Substrate Cleaning Device With Offset Cleaner Axis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate cleaning devices face challenges in reducing their footprint while effectively cleaning the lower surface of substrates without causing cross-contamination among multiple substrates.
Innovation Solution
A substrate cleaning device with a first holder maintaining the substrate's center at a reference position, a second holder rotating the substrate about a center axis, and a cleaner rotating about a second center axis to clean the lower-surface center and outer regions, with a mobile base moving to align the cleaner with different portions of the substrate to minimize footprint and prevent cross-contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If the substrate is moved horizontally to clean the lower surface, then the cleaning coverage is improved, but the footprint of the cleaning device increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving the substrate horizontally to achieve cleaning coverage, the patent inverts the approach by keeping the substrate stationary and moving the cleaner assembly horizontally. The cleaner assembly includes a cleaner that contacts the lower surface and a mobile base that moves the cleaner along the substrate, thereby achieving full cleaning coverage without requiring the substrate to be displaced, thus maintaining a compact footprint.
2Measurement precision
If the cleaner rotates about the center axis to clean the lower-surface center region, then the cleaning precision is improved, but cross-contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning the rotation axis of the cleaner offset from the center axis of the substrate. When the cleaner rotates about its own axis, it cleans the lower-surface center region without the rotation axis coinciding with the substrate center. This asymmetric arrangement prevents contaminants from adhering to the holder at the substrate center, thereby eliminating cross-contamination while maintaining high cleaning precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If the mobile base moves to align the cleaner with different portions of the substrate, then the cleaning completeness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cleaning function with the mobile base by integrating the cleaner and its drive mechanism into a single movable assembly. The mobile base includes a moving mechanism that horizontally displaces the cleaner assembly along the substrate, allowing one integrated structure to perform both support and cleaning operations across different substrate portions, thereby achieving complete cleaning coverage without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A lower-surface center region of a substrate held by a first holder is cleaned by a cleaner. A lower-surface outer region of the substrate rotated by a second holder is cleaned by the cleaner. A mobile base provided with the second holder and the cleaner is moved in a horizontal plane such that a reference position of the first holder coincides with a center axis of the second holder in a plan view when the substrate is received and transferred between the first holder and the second holder, and is moved in the horizontal plane such that the cleaner overlaps with the lower-surface center region of the substrate held by the first holder and a center axis of the cleaner coincides with a first portion different from a center of the substrate in the plan view when the lower-surface center region is cleaned.