Patents Represented by Law Firm Wenderoth, Link & Ponack, L.L.P.
  • Patent number: 6148463
    Abstract: The cleaning apparatus of the present invention comprises a cleaning member 105 adapted to be rotated while maintaining contact with a surface of a semiconductor wafer W, to thereby clean the surface of the semiconductor wafer W, and a drive motor 50 for rotating the cleaning member 105. A linear bushing 75 and coil springs 81 are provided between the cleaning member 105 and the drive motor 50. The linear bushing 75 ensures that the cleaning member 105 is capable of slidably moving in a direction of an axis of rotation. The coil springs 81 ensure that the cleaning member 105 applies a predetermined pressure to the semiconductor wafer W. A pressure in a casing 1 [(1-1), (1-2) and (1-3)] is set to a negative pressure relative to an outside air pressure by suction through a pipe 111.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Noburu Shimizu, Koji Ato