Wafer cleaning system
First Claim
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1. A double sided scrubber system for cleaning a wafer having a top surface and a bottom surface, the scrubber system comprising:
- a) a frame;
b) a first scrubber set comprising an upper scrubber having an upper scrubber axis and a lower scrubber having a lower scrubber axis, said upper scrubber and said lower scrubber each having a first end and a second end, said scrubbers being supported on said frame so that said scrubbers can be disposed in operative positions, said scrubbers in said operative positions extending generally codirectionally with one another with the first ends of said scrubbers disposed adjacent one another and with the second ends of said scrubbers disposed adjacent one another, said scrubbers being constructed and arranged so that when said scrubbers are in said operative positions and a wafer is disposed between said scrubbers, said scrubbers extend across the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer and engage the wafer with a first frictional force adjacent the first ends of the scrubbers and with a second frictional force different from said first frictional force adjacent the second ends of the scrubbers to thereby provide a frictional force difference;
c) a rotational drive connected to said scrubbers of said first set operative to turn said scrubbers of said first set around said scrubber axes in opposite directions about their respective scrubber axes; and
d) a constraint structure disposed adjacent said scrubbers for retaining the wafer between the scrubbers, said constraint structure allowing the wafer to rotate while preventing translational movement of the wafer from between the scrubbers.
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Abstract
A wafer scrubbing system includes a upper and lower elongated scrubbers extending generally parallel with one another, the scrubbers being driven in rotation about their own axes. The wafer is disposed between the scrubbers so that the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer engage the scrubbers. The scrubbers are arranged to provide different frictional forces with the wafer at opposite ends of the scrubbers, and thereby provide a torque on the wafer about a central axis transverse to the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer and transverse to the scrubber axes.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A double sided scrubber system for cleaning a wafer having a top surface and a bottom surface, the scrubber system comprising:
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a) a frame; b) a first scrubber set comprising an upper scrubber having an upper scrubber axis and a lower scrubber having a lower scrubber axis, said upper scrubber and said lower scrubber each having a first end and a second end, said scrubbers being supported on said frame so that said scrubbers can be disposed in operative positions, said scrubbers in said operative positions extending generally codirectionally with one another with the first ends of said scrubbers disposed adjacent one another and with the second ends of said scrubbers disposed adjacent one another, said scrubbers being constructed and arranged so that when said scrubbers are in said operative positions and a wafer is disposed between said scrubbers, said scrubbers extend across the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer and engage the wafer with a first frictional force adjacent the first ends of the scrubbers and with a second frictional force different from said first frictional force adjacent the second ends of the scrubbers to thereby provide a frictional force difference; c) a rotational drive connected to said scrubbers of said first set operative to turn said scrubbers of said first set around said scrubber axes in opposite directions about their respective scrubber axes; and d) a constraint structure disposed adjacent said scrubbers for retaining the wafer between the scrubbers, said constraint structure allowing the wafer to rotate while preventing translational movement of the wafer from between the scrubbers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of cleaning a wafer having a top surface and a bottom surface comprising the steps of:
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a) engaging an upper scrubber and a lower scrubber of a first scrubber set with top and bottom surfaces of the wafer, each of said scrubbers having a first end, a second end and an axis extending between the first and second ends, said axes of said scrubbers extending across the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer so that first ends of the scrubbers are disposed on one side of the center of the wafer whereas second ends of the scrubbers are disposed on the other side of the center of the wafer, said scrubbers engaging the wafer with a first frictional force adjacent the first ends of the scrubbers and with a second frictional force different from said first frictional force adjacent the second ends of the scrubbers to thereby provide a frictional force difference; and b) driving the scrubbers in rotation about their respective axes in opposite rotational directions so that differences in frictional forces applied by said scrubbers to the wafer impel the wafer in rotation about a central axis transverse to the axes of the scrubbers and transverse to the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification