Substrate Cleaning Brush With Capillary Droplet Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Droplets adhering to a cleaning brush during substrate cleaning can splash onto the substrate, degrading its cleanliness.
Innovation Solution
A substrate cleaning device and method that includes a removable and a cleaning brush, where the brush and remover come close to each other to transfer droplets to the remover before cleaning the substrate, using a hydrophilic material and capillary action to facilitate droplet transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the cleaning brush is moved from the waiting position to the cleaning position, then the substrate cleaning operation can be performed, but droplets adhering to the cleaning brush may fall and be splashed on the substrate surface, degrading cleanliness
Solution Approach 1:
The remover is positioned to receive droplets from the cleaning brush before the brush contacts the substrate. This preliminary removal action prevents droplets from being splashed onto the substrate during the subsequent cleaning operation, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining productivity and preventing harmful droplet splashing.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a remover is added to transfer droplets from the cleaning brush, then droplet splashing on the substrate is prevented, but the device configuration becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The remover acts as an intermediary component between the cleaning brush and the substrate. It receives droplets from the cleaning brush through capillary action and transfers them to a collection container, preventing direct splashing onto the substrate. This intermediary approach effectively prevents harmful droplet transfer while adding only a single simple component to the system.
3Reliability
If the cleaning brush is cleaned with rinse liquid at the waiting position, then the cleaning brush is refreshed for the next cleaning operation, but droplets adhering to the brush during movement may still splash on the substrate
Solution Approach 1:
The remover extracts droplets from the cleaning brush surface at the waiting position before the brush moves to clean the substrate. By removing the harmful droplets in advance, the system maintains the reliability of the cleaning brush being ready for operation while preventing the harmful effect of droplet splashing during the movement phase.
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 device achieves higher cleanliness levels by preventing droplet splashing on the substrate, maintaining a simple configuration, and minimizing device size and complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a remover 70 that is configured such that liquid is transferrable to the remover
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate cleaning device includes a substrate holder that holds a substrate, a cleaning brush that is provided to be movable between a cleaning position for cleaning the substrate held by the substrate holder and a waiting position outward of the substrate held by the substrate holder, and has a cleaning surface capable of cleaning the substrate held by the substrate holder, a remover that is configured such that liquid is transferrable to the remover, and a driver that moves at least one of the cleaning brush and the remover with respect to another one such that at least part of liquid adhering to the cleaning surface is transferred to the remover when the cleaning surface and the remover come close to each other at a position outward of a position above the substrate held by the substrate holder, before the substrate is cleaned by the cleaning brush.