Substrate cleaning apparatus and substrate cleaning method

Abstract

To provide a substrate cleaning device which enables improvement of cleaning effect of a peripheral edge part of a substrate.SOLUTION: A substrate cleaning device 1 includes: a substrate holding part 10 which holds a substrate W and rotates the substrate W; a pressing part 22 which has an internal space R and presses a cleaning tape 19 to a peripheral edge part of the substrate W; a pressing part moving mechanism 30 which controls a position of the pressing part 22 in a radial direction of the substrate W; and a pressure regulator 44 which controls a pressure of the internal space R. The pressing part 22 includes: a hollow support member 24 having an opening 25; and an elastic body 27 which supports the cleaning tape 19. The elastic body 27 is disposed so as to close the opening 25.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate cleaning apparatus and a substrate cleaning method for cleaning substrates such as semiconductor wafers, and more particularly to a substrate cleaning apparatus and a substrate cleaning method for cleaning the peripheral portion of a substrate. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to improve the yield in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, the management of the surface condition of the substrate has been attracting attention in recent years. In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, various materials are deposited on silicon wafers. As a result, unnecessary films and surface roughness are formed on the periphery of the substrate. In recent years, a method of transporting the substrate by holding only the periphery of the substrate with an arm has become common. Under such circumstances, the unnecessary films remaining on the periphery peel off during various processes and adhere to the devices formed on the substrate, reducing the yield. Therefore, in order to remove the unnecessary films formed on the periphery of the substrate, the periphery of the substrate is polished using a polishing device.

[0003] However, during polishing of the peripheral portion of the substrate, foreign matter (particles) such as polishing debris may adhere to the peripheral portion of the substrate. When foreign matter (particles) such as polishing debris adheres to the substrate, the substrate is contaminated, and as a result, the yield in semiconductor manufacturing is reduced. For this reason, the peripheral portion of the substrate has been conventionally cleaned to remove the foreign matter adhering to the peripheral portion of the substrate. As a method for cleaning the peripheral portion of the substrate, there is a method in which a cleaning tool made of a PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) sponge or the like is rotated around its axis and brought into sliding contact with the peripheral portion of the substrate to clean the peripheral portion of the substrate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-161721 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-216207 A [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 4125148 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with the above-mentioned cleaning method, there have been cases where the cleaning tool has been discolored due to the adhesion of particles, breakage has occurred at the contact portion, and foreign matter that has adhered to the substrate has remained without being removed.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional art, and has an object to provide a substrate cleaning apparatus and a substrate cleaning method that can improve the cleaning effect of the peripheral portion of a substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In one aspect, a substrate cleaning apparatus is provided, comprising: a substrate holding section which holds and rotates a substrate; a pressing section which has an internal space and presses a cleaning tape against a peripheral portion of the substrate; a pressing section moving mechanism which controls the position of the pressing section in the radial direction of the substrate; and a pressure regulator which controls the pressure in the internal space, wherein the pressing section comprises a hollow support member having an opening, and an elastic body which supports the cleaning tape, the elastic body being positioned to close the opening.

[0008] In one aspect, the pressing portion moving mechanism includes a ball screw mechanism connected to the pressing portion, and a motor that operates the ball screw mechanism. In one aspect, the motor is a servo motor. In one aspect, the pressure regulator is an electro-pneumatic regulator. In one embodiment, the substrate cleaning apparatus further includes a vertical movement mechanism for moving the pressing part up and down. In one aspect, the substrate cleaning apparatus further includes a tape cleaning mechanism that cleans the cleaning tape, the tape cleaning mechanism including a cleaning liquid supply nozzle that supplies a cleaning liquid to a surface of the cleaning tape. In one embodiment, the tape cleaning mechanism further includes a cleaning brush that contacts a surface of the cleaning tape to clean the cleaning tape. In one embodiment, the substrate cleaning apparatus further includes a first reel and a second reel that respectively hold both ends of the cleaning tape, the first reel and the second reel being positioned so that the cleaning tape advances horizontally.

[0009] In one aspect, there is provided a substrate cleaning method, comprising: holding and rotating a substrate with a substrate holding part; and advancing a cleaning tape in a fixed direction while pressing the cleaning tape against the peripheral edge of the substrate with a pressing part having an internal space, thereby cleaning the peripheral edge of the substrate, the process of cleaning the peripheral edge of the substrate including a process of controlling a position of the pressing part in the radial direction of the substrate with a pressing part moving mechanism; and a process of controlling the pressure in the internal space of the pressing part with a pressure regulator, the pressing part including a hollow support member having an opening and an elastic body supporting the cleaning tape, the elastic body being positioned so as to close the opening.

[0010] In one aspect, the pressing portion moving mechanism includes a ball screw mechanism connected to the pressing portion, and a motor that operates the ball screw mechanism. In one aspect, the motor is a servo motor. In one aspect, the pressure regulator is an electro-pneumatic regulator. In one embodiment, the step of cleaning the peripheral portion of the substrate further includes the step of moving the pressing portion up and down during cleaning of the peripheral portion of the substrate. In one aspect, the substrate cleaning method further includes a step of, during cleaning of the peripheral portion of the substrate, supplying a cleaning liquid to the cleaning tape after it has come into contact with the peripheral portion of the substrate by a tape cleaning mechanism to clean the cleaning tape after it has come into contact with the peripheral portion of the substrate. In one aspect, the substrate cleaning method further includes a step of, after cleaning a predetermined number of peripheral portions of the substrate, feeding the cleaning tape in a fixed direction while using a tape cleaning mechanism to supply cleaning liquid to the cleaning tape after it has come into contact with the peripheral portion of the substrate, thereby cleaning the cleaning tape after it has come into contact with the peripheral portion of the substrate. In one embodiment, the method further includes a step of cleaning the peripheral portion of the substrate while advancing the cleaning tape in the reverse direction after the cleaning tape is completely wound onto either a first reel that holds one end of the cleaning tape or a second reel that holds the other end of the cleaning tape. In one embodiment, the step of advancing the cleaning tape in a certain direction is a step of advancing the cleaning tape in a horizontal direction. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, the substrate cleaning device can always clean the peripheral portion of the substrate with a clean portion of the cleaning tape. In addition, the cleaning position can be changed arbitrarily by controlling the moving distance of the pressing part, and the pressure applied to the substrate from the pressing part can be controlled by controlling the pressure in the internal space of the pressing part. As a result, the cleaning effect of the peripheral portion of the substrate can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1(a) and 1(b) are enlarged cross-sectional views showing the peripheral portion of a substrate. [Diagram 2] 1 is a plan view illustrating an embodiment of a substrate cleaning apparatus. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the substrate cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a view of the peripheral edge cleaning unit as seen from the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the peripheral edge cleaning unit shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. [Figure 6] 6 is a view of the pressing portion as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] Figure 7(a) shows the cleaning tape away from the peripheral edge of the wafer, Figure 7(b) shows the cleaning tape being pressed against the peripheral edge of the wafer by an elastic body, and Figure 7(c) shows the pressing portion having been moved further radially inward from the position shown in Figure 7(b). [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the peripheral edge cleaning unit. [Figure 9] 9 is a view of the peripheral edge cleaning unit of FIG. 8 as viewed from the direction indicated by arrow C in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] Figure 10(a) is a diagram showing a state in which the center line in the thickness direction of the wafer is located at the center of the pressing portion, Figure 10(b) is a diagram showing a state in which the pressing portion has been lowered from the position shown in Figure 10(a), and Figure 10(c) is a diagram showing a state in which the pressing portion has been raised from the position shown in Figure 10(a). [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing still another embodiment of the peripheral edge cleaning unit. [Figure 12] 12 is a view of the peripheral edge cleaning unit of FIG. 11 as viewed in the direction indicated by arrow D in FIG. 11. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a tape cleaning mechanism. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the tape cleaning mechanism. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing still another embodiment of the peripheral edge cleaning unit. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a substrate cleaning apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating a schematic view of still another embodiment of the substrate cleaning apparatus. [Figure 18] 18 is a vertical sectional view of the substrate cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 17. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the polishing head. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the polishing head is polishing the bevel portion of the wafer. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing still another embodiment of the peripheral edge cleaning unit. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing still another embodiment of the peripheral edge cleaning unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, the same or corresponding components are designated by the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted. In this specification, the peripheral portion of the substrate is defined as a region including a bevel portion located on the outermost periphery of the substrate, and a top edge portion and a bottom edge portion located radially inward of this bevel portion.

[0014] 1(a) and 1(b) are enlarged cross-sectional views showing the peripheral portion of a substrate. More specifically, FIG. 1(a) is a cross-sectional view of a so-called straight-type substrate, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view of a so-called round-type substrate. In the wafer W (one example of a substrate) of FIG. 1(a), the bevel portion is the outermost peripheral surface (indicated by symbol V) of the wafer W consisting of an upper inclined portion (upper bevel portion) S, a lower inclined portion (lower bevel portion) U, and a side portion (apex) T. In the wafer W of FIG. 1(b), the bevel portion is a portion (indicated by symbol V) having a curved cross section that constitutes the outermost peripheral surface of the wafer W. The top edge portion is a flat portion Ed1 located radially inward from the bevel portion V. The bottom edge portion is a flat portion Ed2 located on the opposite side to the top edge portion and radially inward from the bevel portion V. The top edge portion Ed1 may include a region in which a device is formed.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the substrate cleaning apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the substrate cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 includes a substrate holding unit 10 that holds and rotates a wafer W, which is an example of a substrate, an upper roll cleaning member (roll sponge) 12 rotatably supported by a first roll holder (not shown), a lower roll cleaning member (roll sponge) 13 rotatably supported by a second roll holder (not shown), two upper liquid supply nozzles 14 and 15 that supply a liquid as a cleaning liquid to the upper surface of the wafer W, two lower liquid supply nozzles 16 and 17 that supply a liquid as a cleaning liquid to the lower surface of the wafer W, a peripheral portion cleaning unit 20 that cleans the peripheral portion of the wafer W by bringing a cleaning tape 19 into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W, and an operation control unit 9 that controls the operation of each component of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1. In the following description, the upper surface of the wafer W is the front surface (device surface) of the wafer W, and the lower surface is the back surface of the wafer W.

[0016] The substrate cleaning apparatus 1 of this embodiment can perform both cleaning of the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer W by the roll cleaning members 12, 13, and cleaning of the peripheral portion of the wafer W by the peripheral portion cleaning unit 20. The substrate holding part 10 is equipped with a plurality of spindles 11 (four in this embodiment) that hold the peripheral portion of the wafer W and horizontally rotate the wafer W, a spindle drive mechanism (not shown), and a substrate rotation mechanism (not shown). The plurality of spindles 11 can be moved in a direction approaching and moving away from the wafer W (horizontal direction) by a spindle drive mechanism (e.g., an air cylinder) (not shown). The plurality of spindles 11 are equipped with a plurality of tops 11a.

[0017] The substrate holder 10 holds the wafer W by positioning the peripheral portion of the wafer W in a fitting groove formed on the outer peripheral side surface of the top 11a provided on the upper portion of each spindle 11 and pressing the wafer W inward, and rotates the top 11a (rotates on its axis) to rotate the wafer W horizontally. In this embodiment, two of the four tops 11a are connected to a substrate rotation mechanism (not shown), and these two tops 11a are rotated in the same direction by the substrate rotation mechanism. When the two tops 11a rotate while holding the wafer W, the wafer W rotates around its axis Cr. That is, two of the four tops 11a apply a rotational force to the wafer W, and the other two tops 11a act as bearings that receive the rotation of the wafer W. In one embodiment, all the tops 11a may be connected to the substrate rotation mechanism to apply a rotational force to the wafer W.

[0018] The upper roll cleaning member 12 and the lower roll cleaning member 13 are cylindrical and extend in an elongated shape. The upper roll cleaning member 12 is made of a cylindrical core material 12a and a cylindrical sponge member 12b fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the core material 12a, and the lower roll cleaning member 13 is made of a cylindrical core material 13a and a cylindrical sponge member 13b fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the core material 13a. The sponge members 12b and 13b are made of, for example, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).

[0019] The substrate cleaning apparatus 1 further includes a first roll cleaning member rotation mechanism (not shown) that rotates the upper roll cleaning member 12 about its axis AX1, and a second roll cleaning member rotation mechanism (not shown) that rotates the lower roll cleaning member 13 about its axis AX2. The roll cleaning members 12 and 13 are rotated in the directions of the arrows shown in FIG. 3 by the first and second roll cleaning member rotation mechanisms.

[0020] The substrate cleaning apparatus 1 further includes a first lifting mechanism (not shown) for vertically moving the upper roll cleaning member 12, the first roll holder, and the first roll cleaning member rotation mechanism, and a second lifting mechanism (not shown) for vertically moving the lower roll cleaning member 13, the second roll holder, and the second roll cleaning member rotation mechanism. That is, the upper roll cleaning member 12 can be freely raised and lowered relative to the upper surface of the wafer W, and the lower roll cleaning member 13 can be freely raised and lowered relative to the lower surface of the wafer W.

[0021] The upper liquid supply nozzles 14 and 15 are disposed above the wafer W held by the substrate holding part 10, and the lower liquid supply nozzles 16 and 17 are disposed below the wafer W held by the substrate holding part 10. The upper liquid supply nozzle 14 and the lower liquid supply nozzle 16 are nozzles that supply a rinsing liquid (e.g., ultrapure water) to the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W, respectively, and the upper liquid supply nozzle 15 and the lower liquid supply nozzle 17 are nozzles that supply a chemical liquid to the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W, respectively. The upper liquid supply nozzle 14 and the lower liquid supply nozzle 16 are connected to a rinsing liquid supply source (not shown), and the upper liquid supply nozzle 15 and the lower liquid supply nozzle 17 are connected to a chemical liquid supply source (not shown).

[0022] The operation control unit 9 is electrically connected to the substrate holding unit 10, the first and second roll cleaning member rotation mechanisms, the first and second lifting mechanisms, the lower liquid supply nozzles 16, 17, and the upper liquid supply nozzles 14, 15. The operations of the substrate holding unit 10, the first and second roll cleaning member rotation mechanisms, the first and second lifting mechanisms, the lower liquid supply nozzles 16, 17, and the upper liquid supply nozzles 14, 15 are controlled by the operation control unit 9.

[0023] The operation control unit 9 includes a storage device 9a in which a program is stored, and a processing device 9b that executes calculations according to instructions included in the program. The processing device 9b includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that executes calculations according to instructions included in the program stored in the storage device 9a. The storage device 9a includes a main storage device (e.g., random access memory) accessible by the processing device 9b, and an auxiliary storage device (e.g., a hard disk drive or a solid state drive) that stores data and programs. The operation control unit 9 includes at least one computer. However, the specific configuration of the operation control unit 9 is not limited to this example.

[0024] Next, a process for cleaning the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W will be described. First, the wafer W is held horizontally by the substrate holder 10 with the surface facing up, and the wafer W is rotated around its axis Cr. Next, a rinse liquid is supplied to the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W from the upper liquid supply nozzle 14 and the lower liquid supply nozzle 16, respectively, and a chemical liquid is supplied to the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W from the upper liquid supply nozzle 15 and the lower liquid supply nozzle 17, respectively. In this state, the upper roll cleaning member 12 is lowered while rotating around the axis AX1, so that the sponge member 12b comes into contact with the upper surface of the rotating wafer W, and the lower roll cleaning member 13 is raised while rotating around the axis AX2, so that the sponge member 13b comes into contact with the lower surface of the rotating wafer W.

[0025] As a result, in the presence of cleaning liquids (rinse liquid and chemical liquid), the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W are scrubbed by the roll cleaning members 12, 13. The roll cleaning members 12, 13 are longer than the diameter of the wafer W and are adapted to come into contact with the entire upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W. In one embodiment, the above-mentioned cleaning process for the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W is performed after the surface of the substrate is polished by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) or the like.

[0026] Next, the peripheral cleaning unit 20 will be described in detail. Fig. 4 is a view of the peripheral cleaning unit 20 as seen from the direction indicated by the arrow A in Fig. 2. As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the peripheral cleaning unit 20 includes a pressing unit 22 that presses a cleaning tape 19 as a cleaning tool against the peripheral portion of the wafer W to clean the peripheral portion of the wafer W, a pressing unit moving mechanism 30 that moves the pressing unit 22 in the radial direction of the wafer W, and a tape feed unit 40 that holds the cleaning tape 19 and advances it in the longitudinal direction. In Figs. 2 to 4, illustrations of a fluid transfer line 42, a pressure regulator 44, a fluid supply source 46, and opening / closing valves 48a and 48b, which will be described later, are omitted.

[0027] The tape feeding unit 40 includes a first reel 50 and a second reel 51 which respectively hold both ends of the cleaning tape 19, and a first reel rotation motor 52 and a second reel rotation motor 53 which respectively rotate the first reel 50 and the second reel 51. The first reel rotation motor 52 and the second reel rotation motor 53 are respectively connected to the first reel 50 and the second reel 51. The peripheral edge cleaning unit 20 is disposed such that the pressing portion 22 is located between two of the four spindles 11.

[0028] When the wafer W is held by the substrate holding part 10, the pressing part 22 faces the peripheral edge of the wafer W. The cleaning tape 19 extends from the first reel 50 to the second reel 51 via the pressing part 22 so that the cleaning surface of the cleaning tape 19 faces the peripheral edge of the wafer W. The back surface of the cleaning tape 19 (the surface opposite to the cleaning surface) is supported by the pressing part 22.

[0029] A first guide roller 54 and a second guide roller 55 are disposed between the first and second reels 50, 51 and the pressing portion 22, respectively. The guide rollers 54, 55 support the cleaning tape 19 extending between the reels 50, 51 and the pressing portion 22. By driving the tape feed unit 40, the cleaning tape 19 advances in a fixed direction.

[0030] In this embodiment, the reel rotation motors 52, 53 rotate the reels 50, 51 in the directions of the arrows shown in Fig. 2, whereby the cleaning tape 19 is pulled out from the first reel 50 and wound onto the second reel 51. The cleaning tape 19 advances from the first reel 50 to the second reel 51, passing through the first guide roller 54, the pressing portion 22, and the second guide roller 55 in this order, while being subjected to a predetermined tension. The reels 50, 51 and the reel rotation motors 52, 53 are arranged so that the cleaning tape 19 advances in the horizontal direction (the tangential direction of the wafer W). This allows the tape feed unit 40 to be configured compactly.

[0031] The tape feeding unit 40 is configured to be able to advance the cleaning tape 19 in a direction opposite to the direction in which it is fed from the first reel 50 to the second reel 51. That is, the reel rotation motors 52, 53 rotate the reels 50, 51 in a direction opposite to the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 2, whereby the cleaning tape 19 is pulled out from the second reel 51 and taken up onto the first reel 50. In this case, the cleaning tape 19 advances from the second reel 51 to the first reel 50 while being subjected to a predetermined tension, passing through the second guide roller 55, the pressing portion 22, and the first guide roller 54 in this order.

[0032] In one embodiment, the tape feeding unit 40 may include a tape feeding mechanism that feeds the cleaning tape 19 from the first reel 50 to the second reel 51 (or from the second reel 51 to the first reel 50). The tape feeding mechanism includes a tape feeding roller, a tape gripping roller arranged next to the tape feeding roller, and a motor connected to the tape feeding roller. In an embodiment in which the tape feeding unit 40 has the tape feeding mechanism, the cleaning tape 19 is sandwiched between the tape feeding roller and the tape gripping roller. In one embodiment, the tape feeding unit 40 may be configured such that the motor connected to the tape feeding roller rotates the tape feeding roller to feed the cleaning tape 19 from the first reel 50 (or the second reel 51) to the second reel 51 (or the first reel 50) via the pressing portion 22, and a predetermined tension may be applied to the cleaning tape 19 by rotating the first reel 50 and the second reel 51 in opposite directions to each other.

[0033] The tape feed unit 40 is electrically connected to the operation control unit 9. The operation of the tape feed unit 40 is controlled by the operation control unit 9. Examples of the cleaning tape 19 include a tape made of nonwoven fabric and a tape made of sponge. In one embodiment, the cleaning tape 19 may have abrasive grains such as silica (SiO2) on its surface (cleaning surface). This allows the cleaning tape 19 to have a light abrasive force.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the peripheral cleaning unit 20 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, and FIG. 6 is a diagram of the pressing unit 22 as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the tape feed unit 40 and the guide rollers 54 and 55 are omitted. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pressing unit 22 includes a hollow support member 24 and an elastic body 27 that supports the cleaning tape 19. The pressing unit 22 has an internal space R, and the support member 24 has an opening 24a that opens in a direction toward the wafer W. The support member 24 has a base 25 and a plurality of protrusions 26a, 26b, 26c, and 26d that extend vertically from the base 25. The base 25 and the protrusions 26a, 26b, 26c, and 26d are arranged to surround the internal space R, and the base 25 and the protrusions 26a, 26b, 26c, and 26d are integrally formed.

[0035] The elastic body 27 is disposed so as to close the opening 24a, and is in contact with the ends of the protruding parts 26a, 26b, 26c, and 26d. More specifically, the elastic body 27 is stretched between the ends of the protruding parts 26a, 26b, 26c, and 26d. An internal space R is formed in the pressing part 22 by the support member 24 and the elastic body 27. The support member 24 is a rigid body, and the elastic body 27 is made of elastic rubber or the like. In one embodiment, the surface of the elastic body 27 may be coated to ensure slipperiness with the cleaning tape 19.

[0036] The pressing unit moving mechanism 30 is configured to be able to control the position of the pressing unit 22 in the radial direction of the wafer W (the moving distance of the pressing unit 22 from a predetermined reference position). The pressing unit moving mechanism 30 is electrically connected to the operation control unit 9, and the operation of the pressing unit moving mechanism 30 is controlled by the operation control unit 9. The operation control unit 9 is configured to issue a command to the pressing unit moving mechanism 30 to control the position of the pressing unit 22. Specifically, the operation control unit 9 transmits a target value of the position of the pressing unit 22 (a target value of the moving distance) to the pressing unit moving mechanism 30, and the pressing unit moving mechanism 30 controls the position of the pressing unit 22 according to the target value so that the pressing unit 22 is located at a target position.

[0037] The pressing unit 22 is connected to a pressing unit movement mechanism 30 via a fixed member 32. The pressing unit movement mechanism 30 includes a ball screw mechanism 34 and a motor 36 that operates the ball screw mechanism 34. The ball screw mechanism 34 includes a nut mechanism 34a fixed to the fixed member 32 and a screw shaft 34b that screws into the nut mechanism 34a. The screw shaft 34b is connected to the motor 36. In this embodiment, the motor 36 is a servo motor. In one embodiment, a stepping motor may be used as the motor 36.

[0038] The operation control unit 9 issues a command to the pressing unit moving mechanism 30 to rotate the motor 36, thereby rotating the screw shaft 34b. As a result, the pressing unit 22 moves toward or away from the wafer W via the nut mechanism 34a and the fixing member 32. The movement of the nut mechanism 34a is guided by a linear guide 38. The motor 36 controls the moving distance of the pressing unit 22 by rotating the screw shaft 34b so that the pressing unit 22 is positioned at a target position. In one embodiment, the pressing unit moving mechanism 30 may be a combination of an air cylinder and a pressure regulator.

[0039] 5, the peripheral cleaning unit 20 further includes a fluid transfer line 42 and a pressure regulator 44 that controls the pressure in the internal space R. An internal passage 25a is formed inside the base 25 of the support member 24. One end of the fluid transfer line 42 is connected to the internal passage 25a, and the other end is connected to a fluid supply source 46. The fluid transfer line 42 communicates with the internal space R through the internal passage 25a. A fluid such as a gas (air, nitrogen, etc.) or a liquid (water, etc.) is supplied from the fluid supply source 46 to the internal space R through the fluid transfer line 42 and the internal passage 25a.

[0040] The pressure regulator 44 is connected to the fluid transfer line 42. On-off valves 48a and 48b are further connected to the fluid transfer line 42. By opening the on-off valves 48a and 48b, the fluid from the fluid supply source 46 is supplied to the internal space R through the pressure regulator 44 and the on-off valves 48a and 48b.

[0041] The operation control unit 9 is electrically connected to the pressure regulator 44 and the on-off valves 48a, 48b, and the operations of the pressure regulator 44 and the on-off valves 48a, 48b are controlled by the operation control unit 9. The operation control unit 9 is configured to issue a command to the pressure regulator 44 to control the pressure of the internal space R. Specifically, the operation control unit 9 transmits a predetermined target pressure value to the pressure regulator 44, and the pressure regulator 44 adjusts the pressure of the fluid in the internal space R so that the pressure of the internal space R becomes the target pressure value. The pressure regulator 44 controls the pressure of the internal space R by adjusting the pressure of the fluid in the internal space R. An example of the pressure regulator 44 is an electro-pneumatic regulator.

[0042] 7(a) to 7(c) are diagrams showing how the cleaning tape 19 is pressed against the peripheral portion of the wafer W by the pressing portion 22. FIG. 7(a) to 7(c) show an example of cleaning a so-called straight type wafer W (see FIG. 1(a)). The operation control portion 9 drives the pressing portion moving mechanism 30 from a state where the cleaning tape 19 is away from the peripheral portion of the wafer W (see FIG. 7(a)), and moves the pressing portion 22 toward the wafer W until the cleaning tape 19 contacts the peripheral portion of the wafer W. As a result, the cleaning tape 19 is pressed against the peripheral portion of the wafer W by the elastic body 27 (see FIG. 7(b)). The pressing portion 22 presses the wafer W via the cleaning tape 19, and the elastic body 27 is deformed along the shape of the wafer W.

[0043] The peripheral edge of the wafer W is cleaned by pressing the cleaning tape 19 against the peripheral edge of the wafer W while rotating the wafer W and moving the cleaning tape 19 at a predetermined speed. According to this embodiment, the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 can always clean the peripheral edge of the wafer W with a clean portion of the cleaning tape 19. In addition, since the cleaning tape 19 is pressed against the peripheral edge of the wafer W so as to wrap around the peripheral edge of the wafer W, the peripheral edge of the wafer W can be cleaned without tilting the pressing part 22 by a tilt mechanism or the like. According to the configuration of this embodiment, the peripheral edge cleaning unit 20 can be configured compactly.

[0044] During cleaning of the wafer W, a fluid is supplied to the internal space R, and the internal space R is pressurized. As a result, a pressure P is applied to the rear surface of the elastic body 27. This pressure P presses the elastic body 27 against the wafer W via the cleaning tape 19. As a result, the cleaning tape 19 can be actively made to conform to the shape of the peripheral edge of the wafer W. Furthermore, the pressure regulator 44 controls the pressure in the internal space R, thereby controlling the pressure applied to the wafer W. This allows the pressure applied to the wafer W to be kept constant, and the variation in pressure depending on the contact position between the cleaning tape 19 and the wafer W can be reduced.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 7(c), by moving the pressing unit 22 further radially inward from the state shown in Fig. 7(b), the elastic body 27 is further pressed by the wafer W, and the elastic body 27 and the cleaning tape 19 are further deformed along the shape of the wafer W. The pressing unit moving mechanism 30 controls the position of the pressing unit 22 in the radial direction of the wafer W, thereby controlling the pressing amount L of the pressing unit 22. The pressing amount L is the distance from the surface of the elastic body 27 located at the innermost position in the radial direction of the wafer W to the surface of the elastic body 27 pressed against the outermost peripheral part of the wafer W (the side part of the bevel part in the example shown in Fig. 7(c)) via the cleaning tape 19.

[0046] 7(c) shows an example in which the elastic body 27 is pressed in until the cleaning tape 19 contacts the top edge and bottom edge (see FIG. 1(a)). In this way, by controlling the pressing amount L, the contact position between the cleaning tape 19 and the wafer W (i.e., the cleaning position) can be changed arbitrarily, and the top edge and bottom edge can be cleaned in addition to the entire bevel portion.

[0047] As described above, the internal space R is pressurized during cleaning of the peripheral portion of the wafer W. By pressurizing the internal space R, a force is applied to the pressing part 22 from the internal space R to press the base part 25 radially outward of the wafer W. By using a motor capable of controlling the rotation axis position or rotation angle of the rotation axis of the motor, such as a servo motor or a stepping motor, for the pressing part moving mechanism 30, the position of the pressing part 22 can be precisely controlled without being affected by the pressure in the internal space R.

[0048] In this embodiment, the cleaning tape 19 advances in a horizontal direction (a tangential direction of the wafer W), but in one embodiment, the tape feeding unit 40 may be disposed so that the cleaning tape 19 supported by the pressing portion 22 advances in a vertical direction (a direction perpendicular to the tangential direction of the wafer W). In this case, the first reel 50 and the second reel 51 are arranged one above the other.

[0049] Next, a process for cleaning the peripheral portion of the wafer W will be described. First, the wafer W is held horizontally with its surface facing up by the substrate holder 10, and the wafer W is rotated around its axis Cr. Next, a rinsing liquid is supplied to the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W from the upper liquid supply nozzle 14 and the lower liquid supply nozzle 16, respectively, and a chemical liquid is supplied to the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W from the upper liquid supply nozzle 15 and the lower liquid supply nozzle 17, respectively. The rinsing liquid and the chemical liquid spread to the outside of the wafer W by centrifugal force, and the rinsing liquid and the chemical liquid are supplied to the peripheral portion of the wafer W. The peripheral portion of the wafer W is cleaned in the presence of the rinsing liquid and the chemical liquid.

[0050] In this state, the operation control unit 9 drives the tape feeding unit 40 to advance the cleaning tape 19 in a constant direction (in this embodiment, the direction from the first reel 50 to the second reel 51) at a predetermined speed while applying a predetermined tension to the cleaning tape 19. More specifically, the tape feeding unit 40 advances the cleaning tape 19 in the horizontal direction (the tangential direction of the wafer W).

[0051] In this state, the pressing unit moving mechanism 30 moves the pressing unit 22 toward the wafer W, and brings the pressing unit 22 into contact with the wafer W. Specifically, the operation control unit 9 transmits a target value of the position of the pressing unit 22 in the radial direction of the wafer W to the pressing unit moving mechanism 30, and the pressing unit moving mechanism 30 moves the pressing unit 22 according to the target value so that the pressing unit 22 is located at the target position. The pressing unit moving mechanism 30 controls the position of the pressing unit 22 in the radial direction of the wafer W according to the target value. The pressing unit 22 presses the cleaning tape 19 against the peripheral portion of the wafer W to clean the peripheral portion of the wafer W.

[0052] During cleaning, the operation control unit 9 issues a command to the pressure regulator 44 to control the pressure of the internal space R. Specifically, the operation control unit 9 opens the on-off valves 48a and 48b to supply a fluid such as a gas (air, nitrogen, etc.) or a liquid (water, etc.) from the fluid supply source 46 to the internal space R. Then, the operation control unit 9 issues a command to the pressure regulator 44 to adjust the pressure of the fluid in the internal space R so that the pressure of the internal space R becomes a target pressure value.

[0053] In one embodiment, the above-mentioned cleaning process of the peripheral portion of the wafer W is performed after the peripheral portion of the substrate is polished. In one embodiment, the cleaning process of the peripheral portion of the wafer W may be performed simultaneously with the above-mentioned cleaning process of the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer W, or may be performed separately.

[0054] In this embodiment, the peripheral edge of the wafer W is cleaned while the cleaning tape 19 is advanced in a fixed direction, so that the peripheral edge of the wafer W can always be cleaned with a clean portion of the cleaning tape 19. In addition, the cleaning position can be changed arbitrarily by controlling the moving distance of the pressing part 22, and the pressure applied to the wafer W from the pressing part 22 can be controlled by controlling the pressure in the internal space R of the pressing part 22. As a result, the cleaning effect of the peripheral edge of the wafer W can be improved.

[0055] Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the peripheral edge cleaning unit 20, and Fig. 9 is a view of the peripheral edge cleaning unit 20 of Fig. 8 as seen from the direction indicated by the arrow C in Fig. 8. Details of this embodiment that are not particularly described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7, and therefore will not be described again. In Figs. 8 and 9, the fluid transfer line 42, the pressure regulator 44, the fluid supply source 46, and the on-off valves 48a and 48b are not shown. As shown in Fig. 9, the peripheral edge cleaning unit 20 of this embodiment further includes a vertical movement mechanism 60 that moves the pressing part 22 up and down.

[0056] 8 and 9, the peripheral edge cleaning unit 20 of this embodiment further includes a base plate 62, and the pressing portion moving mechanism 30, the tape feed unit 40, and the guide rollers 54, 55 are fixed to an upper surface of the base plate 62. The vertical movement mechanism 60 is connected to the base plate 62. In this embodiment, the vertical movement mechanism 60 is configured to move the base plate 62, the pressing portion 22, the pressing portion moving mechanism 30, the tape feed unit 40, and the guide rollers 54, 55 up and down as a unit.

[0057] The vertical movement mechanism 60 is configured to be capable of controlling the position of the pressing part 22 in the vertical direction (i.e., the moving distance of the pressing part 22 in the vertical direction). The vertical movement mechanism 60 is electrically connected to the operation control part 9, and the operation of the vertical movement mechanism 60 is controlled by the operation control part 9.

[0058] The base plate 62 is connected to a vertical movement mechanism 60 via a plurality of fixed members 63. The vertical movement mechanism 60 includes a ball screw mechanism 64 and a motor 66 that operates the ball screw mechanism 64. The ball screw mechanism 64 includes a nut mechanism 64a fixed to the plurality of fixed members 63, and a screw shaft 64b that screws into the nut mechanism 64a. The screw shaft 64b is connected to the motor 66. Examples of the motor 66 include a servo motor and a stepping motor.

[0059] The operation control unit 9 issues a command to the vertical movement mechanism 60 to rotate the motor 66, thereby rotating the screw shaft 64b. As a result, the base plate 62, the pressing unit 22, the pressing unit moving mechanism 30, the tape feed unit 40, and the guide rollers 54 and 55 move up and down via the nut mechanism 64a and the fixing member 63. The vertical movement of the nut mechanism 64a is guided by a linear guide (not shown). The motor 66 controls the vertical movement distance of the pressing unit 22 by rotating the ball screw shaft 64b so that the pressing unit 22 moves a predetermined distance. In one embodiment, the vertical movement mechanism 60 may be a combination of an air cylinder and a pressure regulator.

[0060] In this embodiment, the peripheral edge of the wafer W is cleaned while the base plate 62, the pressing portion 22, the pressing portion moving mechanism 30, the tape feed unit 40, and the guide rollers 54 and 55 are moved up and down.

[0061] 10(a) to 10(c) are views showing a contact state between the cleaning tape 19 and the wafer W when the pressing part 22 is moved up and down. FIG. 10(a) to 10(c) show an example of cleaning a so-called straight type wafer W (see FIG. 1(a)). FIG. 10(a) is a view showing a state in which the center line CL in the thickness direction of the wafer W is located at the center of the pressing part 22, FIG. 10(b) is a view showing a state in which the pressing part 22 is lowered from the position shown in FIG. 10(a), and FIG. 10(c) is a view showing a state in which the pressing part 22 is raised from the position shown in FIG. 10(a).

[0062] 10(a), when the internal space R is pressurized with the center line CL positioned at the center of the pressing portion 22 and the cleaning tape 19 is pressed against the peripheral edge of the wafer W, the pressure P applied to the rear surface of the elastic body 27 may be concentrated on the corners 27a and 27b of the elastic body 27. As a result, sufficient pressure may not be applied to the upper and lower inclined portions of the bevel portion (see FIG. 1(a)).

[0063] The pressing portion 22 is lowered so that the center line CL is positioned above the pressing portion 22, and the cleaning tape 19 is pressed against the peripheral portion of the wafer W, whereby the upper portion of the elastic body 27 is pressed by the wafer W (see FIG. 10(b)). This increases the pressure P1 applied to the upper inclined portion 27c of the elastic body 27. As a result, sufficient pressure can be applied to the upper inclined portion of the bevel portion.

[0064] By raising the pressing portion 22 so that the center line CL is positioned at the lower portion of the pressing portion 22 and pressing the cleaning tape 19 against the peripheral portion of the wafer W, the lower portion of the elastic body 27 is pressed by the wafer W (see FIG. 10(c)). This increases the pressure P2 applied to the lower inclined portion 27d of the elastic body 27. As a result, sufficient pressure can be applied to the lower inclined portion of the bevel portion.

[0065] Furthermore, by cleaning the peripheral portion of the wafer W while moving the pressing part 22 up and down, the cleaning tape 19 is brought into sliding contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W in the vertical direction, enabling more active cleaning. As a result, by cleaning the peripheral portion of the wafer W while moving the pressing part 22 up and down, the cleaning effect can be further improved.

[0066] Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing yet another embodiment of the periphery cleaning unit 20, and Fig. 12 is a view of the periphery cleaning unit 20 of Fig. 11 as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow D in Fig. 11. Details of this embodiment that are not particularly described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 8 to 10, and therefore redundant description will be omitted. The periphery cleaning unit 20 of this embodiment further includes a plurality of tape cleaning mechanisms 70A, 70B that clean the cleaning tape 19. In Figs. 11 and 12, the fluid transfer line 42, the pressure regulator 44, the fluid supply source 46, and the on-off valves 48a, 48b are omitted from illustration.

[0067] The tape cleaning mechanisms 70A and 70B are disposed in the path of the cleaning tape 19 so as to surround the cleaning tape 19. Specifically, the tape cleaning mechanism 70A is disposed between the first reel 50 and the pressing unit 22, and the tape cleaning mechanism 70B is disposed between the second reel 51 and the pressing unit 22. The tape cleaning mechanisms 70A and 70B are configured so that the cleaning tape 19 passes through the interiors thereof. The tape cleaning mechanisms 70A and 70B are electrically connected to the operation control unit 9, and the operations of the tape cleaning mechanisms 70A and 70B are controlled by the operation control unit 9.

[0068] Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the tape cleaning mechanism 70B, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in Fig. 11. The tape cleaning mechanisms 70A and 70B have the same configuration. The following description relates to the tape cleaning mechanism 70B, but also applies to the tape cleaning mechanism 70A. In the following description, the tape cleaning mechanisms 70A and 70B may be collectively referred to simply as the tape cleaning mechanism 70.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 13, the tape cleaning mechanism 70B includes a tape support member 74 that supports the back surface of the cleaning tape 19, a cleaning liquid supply nozzle 76 that supplies cleaning liquid to the front surface (cleaning surface) of the cleaning tape 19, and a casing 78 that houses the tape support member 74 and the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 76. The tape support member 74 and the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 76 are fixed to the inner surface of the casing 78. The casing 78 is formed with a plurality of openings (not shown) through which the cleaning tape 19 passes. The cleaning liquid supply nozzle 76 is disposed facing the front surface of the cleaning tape 19. An example of the cleaning liquid is pure water. The cleaning liquid supply nozzle 76 is connected to a cleaning liquid supply source (not shown).

[0070] In this embodiment, the cleaning tape 19 (the cleaning tape 19 used to clean the peripheral portion of the wafer W) is cleaned by the tape cleaning mechanism 70 after it has been brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W. In one embodiment, a cleaning process of the cleaning tape 19 is performed while the wafer W is being cleaned. When the peripheral portion of the wafer W is cleaned while the cleaning tape 19 is being advanced from the first reel 50 to the second reel 51, the cleaning tape 19 advances from the first reel 50 to the second reel 51 via the tape cleaning mechanism 70A, the first guide roller 54, the pressing unit 22, the second guide roller 55, and the tape cleaning mechanism 70B in this order while the peripheral portion of the wafer W is being cleaned. In this state, the operation control unit 9 issues a command to the tape cleaning mechanism 70B to supply a cleaning liquid to the cleaning tape 19 after it has been brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W. As a result, the cleaning tape 19 after it has been brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W is cleaned. The cleaning tape 19 cleaned by the tape cleaning mechanism 70B is collected onto the second reel 51.

[0071] The cleaning tape 19 is cleaned while its back surface is supported by the tape support member 74. By cleaning the cleaning tape 19 while its back surface is supported, it is possible to prevent the cleaning tape 19 from flapping during cleaning.

[0072] The cleaning liquid washes away foreign matter (particles) such as polishing debris that adheres to the surface of the cleaning tape 19 when it comes into contact with the wafer W. In this manner, the cleaning tape 19 is cleaned as needed during cleaning of the peripheral portion of the wafer W. By cleaning the cleaning tape 19 after it has come into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W, the cleaning tape 19 can be reused.

[0073] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the tape cleaning mechanism 70. Details of this embodiment that are not particularly described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 13, so duplicated descriptions will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 14, the tape cleaning mechanism 70 of this embodiment further includes a plurality of cleaning liquid supply nozzles 76 and a cleaning brush 80 that contacts the surface (cleaning surface) of the cleaning tape 19 to clean the cleaning tape 19. By bringing the cleaning brush 80 into contact with the surface of the cleaning tape 19 while moving the cleaning tape 19 in a certain direction and supplying cleaning liquid to the surface of the cleaning tape 19, the cleaning effect of the cleaning tape 19 can be improved.

[0074] In one embodiment, after the cleaning tape 19 is completely wound around the second reel 51, the cleaning tape 19 may be advanced in the reverse direction by the tape feed unit 40 to clean the peripheral portion of the wafer W. In this embodiment, during cleaning of the peripheral portion of the wafer W, the cleaning tape 19 advances from the second reel 51 to the first reel 50 via the tape cleaning mechanism 70B, the second guide roller 55, the pressing unit 22, the first guide roller 54, and the tape cleaning mechanism 70A in this order. Details of the cleaning process of the peripheral portion of the wafer W in this embodiment are the same as the above-mentioned process, except for the advancing direction of the cleaning tape 19. In one embodiment, during cleaning of the peripheral portion of the wafer W, a cleaning process of the cleaning tape 19 may be performed. In this case, the operation control unit 9 issues a command to the tape cleaning mechanism 70A to supply a cleaning liquid to the cleaning tape 19 after it has been brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W. As a result, the cleaning tape 19 after it has been brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W is cleaned. The cleaning tape 19 cleaned by the tape cleaning mechanism 70A is collected onto the first reel 50.

[0075] Furthermore, in one embodiment, after the cleaning tape 19 is completely wound onto the first reel 50, the cleaning tape 19 may be moved again in the reverse direction (from the first reel 50 to the second reel 51) to clean the peripheral portion of the wafer W, and a cleaning process for the cleaning tape 19 may be performed while cleaning the peripheral portion of the wafer W.

[0076] In this way, after the cleaned cleaning tape 19 is completely wound around either the first reel 50 or the second reel 51, the cleaning tape 19 can be wound in the opposite direction, allowing the cleaning tape 19 to be used repeatedly and reducing the frequency of replacing the cleaning tape 19. Furthermore, by cleaning the peripheral portion of the wafer W while moving the pressing portion 22 up and down, the frequency of replacing the cleaning tape 19 can be further reduced.

[0077] Further, in one embodiment, the cleaning step of the cleaning tape 19 may be performed after the cleaning of the peripheral portion of the wafer W is performed a predetermined number of times. In this embodiment, after the cleaning of the peripheral portion of the wafer W is performed a predetermined number of times, the tape feed unit 40 feeds the cleaning tape 19 in a certain direction (the direction from the first reel 50 to the second reel 51, or the direction from the second reel 51 to the first reel 50), while the operation control unit 9 issues a command to the tape cleaning mechanism 70A and / or the tape cleaning mechanism 70B to supply the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 76 to the cleaning tape 19 after it has come into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W. In this embodiment, the moving direction of the cleaning tape 19 during cleaning of the cleaning tape 19 is the opposite direction to the moving direction of the cleaning tape 19 during the cleaning step of the peripheral portion of the wafer W performed before the cleaning step of the cleaning tape 19. As a result, the cleaning tape 19 after it has come into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W is cleaned. In this embodiment as well, after the cleaning tape 19 is completely wound around the first reel 50 or the second reel 51, the peripheral edge of the wafer W may be cleaned while the cleaning tape 19 is advanced in the reverse direction by the tape feeding unit 40.

[0078] The embodiment described with reference to Figures 11 to 14 can also be applied to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 may include either a tape cleaning mechanism 70A or a tape cleaning mechanism 70B.

[0079] Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram showing yet another embodiment of the periphery cleaning unit 20. Details of this embodiment that are not particularly described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7, so duplicated descriptions will be omitted. The periphery cleaning unit 20 of this embodiment further includes a sensor 82 that irradiates light onto the cleaning tape 19 after it has been brought into contact with the periphery of the cleaned wafer W and receives reflected light from the cleaning tape 19. In Fig. 15, the fluid transfer line 42, the pressure regulator 44, the fluid supply source 46, and the opening and closing valves 48a and 48b are omitted from illustration.

[0080] The sensor 82 is disposed facing the surface of the cleaning tape 19 after it has been brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the wafer W. The sensor 82 is configured to receive reflected light from the cleaning tape 19 and measure the intensity of the reflected light. The sensor 82 is, for example, an RGB color sensor. The RGB color sensor irradiates white LED light, separates the reflected light into the three primary colors of red, green, and blue using a filter, and determines the color ratio based on the intensity of each of the red, green, and blue colors using a detection element. The sensor 82 can also use an LED capable of irradiating light in the UV (ultraviolet) range as a light source and a phosphor detection UV sensor as a light receiving sensor to measure the intensity of the received light.

[0081] The sensor 82 is electrically connected to the operation control unit 9. The operation control unit 9 receives a signal from the sensor 82 during cleaning of the peripheral portion of the wafer W, and compares the intensity of the reflected light received by the sensor 82 with a preset predetermined value. When the intensity of the reflected light is below the predetermined value, the operation control unit 9 determines that the cleaning tape 19 is contaminated, and that the peripheral portion of the wafer W is contaminated. When the intensity of the reflected light is above the predetermined value, the operation control unit 9 determines that the cleaning tape 19 is not contaminated, and that the peripheral portion of the wafer W is not contaminated. The operation control unit 9 determines the end point of the cleaning process of the peripheral portion of the wafer W based on the time when it is determined that the peripheral portion of the wafer W is not contaminated. This embodiment can also be applied to the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 14.

[0082] Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1. Details of this embodiment that are not particularly described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1 to 15, and therefore redundant description will be omitted. The substrate cleaning apparatus 1 of this embodiment also functions as a pen-type substrate cleaning apparatus that cleans the upper surface of the wafer W.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 16, the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a substrate holding unit 10 that holds and rotates the wafer W, a vertically extending support pillar 92, a swinging arm 94 that has one end attached to the tip of the support pillar 92 and extends horizontally, a cleaning member moving mechanism 93 connected to the support pillar 92, a cylindrical pencil cleaning member 96 (cylindrical sponge) rotatably attached to the underside of the other end of the swinging arm 94, two upper liquid supply nozzles 14, 15 that supply liquid as a cleaning liquid to the upper surface of the wafer W, two lower liquid supply nozzles 16, 17, a peripheral edge cleaning unit 20, and an operation control unit 9.

[0084] The substrate cleaning apparatus 1 of this embodiment can perform both cleaning of the upper surface of the wafer W by the pencil cleaning member 96 and cleaning of the peripheral portion of the wafer W by the peripheral portion cleaning unit 20. The pencil cleaning member 96 is connected to a cleaning member rotating mechanism (not shown) disposed within the swing arm 94, and the pencil cleaning member 96 is adapted to be rotated about its central axis extending in the vertical direction. The swing arm 94 is disposed above the wafer W.

[0085] The substrate holding part 10 is provided with a plurality of spindles 90 (four in FIG. 16 ) that are movable horizontally to hold the peripheral edge of the wafer W with the surface facing up and rotate the wafer W horizontally. The plurality of spindles 90 are provided with a plurality of spin chucks 90a that hold the peripheral edge of the wafer W. The spin chucks 90a are configured to rotate in the same direction at the same speed. When the spin chucks 90a rotate while holding the wafer W horizontally, the wafer W is rotated around its axis Cr in the direction indicated by the arrow. The peripheral edge cleaning unit 20 is arranged such that the pressing part 22 is located between two of the four spindles 90.

[0086] The cleaning member moving mechanism 93 rotates the support 92 by a predetermined angle to rotate the swing arm 94 in a plane parallel to the wafer W. By rotating the swing arm 94, the pencil cleaning member 96 moves above the wafer W while tracing an arc-shaped trajectory. Since the tip of the swing arm 94 extends to the center O of the wafer W, the movement trajectory of the pencil cleaning member 96 passes through the center O of the wafer W. In addition, the pencil cleaning member 96 is moved to the outer periphery of the wafer W. Therefore, the movement trajectory of the pencil cleaning member 96 caused by the rotation of the swing arm 94 is an arc with a radius equal to the length of the swing arm 94, and the movement range is from the outer periphery of the wafer W to past the center O of the wafer W.

[0087] Furthermore, the cleaning member moving mechanism 93 is configured to be able to move the support 92 up and down, thereby pressing the pencil cleaning member 96 against the surface of the wafer W with a predetermined pressure. The pencil cleaning member 96 is made of, for example, foamed polyurethane or PVA. The operation control unit 9 is electrically connected to the cleaning member moving mechanism 93 and the cleaning member rotating mechanism (not shown). The operations of the cleaning member moving mechanism 93 and the cleaning member rotating mechanism are controlled by the operation control unit 9.

[0088] The upper surface of the wafer W is cleaned as follows. First, the wafer W is held horizontally with its surface facing up by the substrate holder 10, and the wafer W is rotated around its axis Cr. With the wafer W rotated horizontally, a rinse liquid is supplied to the surface of the wafer W from the liquid supply nozzle 14, and a chemical liquid is supplied to the surface of the wafer W from the liquid supply nozzle 15. While the pencil cleaning member 96 is rotated (rotated on its axis), the swing arm 94 is rotated to revolve the pencil cleaning member 96 and bring it into contact with the surface of the rotating wafer W. As a result, the surface of the wafer W is scrubbed with the pencil cleaning member 96 in the presence of the cleaning liquid (rinse liquid and chemical liquid).

[0089] In one embodiment, the cleaning process for the front surface of the wafer W according to the embodiment described with reference to Fig. 16 is performed after the front surface of the substrate is polished by CMP or the like. The cleaning process for the front surface of the wafer W according to the embodiment described with reference to Fig. 16 and the above-mentioned cleaning process for the peripheral portion of the wafer W may be performed simultaneously or separately. In this embodiment, the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 includes the peripheral portion cleaning unit 20 according to the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7, but the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 may include the peripheral portion cleaning unit 20 according to the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 8 to 15.

[0090] Fig. 17 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of yet another embodiment of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1, and Fig. 18 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 17. Details of this embodiment that are not particularly described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1 to 15, and therefore redundant description will be omitted. The substrate cleaning apparatus 1 of this embodiment also functions as a bevel polishing apparatus that polishes the peripheral portion of the wafer W. The substrate cleaning apparatus 1 of this embodiment can perform both polishing the peripheral portion of the wafer W and cleaning the peripheral portion of the wafer W by the peripheral portion cleaning unit 20.

[0091] As shown in Figures 17 and 18, the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a substrate holding part 10 arranged in its center, a peripheral edge cleaning unit 20, four polishing head assemblies 101A, 101B, 101C, 101D arranged around the wafer W held by the substrate holding part 10, tape supply and recovery mechanisms 102A, 102B, 102C, 102D arranged radially outside the polishing head assemblies 101A, 101B, 101C, 101D, two upper liquid supply nozzles 14, 15 that supply liquid as a cleaning liquid to the upper surface of the wafer W, two lower liquid supply nozzles 16, 17, and an operation control unit 9.

[0092] The substrate holding unit 10 of this embodiment includes a dish-shaped holding stage 104 that holds the back surface of the wafer W by vacuum suction, a hollow shaft 105 connected to the center of the holding stage 104, and a motor M1 that rotates the hollow shaft 105. The wafer W is placed on the holding stage 104 by a transfer mechanism (not shown) such that the center O (shown in FIG. 16) of the wafer W coincides with the axis of the hollow shaft 105. The wafer W is held horizontally by the substrate holding unit 10.

[0093] The hollow shaft 105 is supported by a plurality of ball spline bearings (linear bearings) 106 so as to be movable up and down. A groove 104a is formed in the upper surface of the holding stage 104, and this groove 104a is connected to a communication line 107 extending through the hollow shaft 105. The communication line 107 is connected to a vacuum line 109 via a rotary joint 108 attached to the lower end of the hollow shaft 105. The communication line 107 is also connected to a nitrogen gas supply line 110 for removing the processed wafer W from the holding stage 104. By switching between the vacuum line 109 and the nitrogen gas supply line 110, the wafer W is vacuum-adsorbed to the upper surface of the holding stage 104 and then removed.

[0094] The hollow shaft 105 is rotated by the motor M1 via a pulley q1 connected to the hollow shaft 105, a pulley q2 attached to the rotation shaft of the motor M1, and a belt b1 wound around these pulleys q1 and q2. The rotation shaft of the motor M1 extends parallel to the hollow shaft 105. With this configuration, the wafer W held on the upper surface of the holding stage 104 is rotated by the motor M1.

[0095] The ball spline bearing 106 is fixed to the casing 112. Therefore, in this embodiment, the hollow shaft 105 is configured to be able to move linearly up and down relative to the casing 112, and the hollow shaft 105 and the casing 112 rotate together. The hollow shaft 105 is connected to an air cylinder (elevating mechanism) 115, and the hollow shaft 105 and the holding stage 104 can be raised and lowered by the air cylinder 115.

[0096] A radial bearing 118 is interposed between the casing 112 and a casing 114 disposed concentrically outside the casing 112, and the casing 112 is rotatably supported by the bearing 118. With this configuration, the substrate holding part 10 can rotate the wafer W about the axis Cr and raise and lower the wafer W along the axis Cr.

[0097] The polishing head assemblies 101A-101D and the tape supplying and recovering mechanisms 102A-102D are isolated by a partition 120. The internal space of the partition 120 forms a processing chamber 121, and the polishing head assemblies 101A-101D and the holding stage 104 are disposed in the processing chamber 121. On the other hand, the tape supplying and recovering mechanisms 102A-102D are disposed outside the processing chamber 121.

[0098] An opening 120c covered by a louver 140 is provided on the upper surface of the partition 120. The partition 120 has a plurality of openings 120a through which a polishing tape 123 described later passes, and a transfer port 120b for carrying the wafer W into and out of the processing chamber 121. During cleaning (or during polishing processing), the transfer port 120b is closed by a shutter (not shown). For this reason, a downflow of clean air is formed inside the processing chamber 121 by exhausting air with a fan mechanism (not shown).

[0099] Each of the polishing head assemblies 101A, 101B, 101C, and 101D functions as a substrate processing unit that polishes the bevel portion of the wafer W. Each of the polishing head assemblies 101A, 101B, 101C, and 101D and the tape supply and recovery mechanisms 102A, 102B, 102C, and 102D has the same configuration. The polishing head assembly 101A and the tape supply and recovery mechanism 102A will be described below.

[0100] The tape supply and recovery mechanism 102A includes a supply reel 124 that supplies a polishing tape 123, which is a polishing tool, to the polishing head assembly 101A, and a recovery reel 125 that recovers the polishing tape 123 used to polish the wafer W. The supply reel 124 and the recovery reel 125 are arranged one above the other. A motor M2 is connected to each of the supply reel 124 and the recovery reel 125 (only the motor M2 connected to the supply reel 124 is shown in FIG. 1). Each motor M2 applies a constant torque in a predetermined rotational direction, so that a predetermined tension can be applied to the polishing tape 123.

[0101] The polishing tape 123 is a long, tape-like polishing tool, one side of which constitutes a polishing surface. The polishing tape 123 is set in a state where it is wound around a supply reel 124 in the tape supply and recovery mechanism 102A. One end of the polishing tape 123 is attached to a recovery reel 125, and the recovery reel 125 winds up the polishing tape 123 supplied to the polishing head assembly 101A, thereby recovering the polishing tape 123. The polishing head assembly 101A includes a polishing head 130 for bringing the polishing tape 123 supplied from the tape supply and recovery mechanism 102A into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W. The polishing tape 123 is supplied to the polishing head 130 such that the polishing surface of the polishing tape 123 faces the wafer W.

[0102] The tape supply and recovery mechanism 102A has a plurality of guide rollers 131, 132, 133, and 134. The polishing tape 123 is guided by the guide rollers 131 to 134. The polishing tape 123 is supplied from the supply reel 124 to the polishing head 130 through the opening 120a, and the used polishing tape 123 is recovered by the recovery reel 125 through the opening 120a.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 18, an upper supply nozzle 136 is disposed on the upper surface of the wafer W, and supplies the polishing liquid toward the center of the upper surface of the wafer W held by the substrate holder 10. A lower supply nozzle 137 is also provided to supply the polishing liquid toward the boundary between the rear surface of the wafer W and the holding stage 104 (the outer periphery of the holding stage 104). Pure water is usually used as the polishing liquid, but ammonia can also be used when silica is used as the abrasive grains of the polishing tape 123. Furthermore, the substrate cleaning device 1 is provided with a cleaning nozzle 138 for cleaning the polishing head 130 after the polishing process, and after the wafer W is raised by the substrate holder 10 after the polishing process, cleaning water is sprayed toward the polishing head 130, so that the polishing head 130 after the polishing process can be cleaned. The upper supply nozzle 136 and the lower supply nozzle 137 are connected to a polishing liquid supply source (not shown), and the cleaning nozzle 138 is connected to a cleaning water supply source (not shown).

[0104] 17, the polishing head 130 is fixed to one end of an arm 160, and the arm 160 is configured to be rotatable around an axis Ct parallel to a tangent line of the wafer W. The other end of the arm 160 is connected to a motor M4 via pulleys q3 and q4 and a belt b2. The motor M4 rotates a predetermined angle in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions, causing the arm 160 to rotate a predetermined angle around the axis Ct. In this embodiment, the motor M4, the arm 160, the pulleys q3 and q4, and the belt b2 configure a tilt mechanism that tilts the polishing head 130.

[0105] As shown in Fig. 18, the tilt mechanism is mounted on a plate-shaped movable stage 161. The movable stage 161 is movably connected to a base plate 165 via a guide 162 and a rail 163. The rail 163 extends linearly along the radial direction of the wafer W held by the substrate holder 10, and the movable stage 161 is capable of linear movement along the radial direction of the wafer W. A connecting plate 166 penetrating the base plate 165 is attached to the movable stage 161, and a linear actuator 167 is attached to the connecting plate 166 via a joint 168. The linear actuator 167 is fixed directly or indirectly to the base plate 165.

[0106] The linear actuator 167 may be an air cylinder or a combination of a positioning motor and a ball screw. The linear actuator 167, the rail 163, and the guide 162 constitute a moving mechanism that moves the polishing head 130 linearly along the radial direction of the wafer W. That is, the moving mechanism operates to move the polishing head 130 along the rail 163 toward and away from the wafer W. On the other hand, the tape supplying and recovering mechanism 102A is fixed to a base plate 165.

[0107] Fig. 19 is an enlarged view of the polishing head 130. As shown in Fig. 19, the polishing head 130 includes a pressing mechanism 141 that presses the polishing surface of the polishing tape 123 against the wafer W with a predetermined force, and a tape feeding mechanism 142 that feeds the polishing tape 123 from the supply reel 124 to the collection reel 125. The polishing head 130 has a plurality of guide rollers 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, and 149, and these guide rollers guide the polishing tape 123 so that the polishing tape 123 advances in a direction perpendicular to the tangent direction of the wafer W.

[0108] The tape feed mechanism 142 provided in the polishing head 130 includes a tape feed roller 142a, a tape gripping roller 142b, and a motor M3 that rotates the tape feed roller 142a. The motor M3 is provided on the side of the polishing head 130, and the tape feed roller 142a is connected to the rotation shaft of the motor M3. The polishing tape 123 is wound around the tape feed roller 142a by about half its circumference. The tape gripping roller 142b is provided next to the tape feed roller 142a, and the tape gripping roller 142b is supported by a mechanism (not shown) so as to generate a force in the direction indicated by the arrow NF in FIG. 19 (the direction toward the tape feed roller 142a), and is configured to press the tape feed roller 142a.

[0109] The polishing tape 123 is sandwiched between a tape feed roller 142a and a tape gripping roller 142b. When the motor M3 rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 19, the tape feed roller 142a rotates, and the polishing tape 123 can be fed from the supply reel 124 to the recovery reel 125 via the polishing head 130. The tape gripping roller 142b is configured to be able to rotate about its own axis, and rotates as the polishing tape 123 is fed.

[0110] The pressing mechanism 141 includes a pressing pad 141a that supports the back surface of the polishing tape 123, and an air cylinder (driving mechanism) 141b that moves the pressing pad 141a toward the peripheral portion of the wafer W. The polishing head 130 presses the polishing tape 123 from its back side by the pressing mechanism 141, and polishes the peripheral portion of the substrate W by bringing the polishing surface of the polishing tape 123 into contact with the peripheral portion of the substrate W. The pressing force against the wafer W is adjusted by controlling the air pressure supplied to the air cylinder 141b.

[0111] The tilt mechanisms, the pressing mechanism 141, and the tape feed mechanism 142 of the four polishing head assemblies 101A to 101D, the moving mechanisms for moving each polishing head assembly, the four tape supply and recovery mechanisms 102A to 102D, the upper supply nozzle 136, the lower supply nozzle 137, the cleaning nozzle 138, and the air cylinder 115 are electrically connected to the operation control unit 9. The operations of the components including the tilt mechanisms, the pressing mechanism 141, and the tape feed mechanism 142 of the four polishing head assemblies 101A to 101D, the moving mechanisms for moving each polishing head assembly, the four tape supply and recovery mechanisms 102A to 102D, the upper supply nozzle 136, the lower supply nozzle 137, the cleaning nozzle 138, and the air cylinder 115 are controlled by the operation control unit 9.

[0112] The tilt mechanism, the pressing mechanism 141, the tape feed mechanism 142, and the moving mechanism for moving each polishing head assembly of the four polishing head assemblies 101A to 101D are configured to be able to operate independently. In this embodiment, four sets of polishing head assemblies and tape supply and recovery mechanisms are provided, but the number of polishing head assemblies and tape supply and recovery mechanisms is not limited to this embodiment.

[0113] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a state in which the polishing head 130 is polishing the bevel portion of the wafer W. The peripheral portion of the wafer W is polished as follows. First, the wafer W is held and rotated by the substrate holding unit 10. Specifically, when the wafer W is transferred to a predetermined position above the holding stage 104, the holding stage 104 is raised, and the wafer W is adsorbed and held on the upper surface of the holding stage 104. Thereafter, the holding stage 104 holding the wafer W is lowered to a predetermined polishing position, and the substrate holding unit 10 rotates the wafer W together with the holding stage 104. Furthermore, a polishing liquid is supplied to the surface of the wafer W from an upper supply nozzle 136. A polishing liquid may be supplied to the peripheral portion of the wafer W from a lower supply nozzle 137.

[0114] 20, while the tilt angle of the polishing head 130 is continuously changed by the tilt mechanism described above, the polishing tape 123 is pressed against the peripheral portion (e.g., the bevel portion) of the wafer W by the pressing mechanism 141. During polishing, the polishing tape 123 is fed at a predetermined speed by the tape feed mechanism 142. After the polishing process, the wafer W is raised together with the holding stage 104 and hollow shaft 105 by the air cylinder 115 to the transfer position, and the wafer W is released from the holding stage 104 at this transfer position.

[0115] In this embodiment, both the polishing of the peripheral portion of the wafer W and the cleaning of the peripheral portion of the wafer W can be performed without moving the wafer W. This allows the wafer W to be processed efficiently. The cleaning process of the peripheral portion of the wafer W and the polishing process of the peripheral portion of the wafer W may be performed simultaneously or separately. By performing the cleaning process of the peripheral portion of the wafer W simultaneously with the polishing process of the wafer W or immediately after the polishing process of the wafer W, the cleaning effect of the peripheral portion of the wafer W can be further improved.

[0116] The peripheral edge cleaning unit 20 is disposed such that the pressing portion 22 is located between two of the four polishing head assemblies 101A to 101D. In this embodiment, the peripheral edge cleaning unit 20 is disposed between the polishing head assembly 101B and the polishing head assembly 101C, but the location of the peripheral edge cleaning unit 20 is not limited to this embodiment.

[0117] The cleaning tape 19 is supplied to the pressing unit 22 through the opening 120a. In this embodiment, the pressing unit 22, the pressing unit moving mechanism 30, the first guide roller 54, and the second guide roller 55 are disposed inside the processing chamber 121, and the tape feed unit 40 is disposed outside the processing chamber 121.

[0118] In this embodiment, the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 includes the peripheral edge cleaning unit 20 according to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 to 7, but the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 may also include the peripheral edge cleaning unit 20 according to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 8 to 15. In this case, a new opening 120a for passing the base plate 62 may be provided in the partition wall 120, or the existing opening 120a may be widened to pass the base plate 62. Also, the entire peripheral edge cleaning unit 20 may be disposed inside the processing chamber 121.

[0119] In one embodiment, the polishing head 130 of at least one of the polishing head assemblies 101A to 101D may include a pressing unit 22 and a pressing unit moving mechanism 30 connected to the pressing unit 22. In this case, as shown in Fig. 21, the pressing unit 22 and the pressing unit moving mechanism 30 are provided in the polishing head 130 instead of the pressing mechanism 141, and reels 50 and 51 and reel rotation motors 52 and 53 (not shown in Fig. 21) are provided in at least one of the tape supply and recovery mechanisms 102A to 102D instead of the supply reel 124, the recovery reel 125, and the motor M2. As a result, the polishing head assembly and the tape supply and recovery mechanism constitute the peripheral cleaning unit 20.

[0120] In this embodiment, the cleaning tape 19 extends from the first reel 50 to the second reel 51 via the polishing head 130. The cleaning tape 19 is guided by guide rollers 143-149. Details of this embodiment that are not specifically described are the same as those of the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. In this embodiment, the tape feed mechanism 142, the reels 50 and 51, and the reel rotation motors 52 and 53 form a tape feed unit 40.

[0121] Further, in one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, the pressing unit moving mechanism 30 provided in the polishing head 130 may be connected to the vertical movement mechanism 60, and the peripheral cleaning unit 20 may include tape cleaning mechanisms 70A and 70B. In this embodiment, the vertical movement mechanism 60 is connected to the pressing unit moving mechanism 30 via a base plate 62. The vertical movement mechanism 60 is configured to move the pressing unit 22 and the pressing unit moving mechanism 30 vertically together. In this embodiment, the tape cleaning mechanism 70A is disposed between the polishing head 130 and the first reel 50, and the tape cleaning mechanism 70B is disposed between the polishing head 130 and the second reel 51. The embodiment described with reference to FIG. 15 can also be applied to the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 21 and FIG. 22.

[0122] The above-described embodiments have been described for the purpose of enabling a person having ordinary skill in the art to practice the present invention. Various modifications of the above-described embodiments are naturally possible for a person skilled in the art, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention can be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but is to be interpreted in the broadest scope according to the technical idea defined by the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0123] 1. Substrate cleaning equipment 9. Operation control section 10 Board holding part 11 Spindle 11a Frame 12 Upper roll cleaning member 13 Lower roll cleaning member 14 Upper Liquid Supply Nozzle 15 Upper Liquid Supply Nozzle 16 Lower Liquid Supply Nozzle 17 Lower Liquid Supply Nozzle 19 Cleaning Tape 20 Periphery cleaning unit 22 Pressing section 24 Support member 24a opening 25 base 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d protrusion 27 Elastic Body 30 Pressing part movement mechanism 34 Ball screw mechanism 36 Motor 40 Tape feed unit 42 Fluid transfer line 44 Pressure Regulator 46 Fluid supply source 50 1st reel 52 First reel rotation motor 51 Second Reel 53 Second reel rotation motor 54 First guide roller 55 Second guide roller 60 Vertical movement mechanism 62 Base Plate 63 Fixing member 64 Ball screw mechanism 66 Motor 70A Tape cleaning mechanism 70B Tape cleaning mechanism 74 Tape support member 76 Cleaning fluid supply nozzle 78 Casing 80 Cleaning Brush 82 Sensors 90 Spindle 92 Pillar 93 Cleaning component moving mechanism 94 Swing Arm 96 Pencil cleaning material 101A, 101B, 101C, 101D Polishing head assembly 102A, 102B, 102C, 102D Tape supply and recovery mechanism 104 Holding Stage 105 Hollow Shaft 112 Casing 114 Casing 115 Air Cylinder 120 Bulkhead 121 Processing Room 123 Polishing Tape 124 Supply Reel 125 Recovery Reel 130 Polishing Head 136 Upper supply nozzle 137 Lower supply nozzle 141 Pressing mechanism 142 Tape feed mechanism 161 Mobile stand 162 Guide 163 Rail 167 Linear Actuator

Claims

1. a substrate holder that holds and rotates the substrate; a pressing portion having an internal space and pressing the cleaning tape against a peripheral portion of the substrate; a first reel and a second reel that respectively hold both ends of the cleaning tape; a pressing unit moving mechanism for controlling a position of the pressing unit in a radial direction of the substrate; a pressure regulator for controlling the pressure in the internal space; The pressing portion is A hollow support member having an opening; an elastic body supporting the cleaning tape; The elastic body is disposed to close the opening, The substrate cleaning apparatus, wherein the first reel and the second reel are arranged so that the cleaning tape advances in a horizontal direction.

2. 2. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing portion moving mechanism comprises a ball screw mechanism connected to the pressing portion, and a motor for operating the ball screw mechanism.

3. The substrate cleaning apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the motor is a servo motor.

4. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure regulator is an electro-pneumatic regulator.

5. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a vertical movement mechanism for vertically moving the pressing part.

6. The cleaning tape may further include a tape cleaning mechanism for cleaning the cleaning tape. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the tape cleaning mechanism includes a cleaning liquid supply nozzle that supplies a cleaning liquid to a surface of the cleaning tape.

7. The substrate cleaning apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the tape cleaning mechanism further comprises a cleaning brush that contacts a surface of the cleaning tape to clean the cleaning tape.

8. 8. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the cleaning liquid supply nozzle is provided above the cleaning brush.

9. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the cleaning liquid supply nozzle is provided below the cleaning brush.

10. a casing that houses the cleaning liquid supply nozzle, the cleaning brush, and the support member; The substrate cleaning apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the cleaning liquid supply nozzle, the cleaning brush, and the support member are fixed to an inner surface of the casing.

11. A substrate cleaning apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the support member has a plurality of protrusions arranged to surround the internal space, and the elastic body is stretched between the ends of the plurality of protrusions.

12. a sensor that irradiates light onto the cleaning tape after the cleaning tape has been brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate and receives light reflected from the cleaning tape; an operation control unit that measures the intensity of the reflected light received by the sensor; Further equipped with the sensor is positioned facing a surface of the cleaning tape after it has been brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate; When the intensity of the reflected light exceeds a predetermined value, the operation control unit determines that the peripheral portion of the substrate is not contaminated based on the determination that the cleaning tape is not contaminated, and determines an end point of the cleaning process for the peripheral portion of the substrate; 7. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when the intensity of the reflected light falls below the predetermined value, it is determined that the peripheral edge of the substrate is contaminated based on a determination that the cleaning tape is contaminated.

13. The substrate is held and rotated by the substrate holder; While moving a cleaning tape in a horizontal direction, the cleaning tape is pressed against the peripheral portion of the substrate by a pressing portion having an internal space, thereby cleaning the peripheral portion of the substrate; the step of cleaning the peripheral portion of the substrate includes a step of controlling a position of the pressing portion in a radial direction of the substrate by a pressing portion moving mechanism, and a step of controlling a pressure in an internal space of the pressing portion by a pressure regulator; The pressing portion is A hollow support member having an opening; an elastic body supporting the cleaning tape; The elastic body is disposed so as to close the opening.

14. 14. The substrate cleaning method according to claim 13, wherein the pressing portion moving mechanism comprises: a ball screw mechanism connected to the pressing portion; and a motor for operating the ball screw mechanism.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the motor is a servo motor.

16. The method of any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the pressure regulator is an electro-pneumatic regulator.

17. The substrate is held and rotated by a substrate holding part; While moving a cleaning tape in a certain direction, the cleaning tape is pressed against the peripheral portion of the substrate by a pressing portion having an internal space, thereby cleaning the peripheral portion of the substrate; the step of cleaning the peripheral portion of the substrate includes a step of controlling a position of the pressing portion in a radial direction of the substrate by a pressing portion moving mechanism, a step of controlling a pressure in an internal space of the pressing portion by a pressure regulator, and a step of moving the pressing portion up and down during cleaning of the peripheral portion of the substrate; The pressing portion is A hollow support member having an opening; an elastic body supporting the cleaning tape; The elastic body is disposed so as to close the opening.

18. 18. The substrate cleaning method according to claim 13, further comprising a step of supplying a cleaning liquid to the cleaning tape after contacting the peripheral portion of the substrate by a tape cleaning mechanism during cleaning of the peripheral portion of the substrate, thereby cleaning the cleaning tape after contacting the peripheral portion of the substrate.

19. 18. The substrate cleaning method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of: after cleaning a predetermined number of peripheral portions of the substrate, feeding the cleaning tape in a fixed direction while using a tape cleaning mechanism to supply a cleaning liquid to the cleaning tape after it has come into contact with the peripheral portion of the substrate, thereby cleaning the cleaning tape after it has come into contact with the peripheral portion of the substrate.

20. 20. The method for cleaning a substrate according to claim 13 or 19, further comprising the step of cleaning a peripheral portion of the substrate while advancing the cleaning tape in a reverse direction after the cleaning tape is completely wound onto either a first reel that holds one end of the cleaning tape or a second reel that holds the other end of the cleaning tape.

21. A substrate cleaning method described in any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein the support member has a plurality of protrusions arranged to surround the internal space, and the elastic body is stretched between the ends of the plurality of protrusions.

22. irradiating the cleaning tape after contacting the peripheral portion of the substrate after cleaning with light and receiving reflected light from the cleaning tape, and measuring the intensity of the received reflected light; 20. The substrate cleaning method of claim 18, further comprising: determining, when the intensity of the reflected light exceeds a predetermined value, that the peripheral portion of the substrate is not contaminated based on a determination that the cleaning tape is not contaminated, and determining an end point of a cleaning process for the peripheral portion of the substrate; and determining, when the intensity of the reflected light falls below the predetermined value, that the peripheral portion of the substrate is contaminated based on a determination that the cleaning tape is contaminated.

Images