Wafer cleaning device

Abstract

To prevent dirt from remaining on a sponge of a wafer cleaning device.SOLUTION: While a wafer 100 is being cleaned by a rotating sponge 80, a first sponge cleaning member 90 is pressed against the surface of the sponge 80 to clean the surface of the sponge 80. This makes it possible to easily remove dirt from the sponge 80 while the wafer 100 is being cleaned, thereby making it possible to prevent dirt from remaining on the sponge 80. Therefore, the wafer 100 can be cleaned well.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wafer cleaning apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] In the wafer cleaning apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, one surface of the wafer or the surface of the tape adhered to this surface is cleaned by bringing it into contact with the outer surface of a columnar or cylindrical sponge.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a wafer cleaning apparatus that cleans a wafer by bringing a sponge into contact therewith as described above, if dirt adheres to the sponge and remains, it becomes difficult to clean the wafer well. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to suppress the remaining of dirt on the sponge of the wafer cleaning apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The wafer cleaning apparatus (this wafer cleaning apparatus) of the present invention is a wafer cleaning apparatus that cleans a wafer by bringing the surface of a sponge into contact with the wafer held by a holding unit, and includes the sponge, a sponge cleaning member that contacts the surface of the sponge and cleans the sponge, a rubbing mechanism that rubs the sponge and the sponge cleaning member against each other, and a cleaning water supply nozzle that supplies cleaning water to the sponge.

[0006] In this wafer cleaning apparatus, the sponge may be columnar or cylindrical, the rubbing mechanism may be a rotating mechanism that rotates the sponge about a rotation axis extending along the center of the sponge, the sponge cleaning member may extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sponge, the cleaning water supply nozzle may extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sponge, and may be disposed on the upstream side of the sponge cleaning member in the rotation direction of the sponge.

[0007] In this wafer cleaning apparatus, the sponge may have a plurality of protrusions on its surface, and the sponge cleaning member may be configured to clean the protrusions.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] In this wafer cleaning apparatus, by rubbing the sponge cleaning member against the surface of the sponge, the surface of the sponge can be cleaned. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the remaining of dirt on the sponge. Therefore, according to this wafer cleaning apparatus, it is possible to clean the wafer well.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is a scrub cleaning apparatus (roll scrub cleaning apparatus) for cleaning the wafer 100.

[0011] The wafer 100 is provided with an annular trimming portion 103 that is recessed in a stepped shape on the outer peripheral portion on the surface 101 side, which is one surface. The first wafer cleaning apparatus 1 supports the outer peripheral edge of such a wafer 100 and rotates the wafer 100 to clean the back surface 102, which is the other surface of the wafer 100. Note that the wafer 100 is installed in the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1 so that the back surface 102 faces downward.

[0012] The first wafer cleaning apparatus 1 has a first rotating roller 11, a second rotating roller 12, a first driven roller 21, and a second driven roller 22 as holding portions for holding the wafer 100 (the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 100). The first wafer cleaning apparatus 1 cleans the wafer 100 by bringing the surface of the sponge 80 into contact with the wafer 100 held by these rollers 11, 12, 21, and 22.

[0013] The first rotating roller 11 and the second rotating roller 12 are rollers for holding and rotating the wafer 100. The first rotating roller 11 and the second rotating roller 12 have a rotating roller portion 13 that holds the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 100, a columnar roller rotating shaft 14, and a roller rotation motor 15 that rotationally drives the roller rotating shaft 14.

[0014] The rotating roller portion 13 includes a columnar roller main body 16 and a columnar convex portion 17 provided at the center of the roller upper surface 161, which is the upper surface of the roller main body 16. The rotating roller portion 13 is configured to hold the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 100 by the roller upper surface 161 of the roller main body 16 and the side surface 171 of the convex portion 17.

[0015] Further, the rotating roller portion 13 is fixed to the tip of the roller rotating shaft 14, and can rotate together with the roller rotating shaft 14 as indicated by the arrow 501 while holding the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 100 by the roller rotation motor 15.

[0016] The first driven roller 21 and the second driven roller 22 are driven rollers that rotate as the wafer 100 rotates. The first driven roller 21 and the second driven roller 22 are configured to hold and rotate along the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 100.

[0017] The first driven roller 21 and the second driven roller 22 are provided with a columnar roller body 26 and a columnar convex portion 27 provided at the center of the upper surface 261 of the roller body 26, similar to the rotating roller portions 13 of the first rotating roller 11 and the second rotating roller 12. The first driven roller 21 and the second driven roller 22 are configured to hold the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 100 by the upper surface 261 of the roller body 26 and the side surface 271 of the convex portion 27.

[0018] Also, the first driven roller 21 and the second driven roller 22 are supported from below by the driven roller base 24. The driven roller base 24 has a thin plate shape and rotatably supports the first driven roller 21 and the second driven roller 22 at both ends thereof. Therefore, the first driven roller 21 and the second driven roller 22 can rotate as the wafer 100 rotates while holding the wafer 100.

[0019] In this way, the first wafer cleaning device 1 holds the wafer 100 by the first rotating roller 11, the second rotating roller 12, the first driven roller 21, and the second driven roller 22. When the rotating roller portions 13 of the first rotating roller 11 and the second rotating roller 12 rotate, the wafer 100 can be rotated about the rotation axis passing through the center of the wafer 100.

[0020] Further, the driven roller table 24 is configured to be movable along the X-axis direction together with the first driven roller 21 and the second driven roller 22 by a horizontal movement mechanism 25. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when holding (clamping) the wafer 100, by adjusting the horizontal positions of the first driven roller 21 and the second driven roller 22, the wafer 100 can be appropriately held by the rollers 11, 12, 21, and 22.

[0021] In addition, the first wafer cleaning device 1 has a sponge 80 for cleaning the wafer 100. For example, the sponge 80 has a cylindrical shape, and the length in its longitudinal direction is longer than the diameter of the wafer 100, for example. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the sponge 80 has a plurality of protrusions 81 on its surface. Note that the shape of the sponge 80 may be cylindrical.

[0022] Then, as shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the sponge 80 extends along the X-axis direction below the back surface 102 of the wafer 100 held by the rollers 11, 12, 21, and 22, and the surface of the sponge 80 (a plurality of protrusions 81 arranged on the surface) is in contact with a portion including the center of the back surface 102 of the wafer 100. Further, both ends of the sponge 80 protrude from the back surface 102 of the wafer 100 when viewed from the Z-axis direction.

[0023] In addition, the first wafer cleaning device 1 has a rotation motor 83 as an example of a rotation mechanism. This rotation motor 83 rotates the sponge 80 around a rotation axis 801 extending along the center of the sponge 80 in the direction indicated by the arrow 502.

[0024] Then, in the present embodiment, the sponge 80 is configured to scrub-clean the back surface 102 by being rotated by the rotation motor 83 while the protrusions 81 arranged on its surface are in contact with the back surface 102 of the rotating wafer 100.

[0025] Further, the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1 has a first sponge cleaning member 90 that contacts the surface of the sponge 80 to clean the sponge 80 in the vicinity of the sponge 80. As shown in FIG. 3, the first sponge cleaning member 90 is a thin plate-shaped glass plate having a substantially trapezoidal cross section. The first sponge cleaning member 90 has a plurality of grooves 92 on a cleaning surface 91 that is a surface in contact with the surface of the sponge 80. The grooves 92 are formed on the cleaning surface 91 of the first sponge cleaning member 90 so as to be inclined with respect to the Z-axis direction. The groove width of the grooves 92 is, for example, 0.5 mm, and the groove pitch is, for example, 3 mm.

[0026] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), the first sponge cleaning member 90 extends parallel to the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the sponge 80 in a state where the cleaning surface 91 is in contact with the surface of the sponge 80 (pressed state).

[0027] Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1 includes a cleaning water supply nozzle 85 that supplies cleaning water to the sponge 80. As shown in FIGS. 1, 4(a), and 4(b), the cleaning water supply nozzle 85 extends parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sponge 80. The cleaning water supply nozzle 85 is provided with a water supply port 86 (see FIG. 1) and is configured to supply cleaning water from the water supply port 86 to the surface of the sponge 80 by being communicated with the cleaning water source 200.

[0028] Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4(a), the cleaning water supply nozzle 85 is disposed on the upstream side of the first sponge cleaning member 90 in the rotation direction of the sponge 80 indicated by the arrow 502 (between the wafer 100 and the first sponge cleaning member 90 in the rotation direction).

[0029] Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1 has a control unit 7 for controlling the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1 inside thereof. The control unit 7 includes a CPU that performs arithmetic processing according to a control program, and a storage medium such as a memory. The control unit 7 executes various processes and comprehensively controls each component of the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1. For example, the control unit 7 controls the above-described respective members of the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1 to execute a cleaning process on the wafer 100.

[0030] Hereinafter, the cleaning process by the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1 in the present embodiment will be described.

[0031] In the cleaning process by the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1, first, an operator places the wafer 100 on the upper surfaces 161 of the first rotating roller 11, the second rotating roller 12, the first driven roller 21, and the second driven roller 22 of the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1 with the back surface 102 facing downward.

[0032] Next, the control unit 7 controls the horizontal movement mechanism 25 to adjust the horizontal positions of the first driven roller 21 and the second driven roller 22, whereby the rollers 11, 12, 21, and 22 appropriately hold the wafer 100. Further, thereby, the sponge 80 comes into contact with the back surface 102 of the wafer 100.

[0033] Next, the control unit 7 rotates the rotating roller portions 13 of the first rotating roller 11 and the second rotating roller 12 using the roller rotation motor 15. Thereby, the wafer 100 rotates about a rotation axis passing through the center of the wafer 100.

[0034] Furthermore, the control unit 7 connects the cleaning water supply nozzle 85 to the cleaning water source 200. Thereby, cleaning water is jetted toward the surface (outer surface) of the sponge 80, and the sponge 80 swells while containing water.

[0035] Further, the control unit 7 rotates the sponge 80 in contact with the back surface 102 of the wafer 100 by driving the rotation motor 83. Thereby, the back surface 102 of the rotating wafer 100 is scrubbed by the protrusions 81 on the surface of the rotating sponge 80.

[0036] Also, when the sponge 80 is rotated by the rotation motor 83, the protrusions 81 (see Fig. 2(a)) on the surface of the sponge 80 that is swollen with water are rubbed against the cleaning surface 91 having the grooves 92 in the first sponge cleaning member 90 in contact with this surface (see Figs. 3 and 4(a)). Thereby, the protrusions 81 of the sponge 80 are cleaned by the first sponge cleaning member 90. That is, the dirt adhering to the protrusions 81 of the sponge 80 is scraped off by the cleaning surface 91 having the grooves 92 in the first sponge cleaning member 90, and flows down along the grooves 92 together with the cleaning water. In this way, the rotation motor 83, which is a rotation mechanism, functions as a rubbing mechanism that rubs the sponge 80 and the first sponge cleaning member 90 against each other.

[0037] As described above, in the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1, while the wafer 100 is being cleaned by the rotating sponge 80, the cleaning surface 91 of the first sponge cleaning member 90 is pressed against and rubbed against the surface of the sponge 80, thereby cleaning the surface (protrusions 81) of the sponge 80. Thereby, the dirt on the sponge 80 can be easily removed during the cleaning of the wafer 100, so that the remaining dirt on the sponge 80 can be suppressed. Therefore, the wafer 100 can be cleaned well. In the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1, the first sponge cleaning member 90 is arranged with respect to the sponge 80 such that the portion where the first sponge cleaning member 90 is pressed is recessed.

[0038] In addition, in the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1, the cleaning water supply nozzle 85 is disposed upstream of the first sponge cleaning member 90 in the rotation direction of the sponge 80. Thereby, since the cleaning water can be sufficiently supplied to the portion of the sponge 80 to be cleaned by the first sponge cleaning member 90, the sponge 80 can be cleaned well.

[0039] Note that the wafer cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment may be the second wafer cleaning apparatus 2 as shown in FIG. 5. This second wafer cleaning apparatus 2 also cleans the wafer 100 by bringing the surface of the sponge into contact with the wafer 100 held by the holding unit.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 5, the second wafer cleaning apparatus 2 has, as in the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, a first rotating roller 11, a second rotating roller 12, a first driven roller 21, and a second driven roller 22 as a holding unit for holding the wafer 100. Further, the second wafer cleaning apparatus 2 includes, as in the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1, a driven roller base 24 that supports the first driven roller 21 and the second driven roller 22, a horizontal movement mechanism 25 that horizontally moves the driven roller base 24, and a control unit 7.

[0041] In addition, the second wafer cleaning apparatus 2 includes a first cleaning mechanism 30 for cleaning the front surface 101 of the wafer 100 held by the rollers 11, 12, 21, and 22, a second cleaning mechanism 40 for cleaning the back surface 102 of the wafer 100, and a radial movement mechanism 50 for turning the first sponge 31 of the first cleaning mechanism 30 and the second sponge 41 of the second cleaning mechanism 40.

[0042] The first cleaning mechanism 30 is disposed above the wafer 100. The first cleaning mechanism 30 includes a first sponge 31 that contacts the front surface 101 of the wafer 100, a first sponge shaft 32 that supports and rotates the first sponge 31, a first arm 33 that supports the first sponge 31 and the first sponge shaft 32 and turns above the wafer 100, and a first cleaning water nozzle 35 that injects cleaning water.

[0043] The first sponge 31 is a sponge for cleaning the surface 101 by contacting the surface 101 of the wafer 100, and is supported at the lower end of the first sponge shaft 32. The first sponge shaft 32 extends in a direction perpendicular to the surface 101 of the wafer 100. The first sponge shaft 32 is configured to be rotatable integrally with the first sponge 31 while supporting the first sponge 31.

[0044] The first arm 33 supports the first sponge 31 and the first sponge shaft 32 at its tip, while the base end side is supported by the turning shaft 51 of the radial movement mechanism 50.

[0045] The first cleaning water nozzle 35 is connected to the cleaning water source 200 and is used to spray cleaning water toward the surface 101 of the wafer 100 held by the rollers 11, 12, 21, and 22.

[0046] On the other hand, the second cleaning mechanism 40 is disposed below the wafer 100. The second cleaning mechanism 40 includes a second sponge 41 that contacts the back surface 102 of the wafer 100, a second sponge shaft 42 that supports and rotates the second sponge 41, a second arm 43 that supports the second sponge 41 and the second sponge shaft 42 and turns below the wafer 100, and a second cleaning water nozzle 45 that sprays cleaning water.

[0047] The second sponge 41 is a sponge for cleaning the back surface 102 by contacting the back surface 102 of the wafer 100, and is supported at the upper end of the second sponge shaft 42. The second sponge 41 has a diameter larger than that of the first sponge 31. The second sponge shaft 42 extends in a direction perpendicular to the back surface 102 of the wafer 100. The second sponge shaft 42 is configured to be rotatable integrally with the second sponge 41 while supporting the second sponge 41.

[0048] The second arm 43 supports the second sponge 41 and the second sponge shaft 42 at its tip, while being supported at its base end by the swivel shaft 51. Also, the second arm 43 is supported by the swivel shaft 51 so as to extend in the same direction as the first arm 33 of the first cleaning mechanism 30. Therefore, the first sponge 31 of the first cleaning mechanism 30 and the second sponge 41 of the second cleaning mechanism 40 are arranged to face each other with the wafer 100 sandwiched therebetween.

[0049] Also, the second sponge 41 has, for example, a larger diameter than the first sponge 31. Specifically, the diameter of the second sponge 41 is formed to be larger than the diameter of the first sponge 31 by, for example, twice the radial width of the trimming portion 103 in the wafer 100 (that is, the difference between the diameter of the front surface 101 and the diameter of the back surface 102).

[0050] The second cleaning water nozzle 45 is connected to the cleaning water source 200 and is used to spray cleaning water toward the back surface 102 of the wafer 100 held by the rollers 11, 12, 21, and 22.

[0051] The radial movement mechanism 50 includes the first arm 33 of the first cleaning mechanism 30, the second arm 43 of the second cleaning mechanism 40, the swivel shaft 51 that supports these first arm 33 and second arm 43, a swivel motor 52 for rotating the swivel shaft 51, a driving friction wheel 53 attached to the swivel motor 52, and a driven friction wheel 54 attached to the lower end of the swivel shaft 51.

[0052] The swivel shaft 51 extends perpendicular to the front surface 101 of the wafer 100 held by the rollers 11, 12, 21, and 22. When the swivel motor 52 rotationally drives the driving friction wheel 53, the driven friction wheel 54 in contact with the driving friction wheel 53 rotates. When the driven friction wheel 54 rotates, the swivel shaft 51 rotates.

[0053] Then, as the turning shaft 51 rotates, the first arm 33 of the first cleaning mechanism 30 and the second arm 43 of the second cleaning mechanism 40, which are supported by the turning shaft 51, turn about the turning shaft 51 as the turning axis.

[0054] As a result, the first sponge 31 supported by the first arm 33 via the first sponge shaft 32 moves in the radial direction of the wafer 100 so as to pass through the center of the surface 101 while being in contact with the surface 101 of the wafer 100. Further, the second sponge 41 supported by the second arm 43 via the second sponge shaft 42 also moves in the radial direction of the wafer 100 so as to pass through the center of the back surface 102 while being in contact with the back surface 102 of the wafer 100.

[0055] Also, the turning range of the first sponge 31 and the second sponge shaft 42 by the radial movement mechanism 50 includes, for example, the range from the centers of the surface 101 and the back surface 102 of the wafer 100 to the arrangement position of the second sponge cleaning member 70 described later.

[0056] In this way, the radial movement mechanism 50 is configured to arrange the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 to face each other with the wafer 100 sandwiched therebetween and move them in the radial direction of the wafer 100. In this embodiment, the first sponge shaft 32 and the second sponge shaft 42 are arranged on the same axis.

[0057] Further, the second wafer cleaning device 2 has a rotation mechanism 60 that rotates the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 about a rotation axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the surface 101 and the back surface 102 of the wafer 100.

[0058] The rotation mechanism 60 includes a sponge rotation motor 61, a rotation shaft 62 attached to the sponge rotation motor 61, and a rotation force transmission mechanism (not shown) that transmits the rotation force of the rotation shaft 62 to the first sponge shaft 32 and the second sponge shaft 42. This rotation force transmission mechanism is arranged in the turning shaft 51, the first arm 33, and the second arm 43.

[0059] In the rotating mechanism 60, a sponge rotating motor 61 rotationally drives a rotating shaft 62, whereby the rotational force of the rotating shaft 62 is transmitted to the first sponge shaft 32 and the second sponge shaft 42. As a result, the first sponge shaft 32 and the second sponge shaft 42 rotate, and the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 attached to the tips thereof are rotated about a rotation axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the front surface 101 and the back surface 102 of the wafer 100. Thus, the rotating mechanism 60 is configured to rotate the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 about a rotation axis extending along the centers of the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41.

[0060] Further, the second wafer cleaning device 2 includes a second sponge cleaning member 70, a first cleaning water supply nozzle 74 disposed above the second sponge cleaning member 70, and a second cleaning water supply nozzle 75 disposed below the second sponge cleaning member 70.

[0061] The second sponge cleaning member 70 contacts the surfaces of the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 and cleans the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41. As shown in FIG. 6, the second sponge cleaning member 70 has a substantially square plate shape and has, for example, substantially the same thickness as the wafer 100. Further, the second sponge cleaning member 70 has a first surface 71 that is the upper surface and a second surface 72 that is the lower surface, and a plurality of grooves 73 are provided on each of these surfaces.

[0062] Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the second sponge cleaning member 70 is disposed at a position away from the wafer 100 held by the rollers 11, 12, 21, and 22 and at substantially the same height as the wafer 100.

[0063] The first cleaning water supply nozzle 74 supplies cleaning water for sponge cleaning to the first sponge 31 and is connected to the cleaning water source 200. The second cleaning water supply nozzle 75 supplies cleaning water for sponge cleaning to the second sponge 41 and is connected to the cleaning water source 200.

[0064] Next, the cleaning process by the second wafer cleaning apparatus 2 in the present embodiment will be described.

[0065] In the cleaning process by the second wafer cleaning apparatus 2, similar to the cleaning process by the first wafer cleaning apparatus 1, first, an operator places the wafer 100 on the upper surfaces 161 of the rollers of the first rotating roller 11, the second rotating roller 12, the first driven roller 21, and the second driven roller 22 with the back surface 102 facing downward. Then, the control unit 7 controls the horizontal movement mechanism 25 to adjust the horizontal positions of the first driven roller 21 and the second driven roller 22, thereby appropriately holding the wafer 100 by the rollers 11, 12, 21, and 22.

[0066] Next, the control unit 7 controls the radial movement mechanism 50 to adjust the horizontal positions of the first sponge 31 of the first cleaning mechanism 30 and the second sponge 41 of the second cleaning mechanism 40, thereby bringing the first sponge 31 into contact with the front surface 101 of the wafer 100 and the second sponge 41 into contact with the back surface 102.

[0067] Next, the control unit 7 rotates the rotating roller portions 13 of the first rotating roller 11 and the second rotating roller 12 using the roller rotation motor 15. As a result, the wafer 100 rotates passively about the rotation axis passing through the center of the wafer 100.

[0068] Furthermore, the control unit 7 communicates the first cleaning water nozzle 35 of the first cleaning mechanism 30 and the second cleaning water nozzle 45 of the second cleaning mechanism 40 with the cleaning water source 200. As a result, cleaning water is sprayed toward each of the front surface 101 and the back surface 102 of the wafer 100.

[0069] Subsequently, the control unit 7 drives the sponge rotation motor 61 of the rotation mechanism 60 to rotate the first sponge 31 of the first cleaning mechanism 30 in contact with the front surface 101 of the wafer 100 and the second sponge 41 of the second cleaning mechanism 40 in contact with the back surface 102.

[0070] Next, the control unit 7 drives the turning motor 52 of the radial movement mechanism 50 to rotate the turning shaft 51. As a result, the first arm 33 of the first cleaning mechanism 30 and the second arm 43 of the second cleaning mechanism 40 turn with the turning shaft 51 as the turning axis.

[0071] As a result, the first sponge 31 supported by the first arm 33 and rotating moves in the radial direction of the wafer 100 between the center of the front surface 101 and the outer peripheral edge of the front surface 101 on the front surface 101. Further, the second sponge 41 supported by the second arm 43 and rotating also moves in the radial direction of the wafer 100 between the center of the back surface 102 and the outer peripheral edge on the back surface 102 of the wafer 100. In this way, the control unit 7 brings the rotating first sponge 31 and second sponge 41 into contact with the entire front surface 101 and back surface 102 where the cleaning water is being sprayed, and cleans the entire front surface 101 and back surface 102.

[0072] Also, the control unit 7 controls the radial movement mechanism 50 at a predetermined timing to turn the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 to the arrangement position of the second sponge cleaning member 70, and arranges them so as to sandwich the second sponge cleaning member 70 from above and below as shown in FIG. 5.

[0073] Also, at this time, the control unit 7 connects the first cleaning water supply nozzle 74 and the second cleaning water supply nozzle 75 to the cleaning water source 200. As a result, cleaning water is sprayed toward each of the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 arranged so as to sandwich the second sponge cleaning member 70 from above and below.

[0074] As a result, the surfaces of the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 being rotated by the rotation mechanism 60 are rubbed against the first surface 71 and the second surface 72 having the grooves 73 in the second sponge cleaning member 70 that is in contact with this surface. Thereby, the surfaces of the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 are cleaned by the second sponge cleaning member 70. That is, the dirt adhering to the surfaces of the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 is scraped off by the first surface 71 and the second surface 72 having the grooves 73 in the second sponge cleaning member 70, and flows down along the grooves 73 together with the cleaning water. In this way, the rotation mechanism 60 functions as a rubbing mechanism that rubs the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 against the second sponge cleaning member 70. Note that the second sponge cleaning member 70 does not necessarily have an area such that the entire cleaning surfaces of the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 are pressed against it. For example, the second sponge cleaning member 70 may be a rectangular parallelepiped extending parallel to the first arm 33 of the first cleaning mechanism 30 and the second arm 43 of the second cleaning mechanism 40, and the rotation mechanism 60 may swing the second sponge cleaning member 70 so as to cross it to clean the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41.

[0075] As described above, in the second wafer cleaning apparatus 2, at a predetermined timing during the cleaning of the wafer 100, the surfaces of the rotating first sponge 31 and second sponge 41 are pressed against and rubbed against the first surface 71 and the second surface 72 of the second sponge cleaning member 70, thereby cleaning the surfaces of the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41. As a result, the dirt on the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 can be easily removed during the cleaning of the wafer 100, so that it is possible to suppress the remaining dirt on the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41. Therefore, according to the second wafer cleaning apparatus 2, it is possible to clean the wafer 100 well.

[0076] As for the timing of cleaning the surfaces of the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 by the second sponge cleaning member 70, for example, when the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 make a turning movement (one-way or reciprocating movement) a predetermined number of times (once or multiple times) between the center and the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 100, when the cleaning of a predetermined number of wafers 100 (one or multiple wafers) is completed, when a predetermined time has elapsed after the surfaces of the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 are cleaned, and when a predetermined time has come, can be cited.

[0077] In addition, projections such as the projections 81 of the sponge 80 shown in FIG. 2 may be formed on the surfaces of the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41 in the second wafer cleaning device 2. In this case, the second sponge cleaning member 70 scrapes off the dirt adhering to the plurality of projections on the surfaces of the first sponge 31 and the second sponge 41.

[0078] The second wafer cleaning device 2 has four holding rollers, that is, a first rotating roller 11, a second rotating roller 12, a first driven roller 21, and a second driven roller 22, as a holding part for holding the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 100. In this regard, the second wafer cleaning device 2 may be provided with at least three holding rollers. Therefore, the number of holding rollers for holding the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 100 may be three, or may be five or more. Note that at least one of the holding rollers is a rotating roller including a roller rotation motor 15.

[0079] In addition, the above-described first wafer cleaning device 1 and second wafer cleaning device 2 according to the present embodiment are provided in a processing device such as a cutting device, a grinding device, or a polishing device, and can be used for cleaning the processed wafer.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0080] 1: First wafer cleaning device, 2: Second wafer cleaning device, 7: Control unit, 11: First rotating roller, 12: Second rotating roller, 13: Rotating roller part, 14: Roller rotation shaft, 15: Motor for roller rotation, 16: Roller body, 17: Convex part 21: First driven roller, 22: Second driven roller, 24: Driven roller base 25: Horizontal movement mechanism, 26: Roller body, 27: Convex part 30: First cleaning mechanism, 31: First sponge, 32: First sponge shaft 33: First arm, 35: First cleaning water nozzle, 40: Second cleaning mechanism 41: Second sponge, 42: Second sponge shaft, 43: Second arm 45: Second cleaning water nozzle, 50: Radial movement mechanism, 51: Swivel shaft 52: Motor for swiveling, 53: Driving friction wheel, 54: Driven friction wheel, 60: Rotation mechanism 61: Motor for sponge rotation, 62: Rotation shaft, 70: Second sponge cleaning member 71: First surface, 72: Second surface, 73: Groove, 74: First cleaning water supply nozzle 75: Second cleaning water supply nozzle, 80: Sponge, 81: Protrusion, 83: Rotation motor 85: Cleaning water supply nozzle, 86: Water inlet, 90: First sponge cleaning member 91: Cleaning surface, 92: Groove 100: Wafer, 101: Surface, 102: Back surface, 103: Trimming part 161: Upper surface of roller, 171: Side surface, 200: Cleaning water source, 261: Upper surface, 271: Side surface

Claims

1. A wafer cleaning apparatus for cleaning a wafer by bringing the surface of a sponge into contact with the wafer held by a holding unit, comprising: the sponge; a sponge cleaning member that contacts the surface of the sponge and cleans the sponge; a rubbing mechanism that rubs the sponge and the sponge cleaning member against each other; a cleaning water supply nozzle that supplies cleaning water to the sponge. A wafer cleaning apparatus.

2. The sponge is cylindrical or tubular, the rubbing mechanism is a rotating mechanism that rotates the sponge about a rotation axis extending along the center of the sponge, the sponge cleaning member extends parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sponge, the cleaning water supply nozzle extends parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sponge and is disposed upstream of the sponge cleaning member in the rotation direction of the sponge. The wafer cleaning apparatus according to Claim 1.

3. The sponge has a plurality of protrusions on its surface, the sponge cleaning member cleans the protrusions. The wafer cleaning apparatus according to Claim 2.

Images