Brush for scrubbing semiconductor wafers

• US 5,870,793 A
• Filed: 05/02/1997
• Issued: 02/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Novellus Systems Incorporated (Lam Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Integrated Process Equipment Corp. (Speedfam Co., Ltd)
• Inventors: Choffat, Christopher C., Griffin, Justin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich, Mark
• Application Number:
  US08/850,057
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 15/97.1, 15/102, 15/180, 15/187, 15/188, 15/230, 15/230.1, 15/230.16, 15/230.19, 15/244.1, 15/244.4, 451/526, 451/527, 451/530, 401/28, 401/207
• US Class Current: 15/102
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/32 using rotary cleaning members
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/50 involving cleaning of the cleaning members
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 13/145 having a brush-like working surface
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 9/08 Circular back-plates for carrying flexible material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67028 for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like

Abstract

A tool for cleaning semiconductor wafers includes a cleaning head with a flat face bounded by an edge. A tubular drive shaft is connected to the cleaning head and provides a conduit through which a cleaning fluid can flow. An opening into the shaft is provided in the flat face which also has a plurality of channels to distribute the cleaning fluid across the flat face. A brush is formed as a single piece of porous, elastic material with a substrate portion that has a first major surface abutting the cleaning head face. A lip of the brush extends from the substrate portion around the edge of the flat face to removably secure the brush to the cleaning head. The brush has a plurality of cylindrical nubs on the second major surface forming projections for scrubbing surfaces of semiconductor wafers.

Claims

1. A tool for an apparatus which cleans semiconductor wafers comprising a brush formed as a single piece of porous, flexible, elastic material, and having a substrate portion with first and second major surfaces and having a lip for securing the brush to the apparatus, the lip extending around and projecting from the first major surface and a plurality of projections of a pre-defined shape extending from the second major surface, and said first major surface adapted to abut a portion of said apparatus when mounted thereon.

2. The tool as recited in claim 1 wherein the material of the brush is selected from a group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl alcohol foam.

3. The tool as recited in claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of projections has a cylindrical shape.

4. The tool as recited in claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of projections has a cylindrical shape with a flat exposed end, wherein the flat exposed ends of the plurality of projections are coplanar.

5. The tool as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of projections are arranged in concentric circles on the second major surface.

6. The tool as recited in claim 1 wherein the substrate portion is circular;

and the lip is annular and curves away from the first major surface.

7. The tool as recited in claim 1 wherein the lip has a flat portion and a curved portion between the flat portion of the lip and the substrate portion.

8. The tool as recited in claim 7 further comprising a cleaning head with a flat face bounded by an edge;

wherein the substrate portion of the brush extends across the flat face and the curved portion extends around the edge to secure the brush to the cleaning head.

9. The tool as recited in claim 7 wherein the curved portion of the lip is semi-circular.

10. A tool for an apparatus which cleans semiconductor wafers comprising:

a cleaning head having a flat face bounded by an edge;

a brush formed as a single piece of porous, flexible, elastic material, having a substrate portion with a first major surface abutting the face of the cleaning head and having a lip extending from the substrate portion and around the edge to attach the brush to the cleaning head, the brush including a plurality of projections extending from a second major surface for scrubbing the semiconductor wafers.

11. The tool as recited in claim 10 wherein the plurality of projections are arranged in concentric circles on the second major surface.

12. The tool as recited in claim 10 wherein each of the plurality of projections has a cylindrical shape.

13. The tool as recited in claim 10 wherein each of the plurality of projections has a cylindrical shape with a flat exposed end wherein the flat exposed ends of the plurality of projections are coplanar.

14. The tool recited in claim 10 wherein the cleaning head has a plurality of channels in the flat face for conducting a fluid.

15. The tool as recited in claim 10 wherein the cleaning head includes a shaft for attaching to a drive mechanism which rotates the cleaning head, the shaft having a longitudinal bore with a connector for attachment to a source of a cleaning fluid;

an opening in the flat face which communicates with the bore; and

a plurality of channels in the flat face which communicates with the opening.

16. The tool as recited in claim 10 further wherein the lip has a flat portion and a curved portion between the flat portion of the lip and the substrate portion, wherein the curved portion extends around the edge to secure the brush to the cleaning head.

17. An apparatus for cleaning semiconductor wafers, said apparatus comprising;

a first cleaning disk coupled to a shaft for rotational movement and having a first flat face bounded by an edge;

a second cleaning disk coupled to the shaft for rotational movement, and having a second flat face bounded by an edge and facing the first flat face;

first and second brushes each attached to a different one of the first and second cleaning disks, wherein each of the first and second brushes being formed as a single piece of porous, flexible, elastic material having a substrate portion with a first major surface abutting the face of a cleaning disk and having a lip extending from the substrate portion and around the edge to attach the brush to the cleaning disk, each of the first and second brushes further including a plurality of projections of a predefined shape extending from a second major surface for scrubbing the semiconductor wafers.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 17 wherein each of the plurality of projections has a cylindrical shape with a flat exposed end with the flat exposed ends of the plurality of projections being coplanar.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 17 further wherein the lip has a flat portion and a curved portion between the flat portion of the lip and the substrate portion, wherein the curved portion extends around the edge of one of the first and second cleaning disks.