JP4976342B2 - Substrate cleaning apparatus, substrate cleaning method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate cleaning apparatus and a substrate cleaning method for brush cleaning at least an end surface of a substrate, and a storage medium.

  In a semiconductor device manufacturing process and a flat panel display (FPD) manufacturing process, a cleaning process is performed to remove particles, contamination, and the like adhering to a semiconductor wafer or glass substrate as a substrate to be processed. As a device for performing such a cleaning process, there is known a single wafer cleaning device that holds a substrate on a spin chuck and supplies a cleaning liquid to the surface of the wafer while the substrate is rotated to clean the surface of the wafer. ing.

  In the cleaning process of such a cleaning apparatus, the acid or alkali chemical used as the cleaning liquid remains on the periphery of the substrate in the course of the cleaning process, and is dried as it is to become a deposit or removed by cleaning. It occurs that the material redeposits on the periphery of the substrate. In the past, since the peripheral part of the substrate is not used as a product, no special measures have been taken against such deposits on the peripheral part of the substrate. Adverse effects caused by the adhering material attached to the substrate support arm or the like of the substrate transport mechanism have become apparent. As a technique for preventing such an adverse effect, a technique has been proposed in which a sponge-like brush is brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate to remove deposits on the peripheral edge (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

However, there are also deposits that are firmly attached to the peripheral edge of the substrate, particularly the end surface of the substrate, and cannot be removed simply by contacting the sponge brush.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-79939 JP 2007-165794 A

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate cleaning apparatus and a substrate cleaning method that can effectively remove at least deposits adhered to the substrate end face with a sponge-like brush. And
Moreover, it aims at providing the storage medium which memorize | stored the program for implementing such a method.

In order to solve the above problems, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate cleaning apparatus for brush cleaning at least an end surface of a substrate, the substrate holding mechanism holding the substrate rotatably, and holding the substrate on the substrate holding mechanism. A substrate rotating mechanism for rotating the substrate that has been moved, a cleaning liquid supply mechanism for supplying a cleaning liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism, and a brush made of sponge-like resin that comes into contact with at least the end surface of the substrate during cleaning A cleaning mechanism that compresses the brush, and a control unit that controls the cleaning by the brush by changing the compression force of the brush by the brush compression mechanism , Increase the compressive force in the initial state where a compressive force is not applied to the brush, or a cleaning effect comparable to that when the compressive force is not applied, and the hardness of the brush. Between the compressive force detergency by sheet increases, it provides a substrate cleaning apparatus and controls the continuously or cleaned stepwise changing the compressive force of the brush during cleaning of the substrate To do.

Further, the brush has a cylindrical small diameter portion and a cylindrical large diameter portion continuous with the small diameter portion, and cleans an end surface of the substrate with a peripheral surface of the small diameter portion, and the small diameter of the large diameter portion. The peripheral surface of the back surface or the front surface of the substrate can be cleaned by the connection surface with the portion. In this case, the brush is deformed before Kise' continued surface by being compressed, it is possible to locally cleaning the periphery of the substrate by the deformed portion, the control unit, the brush compression It is possible to control the position of the deformed portion by changing the compression force by the mechanism. The brush may have a cylindrical shape, and the outer peripheral surface of the brush may clean the end surface of the substrate.

Furthermore, the brush compression mechanism may include a pair of pressing members that narrow the brush up and down and an actuator that moves at least one of the pressing members. The cleaning mechanism includes a brush rotating mechanism for rotating the brush and an contacting / separating mechanism for contacting / separating the brush with respect to the substrate, and the brush rotated by the brush rotating mechanism removes the contacting / separating mechanism. The mechanism can be configured to contact the substrate rotated by the substrate rotation mechanism and to clean at least the end surface of the substrate in that state. In addition, the control unit does not apply a compressive force to the brush, or applies a compressive force that provides a cleaning effect comparable to that when no compressive force is applied, and cleans the entire end surface and peripheral edge of the substrate. Thereafter, the brush compressive force is increased continuously or stepwise to increase the hardness of the brush, and the cleaning portion at the peripheral edge of the substrate by the brush can be controlled. In addition, after cleaning by increasing the compressive force of the brush, the compressive force of the brush is decreased, and no cleaning force is applied to the brush. It is also possible to apply a compressive force to be washed and clean the entire end face and peripheral edge of the substrate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate cleaning method in which a cleaning liquid is supplied to a substrate and a brush made of sponge-like resin is brought into contact with at least an end surface of the substrate being rotated, and the brush is compressible. Cleaning is performed while changing the compression force of the brush at the time of cleaning and controlling the cleaning by the brush, and a cleaning effect equivalent to that when no compression force is applied to the brush or when no compression force is applied is obtained. The compression force of the brush is continuously or stepwise during the cleaning of the substrate between the compression force in the initial state and the compression force that increases the hardness of the brush and increases the cleaning force by the brush. Provided is a substrate cleaning method characterized by changing and cleaning .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate cleaning method in which a cleaning liquid is supplied to a substrate, and a brush made of sponge-like resin is rotated and brought into contact with at least an end surface of the rotating substrate, and the brush is cleaned. Is provided so as to be compressible, and the cleaning force by the brush is controlled by changing the compressive force of the brush according to the state of the substrate, and the compressive force is not applied to the brush, or the same degree as when the compressive force is not applied. Between the compressive force in an initial state in which a cleaning effect is obtained and the compressive force that increases the hardness of the brush and increases the cleaning force by the brush, continuously or stepwise during the cleaning of the substrate. Provided is a substrate cleaning method, wherein cleaning is performed by changing the compression force of a brush .

Further, the brush has a cylindrical small diameter portion and a cylindrical large diameter portion continuous with the small diameter portion, and cleans an end surface of the substrate with a peripheral surface of the small diameter portion, and the small diameter of the large diameter portion. The peripheral surface of the back surface or the front surface of the substrate can be cleaned by the connection surface with the portion. In this case, when the brush is compressed, the connecting surface is deformed, and the peripheral portion of the substrate can be locally cleaned by the deformed portion, and the compressive force on the brush is changed. Cleaning can be performed by changing the position of the deformed portion. The brush may have a cylindrical shape, and the end surface of the substrate may be cleaned by the outer peripheral surface thereof. In addition, after applying a compressive force that does not apply a compressive force to the brush or obtaining a cleaning effect comparable to that when applying a compressive force, and cleaning the entire end surface and peripheral edge of the substrate, continuously. Alternatively, the cleaning force at the peripheral edge of the substrate by the brush can be controlled by increasing the compression force of the brush stepwise to increase the hardness of the brush. In addition, after cleaning by increasing the compressive force of the brush, the compressive force of the brush is decreased, and no cleaning force is applied to the brush. It is also possible to apply a compressive force to be washed and clean the entire end face and peripheral edge of the substrate.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium that stores a program that operates on a computer and controls a substrate cleaning apparatus, and the program is executed according to the second aspect or the third aspect at the time of execution. Provided is a storage medium characterized by causing a computer to control the substrate cleaning apparatus so that the substrate cleaning method is performed.

  According to the present invention, when brush cleaning is performed by contacting at least the end surface of the substrate, a brush made of sponge-like resin is used, and the brush can be compressed by the brush compression mechanism, and the compression force of the brush is changed. Since the cleaning by the brush is controlled, the brush cleaning can be optimized, and at least the deposits adhering to the end face of the substrate can be effectively removed.

  For example, the temporal cleaning force can be controlled by controlling the cleaning by changing the compressive force of the brush during the cleaning of the substrate. Specifically, it removes the deposits that are easy to remove without first applying a compressive force to the brush, and gradually increases the compressive force to increase the cleaning power, thereby removing the stronger deposits. It is possible to take such a method. Also, the cleaning position can be controlled. Specifically, using a brush having a cylindrical small-diameter portion and a cylindrical large-diameter portion continuous to the small-diameter portion, the connecting surface of the large-diameter portion is deformed by a brush compression mechanism, and the deformed portion If the peripheral edge of the substrate is washed locally, the cleaning position can be controlled by changing the compressive force of the brush, so that the deposits firmly attached to the peripheral edge of the substrate can be effectively removed. .

  Further, the cleaning with the brush can be controlled by changing the compression force of the brush according to the state of the substrate. More specifically, the cleaning force is controlled by changing the compression force of the brush in accordance with the state of the substrate such as the type of the substrate and how the deposits are attached. Thereby, brush cleaning can be appropriately performed according to the state of the substrate.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a wafer cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inside thereof.

  This wafer cleaning apparatus 1 has a chamber 2, and a spin chuck 3 for adsorbing and holding a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer) W as a substrate to be cleaned by vacuum suction in a horizontal state. Is provided. The spin chuck 3 can be rotated by a motor 4 provided below the chamber 2 via a shaft 3a. A cup 5 is provided in the chamber 2 so as to cover the wafer W held by the spin chuck 3. An exhaust / drain pipe 6 for exhaust and drainage is provided at the bottom of the cup 5 so as to extend below the chamber 2. On the side wall of the chamber 2, a loading / unloading port 7 for loading / unloading the wafer W is provided. A fluid seal 8 is provided between the shaft 3 a and the bottom of the cup 5 and the bottom of the chamber 2.

  The wafer cleaning apparatus 1 further includes a cleaning liquid supply mechanism 10 that supplies a cleaning liquid, and a cleaning mechanism 20 that brush-cleans a peripheral portion including the end surface of the wafer W.

  The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 10 includes a front surface side cleaning liquid nozzle 11 a provided above the cup 5 and a back surface side cleaning liquid nozzle 11 b provided on the back surface side of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 3. A front surface side cleaning liquid supply pipe 13a and a back surface side cleaning liquid supply pipe 13b are connected to the nozzle 11a and the back surface side cleaning liquid nozzle 11b, respectively. The other ends of the front surface side cleaning liquid supply pipe 13 a and the back surface side cleaning liquid supply pipe 13 b are connected to a common cleaning liquid supply source 12. Then, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply source 12 to the vicinity of the center of the surface of the wafer W from the front surface side cleaning liquid nozzle 11a through the front surface side cleaning liquid supply pipe 13a, and from the back surface side cleaning liquid nozzle 11b to the wafer from the rear surface side cleaning liquid supply pipe 13b. A cleaning liquid is supplied to the back surface of W. Valves 14a and 14b are interposed in the front surface side cleaning liquid supply pipe 13a and the back surface side cleaning liquid supply pipe 13b, respectively. As the cleaning liquid, pure water, chemical liquid, or the like can be used.

  The cleaning mechanism 20 includes a brush 21 made of sponge-like resin for cleaning the peripheral portion including the end face of the wafer W, a rotation support member 22 that rotatably supports the brush 21, and a pair that presses the brush 21 in the vertical direction. Pressing members 23a and 23b, a cylinder 24 for applying a compressive force to the brush 21 via the pressing members 23a and 23b, a rotating arm 25 for rotating the brush 21, and a rotation of the rotating arm 25 Rotating / elevating part incorporating a shaft part 26 having a turning shaft as a shaft, a turning mechanism for turning the turning shaft to turn the turning arm 25, and a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the turning arm 25. 27.

  FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the cleaning mechanism in more detail. The rotation support member 22 has a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction, and a piston 24a of the cylinder 24 extends through the inside thereof in the vertical direction. The piston 24a is connected to a brush support member 21a extending in the vertical direction at the center of the brush 21, and the lower end of the brush support member 21a is fixed to the center of the lower pressing member 23b. The upper pressing member 23a is fixed to the lower end surface of the rotation support member 22, and the space between the brush support member 21a and the upper pressing member 23a is free. Therefore, by retracting the piston 24a of the cylinder 24, the lower pressing member 23b rises together with the brush support member 21a, and the brush 21 sandwiched between the upper pressing member 23a and the lower pressing member 23b is compressed. Is done. That is, the pressing members 23a and 23b and the cylinder 24 function as a brush compression mechanism. Note that the brush 21 may be compressed by moving both of the pressing members 23a and 23b. Further, instead of the cylinder 24, another actuator may be used.

  The rotating arm 25 has a horizontally extending rectangular tube shape, and a rotation support member 22 is rotatably provided at a tip portion thereof. In other words, the rotation support member 22 is rotatably supported by a pair of bearings 31 a and 31 b attached to the rotation arm 25. A pulley 32 is fitted around the center of the rotation support member 22, and a belt 33 is wound around the pulley 32. The belt 33 extends horizontally in the internal space of the rotating arm 25. In addition, a brush rotation motor 34 is provided inside the rotation arm 25 so as to be fixed to the bottom plate, and a pulley 35 is attached to a rotation shaft 34a of the brush rotation motor 34. The belt 33 is wound around the pulley 35. Therefore, by driving the motor 34, the rotation support member 22 is rotated via the belt 33, and the brush 21 is rotated accordingly.

  A vertically extending rotating shaft 38 is fixed to a base end portion of the rotating arm 25 by a pair of fixing members 39 provided on the upper and lower sides of the rotating arm 25. The rotating shaft 38 extends through the shaft portion 26 to the rotating / lifting portion 27.

  The rotating / elevating unit 27 includes a casing 41 that continues below the shaft unit 26, and a rotating mechanism 42 and an elevating mechanism 45 that are provided therein. The rotation mechanism 42 has a rotation motor 43, the rotation axis of which is connected to the lower end of the rotation shaft 38, and is fixed to the rotation shaft 38 by driving the rotation motor 43 to rotate. The rotating arm 25 is rotated. The elevating mechanism 45 includes a support member 46 that rotatably supports the rotating shaft 38 via a bearing 47, a ball screw 48 that extends vertically upward from the bottom of the housing 41, and is screwed with the support member 46, and a housing. A lifting motor 49 that is fixed to the bottom plate of the body 41 and rotates the ball screw 48, and a guide member 50 that is provided vertically in the housing 41 and guides the support member 46. That is, the elevating mechanism 45 elevates and lowers the rotating shaft 38 by a ball screw mechanism, and accordingly elevates the rotating arm 25.

  4A and 4B are cross-sectional views showing the brush 21 in an enlarged manner, in which FIG. 4A shows an uncompressed state and FIG. 4B shows a compressed state. The brush 21 has a cylindrical small diameter portion 21b and a cylindrical large diameter portion 21c continuous below the small diameter portion 21b. The peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 21b functions as an end surface cleaning portion of the wafer W, and the upper surface of the large diameter portion 21c, that is, the connection surface of the small diameter portion 21b functions as a back surface peripheral edge cleaning portion. As shown in (b), the brush 21 is pressed and compressed by the pressing members 23a and 23b, whereby the hardness of the brush 21 is increased and the cleaning power can be increased. The brush 21 is made of a sponge-like resin as described above, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) can be suitably used. Examples of other resins applicable to the brush 21 include polyethylene (PE). Further, since the brush support member 21a and the pressing members 23a and 23b need a certain degree of rigidity, metal or hard resin can be used. However, since the metal may cause contamination with the wafer W, a hard resin such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is preferable.

  As illustrated in the block diagram of FIG. 5, the control unit 30 includes a controller 61, a user interface 62, and a storage unit 63. The controller 61 controls each component of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1, such as the motor 4, the cylinder 24, the brush rotation motor 34, the rotation motor 43, and the lifting motor 49. The user interface 62 is connected to the controller 61 and includes a keyboard on which an operator inputs commands and the like to manage the wafer cleaning apparatus 1, a display that visualizes and displays the operation status of the wafer cleaning apparatus 1, and the like. . The storage unit 63 is also connected to the controller 61, and a control program for controlling the control target of each component of the wafer cleaning apparatus 1, a program for causing the wafer cleaning apparatus 1 to perform predetermined processing, that is, Processing recipe is stored. The processing recipe is stored in a storage medium in the storage unit 63. The storage medium may be a fixed medium such as a hard disk or a portable medium such as a CDROM, DVD, or flash memory. Moreover, you may make it transmit a recipe suitably from another apparatus via a dedicated line, for example. Then, the controller 61 calls and executes an arbitrary processing recipe from the storage unit 63 according to an instruction from the user interface 62 or the like as necessary, and thereby a predetermined process is performed under the control of the controller 61.

  In the present embodiment, the function of controlling the cleaning of the wafer W by changing the compressive force applied to the brush 21 among the functions of the control unit 30 is particularly important. That is, based on the process recipe memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 63, instruction | command is sent to the cylinder 24 from the controller 61, the compression force of the brush 21 by the press members 23a and 23b is changed, and the cleaning of the wafer W is controlled. Specifically, cleaning of the wafer W can be controlled by changing the compressive force of the brush in real time during cleaning, and information on the state of the wafer W is grasped, and the state is determined based on the information. Thus, the cleaning force for the wafer W can be controlled by setting the compression force of the brush 21 to a desired value.

  Next, a method for cleaning the wafer W by using the wafer cleaning apparatus 1 will be described.

First, the first method will be described.
The wafer W is loaded into the chamber 2, and the wafer W is held by the spin chuck 3. At this time, the brush 21 stands by at a standby position in a state where cleaning liquid is supplied to prevent drying. Next, the compression state of the brush 21 through the pressing members 23a and 23b by the cylinder 24 is set as a predetermined initial state based on the processing recipe.

  After the brush 21 is in the initial state as described above, the motor 4 is driven to rotate the wafer W together with the spin chuck 3 at a predetermined number of revolutions while supplying the cleaning liquid from the front surface side cleaning liquid nozzle 11a and the back surface side cleaning liquid nozzle 11b. The brush 21 is rotated together with the brush support member 22 by the brush rotation motor 34. Then, the brush 21 is rotated toward the wafer W on the spin chuck 3 to rotate the brush 21 to press the outer periphery of the small diameter portion 21b of the brush 21 against the end surface of the wafer W. The height is adjusted and the upper surface of the large-diameter portion 21c of the brush 21 is pressed against the peripheral edge of the back surface of the wafer W to start brush cleaning.

  During such a cleaning process, the compression force of the brush 21 by the cylinder 24 is changed based on the process recipe. When a compressive force is applied to the brush 21 in a state where the cleaning liquid is supplied and swollen, the hardness of the brush 21 increases as the compressive force increases, and the cleaning power increases. On the other hand, as the hardness of the brush 21 increases, the elasticity decreases, so that the effect of the brush 21 cleaning the end surface and the back surface peripheral portion of the wafer W as a whole decreases. That is, the overall cleaning effect is higher when no compression force is applied to the brush 21. Based on such characteristics, for example, in the initial state, no compression force is applied to the brush 21, or a compression force that provides a cleaning effect comparable to that obtained when no compression force is applied is applied. In the swollen state, the edge of the wafer W and the peripheral edge of the back surface are entirely washed to remove deposits having a weak adhesion force, and then the compression force of the brush 21 is increased continuously or stepwise to increase the brush 21. Is controlled so that the cleaning power of the brush 21 increases with time. As a result, the adhering material having a strong adhesive force is also removed, and the end surface and the peripheral surface of the back surface of the wafer W can be effectively cleaned. Further, after the cleaning is performed by increasing the compressive force of the brush 21 in this way, the compressive force is decreased, and the compressive force is not applied, or the compressive effect that provides the same cleaning effect as when the compressive force is not applied is obtained. By washing with the brush 21 in a swollen state in a state where force is applied, the remaining deposits due to redeposition or the like are removed as a whole, and the cleaning effect is further increased.

  Further, when the brush 21 is compressed, the hardness of the brush 21 is increased, and as shown in FIG. 4B, the upper surface of the large diameter portion 21c is deformed to form a protruding portion 21d. Since the protruding portion 21d contacts the peripheral edge of the back surface of the wafer W with a small area, the cleaning power can be remarkably increased locally. In other words, the brush 21 normally contacts the wafer W in a planar shape, but by forming the protrusion 21d in this way, the brush 21 comes in linear contact, and the brush pressure at the contact portion is very high. It will be a thing. In this case, by changing the compressive force of the brush 21, as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to change the portion of the wafer W that the protrusion 21d contacts.

  This will be described in more detail below. FIG. 6A shows a state in which a relatively small compressive force is applied, the brush 21 is not crushed so much, and the projection 21 d is small and formed at a position close to the end face of the wafer W. As the compression force is increased, the degree of crushing of the brush 21 and FIGS. 6B and 6C increases, and the protrusion 21d increases accordingly and moves toward the center of the wafer W. Thus, as the compressive force of the brush 21 is increased, the position of the protrusion 21d can be moved. In other words, by changing the compressive force of the brush 21 during the cleaning process, it is possible to control the cleaning portion by the protrusion 21d at the peripheral edge of the back surface of the wafer W, thereby enabling effective cleaning.

Next, the second method will be described.
Here, cleaning is performed by changing the compressive force of the brush 21 in accordance with the state of the wafer W to be cleaned. The state of the wafer W to be cleaned (attachment state of deposits to be removed, etc.) differs depending on the processing of the wafer W before cleaning, the type of the wafer W, and the like.

  Therefore, in the second method, first, the state of the wafer W to be cleaned is set in the controller 61 of the control unit 30 in advance, or the state is grasped by an appropriate method and the information is sent to the controller 61. Next, a command is given to the cylinder 24 to compress the brush 21 with a predetermined compression force so that a cleaning state suitable for the state of the wafer W is obtained. When it is not necessary to compress the brush 21, it is used for washing without being compressed.

  After the brush 21 is brought into a predetermined state in this way, the motor 4 is driven to rotate the wafer W together with the spin chuck 3 at a predetermined number of revolutions, and while supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid nozzle 11, the brush rotation motor 34 is supplied. Thus, the brush 21 is rotated together with the brush support member 22. Then, the brush 21 is rotated toward the wafer W on the spin chuck 3 to rotate the brush 21 to press the outer periphery of the small diameter portion 21b of the brush 21 against the end surface of the wafer W. The height is adjusted and the upper surface of the large-diameter portion 21c of the brush 21 is pressed against the peripheral edge of the back surface of the wafer W to start brush cleaning.

  In this way, since the compressive force of the brush 21 is changed according to the state of the wafer W and the cleaning power is controlled, the wafer W can be cleaned appropriately and an effective cleaning process can be realized. .

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the edge surface and back surface peripheral edge of the wafer are cleaned using a brush having an upper portion as a small diameter portion and a lower portion as a large diameter portion is shown. However, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to clean the wafer end face and the surface peripheral edge by using a brush 21 'having a diameter portion 21b' and a lower portion having a small diameter portion 21c '. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a brush 21 ″ having an overall cylindrical shape for cleaning only the end face of the wafer W may be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, only the cleaning mechanism for cleaning the edge surface and the back surface peripheral portion of the wafer has been described. However, an appropriate cleaning mechanism for cleaning the surface of the wafer may be provided. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to the apparatus of the above embodiment, but also to a cleaning apparatus that cleans the front and back surfaces of the wafer or an apparatus that cleans the back surface of the wafer.

  Furthermore, the brush compression method is not limited to the above embodiment, and various methods can be employed.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where a semiconductor wafer is applied as the substrate to be processed has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a flat panel display device substrate represented by a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, and the like. It can also be applied to other substrates.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a substrate cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The top view which shows the inside of the board | substrate cleaning apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows the cleaning mechanism provided in the board | substrate cleaning apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention further in detail. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the state which the brush of the cleaning mechanism provided in the substrate cleaning apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention has not compressed, and the compressed state. The block diagram which shows the structure of the control part provided in the substrate cleaning apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The schematic diagram which shows the state of a deformation | transformation at the time of changing the compressive force with respect to the brush of the washing | cleaning mechanism provided in the board | substrate washing | cleaning apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the other structural example of a brush. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the further another structural example of a brush.

Explanation of symbols

1: Wafer cleaning device (substrate cleaning device)
2; Chamber 3; Spin chuck 4; Motor 5; Cup 6; Exhaust / drain tube 7; Loading / unloading port 10; Cleaning liquid supply mechanism 11a; Front side cleaning liquid nozzle 11b; Back side cleaning liquid nozzle 12; Cleaning liquid supply source 20; Brush 21a; Brush support member 21b, 21c '; Small diameter part 21c, 21b'; Large diameter part 22; Rotation support member 23a, 23b; Press member 24; Cylinder 25; Shaft part 27; Rotation / lifting part 30; Control part 61; Controller 62; User interface 63; Storage part W; Semiconductor wafer (substrate)

Claims (16)

A substrate cleaning apparatus for brush cleaning at least an end surface of a substrate,
A substrate holding mechanism for rotatably holding the substrate;
A substrate rotation mechanism for rotating the substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism;
A cleaning liquid supply mechanism for supplying a cleaning liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism;
A cleaning mechanism having a brush made of sponge-like resin that is brought into contact with at least an end surface of the substrate at the time of cleaning;
A brush compression mechanism for compressing the brush;
A controller that controls the cleaning by the brush by changing the compression force of the brush by the brush compression mechanism ,
The control unit increases the compressive force in the initial state in which a compressive force is not applied to the brush, or a cleaning effect equivalent to that obtained when the compressive force is not applied, and the hardness of the brush, and the brush is cleaned. A substrate cleaning apparatus , wherein the cleaning is controlled by changing the compression force of the brush continuously or stepwise during the cleaning of the substrate between the compressing force and the increasing force . The brush has a cylindrical small-diameter portion and a cylindrical large-diameter portion continuous to the small-diameter portion, and cleans an end surface of the substrate with a peripheral surface of the small-diameter portion, and the small-diameter portion of the large-diameter portion The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral surface of the back surface or the front surface of the substrate is cleaned by the connection surface. The connecting surface of the brush is deformed by being compressed, and the peripheral portion of the substrate can be locally cleaned by the deformed portion, and the control unit can change the compression force by the brush compression mechanism. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the position of the deformed portion is controlled by the step. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the brush has a cylindrical shape and cleans an end surface of the substrate with an outer peripheral surface thereof. The said brush compression mechanism has a pair of press member which narrows the said brush up and down, and an actuator which moves at least one of the said press member, The any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. A substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1. The cleaning mechanism includes a brush rotating mechanism that rotates the brush, and an contacting / separating mechanism that contacts and separates the brush from the substrate, and the brush rotated by the brush rotating mechanism is moved by the contacting / separating mechanism. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least an end surface of the substrate is cleaned in contact with the substrate rotated by the substrate rotating mechanism. The controller does not apply a compressive force to the brush, or after applying a compressive force that provides a cleaning effect comparable to that when no compressive force is applied, and cleaning the entire end surface and peripheral edge of the substrate, 7. The cleaning portion of the peripheral portion of the substrate by the brush is controlled by increasing the hardness of the brush by continuously or stepwise increasing the compression force of the brush. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to any one of the above. After performing cleaning by increasing the compressive force of the brush, the compressive force of the brush is decreased and the compressive force is not applied to the brush, or a compressive effect that is equivalent to that when no compressive force is applied is obtained. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a force is applied to clean the entire end surface and peripheral edge of the substrate. A substrate cleaning method in which a cleaning liquid is supplied to a substrate and a brush made of a sponge-like resin is brought into contact with at least an end surface of the rotating substrate and cleaned.
The brush is provided so as to be compressible, and cleaning is performed while controlling the cleaning by the brush by changing the compression force of the brush at the time of cleaning ,
Compression that does not apply compressive force to the brush, or compresses the initial state in which a cleaning effect equivalent to that when no compressive force is applied, and the hardness of the brush is increased, thereby increasing the cleaning force by the brush. A method for cleaning a substrate, wherein the substrate is cleaned by changing the compression force of the brush continuously or stepwise during the cleaning of the substrate. A substrate cleaning method for supplying a cleaning liquid to a substrate, rotating a brush made of sponge-like resin, and contacting and cleaning at least an end surface of the rotated substrate,
The brush is provided so as to be compressible, and the cleaning force by the brush is controlled by changing the compression force of the brush according to the state of the substrate ,
Compression that does not apply compressive force to the brush, or compresses the initial state in which a cleaning effect equivalent to that when no compressive force is applied, and the hardness of the brush is increased, thereby increasing the cleaning force by the brush. A method for cleaning a substrate, wherein the substrate is cleaned by changing the compression force of the brush continuously or stepwise during the cleaning of the substrate. The brush has a cylindrical small-diameter portion and a cylindrical large-diameter portion continuous to the small-diameter portion, and cleans an end surface of the substrate with a peripheral surface of the small-diameter portion, and the small-diameter portion of the large-diameter portion The substrate cleaning method according to claim 9 or 10 , wherein the peripheral portion of the back surface or the front surface of the substrate is cleaned by the connection surface. When the brush is compressed, the connecting surface is deformed, and the peripheral portion of the substrate can be locally cleaned by the deformed portion. By changing the compressive force on the brush, the deformed portion The substrate cleaning method according to claim 11 , wherein cleaning is performed by changing a position. The substrate cleaning method according to claim 9, wherein the brush has a cylindrical shape, and an end surface of the substrate is cleaned by an outer peripheral surface thereof. Applying a compressive force that provides a cleaning effect comparable to that when no compressive force is applied to the brush, or after applying a compressive force, and cleaning the entire end face and peripheral edge of the substrate continuously or in stages 14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: increasing the compressive force of the brush to increase the hardness of the brush, and controlling a cleaning site in a peripheral portion of the substrate by the brush. The substrate cleaning method as described. After performing cleaning by increasing the compressive force of the brush, the compressive force of the brush is decreased and the compressive force is not applied to the brush, or a compressive effect that is equivalent to that when no compressive force is applied is obtained. The substrate cleaning method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein a force is applied to clean the entire end surface and peripheral edge of the substrate. A storage medium that operates on a computer and stores a program for controlling a substrate cleaning apparatus, wherein the program is executed by the substrate cleaning method according to any one of claims 9 to 15. A storage medium that causes a computer to control the substrate cleaning apparatus .

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