US 6,598,805 B2 · Substrate cleaning apparatus

Abstract

A gas mixture of dry steam and nitrogen gas serving as carrier gas is blown into a hot water mist injection port for rendering the nitrogen gas serve as a medium absorbing latent heat of condensation, thereby smoothly progressing condensation of water vapor and efficiently forming hot water mist. The water vapor is condensed in the hot water mist injection port formed by a cylindrical pipe for supplying latent heat of condensation to the nitrogen gas and dilating the same, thereby accelerating the flow of the hot water mist and spraying the hot water mist to a substrate from the hot water mist injection port at a high speed. Small droplets contained in the high-speed hot water mist have high kinetic energy and high thermal energy, for exhibiting a large colliding effect and a high activation effect with respect to small contaminants adhering to the substrate. A substrate cleaning apparatus capable of spraying hot water mist attaining a high cleaning effect to a substrate is provided.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning a substrate by spraying hot water mist thereto, comprising:

a steam pipe guiding and feeding steam obtained by heating pure water;
a gas inlet port for feeding carrier gas into said steam pipe;
and
a tubular discharge nozzle fixedly provided on said steam pipe for forming hot water mist by guiding a gas mixture prepared by mixing steam guided by said steam pipe and carrier gas fed from said gas inlet port with each other while condensing said steam by having latent heat of condensation absorbed by said carrier gas and spraying said hot water mist onto said substrate.

1 more element

A substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning a substrate by spraying hot water mist thereto, comprising

a pure water supply part for supplying pure water for forming dry steam;
a steam generation part communicating with said pure water supply part for heating said pure water supplied from said pure water supply part and generating steam;
a steam heating part communicatively connected with said steam generation part for heating said steam generated in said steam generation part and forming dry steam;
a gas inlet port for feeding carrier gas into said steam heating part;
and
a discharge nozzle fixedly provided on said steam heating part for forming hot water mist by guiding a gas mixture prepared by mixing said dry steam formed at said steam heating part and said carrier gas fed from said gas inlet port with each other while condensing said dry steam by having latent heat of condensation absorbed by said carrier gas and spraying said hot water mist onto said substrate.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Substrate cleaning apparatus

Life of this patent

Substrate cleaning apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims11