JPH083003Y2 - Pumping equipment for processing chemicals in semiconductors - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention is, for example, when manufacturing a semiconductor, pumping up etching treatment liquid in a plurality of etching treatment liquid containers with respect to a wafer etching treatment tank. As described above, the present invention relates to a device for pumping the chemical liquid in a plurality of chemical liquid containers into a processing tank with a single pump.

[Conventional technology]

In general, the etching treatment liquid used for the etching treatment of the wafer is transported in a container having a volume smaller than that of the etching treatment tank in order to facilitate transportation. Liquid
When pumping into the etching tank,
It is necessary to prepare a plurality of containers containing the etching treatment liquid, and when one container becomes empty, it is necessary to switch it so that it is pumped from the next container.

[Problems to be solved by the device]

However, conventionally, since the above-mentioned switching is manually performed by the operator, it requires a great deal of trouble to perform the switching, which is extremely inefficient, and an operation error is caused during the switching. As a result, there is a problem that a chemical liquid such as an etching treatment liquid is spilled.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for pumping which can automatically perform the above switching.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve this object, the present invention inserts transparent suction pipes into at least two chemical liquid containers, and the suction pipes of both chemical liquid containers are opened / closed in suction pipe lines to a pump for pumping. Connected via, and
Each of the suction pipes is provided with a sensor for detecting the flow of the chemical liquid in the suction pipe, while a filter is provided in the chemical liquid supply pipe from the discharge side to the processing tank in the pump for pumping, When connecting an air vent pipe provided with an air vent valve, and further, when a sensor for the suction pipe in the first chemical liquid container of the two chemical liquid containers detects that the flow of the chemical liquid has stopped,
A control circuit is provided in which the opening / closing valve for the suction pipe in the first chemical liquid container is closed, the opening / closing valve for the suction pipe in the second chemical liquid container is opened, and the air vent valve is opened for an appropriate time. did.

[Action]

In this configuration, when the chemical liquid in the first chemical liquid container is pumped up to the processing tank by the pump for pumping up,
When the liquid medicine in the first liquid medicine container is exhausted and air is sucked into the suction pipe, a sensor provided for the liquid suction pipe senses that the flow of the liquid medicine has stopped, and the first liquid medicine is detected. By closing the opening / closing valve in the suction pipe of the container and opening the opening / closing valve in the suction pipe of the second chemical liquid container, the pumping pump can suck the chemical liquid in the second chemical liquid container.

However, by sucking air from the first chemical solution container into the pump for pumping, air is accumulated in the filter in the chemical solution supply passage from the pump to the processing tank, and the chemical solution from the pump to the processing tank is collected. Delivery will stop.

On the other hand, according to the present invention, the sucking of the chemical liquid from the first chemical liquid container is stopped, and the opening / closing valve for the suction pipe of the first chemical liquid container is closed, while the suction pipe of the second chemical liquid container is closed. When the open / close valve is opened, the air vent valve in the air vent pipe connected to the filter is configured to open for an appropriate period of time in conjunction with this, whereby the air accumulated in the filter is Since it can be released from the air bleeding valve, the suction of air when switching from the first chemical liquid container to the second chemical liquid container does not stop the feeding of the chemical liquid to the processing tank. The chemical solution in the chemical solution container can be reliably pumped up to the processing tank.

[Effect of device]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the chemicals in the plurality of chemicals containers are pumped up to the processing tank by one pump, when one chemicals container becomes empty, it is switched to pumping up from the next chemicals container. That is, it can be done automatically without the situation that the delivery of the chemical solution is cut off due to the intake of air, so that the working efficiency can be greatly improved and the chemical solution does not spill due to an operation error. Have an effect.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes an etching treatment tank disposed on the first floor of a building, and the etching treatment tank 1 is provided on the basement floor of the building. Two chemical solution containers 2 and 3,
One pumping pump 4 is provided.

Inside the two chemical liquid containers 2 and 3, transparent suction pipes 5 and 6
Each of the suction pipes 5 and 6 and the suction pipe line 7 to the suction side of the pump 4 for pumping.
Are connected to the suction pipes 5 and 6 via open / close valves 8 and 9, and sensors 10 and 11 for detecting the flow of the chemical solution in the suction pipes are provided on the suction pipes 5 and 6, respectively.

On the other hand, a filter 13 is provided in the chemical liquid supply conduit 12 from the discharge side of the pumping pump 4 to the etching treatment tank 1, and an air vent conduit 14 having an air vent valve 15 is connected to the filter 13. To do.

Reference numeral 16 indicates a control circuit, and the control circuit 16 receives signals from the sensors 10 and 11 provided for the suction pipes 5 and 6 in each of the chemical liquid containers 2 and 3 as input, and Sucking pipe 5 in first chemical liquid container 2 of 2,3
When the sensor 10 for detects that the flow of the chemical liquid has stopped, the on / off valve 8 for the suction pipe 5 in the first chemical liquid container 2 is closed and the open / close valve 9 for the suction pipe 6 in the second chemical liquid container 3 is opened. When opened, the air vent valve 15 in the air vent conduit 14 is operated to be opened for an appropriate period of time.

A drain line 17 having a valve 18 is connected to the filter 13.

In this structure, the opening / closing valve 8 for the suction pipe 5 in the first chemical liquid container 2 is opened with the pumping pump 4 started, so that the etching treatment liquid in the first chemical liquid container 2 is removed from the pump 4 Can be pumped up to the etching treatment tank 1.

By drawing up the etching treatment liquid from the first chemical liquid container 2, the amount of the etching treatment liquid in the first chemical liquid container 2 decreases, and when air is sucked from the suction pipe 5, the suction pipe 5 The sensor 10 provided as a sensor detects that the flow of the chemical solution has stopped,
By closing the opening / closing valve 8 in the suction pipe 5 of the first chemical liquid container 2 and opening the opening / closing valve 9 in the suction pipe 6 of the second chemical liquid container 3, the pumping pump 4 is provided with the second chemical liquid container. While the etching treatment liquid in 3 is sucked in, the air sucked from the first chemical liquid container 2 can be discharged from the filter 13 by opening the air vent valve 15 by the signal from the sensor 10. In the second chemical solution container 3, the feeding of the chemical solution to the etching treatment tank 1 does not stop due to the intake of air when switching from the first chemical solution container 2 to the second chemical solution container 3. The chemical liquid can be reliably pumped up to the etching treatment tank 1.

[Brief description of drawings]

The drawings show the embodiments of the present invention. 1 ... Etching tank, 2 ... First chemical liquid container, 3 ...
… Second chemical container, 4 …… pumping pump, 5,6 ……
Suction pipe, 7 ... Suction line, 8,9 ... Open / close valve, 10,
11 …… Sensor, 12 …… Chemical solution supply line, 13 …… Filter, 14 …… Air vent line, 15 …… Air vent valve, 16 …… Control circuit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A transparent suction pipe is inserted into each of at least two chemical liquid containers, and the suction pipes of both chemical liquid containers are connected to suction pipe lines to a pump for pumping through open / close valves, respectively. And, in each of the suction pipes,
While each sensor is provided to detect the flow of the chemical liquid in the suction pipe, a filter is provided in the chemical liquid supply pipe from the discharge side to the processing tank in the pump for pumping up, and an air vent pipe equipped with an air vent valve in this filter. When the sensor for the suction pipe in the first chemical liquid container of the two chemical liquid containers detects that the flow of the chemical liquid has stopped, the on-off valve for the suction pipe in the first chemical liquid container is opened. Close and open the open / close valve for the suction pipe in the second chemical liquid container,
A pumping device for processing chemicals in a semiconductor, comprising a control circuit for opening the air vent valve for an appropriate period of time.