Substrate cleaning apparatus and substrate cleaning method

Abstract

To provide a substrate cleaning device and a substrate cleaning method that can reduce attachment of contaminants including offcuts to a surface(adsorption face) on the opposite side of a surface to be cleaned that is being cleaned.SOLUTION: A substrate cleaning device cuts a substrate into individual pieces, holds substrate small pieces being the individual pieces, and cleans one faces of the substrate small pieces with cleaning means as surfaces to be cleaned. Adsorption means as holding means has adsorption parts that adsorb the substrate small pieces from above, and is provided with cleaning liquid infiltration reduction chambers that are in a positive pressure state to an atmosphere open state to surround adsorption parts. A partition part is provided between the adjacent cleaning liquid infiltration reduction chambers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate cleaning apparatus and a substrate cleaning method. [Background technology]

[0002] When manufacturing a CPU substrate (motherboard), as shown in Fig. 10, a substrate 151 having a plurality of circuit patterns formed thereon is formed, and then the substrate 151 is cut into individual pieces by a cutting and separating device to produce a plurality of motherboards 152. In Fig. 10, 154 indicates a cutting line, and 155 indicates substrate scraps as waste materials.

[0003] However, when cutting a substrate into individual pieces, contaminants such as cutting chips and resin residue are generated. When contaminants are generated in this way, there is a risk that they will adhere to the individualized products. Therefore, there have been conventional devices that are provided with a structure (cleaning means) for cleaning such contaminants (Patent Document 1).

[0004] The substrate cutting device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is equipped with nozzles for supplying processing water to the cutting material and the rotary blade, including a cutting water supply nozzle, a cooling water supply nozzle, and a cleaning water supply nozzle.

[0005] That is, the substrate cutting device supports the substrate by suction or adhesion on a cutting table (cutting stage), and in this state cuts the substrate with a rotary blade to separate the substrate into small substrate pieces. During cutting, cutting water is sprayed from the cutting water supply nozzle toward the processing point where the rotary blade comes into contact with the rotary blade, cooling water is sprayed from the cooling water supply nozzle toward the side of the rotary blade, and cutting water is sprayed from the cleaning water supply nozzle toward the substrate.

[0006] For this reason, although it is possible to wash (clean) the front surface of the substrate, such an apparatus cannot wash the back side of the substrate. Therefore, when cleaning the back side of the substrate, some apparatuses use an adsorption sheet 100 that adsorbs and holds from above substrate pieces 151a formed by dividing a substrate 151, as shown in Figures 9(a) and (b). With the substrate 151 held by this adsorption sheet 100, one side of the substrate 151 facing downward is used as the cleaning surface, and a cleaning liquid such as high-pressure water is sprayed from below onto this cleaning surface.

[0007] In this case, the suction sheet 100 comprises a flat sheet body 101 and a sheet sub-body 102 attached to the lower surface of the sheet body 101, and a plurality of suction chambers (vacuum chambers) 103 are formed in the sheet sub-body 102. The sheet body 101 is provided with suction holes 104 communicating with the suction chambers 103, and air suction means (not shown) is connected to the suction holes 104. The air suction means can be composed of a vacuum generator such as a vacuum pump or an ejector.

[0008] Therefore, by driving the air suction means, air is sucked into suction chamber 103 through suction holes 104, and suction chamber 103 becomes a negative pressure chamber. As a result, each substrate piece 1a of substrate 151 is sucked onto suction sheet 100. In this manner, while substrate 151 is held by suction sheet 100, one side of substrate 151 facing downward (the back surface of each substrate piece 151a) is used as a cleaning surface, and a cleaning liquid such as high-pressure water is sprayed onto this cleaning surface from below, as described above. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-73828 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] 9(a)(b), cleaning liquid will seep into the suction chambers 103 of the suction sheet 100 through the gaps between the cut end faces of the substrate, and the cleaning liquid will also seep into the suction chambers 103. This causes contaminants to invade the suction sheet adsorption surface (the surface facing upwards, that is, the surface to be cleaned) of the substrate 151 together with the cleaning liquid. This may result in contaminants adhering to the top surface that has been cleaned during cutting. In such a case, it becomes necessary to clean the top surface again.

[0011] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a substrate cleaning apparatus and a substrate cleaning method capable of reducing adhesion of contaminants such as cutting debris to the surface (adsorption surface) opposite to the surface to be cleaned. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The substrate cleaning apparatus of the present invention is a substrate cleaning apparatus in which a substrate is cut into individual pieces, the individual pieces are held by a holding means, and one side of the small substrate pieces is used as a surface to be cleaned and cleaned by a cleaning means, the holding means having a holding part for holding each small substrate piece, a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber that is in a positive pressure state or an open-to-atmosphere state is provided so as to surround the periphery of the holding part, and a partition part is provided between adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers. In this case, for example, the small substrate pieces are held from above by the holding means, and one side (e.g., the back surface) of the small substrate pieces facing downward is used as a surface to be cleaned and cleaned by the cleaning means.

[0013] According to the substrate cleaning device of the present invention, a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber is provided around the holding part, so that the intrusion of cleaning liquid or chips generated when singulating the substrate into the holding part can be reduced. Moreover, the partition part can maintain the orientation of the substrate (substrate piece) in a planar orientation, and tilting of the substrate piece relative to the holding part can be suppressed, so that gaps through which cleaning liquid can infiltrate are less likely to occur between the holding part and the substrate piece due to tilting.

[0014] The holding section can be configured to be a negative pressure chamber surrounded by a peripheral frame portion constituting the partition section and kept in a negative pressure state, and the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber can be configured to be a positive pressure chamber kept in a positive pressure state. By configuring in this way, each substrate piece can be stably attracted and held, and since the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber becomes a positive pressure chamber, a suction force that causes the cleaning liquid to intrude into the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber does not act, but rather a force that causes the cleaning liquid to flow out to the outside is generated, effectively reducing intrusion.

[0015] The holding portion may be configured as a suction pad, and the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber may be configured as an open-air chamber surrounding the suction pad. With this configuration, each substrate piece can be stably sucked and held, and since the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber is an open-air chamber, no suction force acts to cause the cleaning liquid to intrude into the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber, thereby reducing intrusion.

[0016] It is preferable that the partition has a rigidity that does not cause buckling deformation or compressive deformation when the substrate pieces are held by the holding means. By configuring in this way, the partition can stably arrange the collection of substrate pieces on a flat surface.

[0017] The cleaning means may be provided with a cleaning liquid spraying mechanism for spraying the cleaning liquid onto the surface to be cleaned, or may be provided with a cleaning structure having at least one of a cleaning roller and a cleaning brush, and may be supplied from this cleaning structure. In addition, when a roller or a brush is used, the cleaning liquid may be supplied to and held by these.

[0018] The substrate may be cut into individual pieces, and the small substrate pieces whose other surfaces have been cleaned may be sucked and held by the suction means at a cutting stage where the individual substrate pieces are formed. With this configuration, when cleaning one surface of the small substrate pieces, the surface of the small substrate pieces cleaned on the cutting stage side is not soiled. Therefore, each surface of the small substrate pieces is cleaned only once, and the number of cleaning mechanisms of the substrate cleaning device can be reduced, making the device more compact.

[0019] The substrate cleaning method of the present invention is a substrate cleaning method in which a substrate is cut into individual pieces, and one side of each of the individual substrate pieces is cleaned as the surface to be cleaned, in which a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber that is in a positive pressure state or open to the atmosphere surrounds the holding parts that hold each of the substrate pieces, and adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers are separated by a partition, and one side of each of the substrate pieces is cleaned as the surface to be cleaned with a cleaning liquid.

[0020] According to the substrate cleaning method of the present invention, a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber is provided around the holding part, so that the intrusion of cleaning liquid or chips generated when singulating the substrate into the holding part can be reduced. Moreover, the partition part can maintain the orientation of the substrate (substrate piece) in a planar orientation, and tilting of the substrate piece relative to the holding part can be suppressed, so that gaps through which cleaning liquid can infiltrate between the holding part and the substrate piece due to tilting are less likely to occur.

[0021] A substrate cleaning method that performs the plate cleaning method involves cutting a substrate into individual pieces, cleaning the other side of the small substrate pieces at a cutting stage where the individual substrate pieces are formed, and then cleaning one side of the small substrate pieces using the substrate cleaning method.

[0022] By carrying out this substrate cleaning method, when cleaning one side of the substrate piece, the other side of the substrate piece that has been cleaned on the cutting stage side is not soiled. Therefore, cleaning of each side of the substrate piece is completed only once, and the number of cleaning mechanisms of the substrate cleaning device can be reduced, making the device more compact. Effect of the Invention

[0023] In the present invention, when one surface of a collection of substrate pieces is being cleaned, adhesion of contaminants to the other surface can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of a first substrate cleaning apparatus of the present invention. [Diagram 2]2 is a bottom view of a main part of the substrate cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a simplified configuration block diagram of the substrate cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a second substrate cleaning apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 5] 13 is a simplified diagram showing another cleaning means. [Figure 6] 1 is a simplified diagram of a substrate cutting device. [Figure 7] 1 shows the sequence of forming cutting lines on a substrate, where (a) is a simplified diagram of the state where cutting lines are formed in the X-axis direction, and (b) is a simplified diagram of the state where cutting lines are formed in the Y-direction, rotated 90 degrees from the state of (a). [Figure 8] 7 is a simplified diagram showing a state in which cutting lines are formed in a matrix on a substrate using the substrate cutting device shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B show an adhesive sheet used when cleaning the backside of each substrate piece in an assembly of substrate pieces, where (a) is a bottom view of the essential portion, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the essential portion. [Figure 10] 1 is a simplified diagram showing a state in which cutting lines are formed in a matrix on a substrate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 8. Fig. 6 shows a substrate cutting device used for cutting a substrate before cleaning in a cleaning device according to the present invention. The substrate cutting device includes a table 2 for receiving a substrate 1, and cutting means 3 for cutting and separating the substrate 1 on this table 2.

[0026] The substrate 1 has a plurality of circuit patterns formed thereon, and is cut into individual pieces to form substrate pieces 1a, which are CPU substrates (motherboard substrates). When the substrate pieces 1a are formed as products by creating cutting lines L1 and L2 in a matrix on the substrate 1 as shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, the substrate scraps 1b are formed as waste materials on the four sides of the substrate 1.

[0027] The table 2 has an upper wall that is square in plan view and forms a small block piece portion 10 divided into a plurality of pieces. That is, the small block piece portion 10 corresponds to the substrate piece 1a formed by cutting and separating it by the cutting device. The table 2 is provided with a suction means 11 that suctions the substrate piece 1a to each small block piece portion 10. The suction means 11 includes a vacuum mechanism (not shown), and a vacuum passage 12 is formed in the table. Each small block piece portion 10 is provided with a suction port 13 that communicates with the vacuum passage 12. Therefore, by driving the vacuum mechanism to put the vacuum passage 12 in a negative pressure state, each substrate piece 1a is suctioned to each small block piece portion 10 through the suction port 13. A vacuum pump, a vacuum ejector, or the like is used as the vacuum mechanism.

[0028] Furthermore, this table 2 rotates in the θ direction around its center by a rotation drive mechanism (not shown). The rotation drive mechanism is composed of, for example, a drive motor (such as a servo motor) and a drive force transmission mechanism that transmits the rotational drive force of the drive motor to the table 2. The drive force transmission mechanism can be composed of a gear mechanism, a belt mechanism, or the like.

[0029] The cutting means 3 includes a disk-shaped cutter 15, a motor 16 for rotating the cutter 15 about its axis, and an injection mechanism for injecting a cooling medium (e.g., cooling water). The injection mechanism has a cooling injection nozzle (not shown) disposed near the rotating cutter 15, and injects the cooling medium from a cooling medium supply source (not shown) onto the cutter 15 or the portion of the substrate 1 cut by the cutter 15 through the cooling injection nozzle.

[0030] In this case, the substrate cutting section M, which is composed of the cutter 15, motor 16, spray nozzle, etc., can be moved in mutually orthogonal X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions by an XYZ movement mechanism (not shown). Here, the X-axis and Y-axis directions are directions shown in the coordinate system of Fig. 4 on a horizontal plane, and the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction. The XYZ movement mechanism can use an XYZ-axis stage or an XYZ arm.

[0031] The substrate cutting apparatus is also provided with cleaning means (not shown) that sprays cleaning water onto the surface of substrate 1 (specifically, the surface of substrate piece 1a).

[0032] Next, a method for cutting and separating the substrate 1 using the substrate cutting device configured as described above will be described. First, the substrate 1 is placed on the table 2. Then, the substrate 1 is sucked for each small block piece 10 by the suction means 11. In this state, the substrate cutting part M is driven by the XYZ movement mechanism to form a cutting line L1 on the substrate 1, as shown in Fig. 7(a).

[0033] That is, the cutting line L1 in the X-axis direction can be formed on the substrate by lowering the substrate cutting unit M along the Z-axis direction from a state in which the substrate cutting unit M is raised along the Z-axis direction and moving the substrate cutting unit M along the X-axis direction shown by the coordinate axes in Fig. 7(a). In this case, if there are two substrate cutting units M, first, one substrate cutting unit M forms the front cutting line L1, and the other substrate cutting unit M forms the rear cutting line L1.

[0034] Thereafter, each substrate cutting portion M is raised along the Z-axis direction, and then one substrate cutting portion M is moved rearward in the Y-axis direction by a predetermined pitch, and then lowered along the Z-axis direction from the raised state, and then moved along the X-axis direction. This allows the substrate 1 to have a cutting line L1 in the X-axis direction that is shifted rearward in the Y-axis direction by a predetermined pitch from the previous cutting line L1 in the X-axis direction. In addition, the other substrate cutting portion M is moved forward in the Y-axis direction by a predetermined pitch, and then lowered along the Z-axis direction from the raised state, and then moved along the X-axis direction. This allows the substrate 1 to have a cutting line L1 in the X-axis direction that is shifted forward in the Y-axis direction by a predetermined pitch from the previous cutting line L1 in the X-axis direction.

[0035] Thereafter, by similarly forming cutting lines L1 in the X-axis direction, which are shifted in the Y-axis direction by a predetermined pitch, multiple cutting lines L1 in the X-axis direction, which are shifted in the Y-axis direction by a predetermined pitch, can be formed over the entire Y-axis range of the substrate, as shown in Figure 7(a).

[0036] Next, by using the rotary drive mechanism to rotate the table 90° as shown in FIG. 7(b), the formed cutting lines L1 become multiple cutting lines in the Y-axis direction, shifted in the X-axis direction by a predetermined pitch, over the entire range of the X-axis direction of the substrate.

[0037] Therefore, by carrying out the above-mentioned process, a plurality of cutting lines L2 in the X-axis direction, which are shifted in the Y-axis direction by a predetermined pitch, are formed over the entire range of the Y-axis direction of the substrate, as shown in Fig. 7(b). This allows cutting lines L1, L2 in a matrix to be formed on the substrate 1, as shown in Fig. 8, and enables the substrate 1 to be divided into individual pieces.

[0038] Incidentally, when the cutting lines L1 and L2 are formed, the cutting means 3 sprays a cooling medium (cooling water), and a cleaning means (not shown) sprays a cleaning liquid (cleaning water) onto the substrate 1 to clean the surface of the substrate 1. Note that the cutting means may be provided with a drying means (for example, a hot air blowing mechanism) for drying the sprayed cleaning water (cleaning agent).

[0039] In this device, the XYZ movement mechanism, the rotary drive mechanism, the cutting means 3, etc. are controlled by a computer (not shown), and the cutting process is performed. The computer is basically composed of an input means having an input function, an output means having an output function, a storage means having a storage function, a calculation means having a calculation function, and a control means having a control function. The input function is for reading information from the outside into the computer, and the read data and programs are converted into signals in a format suitable for the computer system. The output function is for displaying the calculation results and stored data to the outside. The storage means is for storing and saving programs, data, processing results, etc. The calculation function is for processing data by calculating and comparing according to program instructions. The control function is for decoding program instructions and issuing instructions to each means, and this control function supervises all the means of the computer. The input means include a keyboard, a mouse, a tablet, a microphone, a joystick, a scanner, a capture board, etc. The output means include a monitor, a speaker, a printer, etc. The storage means includes memory, hard disk, CD / CD-R, PD / MO, etc. The calculation means includes a CPU, etc., and the control means includes a CPU, motherboard, etc.

[0040] In this way, the back surface of the assembly of the substrate pieces 1a whose front surfaces have been cleaned is cleaned by the substrate cleaning apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate cleaning apparatus includes a holding means 20 for holding the substrate 1 and the individual substrate pieces 1a, and a cleaning means 18 for cleaning the bottom surfaces of the substrate pieces 1a that are adsorbed by the adsorption means 17. In this embodiment, the adsorption means 17 includes an adsorption cup 26. As shown in FIG. 1, the adsorption cup 26 includes an adsorption cup body 24 that is made up of a first layer 21, a second layer 22, and a third layer 23, and a substrate adsorption sheet layer 25 that is attached to the bottom surface 24a of the adsorption cup body 24. In this embodiment, the adsorption means 17 for adsorbing and holding one of the surfaces of the substrate pieces 1a is used as the holding means 20.

[0041] 2, the substrate suction sheet layer 25 is composed of a plurality of square partitions (columns) 27 and an outer frame wall 28 surrounding the outer periphery of the suction pad 26. Suction holes 30 formed in the third layer 23 open into the partitions 27, forming negative pressure chambers 31 in a negative pressure state within the partitions 27, and positive pressure supply holes 32 open into the space around the partitions 27, forming positive pressure chambers 33 between the negative pressure chambers 31 in a positive pressure state.

[0042] For this reason, the suction holes 30 are communicated with communication holes 34 provided in the second layer 22, and each communication hole 34 is connected to a suction pipe (not shown) outside the suction pad 26. A vacuum generator such as a vacuum pump or an ejector constituting an air suction means (not shown) is connected to the suction pipe. The communication holes 34 are composed of a small diameter hole 34a on the third layer 23 side and a large diameter hole 34b on the first layer 21 side, and the small diameter hole 34a is communicated with the suction hole 30.

[0043] Moreover, the positive pressure supply hole 32 has a small diameter nozzle portion 32a and a large diameter medium diameter chamber 32b, and is communicated with a communication hole 35 provided in the second layer 22, and this communication hole 35 is connected to a supply pipe 36 provided in the first layer 21. The communication hole 35 is composed of a small diameter hole 35a on the third layer 23 side and a large diameter hole 35b on the first layer 21 side, and the small diameter hole 35a is connected to the medium diameter chamber 32b of the positive pressure supply hole 32. A positive pressure air supply unit (not shown) that supplies positive pressure air is connected to the supply pipe 36.

[0044] Therefore, by driving the vacuum generator, the inside of the partition portion 27 is put into a negative pressure state, forming a negative pressure chamber 31. Therefore, each negative pressure chamber 31 constitutes a holding portion (suction portion 40) that holds (suction-holds) the substrate piece 1a of the substrate 1. Also, by supplying positive pressure air from the positive pressure air supply portion to the supply pipe 36, a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 in a positive pressure state surrounding the suction portion 40 can be formed.

[0045] 1, it can be said that the partition section 27 is formed between the adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers 41. In this case, the partition section 27 has enough rigidity not to be buckled or compressed when the suction section 40 is suction-holding the substrate piece 1a of the substrate 1 (in this case, the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 is in a positive pressure state). However, since the lower surface of the substrate suction sheet layer 25 is in close contact with the upper surface of the substrate 1, if the substrate 1 is made of metal, there is a risk of damaging the substrate 1. Therefore, the substrate suction sheet layer 25 is made of a rubber material having a rubber hardness of about 70 to 90. The rubber hardness is a hardness measured by a durometer type A in a 23°C environment in accordance with JIS-K6253.

[0046] Incidentally, this suction cup 26 can be moved in mutually orthogonal X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions by the moving means 19. Here, the X-axis and Y-axis directions are mutually orthogonal directions in a horizontal plane, and the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction. The XYZ moving mechanism can use an XYZ-axis stage or an XYZ arm.

[0047] 1, the cleaning means 18 is provided with a cleaning liquid spraying mechanism having a cleaning liquid jet nozzle 42. A cleaning liquid is supplied to this cleaning liquid jet nozzle 42 from a cleaning liquid supply source (not shown), and the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid jet nozzle 42 is sprayed onto the back surface of the assembly made up of a plurality of substrate pieces 1a. A plurality of cleaning liquid jet nozzles 42 of the cleaning liquid spraying mechanism are arranged at a predetermined pitch below the substrate 1. In this case, the number and arrangement pitch of the cleaning liquid jet nozzles 42 can be set arbitrarily depending on the size of the substrate 1, etc. For this reason, in the illustrated example, the cleaning liquid is sprayed upward from the cleaning liquid jet nozzle 42. Note that the cleaning liquid jet nozzle 42 may be one that sprays the cleaning liquid obliquely from below onto the substrate 1.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 3, the suction means 17, cleaning means 18, and moving means 19 are controlled by a computer (not shown) similar to the computer provided in the substrate cutting apparatus.

[0049] Next, a method for cleaning an assembly of multiple substrate pieces 1a using the cleaning device shown in Figures 1 and 2 will be described. First, the upper surface of the assembly of multiple substrate pieces 1a in the substrate 1 that has been cut into individual pieces by the substrate cutting device is sucked and held by suction cup 26. In this case, the upper surface of the substrate pieces 1a of each substrate 1 is sucked and held by each suction section 40 consisting of negative pressure chamber 31. In other words, the assembly of multiple substrate pieces 1a is sucked and held by suction cup 26.

[0050] In this state, the suction cup 26 is transported via the moving means 19 to a position having the cleaning means 18. That is, the collection of multiple substrate pieces 1a is transported from the cutting stage to the cleaning stage. Then, in the cleaning stage having the cleaning means 18, the lower surface (back surface) of each substrate piece 1a is cleaned.

[0051] In this case, when the cleaning means 18 sprays the cleaning liquid toward the lower surface (rear surface) of each substrate piece 1a, the positive pressure chamber 33 of the suction cup 26 is put into a positive pressure state. During this cleaning, the suction cup 26 side and the cleaning means 18 side are moved relatively to each other so that the lower surfaces (rear surfaces) of all of the substrate pieces 1a can be cleaned. For this reason, only the suction cup 26 side may be moved, only the cleaning means 18 side may be moved, or both the suction cup 26 side and the cleaning means 18 side may be moved. When the cleaning means 18 side is moved, it is necessary to move the cleaning liquid spray nozzle via a moving means (not shown), and this moving means can be configured in the same manner as the moving means 19 that moves the suction cup 26.

[0052] According to the substrate cleaning apparatus of the present invention, a positive pressure chamber 33 is formed around the suction portion 40, and the positive pressure chamber 33 serves as a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 that reduces the intrusion of cleaning liquid. This makes it possible to reduce the intrusion of cleaning liquid or chips generated when singulating the substrate into the suction portion 50. Moreover, the partition portion 27 can maintain the orientation of the substrate 1 (substrate piece 1a) in a planar orientation, and can prevent the substrate piece 1a from tilting relative to the suction portion 40, making it difficult for a gap through which cleaning liquid can infiltrate to occur between the suction portion 40 and the substrate piece 1a due to the inclination.

[0053] When cleaning the underside of an assembly of substrate pieces 1a, the adhesion of contaminants to the upper surface can be reduced, eliminating the need to clean the upper surface again, and the assembly of substrate pieces 1a can be cleaned efficiently. Here, "the adhesion of contaminants can be reduced" means that the adhesion of contaminants to the non-cleaned surface, which is different from the surface to be cleaned, can be reduced to such an extent that it is not necessary to clean the non-cleaned surface again. In other words, it is sufficient that the substrate 1 (substrate pieces 1a), which is the object to be cleaned, can be used as a product without cleaning the non-cleaned surface side again.

[0054] The suction section 40 comprises a negative pressure chamber 31 surrounded by the peripheral frame constituting the partition section 27 and placed in a negative pressure state, and the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 can be configured to be a positive pressure chamber 33 placed in a positive pressure state. By configuring in this way, each substrate piece 1a can be stably sucked and held, and since the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 becomes the positive pressure chamber 33, a suction force that causes the cleaning liquid to intrude into the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 does not act, but rather a force that causes the cleaning liquid to flow out to the outside is generated, effectively reducing intrusion.

[0055] It is preferable that the partitions 27 have a rigidity that prevents buckling deformation or compressive deformation when the substrate pieces 1a are held by the suction means 17. By configuring in this manner, the partitions 27 can stably arrange the collection of substrate pieces 1a on a flat surface.

[0056] 4 shows another embodiment of the suction cup 26, which is made up of a first layer 46 and a second layer 47, with the second layer 47 being provided with an suction section constituted by a suction pad structure 48. That is, the underside of the second layer 47 is provided with an air-open chamber 54 which contains the suction pad structure 48 and constitutes the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 which is open to the atmosphere.

[0057] The suction pad structure 48 includes a suction pad 50 made of an elastic material such as rubber or resin, and a pad support section 51 on which the suction pad 50 is supported, and when a vacuum generator such as a vacuum pump (not shown) is driven, air within the suction pad 50 is sucked through suction holes 51a in the pad support section 51. In this case, communication holes 52 that communicate with the suction holes 51a of the pad support section 51 are formed in the second layer 47, and each communication hole 52 is connected to the vacuum generator via a connecting hole 53.

[0058] Therefore, when the vacuum generator is driven, the air is sucked out from within the suction pad 50. Each substrate piece 1a is sucked and held by this suction pad 50. That is, in this embodiment, this suction pad 50 constitutes a suction section 40 that sucks and holds the substrate piece 1a.

[0059] The atmosphere open chamber 54 housing the suction pad structure 48 is connected to a communication hole 55 provided in the second layer 47, and this communication hole 55 is connected to an atmosphere open hole 56 provided in the first layer 46 via a connecting path 57 provided in the second layer 47. Therefore, the atmosphere open chamber 54 is open to the atmosphere, and a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 is formed around the adsorption portion 40.

[0060] In this embodiment as well, the cleaning means 18 is composed of a cleaning liquid spraying mechanism in which a plurality of cleaning liquid jet nozzles 42 are arranged below the substrate 1. In this case as well, the number and arrangement pitch of the cleaning liquid jet nozzles 42 can be set arbitrarily depending on the size of the substrate 1, etc.

[0061] Next, a method for cleaning an assembly of multiple substrate pieces 1a will be described using the cleaning device shown in Fig. 4. As with the cleaning device shown in Fig. 1, first, the upper surface of the assembly of multiple substrate pieces 1a in the substrate 1 that has been cut into individual pieces by the substrate cutting device is sucked and held by the suction cup 26. In this case, the upper surface of the substrate pieces 1a of each substrate 1 is sucked and held by each suction section made up of a negative pressure chamber. That is, the assembly of multiple substrate pieces 1a is sucked and held by the suction cup 26.

[0062] In this case as well, an assembly of a plurality of substrate pieces 1a is transported from the cutting stage to the cleaning stage, which has cleaning means 18, where the lower surface (rear surface) of each substrate piece 1a is cleaned.

[0063] Also, since it is necessary to supply (apply) a cleaning liquid to the lower surface (rear surface) of the substrate piece 1a, in this case too, the suction cup 26 side and the cleaning means 18 side are moved relatively to each other so that the lower surface (rear surface) of all of the substrate pieces 1a can be cleaned. For this reason, only the suction cup 26 side may be moved, only the cleaning means 18 side may be moved, or both the suction cup 26 side and the cleaning means 18 side may be moved. When moving the cleaning means 18 side, it is necessary to move the entire cleaning roller structure via a moving means (not shown), and this moving means can be configured in the same manner as the moving means 19 that moves the suction cup 26.

[0064] 4, the suction portion 40 is configured with a suction pad 50, and the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 is configured with an open-air chamber 54 surrounding the suction pad 50. With this configuration, each substrate piece 1a can be stably sucked and held, and since the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 is an open-air chamber, no suction force acts to cause the cleaning liquid to intrude into the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41, thereby reducing intrusion.

[0065] In addition, in this substrate cleaning method, the substrate 1 is cut into individual pieces, and at the cutting stage where the individual pieces of substrate 1a are formed, the front surfaces of the substrate pieces 1a are cleaned, and then the back surfaces of the substrate pieces 1a are cleaned using the substrate cleaning method.

[0066] By carrying out this substrate cleaning method, when cleaning the backsides of the substrate pieces 1a, the front sides of the substrate pieces 1a that have been cleaned on the cutting stage side are not soiled. Therefore, each side of the substrate pieces 1a only needs to be cleaned once, resulting in a substrate cleaning method with excellent workability.

[0067] In the above-described embodiments, a cleaning liquid spraying mechanism is used as the cleaning means 18, but a cleaning structure 60 having a cleaning roller as shown in FIG. 5 may be used. The cleaning structure 60 includes a cleaning roller 63 having a rotating shaft 61 and a cylindrical sponge body 62 fitted onto the rotating shaft 61. The sponge body 62 is made of a sponge-like resin having absorbent properties (e.g., polyurethane, a low-resilience material). The lower part of the sponge body 62 is immersed in the cleaning liquid, and the upper part of the sponge body 62 contacts the lower surface of the substrate piece 1a. The rotating shaft 61 is rotated around its axis by a drive mechanism (not shown), and the sponge body 62 is rotated around its axis to supply the cleaning liquid immersed in the cleaning liquid and absorbed in the sponge body 62 to the lower surface of the substrate piece 1a, thereby cleaning the lower surface of the substrate piece 1a. For this reason, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning roller, and the cleaning roller is in a state of holding the cleaning liquid. The cleaning structure 60 may be a cleaning brush structure having a cleaning brush. It is preferable that the cleaning brush is supplied with cleaning liquid so that the cleaning brush retains the cleaning liquid.

[0068] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and various modifications are possible, and in each embodiment, the substrate piece 1a is sucked and held from above by the suction means 17, and one side (back side) of the substrate piece facing downward is used as the cleaning surface and cleaned by the cleaning means 18, but the reverse is also possible, i.e., the substrate piece 1a is sucked and held from below, and the front side (or back side) of the substrate piece 1a facing upward is used as the cleaning surface and cleaned. Also, in each embodiment, the suction means 17 that sucks the substrate 1 is used as the holding means 20, but it may be constituted by a chuck mechanism equipped with chuck claws or the like.

[0069] The cleaning liquid may be pure water, tap water, or a cleaning liquid that can be used for cleaning a substrate, etc. When the substrate 1 is cut to form the substrate pieces 1a, the number and size of the substrate pieces 1a formed from one substrate 1 can be set as desired, and the shape of the substrate pieces 1a may be square or rectangular when viewed in plan. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1 Board 1a PCB piece 18 Cleaning methods 19 Transportation 20 Retention means 40 Adsorption part 41 Cleaning fluid intrusion reduction chamber 42 Cleaning fluid injection nozzle 43 Cleaning fluid spraying mechanism 48 Suction pad structure 50 Suction Pads 60 Cleaning roller structure 63 Cleaning roller

Claims

1. A substrate cleaning apparatus for cutting a substrate into individual pieces, holding the individual pieces of the substrate by a holding means, and cleaning one surface of the small substrate piece as a surface to be cleaned by a cleaning means, comprising: The holding means has a holding portion that holds each substrate piece, and a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber that is in a positive pressure state or an atmospheric open state is provided surrounding the holding portion, and a partition portion is provided between adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers, the holding portion consisting of a negative pressure chamber that is surrounded by a peripheral frame portion that constitutes the partition portion and is in a negative pressure state, and the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber is a positive pressure chamber that is in a positive pressure state.

2. A substrate cleaning apparatus which cuts a substrate into individual pieces, holds the individual pieces of the substrate by a holding means, and cleans one surface of the small substrate piece as a surface to be cleaned by a cleaning means, The substrate cleaning apparatus is characterized in that the holding means has a holding portion that holds each substrate piece, and a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber that is in a positive pressure state or an atmospheric open state is provided surrounding the holding portion, and a partition portion is provided between adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers, and the partition portion has a rigidity that prevents buckling deformation or compressive deformation when the substrate piece is held by the holding means.

3. A substrate cleaning apparatus which cuts a substrate into individual pieces, holds the individual pieces of the substrate by a holding means, and cleans one surface of the small substrate piece as a surface to be cleaned by a cleaning means, The substrate cleaning apparatus is characterized in that the holding means has a holding portion that holds each substrate piece, and a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber that is in a positive pressure state or an atmospheric open state is provided surrounding the holding portion, and a partition is provided between adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers, and the cleaning means is equipped with a cleaning liquid spraying mechanism that sprays cleaning liquid onto the surface to be cleaned.

4. A substrate cleaning apparatus comprising: a substrate cutting device for cutting into individual pieces; a substrate piece obtained by cutting into individual pieces is held by a holding device; and one surface of the substrate piece is treated as a surface to be cleaned and cleaned by a cleaning device, The substrate cleaning apparatus is characterized in that the holding means has a holding portion that holds each substrate piece, and a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber that is in a positive pressure state or an atmospheric open state is provided surrounding the holding portion, and a partition is provided between adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers, and the cleaning means has a cleaning structure having at least either a cleaning roller or a cleaning brush, and cleaning liquid is supplied from this cleaning structure.

5. A substrate cleaning apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that in a cutting stage in which a substrate is cut into individual pieces and the individual pieces are formed, the substrate pieces whose other surfaces have been cleaned are held by the holding means.

6. A substrate cleaning method comprising cutting a substrate into individual pieces and cleaning one surface of each of the individual pieces of substrate as a surface to be cleaned, the method comprising the steps of: A substrate cleaning method in which a holding section holding each substrate piece is surrounded by a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber that is in a positive pressure state or open to the atmosphere, and adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers are separated by a partition section, and one side of the substrate piece is treated as the surface to be cleaned and cleaned with a cleaning liquid, wherein the holding section comprises a negative pressure chamber surrounded by a peripheral frame section that constitutes the partition section and is in a negative pressure state, and the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber is a positive pressure chamber that is in a positive pressure state.

7. A substrate cleaning method as described in claim 6, characterized in that the other side of the substrate pieces is cleaned in a cutting stage where the substrate is cut into individual pieces and the individual substrate pieces are formed, and then one side of the substrate pieces is cleaned using the substrate cleaning method.

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