Cleaning equipment and cleaning method

Abstract

The present invention provides a cleaning equipment provided with a cleaning solution tank, a cleaning solution supply route for supplying the cleaning solution stored in the cleaning solution tank to a cleaning bath, a cleaning solution return route for returning the cleaning solution that has been supplied to the cleaning bath to the cleaning solution tank, a gas supply route for supplying a purge gas into the cleaning solution tank, and a gas discharge route for discharging the purge gas from the cleaning solution tank. Moreover, a cleaning solution discharge opening of the cleaning solution return route is immersed in the cleaning solution stored in the cleaning solution tank.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A cleaning equipment comprising: 
 a cleaning solution tank for storing a cleaning solution;    a cleaning bath in which cleaning of an object to be cleaned is carried out using the cleaning solution;    a cleaning solution supply route for supplying the cleaning solution stored in the cleaning solution tank to the cleaning bath;    a cleaning solution return route for returning the cleaning solution that has been supplied to the cleaning bath to the cleaning solution tank;    a gas supply route for supplying a purge gas into the cleaning solution tank; and    a gas discharge route for discharging the purge gas from the cleaning solution tank;    wherein a cleaning solution discharge opening of the cleaning solution return route is immersed in the cleaning solution that is stored in the cleaning solution tank.    
     
     
         2 . The cleaning equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein the gas supply route has a first valve for restricting a frequency at which the purge gas is supplied.  
     
     
         3 . The cleaning equipment according to  claim 2 , wherein the first valve is an electromagnetic valve.  
     
     
         4 . The cleaning equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein the gas discharge route has a second valve for restricting the volume of discharged purge gas.  
     
     
         5 . The cleaning equipment according to  claim 4 , wherein the second valve is a pressure regulating valve.  
     
     
         6 . The cleaning equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning solution supply route has a pressure pump for pressurizing and supplying the cleaning solution.  
     
     
         7 . The cleaning equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning solution stored in the cleaning solution tank is a volatile cleaning solution.  
     
     
         8 . The cleaning equipment according to  claim 7 , wherein the volatile cleaning solution contains an organic solvent.  
     
     
         9 . The cleaning equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein the purge gas is an inert gas.  
     
     
         10 . The cleaning equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein the object to be cleaned is a semiconductor substrate or a glass substrate.  
     
     
         11 . The cleaning equipment according to  claim 10 , wherein the cleaning bath is a cleaning bath of a batch-type or a single-wafer-type spin cleaning equipment.  
     
     
         12 . A cleaning method comprising: 
 a first step of supplying a cleaning solution that is stored in a cleaning solution tank into a cleaning bath in which cleaning of an object to be cleaned is carried out;    a second step of returning the cleaning solution that has been supplied into the cleaning bath to the cleaning solution tank;    a third step of supplying a purge gas to the cleaning solution tank; and    a fourth step of discharging the purge gas from the cleaning solution tank;    wherein the second step is performed using a cleaning solution return route having a cleaning solution discharge opening immersed in the cleaning solution that is stored in the cleaning solution tank.    
     
     
         13 . The cleaning method according to  claim 12 , wherein the third step includes a step of reducing a frequency at which the purge gas is supplied.  
     
     
         14 . The cleaning method according to  claim 13 , wherein the fourth step includes a step of reducing the volume of discharged purge gas.  
     
     
         15 . The cleaning method according to  claim 12 , wherein the cleaning solution that is stored in the cleaning solution tank is a volatile cleaning solution.  
     
     
         16 . The cleaning method according to  claim 15 , wherein the volatile cleaning solution contains an organic solvent.  
     
     
         17 . The cleaning method according to  claim 12 , wherein the purge gas is an inert gas.  
     
     
         18 . The cleaning method according to  claim 12 , wherein the object to be cleaned is a semiconductor substrate or a glass substrate.  
     
     
         19 . The cleaning method according to  claim 18 , wherein the cleaning bath is a cleaning bath of a batch-type or a single-wafer-type spin cleaning equipment.