Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B3/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
  • B08B3/04—Cleaning involving contact with liquid
  • B08B3/10—Cleaning involving contact with liquid with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by vibration
  • B08B3/12—Cleaning involving contact with liquid with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by vibration by sonic or ultrasonic vibrations
  • B08B3/123—Cleaning travelling work, e.g. webs, articles on a conveyor
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B3/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
  • B08B3/04—Cleaning involving contact with liquid
  • B08B3/10—Cleaning involving contact with liquid with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by vibration
  • B08B3/12—Cleaning involving contact with liquid with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by vibration by sonic or ultrasonic vibrations

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a substrate cleaning method and a cleaning apparatus for ultrasonically cleaning various substrates such as a liquid crystal display, a glass substrate such as a photomask, a printed wiring substrate, and a semiconductor wafer.
• a predetermined processing solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate and then processed.
• a cleaning process for removing the liquid from the substrate is being performed.
• various cleaning devices are used, such as one that simply sprays pure water and one that cleans the substrate surface with a brush.
• ultrasonic cleaning in which a substrate is immersed in cleaning water to which ultrasonic vibrations are applied, is effective in that ultra-fine dust (so-called particles) attached to the surface of the substrate can be removed.
• the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a substrate cleaning method and a cleaning apparatus capable of realizing a reduction in size and cost of the apparatus without impairing the cleaning effect. Aim. Disclosure of the invention
• a cleaning water is brought into contact with at least a part of the back surface of the substrate, and the cleaning surface to which the ultrasonic vibration is applied is supplied to the surface of the substrate opposite to the contact portion to wash the substrate.
• the present invention relates to a substrate cleaning method characterized by the following.
• the substrate may be moved horizontally so that the entire back surface of the substrate comes into contact with the cleaning water.
• this device invention has a water reservoir having an opening at the top and storing cleaning water therein, and supports the substrate so as to be horizontally movable and the back surface thereof is in contact with the cleaning water stored in the water reservoir.
• Cleaning water supply means disposed above the water storage tank, for supplying cleaning water to which ultrasonic vibration has been applied to a substrate surface opposite to a portion in contact with the cleaning water; and the water storage tank. And a transporting means for transporting the substrate between the cleaning water supply means and the cleaning water supply means.
• the cleaning water supply means has a long nozzle arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the substrate, and the opening of the water storage tank has a direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the substrate.
• the substrate may be configured to have a dimension longer than a width dimension in the orthogonal direction.
• the support means may be configured to include a support roller disposed in the water storage tank and having an upper end arranged so as to coincide with the flush water level in the water storage tank.
• the support roller receives ultrasonic vibrations, it is preferable that the support roller be made of a material such as a metal which is not damaged by the vibration. Further, it is preferable that the outer peripheral portion in contact with the substrate is formed in a gentle curved surface.
• a pair of side walls which are perpendicular to the substrate transport direction, are provided so as to be movable up and down, and a height position of an upper end portion thereof is adjustable, and an upper end of the side wall is provided. It is also possible to adjust the height position of the washing water surface determined by the part. With this configuration, the height position of the washing water surface determined by the upper end portion of the side wall can be adjusted by moving the side wall in the vertical direction and adjusting the height position of the upper end portion. By doing so, the cleaning water can be brought into contact with the back surface of the substrate in a better condition, and the cleaning effect on the back surface of the substrate can be improved.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a schematic configuration of a preferred substrate cleaning apparatus according to the present invention
• FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of FIG. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
• the transport direction of the substrate W is the left-right direction in FIG. 1 and the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG.
• the substrate cleaning apparatus includes a cleaning water supply unit 1 for supplying cleaning water to which ultrasonic vibration is applied, a water storage tank 3 for storing cleaning water therein, and the like. It is configured as such.
• the substrate W is transported in the direction of arrow A by a transport roller R and an auxiliary roller r as transport means.
• the cleaning water supply means 1 includes an ultrasonic nozzle 2 having a slit 2 a formed therein for forming and discharging the cleaning water supplied from a water supply source 20 in a film form, and a cleaning liquid passing through the slit 2 a. And a piezoelectric element (not shown) for applying ultrasonic vibration to water.
• the piezoelectric element is mounted above the substrate transfer path in the processing tank, and its operation is controlled by the controller 10.
• the longitudinal direction of the ultrasonic nozzle 2 is orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate W (the direction indicated by the arrow A), and has a length that can cover the entire width of the substrate W in the width direction (the orthogonal direction).
• two or more ultrasonic nozzles 2 are provided in parallel so as to be forward and backward in the transport direction, and as a result, the overall width of the substrate to be transported is reduced.
• a configuration may be employed in which a plurality of ultrasonic nozzles 2 are used to cover.
• the water storage tank 3 has a pair of plates 4 and a water supply nozzle 31 provided in a box-shaped outer tank 5 which is formed to be elongated along the longitudinal direction of the ultrasonic nozzle 2 and has an open top.
• the water supply nozzle 31 is attached to the bottom plate of the outer tank 5 and is connected to the water supply source 30. Outside the outer tub 5, auxiliary rollers r are attached before and after in the transport direction (the direction of arrow A).
• the pair of plates 4 are provided on the side wall 50 orthogonal to the transport direction (the direction of arrow A) among the two sets of side walls 50 and 52 of the outer shell 5.
• the height of the side wall 52 is higher than that of the side wall 50.
• the height of the side wall 50 is lower than the height of the substrate transfer path (the position of the upper end of the transfer roller R and the auxiliary roller r). 1 is formed.
• a plurality of long holes 51 are provided at appropriate intervals in the longitudinal direction.
• the plate 4 is provided inside the side wall 50 as shown in FIG. Further, a flat plate-shaped seal plate 44 is provided outside the side wall 50 so as to cover the long hole 51, and the side wall 50 is sandwiched by screws 42 penetrating the long hole 51. In this state, the plate 4 and the sealing plate 44 are fixed to the side wall 50, and the long hole 51 is sealed in a liquid-tight manner. Further, since the screw 42 can move up and down in the long hole 51, the plate 4 can change the fixed position in the up and down direction.
• plate 4 The longitudinal ends of plate 4 are connected to the other side as shown in FIG. Liquid tightly adheres to the inner surface of the wall 52, and the plate 4 and the side wall 52 substantially form the four sides of the water tank 3, and the low height, the upper end of the plate 4, is stored in the water tank 3. The level of the washed water becomes H.
• a flange portion 53 is provided at the outer edge of the outer tub 5 so as to extend horizontally in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction toward the wall of the processing tub.
• the outer tank 5 is fixed in the processing tank.
• a bracket 43 that can move up and down in parallel with the brim portion 53 is provided above the brim portion 53, and the bracket 43 is vertically moved by a screw 41. The position is adjusted and fixed. Both ends of the plate 4 are connected to the bracket 43, and as a result, the position of the plate 4 in the vertical direction can be adjusted by screws 41.
• the vertical positional relationship between the outer casing 5 and the plate 4 can be adjusted by the screw 41 interposed between the flange 53 and the bracket 43. Thereafter, the position of the plate 4 can be fixed by fastening screws inserted into a plurality of elongated holes 51 provided at appropriate intervals along the longitudinal direction of the side wall 50.
• a support roller 6 as a substrate support means is provided in the water storage tank 3.
• the support roller 6 is attached to the shaft 7 so that its uppermost end is located immediately below the slit 2 a of the ultrasonic nozzle 2.
• the top end thereof is set at the same height as the water surface H of the washing water stored in the water storage tank 3, in other words, the height position of the plate 4 is the top end of the support roller 6.
• the height of the substrate W is adjusted so that the back surface of the substrate W supported on the support roller 6 comes into contact with the cleaning water.
• a plurality of support rollers 6 are provided at appropriate intervals in the axial direction of the shaft 7, as shown in FIG.
• Shaft 7 is a cistern 3 are provided along the longitudinal direction, and both ends thereof are rotatably supported by the side walls 52 of the outer casing 5 as shown in FIG.
• the support roller 6 is made of metal, and a portion in contact with the substrate W is rounded off. The chamfer and the buoyancy of the substrate prevent the back surface of the substrate W from being damaged.
• the transport roller R and the auxiliary roller r are preferably formed of a flexible material such as a resin.
• the substrate W is transported in the direction of arrow A by the transport roller R and the auxiliary roller r, and is guided between the water storage tank 3 and the cleaning water supply means 1.
• the substrate W is supported by the support roller 6, and the back surface of the substrate W comes into contact with the cleaning water in the water storage tank 3.
• cleaning water to which ultrasonic vibration has been applied is supplied from the cleaning water supply means 1 to the surface of the substrate W on the opposite side.
• the ultrasonic vibration applied to the cleaning water supplied to the front surface of the substrate W is propagated through the substrate W to the cleaning water that contacts the rear surface of the substrate W, and the ultrasonic vibration is applied to the cleaning water that contacts the rear surface of the substrate W.
• the front and back surfaces of the substrate W are similarly washed with the cleaning water to which the ultrasonic vibration is applied, and the front and back surfaces are effectively purified.
• the substrate cleaning apparatus of the present example only one apparatus for applying ultrasonic vibration is required, which suppresses an increase in the size of the entire apparatus and an increase in cost. can do.
• the substrate W continuously transported in the direction of arrow A by the transport roller R and the auxiliary roller r is supplied to the front surface from the position where the cleaning water in the water storage tank 3 comes into contact with the back surface and the cleaning water supply means 1.
• the position of the cleaning water gradually shifts, and eventually the entire front and back surfaces of the substrate W come into contact with the cleaning water, and the entire front and back surfaces are cleaned. For this reason, there is no need for a huge device for bringing the cleaning water into contact with the entire rear surface of the substrate W, and the cleaning device can be reduced in size and cost.
• the substrate W is supported by a support roller 6 provided in the water storage tank 3.
• the back surface of the substrate W can be supported so as to be surely brought into contact with the cleaning water in the water storage tank 3, and is supplied to the front surface of the substrate W from the cleaning water supply means 1. It is possible to prevent the substrate W from being bent by the pressure of the cleaning water, and the phenomenon occurring when the substrate W sinks below the water surface.
• the height position of the plate 4 is adjusted to adjust the water surface position of the washing water stored in the water storage tank 3, so that the surface of the substrate W can be maintained in a better condition. The cleaning water can be brought into contact, and the cleaning effect can be improved.
• the substrate cleaning method and the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention are suitably applied to cleaning of various substrates such as a liquid crystal display, a glass substrate such as a photomask, a printed wiring substrate, and a semiconductor wafer. be able to.

Landscapes

• Cleaning By Liquid Or Steam (AREA)
• Cleaning Or Drying Semiconductors (AREA)
• Liquid Crystal (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=18966082

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (8)

Citations (4)

• 2001
  • 2001-04-13 JP JP2001115129A patent/JP3441717B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2002
  • 2002-04-08 TW TW091106945A patent/TW538438B/zh not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2002-04-08 WO PCT/JP2002/003514 patent/WO2002083331A1/ja active Application Filing
  • 2002-04-08 CN CNB028000293A patent/CN1221330C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-04-08 KR KR1020027011888A patent/KR20030015208A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (4)

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