JP7611761B2 - Substrate cleaning apparatus and substrate cleaning method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate cleaning device and a substrate cleaning method.

When manufacturing a CPU board (motherboard), as shown in FIG. 10, a board 151 with multiple circuit patterns is formed, and then this board 151 is cut into individual pieces using a cutting and separating device to produce multiple motherboards 152. In FIG. 10, 154 indicates the cutting line, and 155 indicates board scraps that are used as waste material.

However, when cutting a substrate into individual pieces, contaminants such as cutting chips and resin residue are generated. When contaminants are generated in this way, there is a risk that they will adhere to the individual products. Therefore, in the past, there have been devices that are equipped with a structure (cleaning means) for cleaning such contaminants (Patent Document 1).

The substrate cutting device shown in Patent Document 1 is equipped with nozzles for supplying processing water to the cutting material and the rotary blade. The nozzles include a cutting water supply nozzle, a cooling water supply nozzle, and a cleaning water supply nozzle.

In other words, the substrate cutting device supports the substrate by suction or adhesion on a cutting table (cutting stage), and in this state cuts the substrate with a rotary blade to separate it into small substrate pieces. During cutting, cutting water is sprayed from the cutting water supply nozzle toward the point to be processed where the rotary blades come into contact, cooling water is sprayed from the cooling water supply nozzle toward the side of the rotary blade, and cutting water is sprayed from the cleaning water supply nozzle toward the substrate.

For this reason, while it is possible to wash (clean) the surface of the substrate, such devices are unable to clean the backside of the substrate. Therefore, when cleaning the backside of the substrate, some devices use an adsorption sheet 100 that adsorbs and holds from above small substrate pieces 151a formed by cutting out a substrate 151, as shown in Figures 9(a) and (b). With the substrate 151 held by this adsorption sheet 100, one side of the substrate 151 facing downward is used as the cleaning surface, and a cleaning liquid such as high-pressure water is sprayed from below onto this cleaning surface.

The suction sheet 100 in this case comprises a flat sheet body 101 and a sheet sub-body 102 attached to the underside of the sheet body 101, and a plurality of suction chambers (vacuum chambers) 103 are formed in the sheet sub-body 102. The sheet body 101 is provided with suction holes 104 that communicate with the suction chambers 103, and air suction means (not shown) is connected to the suction holes 104. The air suction means can be composed of a vacuum generator such as a vacuum pump or an ejector.

Therefore, by driving the air suction means, air is sucked into the suction chamber 103 through the suction holes 104, and the suction chamber 103 becomes a negative pressure chamber. As a result, each substrate piece 1a of the substrate 151 is adsorbed to the suction sheet 100. In this manner, while the substrate 151 is held by suction on the suction sheet 100, as described above, one side of the substrate 151 facing downward (the back surface of each substrate piece 151a) is used as the cleaning surface, and a cleaning liquid such as high-pressure water is sprayed onto this cleaning surface from below.

JP 2006-73828 A

When an adsorption sheet 100 such as that shown in Figures 9(a) and (b) is used, cleaning liquid will enter the gaps between the cut end surfaces of the substrate inside the adsorption sheet 100, between the suction chambers 103 of the adsorption sheet 100, and the cleaning liquid will also enter the suction chambers 103. This causes contaminants to invade the adsorption sheet adsorption surface (the surface facing upward and to be cleaned) of the substrate 151 along with the cleaning liquid. This can cause contaminants to adhere to the top surface that was cleaned during cutting. In such a case, it becomes necessary to clean the top surface again.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a substrate cleaning device and a substrate cleaning method that can reduce adhesion of contaminants such as cutting debris to the surface (adsorption surface) opposite to the surface being cleaned.

The substrate cleaning apparatus of the present invention is a substrate cleaning apparatus that cuts a substrate into individual pieces, holds the individual substrate pieces with a holding means, and cleans one side of the substrate pieces with a cleaning means as the surface to be cleaned, and the holding means has a holding section that holds each substrate piece, and provides a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber that is in a positive pressure state or an open-to-atmosphere state so as to surround the holding section, and provides a partition section between adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers. In this case, for example, the substrate pieces are held from above with the holding means, and one side (e.g., the back surface) of the substrate pieces facing downward is cleaned with the cleaning means as the surface to be cleaned.

According to the substrate cleaning device of the present invention, a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber is provided around the holding part, which reduces the intrusion of cleaning liquid or chips generated when singulating the substrate into the holding part. Furthermore, the partition part can maintain the orientation of the substrate (substrate piece) in a planar orientation, which can suppress tilting of the substrate piece relative to the holding part, making it less likely that a gap through which cleaning liquid can infiltrate will occur between the holding part and the substrate piece due to tilting.

The holding section can be configured to be a negative pressure chamber surrounded by the peripheral frame that constitutes the partition and placed in a negative pressure state, and the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber can be configured to be a positive pressure chamber that is placed in a positive pressure state. By configuring it in this way, each small substrate piece can be stably attracted and held, and since the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber becomes a positive pressure chamber, there is no suction force that causes the cleaning liquid to intrude into the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber, but rather a force that causes the cleaning liquid to flow out to the outside is generated, effectively reducing intrusion.

The holding portion can be configured as a suction pad, and the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber can be configured as an atmospherically open chamber surrounding the suction pad. By configuring it in this way, each small substrate piece can be stably adsorbed and held, and since the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber is an atmospherically open chamber, no suction force acts to cause the cleaning liquid to intrude into the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber, thereby reducing intrusion.

It is preferable that the partition has a rigidity that does not cause buckling or compressive deformation when the substrate pieces are held by the holding means. By configuring it in this way, the partition can stably arrange the collection of substrate pieces on a flat surface.

The cleaning means may be equipped with a cleaning liquid spraying mechanism that sprays cleaning liquid onto the surface to be cleaned, or may be equipped with a cleaning structure having at least one of a cleaning roller and a cleaning brush, and may be supplied from this cleaning structure. In addition, when a roller or brush is used, the cleaning liquid may be supplied to and held by these.

At the cutting stage where the substrate is cut into individual pieces and the individual pieces are formed, the small substrate pieces whose other surfaces have been cleaned may be adsorbed and held by the adsorption means. By configuring in this way, when cleaning one surface of the small substrate pieces, the surface of the small substrate pieces cleaned on the cutting stage side is not soiled. Therefore, each surface of the small substrate pieces only needs to be cleaned once, and the number of cleaning mechanisms of the substrate cleaning device can be reduced, making the device more compact.

The substrate cleaning method of the present invention is a method for cutting a substrate into individual pieces, and cleaning one side of each of the individual pieces as the surface to be cleaned, in which the holding parts that hold each substrate piece are surrounded in a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber that is in a positive pressure state or open to the atmosphere, and adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers are separated by partitions, and one side of each substrate piece is cleaned with a cleaning liquid as the surface to be cleaned.

According to the substrate cleaning method of the present invention, a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber is provided around the holding part, which reduces the intrusion of cleaning liquid or chips generated when singulating the substrate into the holding part. Furthermore, the partition part can maintain the orientation of the substrate (substrate piece) in a flat orientation, which can suppress tilting of the substrate piece relative to the holding part, making it less likely that gaps through which cleaning liquid can infiltrate will occur between the holding part and the substrate piece due to tilting.

A substrate cleaning method that performs the above-mentioned plate cleaning method, in which the substrate is cut into individual pieces, the other side of the small substrate pieces is cleaned at the cutting stage where the individualized small substrate pieces are formed, and then one side of the small substrate pieces is cleaned using the above-mentioned substrate cleaning method.

By using this type of substrate cleaning method, when cleaning one side of the substrate piece, the other side of the substrate piece that has been cleaned on the cutting stage side is not soiled. As a result, each side of the substrate piece only needs to be cleaned once, and the number of cleaning mechanisms in the substrate cleaning device can be reduced, making the device more compact.

The present invention can reduce the adhesion of contaminants to one side of a collection of substrate pieces while cleaning the other side.

1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of a first substrate cleaning apparatus according to the present invention; 2 is a bottom view of a main portion of the substrate cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a simplified block diagram of the substrate cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of a second substrate cleaning apparatus according to the present invention. 13 is a simplified diagram showing another cleaning means. 1 is a simplified diagram of a substrate cutting device. 1 shows the sequence for forming cutting lines on a substrate, where (a) is a simplified diagram of the state where a cutting line has been formed in the X-axis direction, and (b) is a simplified diagram of the state where a cutting line has been formed in the Y-direction by rotating 90 degrees from the state shown in (a). 7 is a simplified diagram showing a state in which cutting lines are formed in a matrix on a substrate using the substrate cutting device shown in FIG. 6 . 1A and 1B show an adhesive sheet used when cleaning the back surface of each substrate piece in an assembly of substrate pieces, where FIG. 1A is a bottom view of a main portion, and FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram showing a state in which cutting lines are formed in a matrix on a substrate.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to Figures 1 to 8. Figure 6 shows a substrate cutting device used to cut substrates before cleaning in the cleaning device according to the present invention. The substrate cutting device includes a table 2 that receives the substrate 1, and cutting means 3 that cuts and separates the substrate 1 on this table 2.

The substrate 1 has multiple circuit patterns formed thereon, and is cut into individual pieces to form substrate pieces 1a, which are CPU substrates (motherboard substrates). As shown in Figures 7 and 8, when substrate pieces 1a are formed as products by creating a matrix of cutting lines L1 and L2 on the substrate 1, the substrate scraps 1b are formed as waste material on the four sides of the substrate 1.

The table 2 has an upper wall that is square in plan view and forms small block pieces 10 that are divided into a number of pieces. That is, the small block pieces 10 correspond to the small board pieces 1a that are cut and separated by the cutting device. The table 2 is provided with an adsorption means 11 that adsorbs the small board pieces 1a to each small block piece 10. The adsorption means 11 includes a vacuum mechanism (not shown), and a vacuum passage 12 is formed within the table. Each small block piece 10 is provided with a suction port 13 that is connected to the vacuum passage 12. Therefore, by driving the vacuum mechanism and putting the vacuum passage 12 into a negative pressure state, each small board piece 1a is adsorbed to each small block piece 10 through the suction port 13. Note that a vacuum pump, a vacuum ejector, or the like is used as the vacuum mechanism.

The table 2 rotates in the θ direction around its center by a rotation drive mechanism (not shown). The rotation drive mechanism is composed of, for example, a drive motor (such as a servo motor) and a drive force transmission mechanism that transmits the rotational drive force of the drive motor to the table 2. The drive force transmission mechanism can be composed of a gear mechanism, a belt mechanism, or the like.

The cutting means 3 includes a disk-shaped cutter 15, a motor 16 that rotates the cutter 15 around its axis, and an injection mechanism that injects a cooling medium (e.g., cooling water). The injection mechanism has a cooling injection nozzle (not shown) that is arranged near the rotating cutter 15, and the cooling medium from a cooling medium supply source (not shown) is sprayed through the cooling injection nozzle onto the cutter 15 or the portion of the substrate 1 cut by the cutter 15.

In this case, the substrate cutting section M, which is composed of the cutter 15, motor 16, spray nozzle, etc., can be moved in mutually orthogonal X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions by an XYZ movement mechanism (not shown). Here, the X-axis and Y-axis directions are the directions shown in the coordinate system of Figure 4 on a horizontal plane, and the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction. The XYZ movement mechanism can use an XYZ-axis stage or an XYZ arm.

This substrate cutting device is also provided with cleaning means (not shown) that sprays cleaning water onto the surface of the substrate 1 (specifically, the surface of the substrate piece 1a).

Next, a method for cutting and separating the substrate 1 using the substrate cutting device configured as described above will be described. First, the substrate 1 is placed on the table 2. Then, the substrate 1 is sucked into each small block piece portion 10 by the suction means 11. In this state, the substrate cutting portion M is driven by the XYZ movement mechanism to form a cutting line L1 on the substrate 1, as shown in FIG. 7(a).

That is, by raising the substrate cutting unit M along the Z-axis direction, lowering it along the Z-axis direction, and moving it along the X-axis direction shown by the coordinate axes in FIG. 7(a), a cutting line L1 in the X-axis direction can be formed on the substrate. In this case, if there are two substrate cutting units M, first, one substrate cutting unit M forms the front cutting line L1, and the other substrate cutting unit M forms the rear cutting line L1.

After that, each substrate cutting section M is raised along the Z-axis direction, and then one substrate cutting section M is moved rearward in the Y-axis direction by a predetermined pitch, then lowered along the Z-axis direction from the raised state, and moved along the X-axis direction. This allows a cutting line L1 in the X-axis direction to be formed on the substrate 1 that is shifted rearward in the Y-axis direction by a predetermined pitch from the previous cutting line L1 in the X-axis direction. In addition, the other substrate cutting section M is moved forward in the Y-axis direction by a predetermined pitch, then lowered along the Z-axis direction from the raised state, and moved along the X-axis direction. This allows a cutting line L1 in the X-axis direction to be formed on the substrate 1 that is shifted forward in the Y-axis direction by a predetermined pitch from the previous cutting line L1 in the X-axis direction.

By similarly forming cutting lines L1 in the X-axis direction, which are offset in the Y-axis direction by a predetermined pitch, multiple cutting lines L1 in the X-axis direction, which are offset in the Y-axis direction by a predetermined pitch, can be formed over the entire Y-axis range of the substrate, as shown in Figure 7(a).

Next, by using the rotary drive mechanism to rotate the table 90° as shown in FIG. 7(b), the cutting lines L1 formed above become multiple cutting lines in the Y-axis direction, shifted in the X-axis direction by a predetermined pitch, across the entire range of the substrate in the X-axis direction.

Therefore, by carrying out the above-mentioned process, as shown in FIG. 7(b), multiple cutting lines L2 in the X-axis direction, which are offset in the Y-axis direction by a predetermined pitch, are formed over the entire range of the Y-axis direction of the substrate. This allows a matrix of cutting lines L1, L2 to be formed on the substrate 1 as shown in FIG. 8, making it possible to separate the substrate 1.

When forming the cutting lines L1 and L2, the cutting means 3 sprays a cooling medium (cooling water), and a cleaning means (not shown) sprays a cleaning liquid (cleaning water) onto the substrate 1 to clean the surface of the substrate 1. Note that the device may also be equipped with a drying means (e.g., a hot air blowing mechanism) for drying the sprayed cleaning water (cleaning agent).

In this device, the XYZ movement mechanism, the rotary drive mechanism, and the cutting means 3 are controlled by a computer (not shown), and the cutting process is carried out. The computer is basically composed of an input means with an input function, an output means with an output function, a storage means with a storage function, a calculation means with a calculation function, and a control means with a control function. The input function is for reading information from the outside into the computer, and the read data and programs are converted into signals in a format suitable for the computer system. The output function is for displaying the calculation results and stored data to the outside. The storage means is for storing and saving programs, data, processing results, etc. The calculation function is for calculating and comparing data according to the program's instructions. The control function is for decoding the program's instructions and issuing instructions to each means, and this control function is responsible for controlling all the means of the computer. The input means include a keyboard, mouse, tablet, microphone, joystick, scanner, capture board, etc. The output means include a monitor, speaker, printer, etc. Storage means include memory, hard disks, CDs, CD-Rs, PDs, MOs, etc. Calculation means include CPUs, etc., and control means include CPUs and motherboards, etc.

In this way, the back surface of the assembly of substrate pieces 1a whose front surfaces have been cleaned is cleaned by the substrate cleaning device according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate cleaning device includes a holding means 20 for holding the substrate 1 and the individual substrate pieces 1a, and a cleaning means 18 for cleaning the bottom surface of the substrate pieces 1a that are adsorbed by the adsorption means 17. In this embodiment, the adsorption means 17 includes an adsorption cup 26. As shown in FIG. 1, the adsorption cup 26 includes an adsorption cup body 24 that is made up of a first layer 21, a second layer 22, and a third layer 23, and a substrate adsorption sheet layer 25 that is attached to the bottom surface 24a of the adsorption cup body 24. In this embodiment, the adsorption means 17 that adsorbs and holds one of the surfaces of the substrate pieces 1a is used as the holding means 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate suction sheet layer 25 is composed of a number of square partitions (pillars) 27 and an outer frame wall 28 that surrounds the outer periphery of the suction pad 26. The suction holes 30 formed in the third layer 23 open into the partitions 27, forming negative pressure chambers 31 in which the inside of the partitions 27 is in a negative pressure state, and the positive pressure supply holes 32 open into the space around the partitions 27, forming positive pressure chambers 33 between the negative pressure chambers 31 in a positive pressure state.

For this reason, the suction holes 30 are connected to communication holes 34 provided in the second layer 22, and each communication hole 34 is connected to a suction pipe (not shown) outside the suction cup 26. A vacuum generator such as a vacuum pump or ejector that constitutes an air suction means (not shown) is also connected to the suction pipe. The communication holes 34 are composed of a small diameter hole 34a on the third layer 23 side and a large diameter hole 34b on the first layer 21 side, and the small diameter hole 34a is connected to the suction hole 30.

The positive pressure supply hole 32 has a small diameter nozzle portion 32a and a large diameter medium diameter chamber 32b, and is connected to a communication hole 35 provided in the second layer 22, which is connected to a supply pipe 36 provided in the first layer 21. The communication hole 35 is composed of a small diameter hole 35a on the third layer 23 side and a large diameter hole 35b on the first layer 21 side, and the small diameter hole 35a is connected to the medium diameter chamber 32b of the positive pressure supply hole 32. A positive pressure air supply unit (not shown) that supplies positive pressure air is connected to the supply pipe 36.

Therefore, by driving the vacuum generator, the inside of the partition 27 is put into a negative pressure state, forming a negative pressure chamber 31. Therefore, each negative pressure chamber 31 constitutes a holding section (suction section 40) that holds (suction-holds) the substrate piece 1a of the substrate 1. In addition, by supplying positive pressure air from the positive pressure air supply section to the supply pipe 36, a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 in a positive pressure state that surrounds the suction section 40 can be formed.

As shown in FIG. 1, a partition 27 is formed between adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers 41. In this case, when the suction portion 40 is holding the substrate chip 1a of the substrate 1 by suction (in this case, the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 is in a positive pressure state), the partition 27 has enough rigidity not to buckle or compress. However, since the lower surface of the substrate suction sheet layer 25 is in close contact with the upper surface of the substrate 1, if it is made of metal, there is a risk of damaging the substrate 1. Therefore, the substrate suction sheet layer 25 is made of a rubber material with a rubber hardness of about 70 to 90. The rubber hardness is based on JIS-K6253 and is the hardness measured by durometer type A in an environment of 23°C.

The suction cup 26 can be moved by the moving means 19 in mutually orthogonal X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions. Here, the X-axis and Y-axis directions are mutually orthogonal directions in a horizontal plane, and the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction. The XYZ moving mechanism can use an XYZ-axis stage or an XYZ arm.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning means 18 is equipped with a cleaning liquid spraying mechanism having a cleaning liquid spray nozzle 42. A cleaning liquid supply source (not shown) supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid spray nozzle 42, and the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid spray nozzle 42 is sprayed onto the back surface of the assembly of multiple substrate pieces 1a. A plurality of cleaning liquid spray nozzles 42 of the cleaning liquid spraying mechanism are arranged at a predetermined pitch below the substrate 1. In this case, the number and arrangement pitch of the cleaning liquid spray nozzles 42 can be set arbitrarily depending on the size of the substrate 1, etc. For this reason, in the illustrated example, the cleaning liquid is sprayed upward from the cleaning liquid spray nozzle 42. Note that the cleaning liquid spray nozzle 42 may be one that sprays the cleaning liquid diagonally from below onto the substrate 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the suction means 17, cleaning means 18, and moving means 19 are controlled by a computer (not shown) similar to the computer provided in the substrate cutting device.

Next, a method for cleaning an assembly of multiple substrate pieces 1a using the cleaning device shown in Figures 1 and 2 will be described. First, the upper surface of the assembly of multiple substrate pieces 1a in the individualized substrate 1 in the substrate cutting device is sucked and held by the suction cup 26. In this case, the upper surface of the substrate pieces 1a of each substrate 1 is sucked and held by each suction section 40 consisting of a negative pressure chamber 31. In other words, the assembly of multiple substrate pieces 1a is sucked and held by the suction cup 26.

In this state, the suction cup 26 is transported via the moving means 19 to a position having the cleaning means 18. In other words, the collection of multiple substrate pieces 1a is transported from the cutting stage to the cleaning stage. Then, in the cleaning stage having the cleaning means 18, the bottom surface (back surface) of each substrate piece 1a is cleaned.

In this case, when the cleaning means 18 sprays the cleaning liquid toward the underside (backside) of each substrate piece 1a, the positive pressure chamber 33 of the suction cup 26 is put into a positive pressure state. During this cleaning, the suction cup 26 and the cleaning means 18 are moved relative to each other so that the underside (backside) of all substrate pieces 1a can be cleaned. For this reason, only the suction cup 26 may be moved, only the cleaning means 18 may be moved, or both the suction cup 26 and the cleaning means 18 may be moved. When moving the cleaning means 18, the cleaning liquid spray nozzle must be moved via a moving means (not shown), and this moving means can be configured in the same manner as the moving means 19 that moves the suction cup 26.

According to the substrate cleaning device of the present invention, a positive pressure chamber 33 is formed around the suction portion 40, and the positive pressure chamber 33 becomes a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 that reduces the intrusion of cleaning liquid. This reduces the intrusion of cleaning liquid or chips generated when singulating the substrate into the suction portion 50. Furthermore, the partition portion 27 can maintain the orientation of the substrate 1 (substrate piece 1a) in a planar orientation, and can prevent the substrate piece 1a from tilting relative to the suction portion 40, making it less likely that a gap through which cleaning liquid can infiltrate will occur between the suction portion 40 and the substrate piece 1a due to the inclination.

When cleaning the underside of a collection of small substrate pieces 1a, adhesion of contaminants to the upper surface can be reduced, eliminating the need to clean the upper surface again, and the collection of small substrate pieces 1a can be cleaned efficiently. Here, "reducing adhesion of contaminants" means that adhesion of contaminants to the non-cleaned surface, which is different from the surface to be cleaned, can be reduced to such an extent that there is no need to clean the non-cleaned surface again. In other words, it is sufficient that the substrate 1 (small substrate pieces 1a), which is the object to be cleaned, can be used as a product without cleaning the non-cleaned surface again.

The suction section 40 is made up of a negative pressure chamber 31 surrounded by the peripheral frame that constitutes the partition section 27 and placed in a negative pressure state, and the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 can be configured to be a positive pressure chamber 33 that is placed in a positive pressure state. By configuring it in this way, each small substrate piece 1a can be stably sucked and held, and since the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 becomes a positive pressure chamber 33, there is no suction force that causes the cleaning liquid to intrude into the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41, but rather a force that causes the cleaning liquid to flow out to the outside is generated, effectively reducing intrusion.

The partition 27 preferably has a rigidity that does not cause buckling or compressive deformation when the substrate pieces 1a are held by the suction means 17. By configuring it in this way, the partition 27 allows the assembly of substrate pieces 1a to be stably arranged on a flat surface.

Next, FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the suction cup 26. In this case, the suction cup 26 is made up of a first layer 46 and a second layer 47, and the second layer 47 is provided with an adsorption portion constituted by an adsorption pad structure 48. That is, the suction pad structure 48 is housed on the underside of the second layer 47, and an air-open chamber 54 is provided that constitutes the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 that is open to the atmosphere.

The suction pad structure 48 includes a suction pad 50 made of an elastic material such as rubber or resin, and a pad support portion 51 on which the suction pad 50 is supported. When a vacuum generator such as a vacuum pump (not shown) is driven, air in the suction pad 50 is sucked through the suction holes 51a in the pad support portion 51. In this case, communication holes 52 are formed in the second layer 47 that communicate with the suction holes 51a in the pad support portion 51, and each communication hole 52 is connected to the vacuum generator via a connecting hole 53.

Therefore, when the vacuum generator is driven, the air inside the suction pad 50 is sucked out. Each substrate piece 1a is sucked and held by this suction pad 50. That is, in this embodiment, this suction pad 50 constitutes the suction section 40 that sucks and holds the substrate piece 1a.

The atmosphere open chamber 54 housing the suction pad structure 48 is connected to a communication hole 55 provided in the second layer 47, and this communication hole 55 is connected to an atmosphere open hole 56 provided in the first layer 46 via a connecting path 57 provided in the second layer 47. As a result, the atmosphere open chamber 54 is open to the atmosphere, and a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 is formed around the suction portion 40.

In this embodiment, the cleaning means 18 is also configured as a cleaning liquid spraying mechanism in which multiple cleaning liquid injection nozzles 42 are arranged below the substrate 1. In this case, too, the number and arrangement pitch of the cleaning liquid injection nozzles 42 can be set arbitrarily depending on the size of the substrate 1, etc.

Next, a method for cleaning an assembly of multiple substrate pieces 1a will be described using the cleaning device shown in FIG. 4. As with the cleaning device shown in FIG. 1, first, the upper surface of the assembly of multiple substrate pieces 1a in the substrate 1 that has been cut into individual pieces by the substrate cutting device is sucked and held by the suction cup 26. In this case, the upper surface of the substrate pieces 1a of each substrate 1 is sucked and held by each suction section consisting of a negative pressure chamber. In other words, the assembly of multiple substrate pieces 1a is sucked and held by the suction cup 26.

In this case, too, a collection of multiple substrate pieces 1a is transported from the cutting stage to the cleaning stage. Then, the underside (rear side) of each substrate piece 1a is cleaned in the cleaning stage, which has a cleaning means 18.

In addition, since it is necessary to supply (apply) cleaning liquid to the underside (backside) of the substrate piece 1a, in this case too, the suction cup 26 side and the cleaning means 18 side are moved relative to each other so that the underside (backside) of all of the substrate pieces 1a can be cleaned. For this reason, only the suction cup 26 side may be moved, only the cleaning means 18 side may be moved, or both the suction cup 26 side and the cleaning means 18 side may be moved. When moving the cleaning means 18 side, it is necessary to move the entire cleaning roller structure via a moving means (not shown), and this moving means can be configured in the same manner as the moving means 19 that moves the suction cup 26.

In the suction cup 26 shown in FIG. 4, the suction portion 40 is configured with a suction pad 50, and the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 is configured with an atmospheric open chamber 54 that surrounds the suction pad 50. With this configuration, each substrate piece 1a can be stably adsorbed and held, and since the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41 is an atmospheric open chamber, no suction force acts to cause the cleaning liquid to intrude into the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 41, thereby reducing intrusion.

In addition, in this substrate cleaning method, the substrate 1 is cut into individual pieces, and in the cutting stage where the individual pieces of substrate 1a are formed, the front surfaces of the substrate pieces 1a are cleaned, and then the back surfaces of the substrate pieces 1a are cleaned using the substrate cleaning method.

By carrying out this substrate cleaning method, when cleaning the back surface of the substrate piece 1a, the front surface of the substrate piece 1a that has been cleaned on the cutting stage side is not soiled. Therefore, each side of the substrate piece 1a only needs to be cleaned once, making this a substrate cleaning method with excellent workability.

In the above-described embodiments, a cleaning liquid spraying mechanism is used as the cleaning means 18, but a cleaning structure 60 having a cleaning roller as shown in FIG. 5 may be used. The cleaning structure 60 includes a cleaning roller 63 having a rotating shaft 61 and a cylindrical sponge body 62 fitted onto the rotating shaft 61. The sponge body 62 is made of a sponge-like resin having liquid absorption properties (e.g., polyurethane, a low-resilience material, etc.). The lower part of the sponge body 62 is immersed in the cleaning liquid, and the upper part of the sponge body 62 contacts the lower surface of the substrate piece 1a. The rotating shaft 61 is rotated around its axis by a drive mechanism (not shown), which rotates the sponge body 62 around its axis, and the cleaning liquid absorbed by the sponge body 62 after being immersed in the cleaning liquid is supplied to the lower surface of the substrate piece 1a, thereby cleaning the lower surface of the substrate piece 1a. For this reason, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning roller, and the cleaning roller is in a state of holding the cleaning liquid. The cleaning structure 60 may also be a cleaning brush structure having a cleaning brush. It is preferable that cleaning liquid is supplied to this cleaning brush so that the cleaning brush retains the cleaning liquid.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and various modifications are possible. In each embodiment, the substrate piece 1a is adsorbed and held from above by the suction means 17, and one side (back side) of the substrate piece facing downward is used as the cleaning surface and cleaned by the cleaning means 18. However, the reverse is also possible, i.e., the substrate piece 1a is adsorbed and held from below, and the front side (or back side) of the substrate piece 1a facing upward is used as the cleaning surface and cleaned. Also, in each embodiment, the suction means 17 that adsorbs the substrate 1 is used as the holding means 20, but it may be configured as a chuck mechanism equipped with chuck claws or the like.

As a cleaning liquid, pure water, tap water, or even a cleaning liquid that can be used for cleaning a substrate can be used. When cutting the substrate 1 to form the substrate pieces 1a, the number and size of the substrate pieces 1a formed from one substrate 1 can be set as desired, and the shape of the substrate pieces 1a can be square or rectangular when viewed in a plan view.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Substrate 1a Substrate piece 18 Cleaning means 19 Moving means 20 Holding means 40 Suction section 41 Cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber 42 Cleaning liquid spray nozzle 43 Cleaning liquid spray mechanism 48 Suction pad structure 50 Suction pad 60 Cleaning roller structure 63 Cleaning roller

Claims (7)

A substrate cleaning apparatus for cutting a substrate into individual pieces, holding the individual pieces of the substrate by a holding means, and cleaning one surface of the small substrate piece as a surface to be cleaned by a cleaning means, comprising:
The holding means has a holding portion that holds each substrate piece, and a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber that is in a positive pressure state or an atmospheric open state is provided surrounding the holding portion, and a partition portion is provided between adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers, the holding portion consisting of a negative pressure chamber that is surrounded by a peripheral frame portion that constitutes the partition portion and is in a negative pressure state, and the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber is a positive pressure chamber that is in a positive pressure state . A substrate cleaning apparatus for cutting a substrate into individual pieces, holding the individual pieces of the substrate by a holding means, and cleaning one surface of the small substrate piece as a surface to be cleaned by a cleaning means, comprising:
The substrate cleaning apparatus is characterized in that the holding means has a holding portion that holds each substrate piece, and a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber that is in a positive pressure state or an atmospheric open state is provided surrounding the holding portion, and a partition portion is provided between adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers , and the partition portion has a rigidity that prevents buckling deformation or compressive deformation when the substrate piece is held by the holding means. A substrate cleaning apparatus for cutting a substrate into individual pieces, holding the individual pieces of the substrate by a holding means, and cleaning one surface of the small substrate piece as a surface to be cleaned by a cleaning means, comprising:
The substrate cleaning apparatus is characterized in that the holding means has a holding portion that holds each substrate piece, and a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber that is in a positive pressure state or an atmospheric open state is provided surrounding the holding portion, and a partition is provided between adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers, and the cleaning means is equipped with a cleaning liquid spraying mechanism that sprays cleaning liquid onto the surface to be cleaned. A substrate cleaning apparatus for cutting a substrate into individual pieces, holding the individual pieces of the substrate by a holding means, and cleaning one surface of the small substrate piece as a surface to be cleaned by a cleaning means, comprising:
The substrate cleaning apparatus is characterized in that the holding means has a holding portion that holds each substrate piece, and a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber that is in a positive pressure state or an atmospheric open state is provided surrounding the holding portion, and a partition is provided between adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers, and the cleaning means has a cleaning structure having at least either a cleaning roller or a cleaning brush, and cleaning liquid is supplied from this cleaning structure. A substrate cleaning apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that in a cutting stage in which a substrate is cut into individual pieces and the individual pieces are formed, the substrate pieces whose other surfaces have been cleaned are held by the holding means. A substrate cleaning method comprising cutting a substrate into individual pieces and cleaning one surface of each of the individual pieces of substrate as a surface to be cleaned, the method comprising the steps of:
A substrate cleaning method in which a holding section holding each substrate piece is surrounded by a cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber that is in a positive pressure state or open to the atmosphere, and adjacent cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chambers are separated by a partition section, and one side of the substrate piece is treated as the surface to be cleaned and cleaned with a cleaning liquid , wherein the holding section comprises a negative pressure chamber surrounded by a peripheral frame section that constitutes the partition section and is in a negative pressure state, and the cleaning liquid intrusion reduction chamber is a positive pressure chamber that is in a positive pressure state . 7. A substrate cleaning method according to claim 6 , characterized in that the substrate is cut into individual pieces, and the other side of the small substrate pieces is cleaned at a cutting stage where the individualized small substrate pieces are formed, and then one side of the small substrate pieces is cleaned by the substrate cleaning method.

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