Nozzle cleaning apparatus and method for coating and developing device

Abstract

A nozzle cleaning apparatus and method for a coating and developing device. The nozzle cleaning apparatus comprises: a cleaning tank (31), used for containing a cleaning fluid; a vibration generator (32), used for providing vibration waves to the cleaning tank (31); and a temperature control unit, used for controlling the temperature of the cleaning fluid, and configured to: first heat the cleaning fluid and then cool the cleaning fluid during the cleaning of the nozzle. According to the nozzle cleaning apparatus and method for a coating and developing device, vibration control and temperature control are combined to control the vibration and temperature of the cleaning fluid during the cleaning, so that the cleaning fluid is rapidly heated first and then rapidly cooled while being vibrated. The heating can reduce the adhesion of contaminants on the nozzle, enhancing the cleaning effect generated by vibration; and the cooling induces contraction of the contaminants stubbornly attached to the surface of the nozzle, further weakening the adhesion of the contaminants, thereby leading to detachment.

Description

Nozzle cleaning device and nozzle cleaning method for glue coating and developing equipment Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductors, and in particular to a nozzle cleaning device and a nozzle cleaning method for a glue coating and developing device. Background Art

[0002] The developing nozzles of photoresist coating and developing equipment are used for extended periods of time under conditions of high-speed wafer rotation. Because the nozzles are close to the wafer surface, the lower surface of the nozzles and the area surrounding the nozzle opening are susceptible to contamination from small droplets of liquid splashing, necessitating cleaning. However, existing equipment lacks automatic nozzle cleaning capabilities. When the developing nozzles undergo the next process after contamination, accumulated contaminants can fall onto the wafer surface, creating the risk of surface defects. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this application is that the developing nozzle of the current glue coating and developing equipment cannot be automatically cleaned.

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a nozzle cleaning device for a glue coating and developing equipment, comprising: a cleaning tank for containing cleaning liquid; a vibration generator for providing vibration waves to the cleaning tank; a temperature control unit for controlling the temperature of the cleaning liquid, and is configured to: first heat the cleaning liquid and then cool the cleaning liquid during the nozzle cleaning process.

[0005] In one embodiment of the present application, the temperature control unit includes a heat-cold converter based on the Peltier effect, and the heat-cold converter is used to heat or cool the cleaning fluid by adjusting the direction of the current.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present application, the cold-heat converter includes a plurality of cold-heat conversion units, and the plurality of cold-heat conversion units are evenly distributed on the outside of the cleaning tank.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present application, a purge unit is further included, which includes a swing mechanism and a plurality of nozzles. The plurality of nozzles are arranged on the inner side of the cleaning tank, and the swing mechanism is used to control the swing of each of the nozzles.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present application, the plurality of nozzles include at least four nozzles, and the at least four nozzles are respectively arranged on four side walls inside the cleaning tank.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present application, when performing nozzle cleaning, the nozzle is arranged in the cleaning tank, and the nozzle is located at the cleaning height, the height of each nozzle inside the cleaning tank is higher than the cleaning height, and each nozzle is inclined toward the bottom of the cleaning tank.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present application, the swing mechanism is used to control all the nozzles to swing synchronously, and the synchronous swinging includes the same swinging direction and the same swinging amplitude.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present application, the swing of each of the nozzles includes left-right linear swing and up-down linear swing.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present application, the multiple showerheads use a same gas source, and the gas source is used to provide a purge gas, and the purge gas includes an inert gas.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present application, it also includes: a liquid supply unit, including a liquid supply pipeline and a liquid supply valve, the liquid supply pipeline is connected to the cleaning tank, and the liquid supply unit is used to provide cleaning liquid to the cleaning tank under the control of the liquid supply valve; a liquid discharge unit, including a liquid discharge pipeline and a liquid discharge valve, the liquid discharge pipeline is connected to the cleaning tank, and the liquid discharge unit is used to discharge the cleaning liquid from the cleaning tank under the control of the liquid discharge valve.

[0014] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application also proposes a nozzle cleaning method for a coating and developing device, comprising:

[0015] Step S1: moving the nozzle into the cleaning tank of the nozzle cleaning device so that the nozzle is at a cleaning height;

[0016] Step S2: injecting cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank, and heating the cleaning liquid using a temperature control unit when the cleaning liquid reaches a first liquid level, wherein the first liquid level is lower than the cleaning height;

[0017] Step S3: starting a vibration generator to vibrate the cleaning liquid;

[0018] Step S4: After the vibration generator operates for a first period of time, cooling the cleaning liquid using a temperature control unit;

[0019] Step S5: After the second time period has passed, the vibration generator and the temperature control unit are stopped from working, the injection of the cleaning liquid is stopped, and the cleaning tank is emptied.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present application, in the step S4 and the step S5, it further includes: controlling the liquid supply and discharge volume of the cleaning tank to keep the liquid level of the cleaning liquid at a preset height.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present application, in the step S4 and the step S5, it further includes: discharging the cleaning liquid from the cleaning tank, at which time, the temperature of the cleaning liquid reaches a dischargeable temperature.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present application, after step S5, the method further includes:

[0023] Step S6: purge the nozzle with a purge gas.

[0024] The nozzle is used to perform the action of spraying liquid medicine when in operation. After step S6, the method further includes:

[0025] Step S7: controlling the nozzle to complete at least one action of spraying the liquid medicine, so as to discharge the cleaning liquid invading the interior of the nozzle.

[0026] The nozzle cleaning device and nozzle cleaning method of the coating and developing equipment of the present application combine vibration control and temperature control to control the vibration and temperature of the cleaning liquid during the cleaning process. This allows the cleaning liquid to be rapidly heated and then rapidly cooled while vibrating. Heating can reduce the adhesion of contaminants on the nozzle, assisting the cleaning effect brought by vibration, while cooling helps contaminants stubbornly attached to the nozzle surface to collapse again, further weakening their adhesion and causing them to fall off. The device and method of the present application can achieve automated cleaning of the nozzle, with good cleaning effect and high efficiency.

[0027] Summary of the Figures

[0028] The features and performance of the present application are further described by the following examples and accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are provided to provide a further understanding of the present application and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this application. The accompanying drawings illustrate the embodiments of the present application and, together with this specification, serve to explain the principles of the present application. In the accompanying drawings:

[0029] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a developing nozzle performing timed ejection;

[0030] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a nozzle cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a nozzle cleaning device and a nozzle cleaning process according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a PN semiconductor pair thermoelectric effect for illustrating the Peltier principle;

[0033] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a setting method of a temperature control unit;

[0034] FIG6 is a schematic top view of a nozzle cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG7 is a side view of a nozzle cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG. 8 is an exemplary flow chart of a nozzle cleaning method for a gumming and developing device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] Preferred embodiment of this application

[0038] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for describing the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely examples or embodiments of this application. Those skilled in the art can apply this application to other similar scenarios based on these drawings without inventive effort. Unless otherwise apparent from the context or otherwise noted, the same reference numerals in the figures represent the same structure or operation.

[0039] As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the terms "a," "an," "an," and / or "the" are not intended to refer to the singular but may include the plural. Generally speaking, the terms "include" and "comprise" only indicate the inclusion of the steps and elements specifically identified, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list. A method or apparatus may also include other steps or elements.

[0040] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the parts and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application. At the same time, it should be understood that, for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to actual proportional relationships. The techniques, methods and equipment known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the techniques, methods and equipment should be considered as part of the authorization specification. In all examples shown and discussed here, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as being merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar numbers and letters represent similar items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0041] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature to other devices or features as shown in the figures. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figures. For example, if the device in the drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0042] Furthermore, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to define components is solely for the purpose of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, these terms have no special meaning and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application. Furthermore, while the terms used in this application are selected from commonly known and commonly used terms, some terms mentioned in this specification may have been selected by the applicant at his or her discretion, and their detailed meanings are explained in the relevant sections of this description. Furthermore, this application should be understood not only by the actual terms used, but also by the meaning implied by each term.

[0043] Flowcharts are used in this application to illustrate the operations performed by systems according to embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the preceding or following operations are not necessarily performed in exact order. Instead, the various steps may be processed in reverse order or simultaneously. Furthermore, other operations may be added to these processes, or one or more operations may be removed from these processes.

[0044] The current glue coating and developing equipment does not have the function of cleaning the developing nozzle, and only cleans the developing nozzle through timed virtual spraying. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a developing nozzle performing timed spraying. Among them, the nozzle 11 is located at the front end of the liquid spraying part 10, and is used to spray the liquid. When the nozzle 11 needs to be cleaned, the nozzle arm 01 first moves the nozzle 11 to the fixed drainage trough 12, and then the liquid spraying part 10 and the nozzle 11 are lowered into the drainage trough 12. There is liquid in the drainage trough 12, and the nozzle 11 extends into the liquid surface to perform the spraying action, so that the nozzle 11 is cleaned. It should be noted that the nozzle cleaning device of the present application can be applied to any nozzle in the glue coating and developing equipment, including but not limited to developing nozzles and glue coating nozzles.

[0045] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a nozzle cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 2, a process chamber 21 and a substrate 22 are shown. After the nozzle 11 completes process steps such as developer coating, the nozzle 11 is moved to the waiting position P1 to wait for the current substrate to complete the complete process flow. The nozzle cleaning device 23 of the present application can be set near the waiting position P1, or below the waiting position P1. At this time, in order to clean the nozzle 11, the nozzle 11 can be moved downward by the nozzle arm 01, so that the nozzle 11 reaches position P2, that is, enters the nozzle cleaning device 23, and starts to perform the cleaning step.

[0046] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the nozzle cleaning device and the nozzle cleaning process of an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 3, the nozzle cleaning device 23 includes a cleaning tank 31, a vibration generator 32 and a temperature control unit (not shown). Among them, the cleaning tank 31 is used to contain a cleaning liquid. The present application does not limit the cleaning liquid, which can be pure water, a specific cleaning liquid, etc. It should be noted that the position where the nozzle cleaning device 23 is set can be the same as the position of the drain trough 12 shown in Figure 1, or it can be different. If the position is the same, the original drain trough 12 can be replaced by the nozzle cleaning device 23 of the present application, and there is no need to change the movement path setting of the nozzle arm after the process is completed.

[0047] As shown in FIG3 , the vibration generator 32 is disposed on the periphery of the cleaning tank 31, for example, at the bottom. This application does not limit the location of the vibration generator 32. In some embodiments, the vibration generator 32 is disposed inside the cleaning tank 31, such as a vibration generator 32 with a waterproof design, so that the cleaning liquid can be directly vibrated instead of being transmitted through the housing of the cleaning tank 31.

[0048] In some embodiments, the vibration generator 32 includes an ultrasonic generator for providing ultrasonic waves to the cleaning liquid to produce an ultrasonic cavitation effect. The ultrasonic generator 32 can provide sufficiently large ultrasonic energy to the cleaning liquid. When the vibration of the ultrasonic frequency is transmitted to the cleaning liquid, the interior of the liquid is utilized and compressed. When the liquid is utilized, bubbles will be generated. When the liquid is compressed, the bubbles will be compressed and then crushed and broken, which is the "ultrasonic cavitation effect". The cavitation effect of the ultrasonic wave impacts and peels off the dirt on the surface of the object. In the scenario of the present application, the pollutants attached to the nozzle can be detached from the nozzle surface and suspended and dissolved in the solution in the cleaning tank. In some embodiments, the vibration generator 32 can also be a megasonic wave generator.

[0049] In some embodiments, the cleaning tank 31 may have a double-layer shell with a sandwich layer between the double-layer shell, and the vibration generator 32 may be embedded in the sandwich layer.

[0050] Referring to Figure 3, after the nozzle 11 completes the process, the nozzle arm 01 drives the nozzle 11 to move from the process position to position P1; when cleaning is to be performed, the nozzle arm 01 drives the nozzle 11 to move to position P2. At this time, the nozzle 11 is at the cleaning height H, ready to start the cleaning process.

[0051] In some embodiments, the temperature control unit in the nozzle cleaning device 23 includes a heat-cold converter based on the Peltier effect, which is used to heat or cool the cleaning fluid by adjusting the direction of the current.

[0052] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the thermoelectric effect of a PN semiconductor pair, used to illustrate the Peltier principle. It shows a thermocouple composed of a pair of P and N-type materials. The Peltier effect exploits the fact that when direct current flows through a circuit consisting of two different conductors, P and N, a certain type of heat is released at the junction in addition to Joule heating, while heat is absorbed at the other junction. This phenomenon is reversible: changing the direction of the current shifts the junction that releases and absorbs heat. The amount of heat released and absorbed is proportional to the current intensity, I[A], and is related to the properties of the two conductors and the temperature of the hot end: Qpn = Iπpn.

[0053] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of a temperature control unit. Referring to FIG5 , the cleaning tank 51 has a double shell, including an inner shell 52 and an outer shell 53. The heat-cold converter 54 in the temperature control unit is embedded in the interlayer between the inner shell 52 and the outer shell 53. In addition to the heat-cold converter, the temperature control unit also includes other necessary equipment such as a DC electrode commutator and a DC power supply. Specifically, the heat-cold converter 54 includes a plurality of heat-cold conversion units, each of which includes a pair of PN thermocouples. As shown in FIG5 , the plurality of heat-cold conversion units are evenly distributed on the outside of the inner shell 52, so that a uniform heating effect can be provided to the cleaning liquid.

[0054] As shown in Figure 5, multiple heat-cooling conversion units are interconnected to form a series circuit. The two ends of this series circuit are connected to a DC electrode commutator, which in turn is connected to a DC power supply. To heat the cleaning fluid, a forward current is applied to the heat-cooling conversion unit 54. The DC electrode commutator adjusts the current to the forward direction, causing the heat-cooling conversion units to generate heat, thereby heating the cleaning fluid. To cool the cleaning fluid, a reverse current is applied to the heat-cooling conversion unit 54. The DC electrode commutator adjusts the current to the reverse direction, causing the heat-cooling conversion units to absorb heat, thereby cooling the cleaning fluid.

[0055] The temperature control unit in the nozzle cleaning device of the present application is configured to: during the nozzle cleaning process, first heat the cleaning liquid and then cool the cleaning liquid. Heating the cleaning liquid can reduce the adhesion of contaminants on the developing nozzle, thereby assisting the ultrasonic cleaning capability and making it easier to remove large particles of contaminants with strong adhesion. Cooling the cleaning liquid has at least two effects. First, cooling the cleaning liquid indirectly causes the contaminants attached to the nozzle surface to shrink again, thereby weakening their adhesion and eventually falling off. Second, when removing the cleaning liquid from the cleaning tank, it can prevent the discharge pipe from thermal deformation and the loosening and falling off of the discharge pipe joints due to thermal stress, or even leakage. Therefore, the vibration generator 32 and the temperature control unit in the nozzle cleaning device of the present application cooperate with each other and work together to efficiently clean the nozzle. It should be noted that the temperature control unit of the present application can quickly heat and cool the cleaning liquid. Although there is no limit to the speed, such rapid heating and cooling can be achieved using a heat-cold converter, which is conducive to accelerating the fatigue of contaminants and enhancing the effect of ultrasonic cleaning.

[0056] In some embodiments, the nozzle cleaning device of the present application further includes a purge unit.

[0057] Figure 6 is a top view of a nozzle cleaning device according to one embodiment of the present application, and Figure 7 is a side view of a nozzle cleaning device according to one embodiment of the present application. The nozzle arm is not shown in either figure. In conjunction with Figures 6 and 7 , the purge unit includes a swing mechanism 61 and multiple nozzles 62 . The multiple nozzles 62 are positioned within the cleaning tank 31 , and the swing mechanism 61 is used to control the swing of each nozzle 62 .

[0058] The purge unit is used to spray a purge gas toward the nozzle 11 through the nozzle 62 to further remove residual liquid on the nozzle 11. The present application does not limit the purge gas. In some embodiments, the purge gas includes an inert gas or nitrogen.

[0059] This application does not impose any limitation on the number and position of the multiple nozzles 62 .

[0060] Preferably, the plurality of nozzles 62 includes at least four nozzles, which are respectively disposed on the four sidewalls inside the cleaning tank 31. Referring to FIG6 , the cleaning tank 31 is generally rectangular and has four sidewalls, with a nozzle 62 disposed on each sidewall. Furthermore, each nozzle 62 is installed at the same height in the Z direction and is approximately located at the midpoint of the sidewall in the X or Y direction.

[0061] As shown in FIG7 , when cleaning the nozzle 11, the nozzle 11 is arranged in the cleaning tank 31, and the nozzle 11 is located at a cleaning height H. The height H1 of each nozzle 62 inside the cleaning tank 31 is higher than the cleaning height H, and the air outlet of each nozzle 62 is tilted toward the bottom of the cleaning tank 31. The height of the air outlet of the nozzle 62 is used as the height of the nozzle 62 inside the cleaning tank 31. As shown in FIG7 , it is obvious that the nozzle 62 is higher than the nozzle 11. Therefore, when cleaning the nozzle 11, the nozzle 62 is tilted toward the nozzle 11, that is, tilted downward. In one embodiment, the installation angle of the nozzle 62 is tilted downward by about 43 degrees, that is, the angle between the axial direction of the nozzle 62 and the horizontal direction is about 43 degrees, which is approximately within the range of 40-50 degrees. The inventors of the present application have found through experiments that such an installation angle can effectively avoid splashing and overflowing of droplets during the purging process to ensure that no residual cleaning liquid (such as pure water) remains on the nozzle surface.

[0062] In some embodiments, the swing of each nozzle 62 includes left and right linear swing and up and down linear swing. Both of these swings are reciprocating motions. Normally, the cleaning tank 31 is arranged along the vertical direction (here the z direction), and the XY plane is a horizontal plane. Each nozzle 62 can swing up and down, left and right, that is, the nozzle 62 can swing in the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction. According to these embodiments, the swing mechanism 61 may include a drive motor 63, a connecting rod motion mechanism 64 and a cylinder 65. The drive motor 63 rotates to drive the connecting rod motion mechanism 64 to achieve left and right linear swing of the nozzle 62, and the cylinder 65 is used to drive the nozzle 62 to swing linearly up and down. The drive motor 63 and the cylinder 65 can be controlled by an external controller.

[0063] After cleaning, the nozzle 11 is still in a relatively wet state, and droplets of cleaning liquid may still be attached to the nozzle 11. These droplets exist in the gaps or relatively hidden corners of the nozzle 11. It is difficult to complete an effective purging step using nitrogen purging at a single angle. Therefore, the purging unit includes multiple nozzles 62, which are purged with nitrogen from all directions, and combined with the swinging of the nozzle 62, all-round purging can be achieved.

[0064] In the present application, one swing mechanism 61 may be used to control the movement of the plurality of nozzles 62 , or an independent swing mechanism 61 may be configured for each nozzle 62 .

[0065] In some embodiments, all nozzles 62 oscillate synchronously, meaning that all nozzles 62 oscillate in the same direction and with the same amplitude. In this embodiment, the hardware design uses a single nitrogen source for all four nozzles 62, ensuring that the gas flow rate and intensity emitted by each nozzle 62 are the same. This maintains uniformity in the nozzle 62's spitting direction and prevents uneven airflow that could lead to inconsistent cleaning liquid removal and the creation of blind spots.

[0066] When the nozzle cleaning device 23 of the present application is used to perform a cleaning process, cleaning liquid is injected into and discharged from the cleaning tank 31. The present application does not limit the injection and discharge methods of the cleaning liquid.

[0067] Referring to FIG3 , in some embodiments, the nozzle cleaning device 23 further includes a liquid supply unit and a liquid discharge unit. The liquid supply unit includes a liquid supply line 33 and a liquid supply valve 34. The liquid supply line 33 is connected to the cleaning tank 31. The liquid supply unit is used to supply cleaning liquid to the cleaning tank 31 under the control of the liquid supply valve 34. The liquid discharge unit includes a liquid discharge line 35 and a liquid discharge valve 36. The liquid discharge line 35 is connected to the cleaning tank 31. The liquid discharge unit is used to discharge the cleaning liquid from the cleaning tank 31 under the control of the liquid discharge valve 36. The liquid supply unit may include multiple liquid supply lines 33, each of which is provided with a liquid supply valve 34 for controlling the flow rate of the liquid supply. Alternatively, as needed, multiple liquid supply lines 33 may be combined into a single main liquid supply line, which is also provided with a liquid supply valve. Similarly, the drainage unit may also include a plurality of drainage pipelines 35 , and each drainage pipeline 35 is provided with a drainage valve 34 for controlling the flow rate of the drainage.

[0068] The liquid supply unit and the liquid discharge unit can both be controlled by a controller to supply and discharge liquid according to set programs or commands.

[0069] The nozzle cleaning device 23 may also include an air intake unit. As shown in Figure 3 , the air intake unit includes an air intake line 37 and an air intake valve 38 , which are connected to each nozzle 62 to control the flow rate of the air jet from the nozzle 62. The air intake unit may also be controlled by a controller to supply air according to a set program or command.

[0070] In order to achieve the control of a series of actions such as liquid supply, liquid discharge, vibration, heating, and air supply, the liquid supply unit, liquid discharge unit, vibration generator 32, temperature control unit, air supply unit and nozzle 11 can all be communicated and connected to the same controller, and the controller controls the entire nozzle cleaning device 23 according to the preset timing and logic to perform the cleaning operation.

[0071] FIG8 is an exemplary flow chart of a nozzle cleaning method for a coating and developing device according to an embodiment of the present application. The nozzle cleaning device 23 described above can be used to perform this nozzle cleaning method, and thus the above description can also be used to illustrate this nozzle cleaning method. Referring to FIG8 , the nozzle cleaning method includes the following steps:

[0072] Step S1: moving the nozzle 11 into the cleaning tank 31 of the nozzle cleaning device 23 so that the nozzle 11 is located at a cleaning height H;

[0073] Step S2: injecting cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank 31, and heating the cleaning liquid by using a temperature control unit when the cleaning liquid reaches a first liquid level lower than the cleaning height H;

[0074] Step S3: activating the vibration sound generator 32 to make the cleaning fluid vibrate and emit sound;

[0075] Step S4: After the vibration sound generator 32 operates for a first period of time, the cleaning liquid is cooled using a temperature control unit;

[0076] Step S5: After the second time period has passed, the vibration sound generator 32 and the temperature control unit are stopped, the injection of the cleaning liquid is stopped, and the cleaning tank 31 is emptied.

[0077] The above steps S1 to S5 are described below with reference to FIG. 3 .

[0078] As shown in FIG3 , step S1 shows that the nozzle 11 is moved from position P1 to position P2 , at which time the nozzle 11 is located at the cleaning height H. In step S2 , cleaning liquid is injected into the cleaning tank 31 .

[0079] It should be noted that, in order to save time, the liquid injection action in step S2 may be started synchronously with the movement of the nozzle 11 in step S1 .

[0080] In step S2 , the first liquid level is lower than the cleaning height H. At this time, the nozzle 11 has not yet come into contact with the cleaning liquid, so the temperature control unit is used to heat the cleaning liquid to increase the temperature of the cleaning liquid.

[0081] In step S3, the vibration generator 32 may be activated when the cleaning liquid reaches the first liquid level, or after the cleaning liquid has been heated for a period of time, or after it has been heated to a preset temperature. As previously mentioned, the dual effects of ultrasonic vibration and heating are more conducive to removing contaminants from the nozzle 11.

[0082] In step S4, as previously described, cooling the cleaning liquid causes stubborn contaminants that are strongly adhered to the surface of the nozzle 11 and not removed by the ultrasonic vibration to collapse due to thermal volume changes as the cleaning liquid cools from hot to cold. These contaminants are then separated from the nozzle 11, and the cleaning liquid is cooled to a dischargeable temperature. For example, the dischargeable temperature is room temperature, e.g., approximately 20°C.

[0083] In step S5, the second duration T2 refers to the duration of the temperature control unit cooling the cleaning fluid in step S4. If the vibration generator 32 is turned on when the cleaning fluid arrives at the cleaning height, the sum of the first duration T1 and the second duration T2 can be used as the effective working duration of the nozzle cleaning device 23. During this period of time, the nozzle 11 is subjected to vibration+heating, and the two types of cleaning processes of vibration+cooling are both used to remove the pollutants on the nozzle 11. After the second duration T2, the vibration sounder 32 and the temperature control unit are controlled to stop working, and stop injecting cleaning fluid and emptying the cleaning tank 31. It will be appreciated that if the vibration generator 32 is turned on before the cleaning fluid arrives at the cleaning height, the cleaning fluid does not contact the nozzle 11 at this moment, and the vibration and heating process at this moment do not belong to an effective cleaning process, and the effective working duration is less than the sum of the first duration T1 and the second duration T2.

[0084] The above steps S1 to S5 do not impose any restrictions on the control of the liquid discharge unit.

[0085] In some embodiments, the drain valve 36 is closed in steps S1 to S3 , so that the cleaning liquid can reach the first liquid level faster in step S2 .

[0086] In some embodiments, the method further includes setting a preset height, wherein the cleaning liquid level, when reaching the preset height, is suitable for cleaning nozzle 11. As shown in FIG3 , nozzle 11 protrudes downward from lower surface 13 of liquid spraying portion 10, and the preset height is a distance above lower surface 13. At this preset height, nozzle 11 can be completely immersed in the cleaning liquid. The first liquid level is lower than the preset height.

[0087] During steps S4 and S5, the liquid level may reach a preset height. In some embodiments, steps S4 and S5 further include controlling the liquid supply and discharge rates of cleaning tank 31 to maintain the cleaning liquid level at a preset height. More specifically, the liquid supply rate is adjusted by controlling the opening of liquid supply valve 34, and the discharge rate is adjusted by controlling the opening of liquid discharge valve 36.

[0088] For example, in step S4 and step S5, the drain valve 36 is in the open state. At the beginning, in order to increase the liquid level, the liquid supply volume can be made greater than the liquid discharge volume, the opening of the liquid supply valve 34 is larger, and the opening of the liquid discharge valve 36 is smaller. In the process of the liquid level rising from the first liquid level to the preset height, the controller can fine-tune the size of the liquid supply valve 34 and the liquid discharge valve 36 when the liquid level is about to reach the preset height, such as gradually reducing the opening of the liquid supply valve 34 and gradually increasing the opening of the liquid discharge valve 36 to make the liquid level reach the preset height. When the liquid level reaches the preset height, the liquid supply valve 34 and the liquid discharge valve 36 are adjusted so that the liquid supply volume is equal to the liquid discharge volume, so that the liquid level is maintained at the preset height.

[0089] In other embodiments, in steps S4 and S5, the drain valve 36 is opened only when the temperature of the cleaning liquid reaches a dischargeable temperature. For example, in step S4, after the cleaning liquid is cooled by the temperature control unit, the drain valve 36 is opened after a period of time. When the heat exchanger is highly efficient, the cooling time can be very short. In addition, the temperature of the cleaning liquid injected into the cleaning tank 31 is, for example, room temperature or lower than the temperature after heating. Continuous injection of cleaning liquid is also conducive to rapid cooling of the cleaning liquid. During the second time period T in step S5, the drain valve 36 remains open, and by controlling and adjusting the size of the liquid supply valve 34 and the drain valve 36, the liquid supply and discharge volumes are balanced, and the liquid level is maintained at a preset height.

[0090] To prevent the discharged cleaning fluid from overheating, after the temperature control unit cools the cleaning fluid for a period of time and the cleaning fluid reaches a dischargeable temperature, drain valve 36 is opened to maintain the temperature of the discharged cleaning fluid at or below the dischargeable temperature. During this process, if the cleaning fluid level has reached a predetermined height but the temperature is above the dischargeable temperature, the liquid supply valve 34 can be closed to stop the injection of cleaning fluid to prevent the liquid level from overheating. It should be noted that if the capacity of the cleaning tank 31 is sufficient and the components of the liquid spray unit 10 located above the nozzle 11 can be immersed in the cleaning fluid, the injection of cleaning fluid does not need to be stopped.

[0091] In step S5, during the second time period T2, the supply and discharge volumes remain balanced, allowing contaminants entering the cleaning fluid to be dynamically discharged from the cleaning tank 31. This effectively places the nozzle 11 in the flowing cleaning fluid, further facilitating the removal of all contaminants. Subsequently, the supply valve 34 is closed to stop the injection of cleaning fluid, while the drain valve 36 remains fully open, draining the cleaning fluid from the cleaning tank 31.

[0092] In some embodiments, the nozzle cleaning method of the present application further includes, after step S5:

[0093] Step S6: purge the nozzle with a purge gas.

[0094] Step S7 may be performed by the aforementioned purging unit.

[0095] In some embodiments, the nozzle 11 is used to perform the action of spraying liquid medicine when in operation, and after step S6, the following steps are further included:

[0096] Step S7: controlling the nozzle 11 to complete at least one action of spraying the liquid medicine, so as to discharge the cleaning liquid intruding into the nozzle 11 .

[0097] For the developing nozzle, when performing the liquid spraying action, the developing liquid will be sprayed out of the nozzle 11, which can discharge the cleaning liquid that reversely invades the inside of the nozzle 11, avoiding the contamination of the developing liquid due to the presence of the cleaning liquid when it is used next time.

[0098] The basic concepts have been described above. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above disclosures are merely examples and do not limit the present application. Although not explicitly stated herein, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements, and revisions to the present application. Such modifications, improvements, and revisions are suggested in the present application and remain within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present application.

[0099] At the same time, this application uses specific terms to describe the embodiments of this application. For example, "one embodiment," "an embodiment," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a certain feature, structure, or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or multiple times in different locations in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of this application may be appropriately combined.

[0100] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the presentation of this application and thus facilitate understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention, the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments of this application sometimes combine multiple features into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not mean that the subject matter of this application requires more features than those recited in the claims. In fact, an embodiment may have fewer features than all of the features of a single embodiment disclosed above.

[0101] In some embodiments, numbers are used to describe the quantity of components and attributes. It should be understood that such numbers used in the description of the embodiments are modified by the modifiers "about", "approximately" or "substantially" in some examples. Unless otherwise stated, "about", "approximately" or "substantially" indicate that the numbers are allowed to vary by ±20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in this application are all approximate values, which may change according to the required characteristics of individual embodiments. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should take into account the specified significant digits and adopt the general method of retaining digits. Although the numerical domains and parameters used to confirm the breadth of their range in some embodiments of the present application are approximate values, in specific embodiments, the settings of such numerical values ​​are as accurate as possible within the feasible range.

Claims

1. A nozzle cleaning device for a glue coating and developing apparatus, characterized in that, Including: A cleaning tank for containing a cleaning liquid; A vibration generator for providing vibration waves to the cleaning tank; A temperature control unit for controlling the temperature of the cleaning liquid, configured to: during the cleaning of the nozzle, first heat the cleaning liquid and then cool the cleaning liquid.

2. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature control unit includes a thermoelectric converter based on the Peltier effect, and the thermoelectric converter is used to heat or cool the cleaning liquid by adjusting the direction of the current.

3. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The thermoelectric converter includes a plurality of thermoelectric conversion units, and the plurality of thermoelectric conversion units are evenly distributed on the outer side of the cleaning tank.

4. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a purging unit, the purging unit includes a swinging mechanism and a plurality of nozzles, the plurality of nozzles are arranged inside the cleaning tank, and the swinging mechanism is used to control the swinging of each nozzle.

5. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein The plurality of nozzles include at least four nozzles, and the at least four nozzles are respectively arranged on four side walls inside the cleaning tank.

6. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the nozzle is being cleaned, the nozzle is arranged in the cleaning tank, and the nozzle is at the cleaning height. The height of each nozzle inside the cleaning tank is higher than the cleaning height, and each nozzle is inclined towards the bottom of the cleaning tank.

7. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein The swinging mechanism is used to control all the nozzles to swing synchronously, and the synchronous swing includes the same swinging direction and the same swinging amplitude.

8. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The swing of each nozzle includes left - right linear swing and up - down linear swing.

9. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein The plurality of nozzles use the same gas source, and the gas source is used to provide purging gas, and the purging gas includes inert gas.

10. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes: A liquid supply unit, including a liquid supply pipeline and a liquid supply valve, the liquid supply pipeline is connected to the cleaning tank, and the liquid supply unit is used to supply the cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank under the control of the liquid supply valve; A liquid discharge unit, including a liquid discharge pipeline and a liquid discharge valve, the liquid discharge pipeline is connected to the cleaning tank, and the liquid discharge unit is used to discharge the cleaning liquid from the cleaning tank under the control of the liquid discharge valve.

11. A nozzle cleaning method for a spin coater and developer, characterized in that, Including: Step S1: Move the nozzle into the cleaning tank of the nozzle cleaning device so that the nozzle is at the cleaning height; Step S2: Inject the cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank. When the cleaning liquid reaches the first liquid level, use the temperature control unit to heat the cleaning liquid, and the first liquid level is lower than the cleaning height; Step S3: Start the vibration generator to make the cleaning liquid vibrate; Step S4: After the vibration generator works for a first period of time, use the temperature control unit to cool the cleaning liquid; Step S5: After a second period of time, stop the vibration generator and the temperature control unit from working, stop injecting the cleaning liquid, and empty the cleaning tank.

12. The nozzle cleaning method according to claim 11, characterized in that, In steps S4 and S5, it further includes: controlling the liquid supply amount and liquid discharge amount of the cleaning tank to keep the liquid level of the cleaning liquid at a preset height.

13. The nozzle cleaning method according to claim 11, wherein, In steps S4 and S5, it further includes: discharging the cleaning liquid from the cleaning tank, and at this time, the temperature of the cleaning liquid reaches the dischargeable temperature.

14. The nozzle cleaning method according to claim 11, characterized in that, After step S5, it further includes: Step S6: Purge the nozzle with purging gas.

15. The nozzle cleaning method according to claim 14, wherein, The nozzle is used to perform the action of spraying liquid medicine during operation. After step S6, it further includes: Step S7: Control the nozzle to complete at least one operation of spraying the liquid medicine, for discharging the cleaning liquid that has invaded the inside of the nozzle.

Images