Brush drive assembly in a substrate processing brush box

• US 6,851,151 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2002
• Issued: 02/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Inventors: Peña, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich, Mark
• Application Number:
  US10/185,306
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 15/77, 15/883, 151/02
• US Class Current: 15/77
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/32 using rotary cleaning members
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67046 using mainly scrubbing means, e.g. brushes

Abstract

A modular brush drive assembly used in a brush box for processing a substrate is provided. The modular brush drive assembly includes a pair of brush drives. Each of the pair of brush drives has a mandrel capable of receiving a brush for processing a substrate, a mandrel support arm, and a brush drive housing configured to receive the mandrel and the mandrel support arm. The brush drive housing is configured to pivot. A brush drive position control assembly is further provided and includes a pair of interlocking brush angle gears which interconnect with brush drive shafts. A positioning control is coupled to one of the interlocking brush angle gears to cause pivoting of each brush drive housing. Component parts are designed to be configurable to a plurality of orientations and implementations.

Claims

1. A pair of brush cores, each of the brush cores being adapted to receive a brush, the pair of brush cores configured to reside within a brush box, the pair of brush cores being controlled by a position control assembly, the position control assembly comprising:

a first brush drive shaft and a second brush drive shaft, each of the first and second brush drive shafts being respectively configured to receive one of the pair of brush cores;

a first angle gear and a second angle gear, the first angle gear being coupled to the first brush drive shaft and the second angle gear being coupled to the second brush drive shaft, the first angle gear having a first set of teeth and the second angle gear having a second set of teeth, the first set of teeth and the second set of teeth being aligned and interlocked; and

a gear coupled to the first brush drive shaft, the gear capable of positive control so as to cause the first angle gear to pivot, the pivoting of the first angle gear being transferred to the second angle gear by being aligned and interlocked, the transferred pivoting causing an equal and opposite pivoting of the second angle gear, the pivoting of the first and second angle gear causing an associated pivoting of the pair of brush cores within the brush box.

2. The pair of brush cores recited in claim 1, wherein the position control assembly is located exterior to the brush box.

3. The pair of brush cores recited in claim 1, wherein the brush box is adapted for semiconductor wafer preparation in which a semiconductor wafer is oriented vertically within the brush box.

4. The pair of brush cores recited in claim 1, wherein the gear coupled to the first brush drive shaft includes a worm drive and a corresponding worm gear.

5. The pair of brush cores recited in claim 1, wherein the gear coupled to the first brush drive shaft is controllable into at least two operational positions when a wafer is positioned within the brush box.

6. The pair of brush cores recited in claim 5, wherein a first operational position is the brushes on each of the pair of brush cores contacting opposing surfaces of a semiconductor wafer in a vertical orientation within the brush box, and a second operational position is the brushes on each of the pair of brush cores applying a pressure against opposing surfaces of the semiconductor wafer in the vertical orientation within the brush box.

7. The pair of brush cores recited in claim 6, further comprising a load cell interconnected to the gear coupled to the first brush drive shaft, the load cell capable of measuring the applied pressure against opposing surfaces of the semiconductor wafer in the vertical orientation within the brush box.

8. A position control assembly for adjusting a pair of brush cores of a wafer processing brush box, the brush cores capable of being adjusted to apply a desired hold and a desired pressure to a substrate capable of being prepared in the brush box between the pair of brush cores, the pair of brush cores capable of receiving scrub brushes, the position control assembly comprising:

a pair of interlocking angle gears, each of the interlocking angle gears capable of interconnecting to a respective one of the pair of brush cores; and

a gear coupled to one of the interlocking angle gears, the gear capable of pivoting the one interlocking angle gear and causing an equal and opposite pivoting to the other interlocking angle gear, the pivoting of the pair of interlocking angle gears causing an equal pivoting of the pair of brush cores of the processing brush box.

9. The position control assembly of claim 8, further comprising:

a mandrel support for each one of the pair of brush cores, the mandrel support being configured to provide structural support for each of the pair of brush cores and to provide a structural housing in which each of the pair of brush cores is capable of being rotated.

10. The position control assembly of claim 9, wherein each mandrel support includes a manifold for delivery of wafer processing fluid through the manifold.

11. The position control assembly of claim 8, wherein each of the pair of brush cores is capable of receiving fluid for through the brush (TTB) delivery.

12. The position control assembly of claim 8, wherein the position control assembly is located exterior to the wafer processing brush box.

13. In a brush box for processing a substrate, a modular brush drive assembly, comprising:

a pair of brush drives, each of the pair of brush drives including,

a mandrel capable of receiving a brush for processing a substrate,

a mandrel support arm configured to provide structural support for and a structural housing in which the mandrel is configured to rotate, and

a brush drive housing configured to receive the mandrel and the mandrel support arm, the brush drive housing configured to pivot, and

a brush drive position control assembly including,

a pair of interlocking brush angle gears, each of the interlocking brush angle gears interconnecting with a brush drive shaft; and

a positioning control coupled to one of the interlocking brush angle gears, the positioning control capable of pivoting the one interlocking brush angle gear and causing an equal and opposite pivoting of the other interlocking brush angle gear,

wherein the pivoting of the pair of interlocking brush angle gears causes a corresponding pivoting of each brush drive housing.

14. The modular brush drive assembly of claim 13, wherein the mandrel is capable of receiving fluid for through the brush (TTB) delivery.

15. The modular brush drive assembly of claim 13, wherein the pair of brush drives are configurable for processing one of a 200 mm substrate and a 300 nm substrate.

16. The modular brush drive assembly of claim 13, wherein the brush drive shaft is interconnected to the mandrel and imparts rotation to the mandrel.

17. The modular brush drive assembly of claim 16, wherein the mandrels of the pair of brush drives are configured to counter-rotate.

18. The modular brush drive assembly of claim 17, wherein the pivoting of each brush drive housing applies the counter-rotating mandrels against opposing surfaces of a substrate in a vertical orientation within the brush box.

19. The modular brush drive assembly of claim 18, further comprising a load cell interconnected with the positioning control and capable of measuring an amount of force applied against the opposing surfaces of the substrate with the counter-rotating mandrels.

20. The modular brush drive assembly of claim 13, wherein the positioning control is a worm drive and a worm gear.

21. The modular brush drive assembly of claim 13, wherein the brush drive position control assembly is located on an exterior of the brush box for processing a substrate.