Nozzle cleaning device and nozzle cleaning method for gluing and developing equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a nozzle cleaning device and a nozzle cleaning method for gluing and developing equipment. The nozzle cleaning device comprises a cleaning tank used for containing cleaning liquid; the vibration generator is used for providing vibration waves for the cleaning tank; and the temperature control unit is used for controlling the temperature of the cleaning liquid and is configured to heat the cleaning liquid firstly and then cool the cleaning liquid in the process of cleaning the nozzle. According to the nozzle cleaning device and the nozzle cleaning method of the gluing developing equipment, the vibration control mode and the temperature control mode are combined, the vibration and the temperature of the cleaning fluid are controlled in the cleaning process, the cleaning fluid is rapidly heated and then rapidly cooled while vibrating, the adhesion of pollutants on the nozzle can be reduced through heating, and the cleaning efficiency is improved. The cleaning effect is achieved through auxiliary vibration, cooling is beneficial to collapsing of pollutants stubborn attached to the surface of the nozzle again, the adhesion of the pollutants is further weakened, and therefore the pollutants fall off.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application mainly relates to the field of semiconductors, and particularly relates to a nozzle cleaning device and a nozzle cleaning method for a spin coater / developer. Background Art

[0002] The developing nozzle of a spin coater / developer is used for a long time under the condition that the wafer rotates at a high speed. Since the distance between the nozzle and the wafer surface is relatively close, the lower surface of the nozzle and the periphery of the nozzle orifice are easily splashed and contaminated by small droplets, so cleaning is required. However, the nozzles of existing devices do not have an automatic cleaning function. When the developing nozzle undergoes a process again after contamination occurs, the contaminants accumulated on the nozzle will fall onto the wafer surface, posing a risk of defects on the wafer surface. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this application is that the developing nozzle of the current spin coater / developer cannot be automatically cleaned.

[0004] To solve the above technical problem, this application provides a nozzle cleaning device for a spin coater / developer, including: a cleaning tank for containing a cleaning liquid; a vibration generator for providing vibration waves to the cleaning tank; a temperature control unit for controlling the temperature of the cleaning liquid, configured to: heat the cleaning liquid first and then cool the cleaning liquid during the process of cleaning the nozzle.

[0005] In an embodiment of this application, the temperature control unit includes a Peltier effect-based heat and cold converter, and the heat and cold converter is used to heat or cool the cleaning liquid by adjusting the direction of the current.

[0006] In an embodiment of this application, the heat and cold converter includes a plurality of heat and cold conversion units, and the plurality of heat and cold conversion units are evenly distributed on the outer side of the cleaning tank.

[0007] In an embodiment of this application, it further includes a purging unit, and the purging unit includes a swinging mechanism and a plurality of nozzles. The plurality of nozzles are arranged inside the cleaning tank, and the swinging mechanism is used to control the swinging of each nozzle.

[0008] In an embodiment of this application, the plurality of nozzles include at least four nozzles, and the at least four nozzles are respectively arranged on four side walls inside the cleaning tank.

[0009] In an embodiment of this application, when cleaning the nozzle, the nozzle is arranged in the cleaning tank, and the nozzle is at a cleaning height. The height of each nozzle inside the cleaning tank is higher than the cleaning height, and each nozzle is inclined towards the bottom of the cleaning tank.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present application, the swing mechanism is used to control all the nozzles to swing synchronously, and the synchronous swing includes the same swing direction and the same swing amplitude.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present application, the swing of each nozzle includes left - right linear swing and up - down linear swing.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present application, the multiple nozzles use the same gas source, and the gas source is used to provide purge gas, and the purge gas includes inert gas.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present application, it further includes: a liquid supply unit, including a liquid supply pipeline and a liquid supply valve, the liquid supply pipeline is connected to the cleaning tank, and the liquid supply unit is used to provide cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank under the control of the liquid supply valve; a liquid discharge unit, including a liquid discharge pipeline and a liquid discharge valve, the liquid discharge pipeline is connected to the cleaning tank, and the liquid discharge unit is used to discharge the cleaning liquid from the cleaning tank under the control of the liquid discharge valve.

[0014] The present application also proposes a method for cleaning the nozzles of a coating and developing device to solve the above - mentioned technical problems, including:

[0015] Step S1: Move the nozzle into the cleaning tank of the nozzle cleaning device so that the nozzle is at the cleaning height.

[0016] Step S2: Inject cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank. When the cleaning liquid reaches the first liquid level, heat the cleaning liquid using the temperature control unit, and the first liquid level is lower than the cleaning height.

[0017] Step S3: Start the vibration generator to make the cleaning liquid vibrate.

[0018] Step S4: After the vibration generator works for the first duration, cool the cleaning liquid using the temperature control unit.

[0019] Step S5: After the second duration, stop the vibration generator and the temperature control unit from working, stop injecting cleaning liquid, and empty the cleaning tank.

[0020] In an embodiment of the present application, in steps S4 and S5, it further includes: controlling the liquid supply amount and the liquid discharge amount of the cleaning tank to keep the liquid level of the cleaning liquid at a preset height.

[0021] In an embodiment of the present application, in steps S4 and S5, it further includes: discharging the cleaning liquid from the cleaning tank, and at this time, the temperature of the cleaning liquid reaches the dischargeable temperature.

[0022] In an embodiment of the present application, after step S5, it further includes:

[0023] Step S6: Purge the nozzle with a purge gas.

[0024] The nozzle cleaning method according to claim 14, wherein the nozzle is used to perform a liquid medicine spraying action during operation, and after the step S6, it further includes:

[0025] Step S7: Control the nozzle to complete at least one liquid medicine spraying action to discharge the cleaning liquid invading the inside of the nozzle.

[0026] By using the nozzle cleaning device and the nozzle cleaning method of the coating and developing equipment of the present application, combining two methods of vibration control and temperature control to control the vibration and temperature of the cleaning liquid during the cleaning process, so that while the cleaning liquid is vibrating, it is first rapidly heated and then rapidly cooled. Heating can reduce the adhesion of pollutants on the nozzle and assist the cleaning effect brought by vibration. Cooling helps the pollutants stubbornly attached to the nozzle surface to collapse again, further weakening their adhesion and thus falling off. By using the device and method of the present application, automatic cleaning of the nozzle can be achieved, and the cleaning effect is good and the efficiency is high. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] Including the drawings is to provide a further understanding of the present application. They are incorporated and constitute a part of the present application. The drawings show embodiments of the present application and, together with this specification, serve to explain the principles of the present application. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a developing nozzle for timed spraying;

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the application scenario of the nozzle cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the nozzle cleaning device and the nozzle cleaning process according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the thermoelectric effect of a PN semiconductor pair for explaining the Peltier principle;

[0032] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the setting method of a temperature control unit;

[0033] Figure 6 is a top view schematic diagram of the nozzle cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 7 is a side view schematic diagram of the nozzle cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 8It is an exemplary flowchart of a nozzle cleaning method for a coating and developing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0036] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some examples or embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, the present application can also be applied to other similar scenarios based on these drawings. Unless obvious from the language context or otherwise stated, the same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same structure or operation.

[0037] As shown in the present application, unless the context clearly indicates an exceptional situation, words such as "a", "an", "one", and / or "the" are not specifically singular and may also include plural. Generally speaking, the terms "comprising" and "including" only indicate the inclusion of the clearly identified steps and elements, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list. The method or apparatus may also include other steps or elements.

[0038] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangements, numerical expressions, and numerical values of the components and steps described in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application. At the same time, it should be understood that for the sake of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn in actual proportional relationships. Technologies, methods, and apparatuses known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but in appropriate cases, the said technologies, methods, and apparatuses should be regarded as part of the authorization specification. In all the examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be construed as merely exemplary and not as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings. Therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0039] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "above", "over", "on the upper surface", "upper", etc. can be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature shown in the figure with other devices or features. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figure for the device. For example, if the device in the drawing is inverted, a device described as "above" or "over" other devices or structures will then be positioned "below" or "under" other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both the orientations of "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the corresponding interpretations of the spatial relative descriptions used here will be made accordingly.

[0040] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first", "second", etc. to define components is only for the convenience of differentiating the corresponding components. Without additional statements, the above terms have no special meanings, so they should not be construed as limiting the protection scope of this application. In addition, although the terms used in this application are selected from well-known and commonly used terms, some terms mentioned in the specification of this application may be selected by the applicant according to his or her judgment, and their detailed meanings are described in the relevant parts of this description. In addition, it is required to understand this application not only through the actual terms used, but also through the meanings implied by each term.

[0041] Flowcharts are used in this application to illustrate the operations performed by the system according to the embodiments of this application. It should be understood that the operations before or below do not necessarily need to be executed precisely in sequence. On the contrary, various steps can be executed in reverse order or simultaneously. At the same time, other operations can be added to these processes, or one or several steps of operations can be removed from these processes.

[0042] The current glue coating and developing equipment does not have the function of cleaning the developing nozzle, and only cleans the developing nozzle through timed virtual spraying. Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of timed spraying of a developing nozzle. Among them, the nozzle 11 is located at the front end of the liquid spraying part 10 and is used to spray the liquid medicine. When it is necessary to clean the nozzle 11, first, the nozzle arm 01 moves the nozzle 11 to the fixed drainage trough 12, and then the liquid spraying part 10 and the nozzle 11 are lowered into the drainage trough 12. There is liquid in the drainage trough 12, and the nozzle 11 extends into the liquid surface to perform the spraying action, so that the nozzle 11 can be cleaned. It should be noted that the nozzle cleaning device of this application can be applied to any nozzle in the glue coating and developing equipment, including but not limited to the developing nozzle and the glue coating nozzle.

[0043] Figure 2It is a schematic diagram of the application scenario of the nozzle cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present application. Refer to Figure 2 As shown, a process chamber 21 and a substrate 22 are shown. After the nozzle 11 completes process steps such as developing solution coating, the nozzle 11 is moved to the waiting position P1 to wait for the current substrate to complete the entire process flow. The nozzle cleaning device 23 of the present application can be arranged near the waiting position P1 or below the waiting position P1. At this time, in order to clean the nozzle 11, the nozzle 11 can be carried by the nozzle arm 01 and moved downward so that the nozzle 11 reaches the position P2, that is, enters the nozzle cleaning device 23, and starts to execute the cleaning step.

[0044] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the nozzle cleaning device and the nozzle cleaning process according to an embodiment of the present application. Refer to Figure 3 , the nozzle cleaning device 23 includes a cleaning tank 31, a vibration generator 32, and a temperature control unit (not shown in the figure). Among them, the cleaning tank 31 is used to hold the cleaning liquid. The present application places no restrictions on the cleaning liquid, which can be pure water, a specific cleaning liquid, etc. It should be noted that the position where the nozzle cleaning device 23 is arranged can be the same as Figure 1 the position of the drain tank 12 shown in, or different. If the positions are the same, the original drain tank 12 can be replaced with the nozzle cleaning device 23 of the present application, and there is no need to change the movement path setting of the nozzle arm after the process ends.

[0045] As Figure 3 shown, the vibration generator 32 is arranged on the outer periphery of the cleaning tank 31, for example, at the bottom. The present application places no restrictions on the setting position of the vibration generator 32. In some embodiments, the vibration generator 32 is arranged inside the cleaning tank 31. For example, a vibration generator 32 with a waterproof design can directly vibrate the cleaning liquid instead of transmitting the vibration through the housing of the cleaning tank 31.

[0046] In some embodiments, the vibration generator 32 includes an ultrasonic generator for providing ultrasonic waves to the cleaning liquid to generate ultrasonic cavitation effects. The ultrasonic generator 32 can provide a large enough ultrasonic energy to the cleaning liquid. When the vibration of the ultrasonic frequency is transmitted into the cleaning liquid, the liquid inside is utilized and compressed. When the liquid is utilized, bubbles will be generated. When the liquid is compressed, the bubbles will be compressed and then crushed and broken, which is the occurrence of the "ultrasonic cavitation effect". The cavitation effect of ultrasonic waves impacts and peels off the dirt on the surface of the object. In the scenario of the present application, it can make the pollutants attached to the nozzle detach from the nozzle surface and suspend and dissolve in the solution in the cleaning tank. In some embodiments, the vibration generator 32 can also be a megasonic wave generator.

[0047] In some embodiments, the cleaning tank 31 may have a double-layered housing with an interlayer therebetween, and the vibration generator 32 may be embedded in the interlayer.

[0048] Reference Figure 3 , after the nozzle 11 completes the process, the nozzle arm 01 drives the nozzle 11 to move from the process position to position P1; when cleaning is to be performed, the nozzle arm 01 drives the nozzle 11 to move to position P2. At this time, the nozzle 11 is at the cleaning height H and is ready to start the cleaning process.

[0049] In some embodiments, the temperature control unit in the nozzle cleaning device 23 includes a thermoelectric converter based on the Peltier effect, and the thermoelectric converter is used to heat or cool the cleaning liquid by adjusting the direction of the current.

[0050] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the thermoelectric effect of a PN semiconductor pair for explaining the Peltier principle, which shows a pair of thermocouples composed of a pair of P-type and N-type materials. The Peltier effect is that when a circuit composed of two different conductors P and N is connected with direct current, in addition to Joule heat, some other heat will be released at the joint, while heat will be absorbed at the other joint. This phenomenon caused by the Peltier effect is reversible. When the direction of the current is changed, the joints that release and absorb heat also change accordingly. The heat absorbed and released is proportional to the current intensity I [A], and is related to the properties of the two conductors and the temperature of the hot end, that is: Qpn = Iπpn.

[0051] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a setting method of a temperature control unit. Reference Figure 5 , the cleaning tank 51 has a double-layered housing, including an inner housing 52 and an outer housing 53. The thermoelectric converter 54 in the temperature control unit is embedded in the interlayer between the inner housing 52 and the outer housing 53. In addition to the thermoelectric converter, the temperature control unit also includes other necessary devices such as a DC electrode commutator and a DC power supply. Specifically, the thermoelectric converter 54 includes a plurality of thermoelectric conversion units, and each thermoelectric conversion unit includes a pair of PN thermocouple pairs. As Figure 5 shown, a plurality of thermoelectric conversion units are evenly distributed on the outer side of the inner housing 52, so that a uniform heating effect can be provided for the cleaning liquid.

[0052] As Figure 5, multiple hot and cold conversion units are connected to each other to form a series connection path. Both ends of this series connection path are respectively connected to a DC electrode commutator, and further connected to a DC power supply. Assume that when heating is required, a forward current is applied to the hot and cold converter 54, and the DC electrode commutator adjusts the current to be applied forward, causing multiple hot and cold conversion units to start generating heat, thereby heating the cleaning liquid. When cooling is required, a reverse current is applied to the hot and cold converter 54, and the DC electrode commutator adjusts the current to be applied reversely, causing multiple hot and cold conversion units to start absorbing heat, thereby cooling the cleaning liquid.

[0053] The temperature control unit in the nozzle cleaning device of the present application is configured to: during the process of cleaning the nozzle, first heat the cleaning liquid and then cool the cleaning liquid. Among them, heating the cleaning liquid can reduce the adhesion of contaminants on the developing nozzle, thereby assisting the ability of ultrasonic cleaning and making it easier to remove large particle contaminants with strong adhesion. There are at least two effects of cooling the cleaning liquid. One is that cooling the cleaning liquid indirectly causes the contaminants attached to the nozzle surface to collapse again, thereby weakening the adhesion and finally forming detachment. The other is that when discharging the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank, it can prevent the heat deformation of the discharge pipeline and the loosening and detachment of the joints of the discharge pipeline due to thermal stress, and even prevent liquid leakage. Therefore, the vibration generator 32 and the temperature control unit in the nozzle cleaning device of the present application cooperate with each other and work together to clean the nozzle efficiently. It should be noted that the temperature control unit of the present application can quickly heat and quickly cool the cleaning liquid. Although there is no limit to this speed, the use of a hot and cold converter can achieve such rapid heating and cooling, which is beneficial to accelerating the fatigue of contaminants and enhancing the effect of ultrasonic cleaning.

[0054] In some embodiments, the nozzle cleaning device of the present application further includes a purging unit.

[0055] Figure 6 is a top view schematic diagram of the nozzle cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present application, Figure 7 is a side view schematic diagram of the nozzle cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present application, in which the nozzle arm is not shown. Combining Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the purging unit includes a swinging mechanism 61 and multiple nozzles 62. The multiple nozzles 62 are arranged inside the cleaning tank 31, and the swinging mechanism 61 is used to control the swing of each nozzle 62.

[0056] The purging unit is used to spray purging gas onto the nozzle 11 through the nozzles 62 to further remove the residual liquid on the nozzle 11. The present application places no restrictions on the purging gas. In some embodiments, the purging gas includes an inert gas or nitrogen.

[0057] The present application places no restrictions on the number and positions of the multiple nozzles 62.

[0058] Preferably, the plurality of nozzles 62 includes at least four nozzles, and the at least four nozzles are respectively arranged on four side walls inside the cleaning tank 31. Refer to Figure 6 , the cleaning tank 31 is generally rectangular, has four side walls, one nozzle 62 is arranged on each side wall, and the mounting height of each nozzle 62 in the Z direction is equal, and is approximately located at the midpoint of the side wall in the X direction or the Y direction.

[0059] Refer to Figure 7 As shown, when cleaning the nozzle 11, the nozzle 11 is arranged in the cleaning tank 31, and the nozzle 11 is at the cleaning height H. The height H1 of each nozzle 62 inside the cleaning tank 31 is higher than the cleaning height H, and the air outlet of each nozzle 62 is inclined towards the bottom of the cleaning tank 31. The height of the air outlet of the nozzle 62 is used as the height of the nozzle 62 inside the cleaning tank 31. As Figure 7 shown, obviously, the nozzle 62 is higher than the nozzle 11. Therefore, when cleaning the nozzle 11, the nozzle 62 is inclined towards the nozzle 11, that is, inclined downward. In one embodiment, the mounting angle of the nozzle 62 is inclined downward by about 43 degrees, that is, the included angle between the axis of the nozzle 62 and the horizontal direction is about 43 degrees, approximately in the range of 40 - 50 degrees. The inventors of the present application found through experiments that such a mounting angle can effectively avoid the splashing and overflow of liquid droplets during the purging process, so as to ensure that no residual cleaning liquid (such as pure water) remains on the surface of the nozzle.

[0060] In some embodiments, the swing of each nozzle 62 includes left - right linear swing and up - down linear swing. Both of these swings are reciprocating motions. Usually, the cleaning tank 31 is arranged in the vertical direction (here is the Z direction), the XY plane is the horizontal plane, and each nozzle 62 can swing up and down, left and right, that is, the nozzle 62 can swing in the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction. According to these embodiments, the swing mechanism 61 can include a drive motor 63, a link motion mechanism 64, and a cylinder 65. The drive motor 63 rotates to drive the link motion mechanism 64 to achieve the left - right linear swing of the nozzle 62, and the cylinder 65 is used to drive the up - down linear swing of the nozzle 62. The drive motor 63 and the cylinder 65 can be controlled by an external controller.

[0061] The cleaned nozzle 11 is still in a relatively wet state, and there may still be droplets of cleaning liquid attached to the nozzle 11. These droplets are present in the gaps or relatively hidden corners of the nozzle 11. It is very difficult to complete an effective purging step using nitrogen purging at a single angle. Therefore, the purging unit includes a plurality of nozzles 62 to perform nitrogen purging on the nozzle 11 from various directions, and combined with the swing of the nozzle 62, a full - range purging can be achieved.

[0062] In the present application, a swinging mechanism 61 can be used to control the movement of the plurality of nozzles 62, or an independent swinging mechanism 61 can be configured for each nozzle 62.

[0063] In some embodiments, all the nozzles 62 swing synchronously. Synchronous swinging means that all the nozzles 62 swing in the same direction and with the same swing amplitude. In this embodiment, four nozzles 62 use the same nitrogen source in the hardware design, so that the flow rate and intensity of the gas ejected by each nozzle 62 are the same, to maintain the uniformity of the nozzles 62 in the ejection direction and prevent uneven flow of the air flow resulting in inconsistent removal of the cleaning liquid, leading to the appearance of purging blind spots.

[0064] When the nozzle cleaning device 23 of the present application executes the cleaning process, the cleaning liquid is injected into and discharged from the cleaning tank 31. The present application does not limit the injection and discharge methods of the cleaning liquid.

[0065] Reference Figure 3 , in some embodiments, the nozzle cleaning device 23 further includes a liquid supply unit and a liquid discharge unit. The liquid supply unit includes a liquid supply pipeline 33 and a liquid supply valve 34. The liquid supply pipeline 33 is connected to the cleaning tank 31. The liquid supply unit is used to supply the cleaning liquid to the cleaning tank 31 under the control of the liquid supply valve 34; the liquid discharge unit includes a liquid discharge pipeline 35 and a liquid discharge valve 36. The liquid discharge pipeline 35 is connected to the cleaning tank 31. The liquid discharge unit is used to discharge the cleaning liquid from the cleaning tank 31 under the control of the liquid discharge valve 36. Among them, the liquid supply unit can include multiple liquid supply pipelines 33, and a liquid supply valve 34 is provided on each liquid supply pipeline 33 to control the liquid supply flow rate. Or, as needed, multiple liquid supply pipelines 33 can be converged into the same main liquid supply pipeline, and a liquid supply valve is also provided on the main liquid supply pipeline. Similarly, the liquid discharge unit can also include multiple liquid discharge pipelines 35, and a liquid discharge valve 34 is provided on each liquid discharge pipeline 35 to control the liquid discharge flow rate.

[0066] The liquid supply unit and the liquid discharge unit can both be controlled by a controller to supply and discharge liquid according to the set program or command.

[0067] The nozzle cleaning device 23 can further include an air intake unit. As Figure 3 , the air intake unit further includes an air intake pipeline 37 and an air intake valve 38, which are used to connect to each nozzle 62 to control the air jet flow rate of the nozzle 62. The air intake unit can also be controlled by a controller to supply air according to the set program or command.

[0068] To achieve the control of a series of actions such as liquid supply, liquid discharge, vibration, heating, and air supply, the liquid supply unit, the liquid discharge unit, the vibration generator 32, the temperature control unit, the air supply unit, and the nozzle 11 can all be communicatively connected to the same controller, and the controller controls the entire nozzle cleaning device 23 to perform the cleaning operation according to the preset timing and logic.

[0069] Figure 8 is an exemplary flowchart of a nozzle cleaning method for a coating and developing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The nozzle cleaning device 23 described above can be used to execute this nozzle cleaning method. Therefore, the foregoing description can also be used to explain this nozzle cleaning method. Refer to Figure 8 As shown, this nozzle cleaning method includes the following steps:

[0070] Step S1: Move the nozzle 11 to the cleaning tank 31 of the nozzle cleaning device 23 so that the nozzle 11 is at the cleaning height H;

[0071] Step S2: Inject a cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank 31. When the cleaning liquid reaches the first liquid level, heat the cleaning liquid using the temperature control unit. The first liquid level is lower than the cleaning height H;

[0072] Step S3: Start the vibration generator 32 to make the cleaning liquid vibrate and generate sound;

[0073] Step S4: After the vibration generator 32 has been operating for a first period of time, cool the cleaning liquid using the temperature control unit;

[0074] Step S5: After a second period of time, stop the operation of the vibration generator 32 and the temperature control unit, stop injecting the cleaning liquid, and empty the cleaning tank 31.

[0075] The following will combine Figure 3 to illustrate the above steps S1 to S5.

[0076] As Figure 3 shown, step S1 indicates that the nozzle 11 is moved from position P1 to position P2, and at this time the nozzle 11 is at the cleaning height H. In step S2, a cleaning liquid is injected into the cleaning tank 31.

[0077] It should be noted that, to save time, the liquid injection operation in step S2 can be synchronously started during the movement of the nozzle 11 in step S1.

[0078] In step S2, the first liquid level is lower than the cleaning height H. At this time, before the nozzle 11 comes into contact with the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid is heated using the temperature control unit to increase the temperature of the cleaning liquid.

[0079] In step S3, the vibration generator 32 can be started when the cleaning liquid reaches the first liquid level, or after the cleaning liquid has been heated for a period of time, or after it has been heated to a preset temperature. As described above, the dual effects of ultrasonic vibration and heating are more conducive to removing contaminants on the nozzle 11.

[0080] In step S4, as described above, the cooling cleaning liquid can cause the stubborn contaminants with strong adhesion on the surface of the nozzle 11 and not peeled off by ultrasonic vibration to produce a collapsed state caused by the volume change of heat during the process of the cleaning liquid cooling from hot to cold, and separate from the nozzle 11 body, and cool the temperature of the cleaning liquid to the dischargeable temperature. Exemplarily, the dischargeable temperature is room temperature, such as about 20 degrees.

[0081] In step S5, the second duration T2 refers to the duration of cooling the cleaning liquid by the temperature control unit in step S4. If the vibration generator 32 is turned on when the cleaning liquid reaches the cleaning height, the sum of the first duration T1 and the second duration T2 can be used as the effective working duration of the nozzle cleaning device 23. During this period, the nozzle 11 is subjected to two types of cleaning processes: vibration + heating and vibration + cooling, both of which are used to remove the contaminants on the nozzle 11. After the second duration T2, control the vibration generator 32 and the temperature control unit to stop working, and stop injecting the cleaning liquid, and empty the cleaning tank 31. It can be understood that if the vibration generator 32 is turned on before the cleaning liquid reaches the cleaning height, at this time the cleaning liquid does not contact the nozzle 11, then the vibration and heating processes at this time do not belong to the effective cleaning process, and the effective working duration is less than the sum of the first duration T1 and the second duration T2.

[0082] The above steps S1 - S5 do not limit the control of the drainage unit.

[0083] In some embodiments, the drain valve 36 is closed in steps S1 - S3, so that the cleaning liquid can reach the first liquid level faster in step S2.

[0084] In some embodiments, the method further includes: setting a preset height, when the liquid level of the cleaning liquid reaches this preset height, it is suitable for cleaning the nozzle 11. As shown in Figure 3 , the nozzle 11 protrudes downward from the lower surface 13 of the liquid spraying part 10, and the preset height is a distance higher than the lower surface 13, and at this preset height, the nozzle 11 can be completely immersed in the cleaning liquid. The first liquid level is lower than this preset height.

[0085] During the execution of steps S4 and S5, the liquid level may reach the preset height. In some embodiments, in steps S4 and S5, it further includes: controlling the liquid supply amount and the drainage amount of the cleaning tank 31 to keep the liquid level of the cleaning liquid at the preset height. More specifically, the liquid supply amount is adjusted by controlling the opening degree of the liquid supply valve 34, and the drainage amount is controlled by controlling the opening degree of the drain valve 36.

[0086] For example: In steps S4 and S5, the drain valve 36 is in the open state. Initially, in order to increase the liquid level, the liquid supply amount can be made greater than the drain amount. The opening degree of the liquid supply valve 34 is relatively large, and the opening degree of the drain valve 36 is relatively small. During the process of the liquid level rising from the first liquid level to the preset height, the controller can, when the liquid level is about to reach the preset height, finely adjust the sizes of the liquid supply valve 34 and the drain valve 36. For example, gradually reduce the opening degree of the liquid supply valve 34 while gradually increasing the opening degree of the drain valve 36 to make the liquid level reach the preset height. When the liquid level reaches the preset height, adjust the liquid supply valve 34 and the drain valve 36 to make the liquid supply amount equal to the drain amount and maintain the liquid level at the preset height.

[0087] In other embodiments, in steps S4 and S5, the drain valve 36 is opened only when the temperature of the cleaning liquid reaches the drainable temperature. For example: In step S4, after the temperature control unit cools the cleaning liquid, after a period of time, the drain valve 36 is opened. When the working efficiency of the heat exchanger is high, this cooling time can be very short. In addition, since the temperature of the cleaning liquid injected into the cleaning tank 31 is, for example, normal temperature or lower than the heated temperature, continuously injecting the cleaning liquid is also beneficial to the rapid cooling of the cleaning liquid. During the second time period T in step S5, the drain valve 36 remains open, and by controlling and adjusting the sizes of the liquid supply valve 34 and the drain valve 36, the liquid supply amount and the drain amount are kept balanced to maintain the liquid level at the preset height.

[0088] In order to prevent the temperature of the discharged cleaning liquid from being too high, after the temperature control unit cools the cleaning liquid for a period of time and the cleaning liquid reaches the drainable temperature, the drain valve 36 is opened, so that the temperature of the discharged cleaning liquid is less than or equal to the drainable temperature. During this process, if the liquid level of the cleaning liquid has reached the preset height while the temperature of the cleaning liquid is higher than the drainable temperature, to avoid the liquid level being too high, the liquid supply valve 34 can be closed first to stop injecting the cleaning liquid. It should be noted that if the capacity of the cleaning tank 31 is sufficient and the components above the nozzle 11 of the liquid spraying part 10 can be immersed in the cleaning liquid, the injection of the cleaning liquid may not be stopped.

[0089] In step S5, during this second time period T2, the liquid supply amount and the drain amount are kept balanced, so that the pollutants entering the cleaning liquid can be dynamically discharged from the cleaning tank 31. It is equivalent to the nozzle 11 being in the flowing cleaning liquid, which is more conducive to removing all pollutants. After that, the liquid supply valve 34 is closed to stop injecting the cleaning liquid, and the drain valve 36 is kept fully open to empty all the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 31.

[0090] In some embodiments, after the step S5 of the nozzle cleaning method of the present application, it further includes:

[0091] Step S6: Blow the nozzle with a purge gas.

[0092] Step S7 can be performed by the purging unit described above.

[0093] In some embodiments, the nozzle 11 is used to perform the operation of spraying liquid medicine during operation. After step S6, the method further includes:

[0094] Step S7: Control the nozzle 11 to complete at least one operation of spraying liquid medicine, so as to discharge the cleaning liquid invading the inside of the nozzle 11.

[0095] For the developing nozzle, when performing the operation of spraying liquid medicine, the developing liquid will be sprayed out from the nozzle 11, and the cleaning liquid invading the inside of the nozzle 11 in the reverse direction can be discharged, avoiding the contamination of the developing liquid due to the existence of the cleaning liquid during the next use.

[0096] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the above application disclosure is only an example and does not constitute a limitation to the present application. Although not explicitly stated here, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements, and corrections to the present application. Such modifications, improvements, and corrections are proposed in the present application, so such modifications, improvements, and corrections still belong to the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present application.

[0097] At the same time, the present application uses specific terms to describe the embodiments of the present application. Such as "one embodiment", "an embodiment", and / or "some embodiments" mean a certain feature, structure, or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that the "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more at different positions in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the present application can be combined appropriately.

[0098] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the description of the present application disclosure and thus help the understanding of one or more inventive embodiments, in the foregoing description of the embodiments of the present application, sometimes multiple features are merged into one embodiment, drawing, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not mean that the features required by the object of the present application are more than those mentioned in the claims. In fact, the features of the embodiment are less than all the features of the single embodiment disclosed above.

[0099] In some embodiments, numbers are used to describe components and the quantity of attributes. It should be understood that such numbers used in the description of embodiments are, in some examples, modified by the modifiers "about", "approximate" or "substantially". Unless otherwise specified, "about", "approximate" or "substantially" indicate that the said numbers allow a variation of ±20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in this application are all approximate values, and such approximate values may change according to the characteristics required by individual embodiments. In some embodiments, numerical parameters should consider the specified significant digits and adopt the method of retaining the general number of digits. Although the numerical ranges and parameters used in some embodiments of this application to confirm the breadth of their scope are approximate values, in specific embodiments, the setting of such numerical values is as precise as possible within the feasible range.

Claims

1. A nozzle cleaning device for a glue coating and developing apparatus, characterized in that, Comprising: A cleaning tank for containing a cleaning liquid; A vibration generator for providing vibration waves to the cleaning tank; A temperature control unit for controlling the temperature of the cleaning liquid, configured to: during the process of cleaning the nozzle, first heat the cleaning liquid and then cool the cleaning liquid.

2. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature control unit includes a thermoelectric converter based on the Peltier effect, and the thermoelectric converter is used to heat or cool the cleaning liquid by adjusting the direction of the current.

3. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein, The thermoelectric converter includes a plurality of thermoelectric conversion units, and the plurality of thermoelectric conversion units are evenly distributed on the outer side of the cleaning tank.

4. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein It further includes a purging unit, the purging unit includes a swinging mechanism and a plurality of nozzles, the plurality of nozzles are arranged inside the cleaning tank, and the swinging mechanism is used to control the swinging of each nozzle.

5. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein The plurality of nozzles include at least four nozzles, and the at least four nozzles are respectively arranged on four side walls inside the cleaning tank.

6. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 4, characterized in that, When cleaning the nozzle, the nozzle is arranged in the cleaning tank, and the nozzle is at the cleaning height. The height of each nozzle inside the cleaning tank is higher than the cleaning height, and each nozzle is inclined towards the bottom of the cleaning tank.

7. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein The swinging mechanism is used to control all the nozzles to swing synchronously, and the synchronous swing includes the same swinging direction and the same swinging amplitude.

8. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The swing of each nozzle includes a left-right linear swing and an up-down linear swing.

9. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein, The plurality of nozzles use the same gas source, and the gas source is used to provide purging gas, and the purging gas includes inert gas.

10. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein, It further includes: A liquid supply unit, including a liquid supply pipeline and a liquid supply valve, the liquid supply pipeline is connected to the cleaning tank, and the liquid supply unit is used to supply the cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank under the control of the liquid supply valve; A liquid discharge unit, including a liquid discharge pipeline and a liquid discharge valve, the liquid discharge pipeline is connected to the cleaning tank, and the liquid discharge unit is used to discharge the cleaning liquid from the cleaning tank under the control of the liquid discharge valve.

11. A nozzle cleaning method for a coating and developing device, characterized in that, Comprising: Step S1: Move the nozzle into the cleaning tank of the nozzle cleaning device so that the nozzle is at the cleaning height; Step S2: Inject the cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank. When the cleaning liquid reaches the first liquid level, heat the cleaning liquid using the temperature control unit, and the first liquid level is lower than the cleaning height; Step S3: Start the vibration generator to make the cleaning liquid vibrate; Step S4: After the vibration generator works for a first duration, cool the cleaning liquid using the temperature control unit; Step S5: After a second duration, stop the vibration generator and the temperature control unit from working, stop injecting the cleaning liquid, and empty the cleaning tank.

12. The nozzle cleaning method according to claim 11, wherein, In step S4 and step S5, it further includes: controlling the liquid supply amount and liquid discharge amount of the cleaning tank to keep the liquid level of the cleaning liquid at a preset height.

13. The nozzle cleaning method according to claim 11, characterized in that, In step S4 and step S5, it further includes: discharging the cleaning liquid from the cleaning tank. At this time, the temperature of the cleaning liquid reaches the dischargeable temperature.

14. The nozzle cleaning method according to claim 11, wherein, After step S5, it further includes: Step S6: Purge the nozzle with purging gas.

15. The nozzle cleaning method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The nozzle is used to perform the action of spraying liquid medicine during operation. After step S6, it further includes: Step S7: Control the nozzle to complete at least one operation of spraying liquid medicine to discharge the cleaning liquid that has invaded the inside of the nozzle.

Images