JPH05245451A - Cleaning method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure that the superprecision cleaning of electronic components is achieved without environmental destruction by cleaning, rinsing and drying the components using a cleaning agent based on perfluorocarbon. CONSTITUTION:A shower cleaning process 30, a rinsing/cleaning process 40 and a drying process 50, for example, are provided to the body of a cleaning device 20 consisting of a belt conveyor as a transport means 10 of an article to be transported 1. This shower cleaning process 30 cleans the article by shower from a shower nozzle 31 using an injected cleaning agent of silicone cleaner added with a surfactant, with the concurrent movement of a conveyor for cleaning process 12. Next, the article is transferred to a conveyor for rinsing process 13, then is allowed to pass through a rinsing tank 41 containing a silicone cleaning agent to rinse off the sticking cleaning agent. Finally the article is introduced into the drying process 50 after being transferred to a conveyor for drying process 14, and is dried by exposure to the vapor of the cleaning agent based on perfluorocarbon.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning method and a cleaning device which cause less environmental damage and are highly safe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various parts such as metal parts, plated parts, painted parts, electronic parts, semiconductor parts and the like are attached with various stains such as machine oil in the manufacturing process and assembling process. It is common practice to clean various parts having such stains with a chlorofluorocarbon-based solvent or a chlorine-based solvent. On the other hand, as special cleaning target parts,
There are ultra-precision cleaning parts such as semiconductor wafers and substrates for LCDs that are extremely averse to water marks. Conventionally, in such a field, steam cleaning (drying process) using Freon 113 or the like has been adopted as the final cleaning process.

However, since the influence of the above-mentioned CFC-based solvent on the human body and the environment has been recently regarded as a problem, it is possible to perform ultra-precision cleaning comparable to that of the CFC-based solvent and to protect the environment. There is a strong demand for a cleaning method that does not have an adverse effect. Therefore, as a cleaning agent that can replace the CFC-based solvent, various cleaning agents have been proposed regardless of whether they are water-based or non-aqueous. For example, the development of chlorofluorocarbon substances, which have a lower ozone depletion coefficient than the current chlorofluorocarbon solvents, is underway, and water-based cleaning and cleaning using an organic solvent containing no chlorine are under consideration. Among them, water-based cleaning is promising because it is pollution-free and has very little adverse effect on the environment when used in combination with an appropriate water treatment facility. Also,
As an alternative method to the chlorofluorocarbon-based steam drying, steam drying with isopropyl alcohol (hereinafter referred to as IPA) and warm air drying have been studied.

[0004]

However, many of the above-described alternative cleaning agents require rinsing with water after cleaning even if cleaning itself is possible, or an organic alternative cleaning. The drug has the drawback that toxicity to the human body cannot be ignored in many cases. On the other hand, new chlorofluorocarbon-based substances are not regarded as preferable alternative cleaning agents or drying means, because they are not destructive to the environment.

After performing the above-described rinsing cleaning with water and cleaning with an aqueous cleaning agent, it is necessary from the viewpoint of cleaning quality to uniformly and quickly dry the water adhering to the surface of the object to be cleaned. However, it is extremely difficult to prevent watermarks and the like by the current method of forcibly evaporating water such as hot air drying.

Further, although the steam drying by IPA itself has obtained relatively good results, when a water-based cleaning agent or a rinse cleaning agent is used in the previous step, the boiling points of water and IPA are close to each other, It is difficult to remove water from the IPA, and this mixed water easily causes water marks and the like. This is a problem in practical use in combination with the fact that many of the above-mentioned alternative cleaning agents require washing with water after washing. Further, IPA has a drawback that the flash point is 11.7 ° C., which is lower than room temperature, and there is always a risk of fire under normal use conditions.
Furthermore, isopropyl alcohol is highly toxic to the human body, and the use of isopropyl alcohol is currently being regulated.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. For example, in a field requiring ultra-precision cleaning, a cleaning effect (water stain resistance) equivalent to cleaning with a fluorocarbon solvent or steam drying is obtained. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning method and a cleaning device in which the above (1) and the like are obtained and environmental damage is reduced.

[0008]

That is, according to the cleaning method of the present invention, when the object to be cleaned is cleaned with a cleaning agent, the cleaning, rinsing or drying of the object to be cleaned is performed mainly with perfluorocarbon. It is characterized by performing with the cleaning agent or its steam.

Further, the cleaning apparatus of the present invention is provided with a transport mechanism for the article to be cleaned, the apparatus main body having an entrance / exit portion of the transport mechanism, and the inlet portion side of the transport mechanism in the apparatus main body. It is characterized by comprising: a cleaning means; and a drying means provided in the apparatus main body on the outlet side of the transport mechanism and using a vapor of a cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component.

The cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component used in the present invention can effectively dry an object to be cleaned and can also be used for cleaning or rinsing the object to be cleaned. Is. Further, although it partially overlaps with the above-mentioned drying, it is also effectively used when removing water etc. adhering to the surface of the object to be cleaned after cleaning with an aqueous cleaning agent or rinsing cleaning with water etc. Is something that can be done.

The above-mentioned perfluorocarbon is a compound in which all the substituents that can be bonded to carbon atoms in the molecular structure are fluorine atoms, and is usually a liquid at room temperature. However, industrially obtained perfluorocarbons do not necessarily have all the substituents being fluorine atoms, and include those in which hydrogen, chlorine, bromine or the like is bonded as a part of impurities. This is an unavoidable impurity in manufacturing, and is contained in perfluorocarbon in an amount of about 0.5% to 5.0%. A perfluorocarbon containing such an impurity has no practical problem. Therefore, the perfluorocarbon in the present invention includes those mentioned above. Further, the perfluorocarbon in the present invention is not limited to one having a carbon main chain, and it is also possible to use one that partially contains oxygen such as an ether bond, or one that contains nitrogen, silicon, or the like. is there.

[0012] Such perfluorocarbon is nonflammable, nontoxic, odorless, and highly safe, and since it does not substantially contain chlorine, it does not cause environmental damage. Further, it has the same volatility as a CFC-based solvent, does not mutually dissolve with various solvents including water, and further does not attack various materials such as metals, plastics and glass,
It exhibits effective and sufficient cleaning performance and drying performance for the objects to be cleaned made of various materials, and when the cleaning agent is brought into the drying process, it can be separated and recovered for reuse. Further, when the above-mentioned detergent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component is used as, for example, a draining detergent, the draining and drying can be effectively performed due to the large difference in specific gravity between perfluorocarbon and water. Such perfluorocarbons include C
₃ F ₆ , C ₄ F ₈ , C ₅ F ₁₀ , C ₆ F ₁₂ , C ₆ F ₁₂ O,
C ₆ F ₁₄ , C ₇ F ₁₄ , C ₇ F ₁₄ O, C ₇ F ₁₆ , C ₈ F
₁₆ O, C ₈ F ₁₈ , C ₉ F ₁₈ O, C ₁₀ F ₂₀ O, and other compounds represented by molecular formulas, CF ₃ -[(O-CF (CF ₃ ) -CF ₂ ) _n- (OC
Examples having a structure such as F ₂ ) _m ] -O-CF ₃ are exemplified,
These are used alone or as a mixture. Also,
As commercially available products, Fluorinert FC-72 (trade name, manufactured by Sumitomo 3M Limited; boiling point = 56 ° C), FC-84 (boiling point =
80 ℃), FC-77 (boiling point = 97 ℃), FC-75 (boiling point = 1)
02 ℃), FC-40 (boiling point = 155 ℃), FC-43 (boiling point =)
174 ° C), Galden D80 (trade name, manufactured by Nippon Montedison Co., Ltd .; boiling point = 84 ° C) D100 (boiling point = 102 ° C), D01
(Boiling point = 110 ° C.), Aflude E-8 (trade name, manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd .; boiling point = 82 ° C.), E-10 (boiling point = 100 ° C.) and the like can be used. In addition, perfluorocarbon is
Depending on its chemical structure, various boiling points can be obtained,
When used in the drying step, it is preferable to use one having a boiling point lower than that of the detergent used in the washing step by 20 ° C. or more.
This prevents reattachment of the cleaning agent in the drying process. The more preferable difference in boiling point is 50 ° C. or higher, and more preferably 100 ° C. or higher.

The above-mentioned perfluorocarbon liquid may be used alone or in combination with an auxiliary agent. Here, the auxiliary agent is a solvent added for the purpose of improving the detergency when the detergency is insufficient with respect to stains remaining on the item to be cleaned with perfluorocarbon alone, or remains on the item to be cleaned with perfluorocarbon alone. Solvents added for the purpose of improving the drainage capacity when the drainage capacity is insufficient with respect to water. For example, a CFC solvent such as Freon 113, a chlorine organic solvent such as 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and IPA Such hydrophilic solvents and the like.
Of course, it is preferable not to use these from the viewpoints of environmental destruction and safety, but by using perfluorocarbon as a main component, the influence on the environment can be significantly reduced. When these are used in combination, the amount of the auxiliary compounded is preferably 70% or less, more preferably 50% or less, and desirably 30% or less.
When using a flammable solvent, it is preferable to use one having a boiling point higher than that of perfluorocarbon.

In the cleaning process of the present invention, various cleaning agents can be used, such as silicone-based cleaning agents, cleaning agents containing perfluorocarbon as a main component as described above, and hydrophilic solvents. It is possible to use various water-based cleaning agents. As a specific cleaning means, a dipping tank, a shower tank, or the like is used, and if necessary, ultrasonic waves, shaking, mechanical stirring, and the like can be used together. Also, in the rinsing and washing step, various rinsing detergents such as water can be used.

Among the above-mentioned cleaning agents, examples of the silicone-based cleaning agent include:

[0016]

[Chemical 1]

(In the formula, R is the same or different, substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon group, and m is an integer of 0 to 5)
A linear polydiorganosiloxane represented by,

[0018]

[Chemical 2]

(Wherein R is the same or different, substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon group, and n is an integer of 3 to 7)
Examples include cyclic polydiorganosiloxanes represented by

Although the low molecular weight polyorganosiloxanes as described above show good cleaning performance by themselves, they can be added to the above-mentioned silicone-based cleaning agent to give or improve the cleaning performance. You may use together an organic solvent etc. as a cleaning performance improving agent. When using the cleaning performance improver, it is preferable to carry out rinsing cleaning with the above silicone-based cleaning agent alone. R in the above formulas (1) and (2) is a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon group, such as an alkyl group such as a methyl group, an ethyl group, a propyl group or a butyl group, a phenyl group, etc. The monovalent unsubstituted hydrocarbon group and the monovalent substituted hydrocarbon group such as trifluoromethyl group are exemplified, and the methyl group is preferable in view of stability of the system, maintenance of volatility and the like.

Further, various kinds of surfactants such as cationic, anionic, nonionic, amphoteric and their composites can be used as the above-mentioned cleaning performance improving agent. Examples of the hydrophilic solvent include polyhydric alcohols such as ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monopropyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate, and diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and their derivatives. It

Further, the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention embodies an example of the above-described cleaning method of the present invention as an apparatus. In the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the apparatus main body has a closed structure and the apparatus is It is preferable to provide a partition means for separating the main body into two chambers, and to provide an exhaust means for each of the two chambers separated so that the inside of the apparatus main body becomes a negative pressure. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the leakage of the cleaning agent containing the perfluorocarbon as the main component or the cleaning agent to the outside, and the cleaning agent containing the perfluorocarbon as the main component used in the present invention is not compatible with various solvents. Since they can be separated and recovered, the amount of these used can be reduced.

The objects to be cleaned which are objects of the cleaning method and the cleaning apparatus of the present invention include metals, ceramics, plastics, and more specifically, metal parts, surface-treated parts, electronic parts, semiconductor parts, electrical parts. Parts, precision machine parts, optical parts, glass parts, ceramic parts, etc.

[0024]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the construction of a cleaning apparatus to which the cleaning method of one embodiment of the present invention is applied. The cleaning apparatus shown in the figure has a shower cleaning step 30, a rinse cleaning step 40, and a cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component in an apparatus main body 20 in which, for example, a belt conveyor is installed as a conveying means 10 for the object to be cleaned 1. Drying process using steam of 50
Are sequentially arranged according to the transport route of the transport means 10.

The apparatus main body 20 has a closed structure except for the inlet 21 and the outlet 22 of the conveying means 10. The inside of the apparatus main body 20 is divided by a partition plate 23 provided on the rinsing and washing process 40. 2 rooms (20a, 20b)
Is separated into The exhaust system 2 is provided in each of the front chamber 20a and the rear chamber 20b separated by the partition plate 23.
4 and 25 are connected to each other, and the outside air (inlet portion 21 and the outlet portion 22) of the apparatus main body 20 is sucked into the outside air independently to make each of the front chamber 20a and the rear chamber 20b a negative pressure. It prevents the vapor of perfluorocarbon or the like from leaking from the main body 20 and enables them to be recovered and reused.

In the shower cleaning step 30, a plurality of showers arranged to spray the cleaning agent from both sides of the object to be cleaned 1 conveyed by the cleaning step conveyor 12 connected to the inlet side conveyor 11. The shower cleaning tank 32 has a nozzle 31. By this shower cleaning, dirt such as oil and water adhered to the object to be cleaned 1 is removed. As the above-mentioned cleaning agent, a silicone-based cleaning agent with a surfactant added as a cleaning performance improving agent, for example, Techno Care FRW-13 (trade name, manufactured by Toshiba Corporation; boiling point = 176 ° C), a cleaning agent with a silicone-based cleaning agent For example, Techno Care FRW-14 (trade name, manufactured by Toshiba Corporation; boiling point = 176) to which polyhydric alcohols have been added as an improver
℃), the same FRW-15 (boiling point = 178 ℃) etc. are used. Also,
The shower cleaning tank 32 is connected to a reserve tank 34 via a piping system 33.
The cleaning agent is circulated from 4 to 35 by the pump 35.
A filter 36 is inserted in the piping system 33,
The filter 36 removes contaminants such as solid substances and undissolved substances brought into the cleaning liquid.

The rinsing and washing step 40 has a dip rinsing tank 41 containing a silicone-based cleaning agent alone, and the rinsing step is performed so that the article to be cleaned 1 passes through the dipping and rinsing tank 41. A conveyor 13 is provided.
The cleaning liquid and ionic stains adhering to the object to be cleaned 1 after the shower cleaning step 30 has been completed are immersed in the immersion rinse tank 41.
The article to be cleaned 1 is rinsed off as it passes through the inside. As the rinsing detergent, for example, Technocare FRW-1 (trade name, manufactured by Toshiba Corporation; boiling point = 176 ° C.) containing a silicone-based detergent alone is used. A circulation system (not shown) is connected to the immersion rinsing tank 41, and the rinsing cleaning liquid is purified by a cleaning liquid cleaning device by water extraction. That is, since the cleaning performance improver and ionic stains mixed in the rinse cleaning liquid containing only the silicone-based cleaning agent can be extracted with water, the silicone-based cleaning agent can be purified by water extraction. As a result, the rinsing cleaning liquid is always kept clean.

In the drying step 50, a drying furnace 51 for maintaining perfluorocarbon or the like as vapor according to the boiling point of the cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component, and vapor of perfluorocarbon or the like are vaporized from the drying furnace 51. In order to prevent this, the cleaning pipe 52 is provided at the upper part of the drying furnace 51 so that the article to be cleaned 1 passes through the drying furnace 51 filled with the above-mentioned vapor of perfluorocarbon or the like. A drying process conveyer 14 is provided in the. As shown in FIG. 2, the vapor cleaning agent such as perfluorocarbon is vaporized by a vaporizer 60 having a heater 61 for heating, and is supplied into the drying furnace 51 through a vapor injection port 53. Further, as the cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component, the above-mentioned Fluorinert FC-72, FC-84, FC-77, FC-75 and the like are used.

In the drying furnace 51 filled with the above-mentioned vapor of perfluorocarbon or the like, the object to be treated 1 conveyed by the conveyor 14 for the drying process is condensed with the vapor of the perfluorocarbon until the boiling point of the perfluorocarbon is reached. The rinse cleaner remaining on the surface of the object to be processed 1 is washed off. When the object 1 to be treated exceeds the boiling point of perfluorocarbon, nothing is attached to the surface of the object 1 to be treated, and the object 1 is brought into a dry state and is carried out of the apparatus. The rinse cleaning agent removed by the steam cleaning is
It is discharged from a drain pipe 54 provided in the lower part of the drying furnace 51, and after removing contaminants and the like by water extraction, it is separated into a silicone-based cleaning agent and perfluorocarbon, and reused respectively. Separation of the silicone-based cleaning agent and the perfluorocarbon is performed by centrifugation or sedimentation separation.

As shown in FIG. 3, the exhaust systems 24 and 25 installed in the apparatus main body 20 described above have a shower mechanism 71 for bringing water for extracting cleaning agent components and the like into contact with suction gas. Are connected to the cleaning agent recovery device 70. In the cleaning agent recovery device 70 connected to the exhaust system 24 on the front chamber 20a side, water W is sprayed on the sucked gas G to extract the cleaning performance improving agent with water.
It is possible to separate and collect only water-insoluble silicone-based detergents for reuse. Further, in the cleaning agent recovery device 70 connected to the exhaust system 25 on the side of the rear chamber 20b, the cleaning performance improving agent is similarly extracted with water to separate the water-insoluble silicone cleaning agent and the incombustible inert liquid. It is possible to collect and reuse. Further, an exhaust system 26 is separately connected to the inlet 21 side of the apparatus main body 20 in order to enhance the efficiency of collecting the cleaning agent and the like.

Next, the results of cleaning evaluation of flux-based stains by the cleaning device having the above-mentioned configuration will be described. First, in the shower cleaning step 30, as a silicone-based cleaning agent containing polyhydric alcohol, Techno Care FRW-14 and FRW-15 are used.
In the rinsing washing step 40, Technocare FRW-1 was used as the silicone-based cleaning agent, and in the drying step, Fluorinert FC-75 was used as the perfluorocarbon-based solvent.
The circuit board to which various fluxes adhered was washed under the conditions of 6 minutes for drying and 6 minutes. The cleaning results are shown in Table 1 together with the types of flux. The cleaning results were visually evaluated by ⊚ = sufficient, ∘ = almost good, and Δ = sweet.

Table 1 Flux shower cleaner FRW-14 FRW-15 Rosin type (PO-F-4900) ○ ◎ Rosin type (PO-F-4600) ○ ◎ Rosin type (PO-F-1010S) ○ ◎ Rosin type (PO-Z-7) ◎ ◎ Water-soluble (WF-57) ○ ◎ Water-soluble (WF-37) △ ◎ Rosin-based (Deltalux 507) ◎ ◎ Water resistance of the perfluorocarbon-based solvent used in the above evaluation examples The stainability was evaluated according to the method shown below.
The results are shown in Table 2. In each comparative example in the table, Freon 113 and isopropyl alcohol were used as the conventional vapor cleaner.

(A) Water stain resistance Various base materials (stainless steel plate, ceramics, polycarbonate, Ni-plated steel plate) were washed in the same manner as in the above evaluation example, and then steam dried under the same conditions. The same conditions were used in the comparative example. After that, the watermark (stain due to scale)
Was observed visually and by a scanning electron microscope, and evaluated according to the following criteria.

XX: When the substrate was eroded in the draining process and the evaluation could not be reached.

X: When a watermark was visually observed.

◯: When no watermark was visually observed

⊚: When a watermark of 50 μm or more was not observed by a scanning electron microscope.

(B) Continuous water stain characteristics Using a stainless steel plate as a base material, the appearance after 50 drying tests was evaluated in the same manner as in (a) above.

Table 2 Examples Comparative Examples Perfluorocarbon Freon 113 Isopropyl (FC-75) Alcohol water Stainless ◎ ◎ ○ ○ Ceramics ◎ ○ ○ Polycarbonate ◎ ◎ × × Ni Ni plated steel plate ◎ ◎ ◎ ○ Continuous water stain ◎ ◎ ○ ○ As is clear from the above evaluation results, according to the cleaning apparatus using the vapor drying of the cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component, the flux-based dirt can be sufficiently cleaned by the non-aqueous cleaning, It has good water stain resistance and can be used for ultra-precision cleaning. Therefore, it can be seen that it can be sufficiently used as an alternative cleaning for fluorocarbon solvents and the like. Also, since a cleaning agent that does not cause environmental damage and that does not substantially contain chlorine is used in place of the CFC-based solvent, it is possible to significantly reduce the adverse effects on the environment and to protect the human body. It is possible to carry out cleaning with high safety without adverse effects.

Further, in the cleaning apparatus having the above structure, the inside of the apparatus main body is evacuated to a negative pressure state to prevent the cleaning agent, perfluorocarbon, etc. from leaking to the outside, and at the same time, to remove those components from the exhaust gas. Since it is collected, the impact on the external environment can be minimized, and unnecessary loss of cleaning agents, perfluorocarbons, etc. is prevented. Therefore, in addition to being excellent in safety, the cleaning agent and the like can be used efficiently and effectively, so that the usage amount of the cleaning agent and the like can be significantly reduced and the running cost can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, a cleaning process using a silicone-based cleaning agent containing a cleaning performance improving agent,
Although the example of applying the cleaning process in combination with the rinse cleaning process using only the silicone-based cleaning agent has been described, depending on the type of the object to be processed and the type of dirt, the silicone-based cleaning agent alone or the cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as the main component Similar effects can be obtained even in the washing step using a hydrophilic solvent. Further, when a cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component is used in the cleaning step, it is possible to use a chlorofluorocarbon-based solvent, a chlorine-based organic solvent or the like as the vapor cleaning agent for the drying step.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
Will be described with reference to. FIG. 4 shows the configuration of a cleaning apparatus in which the present invention is applied to draining cleaning and drying after cleaning with water (or cleaning with a water-based cleaning agent). In the apparatus main body 90 thus prepared, a soaking and draining cleaning step 100 using a cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component, a shower draining cleaning step 110 using a similar cleaning agent, and a drying process using vapor of a cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component. The step 120 is arranged and arranged in order according to the transfer route of the basket transfer mechanism 80.

The apparatus main body 90 has a hermetically sealed structure except for the inlet portion 91 and the outlet portion 92 of the basket transfer mechanism 80. The device main body 90 having this sealed structure includes
An exhaust system 93 is connected to prevent the perfluorocarbon vapor from leaking from the device body 90 by setting a negative pressure inside the device body 90, and at the same time, to collect and reuse the perfluorocarbon. It is possible.

The submerged draining and washing step 100 has a submerged tank 101 containing a cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component. The object to be cleaned contained in the basket 81 and transferred by the basket transfer mechanism 80 is cleaned by a separately installed cleaning device using an aqueous cleaning agent or the like, or rinsed with water. By immersing the object to be cleaned in a cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component, water and the like adhering to the surface of the object to be cleaned are removed. This removal of water is performed, for example, by floating water on the surface of the perfluorocarbon liquid due to the difference in specific gravity between the perfluorocarbon and water. If the removal of water by the above-mentioned difference in specific gravity is not sufficient, an ultrasonic transducer 102 is installed in the immersion tank 101 and water or the like attached to the surface of the object to be cleaned by mechanical energy of ultrasonic waves. May be assisted.

Further, the shower drainer washing step 110 is
The shower cleaning tank 112 has a plurality of shower nozzles 111 arranged to spray a cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component onto the object to be cleaned. Water, etc., is removed, and water replacement is completed. Further, even when dirt is redeposited by the immersion cleaning, it is removed by the shower cleaning. The removal of water by the shower cleaning is performed by blasting off the water remaining on the surface of the object to be cleaned by the kinetic energy resulting from the difference in specific gravity between perfluorocarbon and water.

The above-mentioned various perfluorocarbons can be used as the cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component, which is used in the above-mentioned immersion draining cleaning step 100 and shower draining cleaning step 110.

The drying step 120 includes a steam cleaning tank 122 having a steam generating portion 121 for vaporizing the perfluorocarbon, and a vapor of the perfluorocarbon so as to prevent vaporization of the perfluorocarbon from the steam cleaning tank 122. It is composed of a cooling pipe 123 provided above the cleaning tank 122. The perfluorocarbon vapor is condensed on the surface of the object 1 that has been conveyed into the vapor cleaning tank 122 filled with the perfluorocarbon vapor until the temperature reaches the boiling point of the perfluorocarbon. Then, when the temperature of the object to be processed 1 reaches the boiling point of the perfluorocarbon, evaporation of the perfluorocarbon occurs, so that nothing is attached to the surface of the object to be processed 1 and is carried out of the apparatus. Further, even when a small amount of water is attached to the surface of the object to be processed 1, vapor of perfluorocarbon is condensed on the surface of the object to be processed 1,
When the surface of the object to be processed 1 is dropped along the surface, the water drops off due to the flow, so that the water can be removed.
Further, the latent heat of the perfluorocarbon vapor raises the temperature of the water and the object to be treated 1, and the water can also be removed by vaporizing the water.

As the perfluorocarbon used in the drying step 120, it is preferable to use a perfluorocarbon having a boiling point not exceeding the boiling point of water, although it depends on the vapor pressure.

Techno Care FRV-1 (commercially available as a perfluorocarbon-based solvent in the immersion drainer washing step 100, a perfluorocarbon-based solvent in the shower drainer washing step 110, and a perfluorocarbon-based solvent in the drying step 120, using the drainage washing device having the above-mentioned configuration. Name, manufactured by Toshiba Corporation)
3 minutes, shower washing 3 minutes, drying Under the conditions of 3 minutes, washing and drying of various base materials to which water adhered were carried out. The cleaning results were evaluated according to the water stain resistance described above.
The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3 Examples Comparative Examples Perfluorocarbon Freon 113 Isopropyl (FRV-1) Alcohol water Stainless ◎ ◎ ○ ○ Ceramics ◎ ○ ○ Polycarbonate ◎ ◎ × × Ni-plated steel sheet ◎ ◎ ○ Clear from the above evaluation results As described above, according to the water-draining cleaning device using the cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component, the surface of the object to be cleaned can be sufficiently water-drained, the water-stain resistance is also good, and ultra-precision cleaning is possible. Therefore, it can be seen that it can be sufficiently used as an alternative cleaning method using a chlorofluorocarbon solvent.

Further, in the cleaning apparatus having the above-mentioned structure, the leakage of perfluorocarbon to the outside is prevented, and since the perfluorocarbon is recovered from the exhaust gas, the influence on the external environment should be minimized. And prevent unnecessary loss of perfluorocarbon.
Therefore, in addition to being excellent in safety, the cleaning agent can be used efficiently and effectively, so that the usage amount of the cleaning agent can be significantly reduced and the running cost can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the water replacement is carried out by the immersion cleaning and the shower cleaning, and then the drying with the perfluorocarbon vapor is carried out. However, the cleaning and the drying may be carried out only by the vapor cleaning with the perfluorocarbon. it can. At this time, when the perfluorocarbon vapor is condensed on the surface of the object to be processed 1 and the surface of the object to be processed 1 is covered with the perfluorocarbon liquid,
The water on the surface of the object to be treated 1 is spread out, and uniform drying can be performed. Water is removed by floating the water based on the difference in specific gravity between water and perfluorocarbon, or removing the perfluorocarbon after dew condensation.

[0054]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The same effect as cleaning with CFC-based solvents and steam drying (water stain resistance, etc.) is obtained, and a cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component that does not substantially contain chlorine is used, resulting in significant environmental damage. It can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to perform ultra-precision cleaning and the like with high safety including the effect on the environment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vaporization apparatus for a fluorine-based inert liquid used in the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cleaning agent recovery device used in the cleaning device shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a cleaning apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Object to be cleaned 10, 80 ... Transport mechanism 20, 90 ... Device body 20a ... Front chamber 20b ... Rear chamber 21, 91 ... Inlet portion 22, 92 ... Outlet portion 24, 25, 93 ... Exhaust System 30: Shower washing process 40: Rinsing washing process 50, 120: Drying process 100: Immersion draining washing process 110: Shower draining washing process

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Masahide Uchino 4-19-85 Nohidome, Niiza-shi, Saitama Japan Field Co., Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. When cleaning an object to be cleaned with a cleaning agent, the cleaning, rinsing or drying of the object to be cleaned is performed with a cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component or a vapor thereof. Method. 2. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein after cleaning or rinsing the object to be cleaned, the cleaning agent or rinsing agent adhering to the surface of the object to be cleaned is mainly the perfluorocarbon. A cleaning method characterized by removing with a cleaning agent as a component or its vapor. 3. The cleaning method according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning agent used in the cleaning step or the rinsing cleaning agent used in the rinsing step contains at least water. 4. A device main body having a transport mechanism for an object to be cleaned and having an entrance / exit of the transport mechanism, a cleaning unit provided on the inlet side of the transport mechanism in the device main body, and the device. A cleaning device, which is provided on the outlet side of the transport mechanism in the main body, and is provided with a drying unit using a vapor of a cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component. 5. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the apparatus body has a closed structure, and the inside of the apparatus body is
A cleaning device, characterized in that partition means for separating the two chambers is provided, and an exhaust means is provided for each of the two separated chambers so that the inside of the apparatus main body becomes a negative pressure. 6. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising means for recovering the cleaning agent and the cleaning agent containing perfluorocarbon as a main component from the gas sucked by the exhaust unit.