Unified rinse and dry cleaning apparatus and methods
A cleaning apparatus incudes a plurality of tubes with angled orifices. An angled liquid stream is directed through the orifices to impinge on a surface of a substrate and clean the surface as the substrate moves in one direction through the space between a pair of tubes. An angled gas stream is then directed through the orifices to impinge on the surface of the substrate and dry the surface as the substrate moves in the opposite direction between the pair of tubes.
1 . An apparatus for cleaning one or more substrates, comprising:
a tube array including a plurality of tubes spaced apart and arranged substantially parallel to each other, wherein a virtual plane extends through a center of each tube of the plurality of tubes, and wherein each substrate of the one or more substrates is configured to extend substantially perpendicular to the virtual plane to be disposed between a pair of adjacent tubes of the plurality of tubes;
a plurality of orifices spaced apart from each other on each tube of the plurality of tubes, wherein each orifice of the plurality of orifices is inclined with the virtual plane by an angle between about 30-60 degrees;
a manifold configured to direct a liquid or a gas to the plurality of tubes;
a control valve;
a liquid conduit configured to direct the liquid to the control valve; and
a gas conduit, distinct from the liquid conduit, configured to direct the gas to the control valve,
wherein the control valve is fluidically connected between the manifold, the liquid conduit, and the gas conduit, the control valve configured to selectively direct the liquid from the liquid conduit or the gas from the gas conduit to the manifold, wherein the manifold is configured to:
direct the liquid into the plurality of tubes to discharge a stream of the liquid through the plurality of orifices of the pair of adjacent tubes to impinge on opposite surfaces of the substrate positioned between the pair of adjacent tubes, and
direct the gas into the plurality of tubes to discharge a stream of the gas through the plurality of orifices of the pair of adjacent tubes to impinge on the opposite surfaces of the substrate positioned between the pair of adjacent tubes.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stream of liquid discharged from each orifice of the plurality of orifices impinges on the opposite surfaces of the substrate at an angle between about 30-60 degrees with the opposite surfaces.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each orifice of the plurality of orifices is inclined with the virtual plane by an angle of about 45 degrees.
4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of tubes include 2-20 tubes.
5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each orifice of the plurality of orifices has a diameter between about 0.5-2 mm.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a pitch of the plurality of orifices on each tube of the plurality of tubes is between about 6-12 mm.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a pitch of the plurality of tubes is between about 19-50 mm.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the liquid is DI water.
9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gas is nitrogen.
10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each tube of the plurality of tubes is an elongated tube that extends along a length of the tube, and the plurality of orifices on each tube are spaced apart along the length of the tube.
11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
a supply of the liquid fluidically connected to the liquid conduit; and
a supply of the gas fluidically connected to the gas conduit.
12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the supply of the gas comprises a supply of heated nitrogen gas.