Removal of Glass Particles from a Silicon Surface by Adhesive Force of Polymer Films

Abstract

Fine spherical glass particles on a Si substrate were removed using the adhesive force between them and a polyethylene (PE) film or polyurethane (PU) rubber sheet. The PE film or PU rubber sheet was placed on the Si substrate on which spherical glass particles with a diameter of 0.3–1.5 μm were adhered. The film/sheet was pressed onto the Si substrate using electrostatic force or pressurized air. When the force between the film/sheet and the particles became larger than that between the Si substrate and the particles, the particles were removed from the substrate along with the film/sheet. A repetition of this process led to the removal of all the glass spheres. More than 80% of the particles were removed in the first removal step when the pressure was 0.1 MPa and more than 0.25 MPa in the case of the PU rubber sheet and PE film, respectively.