Cleaning Apparatus Cover Unit for Rear-End Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cleaning apparatuses fail to completely prevent the adhesion of cleaning liquid to the rear-end unit of holding members, leading to insufficient drying due to the inability to effectively eliminate droplets with gas sprays.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning apparatus with a cover unit that performs a back-and-forth operation to cover the rear-end unit, preventing the adhesion of cleaning liquid droplets during the cleaning process by sealing the area with a seal member and ensuring complete drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cleaning liquid is sprayed to the holding unit to clean substrates, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but cleaning liquid droplets adhere to the rear-end unit causing insufficient drying
Solution Approach 1:
A cover unit is introduced as an intermediary component that physically blocks the rear-end unit during cleaning operations. The cover unit prevents cleaning liquid droplets from reaching and adhering to the rear-end unit, while allowing the cleaning process to continue effectively on the holding unit. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by isolating the problematic area without compromising the cleaning function.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding member is divided into two distinct functional zones: the holding unit with holding grooves for substrates, and the rear-end unit without holding grooves. By segmenting the structure and applying different treatments (cleaning to holding unit, covering to rear-end unit), the system addresses the specific problem of droplet adhesion in the rear-end area while maintaining effective cleaning in the holding area.
2Productivity
If gas spray is used to dry the holding member, then drying capability is improved, but droplets on the rear-end unit cannot be completely eliminated
Solution Approach 1:
The cover unit is deployed before the cleaning and drying operations to prevent droplet adhesion to the rear-end unit in the first place. This preliminary protective action eliminates the need for extensive drying efforts on the rear-end unit, as no droplets are present to begin with. The gas spray can then focus entirely on the holding unit where droplets are actually present.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover unit serves as a physical barrier that mediates between the cleaning liquid spray and the rear-end unit. By blocking droplet deposition on the rear-end unit, the cover unit makes the gas spray drying process more effective and complete, as there are no residual droplets on the covered surface to prevent thorough drying.
3Device complexity
If the rear-end unit is exposed during cleaning, then cleaning process simplicity is maintained, but droplet adhesion occurs making drying difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cover unit is designed to be movable rather than fixed, capable of opening and closing based on operational requirements. During cleaning operations, the cover unit closes to protect the rear-end unit. During other operations, it can open to maintain simplicity. This dynamic approach adds minimal complexity while significantly improving drying effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover unit provides localized protection only to the rear-end unit, leaving the holding unit exposed and accessible for cleaning. This localized approach maintains simplicity in the cleaning process for the primary functional area while providing targeted protection where needed, without requiring complete enclosure or complex modifications to the entire system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents the adhesion of cleaning liquid droplets to the rear-end unit, ensuring thorough drying and preventing droplet residue, even in areas where drying is difficult.
Implementation Method 1
a cleaning liquid supply nozzle that sprays a cleaning liquid toward a holding unit
Implementation Method 2
a gas supply nozzle that sprays a gas toward the holding member... a dry out process for the holding member is performed by spraying the gas from the gas supply nozzle
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a cleaning apparatus capable of cleaning a holding unit of a holding member that holds a substrate. The cleaning apparatus is configured to prevent a cleaning liquid from adhering to a rear-end unit of the holding member where a drying is difficult to be done, while a cleaning process is performed by spraying the cleaning liquid to the holding unit. Also disclosed are a substrate processing system that incorporates the cleaning apparatus, a cleaning method based on the cleaning apparatus, a program to perform the cleaning method, and a storage medium to store the program. The cleaning apparatus is equipped with a cleaning unit that cleans the holding unit by spraying the cleaning liquid to the holding unit, and a cover unit that covers the rear-end unit by making a back-and-forth operation with respect to the holding member.