JP6320127B2 - Cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus for cleaning both surfaces of a wafer.

  In a semiconductor manufacturing process, for example, cleaning steps for cleaning grinding dust and the like adhering to both surfaces of a wafer after wafer grinding and polishing in a subsequent process are performed by various cleaning apparatuses. In one of the cleaning devices, grip the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer with a roller, etc., rotate the roller and rotate the wafer, and sandwich it with a circular brush attached to the tip of the swing arm so that it can rotate from both sides, The entire surface of the wafer is cleaned by swinging the swing arm in the radial direction of the wafer (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-017454 A

  However, in the cleaning apparatus configured as described above, since the cleaning brush sandwiches the wafer from both sides for cleaning, the contamination sandwiched when the cleaning brush goes out of the wafer is between the two brushes. There is a problem that the cleaning brush itself is difficult to clean.

  The present invention has been considered in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus that can suppress the accumulation of contaminants between both cleaning brushes and can also clean both cleaning brushes.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the cleaning device of the present invention is a cleaning device for cleaning both surfaces of a disk-shaped plate-like object, and holds the outer peripheral edge at at least three places of the plate-like material. The plate-like object holding means for rotating the plate-like object in the circumferential direction and the one surface and the other surface of the plate-like object held by the plate-like object holding means are brought into contact with each other and cleaned. Two cleaning means, and cleaning liquid ejecting means for injecting a cleaning liquid onto one side and the other side of the plate-like object held by the plate-like object holding means, respectively. A cleaning brush for abutting the surface of the plate-like object to clean the plate-like object, a rotation support part for rotatably supporting the cleaning brush with a rotation axis perpendicular to one side and the other side of the plate-like object, and the rotation support part And a cleaning brush rocking portion that rocks the cleaning brush in the radial direction of the plate-like object. Cleaning means, characterized in that it is disposed to Shifts one another the rotational center position of and two of the cleaning brush in contact to face with each other the cleaning brush cleaning surface.

  In the cleaning apparatus, the two cleaning units may be arranged so that the outer edge of the cleaning brush on one side is shifted to a position passing through the rotation center of the cleaning brush on the other side.

  The present invention has an effect that by disposing the cleaning brush, the contaminated contaminants are not deposited between the cleaning brushes even during the plate-like object cleaning, and the contaminants can be discharged while cleaning.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a configuration example of a cleaning device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of the cleaning device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3A is a perspective view illustrating a state during cleaning of the cleaning device according to the embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view illustrating another state during cleaning of the cleaning device according to the embodiment. is there. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a positional relationship between the cleaning brush and the plate-like object of the cleaning device according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a positional relationship between a cleaning brush and a plate-like object of a cleaning device according to a modification of the embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments (embodiments) for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the contents described in the following embodiments. The constituent elements described below include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the structures described below can be combined as appropriate. Various omissions, substitutions, or changes in the configuration can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Embodiment
A cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a configuration example of a cleaning device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of the cleaning device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state during cleaning of the cleaning device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a positional relationship between the cleaning brush and the plate-like object of the cleaning device according to the embodiment.

  The cleaning device 1 according to the embodiment is a cleaning device that cleans both surfaces Wa and Wb of a disk-shaped plate-like object W.

  In this embodiment, the plate-like object W whose both surfaces Wa and Wb are cleaned by the cleaning apparatus 1 is a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer or optical device wafer having silicon, sapphire, gallium or the like as a base material, and is ground. Then, after various processing such as polishing is performed, the cleaning device 1 performs cleaning. The plate-like object W is formed by, for example, forming a device in each region defined by a plurality of division lines on one side Wa and the other side Wb of both surfaces Wa and Wb, and cutting along the division lines. Divided into individual devices.

  The cleaning device 1 cleans the plate-like object W by spraying a cleaning liquid (not shown) onto the one surface Wa and the other surface Wb while rotating the plate-like object W in the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning apparatus 1 includes a plate-like object holding unit 10, two cleaning units 20a and 20b, and two cleaning liquid ejecting units 40a and 40b. The plate-like object holding means 10, the two cleaning means 20a and 20b, and the two cleaning liquid ejecting means 40a and 40b are accommodated in a cleaning chamber (not shown).

  The plate-like object holding means 10 holds the outer peripheral edge at at least three locations of the plate-like object W and rotationally drives the plate-like object W in the circumferential direction. The plate-like object holding means 10 includes a first movable support 11 and a second movable support 12. The first movable support 11 incorporates a motor (not shown), and has a pair of first holding rollers 13 that rotate around the axis by the driving force of the motor. The first holding roller 13 includes a large-diameter portion 13a and a small-diameter portion 13b provided on the large-diameter portion 13a and coaxially with the large-diameter portion 13a. Both the large diameter portion 13a and the small diameter portion 13b are formed in a thick disc shape. Further, the outer peripheral edge of the small diameter portion 13b is formed in a reverse taper shape so as to gradually decrease in diameter as it approaches the large diameter portion 13a.

  The second movable support 12 incorporates a motor (not shown), and has a single second holding roller 14 that rotates around the axis by the driving force of the motor. Since the configuration of the second holding roller 14 is the same as the configuration of the first holding roller 13, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  Further, the second movable support 12 approaches the first movable support 11 or is separated from the first movable support 11 by an air cylinder (not shown). The second movable support 12 approaches the first movable support 11, the holding rollers 13 and 14 place the plate-like object W on the large-diameter portion 13a, and the outer peripheral edge of the small-diameter portion 13b is the plate-like object W. The plate-like object holding means 10 holds the three outer peripheral edges of the plate-like object W at the boundary between the large-diameter portion 13a and the small-diameter portion 13b of the holding rollers 13 and 14. . When the plate-like object holding means 10 holds the plate-like object W, the holding rollers 13 and 14 are arranged at equal intervals (every 120 degrees) in the circumferential direction around the plate-like object W. The plate-like object holding means 10 rotates the plate-like object W in the circumferential direction by rotating the holding rollers 13 and 14 around the axis by a motor.

  The two cleaning liquid ejecting units 40 a and 40 b eject the cleaning liquid onto one side Wa and the other side Wb of the plate-like object W held by the plate-like object holding unit 10. One cleaning liquid ejecting means 40 a includes an ejection port 41 a that faces one surface Wa of the plate-like object W held by the plate-like object holding means 10, and the other cleaning liquid ejecting means 40 b is held by the plate-like object holding means 10. The injection port 41b which opposes the other surface Wb of the plate-shaped object W made is provided. The cleaning liquid ejecting means 40a, 40b ejects the cleaning liquid supplied from a supply source (not shown) from the tip ejection ports 41a, 41b toward the plate-like object W held by the plate-like object holding means 10.

  The two cleaning means 20a and 20b are in contact with the one surface Wa and the other surface Wb of the plate-like object W held by the plate-like object holding means 10, respectively, and clean the one surface Wa and the other surface Wb. Each of the two cleaning means 20a and 20b includes a cleaning brush 21, a rotation support portion 22, and a cleaning brush swinging portion 23, as shown in FIGS. The cleaning brush 21 has a circular cleaning surface 21a and comes into contact with the one surface Wa or the other surface Wb of the plate-like object W to clean the one surface Wa or the other surface Wb of the plate-like object W. The cleaning brush 21 is a sponge made of a synthetic resin such as PVA (PolyvinylAlcohol) and formed in a disk shape.

  The rotation support unit 22 supports the cleaning brush 21 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis perpendicular to one side Wa and the other side Wb of the plate-like object W held by the plate-like object holding means 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotation support unit 22 includes a disk-shaped support member 24 that supports the cleaning brush 21, a motor 25 that rotates the cleaning brush 21 around the rotation axis, and the like. The motor 25 is fixed to the case 28 of the cleaning brush swinging portion 23 and the like. An output shaft 25 a of the motor 25 is attached to the support member 24 via a ball spline 26. An output shaft 25 a of the motor 25 is attached to the spline nut 26 a of the ball spline 26, and a spline shaft 26 b that is movable in the axial direction with respect to the spline nut 26 is attached to the support member 24.

  A spring 27 is provided between the spline nut 26 a of the ball spline 26 and the support member 24 to press the support member 24, that is, the cleaning brush 21 toward one side Wa or the other side Wb of the plate-like object W. . The rotation support portion 22 is configured such that the motor 25 rotates the output shaft 25a, so that the spline nut 26a and the spline shaft 26b rotate integrally, and the cleaning brush 21 is moved to one side Wa and the other side Wb of the plate-like object W. It rotates around the rotation axis while pressing. Further, the rotation support portions 22 of the two cleaning means 20a and 20b rotate the cleaning brush 21 around the rotation axis in the same direction.

  The cleaning brush swinging part 23 holds the rotation support part 22 and swings the cleaning brush 21 in the radial direction of the plate-like object W. The cleaning brush oscillating portion 23 extends linearly in parallel with one surface Wa and the other surface Wb of the plate-like object W held by the plate-like object holding means 10 and is a plate held by the plate-like object holding means 10. A case 28 that swings around one end 28a disposed on the outer periphery of the object W and a motor (not shown) that swings the case 28 around one end 28a are provided. When the case 28 is swung around the one end 28 a, the other end 28 b is disposed at a position passing through the center of the plate W held by the plate holding means 10.

  Further, the case 28 holds the rotation support part 22 by fixing the motor 25 in the other end part 28b, exposing the cleaning brush 21 from the other end part 28b. The case 28 fixes the main body 25b of the motor 25 to the other end 28b via a fixed case 29. Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the lengths of the cases 28 of the cleaning brush swinging portions 23 of the two cleaning means 20a and 20b are equally arranged, and The one end portions 28a are arranged at positions overlapping each other in a direction parallel to the rotation axis.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the two cleaning means 20a and 20b are arranged with the cleaning brush 21 in contact with the cleaning surfaces 21a facing each other. Further, the two cleaning brushes 21 are arranged such that the rotational centers C (shown in FIG. 4) of the two cleaning brushes 21 are shifted from each other. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the other end portion 28b of the case 28 of the cleaning brush swinging portion 23 is displaced in the swinging direction of the cleaning brush swinging portion 23. Arranged. Further, if the radius of the cleaning surface 21a of the cleaning brush 21 is r and the distance between the rotation centers C of the two cleaning brushes 21 is L, the rotation centers C of the two cleaning brushes 21 satisfy 0 ≦ L ≦ r. Arranged in position.

  In the present embodiment, the rotation center C of the two cleaning brushes 21 is disposed at a position satisfying L = r, and the two cleaning units 20a and 20b are configured such that the outer edge of the cleaning brush 21 on one side is the other side. The brush 21 is disposed at a position where the rotation center C of the brush 21 passes.

  Next, a cleaning method using the cleaning device 1 according to the embodiment will be described. First, in a state where the plate-like object holding means 10 is separated from the second movable support body 12 and the first movable support body 11, the plate-like object W is arranged at a predetermined position between the holding rollers 13 and 14 by a conveying means (not shown). To do. Then, the second movable support 12 is brought close to the first movable support 11 and the outer peripheral edge of the plate-like object W is held by the holding rollers 13 and 14.

  Then, the motor is driven to rotate the holding rollers 13 and 14 around the center of the shaft to rotationally drive the plate-like object W in the circumferential direction and to supply the cleaning liquid from the injection ports 41a and 41b of the cleaning liquid injection means 40a and 40b. It sprays on the one side Wa and the other side Wb of the plate-shaped object W, respectively. Further, the motor 25 is driven to rotate the cleaning brushes 21 of the two cleaning means 20a and 20b in the same direction, and the motor (not shown) is driven to center the case 28 of the cleaning brush rocking portion 23 around the one end 28a. Swing as. Note that the case 28 of the cleaning brush oscillating portion 23 is oscillated between positions where the cleaning brush 21 disposed on the upper side contacts the plate-like object W, for example, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Is desirable.

  Then, the contamination that the cleaning surface 21a of the cleaning brush 21 adheres to the plate-like object W is peeled from the plate-like object W, and the contaminant falls from the plate-like object W together with the cleaning liquid by the flow of the cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid containing contamination is discharged out of the cleaning apparatus 1 through a discharge port (not shown) of the cleaning chamber.

  Then, after the cleaning brush oscillating portion 23 is oscillated for a predetermined time, the cleaning brush oscillating portion 23 is stopped at a position away from the outer peripheral edge of the plate-like object W, the motor 25 is stopped, and the cleaning liquid ejecting means 40a. , 40b, the spraying of the cleaning liquid from the spray ports 41a, 41b is stopped, and the rotation of the holding rollers 13, 14 is stopped. Thereafter, the second movable support 12 is separated from the first movable support 11 and the plate-like object W is transported to the next step by a transport means or the like.

  As described above, according to the cleaning device 1 according to the embodiment, the cleaning surfaces 21a of the cleaning brushes 21 of the two cleaning units 20a and 20b are arranged so as to be displaced from each other. The contact pressure with the plate-like object W in the non-overlapping portion is weaker than the contact pressure with the plate-like object W in the overlapping portion. For this reason, when contamination such as particles peeled off from the plate-like object W due to the rotation of the cleaning brush 21 is located in a portion where the cleaning surfaces 21a do not overlap with each other, the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the cleaning brush 21 and the cleaning brush swinging portion. It is discharged from between the cleaning brushes 21 due to the centrifugal force generated by the swinging of 23.

  For this reason, the cleaning apparatus 1 can suppress the contamination that has been cleaned even during the cleaning of the plate-like object W from being deposited between the cleaning brushes 21 that are disposed facing each other, and can discharge the contamination while cleaning. Therefore, the cleaning device 1 can suppress the accumulation of contamination between the cleaning brushes 21 and can also clean the cleaning brush 21 with a cleaning liquid or the like.

  Further, the rotation center C of the two cleaning brushes 21 is disposed at a position satisfying 0 ≦ L ≦ r, that is, a position satisfying L = r, and the two cleaning means 20a and 20b are arranged on one side of the cleaning brush 21. The outer edge of the cleaning brush 21 is shifted to a position where the rotation center C of the cleaning brush 21 on the other side passes. For this reason, the cleaning apparatus 1 sandwiches the plate-like object W between the cleaning surfaces 21a of the two cleaning brushes 21, and the cleaning surfaces 21a of the two cleaning brushes 21 reliably separate the contamination from the plate-like object W. Can do. Therefore, the cleaning apparatus 1 can suppress the accumulation of contaminants between the cleaning brushes 21 and can clean the plate-like object W while allowing the cleaning brush 21 to be cleaned with a cleaning liquid or the like.

  Further, in the cleaning apparatus 1, the two cleaning means 20a and 20b rotate the cleaning brush 21 in the same direction. Therefore, in the cleaning apparatus 1, the cleaning surfaces 21 a rotate in the same direction as indicated by arrows in FIG. 4 at the outer edge portion where the cleaning surfaces 21 a of the cleaning brush 21 overlap each other. For this purpose, in the cleaning apparatus 1, the two cleaning means 20 a and 20 b quickly discharge contaminants such as particles separated from the plate-like object W from between the cleaning brushes 21 by the rotation of the cleaning brush 21. be able to.

  In the cleaning device 1, the spline nut 26 a of the ball spline 26 is rotated by the motor 25, and the spline shaft 26 b is attached to the support member 24 that supports the cleaning brush 21. Further, a spring 27 is provided between the spline nut 26 a and the support member 24. For this reason, the cleaning device 1 can suppress the cleaning brush 21 from being pressed against the plate-like object W with an excessive force.

[Modification]
A cleaning apparatus according to a modification of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a positional relationship between a cleaning brush and a plate-like object of a cleaning device according to a modification of the embodiment. In FIG. 5, the same parts as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning apparatus 1-1 according to the modification of the embodiment varies the length of the case 28 of the cleaning brush swinging portion 23 of the two cleaning means 20a and 20b, and swings the cleaning brush. The cases 28 of the portion 23 are arranged in parallel, and the end portions 28a of the case 28 are overlapped with each other in a direction parallel to the rotation axis, so that the rotational centers C of the two cleaning brushes 21 are displaced from each other. Yes.

  As in the embodiment, the cleaning device 1-1 according to the modification of the embodiment can suppress the accumulation of contamination between the cleaning brushes 21, and can also clean the cleaning brush 21 with a cleaning liquid or the like. be able to.

  In the embodiment described above, the three holding rollers 13 and 14 are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least three holding rollers 13 and 14 are provided to provide at least three portions of the plate-like object W. You may hold | maintain an outer periphery.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment and modification. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning apparatus 10 Plate-shaped object holding means 20a, 20b Cleaning means 21 Cleaning brush 21a Cleaning surface 22 Rotation support part 23 Cleaning brush rocking | swiveling part 40a, 40b Cleaning liquid injection means C Rotation center W Plate-like object Wa Single side Wb Other side

Claims (2)

A cleaning device for cleaning both sides of a disk-shaped plate,
A plate-like object holding means for holding the outer periphery at at least three locations of the plate-like object and rotationally driving the plate-like object in the circumferential direction, and one side and the other side of the plate-like object held by the plate-like object holding means Two cleaning means for abutting and cleaning the one side and the other side respectively;
Cleaning liquid injection means for injecting the cleaning liquid onto one side and the other side of the plate-like object held by the plate-like object holding means,
The cleaning means includes a cleaning brush having a circular cleaning surface and abutting the surface of the plate-shaped object to clean the plate-shaped object, and the cleaning brush being rotatable about a rotation axis perpendicular to one side and the other surface of the plate-shaped object. A rotation support unit for supporting, and a cleaning brush rocking unit that holds the rotation support unit and rocks the cleaning brush in the radial direction of the plate-like object,
The two cleaning means are characterized in that the cleaning brushes are disposed so that the cleaning surfaces are in contact with each other and the rotational center positions of the two cleaning brushes are shifted from each other.   2. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the two cleaning means are arranged so that an outer edge of the cleaning brush on one side is shifted to a position passing through a rotation center of the cleaning brush on the other side.

Images