JPH08215645A - Scrub washer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a scrub washer which can reduce the re-adhesion of particles to a surface to be washed and shorten time for washing. CONSTITUTION: In a scrub washer, washing liquid is supplied to washing bristles with a washing brush 1 rotated, and a surface to be washed is contacted with the end parts of the bristles for washing. In the plantation of washing bristles onto the brush 1, by making the plantation density in an area A on the rotational center P side of the brush 1 lower than that in the outside area B, the total number of particles which stick to the washing bristles to stay behind can be reduced in the area A on the side of the rotational center.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a scrubbing cleaning device for performing a cleaning process using a cleaning solution such as an aqueous chemical solution, an organic solvent or water, and more particularly to a cleaning brush while supplying the cleaning solution to a rotating cleaning brush. It is suitable for use in cleaning the surface.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an operating state of a scrubbing cleaning device during cleaning. In this type of cleaning device, a disk-shaped cleaning brush 1 is rotated to clean a cleaning object 2 such as a semiconductor wafer. At this time, the cleaning liquid is discharged from the nozzle 3 installed near the cleaning brush 1,
This is supplied to the cleaning bristles (not shown) of the cleaning brush 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning brush 1 has, for example, a bundle of about 300 cleaning hairs 1a, 1a, ...
Are concentrically planted in multiple layers. Further, since the cleaning brush 1 gradually becomes dirty as it is repeatedly used, a mounting hole φ for periodical brush replacement is provided.

In such a scrub cleaning device,
As shown in FIG. 6, while the cleaning brush 1 is rotated by a rotary drive source such as a motor (not shown), the cleaning liquid 4 discharged from the nozzle 3 is supplied to the cleaning bristles 1b and the bristle tips are cleaned. 2a is pressed and a cleaning process is performed. As a result, the cleaning bristles 1b of the cleaning brush 1 collide with the particles 5 attached to the surface 2a to be cleaned, and the particles 5 are separated from the surface 2a to be cleaned. Further, the particles 5 thus peeled off are discharged from the edge portion of the article to be cleaned 2 together with the cleaning liquid 4 supplied from the nozzle 3 by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the cleaning brush 1.

[0004]

In this type of scrubbing cleaning device, some of the particles 5 separated from the surface to be cleaned 2a are not discharged together with the cleaning liquid 4, and the cleaning object 2 and the cleaning bristles 1b of the brush are not discharged. May remain attached to the. In particular, in the rotation center region of the cleaning brush 1, since the centrifugal force during the rotation of the brush is extremely small, the particle discharging action becomes weak. FIG. 7 shows a state where the particles attached to the cleaning bristles 1b are reattached to the surface to be cleaned 2a when the cleaning brush 1 is separated from the object to be cleaned 2 after the cleaning process. It can be seen from FIG. 7 that reattachment of particles remarkably occurs in the rotation center region of the cleaning brush 1. Therefore, it is necessary to sufficiently and sufficiently supply the cleaning liquid to the rotation center region of the cleaning brush 1. However, when the diameter of the cleaning brush 1 is increased, the distance from the brush edge portion to the rotation center portion is correspondingly increased, which makes it difficult to supply the cleaning liquid to the rotation center region. Therefore, a large amount of cleaning liquid is required at the time of cleaning, which greatly increases the process cost. On the other hand, when the diameter of the cleaning brush 1 is reduced, the cleaning efficiency in the brush rotation center region is increased and the reattachment of particles is reduced. A dedicated scanning mechanism is required to clean the entire surface, and the cleaning time is longer than that of a large-diameter brush, which leads to an increase in the cost of the apparatus and an increase in the process cost.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the re-adhesion of particles to the surface to be cleaned and to shorten the cleaning time. It is to provide a cleaning device.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A scrubbing device that has a cleaning brush with a plurality of cleaning hairs implanted, and supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning hair while rotating the cleaning brush while pressing the tip of the brush against the surface to be cleaned. There is a configuration in which the area on the rotation center side of the cleaning brush is flocked with a lower flocking density than the outer area.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning brush in which a plurality of cleaning hairs are transplanted, and while supplying the cleaning liquid to the cleaning hair while the cleaning brush is rotated, the tip of the brush is applied to the surface to be cleaned. This is a scrubbing cleaning device that performs a cleaning process by pressing it, and has a configuration in which the region on the rotation center side of the cleaning brush is planted with cleaning hair thicker than the outer region thereof.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a cleaning brush having a plurality of cleaning hairs implanted therein is provided, and while supplying the cleaning liquid to the cleaning hair in a state where the cleaning brush is rotated, the tip portion of the cleaning brush is applied to the surface to be cleaned. This is a scrubbing cleaning device that performs a cleaning process by pressing it, and has a structure in which a liquid guide path is formed from the brush edge toward the center of rotation on the flocked surface side of the cleaning brush.

[0009]

In the scrubbing cleaning device according to the first aspect, since the cleaning bristles are arranged more sparsely in the region on the rotation center side of the cleaning brush than on the outer region thereof, the particles remaining on the cleaning bristles in the brush rotation center side region remain. The total number of

In the scrubbing cleaning device according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the region on the rotation center side of the cleaning brush is planted with the thicker cleaning bristles than the outer region, the force for catching particles is reduced in the brush rotation center side region. , Particles are easily discharged to the outside.

In the scrubbing cleaning device according to the third aspect, since the cleaning liquid is smoothly supplied to the brush rotation center region through the liquid guiding passage formed on the flocking surface side of the cleaning brush, the particles in the rotation center region are dispersed. The discharge effect of is enhanced.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the conventional example will be designated by the same reference numerals. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a scrub cleaning device according to the present invention. In the scrubbing cleaning apparatus of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1A, when the cleaning hair is planted on the disk-shaped cleaning brush 1, it is difficult to supply the cleaning liquid and particles are likely to be reattached. The area A on the rotation center P side of the cleaning brush 1 was set to have a lower flock density than that of the outer area B thereof. In particular,
For example, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the number of hair-implanted portions of the bristles 1a of the washing bristles in the region A on the rotation center side of the washing brush 1 is made smaller than that in the outer region B thereof, so that the washing bristles per unit area The number of hairs, that is, the density of hair transplants, was reduced.

In the scrubbing cleaning apparatus having the above structure, the area A on the rotation center side of the cleaning brush 1 is arranged more sparsely than the area B on the outer side thereof due to the difference in the bristle implantation density between the areas A and B. It Here, the number of particles remaining in the area A after cleaning largely depends on the number of cleaning hairs planted in the area A. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, if the area A on the rotation center side of the cleaning brush 1 is flocked with a lower flocking density than the outer area B, the area on the brush rotation center side where particles are likely to be reattached after cleaning. In A, the total number of particles attached and remaining on the washed hair can be surely reduced.

By the way, using a semiconductor wafer after chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of a silicon oxide film as an object to be cleaned, scrub cleaning was performed under the following conditions to confirm the cleaning effect. Diameter of cleaning brush 17 (cm) Material of cleaning hair Nylon Line diameter of cleaning hair 0.1 (mm) Range of area A Within radius 10 (cm) from center of rotation Implantation density of area A 330 (pieces / cm2) Area B Range of 10 cm from the center of rotation Flock density of area B 33 (lines / cm 2) Cleaning liquid supply amount 0.5 (l / min) Cleaning time 4 (min) Brush rotation speed 100 (rpm) As a result, brush Flocking density that is uniform over the entire area (330 fibers / c
It was confirmed that the re-adhesion of particles on the wafer surface was reduced as compared with the conventional device (the conditions other than the flocking density are the same) using the cleaning brush flocked with m2).

It should be noted that in the first embodiment described above, FIG.
As shown in (b), by increasing or decreasing the number of bristles of the bristles 1a to be bristled on the cleaning brush 1 in each region, a difference in the bristling density between the regions A and B is provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, by increasing or decreasing the number of washed hairs to be transplanted at one location for each region, a difference in the hair transplant density can be provided. Further, the area A on the rotation center side of the cleaning brush 1 does not necessarily need to have the cleaning hairs planted therein, and may be a hairless area where no cleaning hairs exist. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the flocked region of the cleaning brush 1 is divided into two regions A and B so that the flocked densities have a difference. It is also possible to adopt a brush structure in which three or more areas are set concentrically from the center P, and the area on the rotation center side of each area is transplanted at a lower density than that of the outer area.

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a second embodiment of the scrubbing cleaning device according to the present invention. In the scrubbing cleaning apparatus of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, when the cleaning hair is planted on the disk-shaped cleaning brush 1, for example, the particles separated from the surface to be cleaned by the cleaning process promote the surface tension of the cleaning liquid. Focusing on the fact that the thinner the bristles become, the stronger the force of capturing particles becomes when the bristles are washed into the bristles, and the rotation of the washing brush 1 makes it difficult to supply the washing liquid and that particles are likely to reattach. The area A on the center P side was made to be transplanted with wash hair thicker than the outer area B. Specifically, for example, the area A on the rotation center side
By implanting washed hair with a wire diameter of 0.1 mm on the outer region B and by implanting washed hair with a wire diameter of 0.3 mm on the outer region B,
There was a difference in the diameter of the washed hair between B.

In the scrubbing cleaning device having the above structure, since thick cleaning bristles are planted in the region A on the rotation center side of the cleaning brush 1, the force of capturing particles is reduced in the region A. As a result, in the area A on the rotation center side, particles can be discharged to the outer area B without being left between the wash hairs. on the other hand,
In the outer region B of the region A, the cleaning liquid is sufficiently supplied and a strong centrifugal force is exerted by the rotation of the cleaning brush 1. Therefore, even if the thin cleaning hair is transplanted, the particles can be smoothly discharged together with the cleaning liquid. You can As a result, in particular, in the area A on the rotation center side of the cleaning brush 1, the number of remaining particles can be reliably reduced as compared with the conventional case.

In the second embodiment described above, the flocked region of the cleaning brush 1 is divided into two regions A and B so that the line diameters of the cleaning bristles have a difference, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the same manner as in the first embodiment described above, three or more regions are set concentrically from the rotation center P of the brush for the division of the flocked region, and the rotation center side is set for each region. It is also possible to adopt a brush structure in which the area (1) is implanted with cleaning hair thicker than the outer area.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a third embodiment of the scrubbing cleaning device according to the present invention. In the scrubbing cleaning device of the third embodiment, the liquid guide path R is formed from the brush edge portion toward the rotation center portion P on the flocked surface side of the cleaning brush 1 (the surface on which the cleaning bristles are transplanted). I chose The liquid guide path R is for sufficiently distributing the cleaning liquid discharged from a nozzle (not shown) at the time of cleaning to the rotation center portion P of the cleaning nozzle 1. As shown in FIG. For example, one or a plurality of them are formed along the radial direction.

As the form of the liquid guide path R, various forms such as a web form or an arc form can be applied other than the linear form as shown in the drawing. As the means for forming the liquid guiding path R, for example, the area where the liquid guiding path R is formed is flocked with a lower flocking density than the other flocking area S, or the area where the liquid guiding path R is formed is free of washing hair. A specific example is the use of a hairless region.

In the scrubbing cleaning device having the above structure, the cleaning liquid discharged from the nozzle (not shown) at the time of cleaning reaches the rotation center P of the brush through the liquid guiding path R formed on the flocking surface side of the cleaning brush 1. It will be supplied smoothly. As a result, the cleaning nozzle 1 with a small centrifugal force
Even in the rotation center region, since the cleaning liquid is sufficiently supplied through the liquid guiding path R, the particles are quickly discharged, so that the number of remaining particles after cleaning can be significantly reduced.

Incidentally, also in the third embodiment, the cleaning effect was confirmed by performing scrub cleaning under the following conditions using a semiconductor wafer after chemical mechanical polishing of a silicon oxide film as an object to be cleaned. Diameter of washing brush 17 (cm) Material of washing bristles Nylon line diameter of washing bristles 0.1 (mm) Flocking density of area S 330 (lines / cm2) Flocking density of liquid guiding path 33 (lines / cm2) Washing liquid supply Amount 0.5 (l / min) Washing time 4 (min) Brush rotation speed 100 (rpm) As a result, there is no liquid guide path R and uniform flocking density (330 fibers /
It was confirmed that the re-adhesion of particles on the wafer surface was reduced as compared with the conventional apparatus using the cleaning brush having the bristles of cm 2.

[0023]

According to the scrubbing cleaning device of the first aspect of the present invention, since the region of the cleaning brush on the rotation center side is planted with a lower flocking density than the outer region thereof, the region of the cleaning brush on the rotation center side is covered. It is possible to reduce the total number of particles attached and remaining on the washed hair. This makes it possible to efficiently discharge the particles separated from the surface to be cleaned to the outside over the entire area of the cleaning brush, so that the particles that reattach to the surface to be cleaned when the cleaning brush is separated from the surface to be cleaned after cleaning. As a result, the cleaning effect is improved and the cleaning time is shortened.

According to the scrubbing cleaning device of the second aspect, since the region on the rotation center side of the cleaning brush is planted with the thicker cleaning bristles than the outer region thereof, particles are collected in the region on the rotation center side of the cleaning brush. The force to catch the particles is reduced and the particles are smoothly discharged to the outside. This makes it possible to efficiently discharge the particles separated from the surface to be cleaned to the outside over the entire area of the cleaning brush, so that the particles that reattach to the surface to be cleaned when the cleaning brush is separated from the surface to be cleaned after cleaning. As a result, the cleaning effect is improved and the cleaning time is shortened.

According to the scrubbing cleaning device of the third aspect, since the liquid guide passage is formed from the brush edge toward the center of rotation on the bristling surface side of the cleaning brush, the liquid is passed through the liquid guide passage during cleaning. It is possible to supply the cleaning liquid to the brush rotation center region for lubrication. As a result, in the rotation center area of the cleaning brush, the supply of the cleaning liquid promotes the discharge of particles, and the particles are prevented from remaining on the cleaning hair. can do. As a result, it is possible to prevent reattachment of particles to the surface to be cleaned, and since the particle discharging action is enhanced over the entire area of the brush, it is possible to shorten the cleaning time as compared with the conventional case.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a scrub cleaning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the scrub cleaning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a third embodiment of the scrub cleaning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of a scrub cleaning device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a flocking pattern of a cleaning brush.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of scrub cleaning.

FIG. 7 is a distribution diagram of adhesion of particles after cleaning.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cleaning brush A Area on the rotation center side B Outside area P Rotation center R Liquid guide path

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning brush comprising a plurality of cleaning hairs implanted therein, the cleaning brush being rotated, while supplying a cleaning liquid to the cleaning hairs, the tips of the cleaning brushes are pressed against the surface to be cleaned. A scrubbing cleaning device for performing treatment, wherein a region on a rotation center side of the cleaning brush is flocked with a lower flocking density than an outer region thereof. 2. A washing brush having a plurality of washing hairs implanted therein, the washing brush being rotated, while supplying a washing liquid to the washing hairs, the tips of the bristle portions are pressed against the surface to be washed. A scrubbing cleaning device that performs processing, wherein a region on the rotation center side of the cleaning brush is planted with cleaning bristles thicker than its outer region. 3. A cleaning brush having a plurality of cleaning hairs implanted therein, the cleaning brush being rotated, while supplying a cleaning solution to the cleaning hairs, the tips of the brushes are pressed against the surface to be cleaned. A scrubbing cleaning device for performing a treatment, wherein a liquid guiding path is formed on the bristling surface side of the cleaning brush from the brush edge toward the center of rotation.