Substrate Cleaning Brush Grooves for Damage-Free Contaminant Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate cleaning methods face challenges in efficiently removing foreign substances from the back side surface of substrates without damaging the substrate and in effectively discharging contaminated liquids, leading to potential re-contamination.
Innovation Solution
A substrate treating apparatus with a brush unit featuring a circular-shaped body and contact pads with groove portions for discharging foreign substances, where the groove width varies from the center to the edge, and contact protrusions within the grooves, designed to minimize substrate damage and facilitate easy discharge of contaminants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a brush contacts the back side surface of the substrate to remove foreign substances, then cleaning efficiency is improved, but the substrate may be damaged (e.g., scratches generated)
Solution Approach 1:
The brush is divided into multiple contact pads with groove portions between them, allowing segmented contact with the substrate. This segmentation enables effective cleaning while reducing localized pressure and potential damage to the substrate surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact pads are made of a first material and the groove portions are filled with a second material having different properties. This local quality differentiation allows the contact pads to provide cleaning force while the groove material protects the substrate from damage, resolving the contradiction between cleaning efficiency and substrate protection.
2Productivity
If a brush contacts the back side surface of the substrate to remove foreign substances, then foreign substances are separated from the substrate, but contaminated liquid is trapped between the brush and substrate causing re-contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The groove portions between the contact pads are designed to extract and discharge contaminated liquid from the contact area. The groove portions act as channels that actively remove the contaminated liquid, preventing it from being trapped and causing re-contamination of the substrate.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove portions are filled with a second material that has different properties from the contact pads, specifically designed to facilitate liquid discharge. This local quality differentiation creates regions optimized for different functions: contact pads for cleaning and groove portions for liquid removal, thereby preventing re-contamination.
Data Source
AI summary
The inventive concept provides a substrate treating apparatus. The substrate treating apparatus includes a housing having a treating space; a support unit configured to support a substrate in the treating space; and a brush unit configured to clean the substrate supported on the support unit, and wherein the brush unit includes: a body having a circular-shaped cross-section; and a plurality of contact pads protruding from the body and defining a plurality of groove portions for discharging foreign substances dropped from a substrate, each groove portion defined between adjacent contact pads, and wherein a width of the groove portion near a center of the body is different from a width of the groove portion near an edge of the body.