Edge cleaning device and edge cleaning method

Abstract

The present invention provides an edge cleaning device, used for carrying out edge cleaning on a square substrate, and comprising: nozzles suitable for spraying a chemical liquid to clean the edge of a substrate; and a bearing table, used for bearing the substrate and driving the substrate to rotate. The edge cleaning device is configured to control the nozzles to move along the edge of the substrate by means of telescopic motion when the substrate rotates, so that the liquid contact point of the chemical liquid is always kept on an edge cleaning line having a preset width, and the edge cleaning width of the edge of the substrate is uniform.

Description

Edge cleaning device and edge cleaning method Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of semiconductor technology and relates to an edge cleaning device and method for semiconductor wafers or substrates such as FPDs (flat panel displays). Background Technology

[0002] In general, during the manufacturing process of semiconductor equipment, the photoresist coating of semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as substrates) is formed by spin coating. Therefore, during the process of coating photoresist on the substrate surface, the centrifugal force of rotating the substrate will cause the photoresist on the substrate to flow to the edge and back of the substrate during spin coating, forming bulges.

[0003] In the substrate electroplating process, the electroplating solution forms a metal film on the substrate surface by spin plating. However, under the action of centrifugal force, the electroplating solution gradually moves towards the edge of the substrate and forms a bulge.

[0004] To overcome the above problems, an edge bead removal (EBR) process is required to clean the substrate edges as thoroughly as possible. The substrate edge cleaning process involves spraying solvent onto the substrate edges using a nozzle to remove defects generated at the substrate edges and on the back side.

[0005] Therefore, providing a method to control the edge washing width so that the edge washing width of the substrate is uniform and the product yield is improved has become one of the technical problems that urgently need to be solved by those skilled in the art.

[0006] Therefore, in view of the problems existing in the prior art, the designer of this invention, based on years of experience in this industry, actively researched and improved the technology, and thus the present invention provides an edge cleaning device and edge cleaning method for a substrate. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an edge cleaning device and an edge cleaning method for substrates, so as to solve the problem of uneven edge cleaning width of substrates in the prior art.

[0008] To achieve the above and other related objectives, this application provides an edge cleaning apparatus for cleaning the edges of a square substrate, comprising:

[0009] A nozzle adapted to spray a chemical liquid to clean the edges of a substrate;

[0010] A support platform for supporting the substrate and rotating the substrate;

[0011] The edge cleaning device is configured to control the nozzle to move along the edge of the substrate by telescopic movement when the substrate rotates, so that the contact point of the chemical liquid is always kept on the cleaning line of a preset width.

[0012] Optionally, the nozzles are provided on both the front and back sides of the substrate, respectively, for cleaning the edges of the substrate on the front and back sides.

[0013] Optionally, the nozzle position is further configured to compensate for the difference between the sampled value of the edge washing width sampling point and the preset width during substrate rotation.

[0014] Optionally, it also includes a control module and an angle tracking module, wherein the angle tracking module is used to track the rotation angle of the substrate, and the control module is used to control the movement of the nozzle based on the tracking information from the angle tracking module.

[0015] Optionally, the control module controls the movement of the nozzle based on the tracking information from the angle tracking module, including:

[0016] Based on the change in the position of the intersection point of the nozzle and the washing line when the substrate rotation angle changes, the relationship between the substrate rotation angle and the nozzle extension / retraction is obtained.

[0017] Based on the substrate rotation angle tracked by the angle tracking module, and combined with the relationship between the substrate rotation angle and the nozzle extension / retraction amount, the nozzle is controlled to move along the edge of the substrate.

[0018] Optionally, the control module is used to control the movement of the nozzle based on the tracking information from the angle tracking module, including:

[0019] The relationship between the substrate rotation angle and the nozzle extension / retraction amount is obtained by calculating the change in the position of the intersection point of the nozzle and the washing line when the substrate rotation angle changes.

[0020] By differentiating the amount of nozzle extension and retraction, the relationship between the substrate rotation time and the nozzle movement speed is obtained.

[0021] The substrate rotation time is obtained by tracking the substrate rotation angle by the angle tracking module, and the nozzle movement is controlled by combining the relationship between the substrate rotation time and the nozzle movement speed.

[0022] Optionally, the control module is further configured to calibrate and adjust the movement position of the nozzle based on the position change of the intersection point of the nozzle and the washing line when the rotation angle of the substrate changes.

[0023] Optionally, the edge cleaning device is further configured to control the synchronous lifting and lowering of the nozzle according to the warping of the edge cleaning line as the nozzle moves along a circle of the rotating substrate by telescopic movement, so that the contact point of the chemical liquid from the nozzle on the edge cleaning line is consistent with the height difference of the nozzle.

[0024] Optionally, the edge cleaning apparatus may also include a detection unit for detecting information related to the amount of warpage at the substrate edge.

[0025] Optionally, the detection unit is a camera device or a position sensor.

[0026] Optionally, the camera device is configured to capture an image of the substrate at the same height as the substrate rotates one revolution.

[0027] Optionally, the camera device is configured to capture images of the entire substrate that remains stationary.

[0028] Optionally, the position sensor is configured to measure the distance between the wash line of the substrate and the position sensor at the same height when the substrate rotates one revolution.

[0029] Optionally, the edge cleaning device is further configured to obtain the warpage of the edge cleaning line based on a preset edge cleaning width and information related to the warpage of the substrate edge.

[0030] Optionally, when the support platform carries the substrate, the center of the substrate is aligned with the rotation center of the support platform.

[0031] Optionally, the substrate is square or rectangular.

[0032] To achieve the above and other related objectives, the present invention also provides an edge cleaning method.

[0033] Maintain substrate rotation;

[0034] Based on the rotation angle of the substrate, the nozzle is controlled to continuously spray chemical liquid and the extension and retraction of the nozzle is controlled so that the contact point of the chemical liquid is always kept on the washing edge line of the preset width of the substrate.

[0035] Optionally, the step of controlling the movement of the nozzle according to the rotation angle of the substrate includes: controlling the movement position of the nozzle according to the relationship between the rotation angle of the substrate and the extension / retraction of the nozzle to determine the contact point position of the chemical liquid.

[0036] Optionally, the relationship between the substrate rotation angle and the nozzle extension / retraction amount is calculated using the following methods:

[0037] The relationship between the substrate rotation angle and the nozzle extension / retraction amount is obtained by calculating the change in the position of the intersection point of the nozzle and the washing line when the substrate rotation angle changes.

[0038] Optionally, the method further includes controlling the movement of the telescopic nozzle based on the difference between the edge washing width sample value and the preset width, thereby compensating for the edge washing width to make the edge washing width uniform.

[0039] Optionally, the step of controlling the movement of the nozzle according to the rotation angle of the substrate includes:

[0040] The relationship between the substrate rotation angle and the nozzle extension / retraction amount is obtained by calculating the change in the position of the intersection point of the nozzle and the washing line when the substrate rotation angle changes.

[0041] By differentiating the amount of nozzle extension and retraction, the relationship between the substrate rotation time and the nozzle movement speed is obtained.

[0042] The substrate rotation time is obtained by tracking the substrate rotation angle by the angle tracking module, and the nozzle movement is controlled by combining the relationship between the substrate rotation time and the nozzle movement speed.

[0043] Optionally, the movement position of the nozzle can be calibrated and adjusted according to the change in the position of the intersection point of the nozzle and the washing line when the substrate rotation angle changes.

[0044] Optionally, during the control of the nozzle's extension and retraction movement, the nozzle's lifting and lowering are also controlled simultaneously, including:

[0045] Based on the preset edge washing width of the substrate, obtain the warpage amount of one edge washing line of the substrate;

[0046] As the nozzle moves along the edge washing line of the rotating substrate through telescopic movement, the nozzle's lifting and lowering are synchronously controlled according to the warping of the edge washing line, so that the chemical liquid from the nozzle remains consistent with the height difference between the liquid application point on the edge washing line and the nozzle.

[0047] Optionally, based on the preset edge width of the substrate and by taking an image of the substrate rotating around once at the same height, the warping amount of the edge line in the image is obtained.

[0048] Optionally, based on the preset edge width of the substrate and by taking an image of the substrate rotating around once at the same height, the warping amount of the edge line in the image is obtained.

[0049] Optionally, the warpage of the wash line can be obtained based on the preset wash line width of the substrate and the distance between the wash line detected by the position sensor and the position sensor.

[0050] Optionally, controlling the nozzle lifting and lowering includes: determining the starting position of the nozzle edge washing, and controlling the nozzle lifting and lowering based on the warpage difference between the current liquid contact point and the liquid contact point at the starting position.

[0051] Optionally, controlling the nozzle lifting and lowering based on the warp difference between the current liquid contact point and the initial liquid contact point includes: controlling the nozzle lifting and lowering movement based on the warp difference between the current liquid contact point and the initial liquid contact point, and the rotation speed of the substrate.

[0052] Optionally, the edges of the substrate on the front and back sides of the substrate can be cleaned using nozzles located on the front and back sides of the substrate, respectively.

[0053] Optionally, the edge cleaning method further includes fixing the substrate to a position where the center of the substrate is aligned with the center of rotation of the substrate before performing edge cleaning on the substrate.

[0054] As described above, the substrate edge cleaning apparatus and edge cleaning method of the present invention control the nozzle to move along the rotating substrate edge, so that the chemical liquid sprayed by the nozzle cleans the substrate edge with uniform width.

[0055] Overview of the attached figures

[0056] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the edge cleaning device of the present invention.

[0057] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the edge cleaning device of the present invention cleaning the edge of one side of the substrate.

[0058] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the edge cleaning device of the present invention cleaning the edge of the substrate on the other side of the substrate.

[0059] Figure 4 is a graph showing the sampling of the washing width at the same angular intervals in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] Figure 5 is a comparison of the positional changes of the substrate edge in the thickness direction between the warped substrate and the normal substrate.

[0061] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the edge cleaning device of the present invention.

[0062] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the edge washing section in this invention.

[0063] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the detection unit's detection substrate in this invention.

[0064] Figure 9 shows the warpage curve of the wash line around the substrate.

[0065] Preferred embodiments of the present invention

[0066] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0067] In the detailed description of embodiments of the present invention, for ease of explanation, the cross-sectional views illustrating the device structure may be partially enlarged and not to scale. Furthermore, the schematic diagrams are merely examples and should not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In actual fabrication, the three-dimensional spatial dimensions of length, width, and depth should be included.

[0068] For ease of description, spatial relation terms such as “below,” “under,” “lower,” “below,” “below,” “above,” “upper,” and “above” may be used herein to describe the relationship between an element or feature shown in the accompanying drawings and other elements or features. It will be understood that these spatial relation terms are intended to include directions other than those depicted in the drawings for devices in use or operation. Furthermore, when a layer is referred to as being “between” two layers, it can be the only layer between the two layers, or there may be one or more layers in between. The phrase “between” as used herein includes both endpoint values.

[0069] In the context of this application, the structure described above the first feature may include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, or embodiments in which additional features are formed between the first and second features, such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact.

[0070] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in this embodiment are only schematic representations of the basic concept of the present invention. Therefore, the illustrations only show components related to the present invention and are not drawn according to the actual number, shape, and size of components in implementation. In actual implementation, the type, quantity, and proportion of each component can be arbitrarily changed, and the component layout may be more complex. The edge cleaning apparatus and edge cleaning method described below are used for processing semiconductor wafers or substrates in the field of FPD (flat panel display). The vertical direction and height direction mentioned herein refer to the thickness direction of the substrate, and the horizontal direction refers to the extension direction of the front or back side of the substrate, which is perpendicular to the thickness direction.

[0071] Referring to Figure 1, the edge cleaning apparatus includes at least one cleaning section 100 for cleaning the edge of a substrate W, a support section 200 for supporting the substrate W and rotating it, and an angle tracking module 300 for tracking the rotation angle of the substrate W. The substrate W is non-circular; in some embodiments, the substrate W is square or rectangular. Before cleaning the edge of the substrate W, the substrate is moved to a position where its center is aligned with the rotation center of the support section 200, and then the substrate W is fixed to the support section 200.

[0072] Referring to Figure 1, the edge cleaning device also includes a control module 800. The control module 800 controls the operation of all functional components of the edge cleaning device (power units such as motors, electric cylinders, and pneumatic cylinders that drive the movement of structural components such as the edge cleaning section 100 and the support section 200, and the chemical liquid supply section). The control module 800 can be one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DAPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or combinations thereof.

[0073] As shown in Figure 1, in some embodiments, the edge cleaning section 100 includes a nozzle 110 for spraying chemical liquid to clean the edges of the substrate W. The edge cleaning section 100 also includes a swing arm 130 and a telescopic motion power unit 140 for driving the swing arm 130 to extend and retract, serving as a driving structure. The nozzle 110 is located at the end of the swing arm 130, and the telescopic motion power unit 140 drives the swing arm 130 to extend and retract, so that the swing arm 130 moves the nozzle 110. Exemplarily, the telescopic motion power unit includes a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, or a motor. That is, the telescopic motion power unit can be configured as a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, or a motor connected to the swing arm 130. In some embodiments, two edge cleaning sections 100 located at opposite positions on the front side of the substrate W can be provided for cleaning the edges of the substrate W, thereby accelerating the cleaning efficiency of the substrate W edges. It is understood that at least one edge cleaning section 100 can also be provided on the back side of the substrate W for cleaning the edges of the back side of the substrate W. In some embodiments, two edge cleaning sections 100 located at opposite positions on the back side of the substrate W clean the back side of the substrate W simultaneously, thereby accelerating the cleaning efficiency of the back side of the substrate W. Here, the control module 800 controls the extension and retraction of the nozzle 110 located at the end of the swing arm 130 by controlling the extension and retraction of the swing arm 130. Each edge-washing section 100 is provided with a nozzle 110 located on either the front or back of the substrate, used to spray chemical liquid to clean the edges of the substrate W. Each nozzle 110 is driven by its corresponding edge-washing section 100, and each edge-washing section 100 independently drives one nozzle 110.

[0074] The support unit 200 includes a support platform 210 for supporting the substrate W, a rotation shaft 220 for rotating the support platform 210, and a rotational power unit 230 for rotating the rotation shaft 220. The rotational power unit 230 drives the rotation shaft 220 to rotate, and the rotation shaft 220 drives the support platform 210 and the substrate W to rotate. When the support unit 200 supports the substrate W, the center of the substrate W is aligned with the rotation center of the support unit 200, and the substrate W is fixed to the support unit 200 so that the substrate W can rotate synchronously with the support unit 200 when it rotates.

[0075] In some embodiments, the chemical solution is used to remove photoresist from the edges of the substrate. The chemical solution includes one or more of the following: photoresist remover, N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, hydrofluoric acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, and tetramethylammonium hydroxide. In other embodiments, the chemical solution is used to clean the edges of the electroplated substrate. The chemical solution may include at least one of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). It is understood that the nozzle 110 is connected to the chemical solution supply unit so that the chemical solution in the chemical solution supply unit flows into the nozzle 110.

[0076] An angle tracking module 300 is used to track the rotation angle of the substrate W. Exemplarily, in some embodiments, the angle tracking module 300 includes an angle sensor for tracking the rotation angle of the substrate W; in other embodiments, the angle tracking module 300 is a motor encoder, with the motor 230 driving the substrate W to rotate, and the motor encoder tracking the rotation angle of the substrate W.

[0077] The control module 800 controls the nozzle 110 to move along the edge of the substrate and spray chemical liquid onto the rotating substrate so that the edge cleaning width is always a preset width. The edge cleaning width is the distance from the point where the chemical liquid sprayed by the nozzle 110 touches the substrate surface to the outer edge of the substrate. For example, in Figure 2, the preset width for cleaning the substrate edge e is set to d. The substrate edge e has an outer edge e2 and an inner edge e1 that are set opposite to each other, where the inner edge e1 is the edge cleaning line, and the point of contact moves along the edge cleaning line e1. Specifically, when the substrate W rotates, the angle tracking module 300 tracks the substrate rotation angle, and the control module 800 controls the movement of the nozzle 110 in real time based on the substrate rotation angle and the relationship between the substrate rotation angle and the nozzle extension / retraction amount. The relationship between the substrate rotation angle and the nozzle extension / retraction amount is calculated in the following way:

[0078] First, the position change of the intersection point of the nozzle and the washing line when the substrate rotation angle changes is calculated using trigonometric functions, thus obtaining the relationship between the substrate rotation angle θ and the nozzle extension / retraction amount s1. For example, in one embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the nozzle 110 cleans the substrate edge e starting from the midpoint of the side of substrate length a (referred to as side a). The substrate W rotates clockwise by an angle θ. The intersection point (referred to as the intersection point) of the nozzle 110 and the washing line is calculated using trigonometric functions. The distance s0 between the intersection point and the substrate center o is:

[0079] Among them, the length of the other side of the substrate W (referred to as side b) is b, and the lengths a and b of each side of the substrate are the remaining lengths of the substrate edge e after washing according to the preset width d.

[0080] Then, considering the positions of the intersection points before and after the substrate rotation angle θ, the relationship between the substrate rotation angle θ and the extension / retraction amount s1 of the nozzle 110 is obtained as follows:

[0081] The control module 800 controls the extension and retraction of the nozzle 110 based on the substrate rotation angle and the relationship between the substrate rotation angle θ and the extension and retraction amount s1 of the nozzle 110, as shown in Equation ① above. This allows the nozzle 110 to move along the substrate edge from the midpoint of side a to the first apex of the substrate W (i.e., the substrate W rotates from the initial position to the...). ).

[0082] Referring to Figure 3, as the substrate W continues to rotate, and the nozzle 110 cleans the edge of the other side b of the substrate from the apex to the midpoint, the change in the length s0 of the intersection point from the center O of the substrate, calculated using trigonometric functions, is as follows:

[0083] Then, considering the positions of the intersection points before and after the substrate rotation angle θ, the relationship between the substrate rotation angle θ and the extension / retraction amount s1 of the nozzle 110 is obtained as follows:

[0084] The control module 800 controls the extension and retraction of the nozzle 110 according to the relationship between the substrate rotation angle θ and the extension and retraction amount s1 of the nozzle 110 in the above formula ②, so that the nozzle 110 moves along the edge of the substrate from the first apex corner of the substrate to the midpoint of side b.

[0085] Similarly, the angle tracking module 300 tracks the rotation angle of the substrate. At different rotation angles of the substrate, the nozzle 110 moves synchronously along the edge of the substrate and sprays chemical liquid to clean the substrate edge. In this embodiment, the cleaning of the substrate edge starts from the midpoint of side a of the substrate. At different rotation angles of the substrate, the relationship between the substrate rotation angle θ and the nozzle extension / retraction amount s1 is obtained. The piecewise function of the nozzle extension / retraction amount s1 is as follows:

[0086] Among them, the above The piecewise function sequentially segments the substrate rotation angle θ in a loop, from the midpoint of the nozzle to the apex, and from the apex to the midpoint of the adjacent side.

[0087] In other embodiments, the nozzle 110 can also clean the substrate edge from other positions on the substrate, such as any position from the top corner or edge of the substrate. Similarly, the relationship between the substrate rotation angle and the nozzle extension / retraction amount can be calculated using trigonometric functions as described in the above embodiments, and will not be specifically calculated here. It is understood that, similar to the above embodiments, the control module 800 controls the movement of the nozzle 110 in real time based on the substrate rotation angle and the relationship between the substrate rotation angle and the nozzle extension / retraction amount.

[0088] During actual edge cleaning, as the substrate W rotates, the control module 800 controls the nozzle 110 to move along the substrate edge. The actual edge cleaning width will have an error compared to the preset width d (due to equipment errors such as those between moving structures), resulting in a curved edge on the substrate, as shown in Figure 4. In some embodiments, the actual edge cleaning width is sampled in advance at the same substrate rotation angle intervals. During actual edge cleaning, the difference δ between the sampled edge cleaning width and the preset width d is used to calculate the edge cleaning width. n The movement of the nozzle 110 is controlled to compensate for the edge washing width to make the edge washing width uniform. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the nozzle position is compensated according to the difference δ1 between the sampled edge washing width value and the preset width d when the substrate rotates by an angle Δ1. The nozzle 110 is controlled to continue moving on the basis of the original extension and retraction when rotating by Δ1 to make the edge washing width uniform.

[0089] In the above embodiments, the control module 800 can control the movement of the substrate and the nozzle 110 based on the relationship between the substrate rotation angle and the nozzle extension / retraction amount. In other embodiments, the movement of the substrate and the nozzle 110 can also be controlled based on the substrate rotation angle, combined with the relationship between the substrate rotation time and the nozzle movement speed. The relationship between the substrate rotation time and the nozzle movement speed is calculated as follows:

[0090] Based on the relationship between the angular velocity of the substrate and the rotation angle θ=ωt, the piecewise derivative of the nozzle extension / retraction amount s1 is obtained, and the relationship between the substrate rotation time t and the nozzle velocity v1 is as follows:

[0091] Among them, the above The piecewise function iteratively segments the nozzle from the midpoint of the substrate to the top corner, and from the top corner to the midpoint of the adjacent side.

[0092] The control module 800 obtains the substrate rotation time based on the substrate rotation angle tracked by the angle tracking module 300. After controlling the movement of the nozzle 110 by combining the relationship between the substrate rotation time and the nozzle movement speed, the control module 800 calibrates the movement position of the nozzle based on the change in the position of the intersection point of the nozzle and the washing line when the substrate rotation angle changes, making the movement control of the nozzle 110 more precise. The change in the position of the intersection point of the nozzle and the washing line when the substrate rotation angle changes has been described in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0093] Furthermore, substrates are typically flat. However, in reality, due to environmental factors, substrate warping can occur, causing undulations on the substrate surface in the vertical direction (i.e., the thickness direction). The substrate edges are particularly affected by this warping, and the edge surface position tends to fluctuate in the thickness direction. Referring to Figure 5, the upward convex portion of the substrate edge (also referred to as the downward convex portion in the middle of the substrate) and the downward convex portion of the substrate edge (also referred to as the upward convex portion in the middle of the substrate) cause variations in the surface position of the substrate edge in the thickness direction, ΔH1 and ΔH2, respectively. During the process of spraying chemical solution onto the substrate edge for edge trimming, the nozzle moves along the substrate edge to perform edge trimming. The undulating substrate causes the distance between the substrate edge surface and the spraying nozzle to be inconsistent, which also leads to uneven trimming width.

[0094] During the substrate edge washing process, for flat substrates, the control module 800 controls the extension and retraction of the nozzle 110 to ensure that the chemical liquid sprayed from the nozzle has a basically uniform edge washing width. However, for warped substrates, during the extension and retraction of the nozzle, it is necessary to simultaneously control the lifting and lowering of the nozzle according to the amount of warping at the substrate edge (more specifically, according to the amount of warping of the edge washing line on the substrate) to control the spraying position of the chemical liquid from the nozzle 110 relative to the substrate edge in the substrate thickness direction. This ensures that the liquid application point of the chemical liquid from the nozzle on the edge washing line is consistent with the height difference of the nozzle, thereby guaranteeing a uniform edge washing width for the substrate.

[0095] In other embodiments, referring to FIG6 and in conjunction with FIG7, the edge cleaning section 100 includes a nozzle 110 for spraying chemical liquid to clean the edge of the substrate. The edge cleaning section 100 also includes a lifting mechanism and a telescopic mechanism to drive the nozzle 110 to a desired vertical and horizontal position. It is understood that the nozzle movement includes, but is not limited to, vertical lifting movement and horizontal telescopic movement. Exemplarily, the telescopic mechanism includes a bracket 110, a swing arm 130, and a telescopic movement power unit 140. The nozzle 110 is connected to the bracket 120, and the bracket 120 is connected to the end of the swing arm 130. Here, the telescopic movement power unit 140 drives the swing arm 130 to extend and retract to change the position of the nozzle 110 in the horizontal direction, enabling the nozzle 110 to move along the edge of the substrate. The lifting mechanism includes a support arm 150 and a lifting power unit 160. The support arm 150 supports the telescopic mechanism and, driven by the lifting power unit 160, causes the telescopic mechanism to move up and down to change the position of the nozzle 110 in the vertical direction, enabling the nozzle 110 to be positioned in the desired vertical position. This invention does not limit the structure or connection method of the telescopic mechanism and the lifting mechanism that drive the nozzle movement; any structure capable of driving the nozzle to telescopically move in the horizontal direction and to move up and down in the vertical direction, as well as the connection method between these structures, are within the scope of protection of this invention. In other embodiments, nozzles 301 are disposed on both the front and back sides of the substrate W, respectively for cleaning the edges of the substrate on the front and back sides. Both nozzles 301 are mounted on a bracket 302, and the telescopic and lifting movements of the two nozzles 301 are driven simultaneously by the lifting and telescopic mechanisms.

[0096] The edge cleaning apparatus also includes a detection unit 600 for detecting the substrate to obtain information related to the amount of warpage at the substrate edge (hereinafter referred to as detection information). In the embodiment shown in FIG8, the control module 800 obtains the amount of warpage at the substrate edge (more specifically, the corresponding warpage amount of a cleaning line around the substrate edge) based on the detection information from the detection unit 600. The control module 800 controls the spraying position of the chemical liquid from the spray nozzle 301 relative to the substrate edge in the substrate thickness direction by controlling the rise and fall of the nozzle 301 based on the obtained amount of warpage at the substrate edge. When the detection unit 600 detects the substrate edge, the substrate W is rotated a full circle while being held by the support unit 200, and the detection unit 600 obtains information related to the amount of warpage at the substrate edge. Exemplarily, in some embodiments, the detection unit 600 is a camera device. While the substrate W is rotated a full circle while being held by the support unit 200, the camera device acquires an image of the substrate at the same height. The camera device sends the image of the substrate W rotating a full circle to the control module 800. The control module 800, based on the acquired image of the substrate rotating one revolution, and in conjunction with the substrate washing width, obtains the substrate edge warpage amount in the image (more specifically, the warpage amount corresponding to one washing line), and controls the nozzle movement based on the obtained warpage amount to control the spray position of the chemical liquid from the nozzle 301 relative to the substrate edge in the substrate thickness direction. It is understood that in other embodiments, the substrate remains stationary and does not rotate when the camera device captures the substrate image. The camera device captures an image of the entire substrate, and in conjunction with the substrate washing width, obtains the warpage amount corresponding to one washing line in the acquired image. In other embodiments, the detection unit is a position sensor, which detects the distance between the substrate edge and the position sensor. Similarly, in these embodiments, while the carrier 200 holds the substrate W to complete one revolution, the position sensor detects the distance between the surface position of the substrate edge in the thickness direction and the position sensor. More specifically, this distance is the distance between the surface position of the washing line of the substrate edge in the thickness direction and the position sensor. Here, since the substrate is square, when the position sensor measures the distance between itself and the substrate edge surface after one rotation of the substrate, the position of the substrate edge surface cannot always remain on the edge-washing line. However, the position of the substrate edge surface can fluctuate around the edge-washing line. Therefore, the distance between the position sensor and the substrate edge surface after one rotation of the substrate is approximated as the distance between the position sensor and the substrate edge-washing line. In a more preferred embodiment, the distance between the edge-washing line and the position sensor can also be measured by setting the position sensor to extend horizontally when the substrate rotates one rotation, so that the position sensor and the edge-washing line are in the same vertical direction. The distance obtained here is more accurate. The position sensor sends the information detected after one rotation of the substrate to the control module 800, and the control module 800 obtains the substrate edge warpage amount based on the detection information.The control module 800 further controls the movement of the nozzle. The control method of the control module 800 for the nozzle is similar to that of the camera device embodiment described above, and will not be repeated here. The installation position of the detection unit is not particularly limited. The detection unit is set at a location where information related to the amount of warpage at the substrate edge can be detected. For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the detection unit is set above one side of the substrate to obtain information related to the amount of warpage at the substrate edge. However, it is conceivable that the detection unit 600 can also be located outside the edge cleaning device of this invention. For example, the detection unit 600 can be set in a dedicated module set at the front of the edge cleaning device. Before the substrate W is transferred to the edge cleaning device, information related to the amount of warpage at the entire circumference of the substrate edge in the thickness direction is detected by the detection unit 600. In this case, the information related to the amount of warpage at the substrate edge detected by the detection unit 600 can also be sent from the detection unit 600 to the control module 800. It is understandable that a greater warpage at the substrate edge indicates a greater fluctuation in the surface position of the substrate edge along the thickness direction, resulting in a greater vertical movement distance of the nozzle. Conversely, a smaller warpage at the substrate edge indicates a smaller fluctuation in the surface position of the substrate edge along the thickness direction, resulting in a smaller vertical movement distance of the nozzle. This ensures that the distance between the surface position of the substrate edge and the position where the chemical liquid is ejected from the nozzle remains consistent. Here, by controlling the lifting and lowering movement of the nozzle 110 in the substrate thickness direction, the ejection position of the chemical liquid from the nozzle 110 relative to the substrate edge in the substrate thickness direction is controlled. This ensures that the distance between the ejection position of the chemical liquid in the substrate thickness direction and the surface position of the substrate edge remains consistent during nozzle movement, thereby guaranteeing a uniform edge-washing width for the warped substrate edge.

[0097] In summary, from another perspective, edge cleaning methods include the following steps:

[0098] (1) Keep the substrate rotating;

[0099] (2) Based on the rotation angle of the substrate, control the nozzle to continuously spray chemical liquid and control the nozzle to make telescopic movements so that the contact point of the chemical liquid is always kept on the washing edge line of the preset width of the substrate.

[0100] Before the substrate is rotated, the substrate is fixed at a position where the center of the substrate is aligned with the rotation center of the support part, so that the support part carries the substrate and rotates the substrate around the rotation center of the support part.

[0101] In step (2), in some embodiments, the nozzle is controlled to move along the edge of the substrate based on the substrate rotation angle tracked by the angle tracking module 300 and the relationship between the substrate rotation angle and the nozzle extension / retraction amount.

[0102] In other embodiments, the nozzle movement is controlled based on the substrate rotation angle and the relationship between the substrate rotation time and the nozzle movement speed. Specifically, this includes:

[0103] The relationship between the substrate rotation angle and the nozzle extension / retraction amount is obtained by calculating the change in the position of the intersection point of the nozzle and the washing line when the substrate rotation angle changes.

[0104] Based on the relationship between the substrate rotation angle and the nozzle extension / retraction, the derivative of the nozzle extension / retraction is obtained to get the relationship between the substrate rotation time and the nozzle movement speed.

[0105] The substrate rotation time is obtained by tracking the substrate rotation angle by the angle tracking module, and the nozzle movement is controlled by combining the relationship between the substrate rotation time and the nozzle movement speed.

[0106] Here, the control module also calibrates and adjusts the movement position of the nozzle based on the tracking information from the angle tracking module and the relationship between the rotation angle of the substrate and the position of the intersection with the washing line.

[0107] In addition, in one embodiment, in step (2), the nozzle movement is controlled according to the difference between the edge washing width sample value and the preset width to compensate for the edge washing width so that the edge washing width is uniform.

[0108] During the substrate edge washing process, for flat substrates, the control module 800 controls the extension and retraction of the nozzle 110 to ensure that the chemical liquid sprayed from the nozzle has a basically uniform washing width on the substrate edge. However, for warped substrates, during the extension and retraction of the nozzle, it is necessary to simultaneously control the lifting and lowering of the nozzle based on the amount of warpage at the substrate edge (more specifically, based on the amount of warpage of the washing edge line on the substrate) to control the spraying position of the chemical liquid from the nozzle 110 relative to the substrate edge in the substrate thickness direction. This ensures that the liquid application point of the chemical liquid from the nozzle on the washing edge line is consistent with the height difference of the nozzle, thereby guaranteeing a uniform washing width on the substrate. Therefore, during the control of the extension and retraction of the nozzle, the lifting and lowering of the nozzle is also controlled simultaneously, specifically including:

[0109] (a) Based on the preset edge washing width of the substrate, obtain the warping amount of a ring edge washing line of the substrate;

[0110] In this step, the substrate edge warpage information can be acquired by a camera device or a position sensor. Please refer to the relevant description of the edge cleaning device above for specific acquisition methods. Furthermore, the control module determines the substrate edge warpage amount based on the obtained substrate edge warpage information.

[0111] (b) During the process of the nozzle moving along the edge washing line of the rotating substrate through telescopic movement, the nozzle is controlled to rise and fall synchronously according to the obtained warpage, so that the liquid contact point on the edge washing line is consistent with the height difference of the nozzle.

[0112] In this step, the height difference between the liquid application point on the washing line and the nozzle ensures that the distance between the spray position of the chemical liquid from the nozzle and the substrate edge surface position in the substrate thickness direction remains consistent. Specifically, controlling the nozzle lifting and lowering includes:

[0113] The nozzle's height is controlled by adjusting the height of the nozzle's initial position and the warp difference between the current contact point and the initial contact point. In the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the warp difference Δ between the current contact point and the initial contact point is obtained based on the substrate rotation angles Δ1 and Δ2, which correspond to the initial and current positions of the contact points on the substrate surface. h The difference in warping Δ is obtained. h Control the nozzle to raise and lower for edge washing of the substrate.

[0114] Furthermore, based on the warpage curve of the substrate washing line in the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the warpage difference between the current liquid application point and the initial liquid application point is obtained. Combined with the substrate rotation speed, the vertical lifting and lowering movement of the nozzle is controlled. Since the substrate rotation speed varies, the nozzle lifting and lowering speed will change accordingly to control the nozzle at the desired vertical lifting and lowering position. Therefore, different substrate rotation speeds will result in different changes in the nozzle's vertical lifting and lowering speed.

[0115] Further details of this method embodiment can be found in the preceding description of the edge cleaning device, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0116] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in the present invention should still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An edge cleaning device for cleaning the edges of a square substrate, characterized in that, The edge cleaning device comprises: a nozzle adapted to spray a chemical liquid to clean the edge of a substrate; a supporting table for supporting and rotating the substrate; the edge cleaning device is configured to control the nozzle to move along the edge of the substrate by telescopic movement while the substrate is rotating, so that the landing point of the chemical liquid from the nozzle is always kept on a preset width of the edge cleaning line.

2. The edge cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate is provided with the nozzle on both the front and back surfaces, respectively, for cleaning the edge of the substrate on both the front and back surfaces.

3. The edge cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein, the edge cleaning device is further configured to compensate the position of the nozzle according to the difference between the sampling value of the sampling point of the edge cleaning width and the preset width during the rotation of the substrate.

4. The edge cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the edge cleaning device further comprises a control module and an angle tracking module, the angle tracking module is used to track the rotation angle of the substrate, and the control module is used to control the movement of the nozzle according to the tracking information of the angle tracking module.

5. The edge cleaning apparatus of claim 4, wherein, the control module controls the movement of the nozzle according to the tracking information of the angle tracking module, which comprises: obtaining the relationship between the rotation angle of the substrate and the telescopic amount of the nozzle according to the position change of the intersection point of the nozzle and the edge cleaning line when the rotation angle of the substrate changes; controlling the movement of the nozzle along the edge of the substrate according to the rotation angle of the substrate tracked by the angle tracking module and the relationship between the rotation angle of the substrate and the telescopic amount of the nozzle.

6. The edge cleaning apparatus of claim 4, wherein the control module controls the movement of the nozzle according to the tracking information of the angle tracking module, which comprises: obtaining the relationship between the rotation angle of the substrate and the telescopic amount of the nozzle according to the position change of the intersection point of the nozzle and the edge cleaning line when the rotation angle of the substrate changes; deriving the telescopic amount of the nozzle to obtain the relationship between the rotation time of the substrate and the movement speed of the nozzle; controlling the movement of the nozzle according to the rotation time of the substrate obtained from the rotation angle of the substrate tracked by the angle tracking module and the relationship between the rotation time of the substrate and the movement speed of the nozzle.

7. The edge cleaning apparatus of claim 6, wherein the control module is further used to calibrate and adjust the movement position of the nozzle according to the position change of the intersection point of the nozzle and the edge cleaning line when the rotation angle of the substrate changes.

8. The edge cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein, the edge cleaning device is further configured to control the nozzle to be synchronously raised and lowered according to the warping amount of the edge cleaning line when the nozzle moves along the edge cleaning line of the substrate which keeps rotating, so that the height difference between the landing point of the chemical liquid from the nozzle on the edge cleaning line and the nozzle is kept consistent.

9. The edge cleaning apparatus of claim 8, wherein, the edge cleaning device further comprises a detection unit for detecting information related to the warping amount of the edge of the substrate.

10. The edge cleaning apparatus of claim 9, wherein, the detection unit is a camera device or a position sensor.

11. The edge cleaning apparatus of claim 10, wherein, the camera device is configured to take images of the substrate at the same height when the substrate rotates one round.

12. The edge cleaning apparatus of claim 8, wherein, the camera device is configured to take images of the whole substrate which keeps still.

13. The edge cleaning apparatus of claim 8, wherein, the position sensor is configured to measure the distance between the edge cleaning line of the substrate and the position sensor at the same height when the substrate rotates one round.

14. The edge cleaning apparatus of any of claims 8 to 13, wherein, the edge cleaning device is further configured to obtain the warping amount of the edge cleaning line according to the preset edge cleaning width and the information related to the warping amount of the edge of the substrate.

15. The edge cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the supporting table supports the substrate, the center of the substrate is aligned with the rotation center of the supporting table.

16. An edge cleaning method, characterized in that: the substrate keeps rotating; According to the rotation angle of the substrate, the chemical liquid is continuously sprayed by the nozzle, and the nozzle is controlled to move in and out to keep the landing point of the chemical liquid on the preset width of the substrate.

17. The edge cleaning method according to claim 16, wherein The step of controlling the nozzle movement according to the rotation angle of the substrate includes controlling the nozzle movement position according to the relationship between the rotation angle of the substrate and the in-out amount of the nozzle to determine the landing point position of the chemical liquid.

18. The edge cleaning method according to claim 17, wherein, The relationship between the rotation angle of the substrate and the in-out amount of the nozzle is calculated in the following way: According to the position change of the intersection point of the nozzle and the edge line when the rotation angle of the substrate changes, the relationship between the rotation angle of the substrate and the in-out amount of the nozzle is obtained.

19. The edge cleaning method of claim 16, wherein, The difference between the sampling value of the edge width and the preset width is used to control the movement of the in-out nozzle, and the edge width is compensated to make the edge width uniform.

20. The edge cleaning method of claim 16, wherein, The step of controlling the nozzle movement according to the rotation angle of the substrate includes: According to the position change of the intersection point of the nozzle and the edge line when the rotation angle of the substrate changes, the relationship between the rotation angle of the substrate and the in-out amount of the nozzle is obtained. The derivative of the in-out amount of the nozzle is obtained, and the relationship between the rotation time of the substrate and the movement speed of the nozzle is obtained. According to the rotation angle of the substrate tracked by the angle tracking module, the rotation time of the substrate is obtained, and the relationship between the rotation time of the substrate and the movement speed of the nozzle is used to control the movement of the nozzle.

21. The edge cleaning method according to claim 20, wherein, According to the position change of the intersection point of the nozzle and the edge line when the rotation angle of the substrate changes, the movement position of the nozzle is adjusted.

22. The edge cleaning method of claim 16, wherein, During the control of the in-out movement of the nozzle, the lifting of the nozzle is also controlled synchronously, including: According to the preset edge width of the substrate, the warping amount of the edge line of the substrate is obtained. During the movement of the nozzle along the edge line of the substrate by in-out movement, the lifting of the nozzle is controlled synchronously according to the warping amount of the edge line, so that the height difference between the landing point of the chemical liquid from the nozzle and the nozzle on the edge line is consistent.

23. The edge cleaning method of claim 22, wherein, According to the preset edge width of the substrate, and by shooting the image of the substrate rotating one circle at the same height, the warping amount of the edge line in the image is obtained.

24. The edge cleaning method of claim 22, wherein, According to the preset edge width of the substrate, and by shooting the image of the substrate rotating one circle at the same height, the warping amount of the edge line in the image is obtained.

25. The edge cleaning method of claim 22, wherein, According to the preset edge width of the substrate, and the distance between the edge line and the position sensor detected by the position sensor, the warping amount of the edge line is obtained.

26. The edge cleaning method of claim 22, wherein, The lifting of the nozzle includes: The starting position of the nozzle edge is determined, and the lifting of the nozzle is controlled according to the warping amount difference between the current landing point and the starting position landing point.

27. The edge cleaning method of claim 26, wherein, The lifting of the nozzle is controlled according to the warping amount difference between the current landing point and the starting position landing point, including: according to the warping amount difference between the current landing point and the starting position landing point, and the rotation speed of the substrate, the lifting of the nozzle is controlled.

28. The edge cleaning method of claim 22, wherein, The front and back edges of the substrate are cleaned by using the nozzles located on the front and back of the substrate respectively.

29. The edge cleaning method of claim 16, wherein, Before the edge processing of the substrate, the substrate is fixed to a position where the center of the substrate is aligned with the rotation center of the substrate.

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