Support mechanism of roll cleaning member and cleaning device

Abstract

To provide an art which enables reduction of a cleaning fluid leaking to the mechanism side in a support mechanism of a roll cleaning member.SOLUTION: A support mechanism of a roll cleaning member includes: a nozzle body having a pipe connection port with which a cleaning fluid supply pipe is connected and a discharge port configured to discharge a cleaning fluid; a cover which is engaged with the roll cleaning member to rotate with the roll cleaning member; and a bearing housed between the nozzle body and the cover. A backflow prevention wall extending in a radial direction relative to a rotation axis of the roll cleaning member is provided with at least one of the nozzle body and the cover.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a support mechanism for a roll cleaning member and a cleaning device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, it has been known to supply a cleaning liquid inside a roll cleaning member for cleaning a substrate or self-cleaning the roll cleaning member, and support mechanisms for the roll cleaning member for this purpose are disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to improve the performance of cleaning a substrate or self-cleaning a roll cleaning member, it is required to increase the supply flow rate of the cleaning liquid. However, in this case, there is a problem that a part of the cleaning liquid discharged from the support mechanism of the roll cleaning member is not supplied into the roll cleaning member, and leakage occurs on the mechanism side.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points. An object of the present invention is to provide a support mechanism for a roll cleaning member and a cleaning device capable of reducing the cleaning liquid leaking to the mechanism side.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The support mechanism for a roll cleaning member according to the first aspect of the present invention is a nozzle body having a pipe connection port to which a cleaning liquid supply pipe is connected and a discharge port for discharging the cleaning liquid, A cover that engages with the roll cleaning member and rotates together with the roll cleaning member, A bearing housed between the nozzle body and the cover, and comprises At least one of the nozzle body and the cover is provided with a backflow prevention wall extending in the radial direction with respect to the rotation axis of the roll cleaning member.

[0007] According to such an aspect, since there is a backflow prevention wall in the advancing direction of the flow (backflow) of the cleaning liquid discharged from the discharge port and pushed back by the back pressure inside the roll cleaning member, the flow is obstructed, so that the cleaning liquid leaking to the mechanism side can be reduced. Further, since the particles generated in the bearing are obstructed by the backflow prevention wall, it is possible to prevent the particles from mixing into the inside of the roll cleaning member.

[0008] The support mechanism for the roll cleaning member according to the second aspect of the present invention is the support mechanism for the roll cleaning member according to the first aspect, The cover has an extension portion that extends toward the roll cleaning member side from the discharge port of the nozzle body, The backflow prevention wall is provided so as to extend inward in the radial direction from the extension portion.

[0009] According to such an aspect, the rigidity of the cover can be improved.

[0010] The support mechanism for the roll cleaning member according to the third aspect of the present invention is the support mechanism for the roll cleaning member according to the second aspect, When viewed in a cross-section including the rotation axis, the radial gap between the inner circumference of the discharge port and the tip of the backflow prevention wall is smaller than the axial gap in the rotation axis direction between the end face on which the discharge port of the nozzle body is formed and the side face of the backflow prevention wall.

[0011] According to such an aspect, since the radial gap between the inner circumference of the discharge port and the tip of the backflow prevention wall is narrow, the cleaning liquid leaking to the mechanism side through the gap can be further reduced.

[0012] The support mechanism for the roll cleaning member according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is the support mechanism for the roll cleaning member according to the first aspect, and the nozzle body has an extension portion that extends toward the roll cleaning member side from the cover, and the discharge port is formed at the tip of the extension portion. The backflow prevention wall is provided so as to extend radially outward from the extension portion.

[0013] The support mechanism for the roll cleaning member according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is the support mechanism for the roll cleaning member according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, and the nozzle body further has a second pipe connection port to which a second cleaning liquid supply pipe is connected.

[0014] According to such an aspect, the supply flow rate of the cleaning liquid to the inside of the roll cleaning member can be increased without increasing the pipe diameter of the cleaning liquid supply pipe or increasing the bearing size.

[0015] The cleaning device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention includes a roll cleaning member, a support mechanism for the roll cleaning member according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, and is provided with.

Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, in the support mechanism for the roll cleaning member, the cleaning liquid leaking to the mechanism side can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

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[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description and the drawings used in the following description, the same reference numerals are used for parts that can be configured identically, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overview of a cleaning apparatus 40 according to an embodiment.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning apparatus 40 includes a plurality (four in the figure) of spindles 140 that horizontally rotate the substrate W while supporting the peripheral edge of the substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer with the surface facing up, an upper roll arm 142 that is disposed above the substrate W so as to be movable up and down, and a lower roll arm 144 that is disposed below the substrate W so as to be movable up and down.

[0021] Among these, the spindle 140 is movable in the horizontal direction as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. Further, a roller 80 is provided on the upper part of the spindle 140. A fitting groove 80a is formed on the outer peripheral side surface of the roller 80. The peripheral edge portion of the substrate W is positioned in this fitting groove 80a, and the roller 80 is pressed against the substrate W and rotated. Thereby, the substrate W is horizontally rotated as indicated by the arrow E in Fig. 1. In the embodiment illustrated here, all four rollers 80 are connected to a drive mechanism (not shown) to apply a rotational force to the substrate W. Note that two of the four rollers 80 may apply a rotational force to the substrate W (the drive mechanism is not shown), and the other two rollers 80 may function as bearings that receive the rotation of the substrate W.

[0022] On the upper roll arm 142, an upper roll cleaning member (roll sponge) 41 that is columnar and extends horizontally is rotatably supported. The upper roll cleaning member 41 is made of, for example, PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) and rotates as indicated by the arrow F1 in Fig. 1 by a drive mechanism (not shown). On the lower roll arm 144, a lower roll cleaning member (roll sponge) 148 that is columnar and extends horizontally is rotatably supported. The lower roll cleaning member 148 is made of, for example, PVA and rotates as indicated by the arrow F2 in Fig. 1 by a drive mechanism (not shown).

[0023] Above the substrate W that is rotated while being supported by the spindle 140, two upper supply nozzles 150 for supplying a chemical solution and pure water (rinse solution) to the surface (upper surface) of the substrate W are arranged. One of the two upper supply nozzles 150 supplies the chemical solution, and the other supplies pure water. Also, below the substrate W that is rotated while being supported by the spindle 40, two lower supply nozzles 152 for supplying a chemical solution and pure water (rinse solution) to the back surface (lower surface) of the substrate W are arranged. One of the two lower supply nozzles 152 supplies the chemical solution, and the other supplies pure water. Further, a liquid supply mechanism (not shown in FIG. 1) described later supplies pure water (inner rinse solution) to the inside of the upper roll cleaning member 41 and the lower roll cleaning member 148, respectively. The pure water supplied to the inside of the upper roll cleaning member 41 and the lower roll cleaning member 148 is discharged from the outer peripheral surfaces of the upper roll cleaning member 41 and the lower roll cleaning member 148.

[0024] The cleaning of the substrate W is performed as follows. While the substrate W is rotated horizontally, a chemical solution is supplied from the upper supply nozzle 150 to the surface (upper surface) of the substrate W, and while rotating the upper roll cleaning member 41, it is lowered and brought into contact with the surface of the rotating substrate W with a predetermined pressing load. Thereby, in the presence of the chemical solution, the surface of the substrate W is scrubbed and cleaned with the upper roll cleaning member 41. The length of the upper roll cleaning member 41 is set to be slightly longer than the diameter of the substrate W, and the entire surface of the substrate W is cleaned simultaneously.

[0025] While cleaning the surface of the substrate W, while supplying a chemical solution from the lower supply nozzle 152 to the back surface (lower surface) of the substrate W, the lower roll cleaning member 148 is rotated and raised while contacting the back surface of the rotating substrate W with a predetermined pressing load. Thereby, in the presence of the chemical solution, the back surface of the substrate W is scrubbed and cleaned with the lower roll cleaning member 148. The length of the lower roll cleaning member 148 is set to be slightly longer than the diameter of the substrate W, and the entire back surface of the substrate W is cleaned simultaneously. After the surface and the back surface of the substrate W are cleaned, pure water is supplied from the upper supply nozzle 150 and the lower supply nozzle 152 to the surface and the back surface of the substrate W, and pure water is supplied to the inside of the upper roll cleaning member 41 and the lower roll cleaning member 148, respectively, and the substrate W and the upper roll cleaning member 41 and the lower roll cleaning member 148 are rinsed with pure water.

[0026] Next, a configuration for supplying pure water (inner rinse liquid) to the inside of the upper roll cleaning member 41 and the lower roll cleaning member 148 will be described in detail. Note that the configuration of the lower roll cleaning member 148 is the same as the configuration of the upper roll cleaning member 41, and hereinafter, the configuration of the upper roll cleaning member 41 (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as the roll cleaning member 41) will be described as a representative.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the support mechanism 10 of the roll cleaning member as viewed from the side opposite to the roll cleaning member 41. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a longitudinal section of the support mechanism 10 of the roll cleaning member as viewed from the side opposite to the roll cleaning member 41. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a longitudinal section of the support mechanism 10 of the roll cleaning member as viewed from the side of the roll cleaning member 41. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a longitudinal section of the support mechanism 10 of the roll cleaning member. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the nozzle body 11.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the support mechanism 10 of the roll cleaning member includes a housing 14, a nozzle body 11 disposed in the housing 14, a cover 12 that engages with the roll cleaning member 41 and rotates together with the roll cleaning member 41, and a bearing 13 accommodated between the nozzle body 11 and the cover 12.

[0029] Among these, the nozzle body 11 has a pipe connection port 22a to which the cleaning liquid supply pipe 17 is connected and a discharge port 21 for discharging the cleaning liquid. In the illustrated example, the nozzle body 11 has a substantially cubic base end portion and a laterally oriented cylindrical tip portion. The pipe connection port 22a is formed on the upper surface of the base end portion of the nozzle body 11, and the discharge port 21 is formed on the end surface of the tip portion of the nozzle body 11. The tip of the cleaning liquid supply pipe 17 is inserted downward into the pipe connection port 22a via an O-ring 23a, is positioned inside the nozzle body 11, and is configured not to protrude outside from the discharge port 21. The portion of the cleaning liquid supply pipe 17 that extends outward from the pipe connection port 22a is clamped to the housing 14 by an upper clamp 15. The cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply pipe 17 is discharged from the discharge port 21 through the pipe connection port 22a.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the nozzle body 11 may further have a second pipe connection port 22b to which the second cleaning liquid supply pipe 18 is connected. In the illustrated example, the second pipe connection port 22b is formed on the side surface of the base end portion of the nozzle body 11. The tip of the second cleaning liquid supply pipe 18 is inserted laterally from the pipe connection port 22b via an O-ring 23b, is positioned inside the nozzle body 11, and is configured not to protrude outside from the discharge port 21. The portion of the second cleaning liquid supply pipe 18 that extends outward from the second pipe connection port 22b is clamped to the housing 14 by a side clamp 16. The cleaning liquid supplied from the second cleaning liquid supply pipe 18 is merged with the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply pipe 17 through the pipe connection port 22b and is discharged from the discharge port 21. In this case, the supply flow rate of the cleaning liquid to the inside of the roll cleaning member 41 can be increased without increasing the pipe diameter of the cleaning liquid supply pipe 17 or increasing the size of the bearing 13.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the cover 12 is coaxially arranged outside the tip of the nozzle body 11. The bearing 13 is coaxially inserted between the outer peripheral surface of the tip of the nozzle body 11 and the inner peripheral surface of the cover 12, and the cover 12 is rotatably held with respect to the nozzle body 11. The tip of the bearing lubricating and cooling liquid supply pipe 19 is inserted and positioned at the portion of the housing 14 facing the bearing 11. By supplying a liquid (for example, pure water) from the bearing lubricating and cooling liquid supply pipe 19, the bearing 13 can be lubricated and / or cooled.

[0032] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the tip of the nozzle body 11 in the support mechanism 10 of the roll cleaning member. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and FIG. 6, the cover 12 is provided with a backflow prevention wall 26 extending in the radial direction with respect to the rotation axis of the roll cleaning member 41.

[0033] In the illustrated example, the cover 12 has an extension portion 25 extending toward the roll cleaning member 41 side from the discharge port 21 of the nozzle body 11, and the backflow prevention wall 26 is provided so as to extend radially inward from the extension portion 25.

[0034] Here, as a comparative example, referring to FIG. 10, consider a configuration in which the end of the cover 112 and the tip of the nozzle body 111 are aligned at the same position in the rotation axis direction (that is, the cover 112 does not have the extension portion 25), and the cover 112 is not provided with the backflow prevention wall 26. In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 10, when the supply flow rate of the cleaning liquid is increased, a part of the cleaning liquid discharged from the discharge port 21 is not supplied to the inside of the roll cleaning member 41, but is pushed back by the back pressure inside the roll cleaning member 41, and leaks out to the mechanism side through the gap D0 between the nozzle body 111 and the cover 112.

[0035] In the configuration of the above comparative example, as a proposal for reducing the cleaning liquid leaking to the mechanism side, it is conceivable to reduce the gap D0 between the nozzle body 111 and the cover 112. However, if the gap D0 is reduced, there is a concern that the cover 112 and the nozzle body 111 may interfere during the rotation of the roll cleaning member 41. Therefore, the gap D0 needs to be 0.5 mm or more and cannot be made smaller than that.

[0036] Also, in the configuration of the above comparative example, as another proposal for reducing the cleaning liquid leaking to the mechanism side, it is conceivable to arrange a contact seal (for example, a mechanical seal, an oil seal, etc.) in the gap D0 between the nozzle body 111 and the cover 112. However, there is a problem that the torque increases with a contact seal. In addition, the roll cleaning member 41 usually rotates at a rotational speed of 100 rpm or more, and there is also a problem that there is no contact seal applicable to such a high rotational speed. Furthermore, there is a problem that the size of the device increases.

[0037] In the configuration of the above comparative example, as yet another proposal for reducing the cleaning liquid leaking to the mechanism side, it is conceivable to arrange a non-contact seal (for example, an air inflow type seal, a magnetic fluid seal, etc.) in the gap D0 between the nozzle body 111 and the cover 112. However, in this case, there is a problem that the introduction cost increases. There is also a problem that the size of the device increases.

[0038] Therefore, with the configuration of the above comparative example, the cleaning liquid leaking to the mechanism side cannot be reduced.

[0039] In contrast, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a backflow prevention wall 26 is provided so as to extend radially inward from the extended portion 25 of the cover 12. Since the backflow prevention wall 26 exists in the advancing direction of the flow (backflow) of the cleaning liquid discharged from the discharge port 21 and pushed back by the back pressure inside the roll cleaning member 41, the flow is obstructed, and thus the amount of cleaning liquid leaking to the mechanism side can be reduced. Further, since the particles generated in the bearing 13 are obstructed by the backflow prevention wall 26, it is possible to prevent the particles from entering the inside of the roll cleaning member 41. Further, since the backflow prevention wall 26 is provided so as to extend radially inward from the extended portion 25 of the cover 12, the rigidity of the cover 12 can be improved.

[0040] Referring to FIG. 7, when viewed in a cross section including the rotation axis, the radial gap D1 (hereinafter also referred to as the first gap) between the inner circumference of the discharge port 21 and the tip of the backflow prevention wall 26 may be smaller than the axial gap D2 (hereinafter also referred to as the second gap) in the rotation axis direction between the end face on which the discharge port 21 of the nozzle body 11 is formed and the side face of the backflow prevention wall 26. In order to prevent interference between the cover 12 and the nozzle body 11 during rotation of the roll cleaning member 41, the second gap D2 needs to be 0.5 mm or more. However, since there is no restriction on the first gap D1 due to interference between the cover 12 and the nozzle body 11, it can be arbitrarily small. The first gap D1 may be smaller than the second gap D2. For example, it may be 0.4 mm or less, 0.3 mm or less, or 0.2 mm or less. By making the first gap D1 smaller than the second gap D2, the flow rate of the cleaning liquid passing through the first gap D1 can be reduced, and thereby the amount of cleaning liquid leaking to the mechanism side can be further reduced.

[0041] As a specific example according to this embodiment, the inventor of the present invention measured the leakage to the mechanism side at each supply flow rate while changing the setting of the supply flow rate of the cleaning liquid supplied to the nozzle body for a configuration having a backflow prevention wall 26 (Example) (see FIG. 7) and a configuration without a backflow prevention wall (Comparative Example) (see FIG. 10). As a result, it was confirmed that in the configuration of the example having the backflow prevention wall 26, the leakage flow rate to the mechanism side was reduced by about half in any settable flow rate range compared to the configuration of the comparative example without the backflow prevention wall. Further, in the configuration of the comparative example without the backflow prevention wall, there was a maximum leakage of 13% in the current flow rate range, whereas in the configuration of the example having the backflow prevention wall 26, it was confirmed that the leakage could be suppressed to a maximum of 8%.

[0042] In the above-described embodiment, the backflow prevention wall 26 is provided on the cover 12. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. As a modification, as shown in FIG. 8, the nozzle body 11 may be provided with a backflow prevention wall 36 extending in the radial direction with respect to the rotation axis of the roll cleaning member 41. In the illustrated example, the nozzle body 11 has an extension portion 35 extending toward the roll cleaning member 41 side from the cover 12, and the discharge port 21 is formed at the tip of the extension portion 35. The backflow prevention wall 36 is provided so as to extend radially outward from the extension portion 35 of the nozzle body 11. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, since the backflow prevention wall 36 is present in the traveling direction of the flow of the cleaning liquid (backflow) discharged from the discharge port 21 and pushed back by the back pressure inside the roll cleaning member 41, the flow is blocked, and thus the cleaning liquid leaking to the mechanism side can be reduced. Further, since the particles generated at the bearing 13 are blocked by the backflow prevention wall 36, it is possible to prevent the particles from entering the inside of the roll cleaning member 41.

[0043] In the example shown in FIG. 8, the backflow prevention wall 36 is integrally formed with the extension portion 36 of the nozzle body 11. However, as a second modification, as shown in FIG. 9, the backflow prevention wall 36 may be formed by fitting an annular member into a groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the extension portion 36 of the nozzle body 11.

[0044] The embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described by way of example above. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these, and it can be changed and modified according to the purpose within the scope described in the claims. Also, each embodiment and modification can be appropriately combined as long as the processing contents do not conflict with each other.

Explanation of Signs

[0045] 10 Support mechanism for roll cleaning member 11 Nozzle body 12 Cover 13 Bearing 14 Housing 15 Upper clamp 16 Side clamp 17 Cleaning liquid supply pipe 18 Second cleaning liquid supply pipe 19 Bearing lubricating and cooling liquid supply pipe 21 Discharge port 22a Pipe connection port 22b Second pipe connection port 23a, 23b O-ring 25, 35 Extension part 26, 36 Backflow prevention wall 40 Cleaning device 41 Upper roll cleaning member 148 Lower roll cleaning member W Substrate

Claims

1. A nozzle body having a pipe connection port to which a cleaning liquid supply pipe is connected and a discharge port for discharging the cleaning liquid, A cover that engages with the roll cleaning member and rotates together with the roll cleaning member, A bearing housed between the nozzle body and the cover, Comprising, At least one of the nozzle body and the cover is provided with a backflow prevention wall extending in the radial direction with respect to the rotation axis of the roll cleaning member. A support mechanism for the roll cleaning member.

2. The cover has an extension portion that extends toward the roll cleaning member side from the discharge port of the nozzle body, The backflow prevention wall is provided so as to extend inward in the radial direction from the extension portion. The support mechanism for the roll cleaning member according to claim 1.

3. When viewed in a cross-section including the rotation axis, the radial gap between the inner circumference of the discharge port and the tip of the backflow prevention wall is smaller than the axial gap in the rotation axis direction between the end face on which the discharge port of the nozzle body is formed and the side face of the backflow prevention wall. The support mechanism for the roll cleaning member according to claim 2.

4. The nozzle body has an extension portion that extends toward the roll cleaning member side from the cover, and the discharge port is formed at the tip of the extension portion. The backflow prevention wall is provided so as to extend outward in the radial direction from the extension portion. The support mechanism for the roll cleaning member according to claim 1.

5. The nozzle body further has a second pipe connection port to which a second cleaning liquid supply pipe is connected. The support mechanism for the roll cleaning member according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A roll cleaning member, The support mechanism for the roll cleaning member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A cleaning device comprising.

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