Substrate cleaning apparatus, substrate cleaning method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9947556-B2
Application number	US-201414321054-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2014
Priority date	Jul 23, 2013
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

There are provided first and second cleaning members which are configured to clean a central zone in a rear surface of a wafer when the wafer held by an absorption pad is horizontally held, and configured to clean a peripheral zone in the rear surface of the wafer when the wafer is held by the spin chuck. Due to the provision of the first and second cleaning members, detergency can be improved as compared with a case in which only one cleaning member is used. The first and second cleaning members are configured to be horizontally turned by a common turning shaft. When the central zone in the rear surface of the wafer is cleaned, the turning shaft is located to be overlapped with the wafer. Since the turning shaft is located by using the moving area of the wafer, a size of an apparatus can be reduced.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate cleaning apparatus configured to clean a rear surface of a circular substrate, comprising:
a control unit for controlling operations of the substrate cleaning apparatus;
a first absorbing and holding unit configured to be horizontally movable while horizontally absorbing and holding a zone that does not overlap with a central portion in the rear surface of the substrate;
a second absorbing and holding unit configured to be rotated about a vertical axis while horizontally absorbing and holding the central portion in the rear surface of the substrate;
a first cleaning member and a second cleaning member that are laterally spaced apart from each other on a turning mechanism, the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member being configured to be in contact with the zone including the central portion in the rear surface of the substrate so as to clean the same, when the substrate is held by the first absorbing and holding unit, and being configured to be in contact with a zone other than the central portion in the rear surface of the substrate so as to clean the same, when the substrate is held by the second absorbing and holding unit;
the turning mechanism configured to horizontally turn the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member along turning radii, respectively, by a common turning shaft, when the rear surface of the substrate is cleaned;
an elevation mechanism configured to move upward or downward the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member; and
a cleaning-liquid supply unit configured to supply a cleaning liquid onto the rear surface of the substrate, when the rear surface of the substrate is cleaned by the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member;
wherein the turning shaft is located to be overlapped with the substrate, at least when the zone including the central portion in the rear surface of the substrate is cleaned, and
wherein, the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member are arranged on the turning mechanism, with each respective cleaning member having a driving mechanism that is connected to the turning mechanism, such that each of the cleaning members can be individually rotated about a vertical axis, and when the substrate held by the second absorbing and holding unit is rotated, in a plan view, one of the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member is at a first cleaning position located at a center other than the central portion in the rear surface of the substrate and the other of the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member is located at a periphery in the rear surface of the substrate on one side of a right side and a left side relative to a rotating axis of the second absorbing and holding unit, the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member are turned and moved by the turning mechanism toward the other side along the turning radii until the one of the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member is at a second cleaning position located at the periphery in the rear surface of the substrate on the other side of the right side and the left side relative to the rotating axis of the second absorbing and holding unit and the other of the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member is located at the center other than the central portion in the rear surface of the substrate, so that the first and second cleaning positions and the respective movement therebetween of the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member clean the whole zone other than the central portion in the rear surface of the substrate.

2. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the turning radii of the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member are shorter than a radius of the substrate.

3. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member start to turn from the one side toward the other side, the one of the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member is located on a line connecting the turning shaft and the rotating axis of the second absorbing and holding unit, and
when the turning is finished, the other of the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member is located on the line.

4. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member are of types different from each other.

5. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the turning mechanism includes a planar body disposed on the turning shaft to extend along a circumferential direction thereof, and
the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member are disposed on the planar body.

6. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second cleaning members each have a center, and the turning radii of the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member is a radius having a length of a line connecting the centers of the first and second cleaning members, respectively, to a turning center of the turning mechanism, such that the turning radii of the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member have the same radius.

7. A substrate cleaning method for cleaning a rear surface of a circular substrate, comprising:
using a turning mechanism configured to horizontally turn a first cleaning member and a second cleaning member along turning radii, respectively, by a common turning shaft;
horizontally absorbing and holding a zone that does not overlap with a central portion in the rear surface of the substrate by a first absorbing and holding unit, and turning the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member in contact with the zone including the central portion in the rear surface of the substrate so as to clean the zone, while supplying a cleaning liquid to the rear surface of the substrate; and
horizontally absorbing and holding the central portion in the rear surface of the substrate by a second absorbing and holding unit, and, with the second absorbing and holding unit being rotated around a vertical axis, turning the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member in contact with a zone other than the central portion in the rear surface of the substrate so as to clean the zone, while supplying a cleaning liquid to the rear surface of the substrate;
wherein the turning shaft is located to be overlapped with the substrate, at least when the zone including the central portion in the rear surface of the substrate is cleaned, and
wherein the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member are arranged on the turning mechanism, with each respective cleaning member having a driving mechanism that is connected to the turning mechanism, such that each of the cleaning members can be individually rotated about a vertical axis, and when the substrate held by the second absorbing and holding unit is rotated, in a plan view, one of the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member is at a first cleaning position located at a center other than the central portion in the rear surface of the substrate and the other of the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member is located at a periphery in the rear surface of the substrate on one side of a right side and a left side relative to a rotating axis of the second absorbing and holding unit, the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member are turned and moved by the turning mechanism toward the other side along the turning radii until the one of the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member is at a second cleaning position located at the periphery in the rear surface of the substrate on the other side of the right side and the left side relative to the rotating

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Takiguchi Yasushi
• Yamamoto Taro
• Kyouda Hideharu
• Muta Koshi

Classifications

• H10P72/7626

  characterised by the construction of the shaft · CPC title

• H10P72/0412

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

• H10P72/0414 Primary

  using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles · CPC title

• H01L21/67046

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L21/67051 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic