JPH11230048A - Chemical supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve durability as well as to improve pump characteristics of a chemical supplying device. SOLUTION: A flexible tube 21 is formed of an elastic material, fixed to a joint part 12 on the inflow side and a joint part 13 on the outflow side by fixing ends 21a provided on both ends, and exhibits a pumping function by being expanded and contracted by pressure of pressurizing refrigerant 14 supplied to the outside. The inner part of each fixing end of the flexible tube 21 is a taper part 21b, and a part between the taper parts 21b is a flat part 21c. Inward or outward deformed bent parts 62 are formed in the central part in the width direction of the flat part 21c, and both sides in the width direction are crushed parts 61.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a chemical liquid supply apparatus for discharging a predetermined amount of liquid such as a chemical liquid, for example, a chemical liquid supply apparatus suitable for use in applying a photoresist liquid to the surface of a semiconductor wafer. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In manufacturing processes in various technical fields such as a semiconductor wafer manufacturing technology, a liquid crystal substrate manufacturing technology, a magnetic disk manufacturing technology, and a multilayer wiring substrate manufacturing technology, a photoresist solution, a spinion glass solution and the like are used. , Polyimide resin solution, pure water, developer, etching solution,
Chemical solutions such as organic solvents are used.

For example, when a photoresist liquid is applied to the surface of a semiconductor wafer, the photoresist liquid is dropped on the surface of the semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is rotated in a horizontal plane. . As a chemical solution supply device used for applying such a resist solution, there is one in which a pump function is obtained by an elastically deformable tube or a bellows-shaped bellows.

[0004]

As a chemical liquid supply apparatus in which a bellows is used to obtain a pump function, for example, an apparatus as shown in FIG. 7 has been developed. 7A, a pump chamber 71 is formed outside the bellows 70, and the bellows 70 is expanded and contracted by a driving rod 72 incorporated therein, thereby guiding the chemical solution in the chemical solution tank 73 into the pump chamber 71. And application nozzle 7
4 shows a chemical liquid supply device which discharges the liquid from the liquid supply device 4. As described above, when the chemical solution is pumped directly by the bellows-shaped bellows, the chemical solution does not flow on the rear end side of the bellows 70, and the outer surface of the bellows 70 has an uneven shape. In addition, there is a possibility that the chemical solution may stay in the pump chamber, and the chemical solution may be deteriorated due to the stay and may cause dust during application.

In FIG. 7B, a flexible tube 75 having a circular or elliptical cross section which is expandable and contractible is provided in a part of a flow path connecting the chemical solution tank 73 and the application nozzle 74, and is disposed outside the tube. A chemical liquid supply device is shown in which a pressurizing chamber 76 in a cylindrical body and a pump chamber 71 outside a bellows 70 are connected.

In this case, it is possible to prevent the chemical solution from staying in the flexible tube 75. However, when the flexible tube 75 has a circular cross section, pressure is applied to the pressurizing chamber 76. In this case, since the flexible tube 75 is not easily deformed, it is not only necessary to apply a large pressure to the flexible tube 75, but also it is difficult to set the correspondence between the pressure and the deformation in a desired correspondence relationship. Pump characteristics could not be obtained. In addition, when the cross-sectional shape of the flexible tube 75 is an oval, the flexible tube 75 can be deformed with a relatively small pressure as compared with the case of a circular shape. As indicated by the two-dot chain line, the central portion of the tube 75 is easily deformed as compared to the both ends, and the portion having a large amount of deformation is more likely to be deteriorated or damaged than the other portions. There is a problem of lack.

An object of the present invention is to improve the pump characteristics and the durability of a chemical liquid supply device.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Among the inventions disclosed in the present application, the outline of a representative one will be briefly described.
It is as follows.

That is, a chemical solution supply device of the present invention comprises a housing having an inflow side joint at one end, an outflow side joint at the other end, and a housing chamber formed therein. Both ends are fixed to the joint portion on the side and the outflow side, the flexible tube is arranged in the accommodation chamber, and is formed of an elastic material and is capable of expanding and contracting;
A pump for supplying a pressurized medium into a space between the flexible tube and the housing to expand and contract the flexible tube, wherein the flexible tubes are respectively attached to the joint portions. It is formed by a cylindrical fixed end, a tapered portion inside each of the fixed ends, and a flat portion between these tapered portions. A deformed bent portion is formed so that the entire flat portion of the flexible tube is deformed by the pressure of the pressurized medium.

The present invention also provides a chemical solution supply apparatus comprising a pump body having an inflow-side joint portion, an outflow-side joint portion, and an inflatable and contractible pump member provided between the joint portion and a housing chamber therein. And both ends fixed to the joints on the inflow side and the outflow side, which are arranged in the housing chamber to form a pump chamber between the pump body and an expandable and contractible flexible material formed of an elastic material. A flexible tube, and a driving unit that drives the pump member and expands and contracts the flexible tube via a pressurized medium sealed in a pump chamber. A fixed end portion of a cylindrical shape to be attached, a tapered portion inside each of the fixed end portions, and a flat portion between these tapered portions are formed, and a central portion in the width direction of the flat portion is formed. Forming a bent portion which is deformed in a square or outward, the whole of the flat portion of the flexible tube by the pressure of the pressurizing medium is characterized in that so as to deform.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a chemical liquid supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. A housing 10 of the device has a cylindrical main body 11 having an accommodation chamber therein, and an inflow provided at one end thereof. Side joint portion 12 and an outflow side joint portion 13 provided at the other end. The supply side flow path 14 is connected to the inflow side joint portion 12,
The supply-side flow path 14 is used for the chemical liquid tank 1 as a chemical liquid storage part.
5 is connected. The outflow-side flow path 16 is connected to the outflow-side joint portion 13, and the outflow-side flow path 16 is connected to an application nozzle 17 as a chemical solution discharge section. When applying the photoresist liquid to the surface of the semiconductor wafer from the application nozzle 17, the photoresist liquid is stored in the chemical liquid tank 15.

The supply side flow path 14 is provided with a supply side opening / closing valve 18 for opening and closing this flow path, and the outflow side flow path 16 is provided with an outflow side opening / closing valve 19 for opening and closing this flow path. ing. As each of the on-off valves 18 and 19, a solenoid valve operated by an electric signal or an air operated valve operated by air pressure may be used.
A check valve, that is, a check valve may be used.

An inflatable and contractible flexible tube 21 made of an elastic material is fixed between the inflow-side joint portion 12 and the outflow-side joint portion 13 so as to be positioned in a storage chamber in the main body portion 11. ing.

In the case of the drawing, since the supplied chemical is a photoresist liquid, the flexible tube 21 is made of tetrafluoroethylene perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether, which is a fluororesin, so as not to react with the chemical. The joints 12 and 13 are formed of the same material. The main body 11 may be formed of the same material,
It may be formed of metal. However, the resin material is not limited to PFA, and any other resin material may be used for the flexible tube 21 and the joint portions 12 and 13 as long as the material is elastically deformed. Further, the flexible tube 21 and the joint portions 12 and 13 may be integrally formed.

The space between the flexible tube 21 and the housing 10 is a pressurizing chamber 22, in which an incompressible fluid or fluid such as a liquid as a pressurizing medium M is placed.
The power is supplied from a supply port 23 formed in the housing 10. In order to expand and contract the flexible tube 21 by pressurizing and supplying the pressurized medium M into the pressurized chamber or by suction and discharge, the pump 24 has a flow path 25.
To the supply port 23. This pump 2
The bellows 28 which can be expanded and contracted by a driving rod 27 is incorporated in a pump housing 26. The flexible tube 21 is expanded by reciprocating the driving rod 27 by a driving means such as an electric motor or an actuator. Contracted.

It should be noted that the pump 24 is not limited to the case shown in the figure, and various types of pumps such as an axial pump having the same structure as a hydraulic cylinder and other types of pumps can be used.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a chemical solution supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
1 and a pump drive unit 32. The pump unit 31 is formed of an elastic material as in the case shown in FIG. 1, and is elastically expandable and contractible in the radial direction. And a pump body 33 to be arranged.

The pump body 33 has a joint 3 on the inflow side.
4 and a joint part 35 on the outflow side and a pump member 36 provided integrally therewith and capable of expanding and contracting and having an accommodation chamber therein. As in the case shown in FIG. 1, the supply side flow path 14 is connected to the inflow side joint portion 34,
The outflow side flow path 16 is connected to the outflow side joint portion 35.

The pump member 36 has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and has an axially central working disk portion 41 and a small bellows portion 42 integrally formed therewith and having an effective diameter d.
And a large bellows portion 43 having an effective diameter D larger than the effective diameter d of the small bellows portion 42 and integrated with the small bellows portion 42 via the operation disk portion 41. Here, the effective diameters d and D mean the average inner diameters of the bellows portions 42 and 43 during the expansion and contraction process of the small bellows portion 42 and the large bellows portion 43, respectively. At both ends of the pump body 33, fixed disk portions 44 and 45 are integrated, and the fixed disk portion 4 on the large bellows portion 43 side is provided.
4 is fixed to the inflow side joint portion 34 via the flexible tube 21, and the fixed disk portion 45 on the small bellows portion 42 side is connected to the joint portion 35 via the flexible tube 21.
It is fixed to.

The flexible tube 21 is formed of the same fluorine resin as that shown in FIG.
Is formed of the same material as the flexible tube 21.

The pump member 36 is mounted on the support base 46 at the respective fixed disk portions 44 and 45. The fixed disk portion 44 is mounted on the support base 46 by means of a fixed bracket 47 fitted therein. The part 45 is attached to the support base 46 by a fixing bracket 48 fitted therein.

The pump member 36 is configured to perform a pumping operation by displacing an operating disk portion 41 at an axially central portion thereof in the axial direction.
An operation bracket 49 fitted in the ball nut 52 is screwed to a ball screw shaft 51 which extends parallel to the pump member 36 on the support base 46 and is rotatably mounted.
It is connected to. The ball nut 52 is slidably mounted on a guide rail 53 provided on the support base 46, and is driven in the axial direction by the rotation of the ball screw shaft 51. To rotate the ball screw shaft 51, a motor 5 attached to the support base 46 is used.
A belt 57 is provided between a pulley 55 fixed to the shaft of No. 4 and a pulley 56 fixed to the ball screw shaft 51.
Is installed.

The space between the flexible tube 21 and the pump member 36 disposed outside the flexible tube 21 is a pump chamber 58 in which an incompressible fluid or a fluid such as a liquid is filled. Pressurized medium M is enclosed. Therefore, when the pump member 36 is elastically deformed in the axial direction at the central working disk portion 41, the overall length of the pump member 36 does not change and the volume inside the small bellows portion 42 and the large bellows portion 43 changes. become. Thereby, the flexible tube 21 expands and contracts in the radial direction, that is, the lateral direction via the pressurized medium M, and the flexible tube 21 operates as a pump.

The pump member 36 is not limited to the illustrated case, but may be any pump member as long as it converts mechanical movement of the member into a change in volume of the pressurized medium M.

Each of the flexible tubes 21 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has the same structure. FIGS. 3 and 4 show the flexible tubes 21. FIG.

The flexible tube 21 has cylindrical fixed ends 21a attached to the joints on the inflow side and the outflow side at both ends, respectively.
A tapered portion 21b is provided inside the longitudinal direction of 1a, and a flat portion 21c is formed between the tapered portions 21b. The flat section 21c has a substantially oval cross section as a whole, and in the case shown in FIG. 4, the cross section has a cocoon shape. Therefore, both sides in the width direction of the flat portion 21 c are circular portions having a cross section slightly larger than a semicircle, and this portion is a crushed portion 61. The central portions in the width direction on both sides, which are continuous with the crushed portions 61 on both sides, are protruded in an arc shape inward and are deformed. And extends over the entire flat portion 21c.

As described above, the tapered portions 21b are provided inside the both ends of the flexible tube 21, the portion between the tapered portions 21b is made flat, and the inwardly projecting bent portion is formed at the center in the width direction. By providing the portion 62 along the longitudinal direction, the strength of the central portion in the width direction of the flat portion 21c increases in the longitudinal direction. Accordingly, when the flexible tube 21 receives a pressing force from the outside by the medium M, as shown in FIG.
1 is greatly deformed, the bent portions 62 on both sides are deformed so as to approach each other, and the flexible tube 21 contracts. At this time, the bent portions 62 on both sides are deformed such that the respective portions in the longitudinal direction maintain the same distance from each other in the entire longitudinal direction.

Therefore, when pressure is applied to the outside of the flexible tube 21 by the pressurizing medium M, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Therefore, they are displaced so as to approach each other as a whole without any displacement. In this way, the expansion and contraction of the flexible tube 21 is achieved by the deformation of the crushed portion 61 and the deformation of the bent portion 62 without the occurrence of concentrated displacement of a specific portion. The durability is improved, and the correspondence between the applied pressure and the amount of deformation of the flexible tube 21 has linearity, so that the pump characteristics are improved.

FIG. 5 is a view showing another embodiment of the flexible tube 21.
2 is formed by deforming the flat portion 21c so as to protrude in an arc shape at the center in the width direction.

FIG. 6 is a view showing still another embodiment of the flexible tube 21. The bent portion 62 of the flexible tube 21 has a flat portion 2 which is formed in a substantially oval shape as a whole.
It is formed by providing a thick portion at the center in the width direction of 1c.

Even when the bent portions 62 are formed as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, both the bent portions 62 are deformed so as to approach and separate while expanding and contracting while maintaining a uniform interval in the longitudinal direction as a whole. However, as in the case described above, it is possible to improve the pump characteristics and the durability of the flexible tube 21.

In the case shown in the figure, the bent portions 62 are formed almost entirely in the longitudinal direction of the flat portion 21c. However, as shown by broken lines in FIG. The bent portion 62 may be formed only in the central portion.

Although the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment, the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the invention. Needless to say, there is.

For example, the shape of the bent portion 62 is not limited to the illustrated one as long as both sides of the flat portion 21c are uniformly deformed over the entire length, and the shape protrudes inward as shown in FIG. Alternatively, in addition to the outwardly protruding shape, thick portions may be formed at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction. Further, the cross-sectional shape of the fixed end portion may be a circular shape or a polygonal cylindrical shape in the illustrated case.

[0037]

Advantageous effects obtained by typical ones of the inventions disclosed in the present application will be briefly described.
It is as follows.

(1) The flexible tube is formed by a cylindrical fixed end portion, a tapered portion inward in the longitudinal direction, and a flat portion between these tapered portions, and a bent portion is formed in the flat portion. With the provision, the specific portion of the flat portion is prevented from being concentrated and deformed.

(2) Thereby, the durability of the flexible tube can be improved.

(3) The amount of expansion and contraction of the flexible tube changes linearly with respect to the pressure of the pressurizing medium that expands and contracts the flexible tube, thereby improving the pump characteristics. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a chemical liquid supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 1B-1B in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a chemical solution supply device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view showing the flexible tube shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3B-3B in FIG. C) is the same figure (A)
FIG.

4 (A) is a partially cutaway perspective view of a flexible tube, FIG. 4 (B) is a transverse sectional view of the flexible tube,
(C) is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the flexible tube is contracted.

5A is a partially cutaway perspective view of a flexible tube according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the flexible tube, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the flexible tube is contracted.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a flexible tube according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram showing a conventional chemical liquid supply device, and FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram showing another conventional chemical liquid supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 housing 11 main body part 12 joint part on inflow side 13 joint part on outflow side 14 supply side flow path 15 chemical liquid tank 16 outflow side flow path 17 application nozzle 18 supply side on-off valve 19 outflow side on-off valve 21 flexible tube 21a fixed End part 21b Taper part 21c Flat part 22 Pressurization chamber 23 Supply port 24 Pump 25 Flow path 26 Pump housing 27 Drive rod 28 Bellows 31 Pump part 32 Pump drive part 33 Pump body 34 Inlet joint part 35 Outlet joint part 36 Pump member 41 Working disk part 42 Small bellows part 43 Large bellows part 44, 45 Fixed disk part 46 Support base 47, 48 Fixed bracket 49 Operating bracket 51 Ball screw shaft 52 Ball nut 53 Guide rail 54 Motor 55, 56 Pooh Over 57 belt 58 pump chamber 61 collapse portion 62 bent portion

Claims (3)

[Claims] A housing provided with an inflow-side joint at one end, an outflow-side joint at the other end, and a housing chamber formed therein; A flexible tube which is fixed in both ends and is disposed in the accommodation chamber and is made of an elastic material and which can be expanded and contracted, and supplies a pressurized medium into a space between the flexible tube and the housing. And a pump for expanding and contracting the flexible tube, and each of the flexible tubes has a cylindrical fixed end attached to the joint portion, and a taper portion inward of each of the fixed ends. And a flat portion between these tapered portions. A bent portion deformed inward or outward is formed at the center in the width direction of the flat portion, and the flexible portion is formed by the pressure of the pressurized medium. H Chemical supply apparatus characterized by whole was made to deformation of the flat portion of the over drive. 2. A pump body having an inflow-side joint portion, an outflow-side joint portion, and an inflatable and deflateable pump member provided between them and having an accommodation chamber therein; and the inflow side and the outflow side. And a flexible tube formed of an elastic material and capable of being inflated and contracted, wherein both ends are fixed to the joint of the pump body and arranged in the housing chamber to form a pump chamber between the pump body and the pump member. A driving means for driving and expanding and contracting the flexible tube via a pressurized medium sealed in a pump chamber, wherein the flexible tube is attached to the joint portion. And a tapered portion inward of each of the fixed ends, and a flat portion between these tapered portions, and deformed inward or outward at a widthwise center portion of the flat portion. Forming a curved portion, the chemical liquid supply apparatus, characterized in that the entire said flat part of the flexible tube by the pressure of the pressurizing medium is so deformed. 3. The chemical liquid supply device according to claim 1, wherein the bent portion is formed as a thick portion so as to protrude and deform inward or outward.