EP0412796A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Automatic cleaning apparatus for disks
Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co Ltd
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Filing: 1990-08-08
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2010-08-08
Abstract
Abstract An automatic cleaning apparatus which can clean semiconductor wafers in a fully automated manner comprising: a work feeder section (A) equipped with a work transportation mechanism (62), for supplying the works to be cleaned one by one into the fluid passage, a first isolator section (B) equipped with a work transportation mechanism, for isolating a scrubber section from the work feeder section by means of a liquid, the scrubber section (C) equipped with a work transportation mechanism and a scrub device which is adapted to receive the work and clean the both faces of the work within a liquid, a second isolator section (B min ) equipped with a work transportation mechanism, for isolating a work receiver section from the scrubber section by means of a liquid, and the work receiver section (D) equipped with a work transportation mechanism, for receiving the cleaned work within a liquid and recovering the same from the liquid.
Inventors
- 👤 Hideo Kudo
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 14:15
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P72/00; H10P72/04; H10P72/0402; H10P72/0406; H10P72/0411; H10P72/0412; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S134/00; Y10S134/902
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
208 words
An automatic cleaning apparatus (1) for disk-shaped works (W), comprising the following sections connected in sequence in the following order to form a fluid passage which is adapted to be interrupted at each connection: a work feeder section (A) equipped with a work transportation means (62), for supplying the works to be cleaned one by one into said fluid passage in a manner such that each wafer is always kept in a liquid, a first isolator section (B) equipped with a work transportation means (62), for isolating a scrubber section from the work feeder section by means of a liquid, through which the work is transported, the scrubber section (C) equipped with a work transportation means (62) and a scrub means which is adapted to receive the work and clean the both faces, at once, of the work within a liquid, a second isolator section (B′ ) equipped with a work transportation means, for isolating a work receiver section from the scrubber section by means of a liquid, through which the work is transported, and the work receiver section (D) equipped with a work transportation means (62), for receiving the cleaned work within a liquid through which the work is transported, and recovering the same from the liquid.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
208 words
An automatic cleaning apparatus (1) for disk-shaped works (W), comprising the following sections connected in sequence in the following order to form a fluid passage which is adapted to be interrupted at each connection: a work feeder section (A) equipped with a work transportation means (62), for supplying the works to be cleaned one by one into said fluid passage in a manner such that each wafer is always kept in a liquid, a first isolator section (B) equipped with a work transportation means (62), for isolating a scrubber section from the work feeder section by means of a liquid, through which the work is transported, the scrubber section (C) equipped with a work transportation means (62) and a scrub means which is adapted to receive the work and clean the both faces, at once, of the work within a liquid, a second isolator section (B′ ) equipped with a work transportation means, for isolating a work receiver section from the scrubber section by means of a liquid, through which the work is transported, and the work receiver section (D) equipped with a work transportation means (62), for receiving the cleaned work within a liquid through which the work is transported, and recovering the same from the liquid.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
52 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that said work feeder section, said scrubber section, said isolator sections, and said work receiver section are detachable units connected in sequence to form said passage which can be interrupted at each connection by means of a shutter device (12) provided at each connection.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
94 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, characterized in that said shutter device comprises: a valve sheet (48) made of a film normally held in parallel with the partition wall at each connection and adapted to open and close an opening (8a) made in a partition wall (8) by shifting in a direction parallel with the partition wall across said opening, a press means (55) for pressing said valve sheet over said opening in the partition wall to hermetically close said opening, and a drive means for driving said press means and said valve sheet.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
46 words
Apparatus as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said work transportation means has a work passage and a plurality of jet holes (71) slantingly opening in the work passage such that the ejected jets lift and carry the submerged work downstream.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
59 words
Apparatus as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said work feeder section, said scrubber section, said isolator sections, and said work receiver section are each provided with a container and a tank each on either side wall of said container for receiving and draining the liquid which overflows from said container of each section.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 5, characterized in that said container of each section is provided with a weir plate each on either side wall of said container which is vertically shiftable to regulate the overflow rate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
65 words
Apparatus as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said work feeder section (A) has a drive mechanism (22) adapted to move a cassette (30), containing works in layers with a space between neighbouring layers, upward or downward by a predetermined amount at a time, and a pusher (21) adapted to push out the works one by one from said cassette.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
82 words
Apparatus as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said scrub means comprises a pair of rotary brushes (83, 84) having axes of rotation parallel with each other and adpated to receive the work therebetween and clean the work by turning in opposite directions about their axes, a first work drive means to rotate the work horizontally between said rotary brushes, and a second work drive means to reciprocate the work horizontally through a predetermined amplitude of stroke.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 8, characterized in that at least one of said rotary brushes is adapted to move in a direction such that the distance between the axes of rotation of the rotary brushes is altered.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 9, characterized in that said movable rotary brush is pressed upon the other rotary brush with a controllable force.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
63 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 9 or 10, characterized in that said movable rotary brush is supported by a lever means which turns to thereby alter the distance between the axes of rotation of the rotary brushes, and which carries at its ends weight means which determines the controllable force with which the movable rotary brush is pressed upon the other rotary brush.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
68 words
Apparatus as claimed in any of Claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the positions where the shaft of said movable rotary brush penetrates the container of the scrubber section are sealed with seal rings which are fixed on the periphery of the shaft and slidably engaged in the running track-shaped bores made in the side wall of the container of the scrubber section to receive the shaft.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
127 words
Apparatus as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 12, characterized in that said work receiver section is equipped with a bucket (159) for recovering the work within the liquid and a pair of ramped stationary cam means, which bucket comprises: a vertically shiftable support member (161), and a bag-shaped recovery member (162) which is pivotally supported by said support member, and pivotally supporting a pair of guide rollers (163) at its lower end placed on said cam means, and adapted to assume a vertical off-liquid position and a horizontal in-liquid position, and which cam means are so profiled that as the guide rollers roll along the cam means the bag-shaped recovery member shifts from said vertical off-liquid position from said horizontal in-liquid position, or vice versa.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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