APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SUBSTRATE

• US 20120318306A1
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Mobile Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jeong, Beung-Hwa, Kim, Kwang-Nam, Jo, Gyoo-Chul
• Granted Patent: US 8,940,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/61
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/02 Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/08 the liquid having chemical or dissolving effect substances used, see the relevant classes
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 7/04 by a combination of operations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67028 for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67051 using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67173 in-line arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67178 vertical arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6776 Continuous loading and unloading into and out of a processing chamber, e.g. transporting belts within processing chambers

Abstract

An apparatus for cleaning a substrate is disclosed. The apparatus includes a first chamber through which a substrate is conveyed, a second chamber where an oxide film formed on the substrate conveyed from the first chamber is removed; and a third chamber that discharges the substrate conveyed from the second chamber to the outside after rinsing the substrate, wherein the first chamber and the third chamber are disposed on top and on bottom.

Claims

1. An apparatus for cleaning a substrate, the apparatus comprising:

a first chamber configured to receive a substrate to be cleaned, wherein an oxide film is formed on the substrate;

a second chamber configured to remove the oxide film from the substrate; and

a third chamber configured to discharge the substrate from the apparatus after rinsing the substrate,

wherein the first and third chambers are stacked.

2. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 1, wherein the first chamber is located on the third chamber.

3. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 1, wherein the first chamber is located below the third chamber.

4. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 1, wherein the stacked first and third chambers are adjacent to the second chamber.

5. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 1, wherein the first chamber comprises an ionizer configured to remove static electricity from the substrate.

6. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 1, wherein the first chamber comprises a conveying member configured to convey the substrate to the second chamber.

7. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 1, wherein the second chamber is configured to spray a fluorine aqueous solution on the substrate so as to remove the oxide film from the substrate.

8. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 7, wherein the second chamber is further configured to spray first de-ionized water before spraying the fluorine aqueous solution on the substrate, and spray second de-ionized water after spraying the fluorine aqueous solution on the substrate.

9. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 8, wherein the second chamber is further configured to sequentially spray ozonated water and third de-ionized water on the substrate after spraying the second de-ionized water.

10. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 1, wherein the second chamber comprises:

an inlet configured to receive the substrate conveyed from the first chamber;

an outlet configured to transfer the substrate into the third chamber;

an up-and-down moving member configured to move the substrate up and down in the second chamber; and

a spray member configured to spray liquid cleaning agents on the substrate so as to remove the oxide film and to wash the substrate,

11. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 10, further comprising an ionizer disposed adjacent to the inlet of the second chamber.

12. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 11, wherein the ionizer is configured to remove static electricity from the substrate before the substrate enters the second chamber.

13. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 10, wherein, when the first chamber is disposed on the third chamber, the up-and-down moving member is configured to move the substrate that enters from the first chamber towards a lower direction in the second chamber, and wherein when the first chamber is located below the third chamber, the up-and-down moving member is configured to move the substrate that enters from the first chamber towards an upper direction in the second chamber.

14. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 10, further comprising rear-side spray nozzles that are disposed below the up-and-down moving member and configured to wash the substrate when the substrate is conveyed from the second chamber to the third chamber.

15. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 14, wherein the rear-side spray nozzles are further configured to spray de-ionized water on a lower surface of the substrate so as to wash the substrate.

16. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 10, wherein the spray member is configured to spray liquid cleaning agents while moving above the substrate.

17. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 16, wherein the liquid cleaning agents comprise first de-ionized water, fluorine aqueous solution, second de-ionized water, and ozonated water.

18. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 17, wherein the spray member comprises i) a first nozzle configured to spray the first de-ionized water and the fluorine aqueous solution, and ii) a second nozzle configured to spray the second de-ionized water and the ozonated water.

19. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 10, wherein, when the spray member sprays a liquid cleaning agent, the up-and-down moving member is configured to tilt the substrate to a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal direction.

20. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 19, wherein the liquid cleaning agent is first de-ionized water, fluorine aqueous solution, second de-ionized water, or ozonated water, and wherein the spray member comprises a single common nozzle configured to spray the liquid cleaning agent.

21. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 1, further comprising a fourth chamber that is located between the second and third chambers and configured to rinse the substrate.

22. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 21, wherein the fourth chamber comprises:

a first rinse zone configured to spray de-ionized water so as to rinse the substrate that emerges from the second chamber; and

a second rinse zone configured to spray de-ionized water so as to rinse the substrate that emerges from the first rinse zone.

23. The apparatus for cleaning a substrate of claim 1, wherein the third chamber comprises an air-knife configured to blow a gas on the substrate.