SUBSTRATE CLEANING DEVICE

Abstract

The object of the present disclosure is to provide a base material cleaning device that can remove a removal object adhering to a cleaning surface of a base material while reducing the amount of a cleaning solution used. A mist jet (21) jets a diffused mist gas (MG1) containing cleaning solution mist (MT) along a mist jet direction (F21). An air knife (23) performs a first air gas blow by blowing an air gas (AG1) toward the diffused mist gas (MG1) along an air gas blow direction (FG1) to mix the air gas (AG1) with the diffused mist gas (MG1) and thus obtain a cleaning mist gas (MG2) during the operation of transporting a base material (1) performed by a transporting means. The cleaning mist gas (MG2) supplied by the first air gas blowing is blown directly onto a front side of the transported base material (1).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure relates to a base material cleaning apparatus that cleanses a base material, and for example, to a base material cleaning apparatus that cleanses a base material for use in a coating apparatus that forms a metal coating during manufacturing of electronic components and the like.PRIOR ARTExamples of a conventional cleaning apparatus that cleans a base material and the like for use in a coating apparatus that forms a metal coating during manufacturing of electronic components and the like include a hermetic cleaning apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a substrate liquid treatment apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, a substrate cleaning apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 3, a cleaning apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 4, and a cleaning apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 5.Each of the cleaning apparatuses disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 fundamentally sprays a cleaning solution directly onto a cleaning target to clean the cleaning target. The cleaning apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 4 performs cleaning in a mist atmosphere. The cleaning apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 5 directly sprays a cleaning solution onto a cleaning target placed in a mist atmosphere for cleaning.DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE PRIOR ARTPATENT DOCUMENTSPatent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application No. 11-76962Patent Document 2: WO 2018 / / .501665Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-136742Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-18993Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-33730SUMMARYPROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTIONEach of the conventional cleaning apparatuses disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 5 fundamentally sprays a cleaning solution with a misted cleaning solution directly onto a cleaning target, and thus has a problem that a large amount of the cleaning solution is used.The present disclosure has been made to solve a problem as described above, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a base material cleaning apparatus that can suppress the amount of a cleaning solution used.MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMA base material cleaning apparatus according to the present disclosure includes: a transport means that performs the transport operation for transporting a base material along a transport direction; and a mist gas supply mechanism that supplies a cleaning mist gas containing cleaning solution mist obtained by misting a cleaning solution to clean a cleaning surface of the base material, wherein the mist gas supply mechanism includes: a mist jet that ejects a manifold mist gas containing the cleaning solution mist along a mist jet direction; A first air gas blower that performs first air gas blowing, in which a first air gas is blown toward the manifold mist gas along a first air gas blowing direction to mix the first air gas with the manifold mist gas, thereby obtaining the cleaning mist gas during the transport operation performed by the transport device, wherein the cleaning mist gas is supplied to the cleaning surface of the base material by the first air gas blowing, and a flow rate of the manifold mist gas is set to an initial mist flow rate, a 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.EFFECTS OF THE INVENTIONThe mist gas supply mechanism of the base material cleaning apparatus according to the present disclosure includes the mist jet and the above-described first air gas blower, and the first air gas flow rate is set higher than the initial mist flow rate.The cleaning mist gas obtained by merging the manifold mist gas and the first air gas is thus influenced by the first air gas, a direction in which the cleaning mist gas is supplied becomes identical to the blowing direction of the first air gas, and a final mist gas flow rate as a flow rate of the cleaning mist gas becomes similar to the first air gas flow rate.The gas flow of the first gas is thus adjusted to a flow necessary to clean the surface to be cleaned of the base material, so that the cleaning solution mist can be efficiently supplied to the surface to be cleaned of the base material while minimizing the amount of the cleaning solution mist contained in the cleaning mist gas.As a result, the base material cleaning apparatus according to the present disclosure can remove an object to be removed that adheres to the cleaning surface of the base material while suppressing the amount of a cleaning solution used.These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a base material cleaning apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a mist gas supply mechanism shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an air knife in a drain mechanism illustrated in FIG. 1 and its environment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a function for adjusting an air knife in the mist gas supply mechanism. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a function for adjusting a mist jet in the mist gas supply mechanism. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration with which the functions for adjusting the mist jet and the air knife illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 can be achieved. FIG. 7 is a diagram of a mist shielding diffusion plate illustrated in FIG. 1 and its surroundings. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a planar configuration of the mist shielding diffusion plate. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a comparative base material cleaning apparatus. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an overall configuration of a base material cleaning apparatus according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a mist gas supply mechanism shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a structure of an adsorption mechanism shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS<>>A base material cleaning apparatus according to the present disclosure is an apparatus that cleans a base material, and is, for example, an apparatus that cleans a base material for use in a coating apparatus that forms a metal coating during the production of electronic parts and the like. An example with a more detailed description has a base material cleaning apparatus that cleans, as a cleaning target, a coating solution that adheres to a treated base material such as a metallic base material and a circuit board after the end of coating in a coating step. For example, a base material 1 after coating has a coated region and an uncoated region in which a coating solution remains, and the coating solutions remaining in the two regions are both cleaning targets to be removed.< 1>FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an overall configuration of a base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1.As shown in the figure, the base material 1 is mounted on a transport table 2, and an object to be removed 3, such as a coating solution, adheres to a front surface of the base material 1. the object to be removed 3 is a cleaning target of the base material cleaning apparatus 51. in In Embodiment 1, the front surface of the base material 1 is a cleaning surface, and a coating solution adhering to the front surface of the base material 1 is adopted as the object to be removed 3.The base material cleaning apparatus 51 has, as main components, a conveying device, an ultrasonic atomizer 11, a mist supply pipe 12, a mist gas supply mechanism 20, and a discharging mechanism 30.The transport device has the above-mentioned transport table 2 and a not-illustrated transporter such as a conveyor belt. The transport means performs the operation of transporting the base material 1 along a table transport direction T 2 (+X direction) by moving the transport table 2 along the table transport direction T 2 using the transporter.The ultrasonic atomizer 11 contains a cleaning solution (not shown) and applies ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning solution to generate cleaning solution mist MT having a particle diameter (droplet) of 15 μm or less. The cleaning solution mist MT generated by the ultrasonic atomizer 11 is supplied to a mist jet 21 of the mist gas supply mechanism 20 by a transport gas (not illustrated) via the mist supply line 12. In Embodiment 1, pure water is used as the cleaning solution.As a technology for generating the cleaning solution mist MT, besides an ultrasonic propagation scheme in which ultrasonic vibration is applied to the cleaning solution, the generation technology of pressure, rotation, steam, piezo, thermal and electrostatic schemes and the like is considered. However, it is desirable to use the ultrasonic vibration propagating method when the cleaning solution mist MT having a relatively small particle diameter (droplet) of 15 μm or less is generated.The mist gas supply mechanism 20 supplies a cleaning mist gas MG 2 containing the cleaning solution mist MT obtained by misting the cleaning solution on the front side as the cleaning surface of the base material 1 to clean the object to be removed 3 adhering to the front side of the base material 1.The mist gas supply mechanism 20 has, as main components, the mist jet 21 and an air knife 23 as a first air gas blower.The mist jet 21 jets a manifold mist gas MG 1 containing the cleaning solution mist MT along a mist jet direction F 21. In this case, the distribution mist gas MG 1 is supplied to an air outlet of an air gas AG 1 of the air meter 23 or the vicinity of the air outlet. A flow rate of the manifold mist gas MG 1 is referred to herein as a mist gas flow rate V 21. The mist gas flow rate V 21 is an initial mist flow rate.The mist jet 21 is generated by transporting the cleaning solution mist MT with a jet transport gas (not illustrated) having a direction along the mist gas jet direction F 21, for example. In this case, a mixture of the cleaning solution mist MT and the transport gas is the manifold mist gas MG 1.The particle diameter of the cleaning solution mist MT generated by the ultrasonic atomizer 11 that exerts the ultrasonic vibration is 15 μm or less and is smaller than a particle diameter of a typical mist, and the dropping speed of the cleaning solution mist MT is low, so that the cleaning solution mist MT, like the manifold mist gas MG 1, can be treated in a state of being entrained in a flow with a direction in the mist gas jet direction F 21.The air knife 23 performs, as a first air gas blower, the first air gas blowing of the air gas AG 1 toward the manifold mist gas MG 1 along an air gas blowing direction FG 1 to mix the air gas AG 1 with the manifold mist gas MG 1, thereby obtaining the cleaning mist gas MG 2 during the above-mentioned operation performed by the above-mentioned transport means. The air gas AG 1 is a first air gas, and air, nitrogen, and the like are used as the air gas AG 1.A flow rate of the air gas AG 1 as the first air gas is referred to herein as an air gas flow rate VG 1 (a first air gas flow rate), and the air gas flow rate VG 1 is set to be higher than the mist gas flow rate V 21. Specifically, a ratio {VG1:V21} of the air gas flow VG1to the mist gas flow V21is set to, for example, {10:1}.Since the air gas flow rate VG 1 for air is set higher than the mist gas flow rate V 21 as described above, the manifold mist gas MG 1 is entrained in a flow of the air gas AG 1 when merged with the air gas AG 1, and thus is largely affected by the air gas AG 1.Herein, a flow rate of the cleaning mist gas MG 2 is referred to as a mist gas flow rate V 23, and a direction in which the cleaning mist gas MG 2 is supplied is referred to as a mist gas supply direction F 23. As described above, since the purge mist gas MG 2 is largely influenced by the air gas AG 1, the mist gas supply direction F 23 becomes identical to the air gas blowing direction FG 1, and the mist gas flow rate V 23 becomes similar to the air gas flow rate VG 1. This is because the mist gas flow rate V 21 of the manifold mist gas MG 1 is lower than the air gas flow rate VG 1 of the air gas AG 1, and thus the Coanda effect occurs.As described above, the direction in which the purge mist gas MG 2 obtained by mixing the manifold mist gas MG 1 and the air gas AG 1 is supplied becomes identical to the direction in which the air gas FG 1 is injected, and the mist gas flow rate V 23 becomes similar to the air gas flow rate VG 1.The cleaning mist gas MG 2 obtained by mixing the air gas AG 1 with the manifold mist gas MG 1 flows under a mist shielding diffusion plate 4 described below, and is supplied to a flow path of the transport table 2 that is transported along the table transport direction T 2.The cleaning mist gas MG 2 supplied by the first air gas blower is thus directly blown onto the front surface of the base material 1 during the operation performed by the transport means.In this case, the mist gas flow rate V 23 of the cleaning mist gas MG 2 becomes similar to the air gas flow rate VG 1 of the air gas AG 1, so that the cleaning mist gas MG 2 having the mist gas flow rate V 23, which is a relatively high flow rate, is directly blown onto the object to be removed 3 adhered to the front surface of the base material 1. The cleaning mist gas MG 2 having the mist gas flow V 23 can thus wash off the object 3 to be removed, such as the coating solution.As a result, the cleaning mist gas MG 2 containing the cleaning solution mist MT is blown to the front side of the base material 1, and the object to be removed 3 adhering to the front side of the base material 1 is removed or decomposed to clean the object to be removed 3 as a cleaning target.The exhaust mechanism 30 has, as a main component, an air knife 31, and the air knife 31 is provided as a second air gas blower toward the table transport T 2 downstream of the air knife 23 as a first air gas blower.An air gas AG 2 blown by the air knife 31 as a second air gas blower along an air gas blowing direction FG 2 flows under the mist shielding diffusion plate 4 and is supplied toward the transport path of the transport table 2 which is transported along the table transport direction T 2 during the above transport performed by the above transport means.The air knife 31 as the second air gas blower performs the second air gas blowing of blowing the air gas AG 2 as a second air gas directly onto a remaining object remaining on the front surface of the base material 1 during the above-mentioned transport performed by the above-mentioned transport means.The air gas blowing direction FG 1 (mist gas supply direction F 23) of the air gas AG 1 and the air gas blowing direction FG 2 of the air gas AG 2 each have a directional component in a transport direction opposite to the transport direction T 2 (direction -X).The remaining object remaining on the front side of the base material 1 can be removed by the second blowing air gas passed through the air knife 31. As the remaining object, a portion of the object 3 to be removed, a cleaning solution, and the like are considered.While the table transport direction T 2 for the base material 1 is a horizontal direction (X direction) of FIG. 1, the table transport direction T 2 may be a direction inclined to the X direction or a vertical direction (Z direction).While the cleaning surface of the base material 1 is the front surface (an upper surface) of the base material of FIG. 1, the cleaning surface may be a rear surface (lower surface) of the base material 1.FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of the mist gas supply mechanism 20. The distance between the outlets D 13 is a distance from a nozzle outlet (front end portion) of the mist gas nozzle 21 to a region around an air outlet (front end portion) of the air knife 23. the distance between the ports D 13 is set such that the manifold mist gas MG 1 and the air gas AG 1 are merged to obtain the cleaning mist gas MG 2 having directivity in the mist gas supply direction F 23 that exactly matches the air gas blowing direction FG 1.A gap G 23 as a distance from a front surface 1 sin a cleaning surface of the base material 1 to the air outlet of the air knife 23 along the vertical direction (Z direction) is set to have a length that enhances the effect of removing the object 3 to be removed.A gas flow supply angle A 23 as an angle of the mist gas supply direction F 23 relative to the table transport direction T 2 (+X direction) is set in a range of 0° to 90° (more than 0° and less than 90°: 0(°)<A 23<90(°)). The gas flow supply angle A 23 is a first air gas blowing angle.It is undesirable to set the gas flow supply angle A 23 as the first air gas blowing angle to an angle outside the range of 0° to 90° because the object to be removed 3 may flow on the front side as the cleaning surface of the base material 1 when rinsed and contaminate the front side of the base material 1.When the air gas AG 1 is blown through the air meter 23, a gas supply pressure to the air meter 23 is set to a pressure at which a desired air gas flow rate VG 1 can be obtained.It is desirable to appropriately set a transport speed of the base material 1 by the transport means along the table transport direction T 2 within a range in which the amount of the cleaning solution mist MT used contained in the cleaning mist gas MG 2 is suppressed and an effect of cleaning the object 3 to be removed is moderately maintained.FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the air knife 31 and its vicinity. An air gas flow rate VG 2 (a second air gas flow rate) of the air gas AG 2 (second air gas) blown by the air knife 31 as the second air gas blower is set so that the effect of removing the remaining object on the front side of the base material 1 is maintained at a desired removal level and a degree of drying of the front side of the base material 1 is at a predetermined drying level or below.The effect of removing the remaining object increases as the air gas flow rate VG 2 increases as the second air gas flow rate, and the degree of drying of the front surface of the base material 1 can be suppressed to a low value as the air gas flow rate VG 2 decreases. When the base material 1 is a material that tends to oxidize, an increase in the degree of drying of the front surface of the base material 1 may cause the remaining object on the front surface of the base material 1 to oxidize and contaminate the base material 1. The air gas flow rate VG 2 may be adjusted by a gas supply pressure to the air meter 31.A gap G 31 from the front surface as a cleaning surface of the base material 1 to an air outlet of the air knife 31 along the vertical direction (Z direction) is set to a distance that generates a high effect in removing the remaining object and prevents movement of the base material 1 mounted on the transport table 2. By reducing the gap G 31, the blower capacity by the air gas AG 2 can be increased, so that the base material 1 is separated from the transport table 2.A gas flow supply angle A 31 as an angle of the air gas blowing direction FG 2 relative to the table conveying direction T 2 (X direction) is set in a range of 0° to 90° (more than 0° and less than 90°: 0(°)<A 31<90(°)). The gas flow supply angle A 23 is a second air gas blowing angle.It is undesirable to set the gas flow supply angle A 31 as the second air gas blowing angle to an angle outside the range of 0° to 90°, because the remaining object, when flushed away for removal, can flow to the front side as the cleaning surface of the base material 1 to contaminate the front side of the base material 1.FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a function for adjusting the air knife 23, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a function for adjusting the spray nozzles 21, FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a configuration for achieving the functions for adjusting the spray nozzles 21 and the air knife 23.As shown in FIG. 6, an air knife rotating mechanism 23R and an air knife moving mechanism 23M are connected to the air knife 23.The air knife moving mechanism 23M is a mechanism that moves the air knife 23 along a moving direction T 23X or a moving direction T 23Z. The base material cleaning apparatus 51 having the air knife moving mechanism 23M thus has a first blower moving function to move the air knife 23 as a first air gas blower along the moving direction T 23X or the moving direction T 23Z. The moving direction T 23X is a direction parallel to the X direction, and the moving direction T 23Z is a direction parallel to the Z direction.The air knife rotating mechanism 23R is a mechanism that rotates the air knife 23 along a rotation direction R 23 around a predetermined location of the air knife 23 as a rotation axis in an XZ plane. The base material cleaning apparatus 51 having the air knife rotating mechanism 23R thus has a first blowing angle adjustment function to adjust the gas flow supply angle A 23 as the first air blowing angle by rotating the air knife 23 along the rotation direction R 23.The air knife moving mechanism 23M may be configured as desired as long as the air knife 23 can be moved without changing the gas flow supply angle A 23, and this can be achieved by existing technology. The air knife rotating mechanism 23R may be configured as desired as long as the air knife 23 can be rotated along the rotational direction R 23, and this can be achieved by existing technology.As shown in FIG. 6, a mist jet rotating mechanism 21R and a mist jet moving mechanism 21M are connected to the mist jet 21.The mist jet moving mechanism 21M is a mechanism that moves the mist jet 21 along a moving direction T 21X or a moving direction T 21Z. The base material cleaning apparatus 51 having the mist jet moving mechanism 21M thus has a jet moving function that moves the mist jet 21 along the moving direction T 21X or the moving direction T 23Z. The moving direction T 21X is a direction parallel to the X direction, and the moving direction T 21Z is a direction parallel to the Z direction.The mist jet rotating mechanism 21R is a mechanism that rotates the mist jet 21 along a rotation direction R 21 around a predetermined location of the mist jet 21 as a rotation axis in the XZ plane. The base material cleaning apparatus 51 having the mist jet rotating mechanism 21R thus has a jet angle adjustment function to adjust a mist supply angle A 21 as a mist jet angle relative to the table conveying direction T 2 by rotating the mist jet 21 along the rotation direction R 21. The mist supply angle A 21 is set in a range of 0° to 90° (more than 0° and less than 90°: 0(°)<A 21<90(°)).The mist jet moving mechanism 21M may have any configuration as long as the mist jet 21 can be moved without changing the mist supply angle A 21, and this can be achieved by existing technology. The mist jet rotating mechanism 21R may have any configuration as long as the air knife 23 can be rotated along the rotational direction R 21, and this can be achieved by existing technology.(Mist Proof Diffusion Plate 4)The base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 has the mist shielding diffusion plate 4. the mist shielding diffusion plate 4 is disposed between the mist gas supply mechanism 20 and the base material 1 and is flat. The planar shape is a shape along an XY plane.FIG. 7 is a diagram of the mist shielding diffusion plate 4 and its vicinity, and FIG. 8 is a diagram of a planar configuration of the mist shielding diffusion plate 4. FIGS. 7 and 8 each have the Cartesian XYZ coordinate system.The mist shielding diffusion plate 4 is provided so as to provide a diffusion suppression space S 1 having a gap G 4 as a predetermined gap without interfering with the supply of the cleaning mist gas MG 2 to the front surface 1 sin the cleaning surface of the base material 1. The gap G 4 is a distance between a rear surface 4 rof the mist shielding diffusion plate 4 and the front surface 1 sof the base material 1 along the Z direction, and the diffusion suppression space S 1 is a space formed between the front surface 1 sof the base material 1 and the rear surface 4 rof the mist shielding diffusion plate 4 and having the gap G 4.As shown in FIG. 8, the mist shielding diffusion plate 4 is set to have a sufficiently large planar shape so that a large portion of a space above the front surface 1 sof the base material 1 may be the diffusion suppression space S 1.The gap G 4 as the predetermined gap is set sufficiently short that the diffusion suppression space S 1 is a narrow space so that diffusion of the cleaning solution mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG 2 can be suppressed. It is desirable to set the gap G4 (μm) in a range satisfying {15 μm<G4≤50 mm}.That is, in the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1, the cleaning solution mist MT is assumed to have a particle diameter (droplet) of 15 μm or less, and the gap G 4 is set to have a length exceeding the particle diameter of the cleaning solution mist MT.FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a comparative base material cleaning apparatus 51X based on the assumption that the mist shielding diffusion plate 4 is absent in the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1. The figure has the Cartesian XYZ coordinate system. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the object to be removed 3 adheres to a portion of the front surface of the base material 1.As seen in the figure, a part of the cleaning solution mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG2 diffuses over the base material 1 when the cleaning mist gas MG2 is supplied to the front surface 1s of the base material 1, because the cleaning solution mist MT is light. The comparative base material cleaning apparatus 51X does not have the mist shielding diffusion plate 4, and therefore cannot suppress the phenomenon of diffusion of the cleaning solution mist MT.The cleaning mist gas MG 2 thus becomes a drier gas by diffusion of the cleaning solution mist MT, so that the front surface 1 sof the base material 1 is likely to be dried when the dried cleaning mist gas MG 2 is blown onto the front surface 1 sof the base material 1. The front surface 1 sof the base material 1 in a dried state is contaminated by oxidation.On the other hand, in the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1, the space above the front surface 1 sof the base material 1 is narrowed to the diffusion suppression space S 1 due to the presence of the mist shielding diffusion plate 4, so that the diffusion of the cleaning solution mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG 2 can be effectively suppressed. Thus, the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 can avoid the phenomenon of contamination of the front surface 1 sbecause of oxidation by suppressing drying of the front surface 1 s.(Effects)The mist gas supply mechanism 20 of the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure has the mist jet 21 and the air knife 23 and the air gas flow rate VG 1 because the first air gas flow rate is set higher than the mist gas flow rate V 21 of the manifold mist gas MG 1.The cleaning mist gas MG 2 obtained by mixing the air gas AG 1 with the manifold mist gas MG 1 is thus influenced by the air gas AG 1, so that the mist gas supply direction F 23 of the cleaning mist gas MG 2 becomes identical to the air gas blowing direction FG 1, and the mist gas flow rate V 23 becomes similar to the air gas flow rate VG 1.The air gas flow rate VG 1 is thus set to a flow rate required to clean the front surface 1 sin the cleaning surface of the base material 1, so that the cleaning solution mist MT can be efficiently supplied to the front surface of the base material 1 while minimizing the amount of the cleaning solution mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG 2.As a result, the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 can remove the object to be removed 3 adhering to the front side of the base material 1 while suppressing the amount of a cleaning solution used.The base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 supplies the cleaning mist gas MG 2 to the transport path of the transport table 2, and blows the cleaning mist gas MG 2 containing the cleaning solution mist MT directly to the front side of the base material 1 to precisely remove the object to be removed 3 adhering to the front side of the base material 1.A practical example of an effect produced by the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 when the object to be removed 3 was a nickel plating solution and the cleaning solution was pure water is shown below.The base material 1 was a copper-based Hull cell material having a sheet size of 100 mm×100 mm and a thickness of 0.3 mm, and 2 ml of the nickel plating solution was applied dropwise to the front side as a cleaning surface and dispersed to remove excess plating solution. As described above, the nickel plating solution having a weight of 0.6 g to 0.7 g and a thickness of about 0.5 mm was made to adhere, as the object to be removed 3, to the front surface of the base material 1.For the base material 1 having the front surface to which the object 3 to be removed adhered as described above, the mist gas supply mechanism 20 bilges the cleaning mist gas MG 2 onto the front surface of the base material 1, and the remaining object on the front surface of the base material 1 was removed using the air knife 31 during the transport operation performed by the transport means for transporting the transport table 2 along the table transport direction T 2 at a base material transport speed of 200 mm / min.As a result, in the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1, an analysis result showing that the amount of an attached nickel plating solution as the object 3 to be removed was reduced to 22 μg was obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).As described above, the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 can remove the object to be removed 3 adhered to the front side of the base material 1 with accuracy.The object to be removed 3 adhering to the front side of the base material 1 can be removed only by forming an atmosphere of the cleaning mist gas MG 2 on the front side of the transport table 2 without blowing the cleaning mist gas MG 2 directly on the front side of the base material 1. For example, an indirect environment for supplying the cleaning mist gas MG 2 is considered in which the transport path of the transport table 2 is provided on the leeward side of the cleaning mist gas MG 2 and the front surface of the base material 1 passes through the atmosphere of the cleaning mist gas MG 2.However, in order to enhance the cleaning effect by removing the object 3 to be removed, an environment in which the cleaning mist gas MG 2 is directly blown to the front side of the base material 1 is more desirable than the indirect supply environment of the cleaning mist gas MG 2.In the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1, the air knife 31 as the second air gas blower directly blows the air gas AG 2 as the second air gas onto the front surface 1 sin the cleaning surface of the base material 1 to remove the remaining object remaining on the front surface 1 sof the base material 1 with accuracy.The base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 has the ultrasonic atomizer 11 so that the cleaning solution mist MT having a relatively small particle diameter of, for example, 15 μm or less can be supplied to the mist jet 21 via the mist supply line 12.As a result, the cleaning solution mist MT in the cleaning mist gas MG 2 supplied from the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 can penetrate the front surface of the base material 1 in a fine portion, and the amount of a cleaning solution contained in one unit droplet of the cleaning solution mist MT can be suppressed to minimize the amount of the cleaning solution used.As for the air knife 23 of the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1, the blowing direction FG 1 of the air gas (mist gas supply direction F 23) has the directional component in the transport direction opposite to the table transport direction T 2, and the gas flow supply angle A 23 as the first air gas blowing angle is in a range of 0° to 90° (0(°) A 23<90(°)).Thus, the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 can remove the object to be removed 3 adhering to the front side of the base material 1 with accuracy.The base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 has the first blowing movement function achieved by the air knife moving mechanism 23M and the first blowing angle adjustment function achieved by the air knife rotating mechanism 23R.Thus, the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 can set a location where the manifold mist gas MG 1 and the air gas AG 2 mix and the air gas blowing direction FG 1 (=the mist gas supply direction F 23) to increase the effect of removing the object to be removed 3 adhering to the front side of the base material 1.As for the mist jet 21 of the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1, the mist gas jet direction F 21 has a directional component in the table transport direction T 2 (+X direction), and the mist supply angle A 21 as the mist jet angle relative to the table transport direction T 2 is set in a range of 0° to 90° (0(°)<A 21<90(°)). On the other hand, the air knife 23 as the first air gas blower has the air gas blowing direction FG 1 as the first air gas blowing direction with the directional component in the conveying direction opposite to the direction (-X direction), and the gas flow supply angle A 23 as the first air gas blowing angle is set in a range of 0° to 90°.The air knife 23 of the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 can thus relatively easily blow the first air gas toward the manifold mist gas MG 1 ejected from the mist jet device 21.In a preferred aspect of the present embodiment, the mist supply angle A 21 is set to a range of 0° to 90°, with the direction in the transport direction T 2 of the table, to slightly supply the air outlet of the air gas AG 1 of the air knife 23 or the vicinity of the air outlet. In a modification, it is provided that the mist supply angle A 21 is set to an angle other than 0° to 90°. As described above, since the cleaning mist gas MG 2 is largely influenced by the air gas AG 1, the cleaning mist gas MG 2 directly blown onto the object to be removed 3 can be obtained by the air gas AG 1 also in the modification.In the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1, the jet moving function is performed by the mist jet moving mechanism 21M, and the jet angle adjusting function is performed by the mist jet rotating mechanism 21R.Thus, the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 can adjust the location where the manifold mist gas MG 1 and the air gas AG 2 are joined to increase the removal effect of the removing object 3 adhering to the front side of the base material 1.The mist shielding diffusion plate 4 of the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 is disposed to provide the diffusion suppression space S 1 having the gap G 4 as a predetermined gap between the mist shielding diffusion plate 4 and the front surface 1 sof the base material 1 without interfering with the supply of the cleaning mist gas MG 2 to the front surface 1 sin the cleaning surface of the base material 1.The base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 can restrict a space with which the front surface 1 sof the base material 1 is in contact to the diffusion suppression space S 1 using the mist shielding diffusion plate 4, which is a relatively narrow space, to generate a mist diffusion suppressing effect that effectively suppresses the phenomenon of diffusion of the cleaning solution mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG 2 from the front surface 1 sof the base material 1.When the air gas flow rate VG 1 of the air gas AG 1 blown by the air knife 23 is high, the mist gas flow rate V 23 (= VG 1) of the cleaning mist gas MG 2 is also high, so that the cleaning solution mist MT in the cleaning mist gas MG 2 is less likely to adhere to the front surface 1 sof the base material 1. However, an adhesion rate of the cleaning solution mist MT to the front surface 1 sof the base material 1 can be increased by the aforementioned effect of mist diffusion suppression generated by the presence in the diffusion suppression space S 1 which is a relatively narrow space.As a result, due to the above-mentioned effect of mist diffusion suppression, the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 can prevent oxidation of the front surface 1 sin the cleaning surface of the base material 1 due to drying to remove the object 3 to be removed without contaminating the front surface 1 s.In the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1, the gap G 4 (predetermined gap) is set with a length exceeding the particle diameter of the cleaning solution mist MT. In Embodiment 1, the cleaning solution mist MT is obtained by the ultrasonic atomizer 11 so that the gap G 4 is set to a length of more than 15 μm. This is because the cleaning solution mist MT generated by the ultrasonic atomizer 11 has a particle diameter of 15 μm or less.It is desirable to set the gap G 4 in a range satisfying {15 μm<G 4≤50 mm} so as not to reduce the above-mentioned effect of mist diffusion suppression. That is, it is desirable to set an upper limit of the gap G 4 to about 50 mm.Thus, the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 can supply the cleaning solution mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG 2 to the diffusion suppression space S 1 having the gap G 4 which is a relatively small gap without any obstacles.<Ausführungsform 2>FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an overall configuration of a base material cleaning apparatus 52 according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of the mist gas supply mechanism 20.Components similar to those of the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 will be given the same reference numerals as the similar components, and the description will be made with reference to the features of the base material cleaning apparatus 52 according to Embodiment 2.A transport means of the base material cleaning apparatus 52 according to Embodiment 2 has a transport table 2B on which the base material 1 is mounted, and moves the transport table 2B in the direction T 2 of table transport to perform the transport operation as in Embodiment 1.The transport table 2B has, in an upper portion thereof, an adsorption mechanism 5 that adsorbs a rear surface 1 rof the base material 1. The base material cleaning apparatus 52 according to Embodiment 2 is characterized in that the transport table 2B has the adsorption mechanism 5.Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of the adsorption mechanism 5. The plurality of adsorption holes 5 hare disposed at positions overlapping the rear surface of the base material 1 in plan view. The adsorption mechanism 5 has the adsorption path 5 rand the plurality of adsorption holes 5 h, and adsorbs the base material 1 from the rear surface 1 rthereof by vacuum adsorption using the plurality of adsorption holes 5 h.In the base material cleaning apparatus 52 according to Embodiment 2, the cleaning mist gas MG 2 obtained by the first air gas blowing performed by the air knife 23 is directly blown onto the front surface of the base material 1, as in Embodiment 1, so that the base material 1 mounted on the transport table 2B can move.In the base material cleaning apparatus 52 according to Embodiment 2, the transport table 2B has the adsorption mechanism 5, and the adsorption mechanism 5 adsorbs the base material 1 from the rear surface 1 rthereof, so that the base material 1 can be stably and firmly secured on the transport table 2 even when it receives the cleaning mist gas MG 2.Moreover, the adsorption mechanism 5 functions as a porous adsorption plate having a plurality of adsorption holes 5 h, and thus, even if the base material 1 has a thin structure with a thickness of 1 mm or less, it can be firmly fixed on the transport table 2 so as not to be moved by the cleaning mist gas MG 2.In addition, since the adsorption mechanism 5 functions as a porous adsorption plate, deformation of the base material 1 due to adsorption focused on a local portion does not occur, and a gap is not formed between a front surface of the adsorption mechanism 5 and the front surface 1 sof the base material 1 due to the deformation.As described above, the base material cleaning apparatus 52 according to Embodiment 2 securely avoids deformation of the base material 1, generation of a gap, and the like, to securely avoid a phenomenon of interference with a flow of the cleaning mist gas MG 2 containing the cleaning solution mist MT.In the base material cleaning apparatus 52 according to Embodiment 2, the adsorption mechanism 5 that the transport table 2B has adsorbs the base material 1 from the rear surface 1 rthereof using the plurality of adsorption holes 5 h, so that when the cleaning mist gas MG 2 and the air gas AG 2 are directly blown to the front side as the cleaning surface of the base material 1, the base material 1 can be stably mounted on the transport table 2B. In this case, the base material 1 can be stably mounted on the transport table 2B even when the base material 1 has a thickness of 1 mm or less.Moreover, the plurality of adsorption holes 5 hare provided so as to overlap the rear surface of the base material in plan view, so that deformation of the base material 1 does not occur when the adsorption mechanism 5 adsorbs the base material 1. Thus, no gap is generated between the adsorption mechanism 5 and the back surface 1 rof the base material 1 due to deformation of the base material 1.As a result, the base material cleaning apparatus 52 according to Embodiment 2 can supply the cleaning mist gas MG 2 to the front side of the base material 1 without any obstacles during the first air gas blowing performed by the air knife 23 as the first air gas blower, so that the object to be removed 3 adhering to the front side of the base material 1 can be removed with accuracy.Moreover, the base material cleaning apparatus 52 according to Embodiment 2 can supply the air gas AG 2 to the front side of the base material 1 without any hindrance during the second air gas blowing performed by the air knife 31 as the second air gas blower, so that the remaining object remaining on the front side of the base material 1 can be removed with accuracy.<>While the base material cleaning apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 1 and the base material cleaning apparatus 52 according to Embodiment 2 have been shown above as the base material cleaning apparatus according to the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments and may be changed without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.While water, also pure water, has been shown as the cleaning solution in the present embodiment, an alkaline degreasing solution (a solution containing sodium hydroxide and phosphoric acid) and an acidic degreasing solution (a solution containing sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid) are also suitable as the cleaning solution. The alkaline degreasing solution and the acidic degreasing solution are effective cleaning solutions for the base material 1 that needs degreasing.Moreover, the base material cleaning apparatus according to the present disclosure is applicable to acid cleaning using a solution containing sulfuric acid as a cleaning solution, etching using a solution containing iron (III) chloride as a cleaning solution, surface modification using a solution containing an organometallic compound such as TEOS as a cleaning solution, resist removal using a solution containing sodium hydroxide as a cleaning solution, and the like.While the coating solution is regarded as the object 3 to be removed in the present embodiment, solid particles such as dirt, dust, and particles, an organic compound such as oil, an inorganic metal compound such as rust and a metal oxide film, and the like are regarded as the object 3 to be removed.An example of a coated object represented by the coating solution has a metal salt as a metal ion supply source. Examples of suitable metal salts are copper sulfate and nickel sulfate.While it is apparent from the above-mentioned embodiment that the spray nozzle jet 21 and the air knife 23 constituting the mist gas supply mechanism 20 are independent of each other, an aspect in which the mist gas supply mechanism 20 and the spray nozzle jet 21 are integrally formed as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 6 may also be used.While the mist shielding diffusion plate 4 is provided parallel to the table transport direction T 2 (X direction), the arrangement of the mist shielding diffusion plate 4 is not limited to this arrangement, and the direction in which the mist shielding diffusion plate 4 is provided may be substantially inclined to the X direction. The shape of the mist shielding diffusion plate 4 is not limited to the planar shape.Each shape and arrangement of the mist shielding diffusion plate 4 can be set under a condition that allows the mist shielding diffusion plate 4 to form the diffusion suppression space in which the diffusion of the cleaning solution mist MT contained in the cleaning mist gas MG 2 can be prevented in a region of the space that is in contact with the front surface 1 sin the cleaning surface of the base material 1.Moreover, although the table transporting direction T 2 is set as a direction in which the base material 1 is transported in the horizontal direction along the X direction, the table transporting direction T 2 may be substantially inclined to the X direction. Moreover, the table transport direction T 2 may be set in the vertical direction along the Z direction. That is, the table conveying direction T 2 may be set to any direction provided that the cleaning mist gas MG 2 is blown to the front side of the base material 1 during operation.While the cleaning surface of the base material 1 is the front surface 1 sin the above-mentioned embodiment, the cleaning surface may be the back surface 1 r. In this case, members corresponding to the mist gas supply mechanism 20 and the exhaust mechanism 30 are disposed on a side of the rear surface 1 rof the base material 1, and the cleaning mist gas is directly blown onto the rear surface 1 rof the base material 1 by the first air gas blown by the first air gas blower corresponding to the air knife 23.In the base material cleaning apparatus 52 according to Embodiment 2, an aspect in which the base material 1 and the transport table 2B are firmly secured may have an aspect in which a means for securing the base material 1 other than the adsorption mechanism 5 is provided under a condition that allows the base material 1 to be stably and firmly secured on the transport table 2B even when it is storing the cleaning mist gas MG 2 and the air gas AG 2 without interfering with the flow of the cleaning mist gas MG 2While the present disclosure has been described in detail, the foregoing description is in all aspects illustrative and not restrictive. It should be understood that numerous modifications not shown may be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.EXPLANATION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS1 Base material 2, 2B Transport table 3 Object to be removed 4 Mist protection diffusion plate 5 Adsorption mechanism 5 h Adsorptions hole 11 Ultrasonic atomizer 12 Mist supply pipe 20 Mist gas supply mechanism 21 Mist jet 21M Mist jet moving mechanism 21R Mist jet rotating mechanism 23, 31 Air knife 23M Air knife moving mechanism 23R Air knife rotating mechanism 30 Exhaust mechanism 51, 52 Base material cleaning device AG 1, AG 2 Air gas MG 1 Manifold mist gas MG 2 Cleaning mist gas MT Cleaning solution mistReferences included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedJP 11-76962

[0003] WO 2018 / 501665

[0003] JP 2009-136742

[0003] JP 2020-18993

[0003] JPJP 2007-33730

[0003]

Claims

A base material cleaning apparatus comprising: a conveying device that performs a conveying operation of a base material along a conveying direction; and a mist gas supplying mechanism that supplies a cleaning mist gas containing cleaning solution mist obtained by misting a cleaning solution to clean a cleaning surface of the base material, wherein the mist gas supplying mechanism includes: a mist jet that ejects a manifold mist gas containing the cleaning solution mist along a mist jet direction; A first air gas blower that performs first air gas blowing by blowing a first air gas to the manifold mist gas along a first air gas blowing direction to mix the first air gas with the manifold mist gas, thereby obtaining the cleaning mist gas during the transport operation performed by the transport device, supplying the cleaning mist gas to the cleaning surface of the base material by the first air gas blowing, and setting a flow rate of the manifold mist gas to an initial mist flow rate, setting a flow rate of the first air gas to a first air gas flow rate, and setting the first air gas flow rate to be higher than the initial mist flow rate.The base material cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first air gas blower performs the first air gas blowing to blow the cleaning mist gas directly onto the cleaning surface of the base material.The base material cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a second air gas blower that performs second air gas blowing by directly blowing a second air gas onto the cleaning surface of the base material during the transport operation performed by the transport means, wherein the second air gas blower is provided downstream of the first air gas blower in the transport direction.The base material cleaning apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising: an ultrasonic atomizer that applies ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning solution to generate the cleaning solution mist; and a mist supply line to supply the cleaning solution mist generated by the ultrasonic atomizer to the mist jet.The base material cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first air gas blowing direction has a member in a direction opposite to the transport direction, and a first air gas blowing angle is set in a range of more than 0° and less than 90°, wherein the first air gas blowing angle is an angle of the first air gas blowing direction relative to the transport direction.The base material cleaning apparatus according to claim 5, comprising: a first blower moving function for moving the first air gas blower; and a first blowing angle adjusting function for adjusting the first air gas blowing angle.The base material cleaning apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the mist jet direction has a member in the transport direction, and a mist jet angle is set in a range of more than 0° and less than 90°, wherein the mist jet angle is an angle of the mist jet direction relative to the transport direction.The base material cleaning apparatus according to claim 7, comprising: a beam moving function for moving the mist beam; and a beam angle adjusting function for adjusting the mist beam angle.The base material cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a mist shielding diffusion plate provided between the mist gas supply mechanism and the cleaning surface of the base material, wherein the mist shielding diffusion plate is provided so as to provide a diffusion suppression space with a predetermined gap between the mist shielding diffusion plate and the cleaning surface of the base material without interfering with the supply of the cleaning mist gas to the cleaning surface of the base material.The base material cleaning apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined gap is set to have a length larger than a particle diameter of the cleaning solution mist.The base material cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the transport means has a transport table on which the base material is mounted and moves the transport table in the transport direction to perform the transport operation, the transport table has an adsorption mechanism that adsorbs a rear surface of the base material, and the adsorption mechanism has a plurality of adsorption holes that overlap the rear surface of the base material in plan view and adsorb the base material from the rear surface thereof using the plurality of adsorption holes.

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