Substrate cleaning device

Abstract

The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a substrate cleaning device capable of removing an object to be removed adhering to a cleaning surface of a substrate while suppressing the amount of cleaning liquid used. The mist discharge unit (21) discharges a relay mist gas (MG1) including a cleaning liquid mist (MT) in a mist discharge direction (F21). The air knife (23) executes a first air gas injection process for obtaining a cleaning mist gas (MG2) by injecting an air gas (AG1) into a relay mist gas (MG1) in an air gas injection direction (FG1) while a transport operation of a substrate (1) is being performed by a transport mechanism, and merging the air gas (AG1) and the relay mist gas (MG1). The cleaning mist gas (MG2) supplied by the first air gas injection process is directly injected onto the surface of the conveyed substrate (1).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate cleaning device for cleaning a substrate, for example, to a substrate cleaning device for cleaning a substrate used in a plating treatment device for forming a metal film in the manufacture of electronic components. Background Art

[0002] Examples of conventional cleaning devices for cleaning substrates used in plating processing devices for forming metal coatings in the manufacture of electronic components include a closed cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a substrate liquid processing device disclosed in Patent Document 2, a substrate cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 3, a cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 4, and a cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 5.

[0003] The cleaning devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 basically clean the cleaning object by directly spraying cleaning liquid onto the cleaning object. The cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 4 cleans in a mist atmosphere. The cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 5 cleans by directly spraying cleaning liquid onto the cleaning object placed in a mist atmosphere.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-76962

[0007] Patent Document 2: International Publication No. 2018 / 501665

[0008] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-136742

[0009] Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-18993

[0010] Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-33730 Summary of the invention

[0011] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0012] The conventional cleaning devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 5 basically spray the cleaning liquid in an atomized state directly onto the cleaning object, and therefore have the problem of using a large amount of cleaning liquid.

[0013] The present disclosure aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a substrate cleaning apparatus capable of reducing the amount of cleaning liquid used.

[0014] Means for solving problems

[0015] The substrate cleaning device of the present invention comprises: a conveying unit, which performs a conveying action of conveying the substrate along a conveying direction; and a mist gas supply mechanism, which supplies a cleaning mist gas containing a cleaning liquid mist formed by atomizing a cleaning liquid to clean the cleaning surface of the substrate, the mist gas supply mechanism comprising: a mist spraying section, which sprays a relay mist gas containing the cleaning liquid mist along the mist spraying direction; and a first air gas blowing section, which performs a first air gas blowing treatment of the cleaning mist gas by blowing a first air gas to the relay mist gas along a first air gas blowing direction so that the first air gas and the relay mist gas merge to obtain the first air gas blowing treatment during the period when the conveying unit performs the conveying action, the cleaning mist gas is supplied to the cleaning surface of the substrate through the first air gas blowing treatment, the flow rate of the relay mist gas is set to an initial mist flow rate, the flow rate of the first air gas is set to a first air gas flow rate, and the first air gas flow rate is set to be higher than the initial mist flow rate.

[0016] Effects of the Invention

[0017] The mist gas supply mechanism in the substrate cleaning device disclosed herein includes the mist spraying unit and the first air gas blowing unit, and the first air gas flow rate is set higher than the initial mist flow rate.

[0018] Therefore, the cleaning mist gas obtained by the confluence of the relay mist gas and the first air gas is affected by the first air gas, the supply direction of the cleaning mist gas becomes the same as the blowing direction of the first air gas, and the flow rate of the cleaning mist gas, that is, the final mist gas flow rate, becomes the same as the flow rate of the first air gas.

[0019] Therefore, by setting the first air gas flow rate to the flow rate required for cleaning the cleaning surface of the substrate, the amount of cleaning liquid mist contained in the cleaning mist gas can be suppressed to the minimum required, thereby efficiently supplying the cleaning liquid mist to the cleaning surface of the substrate.

[0020] As a result, the substrate cleaning apparatus of the present disclosure can remove the objects to be removed that are attached to the cleaning surface of the substrate while reducing the amount of cleaning liquid used.

[0021] The objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the overall structure of the substrate cleaning device according to the first embodiment.

[0023] Figure 2 It is schematically indicated Figure 1 1 is an explanatory diagram of the structure of the mist gas supply mechanism shown.

[0024] Figure 3 To indicate Figure 1 An explanatory diagram of the air knife and its surroundings in the liquid removal mechanism shown.

[0025] Figure 4 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the adjustment function of the air knife in the mist gas supply mechanism.

[0026] Figure 5 It is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the adjustment function of the mist ejection portion in the mist gas supply mechanism.

[0027] Figure 6 To indicate the use of Figure 4 and Figure 5 A block diagram showing the configuration of the adjustment functions of the mist ejection unit and the air knife, respectively.

[0028] Figure 7 Yes means Figure 1 An explanatory diagram of the mist diffusion prevention plate and its surroundings shown.

[0029] Figure 8 It is an explanatory diagram showing the planar structure of the mist diffusion prevention plate.

[0030] Fig. 9 It is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a comparative substrate cleaning device.

[0031] Fig.10 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the overall structure of the substrate cleaning device according to the second embodiment.

[0032] Fig.11 It is schematically indicated Fig.10 1 is an explanatory diagram of the structure of the mist gas supply mechanism shown.

[0033] Fig.12 Yes means Fig.10 and Fig.11 An explanatory diagram of the structure of the adsorption mechanism shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] <Foreword>

[0035] The substrate cleaning device disclosed in the present invention is a device for cleaning a substrate, for example, a device for cleaning a substrate used in a plating treatment device for forming a metal coating in the manufacture of electronic components, etc. As a more detailed specific example, a substrate cleaning device can be cited that uses a plating liquid attached to a treated substrate such as a metal substrate or a printed circuit board after the plating treatment in a plating treatment process as a cleaning object. For example, in a substrate 1 after the plating treatment, there are plated areas and areas that are not plated but have residual plating liquid, and the plating liquid remaining in the former and the latter areas respectively becomes a cleaning object to be removed.

[0036] <Implementation Method 1>

[0037] Figure 1 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a substrate cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1. In this figure, an XYZ rectangular coordinate system is shown.

[0038] As shown in the figure, substrate 1 is placed on conveying table 2, and objects to be removed 3 such as plating solution are attached to the surface of substrate 1. Objects to be removed 3 are the cleaning targets of substrate cleaning device 51. In Embodiment 1, the surface of substrate 1 is the cleaning surface, and the plating solution attached to the surface of substrate 1 is assumed as object to be removed 3.

[0039] The substrate cleaning device 51 includes a transport unit, an ultrasonic atomizer 11 , a mist supply pipe 12 , a mist gas supply mechanism 20 , and a liquid removal mechanism 30 as main components.

[0040] The transport unit includes the transport stage 2 and a conveyor such as a conveyor (not shown). The transport unit moves the transport stage 2 along the stage transport direction T2 (+X direction) by the conveyor, thereby performing a transport operation of transporting the substrate 1 along the stage transport direction T2.

[0041] The ultrasonic atomizer 11 contains a cleaning liquid (not shown) inside, and generates a cleaning liquid mist MT having a particle size (of droplets) of 15 μm or less by applying ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid mist MT generated by the ultrasonic atomizer 11 is supplied to the mist ejection portion 21 of the mist gas supply mechanism 20 via the mist supply pipe 12 by a transport gas (not shown). In Embodiment 1, pure water is used as the cleaning liquid.

[0042] In addition, as a generation technology of the cleaning liquid mist MT other than the ultrasonic propagation method of applying ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning liquid, there are considered generation technologies based on pressurization, rotation, steam, piezoelectric, thermal, electrostatic, etc. However, in the case of generating a cleaning liquid mist MT with a relatively small particle size (of droplets) of less than 15 μm, it is preferable to adopt the ultrasonic vibration propagation method.

[0043] Mist gas supply mechanism 20 supplies cleaning mist gas MG2 including cleaning liquid mist MT obtained by atomizing a cleaning liquid to the surface of substrate 1 in order to clean objects 3 attached to the cleaning surface or surface of substrate 1 .

[0044] The mist gas supply mechanism 20 includes a mist spraying unit 21 and an air knife 23 as a first air gas spraying unit as main components.

[0045] The mist ejection unit 21 ejects the relay mist gas MG1 including the cleaning liquid mist MT along the mist ejection direction F21. At this time, the relay mist gas MG1 is supplied to the blowing port of the air gas AG1 of the air knife 23 or the periphery of the blowing port. Here, the flow rate of the relay mist gas MG1 is set to the mist gas flow rate V21. The mist gas flow rate V21 becomes the initial mist flow rate.

[0046] The mist ejection unit 21 is realized by, for example, transporting the cleaning liquid mist MT using an ejection transport gas (not shown) having directivity along the mist gas ejection direction F21. In this case, a mixed gas of the cleaning liquid mist MT and the transport gas becomes the relay mist gas MG1.

[0047] The particle size of the cleaning liquid mist MT generated by the application of ultrasonic vibration in the ultrasonic atomizer 11 is less than 15 μm, which is smaller than the particle size of general spray. The falling speed of the cleaning liquid mist MT is slow, so the cleaning liquid mist MT can be carried on a directional airflow with a mist gas ejection direction F21 as a relay mist gas MG1.

[0048] The air knife 23 as the first air gas blowing unit performs the first air gas blowing process of blowing air gas AG1 to the relay mist gas MG1 along the air gas blowing direction FG1 while the above-mentioned conveying mechanism performs the above-mentioned conveying action, so that the air gas AG1 merges with the relay mist gas MG1 to obtain the cleaning mist gas MG2. The air gas AG1 becomes the first air gas, and atmospheric air, nitrogen gas, etc. are used as the air gas AG1.

[0049] Here, if the flow rate of the air gas AG1 as the first air gas is set to the air gas flow rate VG1 (first air gas flow rate), the air gas flow rate VG1 is set higher than the mist gas flow rate V21. Specifically, the speed ratio {VG1:V21} of the air gas flow rate VG1 and the mist gas flow rate V21 is set to {10:1}, for example.

[0050] Since the air gas flow velocity VG1 is set higher than the mist gas flow velocity V21 , the relay mist gas MG1 is drawn into the flow of the air gas AG1 when merging with the air gas AG1 , and is greatly affected by the air gas AG1 .

[0051] Here, the flow rate of the cleaning mist gas MG2 is set as the mist gas flow rate V23, and the supply direction of the cleaning mist gas MG2 is set as the mist gas supply direction F23. As described above, the cleaning mist gas MG2 is greatly affected by the air gas AG1. Therefore, the mist gas supply direction F23 becomes the same direction as the air gas blowing direction FG1, and the mist gas flow rate V23 becomes the same level as the air gas flow rate VG1. This is because the mist gas flow rate V21 of the relay mist gas MG1 is slower than the air gas flow rate VG1 of the air gas AG1, so the wall attachment effect occurs.

[0052] In this way, regarding the cleaning mist gas MG2 obtained by the confluence of the relay mist gas MG1 and the air gas AG1, the mist gas supply direction F23 becomes the same direction as the air gas blowing direction FG1, and the mist gas flow rate V23 becomes a speed at the same level as the air gas flow rate VG1.

[0053] The cleaning mist gas MG2 obtained by the confluence of the air gas AG1 and the relay mist gas MG1 passes under the mist diffusion prevention plate 4 described in detail later, and is supplied to the transport path of the transport workbench 2 that is transported along the workbench transport direction T2.

[0054] Therefore, during the period when the transport mechanism performs the transport action, the cleaning mist gas MG2 supplied by the first air gas blowing treatment directly blows the cleaning mist gas MG2 onto the surface of the substrate 1.

[0055] At this time, the mist gas flow rate V23 of the cleaning mist gas MG2 becomes the same level as the air gas flow rate VG1 of the air gas AG1. Therefore, it directly blows the object to be removed 3 attached to the surface of the substrate 1 at a relatively high mist gas flow rate V23. Therefore, by the cleaning mist gas MG2 having the mist gas flow rate V23, the object to be removed 3 such as the plating solution can be washed away.

[0056] As a result, by blowing the cleaning mist gas MG2 containing the cleaning liquid mist MT onto the surface of the substrate 1, the object to be removed 3 attached to the surface of the substrate 1 is removed or decomposed. As a result, the object to be removed 3 that is the cleaning target is cleaned.

[0057] The liquid removal mechanism 30 includes an air knife 31 as a main component. The air knife 31 as the second air gas blowing part is arranged at a position downstream of the air knife 23 as the first air gas blowing part in the workbench transport direction T2.

[0058] The air gas AG2 blown out along the air gas blowing direction FG2 by the air knife 31 as the second air gas blowing part passes under the mist diffusion prevention plate 4 and is supplied toward the conveying path of the conveying table 2 conveyed along the table conveying direction T2 during the period when the above-mentioned conveying unit performs the above-mentioned conveying action.

[0059] Therefore, the air knife 31 as the second air gas blowing unit performs the second air gas blowing process of directly blowing the air gas AG2 as the second air gas toward the residue remaining on the surface of the substrate 1 while the conveying unit performs the conveying operation.

[0060] Furthermore, the air gas blowing direction FG1 (mist gas supply direction F23 ) of the air gas AG1 and the air gas blowing direction FG2 of the air gas AG2 each have a direction component in the conveyance opposing direction (−X direction) opposing the stage conveyance direction T2 .

[0061] The second air gas blowing process using air knife 31 can remove the residue remaining on the surface of substrate 1. The residue may include a part of object 3 to be removed, cleaning liquid, and the like.

[0062] exist Figure 1 In the figure, the worktable conveying direction T2 of the substrate 1 is set as the horizontal direction (X direction), but the worktable conveying direction T2 may be a direction inclined with respect to the X direction, or the vertical direction (Z direction) may be set as the worktable conveying direction T2.

[0063] In addition, Figure 1 In the example, the cleaning surface of the substrate 1 is set as the front surface (upper surface) of the substrate 1, but the back surface (lower surface) of the substrate 1 may be set as the cleaning surface.

[0064] Figure 2 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the structure of the mist gas supply mechanism 20. As shown in the figure, the distance along the mist gas ejection direction F21 from the time when the relay mist gas MG1 merges with the air gas AG1 is the output port distance D13. The output port distance D13 is the distance from the ejection port (front end portion) of the mist ejection unit 21 to the peripheral area of ​​the blowing port (front end portion) of the air knife 23. The output port distance D13 is set so that the relay mist gas MG1 merges with the air gas AG1 and the cleaning mist gas MG2 having the directionality of the mist gas supply direction F23 consistent with the air gas blowing direction FG1 can be obtained with high precision.

[0065] Furthermore, gap G23, which is the distance in the vertical direction (Z direction) from surface 1s of substrate 1 to be cleaned to the outlet of air knife 23, is set to a length that increases the removal effect of object 3.

[0066] The angle of the mist gas supply direction F23 relative to the table conveying direction T2 (+X direction), that is, the airflow supply angle A23, is set to a range of 0 to 90 degrees (greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees: 0 (degrees) < A23 < 90 (degrees)). This airflow supply angle A23 becomes the first air blowing angle.

[0067] If air flow supply angle A23 as first air blowing angle is set outside the range of 0 to 90 degrees, object 3 may flow onto the surface of substrate 1 to be cleaned and contaminate the surface of substrate 1 when object 3 is flushed away and removed, which is not preferred.

[0068] The gas supply pressure of the gas supplied to the air knife 23 when the air gas AG1 is blown out from the air knife 23 is set to a pressure at which a desired air gas flow rate VG1 can be obtained.

[0069] The transport speed of substrate 1 transported by the transport unit along stage transport direction T2 is preferably appropriately set within a range that suppresses the usage of cleaning liquid mist MT included in cleaning mist gas MG2 and appropriately maintains the cleaning effect of object 3 to be removed.

[0070] Figure 3 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the air knife 31 and its surroundings. The air gas flow rate VG2 (second air gas flow rate) of the air gas AG2 (second air gas) blown from the air knife 31 as the second air gas blowing portion is set so that the removal effect of the residue on the surface of the substrate 1 is maintained at a desired removal level and the dryness of the surface of the substrate 1 is below a specified dryness level.

[0071] The higher the air flow rate VG2 as the second air flow rate, the higher the effect of removing the residues, and the lower the air flow rate VG2, the lower the degree of dryness of the surface of the substrate 1 can be suppressed. It should be noted that, in the case where the substrate 1 is a raw material that is easily oxidized, if the degree of dryness of the surface of the substrate 1 becomes higher, the residues on the surface of the substrate 1 may be oxidized and contaminate the substrate 1. In addition, the air gas flow rate VG2 can be adjusted by the gas supply pressure to the air knife 31.

[0072] In addition, the gap G31 along the vertical direction (Z direction) from the surface of the substrate 1 to be cleaned to the blowing outlet of the air knife 31 is set to a distance at which the removal effect of the residue is high and the substrate 1 placed on the conveying workbench 2 does not move. If the gap G31 becomes shorter, the wind force of the air gas AG2 becomes stronger, and the substrate 1 may move from the conveying workbench 2.

[0073] The angle of the air blowing direction FG2 relative to the table conveying direction T2 (X direction), that is, the air flow supply angle A31, is set to a range of 0 to 90 degrees (greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees: 0 (degrees) < A31 < 90 (degrees)). This air flow supply angle A23 becomes the second air blowing angle.

[0074] In addition, if the airflow supply angle A31 as the second air blowing angle is set outside the range of 0 to 90 degrees, when the residue is flushed away and removed, the residue may flow on the surface of the substrate 1 that becomes the cleaning surface and contaminate the surface of the substrate 1, which is not preferred.

[0075] Figure 4 It is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the adjustment function of the air knife 23. Figure 5 It is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the adjustment function of the mist spraying unit 21. Figure 6 This is a block diagram showing a configuration for realizing the adjustment functions of each of the mist ejection unit 21 and the air knife 23 .

[0076] like Figure 6 As shown, the air knife moving mechanism 23M and the air knife 23 are connected to the air knife rotating mechanism 23R.

[0077] The air knife moving mechanism 23M is a mechanism for moving the air knife 23 along the moving direction T23X or the moving direction T23Z. Therefore, the substrate cleaning device 51 having the air knife moving mechanism 23M has a first blowing section moving function for moving the air knife 23 as the first air gas blowing section along the moving direction T23X or the moving direction T23Z. In addition, the moving direction T23X is a direction parallel to the X direction, and the moving direction T23Z is a direction parallel to the Z direction.

[0078] The air knife rotating mechanism 23R is a mechanism that rotates the air knife 23 along a rotation direction R23 with a predetermined portion of the air knife 23 as a rotation axis in the XZ plane. Therefore, the substrate cleaning device 51 having the air knife rotating mechanism 23R has a first blowing angle adjustment function of adjusting the air flow supply angle A23 as the first air gas blowing angle by rotating the air knife 23 along the rotation direction R23.

[0079] The air knife moving mechanism 23M can move the air knife 23 without changing the airflow supply angle A23, and its structure is arbitrary and can be realized by the prior art. The air knife rotating mechanism 23R can rotate the air knife 23 along the rotation direction R23, and its structure is arbitrary and can be realized by the prior art.

[0080] like Figure 6 As shown, the mist spraying unit 21 is connected to a mist spraying unit rotating mechanism 21R and a mist spraying unit moving mechanism 21M.

[0081] The fog ejection unit moving mechanism 21M is a mechanism that moves the fog ejection unit 21 along the moving direction T21X or the moving direction T21Z. Therefore, the substrate cleaning device 51 having the fog ejection unit moving mechanism 21M has an ejection unit moving function that moves the fog ejection unit 21 along the moving direction T21X or the moving direction T23Z. In addition, the moving direction T21X is a direction parallel to the X direction, and the moving direction T21Z is a direction parallel to the Z direction.

[0082] The fog ejection unit rotation mechanism 21R is a mechanism that rotates the fog ejection unit 21 along the rotation direction R21 with a specified portion of the fog ejection unit 21 as the rotation axis in the XZ plane. Therefore, the substrate cleaning device 51 having the fog ejection unit rotation mechanism 21R has an ejection angle adjustment function of adjusting the fog ejection angle, that is, the fog supply angle A21, with respect to the workbench conveyance direction T2 by rotating the fog ejection unit 21 along the rotation direction R21. The fog supply angle A21 is set in the range of 0 to 90 degrees (more than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees: 0 (degrees) < A21 < 90 (degrees)).

[0083] The fog ejection unit moving mechanism 21M only needs to be able to move the fog ejection unit 21 without changing the fog supply angle A21, and its configuration is arbitrary and can be realized by existing technologies. The fog ejection unit rotation mechanism 21R only needs to be able to rotate the air knife 23 along the rotation direction R21, and its configuration is arbitrary and can be realized by existing technologies.

[0084] (Fog diffusion prevention plate 4)

[0085] The substrate cleaning device 51 of Embodiment 1 has a fog diffusion prevention plate 4. The fog diffusion prevention plate 4 is arranged between the fog gas supply mechanism 20 and the substrate 1 and is in a flat plate shape. The plate shape is a shape along the XY plane.

[0086] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the fog diffusion prevention plate 4 and its periphery, Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the planar configuration of the fog diffusion prevention plate 4. Figure 7 and Figure 8 respectively describe the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system.

[0087] The fog diffusion prevention plate 4 is arranged so as to form a diffusion suppression space S1 having a specified gap, that is, a gap G4, in such a way that it does not hinder the supply of the cleaning fog gas MG2 to the cleaning surface of the substrate 1, that is, the surface 1s. The gap G4 is the distance along the Z direction between the back surface 4r of the fog diffusion prevention plate 4 and the surface 1s of the substrate 1, and the diffusion suppression space S1 is a space having the gap G4 formed between the surface 1s of the substrate 1 and the back surface 4r of the fog diffusion prevention plate 4.

[0088] As Figure 8As shown, since the planar shape of the mist diffusion preventing plate 4 is set to be sufficiently wide, most of the space above the surface 1s of the substrate 1 can be used as the diffusion suppressing space S1.

[0089] By setting the gap G4 as the predetermined gap sufficiently short and making the diffusion suppression space S1 a narrow space, diffusion of the cleaning liquid mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG2 can be suppressed. The gap G4 (μm) is preferably set within the range satisfying {15 μm<G4≦50 mm}.

[0090] That is, in the substrate cleaning apparatus 51 of the first embodiment, assuming that the cleaning liquid mist MT has a particle size (of droplets) of 15 μm or less, the gap G4 is set to a length exceeding the particle size of the cleaning liquid mist MT.

[0091] Fig. 9 This is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a comparative substrate cleaning apparatus 51X assuming a case where the mist diffusion prevention plate 4 is not provided in the substrate cleaning apparatus 51 of Embodiment 1. In this figure, an XYZ rectangular coordinate system is shown. Fig. 9 This shows a state where object 3 to be removed is attached to a portion of the surface of substrate 1 .

[0092] As shown in the figure, when the cleaning mist gas MG2 is supplied to the surface 1s of the substrate 1, since the cleaning liquid mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG2 is light, a part of the cleaning liquid mist MT diffuses above the substrate 1. The comparative substrate cleaning apparatus 51X does not have the mist diffusion prevention plate 4, and therefore cannot suppress the diffusion of the cleaning liquid mist MT.

[0093] Therefore, the cleaning mist gas MG2 becomes drier as the cleaning liquid mist MT diffuses, so the cleaning mist gas MG2 in a dry state is sprayed onto the surface 1s of the substrate 1, and as a result, the surface 1s of the substrate 1 is easily dried. If the surface 1s of the substrate 1 in a dry state is oxidized, the surface 1s of the substrate 1 will be contaminated.

[0094] On the other hand, in the substrate cleaning device 51 of the first embodiment, the space on the surface 1s of the substrate 1 is narrowed to the diffusion suppression space S1 due to the presence of the mist diffusion prevention plate 4, so that the diffusion of the cleaning liquid mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG2 can be effectively suppressed. Therefore, the substrate cleaning device 51 of the first embodiment can avoid the phenomenon of oxidation and contamination of the surface 1s by suppressing the drying of the surface 1s.

[0095] (Effect)

[0096] The mist gas supply mechanism 20 in the substrate cleaning apparatus 51 of the first embodiment of the present disclosure includes the mist ejection unit 21 and the air knife 23 , and the air gas flow rate VG1 as the first air gas flow rate is set higher than the mist gas flow rate V21 of the relay mist gas MG1 .

[0097] Therefore, the cleaning mist gas MG2 obtained by merging the air gas AG1 and the relay mist gas MG1 is affected by the air gas AG1, and the mist gas supply direction F23 of the cleaning mist gas MG2 becomes the same direction as the air blowing direction FG1, and the mist gas flow rate V23 becomes the same as the air flow rate VG1.

[0098] Therefore, by setting the air gas flow rate VG1 to the flow rate required for cleaning the cleaning surface of the substrate 1, i.e., the surface 1s, the amount of cleaning liquid mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG2 can be suppressed to the required minimum, and the cleaning liquid mist MT can be efficiently supplied to the surface of the substrate 1.

[0099] As a result, substrate cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 can remove objects 3 attached to the surface of substrate 1 while reducing the amount of cleaning liquid used.

[0100] The substrate cleaning apparatus 51 of the first embodiment supplies the cleaning mist gas MG2 to the conveying path of the conveying stage 2 and directly sprays the cleaning mist gas MG2 including the cleaning liquid mist MT onto the surface of the substrate 1 , thereby being able to remove the objects 3 attached to the surface of the substrate 1 with high accuracy.

[0101] Hereinafter, an example of the cleaning effect of substrate cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 will be described in which object to be removed 3 is a nickel plating solution and the cleaning solution is pure water.

[0102] The substrate 1 is a Hull cell copper substrate with a planar shape of 100 mm × 100 mm and a thickness of 0.3 mm. 2 mL of nickel plating solution is dripped on the surface as the cleaning surface, and the dripped plating solution is spread and unnecessary plating solution is removed. In this way, the nickel plating solution with a weight of 0.6 to 0.7 g and a thickness of about 0.5 mm is attached to the surface of the substrate 1 as the object to be removed 3.

[0103] For the substrate 1 having the object to be removed 3 attached to the surface as described above, during the execution of the conveying action of conveying the conveying worktable 2 along the worktable conveying direction T2 at a substrate conveying speed of 200 mm / min by the conveying unit, the mist gas MG2 for cleaning is blown from the mist gas supply mechanism 20 to the surface of the substrate 1, and the residue on the surface of the substrate 1 is removed by the air knife 31.

[0104] As a result, the substrate cleaning apparatus 51 of Embodiment 1 obtained an analysis result in which the adhesion amount of the nickel plating solution as the object 3 to be removed was reduced to 22 μg by ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry).

[0105] Thus, the substrate cleaning apparatus 51 of Embodiment 1 can remove the object 3 to be removed adhering to the surface of the substrate 1 with high precision.

[0106] In addition, even if the cleaning mist gas MG2 is not directly blown onto the surface of the substrate 1, as long as the atmosphere of the cleaning mist gas MG2 can be formed on the surface of the transfer table 2, the object 3 to be removed adhering to the surface of the substrate 1 can be removed. For example, consider an indirect supply environment of the cleaning mist gas MG2 such as setting the transfer path of the transfer table 2 on the downwind side of the cleaning mist gas MG2 and the surface of the substrate 1 passing through the atmosphere of the cleaning mist gas MG2.

[0107] However, in order to improve the cleaning effect of removing the object 3 to be removed, an environment in which the cleaning mist gas MG2 is directly blown onto the surface of the substrate 1 is preferred compared to the indirect supply environment of the cleaning mist gas MG2.

[0108] The substrate cleaning apparatus 51 of Embodiment 1 can remove the residue remaining on the surface 1s of the substrate 1 with high precision by directly blowing the air gas AG2 as the second air gas from the air knife 31 as the second air gas blowing unit onto the surface 1s of the substrate 1 that becomes the cleaning surface.

[0109] The substrate cleaning apparatus 51 of Embodiment 1 can supply the cleaning liquid mist MT having a relatively small particle size of 15 μm or less, for example, to the mist ejection unit 21 via the mist supply pipe 12 by including the ultrasonic atomizer 11.

[0110] As a result, the cleaning liquid mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG2 supplied from the substrate cleaning apparatus 51 of Embodiment 1 can also penetrate into the fine portions of the surface of the substrate 1, and by suppressing the amount of the cleaning liquid contained in one unit droplet of the cleaning liquid mist MT, the usage amount of the cleaning liquid can be suppressed to the minimum required amount.

[0111] Regarding the air knife 23 in the substrate cleaning apparatus 51 of Embodiment 1, the air gas blowing direction FG1 (mist gas supply direction F23) has a direction component in the transfer opposing direction opposing the worktable transfer direction T2, and the air flow supply angle A23 as the first air gas blowing angle is set in the range of 0 to 90 degrees (0 (degrees) < A23 < 90 (degrees)).

[0112] Therefore, substrate cleaning apparatus 51 according to the first embodiment can remove objects 3 attached to the surface of substrate 1 with high accuracy.

[0113] The substrate cleaning apparatus 51 of the first embodiment has a first blowing portion moving function implemented by the air knife moving mechanism 23M and a first blowing angle adjusting function implemented by the air knife rotating mechanism 23R.

[0114] Therefore, substrate cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 can adjust the confluence point of relay mist gas MG1 and air gas AG2 and air blowing direction FG1 (=mist gas supply direction F23 ) to improve the removal effect of objects 3 attached to the surface of substrate 1 .

[0115] Regarding the mist ejection unit 21 in the substrate cleaning device 51 of the first embodiment, the mist gas ejection direction F21 includes a direction component of the worktable conveying direction T2 (+X direction), and the mist ejection angle relative to the worktable conveying direction T2, that is, the mist supply angle A21, is set to a range of 0 to 90 degrees (0 (degrees) < A21 < 90 (degrees)). On the other hand, in the air knife 23 as the first air gas ejection unit, the air gas ejection direction FG1 as the first air gas ejection direction has a direction component of the conveying opposite direction (-X direction), and the airflow supply angle A23 as the first air gas ejection angle is set to be within the range of 0 to 90 degrees.

[0116] Therefore, the air knife 23 in the substrate cleaning apparatus 51 according to the first embodiment can relatively easily perform the first air blowing process on the relay mist gas MG1 ejected from the mist ejection unit 21 .

[0117] As a preferred mode of this embodiment, in order to supply the air gas AG1 of the air knife 23 to the blowing port or the periphery of the blowing port, the mist supply angle A21 is set to a range of 0 to 90 degrees including the direction component of the worktable conveying direction T2. ​​As a modified example, it is also possible to consider setting the mist supply angle A21 to a range other than 0 to 90 degrees. As described above, the cleaning mist gas MG2 is greatly affected by the air gas AG1, so in the modified example, the cleaning mist gas MG2 can also be obtained by the air gas AG1 to be directly blown to the object to be removed 3.

[0118] The substrate cleaning device 51 of the first embodiment has a spraying unit moving function implemented by the mist spraying unit moving mechanism 21M and a spraying angle adjustment function implemented by the mist spraying unit rotating mechanism 21R.

[0119] Therefore, substrate cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 can adjust the location where relay mist gas MG1 and air gas AG2 merge to improve the effect of removing objects 3 attached to the surface of substrate 1 .

[0120] The mist diffusion prevention plate 4 in the substrate cleaning apparatus 51 of the first embodiment is arranged to provide a diffusion suppression space S1 having a predetermined gap G4 between the surface 1 s of the substrate 1 and the surface 1 s of the substrate 1 so as not to hinder the supply of the cleaning mist gas MG2 to the surface 1 s being the cleaning surface of the substrate 1 .

[0121] The substrate cleaning device 51 of embodiment 1 can exert a mist diffusion suppression effect that effectively suppresses the diffusion of the cleaning liquid mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG2 from the surface 1s of the substrate 1 by limiting the space contacted by the surface 1s of the substrate 1 to a relatively narrow diffusion suppression space S1 using the mist diffusion prevention plate 4.

[0122] In addition, when the air flow rate VG1 of the air gas AG1 blown out from the air knife 23 is fast, the mist gas flow rate V23 (= VG1) of the cleaning mist gas MG2 also becomes high, so it is difficult for the cleaning liquid mist MT in the cleaning mist gas MG2 to adhere to the surface 1s of the substrate 1. However, the above-mentioned mist diffusion suppression effect brought about by the presence of the cleaning liquid mist MT in the relatively narrow diffusion suppression space S1 can increase the adhesion ratio of the surface 1s of the substrate 1.

[0123] As a result, substrate cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 prevents surface 1 s of substrate 1 , which is to be the cleaning surface, from drying and oxidation by utilizing the mist diffusion suppression effect, and can remove object 3 without contaminating surface 1 s.

[0124] In the substrate cleaning device 51 of the first embodiment, the gap G4 (predetermined gap) is set to a length exceeding the particle size of the cleaning liquid mist MT. In the first embodiment, since the cleaning liquid mist MT is obtained by the ultrasonic atomizer 11, the gap G4 is set to a length exceeding 15 μm. This is because the particle size of the cleaning liquid mist MT generated by the ultrasonic atomizer 11 is 15 μm or less.

[0125] In order to avoid reducing the mist diffusion suppressing effect, the gap G4 is preferably set to satisfy the range of {15 μm<G4≦50 mm}. That is, the upper limit of the gap G4 is preferably set to about 50 mm.

[0126] Therefore, the substrate cleaning apparatus 51 according to the first embodiment can supply the cleaning liquid mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG2 to the diffusion suppression space S1 of the relatively narrow gap G4 without any hindrance.

[0127] <Implementation Method 2>

[0128] Fig.10 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the overall structure of a substrate cleaning device 52 according to the second embodiment. Fig.11It is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the structure of the mist gas supply mechanism 20 . Fig.10 and Fig.11 XYZ orthogonal coordinate systems are described respectively.

[0129] Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same components as those of the substrate cleaning apparatus 51 of the first embodiment, and description thereof will be appropriately omitted, and the characteristic features of the substrate cleaning apparatus 52 of the second embodiment will be described.

[0130] The transport unit in the substrate cleaning apparatus 52 of the second embodiment includes the transport stage 2B on which the substrate 1 is placed, similarly to the first embodiment, and performs the transport operation by moving the transport stage 2B in the stage transport direction T2.

[0131] The transport stage 2B has a suction mechanism 5 for suctioning the back surface 1r of the substrate 1 at its upper portion. The substrate cleaning apparatus 52 of the second embodiment is characterized in that the transport stage 2B having the suction mechanism 5 is provided.

[0132] Fig.12 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the structure of the adsorption mechanism 5. As shown in the figure, the adsorption mechanism 5 has an adsorption path 5r and a plurality of adsorption holes 5h connected to the adsorption path 5r. The plurality of adsorption holes 5h are arranged at a position overlapping with the back surface of the substrate 1 when viewed from above. The adsorption mechanism 5 has the adsorption path 5r and the plurality of adsorption holes 5h, and uses the plurality of adsorption holes 5h to adsorb the substrate 1 from the back surface 1r by vacuum adsorption.

[0133] In the substrate cleaning apparatus 52 of the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the cleaning mist gas MG2 obtained by the first air gas blowing process of the air knife 23 is directly blown onto the surface of the substrate 1 , so that the substrate 1 placed on the transport stage 2B may move.

[0134] In the substrate cleaning apparatus 52 of the second embodiment, the transport table 2B has the suction mechanism 5 . Therefore, the suction mechanism 5 suctions the substrate 1 from the back side 1 r , and thus the substrate 1 can be tightly fixed to the transport table 2 with good stability even when receiving the cleaning mist gas MG2 .

[0135] Moreover, the adsorption mechanism 5 functions as a porous adsorption plate having a plurality of adsorption holes 5h, so that even if the substrate 1 is a thin structure with a thickness of less than 1 mm, the substrate 1 can be tightly fixed on the conveying workbench 2 in a manner that the substrate 1 will not be moved by the cleaning mist gas MG2.

[0136] Furthermore, since the adsorption mechanism 5 functions as a porous adsorption plate, deformation of the substrate 1 due to localized adsorption does not occur, and a gap does not occur between the surface of the adsorption mechanism 5 and the surface 1s of the substrate 1 due to the deformation.

[0137] As described above, the substrate cleaning apparatus 52 according to the second embodiment can reliably avoid the phenomenon in which the flow of the cleaning mist gas MG2 including the cleaning liquid mist MT is blocked by reliably avoiding deformation of the substrate 1 , generation of gaps, and the like.

[0138] In the substrate cleaning device 52 of the second embodiment, the adsorption mechanism 5 included in the conveying worktable 2B adsorbs the substrate 1 from the back side 1r using the plurality of adsorption holes 5h, so when the cleaning mist gas MG2 and the air gas AG2 are directly sprayed onto the surface of the substrate 1 to be cleaned, the substrate 1 can be stably placed on the conveying worktable 2B. At this time, even if the thickness of the substrate 1 is 1 mm or less, the substrate 1 can be stably placed on the conveying worktable 2B.

[0139] Furthermore, since the plurality of adsorption holes 5h are arranged to overlap with the back surface of the substrate in a plan view, the substrate 1 will not be deformed when the adsorption mechanism 5 adsorbs the substrate 1. Therefore, no gap will be generated between the adsorption mechanism 5 and the back surface 1r of the substrate 1 due to deformation of the substrate 1.

[0140] As a result, the substrate cleaning device 52 of embodiment 2 can supply the cleaning mist gas MG2 to the surface of the substrate 1 without hindrance when performing the first air gas blowing process using the air knife 23 as the first air gas blowing unit, thereby being able to remove the object 3 attached to the surface of the substrate 1 with high precision.

[0141] Furthermore, the substrate cleaning device 52 of Embodiment 2 can supply air gas AG2 to the surface of the substrate 1 without hindrance when performing the second air gas blowing process using the air knife 31 as the second air gas blowing unit, thereby being able to remove residues remaining on the surface of the substrate 1 with high precision.

[0142] <Others>

[0143] As described above, the substrate cleaning apparatus 51 of Embodiment 1 and the substrate cleaning apparatus 52 of Embodiment 2 are described as the substrate cleaning apparatus of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments and can be modified within the scope of the gist thereof.

[0144] In this embodiment, water including pure water is shown as the cleaning liquid, but in addition, alkaline degreasing liquid (a solution containing sodium hydroxide and phosphoric acid) and acidic degreasing liquid (a solution containing sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid) are also considered. For the substrate 1 that needs degreasing treatment, alkaline degreasing liquid and acidic degreasing liquid become effective cleaning liquids.

[0145] In addition, the substrate cleaning device disclosed herein can also be applied to acid cleaning treatment using a solution containing sulfuric acid as a cleaning liquid, etching treatment using a solution containing iron (III) chloride as a cleaning liquid, surface modification treatment using a solution containing a metal organic compound such as TEOS as a cleaning liquid, and resist removal treatment using a solution containing sodium hydroxide as a cleaning liquid.

[0146] In the present embodiment, the plating solution is assumed as object 3 to be removed. However, other possible objects to be removed include solid particles such as dust, dirt, and particles, organic compounds such as oil, and metal / inorganic compounds such as rust and metal oxide films.

[0147] In addition, as a plating removal object represented by a plating solution, a metal salt serving as a metal ion supply source can be cited. Examples of the metal salt include copper sulfate and nickel sulfate.

[0148] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the mist ejection unit 21 and the air knife 23 constituting the mist gas supply mechanism 20 are shown to be independent of each other, but it is also possible to adopt a configuration such as Figure 6 The mist gas supply mechanism 20 and the mist spraying unit 21 are integrated as shown by the dotted line.

[0149] The mist diffusion preventing plate 4 is arranged parallel to the table conveying direction T2 (X direction), but the arrangement is not limited to this, and the arrangement direction of the mist diffusion preventing plate 4 may be intentionally inclined relative to the X direction. The shape of the mist diffusion preventing plate 4 is not limited to a flat plate shape.

[0150] The shape and arrangement of the mist diffusion preventing plate 4 can be arbitrarily set under the condition that the mist diffusion preventing plate 4 can form a diffusion suppression space capable of preventing the cleaning liquid mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG2 from diffusing in a space region in contact with the surface 1s of the cleaning surface of the substrate 1.

[0151] Furthermore, the worktable conveying direction T2, which is the conveying direction of the substrate 1, is set to be a horizontal direction along the X direction, but the worktable conveying direction T2 may be set to have an intentional inclination with respect to the X direction. Furthermore, the worktable conveying direction T2 may be set to be a vertical direction along the Z direction. That is, the worktable conveying direction T2 may be set arbitrarily on the condition that the cleaning mist gas MG2 is sprayed onto the surface of the substrate 1 during the conveying operation.

[0152] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the cleaning surface of the substrate 1 is set as the surface 1s, but the back surface 1r may also be set as the cleaning surface. In this case, the components corresponding to the mist gas supply mechanism 20 and the liquid removal mechanism 30 are arranged on the back surface 1r side of the substrate 1, and the first air gas blown from the first air gas blowing part corresponding to the air knife 23 is used to directly blow the cleaning mist gas to the back surface 1r of the substrate 1.

[0153] In the substrate cleaning device 52 of embodiment 2, a method for fixing the substrate 1 tightly to the conveying workbench 2B may be provided by providing a fixing unit for the substrate 1 other than the adsorption mechanism 5 in a manner that does not hinder the flow of the cleaning mist gas MG2 and that can fix the substrate 1 tightly to the conveying workbench 2B with good stability even when the substrate 1 receives the cleaning mist gas MG2 and the air gas AG2.

[0154] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, the above description is in all aspects illustrative and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. It should be understood that numerous modifications not shown in the examples are conceivable without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0155] Description of Reference Numerals

[0156] 1. Substrate

[0157] 2. 2B conveying workbench

[0158] 3 Objects to be removed

[0159] 4 Mist diffusion prevention plate

[0160] 5 Adsorption mechanism

[0161] 5h adsorption hole

[0162] 11. Ultrasonic Atomizer

[0163] 12 Mist supply pipe

[0164] 20 Mist gas supply mechanism

[0165] 21. Mist ejection unit

[0166] 21M Mist ejection unit moving mechanism

[0167] 21R Mist spray unit rotation mechanism

[0168] 23, 31 Air Knife

[0169] 23M Air Knife Moving Mechanism

[0170] 23R Air Knife Rotating Mechanism

[0171] 30 Liquid removal mechanism

[0172] 51, 52 Substrate cleaning device

[0173] AG1, AG2 air gas

[0174] MG1 Relay mist gas

[0175] MG2 Mist gas for cleaning

[0176] MT Cleaning Liquid Mist

Claims

1. A substrate cleaning device, in, have: A conveying unit, which performs a conveying action of conveying the substrate along a conveying direction; and a mist gas supply mechanism for supplying a cleaning mist gas containing a cleaning liquid mist formed by atomizing a cleaning liquid to clean the cleaning surface of the substrate; The mist gas supply mechanism comprises: a mist spraying unit that sprays relay mist gas containing the cleaning liquid mist along a mist spraying direction; and The first air gas blowing section performs the first air gas blowing process of obtaining the cleaning mist gas by blowing the first air gas along the first air gas blowing direction to merge the first air gas with the relay mist gas during the period when the conveying unit performs the conveying action, supplying the cleaning mist gas to the cleaning surface of the substrate through the first air gas blowing process, The flow rate of the relay mist gas is set to an initial mist flow rate, and the flow rate of the first air gas is set to a first air gas flow rate, which is set higher than the initial mist flow rate.

2. The substrate cleaning device according to claim 1, in, By executing the first air gas blowing process by the first air gas blowing unit, the cleaning mist gas is directly blown toward the cleaning surface of the substrate.

3. The substrate cleaning device according to claim 2, in, Also available: The second air gas blowing section is arranged downstream of the first air gas blowing section in the conveying direction, and performs a second air gas blowing process of directly blowing a second air gas onto the cleaning surface of the substrate while the conveying unit performs the conveying action.

4. The substrate cleaning device according to claim 2 or 3, in, Also available: an ultrasonic atomizer for generating the cleaning liquid mist by applying ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning liquid; and The mist supply pipe is used to supply the cleaning liquid mist generated by the ultrasonic atomizer to the mist ejection portion.

5. The substrate cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in, The first air gas blowing direction includes a component in a conveying direction opposite to the conveying direction. The first air gas blowing angle, which is an angle of the first air gas blowing direction relative to the conveying direction, is set to a range of more than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees.

6. The substrate cleaning device according to claim 5, in, The first air gas blowing unit has a first blowing portion moving function for moving the first air gas blowing portion and a first blowing angle adjusting function for adjusting the first air gas blowing angle.

7. The substrate cleaning device according to claim 5 or 6, in, The mist ejection direction includes a component of the transport direction. The mist spraying angle, which is an angle of the mist spraying direction relative to the transporting direction, is set to a range of more than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees.

8. The substrate cleaning device according to claim 7, in, The device has a spraying portion moving function for moving the mist spraying portion and a spraying angle adjusting function for adjusting the mist spraying angle.

9. The substrate cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, in, Also available: A mist diffusion prevention plate is arranged between the mist gas supply mechanism and the cleaning surface of the substrate. The mist diffusion prevention plate is arranged to provide a diffusion suppression space of a predetermined gap between the plate and the cleaning surface of the substrate so as not to hinder the supply of the cleaning mist gas to the cleaning surface of the substrate.

10. The substrate cleaning device according to claim 9, in, The predetermined gap is set to a length exceeding the particle diameter of the cleaning liquid mist.

11. The substrate cleaning device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, in, The conveying unit includes a conveying worktable on which the substrate is placed, and the conveying action is performed by moving the conveying worktable along the conveying direction. The conveying workbench has an adsorption mechanism for adsorbing the back side of the substrate. The adsorption mechanism has a plurality of adsorption holes overlapping with the back surface of the substrate in a plan view, and adsorbs the substrate from the back surface using the plurality of adsorption holes.

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