JP2019186376A - Method for drying glass article - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a method for drying a glass article, capable of reducing the number of particles on the surface of the glass article.SOLUTION: A method for drying a glass article includes a step of soaking the glass article into process liquid while placing the article on a holding cassette where the bottom of V-shaped groove and a receiving groove extending downward from the bottom are formed in a plate having the V-shaped groove, and a step of removing the process liquid adhering to the surface of the glass article while moving the holding cassette, in a state where the glass article is placed, in gas atmosphere containing isopropyl alcohol vapor from the process liquid.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for drying glass articles.

  Various glass articles such as a glass substrate, a glass panel, or a glass lens are used in manufacturing semiconductor components used in a mobile phone, a portable information terminal, a notebook computer, or the like.

  In the manufacturing process, such a glass article is held in a state where a part of the glass substrate is sandwiched in the groove of the substrate holding cassette. The substrate held in the substrate holding cassette is washed with pure water or a water-based cleaning agent, and then dried to remove a processing solution such as pure water on the surface of the substrate (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

JP 2003-318256 A

  However, when a part of the substrate is sandwiched in the groove of the substrate holding cassette as in the prior art, the processing liquid tends to remain in a narrow gap between the groove of the substrate holding cassette and the substrate. For this reason, when the substrate is dried in a state where a part of the substrate is sandwiched in the groove of the substrate holding cassette, the processing liquid remaining between the groove of the substrate holding cassette and the substrate diffuses to the main surface of the substrate, and water There was a possibility that a spot (watermark) would occur. The generation of water stains on the substrate surface may increase the number of particles on the substrate after cleaning.

  An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method for drying a glass article that can reduce the number of particles on the surface of the glass article.

  In the method for drying a glass article according to one aspect of the present invention, the glass article is a holding cassette in which a plate having a V-shaped groove is formed with a bottom portion of the V-shaped groove and a receiving groove extending downward from the bottom portion. The glass article while being immersed in the treatment liquid in a state where the glass article is placed, and the holding cassette being moved from the treatment liquid into a gas atmosphere containing isopropyl alcohol vapor while being placed on the glass article. Removing the treatment liquid adhering to the surface of the substrate.

  The glass article drying method according to one embodiment of the present invention can reduce the number of particles on the surface of the glass article.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the drying apparatus used for the drying method of the glass article which concerns on one Embodiment. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows an example of a structure of a holding | maintenance cassette. It is the elements on larger scale of the groove | channel formed in a holding | maintenance cassette. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the drying method of the glass article which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure explaining a part of drying method of a glass article. It is a figure explaining a part of drying method of a glass article. It is a figure explaining a part of drying method of a glass article. It is a figure explaining a part of drying method of a glass article. It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the washing | cleaning drying apparatus provided with the drying apparatus with which the drying method which concerns on one Embodiment is used. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the washing-drying method.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. For ease of understanding, the scale of each member in the drawings may be different from the actual scale. Moreover, in the following description, one of the height direction of a drying apparatus may be called upper or upper direction, and the other of the height direction of a drying apparatus may be called lower or lower direction.

<Drying device>
A drying apparatus used in the method for drying a glass article according to an embodiment will be described. Drawing 1 is a schematic structure figure showing an example of a drying device used for a drying method of a glass article concerning one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the drying apparatus 10 includes a treatment tank 20, a treatment liquid volatilization unit 30, and a gas supply unit 40. In addition, the drying apparatus 10 includes a processing chamber 50 that surrounds the processing tank 20 and the processing liquid volatilizing unit 30. A treatment tank 20 is installed below the treatment chamber 50, and the treatment liquid volatilization unit 30 is located above the treatment tank 20. In FIG. 1, the upper portion of the processing chamber 50 is open, but the drying apparatus 10 itself is a closed space and is not open to the atmosphere.

  The processing tank 20 cleans the glass article P and immerses the glass article in a liquid as a pre-drying stage, and includes a tank body 21 and an outer tank 22.

  Examples of the glass article P include a glass wafer (glass substrate), a glass panel, or a glass lens. Examples of the use of the glass substrate include support glass and cover glass.

  The tank body 21 only needs to be large enough to accommodate the glass article P, and may be, for example, a box shape. Pure water W is supplied to the tank body 21. The pure water W supplied into the tank body 21 is appropriately discharged outside.

  The configuration of the outer tub 22 is not particularly limited as long as the pure water W overflowed from the tub body 21 can be collected and an inert gas atmosphere of the processing liquid volatilization unit 30 described later can be formed. For example, in FIG. 1, the outer tank 22 is provided on the outer periphery of the tank body 21 so as to surround the tank body 21 in a state of being nested with the tank body 21. The pure water W in the outer tub 22 is appropriately discharged outside.

  The glass article P is immersed in the pure water W in the tank body 21 using the holding cassette 60 that holds the glass article P. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the holding cassette 60, and FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the holding cassette 60. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holding cassette 60 has three support portions 61 extending in the longitudinal direction at predetermined intervals in the short direction. The holding cassette 60 has a plurality of grooves 62 that can hold the glass article P in the support portion 61.

  The groove 62 includes a V-shaped groove 621 formed in a substantially V shape when the longitudinal end surface of the holding cassette 60 is viewed in the short direction, and an end surface on the long side of the support portion 61 from the bottom of the V-shaped groove 621. And a receiving groove 622 extending downward along the line.

  When the glass article P is inserted into the groove 62, the two main surfaces of the glass article P are sandwiched between the V-shaped grooves 621 at a position where the gap of the V-shaped groove 621 is substantially equal to the thickness of the glass article P. Thereby, the glass article P is supported in a state of being sandwiched between the V-shaped grooves 621. Therefore, the glass article P is placed on the holding cassette 60 while being supported by the grooves 62 of the three support portions 61. The inclination angle of the V-shaped groove 621 is not particularly limited as long as the glass article P can be sandwiched and supported. Further, as long as the V-shaped groove 621 is formed in a substantially V shape, the V-shaped groove 621 may be formed so as to widen toward the top surface from the bottom side. Moreover, the number and position of the support part 61 will not be specifically limited if the glass article P can be supported.

  The receiving groove 622 is formed in a substantially U shape when the longitudinal end surface of the holding cassette 60 is viewed in the short direction. The receiving groove 622 collects the pure water W falling from the glass article P through the V-shaped groove 621 and drops it downward through the receiving groove 622 extending downward. The receiving groove 622 is formed on both surfaces of the support portion 61.

  Since the upper part of the tank main body 21 is open, since the outside air flows into the tank main body 21 after the supply of the mixed gas G, which will be described later, is stopped when the glass article P is dried, the air flow changes, etc. Is likely to occur. The pure water W may remain between the end surface of the glass article P and the bottom of the V-shaped groove 621 or between the main surface of the glass article P and the V-shaped groove 621. Although it is possible to prevent the pure water W from spreading on the main surface of the glass article P by the mixed gas G, it takes a long time for the outside air to flow in and the remaining pure water W to be completely dried. If the supply of the mixed gas G is turned off during that time, the remaining pure water W tends to easily spread on the main surface of the glass article P. Since the groove 62 has the receiving groove 622, these remaining pure water W can be received and discharged into the groove 622.

  In addition, the magnitude | size of the said opening part of the receiving groove 622 will not be specifically limited if the glass article P does not enter. Further, the receiving groove 622 extends to the lower side of the support portion 61 so that the pure water W passes downward. The receiving grooves 622 are preferably formed on both the front and back sides of the support portion 61.

  In this embodiment, the space | interval of the support parts 61 or the magnitude | size and number of the groove | channel 62 are not specifically limited, According to the magnitude | size, thickness, etc. of the glass article P, these can be set.

  Further, FIG. 2 shows a configuration in which the groove 62 is integrated with the holding cassette 60, but is not particularly limited. For example, the support part 61 including the groove 62 may not be integrated with the holding cassette 60, and the support part and the cassette part provided with the support part may have different configurations.

The processing liquid volatilization unit 30 is a mixed gas atmosphere space formed above the processing chamber 50. The mixed gas atmosphere is an atmosphere containing isopropyl alcohol (IPA) vapor (hereinafter also referred to as IPA vapor) and an inert gas (for example, nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas or argon (Ar) gas). The glass article P processed in the tank main body 21 is moved from the tank main body 21 to the processing liquid volatilizing unit 30 and is held in the processing liquid volatilizing unit 30.

In the treatment liquid volatilizing unit 30, the concentration of the IPA vapor is higher on the surface side of the pure water W than on the side farther from the surface of the pure water W (upward). The N ₂ gas concentration is lower on the surface side of the pure water W than on the side farther from the surface of the pure water W (upward).

  The gas supply unit 40 supplies a mixed gas G containing IPA vapor in an inert gas into the outer tank 22.

A method for supplying the IPA vapor is not particularly limited. For example, a method for generating an IPA vapor by bubbling an inert gas such as N ₂ gas in a container in which an IPA solution is accumulated, or a method for generating an IPA vapor by ultrasonic waves. May be applied.

When bubbling N ₂ gas, it is preferable to reduce the bubble size and increase the surface area in contact with the IPA solution. For example, there is a method of bubbling N ₂ gas through a porous body.

In addition, when there is much quantity of the IPA vapor | steam supplied, it is preferable to make the number of the containers for generating an IPA vapor | steam into plurality. This is because if the required amount of IPA vapor generated per container is large, the amount of N ₂ gas required increases and the IPA solution may spill out of the container.

A plurality of IPA vapor supply nozzles 43 are provided on the side wall of the outer tub 22. The IPA vapor supply nozzle 43 blows out a mixed gas G containing IPA vapor and N ₂ gas. Thereby, the mixed gas G is sprayed from the IPA vapor supply nozzle 43 to the glass article P pulled up from the pure water W in the tank body 21. Since the upper part of the outer tank 22 is open, the mixed gas G supplied from the IPA vapor supply nozzle 43 into the outer tank 22 is discharged from the upper part of the outer tank 22.

  In the present embodiment, the IPA vapor supply nozzle 43 is closer to the surface of the pure water W on the side wall of the outer tank 22 of the processing tank 20 and when the holding cassette 60 moves to the processing liquid volatilization unit 30 than the holding cassette 60. They are respectively provided at the upper positions so as to sandwich the holding cassette 60 therebetween. Thereby, the mixed gas G is supplied by the IPA vapor supply nozzle 43 to the vicinity of the interface between the pure water W and the inert gas atmosphere as the processing liquid volatilizing unit 30, and the holding cassette 60 is supplied to the processing liquid volatilizing unit 30. When moved, the holding cassette 60 is wrapped in the atmosphere of the mixed gas G. Part of the IPA vapor in the mixed gas G dissolves into the pure water W from the surface of the pure water W. On the other hand, since the upper part of the treatment liquid volatilizing unit 30 is open to the atmosphere, the mixed gas G diffuses and the concentration of the IPA vapor becomes low.

  Therefore, when the holding cassette 60 is pulled up from the pure water W in the treatment tank 20 to the treatment liquid volatilizing unit 30 and moved into a gas atmosphere containing IPA vapor, the glass article P is dried using the Marangoni effect (Marangoni drying). Can be dried. Thereby, the pure water W can be removed from the surface of the glass article P. In addition, although the pure water W has a low impurity concentration, there are not a few particles or the like dispersed in the pure water W. If water stains occur during drying, these particles may remain on the glass surface. In addition, when water stains occur, easily eluted components such as alkali components and alkaline earth components of glass are eluted in water stains, and when these water stains are dried, the eluted components adhere to the glass surface. May happen. In this embodiment, since generation | occurrence | production of a water stain can be reduced, the particle | grains which remain | survive on a board | substrate can be decreased compared with the conventional method. Details of the drying of the glass article P using the Marangoni drying will be described later.

  The drying apparatus 10 includes guide means (not shown) that holds the holding cassette 60 on which the glass article P is placed and moves up and down the processing chamber 50.

  The upper end of the processing chamber 50 becomes a carry-in port for taking in and out the holding cassette 60 in the processing chamber 50.

  The drying apparatus 10 uses the holding cassette 60 to immerse the glass article P in the pure water W of the tank body 21 in a state where the glass article P is placed on the holding cassette 60. The inside is pulled up from the inside to the treatment liquid volatilizing unit 30. Since the holding cassette 60 receives the pure water W remaining between the main surface of the glass article P and the V-shaped groove 621, the holding cassette 60 discharges the pure water W between the glass article P and the V-shaped groove 621. Can be prevented from accumulating. Thereby, it can suppress that the pure water W collected between the glass article P and the V-shaped groove | channel 621 spreads on the surface of the glass article P after drying. Therefore, the drying apparatus 10 can suppress the occurrence of water spots or the like on the surface of the glass article P after drying by using the holding cassette 60.

  Further, the drying apparatus 10 sprays the mixed gas G near the surface of the pure water W by the IPA vapor supply nozzle 43 to form a layer having a high IPA vapor concentration near the surface of the pure water W. Thereby, when moving the glass article P from the pure water W to the treatment liquid volatilizing unit 30, the pure water W adhering to the surface of the glass article P can be removed by Marangoni drying. It is possible to prevent water stains or the like from remaining on the surface of the glass article P.

  In this embodiment, pure water W is used as the treatment liquid, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other solvents may be used.

  In this embodiment, IPA is used as the organic solvent that generates the Marangoni effect, but it is not limited to this, and any organic solvent that has an effect of reducing the surface tension and is highly soluble in water may be used.

<Drying method of glass article>
Next, the drying method of the glass article which concerns on one Embodiment using the drying apparatus 10 which has the above structures is demonstrated below.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating steps of a method for drying a glass article according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the method for drying a glass article according to an embodiment includes a step of immersing the glass article P in the pure water W in the treatment tank 20 (step S <b> 11), and the glass article P from the pure water W. And moving to the treatment liquid volatilizing unit 30 and drying (step S12).

  Hereinafter, each process is demonstrated based on FIGS. 5-8 is a figure explaining a part of drying method of the glass article which concerns on one Embodiment.

  In step S <b> 11, as shown in FIG. 5, the holding cassette 60 on which the glass article P is placed in a state where the tank body 21 of the processing tank 20 is filled with pure water W in advance is replaced with pure water in the tank body 21. Immerse in water W.

After the holding cassette 60 is immersed in the pure water W in the tank main body 21, the IPA vapor and N are supplied to the vicinity of the surface of the pure water W in the tank main body 21 and the upper part of the outer tank 22 from the IPA vapor supply nozzle 43. _A mixed gas G containing _two gases is supplied. Thereby, the processing liquid volatilization part 30 is formed above the pure water W.

  In the treatment liquid volatilizing unit 30, part of the IPA vapor in the mixed gas G supplied toward the vicinity of the surface of the pure water W is dissolved into the pure water W from the surface of the pure water W. On the other hand, the mixed gas G supplied to the vicinity of the upper part of the outer tub 22 diffuses into the atmosphere from above the treatment liquid volatilizing unit 30.

  In the present embodiment, the IPA concentration of the mixed gas G supplied from the IPA vapor supply nozzle 43 into the outer tank 22 is more preferably close to the saturated vapor pressure at the environmental temperature. When the IPA concentration of the mixed gas G is close to the saturated vapor pressure at the ambient temperature, as will be described later, when the glass article P is pulled up from the pure water W, IPA is absorbed by the pure water W near the surface of the glass article P. However, a thick layer of IPA vapor can be stably formed in the vicinity of the surface of the pure water W.

  In step S <b> 12, as shown in FIG. 6, the holding cassette 60 is moved from the pure water W in the tank body 21 to the treatment liquid volatilizing unit 30. In step S12, the glass article P is dried by Marangoni drying.

  In the treatment liquid volatilization unit 30, the IPA vapor supply nozzle 43 blows the mixed gas G to the vicinity of the surface of the pure water W and the upper part of the treatment liquid volatilization unit 30. A thick layer of IPA vapor is formed at the position where the cassette is held after movement. Therefore, when the glass article P is pulled up from the pure water W in the tank body 21 into a gas atmosphere containing IPA vapor, the glass article P immediately passes through the thick layer of IPA vapor after being pulled up. When the glass article P is pulled up from the pure water W, a thin water film WM is formed near the surface of the glass article P as shown in FIG. 7 due to the surface tension of the pure water W on the surface of the glass article P. .

  IPA is easily dissolved in pure water W, but the vapor containing IPA blown toward the substrate hits the substrate and travels downward, so that the IPA concentration in the vicinity of the water film WM becomes particularly high. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the IPA concentration CI of the interface I of the pure water W close to the glass article P becomes larger than the IPA concentration CII of the interface II of the pure water W far from the glass article P (IPA concentration CI> Therefore, the surface tension rI of the interface I is smaller than the surface tension rII of the interface II (surface tension rI <surface tension rII). Due to the difference in surface tension, when the glass article P is pulled up from the pure water W, Marangoni convection MG is generated near the surface of the pure water W.

  When Marangoni convection is generated on the surface of the thin water film WM formed near the surface of the glass article P when the glass article P is pulled up from the pure water W, the pure water W on the surface of the glass article P is converted into the glass article. It becomes easy to separate from the surface of P. In addition, when pure water with low purity is used, as described above, due to water spots generated at the time of drying, there are cases where particles dispersed in the pure water W remain on the surface of the glass article P. is there. In this embodiment, since generation | occurrence | production of a water spot is suppressed, the particle | grains which remain on the glass article P can be decreased.

  In the present embodiment, the mixed gas G is supplied to the vicinity of the surface of the pure water W by the IPA vapor supply nozzle 43 to form a thick layer of IPA vapor near the surface of the pure water W. Can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, when the holding cassette 60 is lifted from the pure water W and moved from the pure water W to the treatment liquid volatilizing unit 30 that is a gas atmosphere, the pulling speed (moving speed) V1 of the holding cassette 60 is 0.1. 10 to 10 mm / second is preferable, 2.0 to 6.0 mm / second is more preferable, and 2.0 to 2.5 mm / second is more preferable. When the pulling speed V1 is within the above range, Marangoni convection can be stably generated on the surface of a thin water film formed near the surface of the glass article P. Thereby, since the pure water W can be removed from the glass article P and the glass article P can be stably dried, the occurrence of water stains on the surface of the glass article P can be suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, the pulling speed (moving speed) V2 of the holding cassette 60 when pulling up the vicinity of the contact portion on the surface of the glass article P that is in contact with the V-shaped groove 621 of the holding cassette 60 from the pure water W. Is preferably slower than the pulling speed V1. The pulling speed V2 is, for example, preferably 0.1 to 5.0 mm / second, and more preferably 0.5 to 0.6 mm / second. When the pulling speed V2 is within the above range, it is possible to more reliably suppress the pure water W from remaining at the contact portion between the surface of the glass article P and the V-shaped groove 621 and being dispersed during drying. Thereby, it is possible to more stably suppress the occurrence of water spots on the main surface of the glass article P. The vicinity of the contact portion refers to the surface where the glass article P is in contact with the V-shaped groove 621 and its peripheral region. The size of the glass article P and the glass article P are in contact with the V-shaped groove 621. It depends on the area that you have.

  The glass article P may be further dried after the glass article P is completely pulled up from the pure water W as shown in FIG. The glass article P may be dried by natural drying or by using a heating device. The glass article P may be dried inside the processing chamber 50 or outside the processing chamber 50 as long as it is outside the tank body 21. After the glass article P is dried, the operation of the gas supply unit 40 is stopped.

  Further, in the present embodiment, after the entire glass article P is completely pulled up from the pure water W, the mixed gas G is transferred from the IPA vapor supply nozzle 43 to the outer tub 22 for a predetermined time while being held in the treatment liquid volatilizing unit 30. It is preferable to supply (for example, several minutes) and to maintain a gas atmosphere. As a result, the pure water W remaining in the vicinity of the contact portion between the surface of the glass article P and the V-shaped groove 621 is suppressed from spreading from the contact portion to the main surface of the glass article P, while remaining slightly The water W can be dropped into the receiving groove 622. As a result, pure water W can be removed from the contact portion. Therefore, even if the glass article P and the holding cassette 60 are pulled up from the treatment liquid volatilizing unit 30 to the upper side of the outer tub 22, the pure water W does not spread on the main surface of the glass article P.

  When the mixed gas G is supplied from the IPA vapor supply nozzle 43 to the outer tub 22 and the gas atmosphere is maintained, the mixed gas G is brought into contact with the surface of the glass article P and the holding cassette 60 by the two IPA vapor supply nozzles 43 facing each other. It is preferably sprayed so as to sandwich the vicinity of the contact portion with the V-shaped groove 621. Thereby, the pure water W can be more reliably removed from the contact portion.

  After removing the pure water W from the contact portion, the dried glass article P is pulled up above the outer tub 22 and conveyed to the outside. Thereby, the drying process of the glass article P is completed.

The glass article P obtained in this way can reduce the number of particles (particle number) remaining attached to the surface. As for the number of particles remaining on the surface of the obtained glass article P, for example, the number of particles of 1 μm or more can be reduced to about 1 / cm ² or less.

  As described above, in the method for drying a glass article according to an embodiment, IPA vapor is blown near the surface of the pure water W, and the holding cassette 60 on which the glass article P is placed is removed from the pure water W into the treatment liquid volatilizing unit 30. When pulling up, the Marangoni convection is generated on the surface of the pure water W near the surface of the glass article P. Thereby, it can suppress that the pure water W spreads on the surface of the glass article P.

  Therefore, according to the drying method of the glass article which concerns on one Embodiment, it can suppress that a water spot generate | occur | produces on the surface of the glass article P resulting from the remaining pure water W, As a result, pure water W It is possible to prevent the particles dispersed therein from adhering to the surface of the glass article P.

  Moreover, the drying method of the glass article which concerns on one Embodiment moves the glass article P from the pure water W to the process liquid volatilization part 30 using the holding cassette 60 which has the groove | channel 62 comprised by the predetermined shape. Yes. Therefore, as described above, since the pure water W can be suppressed from being accumulated between the glass article P and the V-shaped groove 621, the pure water collected between the glass article P and the V-shaped groove 621. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of water spots or the like on the surface of the glass article P after drying due to W.

  Examples of the method for drying glass articles include Marangoni drying and IPA vapor drying. Normally, in Marangoni drying, the processing chamber 50 needs to be a sealed space, and the upper part of the tank body 21 needs to be a layer having a high IPA concentration. Therefore, the apparatus becomes large and the apparatus configuration becomes complicated. Further, when the IPA vapor drying method is used, IPA vapor is supplied into the tank body 21 from the outside of the tank body 21. A heating device is provided on the outer periphery of the tank body 21, and a cooling pipe for preventing IPA leakage is provided above the tank body 21. Therefore, the amount of IPA used is large, the device configuration is complicated, and the cost burden is large. On the other hand, in the method for drying a glass article according to an embodiment, a layer having a high IPA concentration is formed only in the processing liquid volatilizing unit 30, and the entire processing chamber 50 needs to be a layer having a high IPA concentration. Absent. Therefore, according to the method for drying a glass article according to an embodiment, the amount of IPA used can be reduced to, for example, about half or less of that in the case of the IPA vapor drying method, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced. it can.

  Therefore, according to the method for drying a glass article according to an embodiment, the glass article P can be dried with almost no water spots or particles remaining on the surface thereof. Therefore, the glass article P obtained by the method for drying a glass article according to an embodiment includes an optical component such as a camera lens and a prism, a glass member for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus such as a glass substrate for a photomask, a glass substrate for a hard disk, and a semiconductor. Support glass substrate for manufacturing process, cover glass for MEMS etc. that can effectively reduce the size of the device by wafer level package, cover glass for image sensor such as CIS, glass interposer (GIP) perforated substrate, or semiconductor back grind It can be suitably used as a supporting glass.

  In the present embodiment, the glass article P is immersed in the pure water W and taken out from the pure water W with the glass article P placed on the holding cassette 60. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the holding cassette 60 is configured so that the support portion 61 and the cassette portion on which the support portion 61 is placed are configured separately, the cassette portion of the holding cassette 60 is placed in the pure water W in the tank body 21 in advance. Immerse. When the glass article P is immersed in the pure water W, the glass article P supported by the support portion 61 is placed on the cassette portion of the holding cassette 60 that has been immersed in the pure water W. And when taking out the glass article P from the pure water W, you may make it pull up from the pure water W in the state which mounted the glass article P in the cassette part of the holding | maintenance cassette 60. FIG.

<Washing and drying equipment>
Next, a cleaning / drying apparatus including a drying apparatus in which the drying method according to the embodiment is used will be described. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a cleaning / drying apparatus including a drying apparatus in which the drying method according to the embodiment is used. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the cleaning / drying apparatus 100 includes a cleaning unit 110, a rinse unit 120, and a drying unit 130. The drying unit 130 is the drying device 10 described above. In FIG. 9, the glass article P is transported to the cleaning unit 110 and the drying unit 130 by the transport arm 140 while being placed on the holding cassette 60.

(Washing part)
The cleaning unit 110 is a device that cleans the glass article P in a state of being placed on the holding cassette 60. The cleaning unit 110 can clean the glass article P using a conventionally known cleaning method. As a cleaning method, for example, shower cleaning, immersion cleaning, scrub cleaning, steam cleaning, or spin cleaning can be used. These washings may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  As shower cleaning, for example, high-pressure spray cleaning, ultrasonic shower cleaning, or the like can be used.

  As the immersion cleaning, for example, ultrasonic cleaning, jet cleaning, bubbling cleaning, or running water cleaning can be used. Among these, in this embodiment, it is preferable to use immersion cleaning. Among the immersion cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning is preferably used from the viewpoint of productivity of the cleaned glass substrate.

  The ultrasonic cleaning is performed using a known ultrasonic device. When performing the ultrasonic cleaning, the ultrasonic device is operated with the glass article P immersed in the solution to irradiate the solution with ultrasonic waves. By irradiating the solution with ultrasonic waves and vibrating the solution, dust and the like attached to the glass article P are removed.

  As the solution, a solution containing an alkaline detergent is used, but it is not particularly limited. When using a solution, it is preferable to ultrasonically clean the glass article P with the ultrasonic vibrator 112 in a solution containing an alkaline detergent.

  When performing ultrasonic cleaning, the ultrasonic frequency is preferably 20 kHz to 3 MHz, more preferably 28 kHz to 800 kHz, and particularly preferably 38 kHz to 78 kHz. If the frequency of the ultrasonic wave is within the above range, particles adhering to the surface of the glass article P can be removed.

  Moreover, it is necessary to suppress the output of the ultrasonic wave within an appropriate range. If the output of the ultrasonic wave is too strong, it will damage the glass and cause defects. On the other hand, if the output of the ultrasonic wave is too weak, the adhered particles cannot be removed. The appropriate range of output varies depending on the glass, but when measured using a sound pressure meter, for example, about 5 to 100% may be preferable. If the output of the ultrasonic wave is within an appropriate range, it is possible to suppress damage such as scratches on the surface of the glass article P and to remove particles attached to the surface of the glass article P. it can.

(Rinse section)
The rinse part 120 is an apparatus that rinses the alkaline detergent remaining in the glass article P with pure water or the like in the rinse part 120 when the cleaning part 110 uses a solution containing an alkaline detergent as the solution. Thereby, since the alkaline detergent remaining on the glass article P can be washed away, the glass article P can be prevented from being damaged by the residue of the alkaline detergent remaining on the glass article P.

(Drying part)
The drying unit 130 dries the glass article P rinsed by the rinsing unit 120. The drying unit 130 uses the drying device 10 described above, and thus a description thereof is omitted.

  The cleaning / drying apparatus 100 may be an apparatus in which the cleaning unit 110 and the drying unit 130 are provided separately, or may be an apparatus in which the cleaning unit 110 and the drying unit 130 are integrated. When the cleaning / drying apparatus 100 is an apparatus in which the cleaning unit 110 and the drying unit 130 are integrated, the cleaning / drying apparatus 100 includes, for example, the cleaning unit 110 and the drying unit 130 in one closed space. It is good. For example, the cleaning unit 110 and the drying unit 130 may be configured as a closed space as a whole while the upper part is opened, and the holding cassette may move in the opened upper part.

<Washing and drying method>
Next, a method for cleaning and drying the glass article P using the cleaning and drying apparatus 100 having the above configuration will be described below.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the steps of the cleaning / drying method. As shown in FIG. 10, the cleaning and drying method includes a step of cleaning the glass article P (step S21), a step of rinsing the glass article P (step S22), and a step of drying the glass article P (step S23). Including. Hereinafter, each step will be described.

  In step S21, the glass article P can be cleaned using a conventionally known cleaning method as described in the cleaning unit 110.

  In step S22, the glass article P that has been cleaned using a conventionally known rinsing method can be rinsed, as described in the rinse section 120 above. As the rinsing method, for example, shower cleaning, immersion cleaning, scrub cleaning, steam cleaning, or spin cleaning can be used. These rinsing methods may be used singly or in combination of two or more.

  In particular, when a solution containing an alkaline detergent is used as the solution in the cleaning in step S21, the alkaline detergent remaining on the glass article P can be washed away. It can suppress that the glass article P is damaged by the residue of a detergent. Moreover, the particles adhering to the surface of the glass article P, which could not be removed in step S21, can be removed.

  In step S23, the cleaned glass article P is dried. In step S23, since the drying method according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is used, the description thereof is omitted here.

  The dried glass article P is pulled up above the outer tub 22 and taken out to the outside. Thereby, the cleaning / drying process of the glass article P is completed.

  The method for drying the glass article P according to the embodiment is particularly after the glass article P is washed (for example, after the step of immersing the glass article P in the pure water W to remove dirt on the surface of the glass article P). The drying method can be suitably used. Since the washing / drying apparatus 100 described above includes the drying apparatus 10, water stains and particles remain by drying the washed glass article P using the drying method according to the embodiment in the drying apparatus 10. No glass article can be obtained. Further, when the glass article P is cleaned in the cleaning unit 110, it is possible to further suppress damage such as scratches on the glass article P by performing ultrasonic cleaning under predetermined conditions, so that more reliability is provided. High glass article can be provided.

  As described above, the embodiment has been described. However, the embodiment is presented as an example, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. The above-described embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various combinations, omissions, replacements, changes, and the like can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

(Example 1)
As the glass article, a circular glass substrate having a diameter of 200 mm and a plate thickness of 0.5 mm was used. The glass article was placed on a holding cassette 60 having a groove 62 with a V-shaped groove 621 and a receiving groove 622 as shown in FIGS. The glass article placed on the holding cassette 60 is immersed in a treatment liquid (CSC-102B 1% aqueous solution manufactured by Speed Fam Clean System Co., Ltd.), and the glass article is irradiated with ultrasonic waves, and the dirt adhered to the glass article. Was removed. Thereafter, the operation of immersing and lifting the glass article in pure water in different pure water tanks was repeated a plurality of times to remove the detergent contained in the treatment liquid. Thereafter, the glass article was immersed again in pure water. And when the glass article was pulled out of the pure water, the glass article was dried using a mixed gas of IPA vapor and nitrogen gas. At this time, the glass article was pulled up from the pure water, and the glass article pulling speed V1 when moving from the pure water to the gas atmosphere was about 5.0 mm / second. The glass article pulling speed V2 when the vicinity of the contact portion on the surface of the glass article P that is in contact with the V-shaped groove 621 of the holding cassette 60 was pulled up from pure water was about 0.6 mm / sec. When the glass article after drying was visually observed by applying it to a condenser lamp in a dark room, almost no particles were confirmed on the glass article.

(Example 2)
Example 1 was performed in the same manner as Example 1 except that no IPA vapor was used. When the glass article after drying was visually observed, many particles were confirmed on the glass article.

(Example 3)
In Example 1, it carried out like Example 1 except having used the circular glass substrate with a diameter of 65 mm as a glass article. When the glass article after drying was visually observed, no particles were observed on the glass article. Moreover, when the glass article after drying was observed using a high-sensitivity appearance inspection machine, the number of defects was 13 pieces / piece (0.4 pieces / cm ² ).

(Example 4)
In Example 3, the same procedure as in Example 3 was performed, except that no IPA vapor was used and a holding cassette having no receiving groove 622 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) was used. When the glass article after drying was visually observed, many water spots were confirmed on the glass article. Moreover, when the glass article after drying was observed using a high-sensitivity appearance inspection machine, the number of defects was 74 pieces / piece (2.5 pieces / cm ² ).

(Example 5)
Example 3 was performed in the same manner as Example 3 except that a holding cassette having no receiving groove 622 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) was used. When the glass article after drying was visually observed, a large number of water spots were confirmed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Drying apparatus 20 Processing tank 21 Tank main body 22 Outer tank 30 Processing liquid volatilization part 40 Gas supply part 50 Processing chamber 60 Holding cassette 61 Support part 62 Groove 621 V-shaped groove 622 Receiving groove 100 Cleaning drying apparatus 110 Cleaning part 130 Drying part W Pure water P Glass article

Claims (5)

A step of immersing the glass article in a processing liquid in a state where the glass article is placed on a plate having a V-shaped groove and a holding cassette in which a receiving groove extending downward from the bottom of the V-shaped groove and the bottom is formed;
Removing the treatment liquid adhering to the surface of the glass article while moving the holding cassette from the treatment liquid into a gas atmosphere containing isopropyl alcohol vapor while the glass article is placed; ,
A method for drying a glass article, comprising: The gas atmosphere is formed using a mixed gas containing the isopropyl alcohol vapor and an inert gas,
The method for drying a glass article according to claim 1, wherein the mixed gas is sprayed near an interface between the treatment liquid and the gas atmosphere. The gas atmosphere is formed using a mixed gas containing the isopropyl alcohol vapor and an inert gas,
3. The glass article according to claim 1, wherein after the glass article moves in the gas atmosphere, the mixed gas is sprayed from a plurality of locations in the vicinity of a contact portion of the glass article that is in contact with the holding cassette. Drying method.   The method for drying a glass article according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the gas atmosphere is maintained using the mixed gas even after the entire glass article has been moved from the treatment liquid into the gas atmosphere.   The movement speed of the glass article when moving from the treatment liquid into the gas atmosphere in the vicinity of the contact portion on the surface of the glass article that is in contact with the holding cassette, and the other part of the glass article is treated. The drying method of the glass article as described in any one of Claims 1-4 made slower than the moving speed at the time of moving in the said gas atmosphere from a liquid.