JP2011031148A - Washing device using high-pressure steam - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing device which jets high-pressure steam to micro areas to expand the micro areas to wash an object to be washed. <P>SOLUTION: The aperture part of a cistern-shaped washing tank, which opens to a specific part, is closed with an air curtain, and a nozzle for jetting high-pressure steam to an object to be washed, which is put in the washing tank, is arranged across the air curtain in the washing tank. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus for cleaning so-called contamination, flux, and the like attached to an electronic component in a manufacturing process of the small electronic component. More specifically, the present invention relates to a high-pressure steam cleaning apparatus that performs cleaning of the electronic component using high-pressure steam.

  The manufacturing process of an electronic component includes a so-called cleaning process for cleaning and removing substances adhering to the electronic component in various processes. Conventionally, in such a cleaning process, an organic solvent such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol), a mixture of a surfactant and a solvent, pure water, or the like is used as a cleaning liquid, and vibration at an ultrasonic level is further applied. This was performed by a so-called ultrasonic cleaning method with improved cleaning efficiency (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, as is well known, the external dimensions of electronic components have been steadily reduced in size, and the objects to be removed that have to be removed by cleaning have changed to smaller ones. For this reason, there is a need for the development and introduction of a cleaning method that enables efficient removal of foreign matter that has entered a narrow gap that cannot be handled by conventional ultrasonic cleaning methods, or fine substances called so-called contamination. Yes.

  Here, as a so-called trench cleaning method that is a fine gap provided in a semiconductor wafer or the like, for example, cleaning methods disclosed in Patent Documents 3 to 5 are known. In these cleaning methods, a wafer or the like that is the object to be cleaned is placed in a sealed space, and the surface of the object to be cleaned is sprayed by spraying vapor made of pure water onto the object to be cleaned. In the cleaning method, since the vapor as the cleaning liquid is in a gaseous state, an effect of easily entering the inside of the trench or the like and increasing the wettability of the inner wall surface of the trench can be obtained. For this reason, unlike the case of normal spraying of liquid or immersion in liquid, the cleaning liquid easily adheres to the inner wall surface such as a trench, and a suitable cleaning result for the inner wall surface can be obtained.

JP 05-345174 A JP 2007-021362 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 01-189127 JP 04-315429 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 04-370931

  From the viewpoint of increasing the efficiency of the cleaning process, the electronic component that is actually the object to be cleaned is in a state in which a plurality of electronic components are arranged on a so-called tray surface of a wafer shape or a substantially flat plate shape as disclosed in Patent Document 3 or 5, A cleaning process is performed. For this reason, in these cleaning methods, a flat nozzle having a vapor ejection area having an area larger than the area of the flat object to be cleaned is used to supply high-temperature pure water vapor to the entire surface of the object to be cleaned. . Therefore, a large amount of water vapor is supplied to the sealed space at the time of cleaning, and it seems that it is difficult to maintain a suitable vapor flow until the cleaning is actually performed with only steam. For this reason, in the method disclosed in the cited document 3, steam is used only as a pretreatment for cleaning with ultrapure water, and in the method disclosed in the cited document 5, the pressure in the apparatus in the steam supply method, It is required to control the temperature etc. finely. However, even when the control shown in the document 5 is performed, steam exceeding the trap capability of the so-called steam trap shown in the document is supplied, or the pressure changes beyond the control pressure. In such a situation, it is considered that it is difficult to spray steam more appropriately. Therefore, in order to carry out the cleaning process only with steam without using such a large amount of steam, the gas supplied into the apparatus is appropriately exhausted while trapping the steam appropriately, and the steam is stably supplied. Therefore, it is required to enable cleaning by supplying a small amount of steam so that spraying is possible.

  In addition, for the purpose of suitable cleaning of the inside of the trench provided basically perpendicular to the substrate surface, vapor may be supplied to the depth of the trench by the flat nozzle as described above. Is possible. However, when considering application to various applications, such as cleaning of flux residue on PCB substrate, grinding residue on magnetic head slider, or cutting wheel for fine processing, it is not from a single direction. There is a need to spray steam from various directions. Even in the above-described cleaning with a small amount of steam supply, the object to be cleaned having a large area to be cleaned can be cleaned by moving the steam spraying position. In order to cope with such use conditions, at least one of the nozzle and the object to be cleaned must be moved three-dimensionally. However, it is not easy to create a drive system that enables such a three-dimensional movement in a sealed space or a sealed space filled with high-temperature pure water vapor with high detergency. It is necessary to consider the prevention of contamination of electronic parts due to contamination.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and the steam spraying position as described above can be changed, and a spraying position or a spraying direction can be appropriately changed while spraying a small amount of steam. Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a high-pressure steam cleaning apparatus that can clean various objects to be cleaned only by spraying high-pressure steam. It is another object of the present invention to provide a high-pressure steam cleaning machine that satisfies the condition of spraying such a small amount of steam and can cope with an object to be cleaned having various shapes.

  In order to solve the above problems, a cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is a cleaning apparatus that performs cleaning of an object to be cleaned by spraying high-pressure steam on the object to be cleaned, and generates high-pressure steam. A high-pressure steam generation unit, a nozzle connected to the high-pressure steam generation unit and capable of ejecting high-pressure steam, and a tank structure having an opening opening in a specific portion and capable of accommodating an object to be cleaned inside A cleaning tank, and an air curtain generating unit that closes the opening with an air flow and separates the inside and the outside of the cleaning tank with respect to the gas, and the vapor ejection portion of the nozzle extends beyond the air curtain and It can be located inside, and it is located inside the washing tank and is characterized by spraying high-pressure steam on the object to be washed.

  The above-described cleaning apparatus further includes a nozzle driving mechanism that drives the nozzle in a plane parallel to the extending surface of the object to be cleaned, and the nozzle driving mechanism is separated from the inside of the cleaning tank by an air curtain. It is preferable to be arranged outside. Further, it is more preferable to further include a Zθ adjusting mechanism for adjusting the distance between the nozzle and the object to be cleaned, and the Zθ adjusting mechanism is disposed outside the cleaning tank by an air curtain. It is more preferable to further include an α adjusting mechanism that can be fixed by arbitrarily changing an angle α formed between the nozzle and the object to be cleaned.

  In the above-described cleaning apparatus, the steam supply path for sending high-pressure steam from the high-pressure steam generation unit to the nozzle is connected to a bypass path that allows a part of the steam to flow outside the nozzle. It is preferable to have a bypass valve capable of controlling at least one of the flow rate of the unit and the pressure of the steam. Further, it is preferable that the cleaning apparatus further includes a control plate that is disposed at a position opposite to the nozzle arrangement with respect to the arrangement of the object to be cleaned, and that can transmit the vapor and the liquid resulting from the vapor. Furthermore, it is more preferable that the cleaning tank further has a work clamper for fixing and holding the object to be cleaned inside the cleaning tank, and the object to be cleaned is attached and detached by the work clamper through the opening.

  In addition, the cleaning tank has a trap for collecting liquid resulting from high-pressure vapor after being ejected from the nozzle at a position opposite to the nozzle arrangement with respect to the arrangement of the object to be cleaned. It is more preferable to have a drain port for discharging the discharged liquid to the outside of the cleaning tank. Moreover, it is preferable that a washing tank further has an exhaust system which exhausts the gas inside a washing tank. Furthermore, it is more preferable that the air curtain generating unit has a moisture lowering unit that reduces the moisture contained in the air curtain.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to dispose a nozzle drive system for supplying high-pressure steam outside the steam-filled space. Accordingly, it is possible to spray high-pressure (or higher-temperature) steam onto the object to be cleaned while changing the angle or position with a simple configuration. Further, it is possible to spray a small amount of vapor to a specific position on the object to be cleaned, and to clean the entire surface of the object to be cleaned while shifting the specific position. As a result, it is possible to complete cleaning with only the steam without creating a state in which the inside of the cleaning space is filled with steam.

  More specifically, in the present invention, the cleaning space is a rectangular parallelepiped, for example, and is configured by a cleaning tank having a tank shape having an opening at a specific portion that is one surface thereof. The nozzle that ejects the high-temperature and high-pressure steam operates inside the cleaning tank so as to protrude from the opening into the space inside the cleaning tank. The opening of the cleaning tank is closed by a so-called air curtain that is an air flow toward a specific direction. The air curtain prevents the vapor supplied into the cleaning tank from diffusing outside the tank. Therefore, the arrangement that performs the rotation of the nozzle and the movement of the nozzle in the so-called XY plane parallel to the extending surface of the object to be cleaned is arranged outside the air curtain to prevent contact between these components and the vapor. It becomes possible to do.

  As described above, since the configuration related to the driving of the nozzle can be arranged outside the cleaning tank, it is possible to apply a conventional nozzle driving device or a driving device having a simpler configuration. In addition, since it is possible to arbitrarily change the arrangement of nozzles or the spray angle of steam with respect to the object to be cleaned, even if the nozzle can spray only a very small amount of steam, the spray position can be moved appropriately. Thus, it is possible to complete the cleaning of the object to be cleaned having a certain area. In addition, since it is possible to perform cleaning by supplying a small amount of steam, it is easy to exhaust the steam constantly during cleaning, and high-pressure steam can be stably sprayed onto the object to be cleaned until cleaning is completed. It becomes.

It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the principal part about 1st embodiment of the washing | cleaning apparatus which is 1 aspect of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the principal part about 2nd embodiment of the washing | cleaning apparatus which is 1 aspect of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the structure including the system which produces | generates the system which supplies a high pressure steam, and an air curtain about 2nd embodiment shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows typically one Embodiment of the work clamper used in the washing | cleaning apparatus which is 1 aspect of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically one Embodiment of the work clamper which can fix a some workpiece | work simultaneously. It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the cross section of the state which cut | disconnected the tray main body etc. along line 5B-5B in FIG. 5A. It is a figure which shows each process at the time of actually wash | cleaning with a flowchart. It is a figure which shows the state which looked at the said apparatus from upper direction about one form of the washing | cleaning apparatus. It is the state which looked at the washing | cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 7 from the arrow 8 direction in the figure, Comprising: It is a figure which shows partially the cross section by the plane perpendicular | vertical to the arrow 8 about a washing tank. It is a figure which shows the state which looked at the form which added the workpiece | work supply apparatus further to the form shown in FIG. 7 about one form of the washing | cleaning apparatus from upper direction. It is a figure which shows the state which looked at the washing | cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 9 from the arrow 10 direction in the figure. It is an example which actually performed cleaning using the cleaning device concerning one embodiment of the present invention, and is a figure showing a PCB substrate used as a work in that case. It is a figure which expands and shows the area | region 11B in FIG. 11A. It is a figure which shows the area | region 11B after washing | cleaning. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a magnetic head slider used as a workpiece in the example where cleaning is actually performed using the cleaning apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which expands and shows the area | region 12B in FIG. 12A. It is a figure which shows the area | region 12B after washing | cleaning. It is an example which actually performed cleaning using the cleaning device concerning one embodiment of the present invention, and is a figure showing a grinding wheel used as a work in that case. It is a figure which expands and shows the area | region 13B in FIG. 13A. It is a figure which shows the area | region 13B after washing | cleaning.

A cleaning apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of the main part of the cleaning device 1 according to the first embodiment. The cleaning apparatus 1 includes a cleaning tank 11, a nozzle 21, a work 30 or a work tray 31, and an air curtain generation unit 41 (including an air supply unit 45 and an air intake unit 47) as main components. The cleaning tank 11 has a cleaning space 13 having a predetermined width and having an opening above. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the cleaning space 13 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Below the cleaning space 13, there is a trap 15 for collecting so-called sewage that contributes to cleaning and cleaning water in which steam that has not contributed to cleaning is liquefied. As will be described later, the work 30 may be handled as a single work, or may be handled in a state of being placed on or fixed to the work tray 31. Therefore, in the following description, the configuration described as the work 30 and / or the work tray 31 is treated as a configuration that can be appropriately replaced depending on the situation. Accordingly, in the present invention, the object to be cleaned includes both the work 30 and the work tray 31 to which the work 30 is fixed.
In addition, the steam described below includes “water vapor” composed entirely of gas, “mixed fluid” formed by mixing gas and liquid, and “high temperature spray” composed of high-temperature fine water droplets. . Even in the actual cleaning operation, it is desirable to appropriately select these according to the situation such as the object to be removed, the object to be cleaned, the surface condition of the object to be cleaned, and the conditions for generating steam. Depending on the condition setting on the high-pressure steam generating unit side, the contents of the steam change variously. Therefore, in the present invention, the gas supplied from the nozzle 21 is simply referred to as steam as a name including the above concept.

  In addition, an opening 17 is formed in the upper part of the cleaning tank 11 so that the nozzle 21 can enter and retreat into the cleaning space 13. In the present embodiment, the opening 17 is arranged on the upper surface of a rectangular parallelepiped space, but the shape of the cleaning space 13 and the cleaning tank 11 that defines the opening is not particularly specified, and the opening 17 is a specific part of the cleaning tank 11. It is preferable to be defined as an opening. As will be described later, the opening 17 also serves as a path when the work tray 31 or the work 30 where the work 30 as the object to be cleaned is fixedly held is carried into or out of the cleaning space 13. Used.

The trap 15 has an exhaust opening 19 that opens to a position that rises a predetermined height above the surface that becomes the bottom surface of the trap 15. The exhaust opening 19 is connected to a blower exhaust system using a so-called blower (not shown), and the blower can exhaust the space inside the cleaning space 13 to the external space. Further, the trap 15 has a drain port 16 for discharging sewage or the like accumulated in the trap 15 to the outside. The drain port 16 is disposed vertically below the exhaust opening 19, and appropriately discharges sewage or the like from the drain port 16, thereby preventing the liquid level of the sewage from exceeding the exhaust opening 19. In addition, it is preferable that the arrangement | positioning of the trap 15 is grasped | ascertained as the opposite side to the side where the nozzle 21 is arrange | positioned regarding the arrangement | positioning of the workpiece | work 30 from the relationship between the nozzle 21 and the workpiece | work 30 which is a to-be-cleaned object.
In the present embodiment, the nozzle 21 has a hollow shape having a steam outlet or part at one end, and ejects the steam in a direction coinciding with the extending axial direction. The nozzle 21 is supported at the other end by a later-described nozzle driving mechanism 70 via an α adjusting mechanism 26 and a nozzle arm 28 that supports the α adjusting mechanism 26. The α adjusting mechanism 26 can arbitrarily change and fix the support direction so that the extending axis of the nozzle 21 is at an arbitrary angle with respect to the extending direction of the nozzle arm 28. .

  The work tray 31 holds various works 30 and is fixed inside the cleaning space 13 and is used for efficient cleaning. The work tray 31 shown in the figure is of a type that holds, for example, a plurality of magnetic head sliders as workpieces, and has a flat plate shape on which the sliders can be fixed. The nozzle 21 is connected to a two-fluid nozzle and a high-pressure steam generation unit, which will be described later, so that high-pressure steam can be ejected. Further, the nozzle 21 is connected to a known so-called nozzle drive system, and can be driven in an XY plane which is a horizontal plane, for example, and can be tilted with respect to the XY plane. In the present embodiment, the nozzle for the nozzle arm 28 is operated by the operation of the α adjusting mechanism 26 described above so that steam can be sprayed at an inclination angle α with respect to the extending surface of the flat work tray 31. The case where the connection direction of 21 is adjusted is illustrated. In this embodiment, the work 30 is a magnetic head slider that is more advantageous to have a flat plate shape as a tray. However, for example, when the workpiece shape is a more complicated shape, even if it is a magnetic head slider, for example, when a specific surface such as a side surface is intensively cleaned, the shape of the work tray depends on the situation. Various modifications are preferred. Therefore, the inclination angle α may be defined as a relative inclination angle with respect to the workpiece 30 in the direction in which the steam is blown from the nozzle. Further, it may be defined as an inclination angle with respect to a plane with reference to an XY axis defined by a nozzle drive mechanism 70 described later.

  In the air curtain generating unit 41, an air supply unit 45 is disposed at one inner edge of the opening 17 and an intake unit 47 is disposed at the opposite inner edge so that the opening 17 can be closed by the air curtain 43. That is, the gas supplied from the air supply unit 45 in a substantially linear shape is sucked by the intake unit 47 while maintaining the linear shape to some extent. Thereby, what is called a curtain by the flow of gas is generated between these units. With the air curtain 43, the cleaning space 13 that is the inside of the cleaning tank 11 is separated from the external space with respect to the gas. In this aspect, in the steam supply system, the tip of the nozzle 21 that actually performs the operation of spraying the cleaning steam (the part from which the steam is ejected) exists inside the cleaning space 13 beyond the air curtain 43. It is said. The air curtain 43 prevents leakage of steam or water droplets that are ejected from the nozzle 21 and splashed around the work 30 or the work tray 31 to the outside of the cleaning space 13. Therefore, the drive system of the nozzle 21 does not come into contact with these vapors.

  By using the cleaning apparatus 1 having the above configuration as a main part, the drive system for driving the nozzle 21 in the XY plane and tilting the XY plane can be arranged at a position independent of the cleaning steam. It becomes possible. Further, since the nozzle 21 can be easily driven, even if a very small amount of vapor is concentrated locally to clean the portion, and the concentrated portion is moved as appropriate, even if a small amount of vapor is used. It becomes possible to perform cleaning of the entire necessary area on the work tray 31. In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the vapor or minute water droplets once moved to the vicinity of the trap 15 rises again above the work tray 31 to reduce the cleaning efficiency, or excessive vapor or the like is blower exhausted. There is a possibility that the capacity of the blower may be caused by being sucked into the system. The second embodiment described below considers measures against such water vapor and the like.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows the main configuration of the second embodiment of the cleaning apparatus 1 in the same manner as in FIG. The same components as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof will be omitted, and only components different from the first embodiment will be described. The cleaning apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2 further includes a control plate 12 and an exhaust opening cover 14. The control plate 12 is constituted by, for example, a net-like plate, a so-called mesh plate, and is arranged between the work tray 31, the exhaust opening 19 and the trap 15, and separates the cleaning space 13 into an upper part and a lower part in the vertical direction. Note that the upper and lower portions in this case do not mean strictly upper and lower arrangements, and for the sake of convenience, the action of collecting the vapor etc. that has been discharged from the space where the work tray 31 is arranged and the cleaning space 13 is collected. Corresponds to the required space. The control plate 12 is disposed on the side opposite to the side on which the nozzle 21 is disposed with respect to the arrangement of the work 30 or the work tray 31, and is a member that can transmit the vapor ejected from the nozzle 21 and the liquid resulting from the vapor. Preferably defined.

  The control plate 12 has a function of allowing vapor that has not contributed to the cleaning of the workpiece 30 or so-called sewage water that has contributed to cleaning and liquefied into coagulated liquid to escape to the lower part of the control plate 12. Further, the control plate 12 further prevents the vapor ejected from the nozzle 21 from directly reaching the trap 15, and prevents the vapor or the like from reflecting off the bottom surface or the lower inner surface of the cleaning tank 11. By disposing the control plate 12, the steam or minute water droplets that no longer contribute to cleaning can be quickly evacuated from the upper space of the work tray 31, and the work such as steam once reaching the lower portion of the cleaning space 13. Circulation to the upper space of the tray 31 can be prevented.

  The exhaust opening cover 14 prevents a gas containing a large amount of steam or minute water droplets from reaching the exhaust opening 19 directly. By disposing the exhaust port cover 14, the time required for the steam ejected from the nozzle 21 to reach the exhaust opening 19 is lengthened, and the rate at which these steam and the like are liquefied and collected in the trap 15 is increased. It becomes possible to raise. Further, by combining with the control plate 12 described above, the liquid collection rate of the trap 15 can be further increased, the liquid reaching the blower exhaust system can be reduced, and the exhaust efficiency of the blower exhaust system can be suitably maintained. Become. In addition, since it is not necessary to separate the liquid in the vicinity of the blower, it is possible to use a blower exhaust system having a relatively simple configuration.

  Next, regarding the cleaning apparatus 1 according to the first and second embodiments described above, the nozzle 21, the configuration associated therewith, and the configuration associated with the air curtain generation unit 41 will be described with reference to the drawings. . FIG. 3 schematically shows the main components described above and the components related to the supply of these vapors and gases. In addition, about the structure shown in FIG. 1 or 2, the repetitive description here is abbreviate | omitted by attaching the same reference number.

  The high-temperature and high-pressure steam is supplied to the nozzle 21 through a steam supply path 23. The steam supply path 23 is connected to the nozzle 21 on the downstream side, and connected to a high-pressure steam generation unit 29 including the two-fluid nozzle 25 and the heater 27 on the upstream side. The two-fluid nozzle 25 is supplied with pure water and high-pressure so-called compressed air (compressed air) from the pure water source 22 and the high-pressure air source 24. In the two-fluid nozzle 25, these pure water and compressed air are mixed, and the fluid obtained by the mixing is heated by the heater 27, thereby generating high-temperature and high-pressure steam. In this embodiment, a so-called IH (high-frequency fusion heating type) heater is used as the heater 27, but various heating sources can be used as long as predetermined high-temperature and high-pressure steam can be obtained efficiently. . The steam generated by the high-pressure steam generation unit 29 is sent to the nozzle 21 via the steam supply path 23.

  Here, for example, when the work 30 that is the object to be cleaned is made of a soft material and excessive pressure is applied to spray the steam, there is a possibility that the work 30 may be damaged in some way. . In such a case, in order to obtain a sufficient cleaning effect without damaging the work 30, it is necessary to optimize the spray pressure (supply pressure) and temperature of the steam to be sprayed. Normally, the supply pressure is controlled by adjusting the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the two-fluid nozzle 25 and the degree of heating of the heater 27. However, it is necessary to change the supply pressure and the heating temperature in consideration of the volume of the gas containing the steam generated by the high-pressure steam generation unit 29 or the saturated steam pressure. For this reason, in actual pressure control, it is necessary to consider very complicated parameters, and in fact, only cleaning by fixing the pressure can be performed at present. In addition, regarding the above-described temperature, simply controlling the heating temperature of the heater 27 also causes pressure fluctuations, so that it is difficult to control the steam temperature at the same time.

  In the present embodiment, the bypass path 33 is arranged in order to control the pressure and temperature of the steam supplied to the nozzle 21. The bypass path 33 is connected to the vapor supply path 23 and communicates with a trap 15 at the lower part of the cleaning space 13 via a bypass communication port 37. A bypass valve 35 is disposed in the bypass path 33. By separating an appropriate amount of steam from the steam supply path 23 via the bypass path 33 and discharging it directly to the trap 15, the pressure of the steam supplied to the nozzle 21 can be mechanically controlled. That is, the bypass path 33 has a role of reducing the flow rate or pressure of the steam reaching the nozzle by flowing a part of the steam supplied to the steam supply path 23 other than the nozzle 21. Further, by adjusting the opening degree of the bypass valve 35, it is possible to control the flow rate of steam removed from the bypass path 33 and adjust the pressure in the steam supply path 23, that is, the supply pressure to the nozzle 21. Furthermore, it is possible to control the steam temperature separately from the pressure, and it is possible to obtain steam appropriately adjusted to the optimum temperature. That is, it is preferable to control at least one of the flow rate or the pressure of the steam reaching the nozzle 21 by the bypass valve 35 and thereby adjust the pressure of the steam sprayed on the work 30.

  In the present embodiment, the compressed air is branched from the high-pressure air source 24 and supplied to the air supply unit 45 in the air curtain generation unit 41. A flow rate adjustment valve (not shown) is arranged between the high pressure air source 24 and the air supply unit 45. The air supply unit 45 is, for example, a round pipe in which arbitrary small holes are continuously formed on the same ridge line, and a form in which compressed air is supplied from both ends of the round pipe can be exemplified. That is, it has a width sufficient to completely overlap a specific side of, for example, a rectangular opening 17 in the cleaning tank 11, and is substantially linear (even if gas is ejected from a small hole, it is predetermined from the small hole opening. It suffices if the airflows overlap each other at a distance from each other, and an airflow having a substantially sheet shape and a linear cross section is generated.

  The intake unit 47 is arranged on one side opposite to a specific side where the above-described air supply unit 45 is arranged, and the above-described linear airflow can be sucked in a region where the one side can be completely overlapped. Specifically, it is provided as a linear or elongated rectangular suction port opening in the region. The suction port 49 is connected to the air curtain exhaust path 51 and is supplied in a line form forming the air curtain 43 via the air curtain exhaust path 51 connected to a blower exhaust system (not shown). The airflow is sucked and exhausted. The air curtain 43 is in contact with a gas containing a large amount of steam on the surface on the cleaning space 13 side. For this reason, the gas that generated the air curtain 43 that has reached the suction port 49 is in a state containing a large amount of water vapor. When such gas is exhausted by the blower exhaust system as it is, there is a possibility that an adverse effect due to humidity may occur on the blower.

  In this embodiment, in order to liquefy such vapor, a so-called labyrinth-like space 53 is arranged immediately after the suction port 49 and between the air curtain exhaust passage 51. The labyrinth-like space 53 is a stenosis path in which a plurality of bent portions are continuously arranged, the exhaust path is extended by arranging the stenosis path, and the gas passing through the path is a little as much space as possible. The purpose is to contact the inner wall. When passing through the labyrinth-like space 53, the vapor contained in the gas is condensed on the inner wall of the space, and the amount (inclusion ratio) of the vapor reaching the subsequent blower can be reduced. In order to discharge the collected vapor, a second drain port (not shown) for liquid exclusion is actually arranged below the labyrinth-like space 53. That is, the labyrinth-like space 53 described here functions as a moisture lowering unit that reduces the amount of moisture contained in the air curtain 43. In addition, this form is employ | adopted because a certain amount of moisture reduction function can be anticipated only by a structure. However, the form of the configuration is not limited to this, and for example, if a temperature management control function or the like can be added, a cooling plate or the like that adsorbs and retains moisture may be used instead of the cooling plate. Various forms can be applied.

  In the actual cleaning apparatus 1, the work 30 or the work tray 31 is fixed to a work clamper 32 disposed in the cleaning space 13. The work clamper 32 used in the present embodiment will be described below. FIG. 4 schematically shows a state in which the flat work 30 (or the flat work tray 31) is fixed to the work clamper 32. The work clamper 32 includes a clamper body 55, a clamp protrusion 56 that protrudes in a predetermined direction from the clamper body 55, and a clamp claw 57 that protrudes in the same direction as the clamp protrusion 56 with respect to the clamper body 55. The upper surface of the clamper body 55 has a surface shape that follows the contact surface with the workpiece 30, and the workpiece 30 is clamped between the clamp projections 56 and the clamp claws 57, whereby the workpiece 30 is clamped to the clamper body 55. Fix tightly to the top surface. This prevents the workpiece 30 (or the workpiece tray 31) from being detached from the clamper body 55 even when high-pressure steam is sprayed in the cleaning process. In addition, you may construct | assemble the structure which operates the clamp nail | claw 57 in this form, for example with a spring, a pneumatic device, etc. Further, instead of a mechanical fixing method such as a clamp method, for example, a so-called vacuum suction method or the like may be used.

  The work clamper 32 is also required to cope with a plurality of works 30. FIG. 5A schematically shows a form in which a plurality of such small workpieces 30 are simultaneously held. In this embodiment, a recess capable of accommodating each of the workpieces 30 is disposed on the surface of the work tray 31, and the work tray 31 in a state in which the workpiece 30 is accommodated in the recess is fixed to the work clamper 32. Note that the clamp protrusion 56 and the clamp pawl 57 are the same as those shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the work tray 31 is fixed by mechanical holding by a clamp claw 57 or the like, and each work 30 is held by so-called vacuum suction. As shown in FIG. 5B, a through hole 61 penetrating the back surface of the work tray 31 is provided on the bottom surface of the housing recess provided in the work tray 31. Further, when the work tray 31 is fixed to the clamper body 55, a suction opening 58 is provided on a surface facing the opening of the through hole 61, and the suction opening 58 is inside the clamper body 55. Connected. By sucking and exhausting the inside of the suction path 60 by a suction source (not shown), a suction force is applied to the work 30 via the suction opening 58 and the through hole 61, and the work 30 is fixed to the work tray 31. Yes.

  The work clamper 32 may be fixed at an arbitrary position in the cleaning space 13. However, for example, in the second embodiment, the work clamper 32 must be disposed closer to the nozzle 21 than the control plate 12. In this case, the work clamper 32 may be directly fixed to the control plate 12.

  Next, an operation for actually cleaning the workpiece 30 using the above-described cleaning device 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing each process at the time of workpiece cleaning. In actual work cleaning, first, in Step 1, the work 30 or the work tray 31 holding the work 30 is fixed to the work clamper 32. After confirming that the work 30 or the like is fixed to a predetermined position, the apparatus is started and an actual cleaning process is started (Step 2). The fixing of the work 30 or the like to the work clamper 32 is confirmed by a pressure sensor (not shown) disposed in the suction path, a contact sensor (not shown) during mechanical clamping, or the like. When cleaning, first, as shown in Step 3, the air curtain 43 is generated. After the air curtain 43 is generated and is in a stable state and can be surely prevented from leaking the high-pressure steam to the outside of the cleaning space 13, the high-pressure steam is sprayed from the nozzle 21 onto the work 30 as shown in Step 4. A cleaning is disclosed. Note that the generation of the air curtain 43 may be determined, for example, after the start of the gas blowing from the air supply unit 45 and the generation of the air curtain 43 is completed after a predetermined time. Moreover, it is good also as a style which confirms the progress condition of the blowing of linear gas by the monitor etc. which can observe a state directly.

  During the cleaning, the vapor is mainly exhausted from the exhaust opening 19 together with the gas in the cleaning space 13, and so-called sewage contributing to the cleaning is collected in the trap 15. After the steam is sprayed onto the workpiece 30 for a sufficient time, it is determined that the cleaning has been completed, and the spraying of high-pressure steam is stopped (Step 6). After the blowing of steam from the nozzle 21 is completely stopped or after exhausting for a predetermined time after the stop, the air curtain 43 is released (Step 7). After the air curtain 43 is released, the work 30 or the like is taken out from the cleaning space 13 (Step 8). After the work 30 and the like are taken out, the flow returns to Step 1 and the next work 30 is cleaned. Through the above steps, the workpiece 30 can be easily and reliably cleaned.

  In the above-described embodiment, pure water is used as a steam source, and so-called compressed air is used for steam generation and air curtain generation. However, the steam source and the like in the present embodiment are not limited to these. Specifically, an organic solvent-based liquid may be used as a vapor source in order to increase cleaning efficiency, and a so-called inert gas such as high-purity nitrogen may be used as the high-pressure gas. Moreover, the shape of the washing tank 11 is a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the opening 17 is formed so as to open substantially half of the upper surface. However, the shape of the cleaning tank 11 may be appropriately changed according to, for example, the shape of the work 30 or the work clamper 32 or the movable region of the nozzle 21. Further, the opening 17 may be on the front surface of the upper surface, and may be formed on the opposite side of the work clamper 32 with respect to the exhaust opening 19, that is, in the upper part in this embodiment.

  Next, an aspect of the cleaning apparatus 1 that actually embodies these embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a side view from the direction of the arrow 8 in FIG. 7, and shows a partial cross section obtained by cutting the cleaning tank 11 along a cross section perpendicular to the arrow 8. It is a figure shown simultaneously. In addition, regarding the various configurations that have already been described, the same reference numbers as those used in the previous embodiment are used, and the description thereof is omitted here. In the figure, the cleaning tank 11 has a rectangular parallelepiped cleaning space 13, and the entire upper surface is removed to form an opening 17. In the present cleaning apparatus 1, the nozzles 21 are arranged on the XY plane (the surface parallel to the extending surface of the work clamper 32 or the work tray 31 disposed on the control plate 12 by using the opening 17. In the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the XY plane and rotation around the Z-axis. In this configuration, the mounting surface or mounting state of the work tray 31 is configured to form a horizontal plane. For example, in consideration of the so-called footprint of the apparatus or the shape of the workpiece 30, the extending surface is a horizontal plane. It may be arranged so as to have a certain angle with respect to.

  With reference to the drawings, a nozzle driving mechanism 70 that is a configuration relating to this nozzle driving will be described below. The nozzle driving mechanism 70 is divided into a main body portion and a Zθ adjusting mechanism 71 described later according to its function. For convenience, the main body portion is defined as a nozzle drive mechanism in the present invention. The nozzle 21 extends in the Z-axis direction, and has a vapor ejection outlet at one end (the lower end in the figure) in the Z-axis direction. Further, the other end (upper end) is connected to a Zθ adjusting mechanism 71 for performing movement in the Z-axis direction and rotation around the Z-axis. The Zθ adjusting mechanism 71 is supported by an arm 73 extending perpendicular to the Z axis. Therefore, the nozzle 21 operates in the Z axis direction and around the Z axis relative to the arm 73. The XY driving means 75 that supports the arm 73 uses a known single-axis robot for the X-axis and the Y-axis, and is used in combination as the X-axis robot 77 and the Y-axis robot 79, respectively. In this embodiment, an arm 73 is fixed to the X-axis robot 77, and the nozzle 21 can be moved in the XY directions via the arm 73. In order to stabilize the movement of the nozzle 21 in the Y-axis direction, the X-axis robot 77 is also supported by the Y-axis auxiliary guide 81 in this embodiment.

  The X-axis robot 77, the Y-axis robot 79, and the Y-axis auxiliary guide 81 described above are constructed by a known XY driving configuration, and can be constructed by various configurations other than the modes shown in the drawings. Is possible. In addition, the inclination angle of the nozzle 21 with respect to the extending surface of the work 30 is preferably changed as appropriate according to the characteristics of the work 30 or the size of the area to be cleaned. Is illustrated. However, for this configuration, an appropriate one from a known angle adjustment mechanism can be used, and the arrangement is also exemplified and is not limited to the position or style. As long as it can be changed relatively. Furthermore, the Zθ adjustment mechanism 71 may be configured as a so-called Z-axis robot. In this case, the position of the nozzle 21 at the time of cleaning is, for example, sprayed with high-pressure steam from the Z position stored for each different workpiece, or withdrawn a predetermined amount in the Z-axis direction in the depth direction of the cleaning tank 11 The position may be the device origin, and the spray position may be defined from the origin.

  In the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, since the opening 17 of the cleaning tank 11 is separated from the external space only by the air curtain 43, the work 30, the work tray 31, Alternatively, access to the work clamper 32 is easy. That is, if the nozzle 21 is in a state of being retracted from the space on the cleaning tank 11, it is possible to use all the openings 17 as a replacement space for the workpiece 30 or the like regardless of the presence or absence of the air curtain 43. Become. Therefore, it is considered that an operator can easily replace the workpiece 30 and the like, and the workpiece 30 and the like can be easily replaced by an automatic machine. Various specific methods for supplying the workpiece 30 and the like can be constructed, but a case where a desirable form is added to the cleaning apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 will be exemplified below.

  FIG. 9 is an example in which a combination of the cleaning apparatus 1 and the workpiece supply apparatus 80 is actually constructed, and is a schematic view showing a state of these configurations as viewed from above. Note that the work supply device 80 actually supplies the work 30 or the work tray 31, but here, the following description will be given simply as the supply of the work 30. FIG. 10 shows an outline of the state when these structures are viewed from the direction of the arrow 10 in FIG. The workpiece supply device 80 includes a workpiece transfer unit 81, a workpiece moving unit 83, a workpiece Z direction moving unit 85, and a workpiece gripping unit 87.

  The workpiece moving unit 83 is preferably a single axis robot. The work Z direction moving unit 85 may be a small uniaxial robot or an actuator using a compressed air as a power source. The work gripping unit 87 has a portion that conforms to the shape of the work 30, but a configuration using an attracting force, a robot hand with a built-in actuator, or the like can be selected as appropriate. The workpiece transfer unit 81 also conforms to the shape of the workpiece 30, but the function of receiving the cleaned workpiece 30 and aligning it in a stacked or flat state and separating only one workpiece 30 aligned in the stacked or flat state. It is only necessary to have a function of supplying the workpiece gripping unit 87. Therefore, a known configuration having the function can be applied. Further, the workpiece moving unit 83 may be replaced with a scalar type robot or a six-axis robot. Alternatively, an opening with an air curtain may be provided on the side surface of the cleaning tank 11 to serve as a conveyor-type conveying means using a mesh belt.

  Next, the results of actual cleaning using the above-described cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 11A shows a PCB substrate used for the workpiece 30 as an example of cleaning. FIG. 11B shows an enlarged view of region 11B in FIG. 11A. From the figure, it can be seen that a flux residue 91 exists on the surface of the PCB substrate. FIG. 11C shows a state after the region shown in FIG. 11B is cleaned under specific conditions by the cleaning device. According to FIG. 11C, it is understood that the flux residue 91 is completely removed by performing this cleaning.

  Next, a case where a magnetic head slider is used as the work 30 will be described. FIG. 12A is a photograph of the surface to be cleaned of the magnetic head slider which is the work 30. FIG. 12B shows an enlarged view of the region 12B in FIG. 12A. From this figure, it can be seen that the cutting fluid and cutting powder adhering to the magnetic head slider are attached as a residue 93 during cutting when the magnetic head slider is cut. FIG. 12C shows a state after the region shown in FIG. 12B is cleaned under specific conditions by the cleaning device. According to FIG. 12C, it is understood that the residue 93 at the time of cutting is completely removed by performing this cleaning.

  Next, a case where a cutting grindstone (t = 0.15) is used as the work 30 will be described. FIG. 13A is a photograph of the upper surface of the grinding wheel that is the workpiece 30. FIG. 13B shows an enlarged view of the cleaning region 13B in FIG. 13A. From the figure, it can be seen that the grinding powder 95 generated during the grinding process adheres to the so-called eye of the grinding wheel in the region used for grinding in the grinding wheel. Conventionally, the grinding wheel in such a state has been made uncleanable and discarded. FIG. 13C shows a state after the region shown in FIG. 13B is cleaned under specific conditions by the cleaning device. According to FIG. 13C, grinding powder is removed by carrying out this cleaning, and the surface state of the grinding wheel is improved to a state where the abrasive grains are clearly visible. That is, it is understood that the grinding wheel that has been conventionally discarded is regenerated by performing the cleaning according to the present invention.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 11A to 13C, an object to be cleaned that is difficult or impossible to clean by the use of the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, or that does not produce a merit of cleaning even if possible. Also, it is possible to remove contaminants, residues, and the like by performing effective cleaning. In addition, since these cleaning effects can be obtained by using high-temperature steam, unlike the cleaning method using an organic solvent or the like, the effect of reducing the environmental load is also obtained.

  As described above, the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is suitable for contaminants that are difficult to remove by conventional cleaning methods, such as residues such as cutting fluid in a magnetic head core that is a fine electronic component. It is possible to remove. In addition, it is easy to control the spray pressure of steam at the time of cleaning or the steam temperature. Therefore, the present invention can be applied not only as a cleaning device for fine electronic components but also as a cleaning device for a cleaning object having a complicated shape having a region that is difficult to clean, and also a cleaning object made of a so-called soft material. is there.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Cleaning apparatus, 11: Cleaning tank, 12: Control board, 13: Cleaning space, 14: Exhaust opening cover, 15: Trap, 16: Drain port, 17: Opening part, 19: Exhaust opening part, 21: Nozzle, 22: Pure water source, 23: Steam supply path, 24: High-pressure air source, 25: Two-fluid nozzle, 26: α adjustment mechanism, 27: Heater, 28: Nozzle arm, 29: High-pressure steam generating unit, 30: Workpiece, 31: Work tray, 32: Work clamper, 33: Bypass path, 35: Bypass valve, 37: Bypass communication port, 41: Air curtain generating unit, 43: Air curtain, 45: Air supply unit, 47: Intake unit, 49 : Suction port, 51: air curtain exhaust path, 53: labyrinth space, 55: clamper body, 56: clamp Projection, 57: Clamp claw, 58: Suction opening, 60, Suction path, 61: Through hole, 70: Nozzle drive mechanism, 71: Zθ adjustment mechanism, 73: Arm, 75: XY drive means, 77: X-axis robot, 79: Y-axis robot, 81: Y-axis auxiliary guide, 80: Work supply device, 81: Work transfer unit, 83: Work moving unit, 85: Work Z direction moving unit, 87: Work holding unit, 91: Flux residue 93: Residue during cutting, 95: Grinding powder

Claims (10)

A cleaning apparatus that performs cleaning of the object to be cleaned by spraying high pressure steam on the object to be cleaned,
A high-pressure steam generating unit for generating the high-pressure steam;
A nozzle connected to the high-pressure steam generation unit and capable of ejecting the high-pressure steam;
A cleaning tank having a tank structure that has an opening that opens to the specific part and can accommodate the object to be cleaned inside,
An air curtain generating unit that closes the opening with an air flow and separates the inside and the outside of the cleaning tank with respect to the gas, and
The blowing part of the steam in the nozzle can be located in the cleaning tank beyond the air curtain, and the high pressure steam is sprayed on the object to be cleaned in the cleaning tank. A cleaning apparatus characterized by performing.   It further has a nozzle drive mechanism that drives the nozzle in a plane parallel to the extending surface of the object to be cleaned, and the nozzle drive mechanism is disposed outside the interior of the cleaning tank by the air curtain. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1.   It further has a Zθ adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between the nozzle and the object to be cleaned, and the Zθ adjustment mechanism is disposed outside the cleaning tank by the air curtain. The cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an α adjusting mechanism that can be fixed by arbitrarily changing an angle α formed between the nozzle and the object to be cleaned.   The steam supply path for sending the high-pressure steam from the high-pressure steam generation unit to the nozzle is connected to a bypass path for flowing a part of the steam to other than the nozzle, and the bypass path is a flow rate of a part of the steam and The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a bypass valve capable of controlling at least one of the pressures of the steam.   6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control plate disposed at a position opposite to the nozzle arrangement with respect to the object to be cleaned, and capable of transmitting the vapor and the liquid resulting from the vapor. A cleaning device according to claim 1.   The cleaning tank further includes a work clamper for fixing and holding the object to be cleaned inside the cleaning tank, and the object to be cleaned is attached and detached by the work clamper through the opening. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of 1 to 6.   The cleaning tank has a trap for collecting the liquid resulting from the high-pressure vapor after being ejected from the nozzle at a position opposite to the nozzle arrangement with respect to the arrangement of the object to be cleaned, The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the trap has a drain port for discharging the collected liquid to the outside of the cleaning tank.   The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the cleaning tank further includes an exhaust system that exhausts gas inside the cleaning tank.   The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the air curtain generating unit includes a moisture lowering unit that reduces moisture contained in the air curtain.

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