JPH11319734A - Cleaning device, cleaning method and substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To uniformly and efficiently clean a substrate, effectively prevent re-contamination of a substrate, and reduce the number of times of decontamination work. An excellent cleaning device capable of easily performing a decontamination operation even when performing cleaning. A cleaning liquid supply port (16) at a bottom of a cleaning tank (11).
For supplying a cleaning liquid 2 to a cleaning tank 11 for cleaning a plurality of substrates 4 arranged in parallel with each other.
In the above, the cleaning liquid supply port 16, the bottom, and the wall are smoothly connected to each other.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus for cleaning a substrate such as a quartz substrate or glass housed in a cleaning tank by using a cleaning solution such as a chemical solution or pure water. Further, the present invention relates to a cleaning method using such a cleaning device and a substrate cleaned by such a cleaning device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional cleaning apparatus is disclosed in, for example,
FIG. 1 of JP-A No. 3433, FIG. 1B of JP-A-5-267262, and FIG. 2 of JP-A-8-17782 are disclosed. Hereinafter, a conventional cleaning apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0003] A cleaning apparatus 70 shown in FIG.
And an overflow portion 76 provided on the outer periphery of the upper portion of the wall portion 73 of the cleaning tank 71. The cleaning liquid 2 adjusted with a chemical solution or pure water is filled in the cleaning tank 71, and the substrate ( (Not shown) is immersed in the cleaning liquid 2. A cleaning liquid supply port 74 is provided at the bottom 72 of the cleaning tank 71, and the cleaning liquid 2 supplied from the cleaning liquid supply port 74 flows through the cleaning tank 71 in FIG.
And the cleaning liquid 1 overflows from the overflow section 76.

A cleaning apparatus 90 shown in FIG. 9 is provided with a cleaning liquid 97 through a filter 97 provided to prevent fine particles and the like from flowing into the cleaning tank 91 from a cleaning liquid supply port 94 at the bottom of the cleaning tank 91. 2 are supplied. Further, the cleaning liquid 2 is supplied to the substrate 4 through the diffusion plate 98 having the substantially large number of supply ports 99 as shown in FIG. 10, so that the substrate 4 is efficiently cleaned.

Further, as the diffusion plate 98, there is a diffusion plate 98 in which a cleaning liquid supply port 99a at a central portion is formed larger than the cleaning liquid supply ports 99b and 99c of the substrate as shown in FIG. Therefore, the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply port 99a is supplied in a larger amount than the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply ports 99b and 99c, so that a sufficient flow rate to the substrate can be secured.

[0006]

However, the above-described conventional cleaning apparatus has the following problems.

First, in the cleaning device 70, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 8, the cleaning liquid 2 is sufficiently supplied only to the central portion of the substrate immersed in the cleaning tank 71, and the substrate is uniformly cleaned. There was a problem that it was not possible.

In the cleaning device 90, the flow rate of the cleaning liquid 2 does not increase and tends to become non-uniform due to the presence of the filter 97 and the diffusion plate 98, as shown by arrows in FIG. As a result, there has been a problem that efficient cleaning cannot be performed, and the cleaning of the substrate 4 tends to be uneven. Further, there is also a problem that the fine particles not discharged from the overflow section 96 remain in the stagnation region 111 and recontaminate the substrate 4 when the substrate 4 is taken out. In addition, since the cleaning tank is divided into two parts, and the fine particles removed from the substrate after being cleaned move to the lower part of the cleaning tank, the entire cleaning apparatus must be frequently decontaminated. There is a problem that the work is not easy because the diffusion plate 98 is fixed.

On the other hand, even if the diffusion plate 98 is formed as shown in FIG. 11, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 13, the portion where the supply amount of the cleaning liquid 2 is small and the supply of the cleaning liquid 2 is not directly received. The cleaning solution 2 does not rotate effectively in the part,
Since the flow of the cleaning liquid 2 becomes non-uniform and the cleaning tank is divided into two parts, the cleaning of the substrate 4 is still likely to be non-uniform, and the substrate 4 is likely to be re-contaminated when the substrate is taken out. There is a problem that the decontamination work of the entire apparatus must be frequently performed, and the work at that time is not easy.

Therefore, the present invention solves such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to enable uniform and efficient cleaning of a substrate and to effectively prevent recontamination of the substrate. , Reduces the number of decontamination operations,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an excellent cleaning device capable of easily performing a decontamination operation even when performing a decontamination operation, and to provide a cleaning method using such an excellent cleaning device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a clean substrate that has been cleaned by using an excellent cleaning apparatus.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning apparatus comprising:
In a cleaning apparatus for supplying a cleaning liquid to a cleaning tank from a cleaning liquid supply port at a bottom of the cleaning tank and cleaning a plurality of substrates arranged in parallel with each other, the cleaning liquid supply port and the bottom are smoothly connected. 3. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning tank from a cleaning liquid supply port at a bottom of the cleaning tank, and the plurality of substrates arranged in parallel with each other are cleaned. Wherein the bottom portion and the wall portion are smoothly connected.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning apparatus for supplying a cleaning liquid to a cleaning tank from a cleaning liquid supply port provided at a bottom of the cleaning tank to wash a plurality of substrates arranged in parallel with each other. The supply port, the bottom, and the wall are smoothly connected.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the cleaning liquid supply port is smoothly connected to the bottom and the wall to form an integral inner surface. And

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the cleaning apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the cleaning liquid supply port, the bottom and the wall are smoothly connected to each other, and the cleaning tank is formed from bottom to top. It is characterized by forming an inner surface having a tapered shape as a whole so that the cross-sectional area gradually increases.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the cleaning liquid supply port is smoothly connected to the bottom and the wall to form a concave inner surface as a whole. It is characterized by the following.

Therefore, in these cleaning apparatuses, the cleaning liquid flows in a large amount and uniformly between the substrates in a laminar flow state as compared with the conventional cleaning apparatus, so that the fine particles adhering to the substrates can be efficiently and uniformly dispersed. Can be removed. In addition, since the cleaning liquid quickly flows to the upper portion of the substrate, the cleaning liquid after cleaning can be efficiently discharged to the outside of the cleaning tank, and has a structure in which the cleaning liquid does not easily stay. Also has the effect of preventing. Further, since the cleaning tank is not divided by the diffusion plate, the number of times of the decontamination operation can be reduced, and even when the decontamination operation is performed, the decontamination operation can be easily performed. Further, according to the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, since the diffusion plate is not used, the tank structure itself is very simple, and the flow rate distribution of the cleaning liquid suitable for the cleaning process can be easily obtained.

Here, "smoothly connected" means that the liquid is smoothly connected in the direction along the flow of the cleaning liquid, and it is possible that the cleaning liquid can flow smoothly along such an inner surface. Become. Therefore, stagnation is unlikely to occur. The inner surface may be a combination of a straight line and a curved line, and can be set freely according to the form of the washing tank. For example, the shape of the bottom portion may be given by a straight line, or the shape of the cleaning liquid supply port may be given by a curved line. The cleaning liquid supply port, the bottom and the wall are smoothly connected to each other and a) form an integral inner surface;
A) It is preferable that the cleaning tank has a tapered inner surface as a whole so that the cross-sectional area of the cleaning tank gradually increases from bottom to top, and c) a concave inner surface as a whole. .

The cleaning tank includes a rinsing tank, a chemical tank, a carrier-type apparatus in which a substrate is immersed in a cleaning liquid while being accommodated in a carrier, and a so-called non-carrier-type apparatus in which a substrate is immersed in a cleaning liquid without being accommodated in a carrier. Although there are various types, any type of cleaning tank is effective.

A cleaning method according to a seventh aspect is characterized in that a plurality of substrates arranged in parallel with each other are cleaned using the cleaning apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects. Therefore, the substrate can be uniformly and efficiently cleaned, the substrate can be effectively prevented from being recontaminated, and the number of times of the decontamination operation can be reduced. It has an excellent effect that a contamination removal operation can be performed.

[0020] The substrate of claim 8 is characterized in that it is cleaned by using the cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. For this reason, this substrate is an excellent substrate that has been uniformly cleaned and has high cleanliness.

[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments and drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a cleaning apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1A is a front sectional view,
FIG. 1B is a side sectional view. The cleaning apparatus 10 includes a cleaning tank 11 filled with a cleaning liquid 2 and a plurality of substrates 4
Each of them is immersed in the cleaning liquid 2. A cleaning liquid supply port 14 for supplying the cleaning liquid 2 is provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank 11, and the entire wall, the bottom, and the cleaning liquid supply port 14 of the cleaning tank 11 are formed as concave curved surfaces as a whole, and they are smoothly formed. They are connected and form an integral inner surface. Also,
The cleaning liquid supply port, the bottom, and the wall form an inner surface having a tapered shape as a whole so that the cross-sectional area of the cleaning tank gradually increases from bottom to top.

To clean a quartz substrate or a glass substrate using the cleaning apparatus 10, first, a plurality of substrates 4 are placed in a carrier 3 in parallel with each other, and a cleaning tank 1 filled with a cleaning liquid 2 is provided.
1 and immersed in a cassette (not shown). Although not shown, the carrier is provided with a large cutout (opening) so as not to obstruct the flow of the cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid 2 is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply port 14 provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank 11 to the cleaning tank 11.
When the cleaning liquid 2 is supplied to the inside of the cleaning tank 11, the cleaning liquid 2 flows uniformly in a laminar flow state in the cleaning tank 11, and overflows into an overflow section 16 provided on the upper outer periphery of the cleaning tank 11. As a result, the substrate 4 can be sufficiently cleaned with the cleaning liquid 2 and effectively cleaned.

The inner shape in the side sectional view of FIG. 1B has substantially the same inner shape as the inner shape in the front sectional view of FIG. 1A, but it is not always necessary to be the same. For example, when cleaning a large amount of a substrate, the substrate may be configured to be long in the side direction, the cleaning liquid supply port may have a shape that is long in the side direction, or a plurality of cleaning liquid supply ports may be provided. Is also good.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the flow of the cleaning liquid 2 in the first embodiment. Thus, in the first embodiment,
Since the cleaning liquid supply part of the cleaning tank 11, the bottom and the wall 13 are smoothly connected and integrated, the retention of the cleaning liquid 2 hardly occurs, and the cleaning liquid 2 can be uniformly supplied to the entire cleaning tank 11. The flow rate in the central portion where the substrate 4 exists is larger than the flow rate in the peripheral portion where the substrate 3 does not exist. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, the supply of the cleaning liquid 2 at a sufficient flow rate is secured in the central portion where the substrate 4 exists, and the substrate 4 can be efficiently cleaned. In addition, since a sufficient flow rate is obtained at both corners where the substrate 4 does not exist, the flow is hardly retained, and the re-adhesion of the fine particles to the substrate 4 can be prevented. As a result, the cleaning time is shortened and the cleaning liquid 2 can be saved.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the cleaning effect of the cleaning apparatus of the first embodiment. 4 shows the results of a cleaning test in which the discharge efficiency of fine particles was measured. 21 is Example 1
Fine particles are mixed into a washing tank 11 (volume of 30 liters shown in FIG. 1), the initial number of the fine particles is measured by a particle counter, the pure water overflows for a predetermined time, and then the flow of the pure water is stopped. It is a measurement result obtained by measuring the number of fine particles again by the counter.
Reference numeral 20 denotes a similar measurement result in the conventional cleaning device.

Comparing after 20 minutes, in the case of the cleaning apparatus of the first embodiment, about 5 per cubic CF (centimeter) was used.
In contrast to the case where particles were detected, in the case of the conventional cleaning device (shown in FIG. 7), about 100 particles were detected per cubic CF (centimeter).

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of a cleaning apparatus 30 of Embodiment 2. The cleaning device 30 differs from the cleaning device 10 in that the cleaning liquid supply port and the bottom are not smoothly connected. When the same cleaning test as in Example 1 was performed, it was confirmed that the cleaning device of Example 2 also had an excellent cleaning effect as compared with the conventional cleaning device of FIG.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 5 is a front sectional view of a cleaning apparatus 40 of Embodiment 3. The cleaning device 40 differs from the cleaning device 10 in that the bottom and the wall are not smoothly connected. When a cleaning test similar to that of Example 1 was performed, it was confirmed that the cleaning device of Example 3 also had an excellent cleaning effect as compared with the conventional cleaning device of FIG.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 6 is a front sectional view of a cleaning apparatus 50 of Embodiment 4. The cleaning device 50 differs from the cleaning device 10 in that the inner surface is inflated linearly from bottom to top. When the same cleaning test as in Example 1 was performed, it was confirmed that the cleaning device of Example 4 also had an excellent cleaning effect as compared with the conventional cleaning device of FIG.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a cleaning apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a cleaning solution in Example 1.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a cleaning effect of the cleaning device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a cleaning device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a cleaning apparatus according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a cleaning apparatus according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a conventional cleaning device.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a cleaning liquid in the cleaning device of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a conventional cleaning device.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a diffusion plate in the cleaning device of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of another diffusion plate in the cleaning device of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a cleaning liquid in the cleaning device of FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a cleaning liquid in the cleaning device of FIG. 9;

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Cleaning Solution 3 Carrier 4 Substrate 5 Inner Surface of Cleaning Device of the Present Invention 10, 40, 50, 60 Cleaning Device of the Present Invention 70, 90 Conventional Cleaning Device 11, 41, 51, 61 Cleaning Tank 71, 91 of the Present Invention Cleaning tank 72 Bottom portion of conventional cleaning device 73 Wall portion of conventional cleaning device 14, 44, 54, 64 Cleaning liquid supply port 74 of cleaning device of the present invention Cleaning liquid supply port of conventional cleaning device

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning apparatus for supplying a cleaning liquid to a cleaning tank from a cleaning liquid supply port provided at a bottom of the cleaning tank and cleaning a plurality of substrates arranged in parallel with each other. A cleaning device characterized by being smoothly connected. 2. A cleaning apparatus for supplying a cleaning liquid to a cleaning tank from a cleaning liquid supply port at a bottom of the cleaning tank to clean a plurality of substrates arranged in parallel with each other, wherein the bottom and the wall are smooth. A cleaning device characterized by being connected to 3. A cleaning apparatus for supplying a cleaning liquid to a cleaning tank from a cleaning liquid supply port provided at a bottom of the cleaning tank to clean a plurality of substrates arranged in parallel with each other. A cleaning device characterized in that the parts are smoothly connected. 4. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid supply port, the bottom and the wall are smoothly connected to each other to form an integral inner surface. 5. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid supply port, the bottom and the wall are smoothly connected, and the cross-sectional area of the cleaning tank gradually increases from bottom to top. A cleaning apparatus characterized in that the cleaning apparatus has an inner surface having a tapered shape as a whole. 6. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid supply port, the bottom and the wall are smoothly connected to each other to form a concave inner surface as a whole. apparatus. 7. A cleaning method using the cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 for cleaning a plurality of substrates arranged in parallel with each other. 8. A substrate which has been cleaned by using the cleaning apparatus according to claim 1.