JP2006231212A - Method of using ultrafiltration filter and wet development apparatus with ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of using an ultrafiltration filter to assure a stable amount of filtrate without causing clogging of the filter with lapse of time even without performing special maintenance, and a wet development apparatus with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: Filter regeneration by the liquid chemical is performed by using the wet development apparatus including the ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism, which reforms the filter membrane surface by a liquid chemical. Filter processing is performed by immersing the ultrafiltration filter 7 into the liquid chemical prior to loading. The liquid chemical is an aqueous oxidizing agent solution, an aqueous alkaline solution or a solution mixture composed of both. Also, the ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism comprised of a liquid chemical supply system, a liquid chemical discharge system, and a filtrate side discharge system is included. The apparatus is provided with a valve 33 for supplying pure water to a liquid chemical passage path and a valve 29 for supplying air to the liquid chemical passage path. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention generally relates to a development process related to photolithography in the field of electronics, and more particularly to patterning development in color filter manufacturing.

  A color filter used in a liquid crystal display or the like is an optical element having a fine red, green, blue pattern or the like. And the manufacturing process consists of processes, such as application | coating of a photosensitive resist to transparent substrates, such as glass, exposure, and image development, The same process is repeated about each color. Hereinafter, conventional techniques and problems will be described from the viewpoint of the color filter developing process.

  The development process is intended to dissolve and remove the uncured resist after exposure, and is an important process that influences the pattern shape in the photolithography process. Items managed in the development process include development time, developer temperature, and the like, and all depend on the developing power of the developer to be used, although it depends on the configuration and method of the developing tank.

  A normal developing machine, regardless of whether it is a batch type or a single wafer type, has a single circulation configuration of a developing tank and a developing tank. In order to maintain the developing power, there is a method in which the development circulation tank is simultaneously drained by managing the number of processed sheets, or the replenishment of the new developer and the tank drain are continuously performed at regular intervals.

  In the case of a simultaneous drain, this is forced to shut down. In other words, it is close to maintenance. Further, although depending on the number of processed sheets to be managed, the developing power in the initial state and the drain are greatly different. Therefore, it is necessary to finely adjust the development parameters during continuous operation, which is not suitable for factory process management.

  When the replenishment of the developing solution and the tank drain are continuously performed at regular intervals, if the drain amount is small, the developing power is extremely reduced and the degree of contamination of the tank becomes very high. The degree of contamination of the tank, that is, the degree of contamination of the developing shower is a factor that causes problems in the apparatus and the product. Conversely, if the drain amount is increased, the degree of contamination of the tank can be kept low, but the amount of developer used becomes enormous and the running cost becomes unprofitable.

  With either method, it is difficult to avoid fluctuations in the developing force immediately after maintenance. Further, the amount of developer used and the degree of tank contamination are contradictory parameters, and it is impossible to maintain the tank contamination level while keeping the running cost low. Accordingly, there is a situation in which priority is given to the suppression of the occurrence of defects in product quality, and the operation is performed with a large amount of supply and drain amount of the new developer.

  Every year, photolithography processing apparatuses are getting larger. In this background, the increase in the size of displays accompanying market demand is involved. Increasing the size of the line will increase the amount of utility used and the maintenance of the equipment will also deteriorate. Furthermore, an increase in the size of the product leads to deterioration in workability, making process management difficult. This problem greatly affects the wet process including the development step.

In order to solve these problems, a developing device equipped with an ultrafiltration system has been devised (for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-367017). This is because the ultrafiltration filter is installed in the wet developing device, and the development circulation tank with low contamination level and the ultrafiltration concentration tank with high contamination level are less likely to cause quality problems and keep running costs low. Yes.
Further, it is intended to eliminate the need for fine adjustment of development parameters, and to achieve this purpose in continuous operation by supplying and discharging the developer efficiently rather than reusing the developer.

  However, in the patterning development process in the production of color filters, since the developer contains a pigment, the filtrate flow rate is often lowered over time. This is presumably because the pigment component adsorbs on the filter membrane surface or clogs the liquid permeable holes. When this phenomenon is remarkable, it is difficult to maintain the required amount of filtrate, and a sufficient function cannot be achieved.

The ultrafiltration filter is capable of self-cleaning, called back-cleaning, and is effective for avoiding clogging of the filter as described above, but this method is only one means for extending the life of the filter, Eventually, the filter needs to be replaced or regenerated with a special chemical solution.
Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-367017

The present invention, in a wet developing apparatus equipped with an ultrafiltration filter, does not cause clogging of the filter over time even when used in a color filter developing process including a pigment, and ensures a stable amount of filtrate without special maintenance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of using an ultrafiltration filter that can be used.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a wet developing device with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism that can secure a stable filtrate amount without special maintenance.

  The present invention relates to a method of using an ultrafiltration filter in which an ultrafiltration filter is attached to a wet developing device and filters the developer, and the surface of the filter membrane is modified with a chemical solution in advance. How to use.

  The present invention also relates to a method of using an ultrafiltration filter in which an ultrafiltration filter is attached to a wet developing device to filter the developer, and the ultrafiltration filter is regenerated as a wet developing device equipped with the ultrafiltration filter. The method of using an ultrafiltration filter is characterized in that a filter is regenerated with a chemical solution during operation of the apparatus by using a wet developing apparatus having a mechanism.

  Further, the present invention provides the method for using an ultrafiltration filter according to the above invention, wherein the ultrafiltration filter to be attached is attached to the chemical solution before the ultrafiltration filter is attached to the wet developing device equipped with the ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism. It is the usage method of the ultrafiltration filter characterized by performing the filter process immersed in a filter.

  The present invention is also the method for using an ultrafiltration filter according to the above-described invention, wherein the chemical solution is an oxidant aqueous solution, an alkali aqueous solution, or a mixture of both.

Further, the present invention provides a wet developing device equipped with an ultrafiltration filter,
1) Chemical solution tank for storing chemical solution, chemical solution supply pump for sending chemical solution from the chemical solution tank to the ultrafiltration filter, chemical solution passage route drain valve 2 for discharging the developer to be discarded, chemical solution passage route 2, developer solution and chemical solution A chemical solution supply system comprising a chemical solution supply valve that performs supply switching, an ultrafiltration filter IN-side stop valve connected to the IN side of the ultrafiltration filter, and a chemical solution supply new solution replenishment path;
2) Filter OUT side valve connected to the OUT side of the ultrafiltration filter for switching the discharge of the developer and the chemical solution from the ultrafiltration filter, the chemical solution passage path 1 for returning the chemical solution to the chemical solution tank, and the chemical solution chemical tank A chemical solution discharge system comprising a chemical solution passage drain valve 1 connected to a chemical solution tank that switches between return to the pure water discharge and
3) Filtrate drain side path stop valve connected to the filtrate side of the ultrafiltration filter, filtrate returning to the ultrafiltration filter circulation tank, and filtrate drainage valve for switching the filtrate, chemical solution and pure water to be discarded on the filtrate side A filtrate side discharge system consisting of
A wet developing device with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism comprising an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism constituted by:

  Further, according to the present invention, in the wet developing apparatus with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism according to the above-described invention, a chemical solution passage pure water supply valve is provided between the chemical solution supply pump of the chemical solution supply system and the chemical solution passage drain valve 2. The wet developing device with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism is characterized in that after the filter is regenerated with a chemical solution, pure water can be supplied to replace the chemical solution in the ultrafiltration filter.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the wet developing apparatus with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism according to the above invention, a chemical solution passage air supply valve is provided between the filter OUT side valve of the chemical solution discharge system and the chemical solution passage drain valve 1. It is possible to purge the developer in the ultrafiltration filter by supplying clean air before supplying the chemical solution, and purge the pure water in the ultrafiltration filter by supplying clean air after replacement with pure water. This is a wet developing device with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism.

  In the wet developing apparatus with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism according to the present invention, the chemical solution is an oxidizer aqueous solution, an alkaline aqueous solution, or a mixture of both. It is a wet developing device.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the ultrafiltration filter is preliminarily immersed in the chemical solution, it can be used for a long period of time while being attached to the wet developing device, or is not easily clogged. How to use an ultrafiltration filter that can be used in a state of color, does not cause clogging of the filter over time even when used in a color filter development process containing pigments, and can ensure a stable filtrate volume without special maintenance It becomes.
According to the inventions according to claims 2 to 4, since the filter regeneration with the chemical solution is performed using the wet developing device equipped with the ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism for modifying the filter membrane surface with the chemical solution, the same effect can be obtained. It is done.
Moreover, since the chemical solution is an oxidizing agent aqueous solution, an alkaline aqueous solution, or a mixture of both, filter regeneration and processing can be performed at low cost.

  According to the inventions according to claims 5 to 8, since the wet developing device includes an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism including a chemical solution supply system, a chemical solution discharge system, and a filtrate side discharge system, the filtrate of the ultrafiltration filter When the amount decreases, the filtrate amount can be recovered while maintaining the operating state. In addition, a chemical solution passage pure water supply valve is provided, and after the filter is regenerated with chemical solution, pure water can be supplied to replace the chemical solution in the ultrafiltration filter, thus preventing the chemical solution from entering the filtrate during filtration operation. be able to. In addition, since the chemical solution passage air supply valve is provided and clean air can be supplied before the chemical solution is supplied to purge the developer in the ultrafiltration filter, the effect of the chemical solution is not reduced. In addition, since clean air can be supplied after the replacement with pure water to purge the pure water in the ultrafiltration filter, it is possible to prevent a decrease in concentration due to the mixing of pure water into the developer.

Below, the usage method of the ultrafiltration filter by this invention and the wet developing apparatus with an ultrafiltration filter reproduction | regeneration mechanism are demonstrated based on the embodiment.
In the present invention, the modification of the filter membrane surface with a chemical solution may be performed in advance, or may be performed by an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism during operation of the apparatus.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an example of an ultrafiltration filter processing apparatus used in the method of using the ultrafiltration filter of the present invention. In the ultrafiltration filter, the chemical solution is continuously circulated in the ultrafiltration filter to perform the treatment with the chemical solution.
Reference numeral 101 denotes a chemical solution circulation tank. The chemical solution is supplied to the ultrafiltration filters 7 to 11 by the chemical solution feeding pump 102. Although FIG. 1 assumes that five ultrafiltration filters are mounted, the number of mounted filters may be any number. The chemical liquid that has passed through the ultrafiltration filter passes through the chemical liquid circulation outlet path 117 and is returned to the chemical liquid circulation tank 101 again.

  When performing the filter process with a chemical solution, continuous liquid permeation to the filtrate side is not necessary. Since the main purpose of the filter treatment with a chemical solution is to modify the inner wall surface of the hollow fiber, it is most effective to circulate the hollow fiber with a fresh chemical solution. Therefore, the filtrate drain valve 113 and the filtrate outlet valve 115 in FIG. 1 operate in a closed state. When confirming the filtrate flow rate during the processing, the filtrate outlet valve 115 can be opened and confirmed by the filtrate flow meter 116.

  The flow rate for circulating the chemical solution is determined by the ultrafiltration filter IN side pressure gauge 103. The pressure resistance of the ultrafiltration filter is determined by the material of the filter. Therefore, the pressure to be set is determined by the selected filter. Basically, the higher the line bundle (flow rate) of the chemical flowing through the hollow fiber, the higher the treatment effect. It is desirable to circulate at a pressure as high as possible below the pressure resistance.

  When the chemical treatment is completed and the chemical solution in the ultrafiltration filter is drained, the chemical feed pump 102 is stopped and the circulating chemical drain valve 112 and the circulating chemical drain air vent valve 118 are opened. The internal chemical liquid is drained into the chemical circulation storage tank 101. In the case of draining the chemical solution on the filtrate side, the drainage is similarly performed by opening the filtrate drain valve 113, the filtrate intermediate valve 114, the filtrate outlet valve 115, and the air vent valve 118 for the circulating chemical liquid drain.

  After the filter treatment with the chemical solution, after sufficiently replacing with pure water in the same procedure, drain and attach to the wet developing device with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism. The chemical solution replacement with pure water can be easily performed by draining the chemical solution in the chemical solution circulation tank 101 by the chemical solution tank drain valve 120 and filling the chemical solution circulation tank 101 with pure water.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an example of a wet developing apparatus with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism of the present invention. The flow for implementing filter reproduction | regeneration with a chemical | medical solution during the continuous filtration of a developing solution is shown. Reference numeral 4 is a development circulation tank, 5 is an ultrafiltration filter circulation tank, 12 is a filtrate tank, 13 is a backwash tank, and 6 is a chemical tank. Since the chemical liquid gradually decreases, the chemical liquid tank 6 is provided with a chemical liquid supply new liquid replenishment path 37. Further, although not shown in FIG. 2, it is desirable to mount a level sensor for monitoring the liquid level.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of a wet developing device with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism equipped with five ultrafiltration filters, but the number is not limited to five. Examples of the wet developing device that does not include the ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism include the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-367017.

During normal operation in which the developer is continuously filtered, the developer is supplied from the ultrafiltration filter circulation tank 5 to the ultrafiltration filter 7 through the ultrafiltration filter circulation IN side path 27 by the ultrafiltration filter circulation pump 16. Then, the ultrafiltration filter circulating fluid outlet side path 21 returns to the ultrafiltration filter circulation tank 5. The filtrate is switched by the backwash tank switching valve 14 and sent to the filtrate tank 12 or the backwash tank 13.
The flow rate of the filtrate is detected by the filtrate flow meter 48, and when the flow rate decreases, filter regeneration with the chemical solution is started.

  At the start of filter regeneration using a chemical solution, first, the chemical solution supply valve 30 is switched to open the direction of the chemical solution passage 2 (28). The filter OUT side valve 47 also opens in the direction of the chemical solution passage path 1 (24). Thereby, the ultrafiltration filter 7 is completely separated from the circulation path of the developer. That is, the filtrate is generated by only four of the ultrafiltration filters 8 to 11, and the ultrafiltration filter 7 is switched to the chemical solution regeneration mode.

  As for the filtrate side, the filtrate supply side path stop valve 32 is normally open and the filtrate drain side path stop valve 38 is closed. However, in the chemical solution regeneration mode, the filtrate supply side path stop valve 32 is The closed, filtrate drain side path stop valve 38 is opened. This creates a state where the filtrate side is also isolated from the filtrate production path by developer circulation. Further, the drainage side of the filtrate drain valve 22 is opened for the developer drain described later.

  If the developer is mixed in the chemical solution, the regeneration effect is greatly reduced. Therefore, it is desirable that there is as little developer as possible in the ultrafiltration filter. Therefore, in the present invention, a method of purging the developer in the ultrafiltration filter with clean air is adopted. Clean air is supplied by switching the chemical liquid passage air supply valve 29.

  When clean air is supplied in a state in which the drainage path of the chemical solution passage path drain valve 1 (31) is closed, it enters the ultrafiltration filter 7 from the filter OUT side valve 47. The clean air that has entered the ultrafiltration filter 7 pressurizes the developing solution, and the pressurized developing solution passes through the ultrafiltration filter IN side stop valve 26 and the chemical solution supply valve 30 and passes through the chemical solution passage 2 (28). The chemical solution passage route drain valve 2 (34) is reached. The chemical solution passage route drain valve 2 (34) is open on the drain side, and the developer inside the ultrafiltration filter 7 is drained from here.

Clean air that has entered the ultrafiltration filter 7 passes through the hollow fiber and pressurizes the filtrate side. Accordingly, the developer present in the filtrate side path is also drained from the filtrate drain valve 22. Clean air supply management uses time and the liquid level sensor in the pipe.
After all the developer is drained, the chemical solution is supplied by the ultrafiltration filter circulation pump 16. The supplied chemical solution is supplied to the ultrafiltration filter 7 through the chemical solution passage path 2 (28) in the direction opposite to that when the developer is drained, and further to the chemical solution tank 6 through the chemical solution passage route 1 (24). Return. At this time, the chemical solution passage passage air supply valve 29, the chemical solution passage passage drain valve 1 (31), the chemical passage passage pure water supply valve 33, and the chemical passage passage drain valve 2 (34) are opened in the horizontal direction in FIG. .

  The chemical circulates for a certain time. The filtrate drain side path stop valve 38 and the filtrate supply side path stop valve 32 on the filtrate path side are closed, and only the amount permeated by the pressure is collected, but mainly for the surface treatment on the hollow fiber IN side. On the filtrate side, the immersion level is sufficient.

After the chemical treatment is performed for a certain time, pure water is supplied from the chemical passage passage pure water supply valve 33, and the chemical solution inside the ultrafiltration filter 7 is replaced through the chemical passage passage 2 (28). The pure water that has passed through the ultrafiltration filter 7 passes through the chemical solution passage path 1 (24) and the chemical solution passage path drain valve 1 (
31).

  Since it is also necessary to replace the chemical solution on the filtrate side, the filtrate drain valve 22 is switched to the drain path, and the pure water that has permeated the hollow fiber is drained from here. Replacement with pure water is managed by the processing time.

  After the chemical replacement with pure water, it is necessary to drain pure water in the ultrafiltration filter again by supplying clean air. The purge method using clean air can be performed in the same manner as the developer purge described above.

  There is no particular limitation on the timing at which chemical solution regeneration is performed with one cycle as described above. It may be carried out in combination with backwashing, or may be carried out independently of the backwashing cycle.

  Hereinafter, a specific operation method according to the embodiment will be described. A NaOH (0.4%) + NaClO (1000 ppm) aqueous solution was employed as the chemical solution used in the ultrafiltration filter processing apparatus shown in FIG. Here, 1000 ppm of NaClO is an effective chlorine concentration.

  The number of ultrafiltration filters to be attached was five, and the chemical solution was circulated and supplied to all the filters by the chemical solution feeding pump 102. The supply amount is controlled by an inverter so as to be a constant pressure by a pressure sensor on the filter IN side, and about 200 KPa is a guide.

  The circulation time of the chemical solution was continuous for about 24 hours, and the chemical solution replacement with pure water was 10 minutes × 2 times. Although one cycle from chemical solution circulation to pure water replacement may be automatically controlled, a manual ultrafiltration filter processing apparatus is taken as an example here.

  The processed ultrafiltration filter is removed from the ultrafiltration filter processing device and attached to the wet development device with the ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism. Until the ultrafiltration filter is attached to the wet development device with the ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism. When it is necessary to store for a while, it is desirable to store it while attached to the ultrafiltration filter processing apparatus. This is because the ultrafiltration filter made of a hollow fiber membrane is vulnerable to drying, so that the ultrafiltration filter IN side manual valve 106 is closed and attached to the ultrafiltration filter processing device, so that pure water is supplied to the inside. This is because it can be stored in a filled state and drying can be prevented.

  Next, a specific operation method according to the embodiment of the wet developing apparatus with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism will be described. The ultrafiltration filter other than the ultrafiltration filter connected to the ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism shown in FIG. 2, for example, the ultrafiltration filter other than the ultrafiltration filter 7 continues to send the filtrate to the ultrafiltration filter circulation tank 5 at all times. ing. The wet developing apparatus also employs a reverse cleaning function during operation, and the amount of the filtrate is covered by the other four during the single reverse cleaning.

  In the present embodiment, the regeneration process is performed separately from the reverse cleaning mode. In other words, while the ultrafiltration filter 7 is in the regeneration process, the ultrafiltration filters 8 to 11 are performing the filtration process, and one of them is in the reverse cleaning mode. Therefore, only three of the five ultrafiltration filters that actually contribute to the supply of the filtrate are shown in FIG. The reverse cleaning mode of the ultrafiltration filters 8 to 11 is operated by a mechanism that sequentially shifts as usual.

The regeneration process of the ultrafiltration filter 7 is performed by the process as described above. Each process was time-controlled, the developer purge time was 5 minutes at an air pressure of 200 KPa, and the regeneration treatment by chemical circulation was 30 minutes at an IN pressure of 200 KPa. Further, a pure water replacement was performed at 200 KPa for 10 minutes, and finally a purge of pure water was performed at an air pressure of 200 KPa for 5 minutes, and then the process configuration was returned to normal developer circulation. The total time is 50 minutes. When the regeneration process of the ultrafiltration filter 7 is completed, the process proceeds to the regeneration process of the ultrafiltration filter 8. If the ultrafiltration filter 8 is in the reverse cleaning mode, It is assumed that the regeneration process starts after the reverse cleaning mode is completed. That is, only when such a situation occurs, the filtrate is supplied by operating four filters.

  When the regeneration process shifts to the ultrafiltration filter 8, filtrate generation is performed with the ultrafiltration filter 7 and the ultrafiltration filters 9 to 11. In addition, one of the four is selected as the reverse cleaning mode, and the reverse cleaning mode is sequentially switched. This cycle is repeated in the order of the ultrafiltration filters 7 to 11, and the interval of the chemical solution regeneration process is 50 minutes × 5 = 250 minutes.

It is the schematic of an example of an ultrafiltration filter processing apparatus. It is the schematic of an example of the wet image development apparatus with an ultrafiltration filter reproduction | regeneration mechanism by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Developer supply use point 2 ... Developer tank 3 ... New developer supply path 4 ... Development circulation tank 5 ... Ultrafiltration filter circulation tank 6 ... Chemical solution tank 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 ... Ultrafiltration filter 12 ... filtrate tank 13 ... backwash tank 14 ... backwash tank switching valve 15 ... ultrafiltration-bound developer feed pump 16 ... ultrafiltration filter circulation pump 17 ... development circulation pump 18 ... filtrate feed pump 19 ... backwash pump 20 ... Filtrate return path 21 ... Ultrafiltration filter circulating fluid outlet side path 22 ... Filtrate drain valve 23 ... Reverse cleaning liquid passage path 24 ... Chemical liquid passage path 1
25 ... Developer circulation path 26 ... Ultrafiltration filter IN side stop valve 27 ... Ultrafiltration filter circulation IN side path 28 ... Chemical solution passage path 2
29 ... Chemical solution passage route air supply valve 30 ... Chemical solution supply valve 31 ... Chemical solution passage route drain valve 1
32 ... Filtrate supply side path stop valve 33 ... Chemical liquid passage path pure water supply valve 34 ... Chemical liquid passage path drain valve 2
35 ... Ultrafiltration filter circulation path outlet side pressure regulating valve 36 ... Chemical liquid supply pump 37 ... Chemical liquid supply new liquid replenishment path 38 ... Filtrate drain side path stop valve 47 ... Filter OUT side valve 48 ... Filtrate flow meter 101 ... Chemical liquid circulation tank DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 102 ... Chemical liquid feed pump 103 ... Ultrafiltration filter IN side pressure gauge 104 ... Chemical liquid introduction path 105 ... Filtrate drain path 106 ... Ultrafiltration filter IN side manual valve 112 ... Circulating chemical liquid drain valve 113 ... Filtrate drain valve 114 ... Filtrate Intermediate valve 115 ... Filtrate outlet valve 116 ... Filtrate flow meter 117 ... Chemical liquid circulation outlet path 118 ... Air vent valve 119 for circulating chemical drain Drain air vent valve 120 for filtrate drain ... Valve for chemical tank drain

Claims (8)

  A method for using an ultrafiltration filter, wherein an ultrafiltration filter is attached to a wet developing device to filter a developer, and the surface of the filter membrane is modified in advance by a chemical solution.   In a method of using an ultrafiltration filter that attaches an ultrafiltration filter to a wet developing device and filters the developer, the wet developing device equipped with the ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism as a wet developing device equipped with the ultrafiltration filter A method for using an ultrafiltration filter, characterized in that a filter is regenerated with a chemical while the apparatus is in operation by using the apparatus.   3. The filter processing for immersing the ultrafiltration filter to be attached in the chemical solution before attaching the ultrafiltration filter to the wet developing device having the ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism. How to use an ultrafiltration filter.   4. The method of using an ultrafiltration filter according to claim 1, wherein the chemical solution is an oxidizing agent aqueous solution, an alkaline aqueous solution, or a mixture of both. In a wet developing device equipped with an ultrafiltration filter,
1) Chemical solution tank for storing chemical solution, chemical solution supply pump for sending chemical solution from the chemical solution tank to the ultrafiltration filter, chemical solution passage route drain valve 2 for discharging the developer to be discarded, chemical solution passage route 2, developer solution and chemical solution A chemical solution supply system comprising a chemical solution supply valve that performs supply switching, an ultrafiltration filter IN-side stop valve connected to the IN side of the ultrafiltration filter, and a chemical solution supply new solution replenishment path;
2) Filter OUT side valve connected to the OUT side of the ultrafiltration filter for switching the discharge of the developer and the chemical solution from the ultrafiltration filter, the chemical solution passage path 1 for returning the chemical solution to the chemical solution tank, and the chemical solution chemical tank A chemical solution discharge system comprising a chemical solution passage drain valve 1 connected to a chemical solution tank that switches between return to the pure water discharge and
3) Filtrate drain side path stop valve connected to the filtrate side of the ultrafiltration filter, filtrate returning to the ultrafiltration filter circulation tank, and filtrate drainage valve for switching the filtrate, chemical solution and pure water to be discarded on the filtrate side A filtrate side discharge system consisting of
A wet developing apparatus with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism comprising an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism comprising:   A chemical solution passage pure water supply valve is provided between the chemical solution supply pump of the chemical solution supply system and the chemical solution passage route drain valve 2, and after the filter is regenerated by the chemical solution, pure water is supplied to the chemical solution in the ultrafiltration filter. The wet developing apparatus with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism according to claim 5, wherein   A chemical solution passage air supply valve is provided between the chemical solution discharge system filter OUT side valve and the chemical solution passage route drain valve 1, and before supplying the chemical solution, clean air is supplied to the inside of the ultrafiltration filter. 7. The ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the developer can be purged, and pure water in the ultrafiltration filter can be purged by supplying clean air after replacement with pure water. Wet development device.   The wet developing apparatus with an ultrafiltration filter regeneration mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the chemical solution is an oxidizing agent aqueous solution, an alkaline aqueous solution, or a mixture thereof.

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