Substrate cleaning apparatus, substrate cleaning method, and substrate processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11285517-B2
Application number	US-202016739511-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2020
Priority date	Feb 18, 2015
Publication date	Mar 29, 2022
Grant date	Mar 29, 2022

Abstract

A substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning a substrate while rotating the substrate and placing a cleaning member in contact with the rotating substrate is disclosed. The substrate cleaning apparatus comprises: a self-cleaning member mounted to an arm supporting the cleaning member, the self-cleaning member being configured to come into contact with the cleaning member to perform self-cleaning of the cleaning member; and a moving mechanism mounted to the arm supporting the cleaning member, the moving mechanism being configured to move the self-cleaning member between a position where the self-cleaning member is in contact with the cleaning member and a position where the self-cleaning member is separated from the cleaning member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate cleaning apparatus comprising:
a substrate holding mechanism configured to hold and rotate a substrate;
a cleaning-liquid supply nozzle configured to supply a cleaning liquid onto the substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism;
a roll cleaning tool configured to clean the substrate by rubbing the substrate in the presence of the cleaning liquid; and
a suction system coupled to the roll cleaning tool and configured to suck the cleaning liquid from the substrate through the roll cleaning tool while the roll cleaning tool is cleaning the substrate,
wherein the suctions system includes:
a cleaning liquid suction pipe coupled to the roll cleaning tool; and
a vacuum line coupled to the cleaning liquid suction pipe.

2. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the suction system further includes:
a suction valve attached to the cleaning liquid suction pipe.

3. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a controller configured to control operation of the suction valve, the controller being configured to keep the suction valve open during cleaning of the substrate with the roll cleaning tool.

4. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the roll cleaning tool includes a shaft and a sponge member that covers a peripheral surface of the shaft;
the shaft has a main flow passage extending in the shaft, a plurality of openings formed in the peripheral surface of the shaft, and a plurality of branch flow passages providing fluid communication between the main flow passage and the plurality of openings; and
the cleaning liquid suction pipe is coupled to the main flow passage.

5. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising an inner rinsing liquid supply line coupled to the cleaning liquid suction pipe, a connection point between the cleaning liquid suction pipe and the inner rinsing liquid supply line being located between the suction valve and the roll cleaning tool.

6. A substrate cleaning method comprising:
supplying a cleaning liquid onto a substrate from a cleaning-liquid supply nozzle and rubbing a roll cleaning tool against the substrate in the presence of the cleaning liquid to clean the substrate, and
sucking the cleaning liquid from the substrate through the roll cleaning tool while the roll cleaning tool is cleaning the substrate, by use of a suction system coupled to the roll cleaning tool.

7. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a polishing unit configured to polish a substrate; and
a substrate cleaning apparatus configured to clean the substrate that has been polished by the polishing unit,
wherein the substrate cleaning apparatus includes:
a substrate holding mechanism configured to hold and rotate the substrate;
a cleaning-liquid supply nozzle configured to supply a cleaning liquid onto the substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism;
a roll cleaning tool configured to clean the substrate by rubbing the substrate in the presence of the cleaning liquid; and
a suction system coupled to the roll cleaning tool and configured to suck the cleaning liquid from the substrate through the roll cleaning tool while the roll cleaning tool is cleaning the substrate, by use of a suction system coupled to the roll cleaning tool, and
wherein the suctions system includes:
a cleaning liquid suction pipe coupled to the roll cleaning tool; and
a vacuum line coupled to the cleaning liquid suction pipe.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the suction system further includes a suction valve attached to the cleaning liquid suction pipe.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the suction system further includes a gas-liquid separation tank attached to the vacuum line.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the suction system further includes a gas-liquid separation tank attached to the vacuum line.

Assignees

• Ebara Corp

Inventors

• Tanaka Hideaki

Classifications

• H10P72/0412 Primary

  using mainly scrubbing means, e.g. brushes · CPC title

• H10P70/20

  Cleaning during device manufacture · CPC title

• B08B1/36

  rotating about an axis orthogonal to the surface · CPC title

• B08B1/54

  using mechanical tools · CPC title

• B08B1/52

  using fluids · CPC title