tank 22 is performed until a predetermined amount of pure water 48 is stored in the cleaning tank 22. When a predetermined amount of pure water 28 is stored, the valve 38 provided in the pipe 32 is closed. Thus, as shown in FIG. 9A, the brush 14 is immersed in the pure water 48 stored in the cleaning tank 22 (step S6). Since the brush 14 is immersed in the pure water 48 stored in the cleaning tank 22, the cleaning liquid 44 (see FIG. 7) attached to the brush 14 is cleaned with the pure water 48. Further, the cleaning tank 22 is also cleaned with pure water 48.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the brush 14 is moved upward by driving the arm 16. Thereby, the brush 14 is pulled up from the pure water 48 stored in the cleaning tank 22 (step S7).

  Thereafter, the pure water 48 stored in the cleaning tank 22 is drained (step S8). The pure water 48 is drained from the cleaning tank 22 by opening a valve 40 provided in the pipe 34. When the drainage of the pure water 48 is completed, the valve 40 provided in the pipe 34 is closed.

  Thus, the cleaning of the brush 14 according to the present embodiment is completed.

  Thereafter, when scrub cleaning is performed on a new semiconductor substrate (not shown), a clean brush 14 (see FIG. 9B) that has been cleaned is used. When scrub cleaning is performed on a new semiconductor substrate, a clean brush 14 from which foreign matter has been sufficiently removed is used. Therefore, foreign matter adhering to the brush 14 in past scrub cleaning adheres to the new semiconductor substrate. Can be prevented.

(Evaluation results)
Next, evaluation results of the brush cleaning method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the brush cleaning method and the number of foreign matters. The vertical axis represents the number of foreign matters attached to the semiconductor substrate, that is, the total number of foreign matters attached to one semiconductor substrate.

  Comparative Example 1 shows a case where scrub cleaning is performed on one semiconductor substrate using a brush, and then the brush is brought into contact with another semiconductor substrate without performing brush cleaning. is there. As shown in FIG. 10, a large amount of foreign matter adhered to other semiconductor substrates.

  In Comparative Example 2, scrub cleaning is performed on one semiconductor substrate using a brush, then the brush is cleaned with pure water, and then the other semiconductor substrate is contacted while rotating the brush. It is shown. In the case of Comparative Example 2, as in the case of Comparative Example 1, a large amount of foreign matters adhered to other semiconductor substrates.

  In Comparative Example 3, scrub cleaning is performed on one semiconductor substrate using a brush, and then the brush is cleaned with an alkaline cleaning liquid, and then brought into contact with another semiconductor substrate while rotating the brush. Is shown. As the alkaline cleaning liquid, an APM liquid that is a cleaning liquid containing ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, and water was used. In the case of Comparative Example 3, as in Comparative Examples 1 and 2, a large amount of foreign matter adhered.

  Example 1 is a case of the brush cleaning method according to the present embodiment. That is, scrub cleaning is performed on one semiconductor substrate using a brush, the brush is ultrasonically cleaned with an alkaline cleaning liquid, the brush is rotated in contact with the cleaning substrate in the alkaline cleaning liquid, and then the other This shows a case where a brush is brought into contact with the semiconductor substrate while rotating.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the case of Example 1, the foreign matter adhering to another semiconductor substrate becomes very few. From this, according to the present embodiment, it can be seen that the foreign matter attached to the brush 14 in the past scrub cleaning can be sufficiently suppressed from attaching to a new semiconductor substrate.

  FIG. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the surface state of the cleaning substrate and the number of foreign substances.

  Comparative Example 4 shows a case where scrub cleaning is performed on one semiconductor substrate using a brush, and then the brush is rotated and brought into contact with another semiconductor substrate without cleaning the brush. is there. As shown in FIG. 11, a large amount of foreign matters adhered to other semiconductor substrates.

  In Example 2, scrub cleaning is performed on one semiconductor substrate, ultrasonic cleaning is performed with an alkaline cleaning liquid, a brush is rotated while contacting a surface of the cleaning substrate that has not been subjected to mirror surface treatment, The case where the brush is brought into contact with the semiconductor substrate while rotating is shown. When the glossiness of the surface subjected to the mirror surface treatment is 100, the glossiness of the surface not subjected to the mirror surface treatment is about 40, for example.

  Example 3 shows the case of the brush cleaning method according to the present embodiment. That is, scrub cleaning is performed on one semiconductor substrate, ultrasonic cleaning is performed with an alkaline cleaning liquid, the brush is rotated while contacting the mirror-treated surface of the cleaning substrate, and the other semiconductor substrate is brushed. The case where it is made to contact while rotating is shown.

  As can be seen from Example 2, the number of foreign matters is reduced to some extent even when the substrate for cleaning is rotated while pressing the brush against the surface that has not been subjected to the mirror surface treatment.

  As can be seen from the third embodiment, the number of foreign matters can be remarkably reduced when the brush is rotated while being pressed against the mirror-treated surface of the cleaning substrate.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the foreign matter adhering to the brush 14 is released from the brush 14 by ultrasonic cleaning, and then the brush 14 is rotated while being in contact with the cleaning substrate 24 to thereby remove the foreign matter from the brush 14. Remove. For this reason, according to this embodiment, the foreign material adhering to the brush 14 can be sufficiently removed.

  In this embodiment, when scrub cleaning is performed on a new semiconductor substrate, a clean brush 14 that has been cleaned is used. When scrub cleaning is performed on a new semiconductor substrate, a clean brush 14 from which foreign matter has been sufficiently removed is used. Therefore, foreign matter adhering to the brush 14 in past scrub cleaning adheres to the new semiconductor substrate. Can be prevented.

[Second Embodiment]
A brush cleaning method according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the brush cleaning method according to the present embodiment. 13 and 14 are process diagrams illustrating the brush cleaning method according to the present embodiment. The same components as those in the brush cleaning method according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  In the brush cleaning method according to the present embodiment, the brush 14 is rotated while being pressed against the cleaning substrate 24, and then the brush 14 is cleaned, and then the pure water 48 is discharged into the cleaning tank 22 while draining the cleaning liquid 44 from the cleaning tank 22. The main feature is that the liquid stored in the cleaning tank 22 is replaced with the pure water 48 from the cleaning liquid 44 by supplying.

  First, the scrub cleaning process for the semiconductor substrate 20 is the same as the scrub cleaning process described above with reference to FIGS. Note that when scrub cleaning is performed on the semiconductor substrate 20, the cleaning liquid is placed in the cleaning tank 22 provided in the brush standby unit 18 as in step S <b> 1 of the first embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 5. 44 is supplied, and the cleaning substrate 24 provided in the cleaning tank 22 is cleaned with the cleaning liquid 44 (step S11).

  Thereafter, the step of immersing the brush 14 in the cleaning liquid 44 stored in the cleaning tank 22 (step S12), the step of ultrasonically cleaning the brush 14 (step S13), and the brush 14 contacting the cleaning substrate 24. The step of rotating while rotating (step S14) is the same as the brush cleaning method (steps S2 to S4) according to the first embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 6 to FIG. FIG. 13A shows a state in which the step of rotating the brush 14 while being in contact with the cleaning substrate 24 is completed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 13B, by driving the arm 16, the brush 14 is moved above the cleaning substrate 24, and the brush 14 and the cleaning substrate 24 are separated from each other.

  Next, the cleaning liquid 44 stored in the cleaning tank 22 is drained through the pipe 34 and pure water 48 is supplied into the cleaning tank 22 through the pipe 32. The drainage of the cleaning liquid 48 from the cleaning tank 22 is performed by opening a valve 40 provided in the pipe 34. The pure water 48 is supplied into the cleaning tank 22 by opening a valve 38 provided in the pipe 32. The amount of liquid drained from the cleaning tank 22 per unit time and the amount of pure water 48 supplied into the cleaning tank 22 per unit time are preferably equal. Since the amount of liquid drained from the cleaning tank 22 per unit time and the amount of pure water 48 supplied into the cleaning tank 22 per unit time are equal, the water level of the liquid stored in the cleaning tank 22 changes. Without this, it is possible to prevent the foreign matter floating in the liquid stored in the cleaning tank 22 from reattaching to the brush 14. Eventually, as shown in FIG. 14A, the inside of the cleaning tank 22 is replaced with pure water 48 (step S15). After the cleaning liquid 44 in the cleaning tank 22 is replaced with pure water 48, the valves 38 and 40 provided in the pipes 32 and 34 are closed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 14B, the arm 14 is driven to move the brush 14 upward. Thereby, the brush 14 is pulled up from the pure water 48 stored in the cleaning tank 22 (step S16).

  Thereafter, the pure water 48 is drained from the cleaning tank 22 (step S17). The pure water 48 is drained from the cleaning tank 22 by opening a valve 40 provided in the pipe 34. When the drainage of the pure water 48 is completed, the valve 40 provided in the pipe 34 is closed.

  Thus, the cleaning of the brush 14 according to the present embodiment is completed.

  Thereafter, when scrub cleaning is performed on a new semiconductor substrate, a clean brush 14 that has been cleaned is used. Also in this embodiment, when scrub cleaning is performed on a new semiconductor substrate, the clean brush 14 from which foreign matters are sufficiently removed is used, so that the foreign matter attached to the brushes 14 in the past scrub cleaning is newly added. Can be prevented from adhering to a semiconductor substrate.

  Thus, after cleaning the brush 14 by rotating the brush 14 against the cleaning substrate 24, the pure liquid 48 is supplied into the cleaning tank 22 while discharging the cleaning liquid 44 from the cleaning tank 22, thereby cleaning the cleaning liquid. 44 may be replaced with pure water 48. According to the present embodiment, since the cleaning liquid 44 in the cleaning tank 22 is replaced with the pure water 48 without lowering the water level of the cleaning tank 22, foreign matters floating on the surface of the cleaning liquid 44 adhere to the brush 14. Can be prevented.

[Modified Embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the APM liquid is used as the cleaning liquid 44 stored in the cleaning tank 22 has been described as an example, but other alkaline cleaning liquid may be used as the cleaning liquid 44 as appropriate. For example, as the cleaning liquid 44 stored in the cleaning tank 22, a cleaning liquid containing ammonia, a cleaning liquid containing tetramethylammonium hydroxide, a cleaning liquid containing choline, or the like may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the case where an alkaline cleaning liquid is used as the cleaning liquid 44 stored in the cleaning tank 22 has been described as an example. However, the cleaning liquid 44 is not limited to this. For example, hydrogen water that is pure water in which hydrogen is dissolved may be used as the cleaning liquid 44 stored in the cleaning tank 22. Even when pure water in which hydrogen is dissolved is used as the cleaning liquid 44, the brush 14 can be effectively cleaned.

  Regarding the above embodiment, the following additional notes are disclosed.

(Appendix 1)
Immersing the brush used for scrub cleaning in a cleaning liquid stored in a cleaning tank, and applying ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning liquid;
And a step of rotating the brush in contact with a cleaning substrate provided in the cleaning tank.

(Appendix 2)
In the brush cleaning method according to appendix 1,
The method of cleaning a brush, further comprising the step of discharging the cleaning liquid while spraying pure water onto the brush after the step of rotating the brush while contacting the cleaning substrate.

(Appendix 3)
In the brush cleaning method according to appendix 1,
The method of cleaning a brush, further comprising the step of replacing the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank with pure water after the step of rotating the brush in contact with the cleaning substrate.

(Appendix 4)
In the brush cleaning method according to any one of appendices 1 to 3,
The method for cleaning a brush, wherein the cleaning liquid is an alkaline cleaning liquid.

(Appendix 5)
In the brush cleaning method according to appendix 4,
The alkaline cleaning liquid is a cleaning liquid containing ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and water, a cleaning liquid containing ammonia, a cleaning liquid containing tetramethylammonium hydroxide, or a cleaning liquid containing choline.

(Appendix 6)
In the brush cleaning method according to any one of appendices 1 to 3,
The method of cleaning a brush, wherein the cleaning liquid is pure water in which hydrogen is dissolved.

(Appendix 7)
In the brush cleaning method according to any one of appendices 1 to 6,
In the step of rotating the brush while being in contact with the cleaning substrate, the brush is brought into contact with a mirror-treated surface of the cleaning substrate.

(Appendix 8)
In the brush cleaning method according to any one of appendices 1 to 7,
A cleaning method for a brush characterized by supplying the cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank and immersing the cleaning substrate in the cleaning liquid when the scrub cleaning is performed on the semiconductor substrate using the brush. .

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus used in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a brush cleaning method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a process diagram (part 1) illustrating the brush cleaning method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a process diagram (part 2) illustrating the brush cleaning method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a process diagram (part 3) illustrating the brush cleaning method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a process diagram (part 4) illustrating the brush cleaning method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a process diagram (part 5) illustrating the brush cleaning method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a process diagram (part 6) illustrating the brush cleaning method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a process diagram (part 7) illustrating the brush cleaning method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the brush cleaning method and the number of foreign matters. FIG. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the surface state of the cleaning substrate and the number of foreign substances. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a brush cleaning method according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a process diagram (part 1) illustrating the brush cleaning method according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a process diagram (part 2) illustrating the brush cleaning method according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 ... Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 ... Base 12 ... Turntable 14 ... Brush 16 ... Arm 16a ... Base 16b ... Tip 18 ... Brush standby part 20 ... Semiconductor substrate 22 ... Cleaning tank 24 ... Cleaning substrate 26 ... Base 28 ... Ultrasonic oscillator 30 ... pipe 32 ... pipe 34 ... pipe 36 ... valve 38 ... valve 40 ... valve 42 ... nozzle 44 ... cleaning liquid 46 ... pure water 48 ... pure water

Claims (5)

Immersing the brush used for scrub cleaning in a cleaning liquid stored in a cleaning tank, and applying ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning liquid;
And a step of rotating the brush in contact with a cleaning substrate provided in the cleaning tank. The method for cleaning a brush according to claim 1,
The method of cleaning a brush, further comprising the step of discharging the cleaning liquid while spraying pure water onto the brush after the step of rotating the brush while contacting the cleaning substrate. The method for cleaning a brush according to claim 1,
The method of cleaning a brush, further comprising the step of replacing the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank with pure water after the step of rotating the brush in contact with the cleaning substrate. In the cleaning method of the brush according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The method for cleaning a brush, wherein the cleaning liquid is an alkaline cleaning liquid. In the cleaning method of the brush according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
In the step of rotating the brush while being in contact with the cleaning substrate, the brush is brought into contact with a mirror-treated surface of the cleaning substrate.

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