Apparatus for cleaning substrate

• US 8,940,101 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jeong, Beung-Hwa, Kim, Kwang-Nam, Jo, Gyoo-Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): GOLIGHTLY, ERIC WAYNE
• Application Number:
  US13/243,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20120318306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 134/32
• 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. A method of manufacturing a flat panel display, the method comprising:

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

first transferring the substrate from the first chamber to a second chamber;

removing, at the second chamber, the oxide film from the substrate;

rinsing the substrate;

second transferring the rinsed substrate to a third chamber; and

discharging the substrate from the third chamber,

wherein the first and third chambers are stacked,

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.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an ionizer adjacent to the inlet of the second chamber.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising removing static electricity, via the ionizer, from the substrate before the substrate enters the second chamber.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the first chamber is disposed on the third chamber, the up-and-down moving member moves 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 moves the substrate that enters from the first chamber towards an upper direction in the second chamber.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising washing the substrate via a plurality of rear-side spray nozzles located below the up-and-down moving member, when the substrate is conveyed from the second chamber to the third chamber.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising spraying, via the rear-side spray nozzles, de-ionized water on a lower surface of the substrate so as to wash the substrate.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising spraying liquid cleaning agents on the substrate while the spray member moves above the substrate.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the liquid cleaning agents comprise first de-ionized water, fluorine aqueous solution, second de-ionized water, and ozonated water.

9. The method of claim 8, 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.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the spray member sprays a liquid cleaning agent, the up-and-down moving member tilts the substrate to a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal direction.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the liquid cleaning agents comprises 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.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the rinsing is performed at a fourth chamber that is located between the second and third chambers.

13. The method of claim 12, 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.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the third chamber comprises an air-knife configured to blow a gas on the substrate.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving the substrate, in the second chamber, upward or downward, wherein the moving is performed by the up-and-down moving member located inside the second chamber.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first chamber is located on the third chamber.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first chamber is located below the third chamber.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the stacked first and third chambers are adjacent to the second chamber.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising removing, at the first chamber, static electricity from the substrate.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the first transferring is performed via a conveying member.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the removing comprises spraying a fluorine aqueous solution on the substrate so as to remove the oxide film from the substrate.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the removing further comprises spraying first de-ionized water before spraying the fluorine aqueous solution on the substrate, and spraying second de-ionized water after spraying the fluorine aqueous solution on the substrate.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the removing further comprises sequentially spraying ozonated water and third de-ionized water on the substrate after spraying the second de-ionized water.