Foreign substance removal apparatus and foreign substance detection apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016296982-A1
Application number	US-201615089680-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 4, 2016
Priority date	Apr 9, 2015
Publication date	Oct 13, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus for removing at least one foreign substance includes a detection unit detecting the at least one foreign substance adhered to a holding surface of a suction holding unit configured to suck and hold a substrate, a removal unit removing the at least one foreign substance adhered to the holding surface using fluid, and a movement mechanism configured to move the detection unit and the removal unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for removing at least one foreign substance, comprising:
a detection unit detecting the at least one foreign substance adhered to a holding surface of a suction holding unit configured to suck and hold a substrate; a removal unit removing the at least one foreign substance adhered to the holding surface using fluid; and a movement mechanism configured to move the detection unit and the removal unit.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the holding surface is rotatable; and the movement mechanism moves the detection unit and the removal unit toward an outer peripheral portion of the holding surface from a central portion of the holding surface.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein:
the movement mechanism causes the detection unit and the removal unit to be reciprocated between an outer peripheral portion of the suction holding unit and a central portion of the suction holding unit; and the detection unit is disposed frontward in an advancing direction in an outward path of the reciprocating, and the removal unit is disposed rearward in the advancing direction.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising a control unit determining whether a residue after removal of the at least one foreign substance is present, based on a result detected by the detection unit in a return path of the reciprocating.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein:
the removal unit comprises an ejection part that selectively ejects one of gas and liquid to the holding surface; and the control unit controls the reciprocating to be performed for the first time while the gas is ejected from the ejection part, and controls the reciprocating to be performed for the second time while the liquid is ejected from the ejection part when the residue after removal of the at least one foreign substance is determined to be present during the reciprocating.

6 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein, when a foreign substance having a height exceeding a distance from the holding surface to the removal unit is detected by the detection unit in the outward path of the reciprocating, the control unit stops movement of the detection unit and the removal unit by the movement mechanism.

7 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the movement mechanism allows movement speeds of the detection unit and the removal unit in the central portion of the suction holding unit to be faster than those in the outer peripheral portion of the suction holding unit.

8 . An apparatus for removing at least one foreign substance, comprising:
an ejection part ejecting a fluid to a holding surface of a suction holding unit configured to suck and hold a substrate; and a suction part disposed adjacent to the ejection part so as to suck the fluid.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the suction part has a suction port having an opening area greater than that of an ejection port formed in the ejection part.

10 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:
the holding surface of the suction holding unit is rotatable; and the suction part is disposed more frontward than the ejection part in a direction of rotation of the holding surface.

11 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the ejection part ejects the fluid to the holding surface in a direction inclined to the holding surface and biased to the suction part.

12 . The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:
a movement mechanism configured to move the ejection part and the suction part; and a pre-suction part which is disposed more frontward than the ejection part and the suction part in an advancing direction by the movement mechanism, so as to suck the fluid.

13 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the pre-suction part has a suction port installed at a position that is further spaced from the holding surface than an ejection port formed in the ejection part and a suction port formed in the suction part.

14 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein each of an ejection port formed in the ejection part and a suction port formed in the suction part has a slit shape that extends in a movement direction by the movement mechanism.

15 . The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a charge-neutralizing part configured to ionize the fluid.

16 . An apparatus for detecting at least one foreign substance, comprising:
a light projecting part irradiating a holding surface of a suction holding unit, configured to suck and hold a substrate, with light in a direction inclined to the holding surface; and a light receiving part receiving a reflection light of the light, emitted to the holding surface, from a direction inclined to the holding surface.

17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:
the holding surface is covered by a film; the light projecting part irradiates the film with light; and the light receiving part receives the reflection light of the light emitted to the film.

18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the light receiving part is positioned such that, when no foreign substance is present in a range in which the holding surface is irradiated with the light, the light receiving part receives the light reflected from the film, and such that, when a foreign substance having a predetermined shape is present in the range in which the holding surface is irradiated with the light, the light receiving part does not receive the light reflected from the film.

19 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the light projection part comprises a plurality of light emitting devices arranged in an annular form around the light receiving part.

20 . The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising:
a movement mechanism configured to horizontally move the light projecting part and the light receiving part; and a control unit configured to control the movement mechanism so as to move the light projecting part and the light receiving part from one of an outer peripheral portion and a central portion of the rotating holding surface to the other thereof.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Hirakawa Osamu
• Otsuka Yoshitaka

Classifications

• H10P72/0616

  Monitoring of warpages, curvatures, damages, defects or the like · CPC title

• H10P72/0604

  Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0406

  for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like · CPC title

• B08B7/04 Primary

  by a combination of operations · CPC title

• B08B2203/0229

  Suction chambers for aspirating the sprayed liquid · CPC title