Substrate Cleaning with Balanced Dual-Surface Pressing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing apparatuses face challenges in strongly cleaning substrates due to the difficulty in applying a strong force without bending the substrate, which limits the effectiveness of surface cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus is designed with a substrate holder, a first cleaning body, a first moving mechanism, a second cleaning body, a second moving mechanism, and a controller. The apparatus performs a both-surface cleaning processing by synchronizing the horizontal movement of the first cleaning body, which ejects fluid or comes into contact with one surface, and the second cleaning body, which comes into contact with the remaining surface, allowing for balanced pressing forces on both surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a single cleaning body is used to clean one surface of the substrate, then the cleaning force can be concentrated on that surface, but the substrate may bend or deflect making it difficult to apply strong cleaning force
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is divided into two separate cleaning bodies: a first cleaning body that cleans the upper surface of the substrate and a second cleaning body that cleans the lower surface. This segmentation allows each cleaning body to apply force independently without causing substrate deflection, as the forces are balanced on opposite sides.
Solution Approach 2:
The second cleaning body acting on the lower surface provides a counterbalancing force to the first cleaning body acting on the upper surface. This counterweight effect prevents substrate bending by distributing the cleaning forces evenly across both surfaces, enabling stronger and more effective cleaning.
2Productivity
If both surfaces of the substrate are cleaned simultaneously, then cleaning efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases due to need for synchronized movement mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The first and second moving mechanisms are controlled to move in synchronization, effectively merging their operations. The controller coordinates both cleaning bodies to move together, maintaining consistent spacing and ensuring both surfaces are cleaned simultaneously without requiring complex independent control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Both cleaning bodies are designed with similar structures and functions, allowing them to perform the same cleaning task on different surfaces. This universality simplifies the overall system design, as the same type of mechanism can be used for both upper and lower surface cleaning.
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 approach enables strong cleaning of substrates by maintaining equal pressing forces on both surfaces, preventing substrate deflection and allowing for more effective cleaning compared to single-surface cleaning methods.
Implementation Method 1
The first cleaning body cleans one surface of an upper surface and a lower surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder by ejecting fluid thereto
Implementation Method 2
The first cleaning body cleans one surface of an upper surface and a lower surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder by ejecting fluid thereto or by coming into contact therewith
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing method includes: performing a both-surface cleaning processing in which a first cleaning body, which ejects the fluid to the one surface or is brought into contact with the one surface, and subsequently moves both the first cleaning body and a second cleaning body, which is in contact with the remaining surface of the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate and rotated around a first vertical axis, horizontally in synchronization with each other toward an outer peripheral portion of the substrate, and performing a side end cleaning processing in which a third cleaning body is rotated around a second vertical axis and brought into contact with the side end of the substrate to clean the side end of the substrate while simultaneously performing the both-surface cleaning processing.