US6292972B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Scrub washing apparatus and scrub washing method
Assignee: Tokyo Electron Ltd
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Filing: 1999-03-30
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Granted: 2001-09-25
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Expires: 2019-03-30
Abstract
Abstract A scrub washing apparatus comprises a spin chuck for holding a substrate to be processed substantially horizontally, a nozzle for supplying a washing liquid to the substrate mounted on the spin chuck, an arm vertically and horizontally movably supported, an output shaft provided at the arm, a sponge brush connected directly or indirectly to the output shaft, for scrubbing the substrate on the spin chuck in contact therewith, a press mechanism moving the sponge brush downward together with the output shaft, for pressing the sponge brush against the substrate on the spin chuck, and a rotation drive mechanism provided above the press mechanism at a position where the rotation drive mechanism is capable of being engaged with the output shaft, for directly rotating the sponge brush by engaging with the output shaft.
Inventors
- 👤 Akira Ishihara
- 👤 Akira Yonemizu
- 👤 Takanori Miyazaki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 05:48
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P72/00; H10P72/04; H10P72/0402; H10P72/0406; H10P72/0411; H10P72/0414; B; B08; B08B; B08B1/00; B08B1/30; B08B1/32; B08B1/36; G; G05; G05G; G05G1/00; G05G1/08; H10P70/00; H10P70/10; H10P70/15; H10P72/0412; H10P72/70; H10P72/76; H10P72/7604; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S134/00; Y10S134/902
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
329 words
A scrub washing apparatus comprising: a mounting table for holding a substrate to be processed substantially horizontally; a scrub member, rotatable around a vertical axis, for scrubbing the substrate while the scrub member is in contact with the substrate on the mounting table; an output shaft having the scrub member connected to a lower portion thereof, for transmitting a rotational force around a vertical axis and a pressing force in the direction of the vertical axis; a horizontal arm for supporting the scrub member at an end thereof; a press mechanism attached to said end of the horizontal arm and connected to the output shaft for applying the pressing force to the output shaft; a vertical support connected to another end of the horizontal arm for supporting the press mechanism and scrub member in conjunction with the horizontal arm; a swing mechanism provided at said another end of the horizontal arm for swinging the horizontal arm around an axis of the vertical support; a cylinder mechanism that indirectly supports the vertical support via the swing mechanism for moving the vertical support along said axis of the vertical support together with the horizontal arm; a washing liquid supply mechanism having a supply tube extended from the vertical support and the horizontal arm, and having an opening immediately above the scrub member for supplying a washing liquid into said supply tube through the scrub member so as to apply the washing liquid to the substrate on the mounting table; a motor having a rotation drive shaft extending towards the output shaft in the lower portion; a drive engage member attached to a lower portion of the rotation drive shaft; and a driven engage member attached to an upper portion of the output shaft and engaged with the drive engage member, for transmitting the rotational driving force of the motor by way of the drive engage member, said driven engage member slidably moving up and down relative to the drive engage member.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
329 words
A scrub washing apparatus comprising: a mounting table for holding a substrate to be processed substantially horizontally; a scrub member, rotatable around a vertical axis, for scrubbing the substrate while the scrub member is in contact with the substrate on the mounting table; an output shaft having the scrub member connected to a lower portion thereof, for transmitting a rotational force around a vertical axis and a pressing force in the direction of the vertical axis; a horizontal arm for supporting the scrub member at an end thereof; a press mechanism attached to said end of the horizontal arm and connected to the output shaft for applying the pressing force to the output shaft; a vertical support connected to another end of the horizontal arm for supporting the press mechanism and scrub member in conjunction with the horizontal arm; a swing mechanism provided at said another end of the horizontal arm for swinging the horizontal arm around an axis of the vertical support; a cylinder mechanism that indirectly supports the vertical support via the swing mechanism for moving the vertical support along said axis of the vertical support together with the horizontal arm; a washing liquid supply mechanism having a supply tube extended from the vertical support and the horizontal arm, and having an opening immediately above the scrub member for supplying a washing liquid into said supply tube through the scrub member so as to apply the washing liquid to the substrate on the mounting table; a motor having a rotation drive shaft extending towards the output shaft in the lower portion; a drive engage member attached to a lower portion of the rotation drive shaft; and a driven engage member attached to an upper portion of the output shaft and engaged with the drive engage member, for transmitting the rotational driving force of the motor by way of the drive engage member, said driven engage member slidably moving up and down relative to the drive engage member.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the driven engage member has a plurality of projections extending along the rotation drive shaft with depressed portions formed between two adjacent projections, the drive engage member being engaged with the depressed portions.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
97 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the drive engage member has a first connection board connected to the rotation drive shaft; a horizontal support shaft attached to the first connection board; and a roller supported by the horizontal support shaft, the driven engage member has a second connection board connected to the output shaft; a plurality of vertical projections standing the second connection board; and a depressed portion formed between two adjacent projections, and, the depressed portion engages with the roller, thereby transmitting rotation driving force from the rotation drive mechanism to the output shaft.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the press mechanism is a cylinder mechanism for applying a force of a pressurized fluid to the output shaft so as to generate an upward force.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
114 words
The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the cylinder mechanism has an air supply chamber for supplying the pressurized fluid thereinto and an exhaust chamber arranged above the air supply clamber and communicating with the air supply chamber; the output shaft extends through an upper wall and a lower wall of the air supply chamber and has a stopper attached to an outer periphery of the output shaft in at least one of the air supply chamber and the exhaust chamber; and downward movement of the output shaft is stopped when the stopper comes into contact with the lower wall of at least one of the air supply chamber and the exhaust chamber.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
50 words
The apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising: an air supply passage for supplying air into the cylinder mechanism; an electrical air supply regulator arranged at the air supply passage, for controlling a pressure of air to be supplied; and a controller for controlling the electrical air supply regulator.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the controller sets a pressing pressure of the scrub member against the substrate to be processed and controls a scrub contact pressure of the scrub member against the substrate on the basis of the pressing pressure thus set.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the cylinder mechanism has a plurality of air bearings for supporting the output shaft like an air-cushion.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising an air supply passage for supplying air to an air bearing within the cylinder mechanism.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation drive mechanism has rotation drive shafts arranged linearly on an extension line of the output shaft.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
87 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a first exhaust tube having a suction port in the vicinity of where the drive engage member and the driven engage member are engaged with each other; a second exhaust tube having a suction port in the vicinity of a connecting portion at which a lower portion of the output shaft is slidably connected to the press mechanism; and an exhaust unit in which the first exhaust tube and the second exhaust tube are communicated with each other.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2004-09-24 | 2005-03-26 | 2005-09-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-09-24 | 2009-03-26 | 2009-09-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-09-24 | 2013-03-26 | 2013-09-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |