JP7309297B2 - Liquid supply device, coating device, aging device, liquid supply method, and aging method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid supply device, a coating device, an aging device, and a liquid supply method.

Conventionally, glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, semiconductor substrates, glass substrates for PDPs, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for color filters, substrates for recording disks, substrates for solar cells, substrates for electronic paper and other precision electronic device substrates, In the process of manufacturing rectangular glass substrates, flexible substrates for film liquid crystals, and substrates for organic EL (hereinafter simply referred to as "substrates"), a coating device is used to apply a liquid such as photoresist to the surface of the substrate. A conventional coating device is described in Patent Document 1, for example. The coating apparatus of Patent Document 1 discharges a coating liquid from a slit die having a slit-shaped discharge port onto a substrate held by suction on a horizontally movable stage.

JP 2017-23990 A

A coating apparatus of this type may use a filter for removing foreign substances contained in the coating liquid before discharging and coating the processing liquid. Since it is difficult to specify an appropriate replacement time for a filter that filters a highly viscous processing liquid, the filter is replaced, for example, when the operating time or the total flow rate reaches a certain value. there is Therefore, if the period of use of the filter is shorter than its original life, the cost of the filter becomes relatively high. In addition, if the filter is used longer than its original service life, there is a possibility that coating defects will occur due to the inability to sufficiently purify the processing liquid. Therefore, there is a demand for a technique that allows the filter life to be easily determined.

Also, a new filter is generally washed with a cleaning liquid in advance. However, when a processing liquid having a higher viscosity than the cleaning liquid is passed through the cleaned filter, dust (particles) may be separated from the filter. For this reason, so-called aging, in which a high-viscosity treatment liquid is allowed to flow through the filter, is sometimes performed. However, since it is not easy to determine whether the filter is in a state suitable for filtering a high-viscosity processing liquid, aging is completed after the aging has been performed for a certain period of time. Therefore, if the aging time is not sufficient, there is a possibility that dust separated from the filter will be mixed with the treatment liquid when the filter is applied to the coating device, resulting in poor coating. Therefore, there is a demand for a technique that allows easy grasping of the degree of filter aging.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of properly grasping the life or aging degree of a filter applied to filtration of a high-viscosity treatment liquid.

In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect is a liquid supply apparatus for supplying a processing liquid, comprising a tank capable of storing a high-viscosity processing liquid having a viscosity of 1000 cP or more , and a liquid supply for supplying the processing liquid. a port, a liquid feed pipe connecting the tank and the liquid feed port, a liquid feed unit for feeding the processing liquid from the tank toward the liquid feed port via the liquid feed pipe, and the liquid feed A filter arranged in a pipe for filtering the processing liquid, and a measurement unit for measuring the amount of particles in the processing liquid that has passed through the filter at a position downstream of the filter , wherein the measurement unit includes the filter The number of particles of 10 μm or less, which are dust particles separated from the nozzle, is counted for each of a plurality of sizes .

A second aspect is the liquid supply device of the first aspect, further comprising a measurement pipe connected to the liquid supply pipe at a position downstream of the filter in the liquid supply pipe, and the measuring unit measures the amount of particles in the processing liquid in the measurement pipe.

A third aspect is the liquid supply apparatus of the second aspect, further comprising an on-off valve that turns on and off the flow of the processing liquid from the liquid supply pipe to the measurement pipe.

A fourth aspect is the liquid supply device according to the second aspect or the third aspect, wherein the inner area of the measurement pipe is smaller than the inner area of the liquid feed pipe.

A fifth aspect is the liquid supply device according to any one of the second aspect to the fourth aspect, further comprising a liquid-sending pump arranged in the liquid-sending pipe for pumping the processing liquid.

A sixth aspect is the liquid supply device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the measurement pipe is connected to the liquid feed pipe at a position downstream of the liquid feed pump in the liquid feed pipe.

A seventh aspect is the liquid supply device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the measurement pipe is connected to the liquid feed pipe at a position upstream of the liquid feed pump in the liquid feed pipe.

An eighth aspect is the liquid supply device according to any one of the second aspect to the seventh aspect, further comprising a degassing module arranged upstream of the measuring section and degassing the processing liquid.

A ninth aspect is the liquid supply device of the eighth aspect, wherein the degassing module is arranged in the measurement pipe.

A tenth aspect is the liquid supply device according to any one of the first aspect to the ninth aspect, comprising: a determination unit that determines the state of the filter based on the amount of particles measured by the measurement unit; and an output unit for outputting to the outside the determination result output by the.

An eleventh aspect is a coating device for applying a treatment liquid to an object, comprising: the supply device according to any one of the first to tenth aspects; and a nozzle for discharging.

A twelfth aspect is an aging apparatus for treating a filter with a high-viscosity treatment liquid having a viscosity of 1000 cP or more , comprising a first tank capable of storing the treatment liquid and a second tank capable of storing the treatment liquid. , a first liquid-feeding pipe and a second liquid-feeding pipe that connect the first tank and the second tank in parallel, and liquid feeding from the first tank to the second tank via the first liquid-feeding pipe a first liquid-feeding unit that feeds liquid from the second tank to the first tank through the second liquid-feeding pipe, the first liquid-feeding unit and the second liquid-feeding unit a control unit that alternately operates a control unit that alternately operates a unit, a filter mounting unit that mounts a filter so as to filter the processing liquid flowing through the first liquid feeding pipe, and a particle amount in the processing liquid that has passed through the filter. and a measurement unit, wherein the measurement unit counts the number of particles of 10 μm or less, which are dust separated from the filter, for each of a plurality of sizes.

A thirteenth aspect is a liquid supply method for supplying a high-viscosity treatment liquid having a viscosity of 1000 cP or more to a supply destination, comprising a) a step of sending the treatment liquid in a tank to a supply destination, and b) the step a). and c) measuring the amount of particles in the treatment liquid that has passed through the filter in step b) . In c), particles of 10 μm or less, which are dust particles separated from the filter, are counted for each of a plurality of sizes .
A fourteenth aspect is an aging method for treating a filter with a high-viscosity treatment liquid having a viscosity of 1000 cP or more, comprising: A) sending the treatment liquid from a first tank to a second tank; and B) filtering the processing liquid sent from the first tank to the second tank by the step A) with a filter. and C) measuring the amount of particles in the treatment liquid that has passed through the filter in step B), and in step C), the dust separated from the filter having a particle size of 10 μm or less. For particles, the number is counted for each of a plurality of sizes.

According to the liquid supply apparatus of the first aspect, it is possible to easily grasp the life of the filter or the degree of aging of the filter based on the amount of particles contained in the processing liquid that has passed through the filter.

According to the liquid supply device of the second aspect, since it is provided in the branch pipe, it is possible to suppress the influence on the supply pipe.

According to the liquid supply device of the third aspect, the liquid supply from the liquid supply pipe to the measurement pipe can be turned on and off.

According to the liquid supply device of the fourth aspect, the particle amount can be measured with a small amount of processing liquid.

According to the liquid supply device of the fifth aspect, the processing liquid can be sent to the liquid supply port by the liquid transfer pump.

According to the liquid supply device of the sixth aspect, the liquid can be supplied to the measurement pipe by the liquid feed pump.

According to the liquid supply device of the seventh aspect, the processing liquid to be sent to the supply destination can also be sent to the measurement pipe.

According to the liquid supply device of the eighth aspect, it is possible to prevent the measurement of the particle amount from being hindered by air bubbles.

According to the liquid supply device of the ninth aspect, degassing is performed in the measurement pipe closer to the measurement part than the liquid supply pipe. Therefore, the particle amount can be measured with fewer bubbles than in the case of degassing in the liquid feeding pipe.

According to the liquid supply device of the tenth aspect, the determination result of the state of the filter based on the amount of particles in the processing liquid is output to the outside. Therefore, the operator can easily grasp the state of the filter.

According to the coating device of the eleventh aspect, the high-viscosity processing liquid filtered by the filter of the liquid supply device can be coated onto the object.

According to the aging device of the twelfth aspect, it is possible to easily judge aging of the filter based on the measurement result of the amount of particles.

According to the liquid supply method of the thirteenth aspect, it is possible to easily grasp the life of the filter or the degree of aging of the filter based on the amount of particles contained in the processing liquid that has passed through the filter.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the coating device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of the degassing module shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the coating unit shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing connections between a first control unit and each unit in the coating apparatus; It is a figure which shows the structure of the coating device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the aging apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the first mounting portion shown in FIG. 6 and the first filter mounted on the first mounting portion; FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the constituent elements described in this embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them. In the drawings, for ease of understanding, the dimensions and numbers of each part may be exaggerated or simplified as necessary.

<1. First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a coating device 1 according to the first embodiment. The coating apparatus 1 is applied, for example, to a process of manufacturing a polyimide film that is used as a base material of a flexible display. In the process of manufacturing a polyimide film, the coater 1 applies a varnish, which is a high-viscosity treatment liquid containing a polyimide precursor (polyamic acid), to the upper surface of a carrier substrate C made of glass. After that, the varnish is heated, decompressed, baked, etc., in another apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the coating device 1 of this embodiment includes a liquid supply unit 10 (liquid supply device), a coating unit 20 and a first control section 30 . Each configuration of the coating apparatus 1 will be described below.

The liquid supply unit 10 is a device that supplies a high-viscosity treatment liquid to the coating unit 20 as a supply destination. The liquid supply unit 10 has a supply tank 11 , a first liquid supply pipe 12 , a degassing tank 13 , a second liquid supply pipe 14 , a pressure mechanism 15 , a pressure reduction mechanism 16 and a measurement mechanism 17 .

The supply tank 11 is a container that stores the varnish before supply. The varnish stored in the supply tank 11 may be unused or may be recycled after being used. As mentioned above, varnish is a highly viscous processing liquid. The viscosity of the varnish is, for example, about 1000 to 10000 cP (1 to 10 Pa·s). In the following description, "high viscosity" means a viscosity of 1000 cP (1 Pa·s) or more. The high-viscosity processing liquid supplied by the liquid supply unit 10 is not limited to varnish containing a polyimide precursor, and may be a high-viscosity processing liquid other than varnish. In the following description, the side closer to the supply tank 11 is called the upstream side, and the side opposite to the supply tank 11 is called the downstream side.

The liquid supply unit 10 has one supply tank 11 , but may have a plurality of supply tanks 11 . In that case, the plurality of supply tanks 11 may be switchably connected to the first liquid supply pipe 12 .

The first liquid supply pipe 12 is a pipe that connects the supply tank 11 and the degassing tank 13 . An upstream end of the first liquid supply pipe 12 is connected to the supply tank 11 . A downstream end of the first liquid supply pipe 12 is connected to a degassing tank 13 . A first liquid supply valve V<b>11 and a first filter F<b>1 are provided on the route of the first liquid supply pipe 12 . When the first liquid supply valve V11 and a first pressurization valve V21, which will be described later, are opened, the pressure of the gas supplied from the pressurization mechanism 15 causes the varnish in the supply tank 11 to pass through the first liquid supply pipe 12 and desorb. It is sent to the air tank 13 . At that time, the varnish is filtered by the first filter F1. As a result, fine dust contained in the varnish is collected by the first filter F1 and removed.

In addition, in the example of FIG. 1, the liquid supply unit 10 has one first filter F1. However, the liquid supply unit 10 may have a plurality of first filters F1. In that case, a plurality of first filters F1 may be connected in parallel on the path of the first liquid supply pipe 12 .

The degassing tank 13 is a container for reducing the dissolved amount of gas in the varnish. A decompression mechanism 16 to be described later is connected to the degassing tank 13 . When the decompression pump 162 is operated by opening the decompression valve V23 of the decompression mechanism 16, the internal space of the deaeration tank 13 is decompressed and the pressure inside the deaeration tank 13 becomes a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure. As a result, dissolved gas contained in the varnish in the degassing tank 13 becomes bubbles. A stirring mechanism 131 is provided in the degassing tank 13 . When the stirring mechanism 131 is rotated, the varnish in the degassing tank 13 is stirred, and air bubbles in the varnish float to the surface of the varnish. Air bubbles after floating are removed by being sucked from the degassing tank 13 to the decompression mechanism 16 . This reduces the amount of gas dissolved in the varnish.

Thus, in the coating device 1 of this embodiment, the dissolved gas contained in the varnish before coating is removed in advance. As a result, when the varnish applied to the carrier substrate C is heated and baked in a post-process, it is possible to prevent air bubbles from being generated in the varnish.

In addition, in the example of FIG. 1 , the liquid supply unit 10 has one degassing tank 13 . However, the liquid supply unit 10 may have a plurality of degassing tanks 13 . In that case, a plurality of deaeration tanks 13 may be switchably connected between the first liquid supply pipe 12 and the second liquid supply pipe 14 .

The second liquid supply pipe 14 is a pipe that connects the degassing tank 13 and the application unit 20 . The upstream end of the second liquid supply pipe 14 is connected to the lower portion of the degassing tank 13 . A downstream end of the second liquid supply pipe 14 is connected to a third liquid supply pipe 23 of the coating unit 20 . A second liquid supply valve V<b>12 , a second filter F<b>2 , and an assist pump P<b>1 are arranged in the second liquid supply pipe 14 .

When the pressure reducing valve V23 is closed and the second liquid supply valve V12 and a second pressurization valve V22, which will be described later, are opened, the pressure of the gas supplied from the pressurization mechanism 15 causes the varnish in the degassing tank 13 to move to the second supply. The liquid is sent to the slit nozzle 22 of the application unit 20 through the liquid pipe 14 . The pressurizing mechanism 15 is an example of a liquid feeder that feeds a highly viscous processing liquid from the supply tank 11 toward the liquid supply port 19 . Further, driving the assist pump P1 assists the varnish feeding force. The assist pump P1 is an example of a liquid transfer pump.

The assist pump P1 may be, for example, a fixed quantity discharge pump that discharges a fixed quantity of liquid each time. In this case, the amount of varnish sent by the assist pump P1 per time may be the same as the amount of varnish applied to one carrier substrate C by the slit nozzle 22, for example. Further, the assist pump P1 is preferably a so-called tube fram pump that discharges the processing liquid in the tube by applying fluid pressure to the outer peripheral surface of the shrinkable tube. By employing a tube fram pump, it is possible to suppress the generation of particles in the assist pump P1 by discharging the varnish.

The second filter F2 is a filter with a smaller pore size (finer mesh) than the first filter F1. The varnish flowing through the second liquid supply pipe 14 is filtered by the second filter F2. As a result, fine dust contained in the varnish is collected by the second filter F2 and removed.

The liquid supply unit 10 has one second filter F2, but may have a plurality of second filters F2. In this case, a plurality of second filters F2 may be connected in parallel on the path of the second liquid supply pipe 14 .

The pressurizing mechanism 15 is a mechanism that supplies pressure to the supply tank 11 and the degassing tank 13 for liquid transfer. As shown in FIG. 1, the pressurization mechanism 15 has a high-pressure gas supply source 151, a pressurization pipe 152, a regulator 153, a first pressurization valve V21, and a second pressurization valve V22. The high-pressure gas supply source 151 is filled with high-pressure gas (for example, nitrogen). The upstream end of the pressurization pipe 152 is connected to the high pressure gas supply source 151 . The regulator 153 is provided on the path of the pressurization pipe 152 . The downstream end of the pressurization pipe 152 branches into two, which are connected to the supply tank 11 and the degassing tank 13, respectively. The first pressurization valve V21 and the second pressurization valve V22 are provided in the two pressurization pipes 152 after branching.

The gas supplied from the high-pressure gas supply source 151 is stepped down and adjusted to a predetermined pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure by the regulator 153 . When the second pressurization valve V22 is closed and the first pressurization valve V21 is opened, the gas at the predetermined pressure is supplied from the pressurization pipe 152 to the supply tank 11 . Thereby, the varnish is pushed out from the supply tank 11 to the first liquid supply pipe 12 . Further, when the first pressurization valve V21 is closed and the second pressurization valve V22 is opened, the gas of the predetermined pressure is supplied from the pressurization pipe 152 to the degassing tank 13 . As a result, the varnish is pushed out from the degassing tank 13 to the second liquid supply pipe 14 .

The decompression mechanism 16 is a mechanism for decompressing the inside of the degassing tank 13 . As shown in FIG. 1, the decompression mechanism 16 has a decompression pipe 161, a decompression pump 162, and a decompression valve V23. One end of the decompression pipe 161 is connected to the degassing tank 13 . The other end of the decompression pipe 161 is connected to an exhaust line in the factory. The pressure reducing valve V23 and the pressure reducing pump 162 are provided on the route of the pressure reducing pipe 161 . When the pressure reducing valve V23 is opened and the pressure reducing pump 162 is operated, the gas in the degassing tank 13 is sucked through the pressure reducing pipe 161 to the exhaust line. As a result, the air pressure inside the degassing tank 13 is lowered.

<Measurement mechanism>
The measuring mechanism 17 is a mechanism for measuring the amount of particles in the varnish. As shown in FIG. 1, the measurement mechanism 17 includes a measurement pipe 171, an on-off valve 172, a degassing module 173, and a measurement module 174.

The measurement pipe 171 is connected to a position downstream of the assist pump P1 in the second liquid supply pipe 14 . The on-off valve 172 is provided on the measurement pipe 171 . The on-off valve 172 turns on and off the supply of varnish from the second liquid supply pipe 14 to the measurement module 174 by opening and closing the measurement pipe 171 . A switching valve 18 is provided in the second liquid supply pipe 14 . The switching valve 18 is positioned downstream of the position to which the measurement pipe 171 is connected in the second liquid supply pipe 14 . The switching valve 18 turns on and off liquid feeding toward the liquid supply port 19 . The on-off valve 172 and the switching valve 18 are switched between an open state and a closed state based on the control signal from the first controller 30 .

The degassing module 173 is a device that removes air bubbles (microbubbles) present in the varnish flowing through the measurement pipe 171 . The deaeration module 173 is provided in the measurement pipe 171 and positioned between the on-off valve 172 and the measurement module 174 .

The measurement module 174 is arranged downstream of the degassing module 173 . A measurement module 174 measures the amount of minute particles contained in the varnish. Measurement module 174 is a particle counter that measures the size and number of particles. The measurement module 174 is configured to measure the amount of particles by irradiating the varnish with light and detecting the light scattered by the particles with a sensor. Further, the measurement module 174 may be configured to measure the size and number of particles by irradiating the varnish with light and detecting light shielding by the particles with a sensor.

The particle size measured by the measurement module 174 is, for example, 10 μm or less, more preferably 5 μm or less. It is configured so that the number can be counted for each particle of several sizes.

When the measurement module 174 measures the amount of particles, the on-off valve 172 is opened and the switching valve 18 is closed. After that, the varnish flows from the second liquid supply pipe 14 into the measurement pipe 171 by driving the assist pump P<b>1 and is sent to the degassing module 173 . The varnish degassed by degassing module 173 is then sent to measuring module 174 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the end of the measurement pipe 171 is connected to a drainage line. Varnish passing through the measurement module 174 is sent to the drain line and discarded. A pipe may be provided for returning the varnish that has passed through the measurement module 174 to the second liquid supply pipe 14 or the like.

The inner area of the measurement pipe 171 is smaller than the inner area of the second liquid supply pipe 14 . Therefore, the amount of varnish sent to the measurement pipe 171 can be reduced. As a result, the amount of particles can be measured with a small amount of varnish, so the consumption of varnish can be reduced. Further, when the measurement module 174 is configured to measure the particle amount using a small amount of varnish, the particle amount can be appropriately measured by the measurement module 174 by reducing the inner area of the measurement pipe.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the degassing module 173 shown in FIG. The deaeration module 173 is a so-called hollow fiber membrane deaeration module. As shown in FIG. 2 , the degassing module 173 has a tubular casing 41 , a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 42 and a decompression mechanism 43 .

Casing 41 has an inlet 411 , an outlet 412 and two outlets 413 . The inlet 411 is provided at one end of the casing 41 and the outlet 412 is provided at the other end of the casing 41 . Degassing module 173 is connected to measurement pipe 171 via inlet 411 and outlet 412 . The exhaust port 413 is provided on the side of the casing 41 and connected to the decompression mechanism 43 .

The hollow fiber membrane 42 is a thin cylindrical membrane. One ends of all the hollow fiber membranes 42 are flow-connected to the inlet 411 respectively. In addition, the other ends of all the hollow fiber membranes 42 are channel-connected to the outlets 412 respectively. As a result, when varnish flows in the measurement pipe 171 , the varnish is supplied from the inlet 411 to the hollow fiber membrane 42 and discharged from the outlet 412 .

The hollow fiber membrane 42 is used for degassing treatment, and is therefore formed of a gas-permeable membrane that is permeable to gas and impermeable to liquid. The inner diameter of the hollow fiber membrane 42 used in the degassing module 173 is 0.5 mm to 3 mm. The number of hollow fiber membranes 42 used in the degassing module 173 is about 100 to 1000. The inner diameter and number of hollow fiber membranes 42 used in the degassing module 173 can be appropriately changed depending on the type and flow rate of the varnish.

The decompression mechanism 43 includes a decompression pipe 431 and a decompression pump 432 . One end of the decompression pipe 431 branches into two and is connected to the exhaust port 413 of the casing 41 . Also, the other end of the decompression pipe 431 is connected to a decompression pump 432 . When the decompression pump 432 is driven, gas is sucked from the space inside the casing 41 via the decompression pipe 431 and the two exhaust ports 413 . As a result, the air pressure in the space inside the casing 41 is lowered. That is, the air pressure in the space outside the hollow fiber membrane 42 is lowered. Although there are two exhaust ports 413 in the example of FIG. 2, the number of exhaust ports 413 may be one, or three or more.

Thus, by setting the pressure in the space outside the hollow fiber membrane 42 to be lower than the pressure inside the hollow fiber membrane 42, air bubbles in the liquid passing through the inside of the hollow fiber membrane 42 and dissolved in the liquid The gas can be discharged to the space outside the hollow fiber membranes 42 . Thereby, the liquid in the hollow fiber membrane 42 can be degassed.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the downstream end of the second liquid supply pipe 14 serves as a liquid supply port 19 . The liquid supply port 19 is connected to the third liquid supply pipe 23 of the coating unit 20 . The liquid supply port 19 supplies the varnish to the coating unit 20 which is the supply destination.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the coating unit 20 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the application unit 20 has a stage 21 , a slit nozzle 22 , a third liquid supply pipe 23 , a nozzle holder 24 and a travel mechanism 25 . In the following description, for convenience of explanation, the moving direction of the slit nozzle 22 in the coating unit 20 is referred to as the "front-rear direction", and the horizontal direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is referred to as the "left-right direction".

The stage 21 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped holder on which the carrier substrate C is placed and held. The stage 21 is formed of, for example, an integral stone material. The upper surface of the stage 21 is a flat substrate holding surface 211 . A large number of vacuum suction holes (not shown) are provided on the substrate holding surface 211 . When the carrier substrate C is placed on the substrate holding surface 211, the lower surface of the carrier substrate C is attracted to the substrate holding surface 211 by the suction force of the vacuum suction holes. As a result, the carrier substrate C is fixed horizontally on the stage 21 . A plurality of lift pins (not shown) are provided inside the stage 21 . When carrying out the carrier substrate C from the stage 21 , a plurality of lift pins protrude above the substrate holding surface 211 . As a result, the carrier substrate C is separated from the substrate holding surface 211 .

The slit nozzle 22 is a nozzle for discharging varnish. The slit nozzle 22 has a nozzle body 221 extending in the left-right direction. A slit-shaped discharge port 223 extending in the left-right direction is provided at the lower end of the nozzle body 221 . The ejection port 223 faces the upper surface of the carrier substrate C placed on the stage 21 .

The third liquid supply pipe 23 is a pipe for supplying varnish to the slit nozzle 22 . The upstream end of the third liquid supply pipe 23 is connected to the liquid supply port 19 described above. A downstream end of the third liquid supply pipe 23 is connected to the slit nozzle 22 . A main pump P<b>2 is provided on the route of the third liquid supply pipe 23 . When the main pump P<b>2 is operated, the varnish supplied from the second liquid supply pipe 14 is introduced into the slit nozzle 22 . Then, the varnish is discharged toward the upper surface of the carrier substrate C from the discharge port 223 of the slit nozzle 22 .

The nozzle holding part 24 is a mechanism for holding the slit nozzle 22 above the substrate holding surface 211 . The nozzle holding portion 24 has a bridge portion 241 extending in the horizontal direction above the stage 21 and a pair of support portions 242 supporting both ends of the bridge portion 241 . Further, the nozzle holding section 24 has an elevating mechanism 243 . When the lifting mechanism 243 is operated, the height of the bridge portion 241 changes. Thereby, the height of the slit nozzle 22 can be adjusted.

The traveling mechanism 25 is a mechanism for moving the slit nozzle 22 in the front-rear direction. The travel mechanism 25 has a pair of rails 251 and a pair of linear motors 252 . The pair of rails 251 extends in the front-rear direction near the left and right sides of the stage 21 . The pair of rails 251 function as linear guides that regulate the movement direction of the pair of support portions 242 in the front-rear direction. The pair of linear motors 252 move the pair of support portions 242 in the front-rear direction along the rails 251 by magnetic power. Thereby, the slit nozzle 22 moves in the front-rear direction together with the nozzle holding portion 24 .

When performing the coating process, the coating unit 20 ejects the varnish from the ejection port 223 above the carrier substrate C while moving the slit nozzle 22 in the front-rear direction. As a result, the upper surface of the carrier substrate C is coated with varnish.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing connections between the first control section 30 and each section in the coating apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. The first control unit 30 has a processor 31 such as a CPU, a memory 32 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 33 such as a hard disk drive. The first controller 30 is electrically connected to the lift pins, the traveling mechanism 25, the main pump P2, and other coating units 20, respectively. The first controller 30 is also electrically connected to the valves, the assist pump P1, the pressure reducing pump 162, and the moving mechanism 244 provided in the liquid supply unit 10 . The first control unit 30 temporarily reads the computer program and data stored in the storage unit 33 to the memory 32, and the processor 31 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program and data, so that the application apparatus 1 It controls the operation of each part inside. As a result, the coating process for the carrier substrate C proceeds. The first control unit 30 is electrically connected to a display 311 that displays images and an input device 312 . The input device 312 is a mouse, keyboard or touch panel.

The first control unit 30 includes the stirring mechanism 131, the regulator 153, the decompression pump 162, the first liquid supply valve V11, the second liquid supply valve V12, the first pressurization valve V21, the second pressurization valve V22, the assist pump P1, It is electrically connected to each part in the liquid supply unit 10 such as the measurement module 174 . The first control section 30 is also electrically connected to each section in the application unit 20, such as the lift pin, the main pump P2, the lifting mechanism 243, the linear motor 252, and the like.

The first control unit 30 temporarily reads the computer program and data stored in the storage unit 33 to the memory 32, and the processor 31 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program and data, so that the application apparatus 1 It controls the operation of each part inside. As a result, the coating process for the carrier substrate C proceeds.

For example, the first control unit 30 performs life determination processing for determining the life of the second filter F2 based on the amount of particles measured by the measurement module 174 . Specifically, the first control unit 30 determines whether the particle amount exceeds a preset threshold. When the first control unit 30 determines that the particle amount exceeds the threshold value by the life determination process, the first control unit 30 determines that the second filter F2 has reached the end of its life. The first control unit 30 is an example of a determination unit.

The first control unit 30 may cause the display 311 to display an image when determining that the second filter F2 has reached the end of its life through the life determination process. The image displayed on the display 311 by the first control unit 30 may be, for example, an image indicating that the second filter F2 has reached the end of its life, or an image prompting replacement of the second filter F2. . Such a display allows the operator to understand that the second filter F2 should be replaced. The display 311 functions as an output section that outputs the determination result of the first control section 30 . Note that the output unit is not limited to the display 311, and may be, for example, a lamp that displays a warning, a speaker that emits a warning sound, or a printer that outputs printed matter.

If the measurement module 174 can measure the number of particles for each particle size, a threshold may be set in advance for each particle size. In this case, the first control unit 30 determines that the second filter F2 has reached the end of its life when it is determined that the amount of particles exceeds the threshold for all of the particle sizes. may

<Aging>
When the new second filter F2 is passed through the high-viscosity varnish, there is a risk that foreign matter may come off from the second filter F2. Therefore, in the liquid supply unit 10, the second filter F2 may be aged by passing varnish through the new second filter F2. When aging the second filter F2, the varnish may be discarded by connecting the inlet 19 to a drain line. Alternatively, the varnish discharged from the liquid supply port 19 may be returned to the upstream side of the second filter F2 so as to pass through the second filter F2 again.

While the second filter F2 is aging, the first controller 30 causes the measurement module 174 to measure the amount of particles in the varnish. Then, the first control unit 30 performs aging determination processing based on the particle amount measured by the measurement module 174 . Specifically, the first control unit 30 determines whether or not the particle amount measured by the measurement module 174 is below a predetermined threshold. The first control unit 30 determines that the aging is completed when the particle amount is below a predetermined threshold. When determining that the aging is completed, the first control unit 30 causes the display 311 to display an image indicating that the aging of the second filter F2 is completed. Such a display allows the operator to understand that the aging of the second filter F2 has been completed.

<effect>
As described above, in the liquid supply unit 10, it is possible to appropriately determine whether the second filter F2 has reached the end of its life based on the measurement result of the particle amount. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of defective products due to the use of the second filter F2 that has exceeded its service life.

Further, in the liquid supply unit 10, when aging the second filter F2, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not aging should be completed based on the amount of particles. Therefore, excessive aging of the second filter F2 or insufficient aging of the second filter F2 can be suppressed.

Also, in the liquid supply unit 10 , the particle amount is measured by a measurement module 174 arranged on the measurement pipe 171 . Therefore, compared to the case where the varnish is taken out and the particle amount is measured, it is possible to reduce the workload involved in measuring the particle amount. In addition, when the varnish is taken out from the equipment, there is a possibility that the varnish itself will be contaminated by particles mixed in from the outside when it is taken out or measured, and there is a risk that the measurement accuracy will decrease. By doing so, the risk can be reduced.

<2. Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the following description, elements having functions similar to those already described may be given the same reference numerals or reference numerals with additional alphabetic characters, and detailed description thereof may be omitted.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a coating device 1A according to the second embodiment. The coating device 1A has substantially the same configuration as the coating device 1 shown in FIG. However, in the coating apparatus 1A, the upstream end of the measurement pipe 171 of the measurement mechanism 17 is connected to a position in the second liquid supply pipe 14 between the second filter F2 and the assist pump P1. In the coating apparatus 1</b>A, when measuring the amount of particles, the pressure mechanism 15 pressurizes the supply tank 11 to send the varnish in the second liquid supply pipe 14 to the measurement pipe 171 . In this case, the amount of varnish necessary for coating the carrier substrate C can be sent by the assist pump P1 while sending the varnish necessary for measuring the amount of particles to the measurement pipe 171 . Therefore, the particle amount can be measured without interrupting the coating process. When measuring the particle amount, the supply of varnish to the slit nozzle 22 may be stopped by controlling the on-off valve 172 and the switching valve 18 .

<3. Third Embodiment>
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of an aging device 2 according to the third embodiment. The aging device 2 is a device for aging the second filter F2 attached to the liquid supply unit 10 of the coating device 1 . As shown in FIG. 6 , the aging device 2 includes a first tank 51 , a second tank 52 , a piping section 60 , a pressure mechanism 70 and a second control section 80 .

The 1st tank 51 and the 2nd tank 52 are containers which store the high viscosity varnish for aging the 1st filter F1 and the 2nd filter F2. The first tank 51 and the second tank 52 are separate tanks. Also, the first tank 51 and the second tank 52 are pressure-resistant airtight containers that can withstand pressurization by a pressurization mechanism 70, which will be described later. The first tank 51 is connected to a varnish supply source 54 via a supply pipe 53 . When the supply valve V30 provided on the path of the supply pipe 53 is opened, varnish is supplied from the varnish supply source 54 to the first tank 51 through the supply pipe 53 .

The varnish supplied from the varnish supply source 54 is the same treatment liquid as the varnish used in the coating apparatuses 1 and 1A. Therefore, the viscosity of the varnish supplied from the varnish supply source 54 is the same as the viscosity of the varnish used in the applicator 1 . Aging may be performed using a high-viscosity treatment liquid that is different from the varnish.

The pipe section 60 has a first main pipe 61 , a second main pipe 62 , a first branch pipe 63 and a second branch pipe 64 . One end of the first main pipe 61 is connected to the lower portion of the first tank 51 . One end of the first branch pipe 63 and one end of the second branch pipe 64 are connected to the other end of the first main pipe 61 respectively. The other end of the first branch pipe 63 and the other end of the second branch pipe 64 are connected to one end of the second main pipe 62, respectively. The other end of the second main pipe 62 is connected to the lower portion of the second tank 52 . That is, the first branch pipe 63 and the second branch pipe 64 extend in parallel between the first tank 51 and the second tank 52 . The first branch pipe 63 is an example of a first liquid-sending pipe in the present invention. The second branch pipe 64 is an example of a second liquid-sending pipe in the present invention.

The first branch pipe 63 is provided with a switching valve V31 and a switching valve V32. The first branch pipe 63 has a first attachment portion 65 to which the first filter F1 can be attached, between the switching valve V31 and the switching valve V32. The second branch pipe 64 is provided with a switching valve V33 and a switching valve V34. The second branch pipe 64 has a second attachment portion 66 to which the second filter F2 can be attached, between the switching valve V33 and the switching valve V34.

The pressurizing mechanism 70 is a mechanism that supplies pressure for liquid transfer to the first tank 51 and the second tank 52 . As shown in FIG. 6, the pressurization mechanism 70 has a high-pressure gas supply source 71, a pressurization pipe 72, a regulator 73, a switching valve V35, and a switching valve V36. The high-pressure gas supply source 71 is filled with high-pressure gas (for example, nitrogen). The upstream end of the pressurization pipe 72 is connected to the high pressure gas supply source 71 . The regulator 73 is provided on the path of the pressurization pipe 72 . The downstream end of the pressurization pipe 72 branches into two, which are connected to the first tank 51 and the second tank 52, respectively. The switching valve V35 and the switching valve V36 are provided in the two pressure pipes 72 after branching.

The gas supplied from the high pressure gas supply source 71 is stepped down and adjusted to a predetermined pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure by the regulator 73 . When the switching valve V36 is closed and the switching valve V35 is opened, the gas having the predetermined pressure is supplied from the pressurization pipe 72 to the first tank 51 . Thereby, the varnish is pushed out from the first tank 51 to the first main pipe 61 . Further, when the switching valve V35 is closed and the switching valve V36 is opened, the gas of the predetermined pressure is supplied from the pressurization pipe 72 to the second tank 52 . Thereby, the varnish is pushed out from the second tank 52 to the second main pipe 62 . The pressurizing mechanism 70 has a function of a first liquid feeding section that feeds varnish from the first tank 51 to the second tank 52, a function of a second liquid feeding section that feeds varnish from the second tank 52 to the first tank 51, Combines

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the first mounting portion 65 shown in FIG. 6 and the first filter F1 mounted on the first mounting portion 65. As shown in FIG. The structures of the first filter F1 and the first mounting portion 65 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 7, and may have structures different from those shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the first mounting portion 65 has a holder 650 to which the first filter F1 can be connected.

The first filter F1 has a housing 91 , a filter cartridge 92 and a cover 93 . The housing 91 is a cylindrical casing that extends vertically. A filter cartridge 92 is housed inside the housing 91 . A cover 93 covers the outer surface of the housing 91 . The cover 93 is made of a material having higher rigidity than the housing 91, such as metal. Thereby, deformation of the housing 91 is suppressed.

The filter cartridge 92 has a filter body 921 and an upper lid 922 . The filter body 921 has a cylindrical outer shape extending in the vertical direction. The filter main body 921 is made of resin fiber such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). However, the filter body 921 may be made of a material other than resin. The upper lid 922 covers the upper portion of the filter body 921 .

An inlet 911 and an outlet 912 are provided at the bottom of the housing 91 . The inlet 911 communicates with the space outside the filter cartridge 92 in the internal space of the housing 91 . The outflow port 912 communicates with the space inside the filter cartridge 92 in the internal space of the housing 91 .

The holder 650 has an inflow connection hole 651 and an outflow connection hole 652 . The inflow connection hole 651 and the outflow connection hole 652 are through holes that vertically pass through the holder 650 . The inflow connection hole 651 is connected to the first branch pipe 63 on the upstream side. The outflow connection hole 652 is connected to the downstream first branch pipe 63 . Further, when the first filter F1 is attached to the first attachment portion 65, the above-described inflow port 911 is connected to the inflow connection hole 651, and the above-described outflow port 912 is connected to the outflow connection hole 652.

Therefore, when the varnish flows into the first branch pipe 63 , the varnish is introduced into the housing 91 through the inflow connection hole 651 and the inflow port 911 . Then, the varnish passes through the filter body 921 as indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. Also, the varnish that has passed through the filter body 921 flows from the inside of the filter body 921 through the outflow port 912 and the outflow connection hole 652 to the first branch pipe 63 on the downstream side.

Also, as shown in FIG. 7 , a first exhaust pipe 94 is connected to the upper portion of the housing 91 . Air bubbles accumulated in the upper portion of the housing 91 are discharged to the factory exhaust line through the first exhaust pipe 94 . A second exhaust pipe 95 is connected to the upper portion of the filter cartridge 92 . Air bubbles accumulated in the upper portion of the filter cartridge 92 are discharged to the factory exhaust line through the second exhaust pipe 95 .

Since the structures of the second mounting portion 66 and the second filter F2 are the same as the structures of the first mounting portion 65 and the first filter F1, redundant description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the aging device 2 has a measuring mechanism 17 . The measurement mechanism 17 includes a measurement pipe 171, an on-off valve 172, a degassing module 173, and a measurement module 174, like the measurement mechanism 17 shown in FIG. The measurement pipe 171 is connected to a position between the switching valve V31 and the first mounting portion 65 in the first branch pipe 63 . The measurement module 174 measures the amount of particles in the varnish inside the measurement pipe 171 . The measurement module 174 is electrically connected to the second control unit 80 and transmits the particle amount measurement result to the second control unit 80 .

Note that the position where the measurement pipe 171 is connected may be between the first mounting portion 65 and the switching valve V32 in the first branch pipe 63 . Further, the position where the measurement pipe 171 is connected is between the switching valve V33 and the second mounting portion 66 in the second branch pipe 64, or between the second mounting portion 66 and the switching valve V34. good. Furthermore, the measurement pipe 171 may be the first main pipe 61 or the second main pipe 62 .

The second control unit 80 is means for controlling the operation of each unit within the aging device 2 . The second control unit 80 has a processor such as a CPU, a memory such as a RAM, and a storage unit such as a hard disk drive. Also, the second control unit 80 is electrically connected to each unit in the aging device 2 such as the supply valve V30, the switching valves V31 to V36, the on-off valve 172, the regulator 73, and the like.

The second control unit 80 temporarily reads the computer program and data stored in the storage unit into a memory, and causes the processor to perform arithmetic processing based on the computer program and data, so that each unit in the aging device 2 to control the operation. As a result, the aging (cleaning process) of the first filter F1 and the second filter F2 proceeds.

<Operation of aging device>
When aging the first filter F1 and the second filter F2 in the aging device 2, the operator attaches the new first filter F1 to the first attachment portion 65 and attaches the new second filter F1 to the second attachment portion 66. Attach filter F2.

With the first filter F1 and the second filter F2 attached, the second control unit 80 causes the varnish for cleaning to be supplied from the varnish supply source 54 to the first tank 51 by opening the supply valve V30. . When a predetermined amount of varnish is stored in the first tank 51, the second controller 80 closes the supply valve V30.

Next, the second control unit 80 opens the switching valves V31, V32 and V35 to supply high-pressure gas from the pressurization pipe 72 to the first tank 51 . Thereby, the varnish in the first tank 51 is pushed out to the first main pipe 61 . Then, the varnish is sent from the first main pipe 61 to the second tank 52 through the first branch pipe 63 and the second main pipe 62, as indicated by the dashed arrow A1 in FIG. The varnish passes through the first filter F1. Therefore, when initial dust exists on the downstream surface of the first filter F1, the initial dust separates from the downstream surface of the first filter F1 and flows into the second tank 52 together with the varnish.

Subsequently, the second control unit 80 closes the switching valves V31, V32, V35 and opens the switching valves V33, V34, V36. Then, high-pressure gas is supplied from the pressurization pipe 72 to the second tank 52 . Thereby, the varnish in the second tank 52 is pushed out to the second main pipe 62 . Then, the varnish is sent from the second main pipe 62 to the first tank 51 through the second branch pipe 64 and the first main pipe 61, as indicated by the dashed arrow A2 in FIG. The varnish passes through the second filter F2. Therefore, the dust separated from the first filter F1 is received by the upstream side surface of the second filter F2. Since the hole diameter of the second filter F2 is sufficiently smaller than the particle size of the dust separated from the first filter F1, it is difficult for the dust to pass through the second filter F2. Further, when the initial dust adheres to the downstream surface of the second filter F2, the initial dust separates from the downstream surface of the second filter F2 and flows into the first tank 51 together with the varnish.

After completing the transfer of the varnish from the second tank 52 to the first tank 51 , the second control unit 80 restarts the transfer of the varnish from the first tank 51 to the second tank 52 . In this manner, the second control unit 80 alternately and repeatedly executes liquid feeding from the first tank 51 to the second tank 52 and liquid feeding from the second tank 52 to the first tank 51 .

Dust separated from the second filter F2 is received by the upstream surface of the first filter F1. Since the hole diameter of the first filter F1 is sufficiently smaller than the particle size of the dust separated from the second filter F2, the dust is less likely to pass through the first filter F1.

The second control unit 80 periodically causes the measurement module 174 of the measurement mechanism 17 to measure the amount of particles during aging. Specifically, the second control unit 80 opens the on-off valve 172 while the varnish is flowing through the first branch pipe 63, so that part of the varnish flowing through the first branch pipe 63 is transferred to the measurement pipe. 171 to the measurement module 174 . Then, the measurement module 174 measures the amount of particles in the varnish and transmits the measured amount of particles to the second controller 80 .

The second control unit 80 performs aging determination processing based on the particle amount transmitted by the measurement module 174 . Specifically, the second control unit 80 determines whether the particle amount measured by the measurement module 174 has fallen below a threshold indicating that aging has been completed. The second control unit 80 determines that the aging of the first filter F1 and the second filter F2 has been completed when determining that the particle amount has fallen below the predetermined threshold value.

The second control unit 80 stops the operation of the aging device 2 when determining that the aging is completed. Thereby, the operator can remove the aged first filter F1 from the first mounting portion 65 and remove the aged second filter F2 from the second mounting portion 66 . Note that, when determining that the aging is completed, the second control unit 80 may cause the display to display an image indicating that the aging is completed.

<4. Variation>
Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and various modifications are possible.

In the above-described first to third embodiments, the deaeration module 173 may be operated without deaeration (that is, the decompression pump 432 is off). By doing so, for example, a sudden occurrence of bubbles can be detected by the measuring module 174 . Further, in the first to third embodiments, it is not essential that the measurement mechanism 17 include the degassing module 173, and the degassing module 173 may be omitted.

In the coating apparatuses 1 and 1A according to the first and second embodiments, life determination or aging determination is performed for the second filter F2, but life determination or aging determination is performed for the first filter F1 as well. good too. In this case, a measuring mechanism 17 may be further provided downstream of the first filter F1. Specifically, the measurement pipe 171 of the measurement mechanism 17 may be connected to a position between the first filter F1 and the degassing tank 13 in the first liquid supply pipe 12 . Thereby, the varnish in the first liquid supply pipe 12 that has passed through the first filter F1 can be sent to the measurement module 174 through the measurement pipe 171 . Therefore, it is possible to measure the amount of particles in the varnish that has passed through the first filter F1. Based on the amount of particles measured in this manner, the first control unit 30 may perform lifetime determination or aging determination of the first filter F1.

Although the present invention has been described in detail, the above description is, in all aspects, illustrative and not intended to limit the present invention. It is understood that numerous variations not illustrated can be envisioned without departing from the scope of the invention. Each configuration described in each of the above embodiments and modifications can be appropriately combined or omitted as long as they do not contradict each other.

Reference Signs List 1, 1A coating device 10 liquid supply unit 11 supply tank 12 first liquid supply pipe 13 degassing tank 14 second liquid supply pipe 15 pressure mechanism 17 measurement mechanism 171 measurement pipe 172 on-off valve 173 degassing module 174 measurement module 19 supply Liquid port 2 Aging device 20 Application unit 22 Slit nozzle 223 Discharge port 30 First controller 311 Display 51 First tank 52 Second tank 54 Varnish supply source 61 First main pipe 62 Second main pipe 63 First branch pipe 65 Second 1 Mounting Part 70 Pressurizing Mechanism F1 First Filter F2 Second Filter P1 Assist Pump

Claims (14)

A liquid supply device for supplying a processing liquid,
a tank capable of storing a highly viscous treatment liquid having a viscosity of 1000 cP or more ;
a liquid supply port for supplying the processing liquid;
a liquid feed pipe that connects the tank and the liquid supply port;
a liquid sending unit that sends the treatment liquid from the tank toward the liquid supply port through the liquid sending pipe;
a filter arranged in the liquid feeding pipe for filtering the processing liquid;
a measurement unit that measures the amount of particles in the treatment liquid that has passed through the filter, at a position downstream of the filter;
with
The liquid supply device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit counts particles of 10 μm or less, which are dust separated from the filter, for each of a plurality of sizes. The liquid supply device according to claim 1,
a measurement pipe connected to the liquid-feeding pipe at a position downstream of the filter in the liquid-feeding pipe;
further comprising
The liquid supply device, wherein the measurement unit measures the amount of particles in the processing liquid in the measurement pipe. The liquid supply device according to claim 2,
an on-off valve that turns on and off the flow of the treatment liquid from the liquid feed pipe to the measurement pipe;
Liquid supply device, further comprising: The liquid supply device according to claim 2 or 3,
The liquid supply device, wherein the inner area of the measurement pipe is smaller than the inner area of the liquid feed pipe. The liquid supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
a liquid-sending pump arranged in the liquid-sending pipe for pumping the processing liquid;
Liquid supply device, further comprising: The liquid supply device according to claim 5,
The liquid supply device, wherein the measurement pipe is connected to the liquid feed pipe at a position downstream of the liquid feed pump in the liquid feed pipe. The liquid supply device according to claim 5,
The liquid supply device, wherein the measurement pipe is connected to the liquid supply pipe at a position upstream of the liquid supply pump in the liquid supply pipe. The liquid supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 7,
a degassing module disposed upstream of the measurement unit for degassing the processing liquid;
Liquid supply device, further comprising: The liquid supply device according to claim 8,
A liquid supply device, wherein the degassing module is arranged in the measurement pipe. The liquid supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
a determination unit that determines the state of the filter based on the amount of particles measured by the measurement unit;
an output unit that outputs the determination result output by the determination unit to the outside;
Liquid supply device, further comprising: A coating device for coating a treatment liquid on an object,
a feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 10;
a nozzle for ejecting the treatment liquid supplied from the liquid supply port of the supply device;
A coating device. An aging device for treating a filter with a high-viscosity treatment liquid having a viscosity of 1000 cP or more ,
a first tank capable of storing the treatment liquid;
a second tank capable of storing the processing liquid;
a first liquid-sending pipe and a second liquid-sending pipe that connect the first tank and the second tank in parallel;
a first liquid-feeding unit that feeds liquid from the first tank to the second tank through the first liquid-feeding pipe;
a second liquid-feeding unit that feeds liquid from the second tank to the first tank through the second liquid-feeding pipe;
a control unit that alternately operates the first liquid feeding unit and the second liquid feeding unit;
a filter mounting part for mounting a filter so as to filter the processing liquid flowing through the first liquid feeding pipe;
a measurement unit that measures the amount of particles in the treatment liquid that has passed through the filter;
with
The aging device, wherein the measurement unit counts the number of particles of 10 μm or less, which are dust separated from the filter, for each of a plurality of sizes. A liquid supply method for supplying a high-viscosity processing liquid having a viscosity of 1000 cP or more to a supply destination,
a) sending said processing liquid in a tank to a destination;
b) filtering the treatment liquid sent from the tank to a destination according to step a) with a filter;
c) measuring the amount of particles in the treatment liquid that has passed through the filter in step b);
including
In the step c), the liquid supply method includes counting the number of particles of 10 μm or less, which are dust separated from the filter, for each of a plurality of sizes. An aging method for treating a filter with a high-viscosity treatment liquid having a viscosity of 1000 cP or more,
A) alternately carrying out feeding of the processing liquid from the first tank to the second tank and feeding of the processing liquid from the second tank to the first tank;
B) filtering the treatment liquid sent from the first tank to the second tank according to step A);
C) measuring the amount of particles in the treatment liquid that has passed through the filter in step B);
including
The aging method, wherein, in the step C), the number of particles of 10 μm or less, which are the dust separated from the filter, is counted for each of a plurality of sizes.

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