Substrate Cleaning Equipment

Abstract

The present disclosure aims to provide a substrate cleaning device that can reduce the amount of cleaning liquid used and can thoroughly remove materials adhering to the cleaning surface of a substrate. In the substrate cleaning device (70) of the present disclosure, a mist gas (MG2) for spraying onto a substrate, obtained by combining a cleaning mist gas (MG1) and an air gas (AG0), is supplied to the surface (1s) of the substrate (1). The rotation mechanism (30) causes the rotation motor (35) to perform a stage rotation operation to rotate the substrate (1). At this time, a rotation direction control process for switching the rotation direction and a rotation speed control process for changing the rotation speed are simultaneously performed. Furthermore, the vibration motor (34) can perform a stage vibration operation to apply vibration to the substrate (1).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate cleaning device that cleans a substrate, for example, a substrate cleaning device that cleans a substrate used in a plating processing device that forms a metal film in the manufacture of electronic components, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional cleaning devices for cleaning substrates and the like used in plating processing devices that form metal films in the manufacture of electronic components and the like include, for example, the sealed cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the substrate liquid processing device disclosed in Patent Document 2, the substrate cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 3, the cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 4, and the cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 5.

[0003] The cleaning devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 basically spray a cleaning liquid directly onto the object to clean it. The cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 4 performs cleaning in a mist atmosphere. The cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 5 performs cleaning by spraying a cleaning liquid directly onto the object to be cleaned, which is placed in a mist atmosphere.

[0004] Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional substrate cleaning apparatus 78. Fig. 8 shows an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system. Note that the substrate cleaning apparatus 78 uses mist gas, similar to the cleaning apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 5.

[0005] As shown in the figure, ultrasonic atomizer 11 applies ultrasonic waves to the cleaning liquid contained therein to generate cleaning liquid mist MT. Carrier gas TG is supplied to ultrasonic atomizer 11 via carrier gas supply pipe 13.

[0006] Therefore, the cleaning liquid mist MT generated in the ultrasonic atomizer 11 is transported by the carrier gas TG to become a cleaning mist gas MG9. This cleaning mist gas MG9 is supplied to the mist nozzle 61 via the mist supply pipe 62. In this way, the cleaning mist gas MG9 containing the cleaning liquid mist MT generated in the ultrasonic atomizer 11 is supplied to the mist nozzle 61 via the mist supply pipe 62.

[0007] The mist nozzle 61 is arranged above the transport path along the substrate transport direction T1 of the substrate 1, and the mist nozzle 61 supplies cleaning mist gas MG9 downward from, for example, a slit-shaped mist outlet (not shown) provided on the bottom surface.

[0008] Therefore, by supplying cleaning mist gas MG9 containing cleaning liquid mist MT to the surface 1s of the substrate 1, which is the cleaning surface, the objects to be removed, etc. attached to the surface 1s of the substrate 1 are removed or decomposed, and as a result, the objects to be removed, etc. that are to be cleaned are cleaned. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-76962 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2018 / 501665 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-136742 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-18993 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-33730 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] In a conventional substrate cleaning apparatus 78, cleaning mist gas MG9 is supplied locally from a mist nozzle 61 in a fixed direction toward the surface 1s of the substrate 1. Fig. 8 shows the case where the supply direction of cleaning mist gas MG9 is the -Z direction.

[0011] On the other hand, in a conventional substrate cleaning device 78, as shown in FIG. 8, the substrate 1 to be cleaned is transported along a substrate transport direction T1 (X direction) perpendicular to the supply direction (-Z direction) of the cleaning mist gas MG9.

[0012] Here, consider a case where a plurality of concave-convex regions 18 are provided on the surface 1s of the substrate 1, as shown in Fig. 8. Each of the plurality of concave-convex regions 18 is formed by a combination of recesses 1a and protrusions 1b, and each is formed to extend in the Y direction. The plurality of concave-convex regions 18 are provided along the X direction. That is, the concave-convex formation direction D18, which is the direction in which each of the plurality of concave-convex regions 18 is formed, is the Y direction, and the arrangement direction of the plurality of concave-convex regions 18 is the X direction.

[0013] When a substrate 1 having a plurality of uneven regions 18 on its surface 1s is cleaned by the substrate cleaning device 78, the plurality of uneven regions 18 become obstacles, and as a result, there is a relatively high possibility that the cleaning mist gas MG9 cannot be supplied to the entire surface 1s to be cleaned of the substrate 1. This possibility is particularly high when the unevenness formation direction D18 of each of the plurality of uneven regions 18 and the substrate transport direction T1 of the substrate 1 are orthogonal to each other, as shown in FIG.

[0014] As described above, the conventional substrate cleaning device 78, which supplies cleaning mist gas MG9 from one direction to the surface 1s, which is the cleaning surface of the substrate 1, had the problem that it was not possible to remove all of the materials to be removed that had adhered to the surface 1s of the substrate 1 without missing any.

[0015] The present disclosure aims to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide a substrate cleaning device that can reduce the amount of cleaning liquid used and can remove all objects adhering to the cleaning surface of the substrate without missing any. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] The substrate cleaning device according to the present disclosure comprises a rotation mechanism that performs a rotation operation to rotate the substrate in a rotation direction, a mist gas supply mechanism that supplies a cleaning mist gas containing a cleaning liquid mist obtained by misting a cleaning liquid, and an air gas supply mechanism that performs an air gas spraying process to spray air gas onto the cleaning mist gas so that the air gas merges with the cleaning mist gas, thereby obtaining a mist gas for spraying onto the substrate, and during the period in which the rotation operation by the rotation mechanism is being performed, the mist gas for spraying onto the substrate obtained by the air gas spraying process is supplied to the cleaning surface of the substrate, and the flow rate of the air gas is set to be faster than the flow rate of the cleaning mist gas. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] The substrate cleaning device of the present disclosure has a mist gas supply mechanism and an air gas supply mechanism for obtaining mist gas for spraying onto the substrate, and the flow rate of the air gas supplied from the air gas supply mechanism is set to be faster than the flow rate of the cleaning mist gas supplied from the mist gas supply mechanism.

[0018] Therefore, the mist gas for spraying onto the substrate obtained by the joining of the cleaning mist gas and the air gas is influenced by the air gas, and flows in the same direction as the air gas, and the flow velocity of the mist gas for spraying onto the substrate becomes approximately the same as the flow velocity of the air gas.

[0019] Therefore, by setting the flow rate of the air gas to the flow rate required for cleaning the cleaning surface of the substrate, the amount of cleaning liquid mist contained in the cleaning mist gas can be kept to a necessary minimum, and the mist gas for spraying onto the substrate can be efficiently supplied to the cleaning surface of the substrate.

[0020] Furthermore, since the substrate cleaning device of the present disclosure rotates the substrate by the rotational action of the rotation mechanism, even if there are uneven areas on the cleaning surface of the substrate, the mist gas for spraying onto the substrate can be sprayed accurately over the entire cleaning surface without creating blind spots where the mist gas for spraying onto the substrate is not supplied.

[0021] As a result, the substrate cleaning device of the present disclosure can reduce the amount of cleaning liquid used and remove all of the materials adhering to the cleaning surface of the substrate without missing any of them.

[0022] The objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a substrate cleaning device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the planar structure of a mist outlet. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the planar structure of an air outlet. [Figure 4] 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating a system for generating mist gas for spraying onto a substrate in the substrate cleaning device of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of a rotation mechanism. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) that schematically shows an example of cleaning using a conventional substrate cleaning device. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram (part 2) that schematically shows an example of cleaning using a conventional substrate cleaning device. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a conventional substrate cleaning device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] <Embodiment> 1 is an explanatory diagram that schematically shows the configuration of a substrate cleaning apparatus 70 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is depicted.

[0025] As shown in the figure, the substrate cleaning device 70 of this embodiment includes, as main components, a mist gas supply mechanism 2, an air gas supply mechanism 3, and a rotation mechanism 30 (not shown in FIG. 1) described below.

[0026] The mist gas supply mechanism 2 includes an ultrasonic atomizer 11, a mist supply pipe 12, a carrier gas supply pipe 13, and a mist nozzle 21 as main components.

[0027] The ultrasonic atomizer 11 applies ultrasonic waves to the cleaning liquid contained therein to generate a cleaning liquid mist MT. A carrier gas TG is supplied to the ultrasonic atomizer 11 via a carrier gas supply pipe 13.

[0028] Therefore, the cleaning liquid mist MT generated in the ultrasonic atomizer 11 is transported by the carrier gas TG to become a cleaning mist gas MG1. This cleaning mist gas MG1 is supplied to the mist nozzle 21 via the mist supply pipe 12. In this way, the cleaning mist gas MG1 containing the cleaning liquid mist MT generated in the ultrasonic atomizer 11 is supplied to the mist nozzle 21 via the mist supply pipe 12.

[0029] 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the planar structure of the mist outlet 22 provided on the nozzle bottom surface 21s of the mist nozzle 21. An XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is shown in the drawing.

[0030] As shown in the figure, the mist outlet 22 is provided in the form of a vertically elongated rectangular slit whose longitudinal direction is the Y direction, which is a predetermined direction.

[0031] Returning to Figure 1, the substrate 1 is rotated in a rotation direction R1 or a rotation direction R2 by the rotation operation of a rotation mechanism 30 (described later). The surface 1s of this substrate 1 becomes the cleaning surface. The rotation direction R1 is the first rotation direction, and the rotation direction R2 is the second rotation direction opposite to the rotation direction R1.

[0032] On the other hand, the mist nozzle 21 is positioned above the substrate 1 (+Z direction) so that the nozzle bottom surface 21s faces the surface 1s of the substrate 1, and the mist nozzle 21 sprays cleaning mist gas MG1 downward (-Z direction) from the mist outlet 22.

[0033] Therefore, the mist gas ejection direction F21 of the cleaning mist gas MG1 is the -Z direction. Also, the flow velocity VM1 of the cleaning mist gas MG1 is determined by the flow velocity of the carrier gas TG.

[0034] On the other hand, the air gas supply mechanism 3 includes an air gas supply pipe 14 and an air nozzle 23 as main components.

[0035] Air gas AG0 supplied from the outside is supplied to the air nozzle 23 via the air gas supply pipe 14.

[0036] Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the planar structure of the air outlet 24 provided on the nozzle bottom surface 23s of the air nozzle 23. The XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is shown in the figure. Unlike Fig. 1, Fig. 3 shows the nozzle bottom surface 23s aligned with the XY plane.

[0037] As shown in the figure, the air outlet 24 is provided in the form of a vertically elongated rectangular slit with its longitudinal direction in the Y direction, which is a predetermined direction.

[0038] 4 is an explanatory diagram that schematically shows a system for generating mist gas MG2 for spraying onto a substrate in substrate cleaning apparatus 70 according to embodiment 1. Note that the shapes of mist nozzle 21 and air nozzle 23 shown in FIG. 4 are shown schematically and do not necessarily match the actual shapes of mist nozzle 21 and air nozzle 23.

[0039] As shown in the figure, the cleaning mist gas MG1 is ejected in the -Z direction from the nozzle bottom surface 21s of the mist nozzle 21. Therefore, the nozzle bottom surface 21s of the mist nozzle 21 coincides with the XY plane in the figure, and the mist gas ejection direction F21 of the cleaning mist gas MG1 is along the -Z direction.

[0040] On the other hand, the air gas AG0 is sprayed from the air outlet 24 of the air nozzle 23 at an angle that follows downward (-Z direction) and then tilts toward (+X direction). Therefore, the nozzle bottom surface 23s of the air nozzle 23 is tilted with respect to the XY plane in the figure, and the air gas spraying direction FG1 of the air gas AG0 becomes a direction that follows the -Z direction and then moves toward the +Z direction.

[0041] The inclination of the air gas blowing direction FG1 is set so that the air gas AG0 always joins the cleaning mist gas MG1 before the cleaning mist gas MG1 reaches the cleaning surface of the substrate 1.

[0042] In this way, the air gas supply mechanism 3 having the air nozzle 23 sprays air gas AG0 onto the cleaning mist gas MG1 so that it merges with the cleaning mist gas MG1, thereby performing an air gas spraying process to obtain mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the substrate.

[0043] The particle size of the cleaning liquid mist MT generated by applying ultrasonic vibrations in the ultrasonic atomizer 11 is 15 μm or less, which is smaller than the particle size of a typical spray mist, and the falling speed of the cleaning liquid mist MT is slow, so it can be handled as a cleaning mist gas MG1 containing the cleaning liquid mist MT by being carried on a gas flow having a directional mist gas ejection direction F21.

[0044] The air nozzle 23 of the air gas supply mechanism 3 sprays air gas AGO along the air gas spraying direction FG1 toward the cleaning mist gas MG1, and the air gas AGO is merged with the cleaning mist gas MG1 to obtain a mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the substrate. Air, nitrogen, or the like is used as the air gas AGO.

[0045] Here, the flow velocity VA1 of the air gas AG0 is set to be higher than the flow velocity VM1 of the cleaning mist gas MG1. Specifically, the velocity ratio {VA1:VM1} between the flow velocity VA1 of the air gas AG0 and the flow velocity VM1 of the cleaning mist gas MG1 is set to, for example, {10:1}.

[0046] In this way, the flow velocity VA1 of the air gas AGO is set to be faster than the flow velocity VM1 of the cleaning mist gas MG1, so when the cleaning mist gas MG1 joins the air gas AGO, it is caught up in the flow of the air gas AGO and is therefore greatly affected by the air gas AGO.

[0047] Here, the supply direction of the mist gas MG2 for spraying a substrate is referred to as the mist gas supply direction F23. As described above, the mist gas MG2 for spraying a substrate is significantly influenced by the air gas AGO, so the mist gas supply direction F23 is the same as the air gas spraying direction FG1, and the flow velocity VM2 of the mist gas MG2 for spraying a substrate is approximately the same as the flow velocity VA1 of the air gas AGO. This is because the flow velocity VM1 of the cleaning mist gas MG1 is slower than the flow velocity VA1 of the air gas AGO, resulting in the Coanda effect.

[0048] In this way, with regard to the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto a substrate obtained by the confluence of the cleaning mist gas MG1 and the air gas AG0, the mist gas supply direction F23 is the same as the air gas spraying direction FG1, and the flow velocity VM2 of the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto a substrate is approximately the same as the flow velocity VA1 of the air gas AG0.

[0049] The combination of the mist gas ejection direction F21 of the cleaning mist gas MG1 and the air gas spraying direction FG1 of the air gas AGO is not limited to the combination shown in Fig. 2. Under the conditions that the air gas AGO and the cleaning mist gas MG1 join above the substrate 1 and the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the substrate is supplied to the surface 1s of the substrate 1, the combination of the mist gas ejection direction F21 and the air gas spraying direction FG1 is arbitrary.

[0050] Furthermore, even if the mist gas ejection direction F21 and the air gas spraying direction FG1 are set in the same direction, if the flow velocity VA1 of the air gas AGO is sufficiently faster than the flow velocity VM1 of the cleaning mist gas MG1, the entrainment effect caused by the gas flow of the air gas AGO can cause the cleaning mist gas MG1 to merge with the air gas AGO. In this case, it is desirable to arrange the nozzle bottom surface 21s of the mist nozzle 21 and the nozzle bottom surface 23s of the air nozzle 23 close to each other.

[0051] 5 is a cross-sectional view that schematically shows the structure of a rotation mechanism 30 that rotates the substrate 1 in the rotation direction R1 or R2, and an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is shown in the drawing.

[0052] As shown in the figure, the rotation mechanism 30 includes as its main components a mounting stage 31, multiple vibration absorbing members 32, a rotation stage 33, a vibration motor 34, a rotation motor 35, and a motor control unit 36. The multiple vibration absorbing members 32 are preferably arranged at equal intervals in relatively outer regions of the substrate mounting portion 31a and the support surface 33a. Note that Fig. 5 shows two vibration absorbing members 32 as the multiple vibration absorbing members 32.

[0053] The mounting stage 31 has a substrate mounting section 31a and a vibration transmission section 31b, the substrate mounting section 31a has a surface for supporting the substrate 1 from the backside, and the vibration transmission section 31b is provided extending downward from the center of the backside of the substrate mounting section 31a. The mounting stage 31 stably supports the substrate 1 from the backside on the surface of the substrate mounting section 31a.

[0054] The rotating stage 33 has a support surface 33a, a motor housing portion 33b, and a rotating shaft member 33c, and the vibration motor 34 and most of the vibration transmission portion 31b are housed in the motor housing portion 33b. The rotating shaft member 33c is provided at the bottom of the vibration transmission portion 31b, and the rotating stage 33 is configured to be rotatable around the rotating shaft member 33c as the rotation axis.

[0055] The vibration motor 34 is connected to the lower side of the vibration transmission section 31b, and performs a stage vibration operation to impart vibration to the substrate mounting section 31a and the substrate 1 via the vibration transmission section 31b.

[0056] The substrate mounting portion 31a of the mounting stage 31 and the support surface 33a of the rotation stage 33 are connected via a plurality of vibration absorbing members 32. The plurality of vibration absorbing members 32 rotatably connect the mounting stage 31 and the vibration absorbing members 32 to each other and have a vibration absorbing function. The vibration absorbing members 32 may be, for example, spring members such as springs.

[0057] The rotation motor 35 is provided below the rotation stage 33 and is connected to the rotation shaft member 33c, and performs a stage rotation operation to rotate the rotation stage 33 around the rotation shaft member 33c as the center of rotation.

[0058] The motor control unit 36 ​​controls the stage rotation operation performed by the rotation motor 35. When the rotation motor 35 is caused to perform the stage rotation operation under the control of the motor control unit 36, the rotation stage 33 rotates, and the mounting stage 31 connected to the rotation stage 33 via a plurality of vibration absorbing members 32 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the rotation stage 33 with the substrate 1 mounted thereon.

[0059] In this way, when the stage rotation operation is performed, the mounting stage 31 connected to the rotation stage 33 via the plurality of vibration absorbing members 32 rotates with the substrate 1 mounted thereon.

[0060] 1, the rotation direction of the substrate 1 includes rotation directions R1 and R2 that are opposite to each other. The rotation directions R1 and R2 are the first and second rotation directions.

[0061] The motor control unit 36, which functions as a motor rotation control unit, executes a stage rotation operation. The stage rotation operation includes a rotation direction control process and a rotation speed control process. The rotation direction control process and the rotation speed control process are processes that can be executed during the execution period of the stage rotation operation.

[0062] The rotation direction control process is a process for switching the rotation direction between rotation directions R1 and R2. The rotation speed control process is a process for changing the rotation speed along the rotation direction (rotation direction R1 or rotation direction R2).

[0063] The vibration motor 34 performs a stage vibration operation that applies vibration to the substrate mounting portion 31 a via the vibration transmission portion 31 b. The motor control portion 36 also functions as a motor vibration control portion that controls the stage vibration operation performed by the vibration motor 34.

[0064] The motor control unit 36, which also functions as a motor vibration control unit, controls the rotation motor 35 and the vibration motor 34 together so that the above-mentioned stage vibration operation is performed in parallel with the stage rotation operation. Note that the stage vibration operation includes a vibration frequency change process that changes the vibration frequency per unit time applied to the substrate 1.

[0065] In this way, the motor control unit 36 ​​serves both as a motor rotation control unit and a motor vibration control unit, and controls the execution of the stage rotation operation by the rotation motor 35 and the stage vibration operation by the vibration motor 34.

[0066] The substrate cleaning device 70 configured as described above performs a substrate cleaning process to clean the surface 1s of the substrate 1 to be cleaned as follows.

[0067] The mist gas supply mechanism 2 ejects the cleaning mist gas MG1 from the mist nozzle 21 along a mist gas ejection direction F21 at a flow velocity VM1.

[0068] Meanwhile, the air gas supply mechanism 3 performs an air gas spraying process in which air gas AG0 is sprayed from the air nozzle 23 onto the cleaning mist gas MG1 so that the air gas AG0 merges with the cleaning mist gas MG1, thereby obtaining a mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the substrate.

[0069] As a result, the cleaning mist gas MG1 and the air gas AG0 join above the substrate 1 before the cleaning mist gas MG1 reaches the substrate 1, and are supplied to the surface 1s of the substrate 1 as a mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the substrate.

[0070] Meanwhile, the rotation mechanism 30 causes the rotation motor 35 to perform a stage rotation operation under the control of a motor control unit 36 ​​functioning as a motor rotation control unit, thereby rotating the substrate 1 in a rotation direction R1 or a rotation direction R2.

[0071] In this way, during the period in which the stage rotation operation is being performed by the rotation mechanism 30, mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the substrate obtained by the air gas spraying process using the air gas supply mechanism 3 having the air nozzle 23 is supplied to the surface 1s which will be the cleaning surface of the substrate 1.

[0072] The motor control unit 36 ​​causes the rotation motor 35 to perform the stage rotation operation including the rotation direction control process and rotation speed control process described above.

[0073] For example, during the period in which the mist gas MG2 for spraying the substrate is supplied to the surface 1s of the substrate 1, the rotation direction of the substrate 1 can be changed sequentially from rotation direction R1 to rotation direction R2, rotation direction R1 and rotation direction R2, and the rotation speed can also be changed.

[0074] Furthermore, the rotation mechanism 30 can cause the vibration motor 34 to perform a stage vibration operation under the control of a motor control unit 36 ​​that functions as a motor vibration control unit, thereby vibrating the substrate 1. In this way, the rotation mechanism 30 has a vibration function that applies vibrations to the substrate 1 in an undefined direction.

[0075] Therefore, the substrate cleaning apparatus 70 of this embodiment can perform, in parallel, the supply process of the mist gas MG2 for spraying substrate to the surface 1s of the substrate 1, the stage rotation operation, and the stage vibration process. Furthermore, the stage rotation operation includes a rotation direction control process and a rotation speed control process, and the stage vibration operation includes a vibration frequency change process that changes the vibration frequency per unit time applied to the substrate 1.

[0076] In addition, the substrate mounting portion 31a of the mounting stage 31 and the support surface 33a of the rotating stage 33 are connected via multiple vibration absorbing members 32, and each of the multiple vibration absorbing members 32 has a vibration absorbing function, so that the vibration of the substrate mounting portion 31a caused by the stage vibration operation can be absorbed by the multiple vibration absorbing members 32.

[0077] Therefore, the multiple vibration absorbing members 32 effectively suppress the transmission of vibration from the substrate mounting portion 31a of the mounting stage 31 to the support surface 33a of the rotating stage 33, so that the stage vibration operation does not affect the stage rotation operation.

[0078] (effect) The substrate cleaning device 70 of embodiment 1 has a mist gas supply mechanism 2 and an air gas supply mechanism 3 to obtain mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the substrate, and the flow velocity VA1 of the air gas AG0 sprayed from the air nozzle 23 of the air gas supply mechanism 3 is set to be sufficiently faster than the flow velocity VM1 of the cleaning mist gas MG1 sprayed from the mist nozzle 21 of the mist gas supply mechanism 2.

[0079] Therefore, the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto substrates obtained by the confluence of the cleaning mist gas MG1 and the air gas AG0 is influenced by the air gas AG0, the mist gas supply direction F23 is the same as the air gas spraying direction FG1, and the flow velocity VM2 of the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto substrates is approximately the same as the flow velocity VA1.

[0080] Therefore, by setting the flow rate VA1 of the air gas AG0 to the flow rate required for cleaning the surface 1s, which is the cleaning surface of the substrate 1, the amount of cleaning liquid mist contained in the cleaning mist gas MG1 can be kept to a necessary minimum, and the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the substrate can be efficiently supplied to the surface 1s of the substrate 1.

[0081] 6 and 7 are explanatory diagrams schematically illustrating an example of cleaning using the conventional substrate cleaning apparatus 78 shown in Fig. 8. As shown in the figures, the surface 1s of the substrate 1 has a plurality of uneven regions 18, and each of the plurality of uneven regions 18 is a combination of recesses 1a and protrusions 1b.

[0082] If cleaning mist gas MG5 is supplied in a diagonal direction (towards the -X direction as it moves downward) as shown in Figure 6 without rotating the substrate 1, a mist blind spot area BR1 (shadow) will occur near the boundary between the recessed portion 1a and the protruding portion 1b due to the presence of the protruding portion 1b.

[0083] Furthermore, even if the cleaning mist gas MG6 is supplied in the vertical direction (-Z direction) as shown in Figure 7, since the substrate 1 is transported along the substrate transport direction T1, the actual supply direction of the cleaning mist gas MG6 has an inclination with respect to the vertical direction, similar to the cleaning mist gas MG5, and a mist blind spot area BR2 (shadow) is generated near the boundary between the recessed portion 1a and the protruding portion 1b.

[0084] As described above, in the conventional substrate cleaning device 78, mist blind spots BR1 and BR2 always occur, and since cleaning mist gases MG5 and MG6 are not sufficiently supplied to the mist blind spots BR1 and BR2, it becomes difficult to remove the objects to be removed that exist in the mist blind spots BR1 and BR2.

[0085] On the other hand, in the substrate cleaning apparatus 70 of embodiment 1, the substrate 1 is rotated in the rotation direction R1 or the rotation direction R2 by the stage rotation operation of the rotation mechanism 30, so that the mist gas MG2 for spraying the substrate is supplied to the surface 1s of the substrate 1 from essentially multiple directions.

[0086] Therefore, even if there are multiple uneven areas 18 on the surface 1s of the substrate 1, the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the substrate can be supplied accurately over the entire surface 1s of the substrate 1 without generating blind spots where the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the substrate is not supplied.

[0087] As a result, the substrate cleaning apparatus 70 of the first embodiment can reduce the amount of cleaning liquid used to generate the cleaning mist gas MG1, and can remove the objects to be removed attached to the surface 1s of the substrate 1 without missing any cleaning residue.

[0088] The motor control unit 36 ​​included in the rotation mechanism 30 in the substrate cleaning apparatus 70 of the present disclosure functions as a motor rotation control unit, and can execute a stage rotation operation including a rotation direction control process.

[0089] Therefore, by performing a rotation direction control process when supplying the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the substrate to the surface 1s and changing the rotation direction between rotation directions R1 and R2, the cleaning efficiency for the surface 1s of the substrate 1 can be improved.

[0090] For example, depending on the uneven shape of the uneven area 18 formed on the surface 1s of the substrate 1, the cleaning efficiency may decrease when only a single rotation direction is used, but by changing the rotation direction, it is expected that the cleaning efficiency will improve.

[0091] The motor control unit 36 ​​included in the rotation mechanism 30 in the substrate cleaning apparatus 70 of the first embodiment functions as a motor rotation control unit, and can execute a stage rotation operation including a rotation speed control process.

[0092] Therefore, by using the rotation speed control process, the rotation speed can be set relatively low at the start of supplying the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the surface 1s of the substrate 1, thereby increasing the adhesion efficiency of the cleaning liquid mist MT contained in the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the surface 1s. On the other hand, by using the rotation speed control process, the rotation speed can be set relatively high in the latter half of the supply of the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the substrate, thereby removing the liquid (cleaning liquid, etc.) adhering to the surface 1s of the substrate 1 by centrifugal force.

[0093] The above effects will be described in detail below. When the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto a substrate is supplied to the surface 1s of the substrate 1, if the rotation speed of the substrate 1 is relatively high, the adhesion efficiency of the cleaning liquid mist MT contained in the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto a substrate may decrease due to the airflow generated by the centrifugal force or rotation.

[0094] To prevent this possibility, it is desirable to use a rotation speed control process to relatively slow the rotation speed of the substrate 1 immediately after the start of mist spraying. Also, in the latter half of the cleaning process, in order to remove any adhering liquid (such as remaining cleaning liquid), the rotation speed of the substrate 1 can be set high using the rotation speed control process, and the adhering liquid can be removed by centrifugal force.

[0095] As a result, the substrate cleaning apparatus 70 of the first embodiment can further improve the cleaning efficiency for the surface 1s of the substrate 1.

[0096] The motor control unit 36 ​​included in the rotation mechanism 30 in the substrate cleaning apparatus 70 of the first embodiment also functions as a motor vibration control unit, and can execute a stage vibration operation in parallel with the execution of a stage rotation operation.

[0097] Therefore, by circulating the cleaning liquid mist MT contained in the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto a substrate or the cleaning liquid itself on the surface 1s of the substrate 1, the cleaning efficiency for the surface 1s of the substrate 1 can be increased.

[0098] Furthermore, the mist nozzle 21 has a mist outlet 22 on the nozzle bottom surface 21s, and the air nozzle 24 on the nozzle bottom surface 23s of the air nozzle 23 each have a slit shape with the Y direction, which is a predetermined direction, as the longitudinal direction.

[0099] Therefore, by supplying the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the substrate to the central region of the substrate 1 and setting the longitudinal lengths of the mist nozzle 22 and the air nozzle 24 to be approximately the same as the longitudinal length of the substrate 1, the mist gas MG2 for spraying onto the substrate can be supplied to the entire surface 1s of the rotating substrate 1.

[0100] <Other> In this embodiment, an ultrasonic atomizer 11 that uses ultrasonic vibrations is shown as an atomizer for generating cleaning mist gas MG1, but other atomizers that generate cleaning mist gas MG1 from cleaning liquid using methods other than ultrasonic vibrations may be used in place of the ultrasonic atomizer 11.

[0101] In this embodiment, one motor control unit 36 ​​is shown as the motor rotation control unit and the motor vibration control unit of the rotation mechanism 30, but the motor vibration control unit and the motor rotation control unit may be provided independently.

[0102] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, the above description is illustrative in all respects and does not limit the present disclosure to the above. It is understood that countless variations not illustrated can be envisioned without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1 Base material 2 Mist gas supply mechanism 3 Air gas supply mechanism 11 Ultrasonic atomizer 21 Mist nozzle 22 Mist nozzle 23 Air nozzle 24 Air outlet 30 Rotation mechanism 31 Mounting stage 32 Vibration absorbing member 33 Rotating Stage 34 Vibration motor 35 Rotation motor 36 Motor control unit

Claims

1. a rotation mechanism that performs a rotation operation to rotate the substrate along a rotation direction; a mist gas supply mechanism that supplies a cleaning mist gas containing a cleaning liquid mist obtained by misting a cleaning liquid; an air gas supply mechanism for performing an air gas spraying process in which air gas is sprayed onto the cleaning mist gas in a space above the substrate so that the air gas joins the cleaning mist gas to obtain a mist gas to be sprayed onto the substrate; During the period in which the rotation mechanism is performing the rotation operation, the mist gas for spraying onto the substrate obtained by the air gas spraying process is supplied to the cleaning surface of the substrate, The flow rate of the air gas is set to be higher than the flow rate of the cleaning mist gas. Substrate cleaning equipment.

2. The substrate cleaning device according to claim 1, The rotation mechanism includes: a mounting stage on which the substrate is mounted; a rotation stage coupled to the mounting stage and rotating together with the mounting stage; a rotation motor that performs a stage rotation operation to rotate the rotation stage; a motor rotation control unit that controls the stage rotation operation by the rotation motor, When the stage rotation operation is performed, the mounting stage connected to the rotation stage rotates with the substrate mounted thereon; the rotation directions include first and second rotation directions that are opposite to each other; the stage rotation operation includes a rotation direction control process of switching the rotation direction between the first and second rotation directions; Substrate cleaning equipment.

3. The substrate cleaning device according to claim 2, the stage rotation operation further includes a rotation speed control process for changing a rotation speed along the rotation direction; Substrate cleaning equipment.

4. The substrate cleaning device according to claim 2, the mounting stage includes a substrate mounting section on which the substrate is mounted and a vibration transmission section connected to the substrate mounting section, The rotation mechanism includes: a vibration absorbing member that connects the rotary stage and the mounting stage and has a vibration absorbing function; a vibration motor that performs a stage vibration operation to impart vibration to the substrate mounting portion via the vibration transmission portion; a motor vibration control unit that controls the stage vibration operation by the vibration motor, the motor vibration control unit controls the vibration motor so that the stage vibration operation is performed in parallel with the stage rotation operation. Substrate cleaning equipment.

5. The substrate cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the mist gas supply mechanism includes a mist nozzle having a mist outlet, the air gas supply mechanism includes an air nozzle having an air outlet, The cleaning mist gas is ejected from the mist ejection port, and the air gas is ejected from the air ejection port, The mist outlet and the air outlet each have a slit shape with a predetermined direction as a longitudinal direction. Substrate cleaning equipment.

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