Movable Cleaning Unit for Wafer Tank Wall Decontamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foreign substances adhering to the inner walls of wafer cleaning tanks can contaminate new solutions and reduce wafer cleaning efficiency, as existing methods do not effectively remove these substances during the draining process.
Innovation Solution
A wafer cleaning apparatus with a movable cleaning unit equipped with injection pipes and a control system that descends to inject cleaning solutions onto the tank walls, ensuring thorough removal of foreign substances after solution drainage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If the cleaning solution is drained to the lower portion of the cleaning tank, then the cleaning solution can be removed from the tank, but foreign substances remain adhered to the inner wall and contaminate new solutions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by injecting cleaning solution onto the inner wall of the cleaning tank before draining the main cleaning solution. This preliminary cleaning action removes foreign substances from the inner wall that would otherwise remain and contaminate new solutions. The cleaning unit descends to the lower portion of the tank and喷射 cleaning solution upward along the inner wall, ensuring that even areas that will be drained are pre-cleaned of adhered contaminants.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies inversion by changing the conventional approach of only draining solution from the bottom. Instead, it introduces a cleaning unit that moves to the lower portion and injects cleaning solution upward along the inner wall, cleaning from the bottom upward. This reverse cleaning direction ensures that foreign substances adhered to the lower inner wall portions are removed, preventing contamination of new solutions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a cleaning unit is added to inject cleaning solution onto the inner wall, then foreign substances can be removed, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning unit is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a cleaning device and as a movable platform. The same cleaning unit that injects cleaning solution onto the inner wall can be controlled to move up and down within the tank, potentially serving multiple cleaning zones. This multi-functional design reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby minimizing the increase in device complexity while achieving effective foreign substance removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning unit is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically position itself at different locations within the cleaning tank. The cleaning unit can descend to the lower portion for targeted cleaning and then return to upper positions. This dynamic capability enables a single cleaning unit to service multiple areas of the tank inner wall, reducing the need for multiple fixed cleaning devices and thus limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
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
Enhances wafer cleaning efficiency by effectively removing residual foreign substances from the tank walls, preventing contamination and improving the overall cleaning process.
Implementation Method 1
a cleaning unit (400) installed to be capable of moving upward or downward into the cleaning tank (100), and configured to inject a cleaning solution onto an inner wall of the cleaning tank (100)
Data Source
AI summary
A wafer cleaning apparatus may include a cleaning tank, a support part and a cleaning unit installed to be capable of moving upward or downward into the cleaning tank, and configured to inject a cleaning solution onto an inner wall of the cleaning tank. The cleaning unit may include an injection pipe disposed adjacent to the inner wall of the cleaning tank and having a plurality of injection holes, and an injection nozzle coupled to the injection pipe and formed to be inclined such that a diameter of the injection hole decreases in a direction from the injection pipe toward the cleaning tank.