KR100816319B1 - Resist dilution system - Google Patents

Abstract

(Problem) The present invention provides a resist dilution system having a pipe through which a liquid which is easy to dry, such as a high viscosity resist, flows.

(Solution means) It flows in from the high viscosity resist piping 3a, the dilution solvent piping 3b, the piping 3 which has one outflow part 3e, and the high viscosity resist piping 3a, and flows out from the outflow part 3e. By using the resist dilution system 1 provided with the preparation tank 2 which mixes the high-viscosity resist which flowed out from and into the dilution solvent piping 3b which flowed in from the dilution solvent piping 3b, In use, the dilute solvent can wash away any high viscosity resist that always remains on the surface of the piping.

Resist dilution system

Description

Resist Dilution System {RESIST DILUTION SYSTEM}

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The figure which showed the resist dilution system in 1st Embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a resist dilution system in a second embodiment. FIG.

3 shows a conventional resist dilution system.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

1: resist dilution system 2: preparation tank

3: Piping 3a: Piping for High Viscosity Resist

3b: dilution solvent piping 3c: connection portion

3d: common pipe 3e: outlet

4a, 4b: valve 5: high viscosity resist

6: dilution solvent 10: dilution solvent supply tank

11: high viscosity resist supply tank 12: connector

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-176776

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-188351

The present invention relates to techniques for coping with the drying of high viscosity resists in resist dilution systems.

As a preliminary step of forming a coating film of uniform thickness by applying a resist liquid to a coated object such as a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal substrate, it is necessary to prepare the resist liquid. The resist liquid is usually prepared in a suitable viscosity by diluting a high-viscosity resist, which is concentrated and provided in view of transportation costs, in a factory actually used.

3 shows a conventional resist dilution system. The resist dilution system 21 consists of the preparation tank 22, the high viscosity resist piping 23, the dilution solvent piping 25, and the valves 24 and 26. As shown in FIG. The high viscosity resist 27 is introduced into the high viscosity resist pipe 23 and flows into the preparation tank 22. The valve 24 is provided in the high viscosity resist piping 23 and can adjust the flow volume of the high viscosity resist 27 which flows into the preparation tank 22. The diluting solvent 28 is introduced into the dilution solvent piping 25 so as to flow into the preparation tank 22. The valve 26 is provided in the dilution solvent piping 25 to adjust the flow rate of the dilution solvent 28 flowing into the preparation tank 22.

The method of diluting high viscosity resist using this resist dilution system 21 is demonstrated. First, the valve 24 is opened, and the high viscosity resist 27 flows into the preparation tank 22 by a predetermined amount, and then the valve 24 is closed.

Next, the valve 26 is opened, and the dilution solvent 28 is introduced into the preparation tank 22. After diluting the diluting solvent 28 into the preparation tank 22 in an amount necessary to dilute the high viscosity resist 27 to a suitable viscosity, the valve 26 is closed.

In this way, a high viscosity resist and a diluting solvent were introduced from each of the independent pipes of the high viscosity resist pipe and the dilution solvent pipe, and the high viscosity resist was diluted until an appropriate viscosity was obtained.

Moreover, as another method of diluting a high-viscosity resist, For example, in patent document 1, the raw material liquid and dilution liquid with high density | concentration are maintained in a coating film forming apparatus, and the raw material is provided at the nozzle tip part which supplies a coating liquid to a semiconductor wafer. The coating film forming apparatus which stir-mixes liquid and its dilution liquid is disclosed.

Moreover, in patent document 2, between the photoresist tank and a dilution nozzle, the photoresist provided with the dilution tank which mixes with a photoresist dilution solvent and a photoresist, and the apparatus which injects the photoresist dilution solvent into this dilution tank. A coating apparatus is disclosed.

In the piping used for the resist dilution system 21 of FIG. 3, the high viscosity resist piping and the dilution solvent piping were provided independently, respectively. For this reason, the remaining high viscosity resist adhered to the inner surface of the piping for high viscosity resists, and it dried and fixed. In the highly viscous resist piping, the sticking was remarkable especially in the vicinity of the outlet which most contacts air. Therefore, such a resist dilution system is designed on the premise that the piping for high viscosity resists is cleaned and used by regular maintenance.

In addition, when there is a dried substance or a change in viscosity of a high viscosity resist in a connection point of a highly viscous resist pipe or a valve provided in the highly viscous resist pipe, a foreign substance may be generated or the characteristics of the resist may change based on the dried substance or a change in viscosity. There was a concern such as to.

In addition, when washing the piping for high viscosity resists, it was necessary to stop the operation of the resist dilution system, and the replacement device (backup device during cleaning) was necessary. Therefore, there was a point that it was not suitable for the resist dilution system which always runs.

Moreover, in the photoresist coating apparatus of patent document 1 and patent document 2, the exact density | concentration preparation of a resist liquid is difficult and cannot be set to an appropriate viscosity. For this reason, there exists a possibility that control of the thickness at the time of apply | coating a resist liquid on a semiconductor wafer will become difficult.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a resist dilution system having a piping through which a liquid, such as a high-viscosity resist, that dries easily and which is difficult to handle flows.

A resist dilution system according to the present invention includes a pipe having two or more inlets and one or more outlets, and a first liquid that is introduced from a first inlet of the inlets and out of a first outlet of the outlets. And a mixing section for mixing a second liquid, which flows in from the second inflow section of the inflow section, and has a relatively lower viscosity than the first liquid flowing out of the first outflow section.

In such a configuration, it is possible to wash off the first liquid in which the second liquid always remains on the surface of the pipe during use.

In the resist dilution system, the first liquid is a resist material, and the second liquid is a diluent for diluting the resist material.

In such a configuration, it is possible to wash off the high-viscosity resist in which the diluting solvent always remains on the surface of the pipe during use.

Moreover, in the said resist dilution system, the said mixing part has a preparation tank in which the said 1st liquid is diluted with the said 2nd liquid, and the viscosity of the 1st liquid is prepared.

By configuring in this way, the viscosity of a 1st liquid can be prepared so that it may become a suitable viscosity by diluting with a 2nd liquid.

The resist dilution system may further include a first supply for filling the first liquid, a first supply for supplying the first liquid to the first inlet, and a second liquid for the second inflow And a second supply portion for supplying the second liquid to the portion.

With this configuration, the first liquid can be supplied from the first supply part to the first inlet part, and the second liquid can be supplied from the second supply part to the second inlet part.

The resist dilution system is further provided with a connection portion connecting the first supply portion and the second supply portion to introduce the second liquid from the second supply portion to the first supply portion.

In this way, the first liquid remaining on the inner surface of the first supply portion and the inner surface of the first inflow portion can be washed out.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of using a resist dilution system comprising a pipe having two or more inlets and one or more outlets, and a preparation unit for diluting the resist to prepare a viscosity. After the liquid is introduced, the first liquid is discharged from the first outlet of the outlet, supplied to the preparation unit, and after the first liquid is supplied, the first liquid from the second inlet of the inlet. The second liquid having a relatively lower viscosity is introduced, and the second liquid is flowed out from the first outlet and supplied to the preparation unit.

By this method, in use, it is possible to wash off the first liquid, in which the second liquid always remains on the surface of the pipe.

In the method of using the resist dilution system, the first liquid is supplied from a first supply portion filled with the first liquid supplied to the first inflow portion, and the first liquid is supplied from the first supply portion. After the supply, the second liquid is added to the first supply portion, and the second liquid is supplied from the first supply portion to the first inlet portion and flowed out from the first outlet portion.

By this method, the first liquid remaining on the inner surface of the first supply portion and the inner surface of the first inlet portion can be washed out.

In the method of using the resist dilution system, the first liquid is a resist material, and the second liquid is a diluent for diluting the resist material.

With this configuration, the high viscosity resist remaining on the inner surface of the first supply portion and the inner surface of the first inflow portion can be washed out.

Implement the invention  Best form for

<1st embodiment>

1 shows a resist dilution system in this embodiment. The resist dilution system 1 mainly consists of the preparation tank 2 and the piping 3. The pipe 3 is a pipe having two inlets and one outlet. The high viscosity resist 5 is introduce | transduced from one of two inflow parts. Hereinafter, the piping into which the high viscosity resist 5 is introduced is called the high viscosity resist piping 3a.

Moreover, in the piping 3, the dilution solvent 6 (low viscosity solvent) is introduce | transduced from the other of two inflow parts. Hereinafter, the piping into which the dilution solvent 6 is introduced is called the dilution solvent piping 3b.

The high viscosity resist piping 3a and the dilution solvent piping 3b are connected, and the piping extended further from the connection part 3c to the outflow part 3e. Hereinafter, the piping part from the connection part 3c to the outflow part 3e is called common pipe 3d.

Valves 4a and 4b are provided in the high viscosity resist pipe 3a and the dilution solvent pipe 3b, respectively. The valve 4a is for adjusting the flow rate of the high viscosity resist 5 flowing from the high viscosity resist pipe 3a to the outlet portion 3e. The valve 4b is for adjusting the flow rate of the diluting solvent 6 flowing from the dilution solvent piping 3b to the outlet part 3e.

In the preparation tank 2, the high-viscosity resist 5 which mixes the high-viscosity resist 5 and the dilution solvent 6 which flowed out from the outflow part 3e, and dilutes the high-viscosity resist 5 with the dilution solvent 6, The high-viscosity resist 5 It can prepare so that may become predetermined viscosity.

Hereinafter, the method of diluting the high viscosity resist 5 using this resist dilution system 1 is demonstrated. In the initial state of the resist dilution system 1, the preparation tank 2 is empty and the valves 4a and 4b are closed.

First, the valve 4a is opened and the high viscosity resist 5 flows into the preparation tank 2. After the predetermined amount of high viscosity resist 5 is introduced, the valve 4a is closed. At this time, the remaining high viscosity resist 5 is attached to the periphery of the valve 4a inside the pipe, the inner surface of the common pipe 3d, and the outlet portion 3e.

Next, the valve 4b is opened and the dilution solvent 6 is introduced into the preparation tank 2 by a predetermined amount. At this time, the high-viscosity resist 5 which remained in the periphery of the valve | bulb 4a in the piping inside, the inner surface of the common piping 3d, and the outflow part 3e is wash | cleaned by the diluting solvent 6. As shown in FIG. After the predetermined amount of dilution solvent 6 is introduced, the valve 4b is closed.

Thereafter, in the preparation tank 2, the high viscosity resist 5 is diluted with the diluting solvent 6. That is, by mixing the high viscosity resist 5 and the diluting solvent 6 stored in the preparation tank 2, the resist which has a suitable viscosity is obtained.

In this way, each time the dilute solvent 6 flows, the high viscosity resist 5 remaining in the periphery of the valve 4a in the pipe, the inner surface of the common pipe 3d, and the outlet portion 3e is washed out. Can be. Therefore, the high viscosity resist 5 adhering to the common pipe surface can be prevented from being dried and fixed.

In addition, since the high-viscosity resist 5 is prepared in the preparation tank 2 so as to have a suitable viscosity, it can be used for a semiconductor wafer, and thus the viscosity can be easily controlled as compared with the case of applying a resist diluted directly on a semiconductor wafer. .

<2nd embodiment>

In the first embodiment, when the valve 4a is closed and the inside of the high viscosity resist pipe 3a is always filled with the high viscosity resist 5, the inner surface of the high viscosity resist pipe 3a is in contact with air. In most cases, the highly viscous resist 5 is not dried and adheres to the inner surface of the piping 3a for high viscous resist.

However, when the supply of the high viscosity resist to the high viscosity resist piping 3a is stopped, the inner surface of the high viscosity resist piping 3a is in contact with air, and therefore remains on the inner surface of the high viscosity resist piping 3a. It may happen that the high viscosity resist 5 dries and adheres.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the resist dilution system which can wash | clean even the supply tank which supplies the high viscosity resist 5 to the high viscosity resist piping 3a and the high viscosity resist piping 3a is further demonstrated.

2 shows a resist dilution system in this embodiment. In the resist dilution system 1 of this embodiment, the dilution solvent supply tank 10, the high viscosity resist supply tank 11, and the connection pipe 12 are added to the resist dilution system of FIG.

The diluting solvent supply tank 10 is filled with the diluting solvent 6, and the diluting solvent 6 is supplied to the dilution solvent piping 3b. The high viscosity resist supply tank 11 is filled with the high viscosity resist 5, and the high viscosity resist 5 is supplied to the high viscosity resist piping 3a.

The connecting pipe 12 is for connecting the dilute solvent supply tank 10 and the high viscosity resist supply tank 11. The dilution solvent 6 flows from the dilution solvent supply tank 10 to the high viscosity resist supply tank 11 through the connection pipe 12.

Hereinafter, the method of diluting a high viscosity resist using this resist dilution system 1 is demonstrated.

When the high viscosity resist 5 is continuously supplied to the high viscosity resist pipe 3a, the high viscosity resist 5 in the high viscosity resist supply tank 11 is consumed and becomes almost empty. Then, the inner surface of the highly viscous resist piping 3a, the periphery of the valve 4a inside the piping, and the inner surface of the high viscosity resist 11 are exposed to air more.

Next, the dilution solvent 6 is once supplied from the dilution solvent supply tank 10 to the high viscosity resist supply tank 11 through the connecting pipe 12, and remains on the inner surface of the high viscosity resist supply tank 11. The high viscosity resist 5 which exists is washed away. The washed dilution solvent 6 is supplied to the high viscosity resist pipe 3a and discharged to the preparation tank 2 via the outlet portion 3e as it is.

In this way, each time the dilute solvent 6 flows from the dilute solvent supply tank 10 via the connecting pipe 12 and the high viscosity resist supply tank 11, the inner surface of the high viscosity resist supply tank 11, the high viscosity The high viscosity resist 5 remaining in the resist pipe 3a, the periphery of the valve 4a in the pipe inside, the inner surface of the common pipe 3d, and the outlet portion 3e can be washed out. As a result, the high viscosity resist 5 adhering to these surfaces can be prevented from being dried and fixed.

In addition, although the piping which has two inflow parts and one outflow part was used in 1st and 2nd embodiment, it is not limited to this. For example, since resists of different viscosities may be mixed or various diluting solvents may be used, a pipe having three or more inlets may be used. At this time, it is needless to say that a valve is provided at each inlet, and a resist supply tank corresponding to each inlet is provided.

Moreover, when using the piping which has two or more inflow parts in this way, since there may be a situation where a plurality of resist solutions of different viscosity may be obtained, the piping which has two or more outflow parts may be used, and it may be used separately in several preparation tanks. You may divide it separately. In this way, it is needless to say that when a pipe having two or more outlet portions is used, an outlet passage switching mechanism for guiding liquid is provided at the outlet portion of the target.

In addition, the resist dilution system which concerns on this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, It can take a various structure or shape within the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.

As mentioned above, by using this invention, since the dilution solvent always wash | cleans the high-viscosity resist which remained on the surface of a piping at the time of use, the risk of generation | occurrence | production of a foreign material and mixing of a viscosity change product can be reduced. Moreover, the maintenance frequency of a resist dilution system can be reduced, and it can contribute to the improvement of an operation rate.

By connecting the dilution solvent piping to the high viscosity resist piping, the dilute solvent always washes off the high viscosity resist remaining on the surface of the piping at the time of use, thereby reducing the risk of foreign matter generation and mixing of the viscosity-changing product. Moreover, the maintenance frequency of a resist dilution system can be reduced, and it can contribute to the improvement of an operation rate.

Claims (8)

A pipe having at least two inlets and at least one outlet, A first liquid flowing from a first inflow portion of the inflow portion, outflowing from a first outflow portion of the inflow portion, and a second liquid flowing out of the second inflow portion of the inflow portion, and outflowing from the first outflow portion; A mixing section for mixing the second liquid having a viscosity lower than that of the one liquid, A first supply part capable of filling the first liquid and supplying the first liquid to the first inlet part; A second supply part capable of filling the second liquid and supplying the second liquid to the second inlet part; And a connection portion connecting the first supply portion and the second supply portion to introduce the second liquid from the second supply portion to the first supply portion. The method of claim 1, The first liquid is a resist material, And the second liquid is a diluent for diluting the resist material. The method of claim 1, And the mixing section has a preparation tank in which the first liquid is diluted with the second liquid, and the viscosity of the first liquid is prepared. delete delete A method of using a resist dilution system comprising a pipe having two or more inlets and one or more outlets, and a preparation for diluting the resist to prepare a viscosity, A first liquid is introduced from a first inlet of the inlets, and the first liquid is supplied from the first outlet of the outlets and supplied to the preparation unit; After supplying the first liquid, a second liquid having a viscosity lower than that of the first liquid is introduced from the second inflow portion among the inflow portions, and the second liquid is discharged from the first outlet portion to prepare the preparation. Supplies to wealth, Supplying the first liquid from a first supply portion filled with the first liquid supplied to the first inlet portion, After supplying the first liquid from the first supply part, the second liquid is added to the first supply part, A method of using a resist dilution system, characterized in that the second liquid is supplied from the first supply to the first inlet and out from the first outlet. delete The method of claim 6, The first liquid is a resist material, And wherein said second liquid is a diluent for diluting said resist material.

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