Cleaning apparatus

• US 6,810,548 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2001
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hara, Takeshi, Kimura, Takashi, Ono, Hitoshi, Yoshioka, Hiroto, Kobayashi, Kazuki
• Primary Examiner(s): CHIN, RANDALL E
• Application Number:
  US09/800,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20010027797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 15/211, 15/77, 15/882, 15/883, 151/02
• US Class Current: 15/77
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/20 Cleaning of moving articles, e.g. of moving webs or of objects on a conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 2240/02 Optical fibers or optical fiber connectors
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/123 Cleaning travelling work, e.g. webs, articles on a conveyor conveyors B65G; handling webs B65H
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67046 using mainly scrubbing means, e.g. brushes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67051 using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles

Abstract

A cleaning apparatus of the present invention includes a roll brush for scrubbing the surface of the substrate, and an ultrasonic nozzle for blowing an aqueous cleaning solution against the surface of the substrate and generating an ultrasonic wave, wherein the roll brush and the ultrasonic nozzle are provided so as to oppose one another so that the substrate can be set in between. With the synergetic effects of brush scrubbing cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning and shower-cleaning, the precision cleaning of the upper surface of the substrate can be performed at a sufficient level of cleanliness. Moreover, in a state where the substrate to be cleaned is set, the roll brush can be cleaned automatically by the ultrasonic nozzle, and it is therefore possible to maintain the roll brush at high level of cleanliness without requiring maintenance operations. Furthermore, by integrating the roll brush and the ultrasonic wave nozzle in one part, the size of the apparatus can be reduced in the transport direction of the substrate, thereby reducing an overall footprint area.

Claims

1. A cleaning apparatus comprising:

scrubbing means for scrubbing a first surface of an object to be cleaned; and

ultrasonic wave projection means for supplying an aqueous cleaning agent against a second surface of the object to be cleaned and generating an ultrasonic wave,

wherein the first surface and the second surface are disposed on opposing sides of the object to be cleaned so that the object to be cleaned is between said scrubbing means and said ultrasonic wave projection means, so that the scrubbing means is in registration with the first surface of the object to be cleaned and the ultrasonic wave projection means is in registration with the second surface of the object to be cleaned,

wherein the first surface of the object to be cleaned is simultaneously cleaned by the scrubbing means and by the ultrasonic wave generated by the ultrasonic wave projection means that has propagated from the first surface, through the object to be cleaned to the second surface.

2. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

cleaning agent supply means for supplying an aqueous cleaning agent onto the first surface of the object to be cleaned.

3. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

said cleaning agent supply means is a spray for radially spraying the aqueous cleaning agent.

4. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

transport means for transporting the object to be cleaned.

5. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein:

said transport means is transport rollers.

6. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein:

said transport means is a belt conveyer.

7. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said scrubbing means is a cleaning brush.

8. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein:

said cleaning brush is a roll brush.

9. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein:

said cleaning brush is a disk brush.

10. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said ultrasonic wave projection means is an ultrasonic nozzle for blowing the cleaning agent and generating an ultrasonic wave.

11. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said ultrasonic wave is megasonic in a frequency band within a range of from 850 kHz to 1 MHz.

12. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said aqueous cleaning agent is at least one of pure water, superpure water, hydrogen water, ozone water, dilute hydrofluoric acid, and aqueous surface active agent.

13. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a reverse mechanism for turning over the object to be cleaned.

14. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a rotation mechanism for rotating the object to be cleaned.

15. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 14, wherein:

said rotation mechanism rotates the object to be cleaned about a rotation axis vertical to the object while supporting its peripheral portion.

16. A cleaning apparatus comprising:

scrubbing means for scrubbing a first surface of an object to be cleaned; and

ultrasonic wave projection means for supplying an aqueous cleaning agent against a second surface of the object to be cleaned and generating an ultrasonic wave,

wherein the first surface and the second surface are disposed on opposing sides of the object to be cleaned so that the object to be cleaned is between said scrubbing means and said ultrasonic wave projection means, so that the scrubbing means is in registration with the first surface of the object to be cleaned and the ultrasonic wave projection means is in registration with the second surface of the object to be cleaned;

wherein the first surface of the object to be cleaned is simultaneously cleaned by the scrubbing means and by the ultrasonic wave generated by the ultrasonic wave projection means that has propagated from the first surface, through the object to be cleaned to the second surface; and

wherein the object to be cleaned is not immersed or submerged in a cleaning solution.

17. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 16, further comprising:

cleaning agent supply means for supplying an aqueous cleaning agent onto the first surface of the object to be cleaned.

18. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 16, further comprising:

transport means for transporting the object to be cleaned.

19. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

said transport means is transport rollers.

20. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

said transport means is a belt conveyer.

21. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein:

said scrubbing means is a cleaning brush.

22. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 21, wherein:

said cleaning brush is a roll brush.

23. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 21, wherein:

said cleaning brush is a disk brush.

24. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein:

said ultrasonic wave projection means is an ultrasonic nozzle for blowing the cleaning agent and generating an ultrasonic wave.

25. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein:

said cleaning agent supply means is a spray for radially spraying the aqueous cleaning agent.

26. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein:

said ultrasonic wave is megasonic in a frequency band within a range of from 850 kHz to 1 MHz.

27. The cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein:

said aqueous cleaning agent is at least one of pure water, superpure water, hydrogen water, ozone water, dilute hydrofluoric acid, and aqueous surface active agent.