Method of cleaning substrates
OwnerHendrik F. Bok, Philip J. Birbarainventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Method for cleaning substrates, particularly a method for removing soluble contaminants and particulate materials from the substrate surface. According to the method, a substrate is inverted and moved horizontally, while flowing cleaning fluid inclinedly upwardly towards the substrate and oppositely to the moving of the substrate; accoustically vibrating the cleaning fluid and, elevating the flowing cleaning fluid at a point adjacent the substrate surface, such that that the flowing cleaning fluid contacts the substrate surface and forms leading edge and trailing edge menisci between the flowing cleaning fluid and the moving substrate.
Claims9
Method of cleaning flat substrates comprising:
- a. inverting a flat substrate to be cleaned such that a substrate surface to be cleaned is facing down;
- b. moving the flat substrate horizontally in a preselected direction;
- c. flowing an inclined stream of cleaning liquid at an acute angle, relative to the inverted substrate and opposite to the preselected movement direction of the substrate;
- d. concurrently with flowing of the inclined stream, acoustically vibrating said flowing cleaning liquid parallel to flowing direction of the inclined stream of cleaning liquid;
- e. elevating said flowing cleaning liquid at a point adjacent the substrate such that said flowing cleaning liquid contacts the substrate and forms a leading edge meniscus and trailing edge meniscus between said oppositely flowing cleaning liquid and said moving substrate to create a weir effect and clean the substrate;
- f. injecting additional cleaning liquid transversely of the substrate into the flowing inclined stream of cleaning liquid, at a point which is adjacent the leading edge meniscus thereof and the substrate to be cleaned, so as to lift the inclined stream of cleaning liquid and to create an enhanced weir effect, while simultaneously discharging all of said flowing cleaning liquid downwardly and away from said moving substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.