JP2855295B2 - Cooling water supply device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooling water supply device, and more particularly, to a temperature adjusting means used for controlling the temperature of a semiconductor wafer in a semiconductor manufacturing process or for controlling the temperature of a processing apparatus or a processing solution. The present invention relates to a cooling water supply device used for cooling of a cooling water supply device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a semiconductor manufacturing process, a cassette accommodating a plurality of semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as "wafers") is controlled at a predetermined temperature in a cooling unit. It is necessary to maintain a processing liquid in a processing apparatus such as an apparatus or an etching apparatus at a predetermined temperature.

Therefore, conventionally, a heat exchanger has been widely used as a temperature adjusting means for controlling a temperature in a semiconductor manufacturing process. The heat exchanger is disposed in a circulation pipe connected to the constant temperature water supply side and the constant temperature water discharge side of the constant temperature section, and is configured to exchange heat with the constant temperature water to a predetermined temperature in the heat exchange section. I have. In the heat exchanger having such a function, it is necessary to cool the heat radiating portion in order to prevent overheating on the heat radiating side. For this reason, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 5, a cooling water supply source c is connected to a heat radiating portion a (hereinafter referred to as a cooled object) of a heat exchanger to be cooled via a cooling water supply pipe b to be cooled. A system is used in which a cooling water discharge section e is connected to the cooling body a via a cooling water discharge pipe d, and the cooling target a is cooled by cooling water supplied from a cooling water supply source c such as city water. ing. Here, since there are a plurality of cooled bodies a (three are shown in the drawing), adjacent cooled bodies a, a are connected in series via a connecting pipe f, and the first cooled bodies a are connected to each other. A cooling water supply source c is connected to the cooled object a, and a third cooled object a
Is connected to a cooling water discharge part e.

In this type of conventional cooling water supply apparatus, a temperature sensor g is attached to the cooled object a for controlling the temperature of the cooled object a, and a signal from the temperature sensor g is received in response to a signal from the temperature sensor g. A control unit h for transmitting a detection signal to the object to be cooled a is provided. When the temperature sensor g detects overheating, the signal is transmitted to the object to be cooled a to stop the operation of the heat exchanger.

[0005]

However, in this type of conventional cooling water supply apparatus, when the flow rate of the cooling water decreases or stops, the temperature of the cooled object a increases until the temperature sensor g detects overheating. However, there has been a problem that piping of the heat exchanger and peripheral devices are broken by heat. Also,
If the pipes b, d, and f of the cooling water come off in the middle, there is a possibility that a water leakage accident may occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a cooling water supply apparatus that prevents a failure of the apparatus due to a decrease in the flow rate of cooling water and prevents a water leakage accident in a cooling water pipe. The purpose is to do so.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a cooling water supply device according to the present invention connects a cooling water supply source to a body to be cooled via a supply pipe, and connects the cooling water supply source via a discharge pipe. The cooling water supply device is connected to the cooling water supply unit, and the flow passage opening / closing means is attached to the supply line on the side of the cooling water supply source, and is attached to the discharge line on the side of the cooling water discharge unit. It comprises a flow rate detecting means, and a control means for receiving a flow rate signal from the flow rate detecting means and transmitting a command signal to at least the flow path opening / closing means and the object to be cooled.

In the present invention, the object to be cooled is cooled when it is overheated to a predetermined temperature or higher, and corresponds to, for example, a radiator of a heat exchanger. The number of the cooled objects may be one or more. When the number of the cooled objects is plural, the respective cooled objects are directly connected to each other, and the cooling water is supplied to the cooled object on the tip side. What is necessary is just to connect a supply source, and to connect a cooling water discharge part to the to-be-cooled body on the terminal side.

The channel opening / closing means may be of any structure as long as it is attached to the supply pipe on the cooling water supply side and opens and closes the channel. And the like.

The flow rate detecting means may have any structure as long as it is attached to the cooling water discharge pipe on the side of the cooling water discharge section and detects the flow rate flowing in the pipe. It can be formed by an ultrasonic sensor or a pressure sensor.

The control means may be any means as long as it receives a flow rate signal from the flow rate detection means and transmits a command signal to at least the flow path opening / closing means and the object to be cooled. For example, an alarm display or the like may be output as a signal other than the object to be cooled. As the control means having such a function, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a hardware logic can be used.

[0012]

According to the cooling water supply apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, the flow rate of the cooling water provided for cooling is detected by the flow rate detecting means on the side of the cooling water discharge section, and the detected flow rate signal is output. Is transmitted to the control means, the command signal is transmitted from the control means to the flow path opening and closing means and the cooled object,
When the flow rate of the cooling water is reduced or stopped, the flow passage opening / closing means can be closed and the operation of the object to be cooled can be stopped.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a cooling water supply device according to the present invention. In the semiconductor manufacturing process, three heat exchange units are used for controlling the temperature of a processing solution such as a cooling unit, a resist process, and a cleaning device. 1 shows a cooling water supply device used for cooling a heat radiating portion (hereinafter referred to as a cooled object) of a vessel.

In the cooling water supply apparatus of the present invention, adjacent cooling objects 1 and 1 are connected in series via a connecting pipe 2 and are connected to the first cooling object 1 via a supply pipe 3. The cooling water supply source 4 is connected to the cooling body 1, and a cooling water discharge unit 6 is connected to the third cooled object 1 via a discharge pipe 5. In this case, city water of about 20 ° C. is used as the cooling water supply source 4.

In the cooling water supply apparatus of the present invention having the above-described piping structure, the supply line 3 on the cooling water supply source side is provided.
An electromagnetic opening / closing valve 7 serving as a flow path opening / closing means is mounted on the discharge pipe 5 on the cooling water discharge section side, and a flow sensor 8 serving as a flow rate detecting means is mounted on the cooling water discharge section. Further, the cooling water supply device according to the present invention includes a control means 9 which receives a flow signal from the flow sensor 8 and transmits an opening / closing command signal to at least the electromagnetic on / off valve 7 and also transmits a command signal to the cooled object 1. I have it.

In this case, the control means is formed by a central processing unit (CPU) for comparing and processing the flow rate signal transmitted from the flow sensor 8 and the flow rate information of the cooling water stored in advance. For example, in addition to the command signal to the electromagnetic on-off valve 7 and the cooled object 1, an alarm display for notifying an abnormal state is output. FIG.
As shown by an imaginary line, a signal from a temperature sensor 10 for detecting the temperature of the cooled object 1 can be transmitted to the CPU 9 so that the cooling unit can be controlled even when the temperature of the cooled object 1 changes. It has become. In addition, in FIG.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a power supply of the CPU 9, and reference numeral 12 denotes a recovery switch of the CPU 9.

The heat exchanger 20 having the object to be cooled 1
As shown in FIG. 2, a heat exchange unit 25 is connected to a discharge port 23 and a supply port 24 of a constant temperature unit 22 using constant temperature water having a predetermined temperature with a circulation line 21, and is connected to the heat exchange unit 25. And a cooling target 1 as a heat radiating portion provided via a heat absorbing / heating element 30. In this case, a pump 28 is attached to the constant temperature water supply side of the circulation pipe 21 to the heat exchange section 25, and a signal of a temperature sensor 26 attached to the constant temperature water discharge side from the heat exchange section 25 of the circulation pipe 21. The temperature of the heat exchange unit 25 is controlled by a signal from the control unit 27 that operates. In addition, the heat absorbing / heating element 30 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), the p-type thermoelectric element 31 and the n-type thermoelectric element 32 are connected to each other, and a current is supplied from the DC power supply 33 to the p-type thermoelectric element 31 and the n-type thermoelectric element 32. The Peltier effect, which generates an endothermic phenomenon and generates an exothermic phenomenon on the other electrode side, can freely switch between endothermic and heat generation by changing the direction of current. In the heat exchanger 20 configured as described above, the constant temperature water discharged from the constant temperature section 22 is supplied to the heat exchange section 25 by the pump 28,
After heat exchange to a predetermined temperature in 5, the heat is circulated from the supply port 24 to the constant temperature section 22. Then, when the object to be cooled 1 is overheated, the cooling water supply device of the present invention is operated to cool the object to be cooled 1.

The heat exchanger 20 is used, for example, by piping a developing solution supply side of a developing device. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the heat exchanger 20 is provided in the middle of a pipe connecting the developer supply source 40 and the development processing chamber 41. In this case, the developing device is provided with a mounting table 42 that holds a semiconductor wafer A (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) as a processing object in a developing processing chamber 41 so as to be rotatable in a horizontal direction, and is provided at a lower portion. A nozzle 44 for spraying the developer whose temperature has been adjusted by the heat exchanger 20 is disposed above the mounting table 42 driven to rotate by the rotation mechanism 43. Also,
An exhaust port 45 is provided at a lower portion of the development processing chamber 41, and an exhaust pipe 47 connected to the blower 46 is connected to the exhaust port 45. On the other hand, a first pipe 48 connecting the developer supply source 40 and the heat exchanger 20 is provided with an on-off valve 49 and a degassing means 50. The second pipe 51 connecting the heat exchanger 20 and the developing chamber 41 is connected to the heat exchanger 20.
An inner pipe 52 connecting the secondary side of the inner pipe and the nozzle 44, and an outer pipe surrounding the inner pipe 52 while leaving a space (temperature regulating water jacket) around the outer pipe and connecting to the constant temperature section 22 through a circulation pipe 53. The pipe 54 has a double pipe structure. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 55 denotes a cleaning nozzle, which is connected to a cleaning liquid supply source 56.

In the developing device constructed as described above, for example, nitrogen (N 2) supplied to the developer supply source 40 is used.
After the temperature of the developing solution pumped by the gas is adjusted to about 23 ° C. by the heat exchanger 20 and the constant temperature section 22, the nozzle 4
4 is sprayed onto the surface of the wafer A on the mounting table 42. At this time, the wafer A is rotated or stopped by the mounting table 42, and the surface of the wafer A is filled with the developer. After developing for a predetermined time,
The mounting table 42 rotates at a high speed, and the developer on the wafer A is shaken off by centrifugal force. After the development processing is performed in this manner, the cleaning nozzle 55 that has been waiting outside from above the wafer A moves to above the wafer A, and the cleaning liquid is supplied to the wafer A.
And the cleaning process of the wafer A is performed. When the nozzle 44 stops spraying the developer, the nozzle 4
Since there is a possibility that the developing solution adhering to the tip of the nozzle 4 may be solidified, the nozzle 44 is moved to a dummy dispensing position indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. 4 to discharge the developing solution. It has become.

Next, the operation of the cooling water supply device of the present invention will be described.

As described above, when the object to be cooled 1 which is a heat radiating portion of the heat exchanger 20 is in an overheated state, the CPU 9 operates by a signal from the temperature sensor 10, and a signal from the CPU 9 is transmitted to the electromagnetic switching valve 7. Then, the electromagnetic on-off valve 7 is opened, and the cooling water is supplied from the cooling water supply source 4 to the cooled body 1 to cool the cooled body 1. In this state, if the flow rate of the cooling water drops or stops for some reason, or if the supply pipe 3, the connection pipe 2, or the discharge pipe 5 is disconnected and water leaks, The sensor 8 detects, for example, a decrease in the flow rate of the cooling water flowing in the discharge pipe 5, and transmits the flow rate signal to the CPU 9. Then, a command signal from the CPU 9 is transmitted to the electromagnetic on-off valve 7 and the cooled object 1, the supply of the cooling water is stopped by closing the electromagnetic on-off valve 7, and the heat exchanger 20 having the cooled object 1 Operation is stopped. An alarm display informs the outside of the abnormality of the cooling system. Therefore, since an abnormality can be detected before the heat exchanger 20 is overheated, damage to the piping of the heat exchanger 20 and peripheral devices due to heat can be prevented.

Although the above embodiment has been described with reference to the case where the number of the cooled objects 1 is three, the number of the cooled objects 1 may be one, or two, four or more. By piping, accidents such as a decrease in the flow rate of cooling water can be prevented. Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the object to be cooled 1 is the heat radiating portion of the heat exchanger 20 is described, but the object to be cooled 1 is not necessarily required to be the heat radiating portion of the heat exchanger 20, and other overheating is prevented. Any device that requires cooling for this purpose may be used.

[0024]

As described above, according to the cooling water supply device of the present invention, since it is configured as described above, it is possible to prevent the failure of the device due to the decrease or stoppage of the flow rate of the cooling water. And a water leakage accident in the cooling water pipeline can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a cooling water supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a heat exchanger having a cooled object according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a heat absorbing / heating portion of the heat exchanger.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a developing device including a heat exchanger to which the cooling water supply device of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a conventional cooling water supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 cooled object 3 supply pipe 4 cooling water supply source 5 discharge pipe 6 cooling water discharge section 7 electromagnetic on-off valve (flow path opening and closing means) 8 flow sensor (flow rate detecting means) 9 CPU (control means)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cooling water supply apparatus comprising: a cooling water supply source connected to a body to be cooled via a supply pipe; and a cooling water discharge unit connected via a discharge pipe. Flow path opening / closing means attached to the supply pipe on the side; flow rate detection means attached to the discharge pipe side on the cooling water discharge section side; receiving the flow signal from the flow rate detection means; Control means for transmitting a command signal to the object to be cooled.