Substrate Cleaning Apparatus Rear Support Warpage Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate cleaning apparatuses face challenges in preventing substrate warpage during cleaning, leading to uneven cleaning characteristics and reduced throughput due to the warping caused by the weight of the substrate and the pressing force of the cleaning member, especially for larger substrates.
Innovation Solution
The substrate cleaning apparatus employs a combination of outer circumference supporting members and an elongated supporting member that extends to the center of the substrate, along with a swing cleaning member that oscillates between peripheral positions, to prevent warpage by providing additional support and maintaining consistent pressure, while the cleaning sponge's design allows for deformation to follow substrate tilts and prevent back contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a substrate is placed flat in the horizontal direction for cleaning, then the substrate can be easily accessed by the cleaning member, but the substrate becomes warped into a concave shape due to its own weight, especially as substrate diameter increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a vertical support dimension by placing support members at the rear surface of the substrate. This adds a third dimension (depth/vertical support) to the traditionally two-dimensional horizontal placement, allowing the substrate to be supported from both front and rear surfaces simultaneously, thereby preventing warpage while maintaining ease of cleaning access.
Solution Approach 2:
The support members act as intermediaries between the substrate and the cleaning system. These support members transfer and distribute the substrate's weight and the cleaning member's pressing force, preventing direct transmission of forces that would cause warpage. The support members mediate the mechanical interaction to maintain substrate flatness.
2Manufacturing precision
If the pressing force by the cleaning member is strengthened to improve cleaning in the central portion, then cleaning characteristic improves, but the corner of the cleaning member contacts the outer circumferential portion causing back contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by positioning support members specifically at the rear surface to provide localized support where needed. This localized support structure allows for differentiated force distribution - enabling stronger pressing force in the central portion without causing excessive contact at the outer circumferential portion, thus improving cleaning uniformity while preventing back contamination.
3Productivity
If a substrate becomes warped, then cleaning can be performed, but a variation in cleaning characteristic occurs between the central portion and the outer circumferential portion, reducing throughput and increasing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates equipotentiality in terms of force distribution by strategically positioning support members at the rear surface. This ensures that the substrate experiences relatively uniform support forces across its surface, counteracting the warping effects of gravity and cleaning pressure. The result is consistent cleaning characteristics across the entire substrate surface, maintaining high throughput without sacrificing cleaning quality.
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
This configuration effectively prevents substrate warpage, ensures uniform cleaning characteristics across the substrate, and maintains consistent pressure to prevent material waste and increase processing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a substrate is placed flat in the horizontal direction, a scrubbing solution is discharged by centrifugal force generated by rotating the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate cleaning apparatus includes outer circumference supporting members 32 that support the outer circumference of a rotating substrate W, a swing cleaning member 34 that swings between a first peripheral position B and a second peripheral position B′ of the substrate W while passing a center portion A of the substrate W to clean a front surface of the rotating substrate W, and an elongated supporting member 36 that extends long from a third peripheral position C to a fourth peripheral position C′ of the substrate W so as to pass the center portion A and supports the rear surface of the rotating substrate W. The first peripheral position B is disposed between a position D of the outer circumference supporting member 32 of the plurality of outer circumference supporting members 32 and closest to the third peripheral position C and the third peripheral position C.