KR102091743B1 - Gas providing apparatus, substrate processing system and method for measuring replacement time of filter unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The gas supply device for supplying gas to the substrate processing device includes a refrigeration cycle, and a temperature control unit for adjusting the temperature of the gas through the refrigeration cycle by introducing external gas and controlling the humidity of the gas introduced from the temperature control unit. It includes a humidity control unit with a humidification tank and a blower for supplying the temperature and humidity controlled gas supplied from the humidity control unit to the substrate processing unit, the temperature control unit adsorbs the residual moisture generated by the refrigeration cycle, and foreign matter It includes a filter unit for removing and a detection unit for detecting the replacement time of the filter in advance, the gas supply device further comprises a first temperature sensor located at the input terminal of the filter unit and a second temperature sensor located at the output terminal of the filter unit Including, the detection unit is measured by monitoring the temperature value of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor On the basis of the temperature difference between the input end and output end of the taboo detects the replacement time the filter unit in advance.

Description

Gas supply device, substrate processing system, and filter replacement time measurement method {GAS PROVIDING APPARATUS, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING REPLACEMENT TIME OF FILTER UNIT}

The present invention relates to a gas supply device, a substrate processing system, and a method for measuring the replacement timing of a filter unit.

The photolithography process is performed by a substrate processing system. In this process, as circuit patterns on the substrate are miniaturized, device characteristics and production yields are more sensitive to temperature and humidity. As a result, the substrate processing system comprises a substrate processing apparatus for performing a photolithography process on a substrate and a gas supply apparatus for supplying gas to the substrate processing apparatus so that the photolithography process is performed at a suitable temperature and humidity.

At this time, the gas supplied from the gas supply device is supplied to the substrate processing device through piping extending from the substrate processing device. In addition, the gas supply device controls the temperature and humidity of the gas supplied from the outside and supplies it to the substrate processing device.

In the gas supply device, a filter unit for removing foreign substances and adsorbing moisture in a pipe of a refrigeration cycle is essentially installed. However, in the conventional filter unit, it is impossible to check the adsorption amount of foreign matter and moisture filtered inside the filter unit, so it is impossible to determine the replacement time. Accordingly, the replacement time of the filter unit is missed and the process in the gas supply device or the substrate processing device is stopped. There was a problem in which a problem occurred. In addition, there was a problem that it takes a lot of time to determine the cause after an abnormality has occurred in a process in a gas supply device or a substrate processing device due to a defective filter unit (see Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2008-0030434).

The present application is to solve the problems of the above-described prior art, the conventional filter unit has a disadvantage that it is difficult to determine the replacement time because it is impossible to determine the amount of adsorption of foreign matter and moisture filtered inside the filter unit. It is intended to provide a gas supply device, a method for measuring the replacement time of a filter part, and a substrate processing system to grasp the timing and provide a notification for replacement of the filter part. In addition, as the use time of the filter unit increases, the amount of foreign matter and moisture increases in the filter unit, resulting in a difference in the refrigerant temperature between the input terminal and the output terminal of the filter unit. It is intended to provide a gas supply device, a method for measuring the replacement time of a filter part, and a substrate processing system to prevent the gas. However, the technical problems to be achieved by the present embodiment are not limited to the technical problems as described above, and other technical problems may exist.

As a means for achieving the above technical problem, a gas supply device for supplying gas to a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a refrigeration cycle, and external gas is introduced to the gas through the refrigeration cycle Temperature control unit for adjusting the temperature of the temperature, the humidity control unit having a humidification tank for adjusting the humidity of the gas flowing from the temperature control unit and the temperature and humidity control gas supplied from the humidity control unit is processed in the substrate Includes a blowing unit supplied to the device, the temperature control unit comprises a filter unit for adsorbing residual moisture generated by the refrigeration cycle, removing foreign substances, and a detection unit for detecting the replacement time of the filter unit in advance, and the gas The supply device includes a first temperature sensor located at the input end of the filter unit and a second temperature located at the output end of the filter unit. Further comprising a sensor, wherein the detection unit detects the first temperature sensor and the time to replace the filter unit on the basis of the temperature difference between the filter input and output terminal portion measured by monitoring the temperature value of the second temperature sensor in advance.

In addition, a refrigeration cycle according to another embodiment of the present invention, a filter unit for adsorbing residual moisture generated by the refrigeration cycle and removing foreign substances, and a first temperature sensor located at an input terminal of the filter unit and an output terminal of the filter unit It has at least one temperature sensor including a second temperature sensor located, a temperature control unit for controlling the temperature of the gas through the refrigeration cycle by introducing an external gas, the humidity of the gas introduced from the temperature control unit The time to replace the filter unit performed in the gas supply device including a humidity control unit having a humidification tank for adjusting the temperature and the humidity and the gas supplied from the humidity control unit to the substrate processing apparatus The measuring method is based on the temperature measured by the at least one temperature sensor to replace the filter part. And detecting in advance and outputting a notification for replacing the filter unit, wherein detecting the replacement time of the filter unit based on the temperature measured by the at least one temperature sensor comprises: By monitoring the temperature values of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, the replacement time of the filter unit is detected in advance based on the temperature difference between the input terminal and the output terminal of the filter unit.

In addition, it is possible to provide a substrate processing system including a gas supply apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention and a substrate processing apparatus that receives a gas from the gas supply apparatus and processes the substrate.

The above-described problem solving means are merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, there may be additional embodiments described in the drawings and detailed description of the invention.

According to any one of the above-described problem solving means of the present invention, the conventional filter part has a disadvantage that it is difficult to determine the replacement time because it is impossible to check the amount of adsorption of foreign matter and moisture filtered inside the filter part. It is possible to provide a gas supply device for determining the timing and providing a notification for replacing the filter unit, a method for measuring the filter unit replacement timing, and a substrate processing system. In addition, as the usage time of the filter unit increases, the amount of foreign matter and moisture increases in the filter unit, resulting in a difference in refrigerant temperature between the input terminal and the output terminal of the filter unit. It is possible to provide a gas supply device, a method for measuring the replacement time of the filter part, and a substrate processing system to prevent the substrate from being provided.

1 is a view showing a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing the configuration of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a flow chart of a method for measuring the replacement time of the filter unit in the gas supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily practice. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In addition, in order to clearly describe the present invention in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and like reference numerals are assigned to similar parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is "connected" to another part, this includes not only "directly connected" but also "electrically connected" with another element in between. . Also, when a part is said to “include” a certain component, it means that the component may further include other components, not to exclude other components, unless otherwise stated. However, it should be understood that the existence or addition possibilities of numbers, steps, actions, components, parts or combinations thereof are not excluded in advance.

In the present specification, the term “unit” includes a unit realized by hardware, a unit realized by software, and a unit realized by using both. Further, one unit may be realized by using two or more hardware, and two or more units may be realized by one hardware.

Some of the operations or functions described in this specification as being performed by a terminal or device may be performed instead on a server connected to the corresponding terminal or device. Similarly, some of the operations or functions described as being performed by the server may be performed in a terminal or device connected to the corresponding server.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a view showing a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a substrate processing system 1 to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied includes a main equipment 200 that performs specific processing on a substrate, and a sub which supplies a gas whose temperature and humidity are controlled to the main equipment 200. It may include equipment 210. The gas whose temperature and humidity are controlled may be supplied to the main equipment 200 through the blower 220 and the pipe 230 of the sub equipment 210.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the main equipment 200 is a substrate processing apparatus, and may be, for example, an apparatus for processing a photolithography process. However, the type of the substrate processing apparatus is not limited to this. In addition, the sub-equipment 210 is a gas supply device, and can supply a gas whose temperature and humidity are controlled. For reference, as shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to increase the utilization of space through the arrangement in which the main equipment 200 is located above the sub equipment 210.

The gas supply device 210 is a system in which a freezer system and a temperature humidity controller (THC) are combined, and may be configured to include a plurality of units to control the temperature and humidity of the gas. The freezer system may, for example, correspond to a refrigeration cycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the gas supply device will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2.

2 is a view showing the configuration of a gas supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the gas supply device 210 may include a temperature control unit 300, a humidity control unit 390 and a blowing unit 220.

When the external gas 310 is introduced through the gas inlet part (not shown), the temperature of the gas 310 may be controlled through the refrigeration cycle and the reheater. Here, the gas 310 may be introduced from the outside of the gas inlet (not shown). At this time, the gas inlet (not shown) may be located on the left side of the temperature control unit 300, but is not limited thereto, and may be located on at least one portion of the lower portion or the side portion.

The temperature control unit 300 may include a compressor 320, a condenser 330, an expansion valve 340, an evaporator 350, a filter unit 360, a detection unit 370, and a control unit 380. Although not shown, the temperature control unit 300 may further include a reheat (not shown).

The gas 310 introduced through the gas inlet (not shown) is cooled or heated through the temperature controller 300 to adjust the temperature.

The compressor 320 may compress the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant gas recovered from the evaporator 350 to a high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas.

The condenser 330 may condense the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas flowing from the compressor 320 into the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant liquid.

The expansion valve 340 may convert a high temperature high pressure refrigerant liquid to a low temperature low pressure refrigerant liquid.

The evaporator 350 may cool the gas 310 by exchanging the low temperature and low pressure refrigerant liquid flowing from the expansion valve 340 with the gas 310. At this time, the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant liquid is condensed into the expansion valve 340, the high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant gas is condensed into the high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant liquid due to the cooling water 335 supplied to the condenser 330, and the condensed high-temperature high pressure The refrigerant liquid of is converted to a low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant liquid by the expansion valve 340 and may be introduced into the evaporator 350.

For example, when the temperature of the gas 310 introduced into the gas inlet (not shown) is 23 ° C., the evaporator 350 heats the low temperature and low pressure refrigerant liquid and the gas 310 to heat the gas 310. Can be lowered to 10 ° C. In addition, the evaporator 350 may return the low temperature low pressure refrigerant gas generated through heat exchange between the gas 310 and the low temperature low pressure refrigerant liquid to the compressor 320.

The filter unit 360 may adsorb residual moisture generated by the refrigeration cycle and remove foreign substances. The filter unit 360 may be, for example, a filter dryer. At this time, the filter unit 360 may be located on the side of the expansion valve 340.

The detection unit 370 may detect the replacement time of the filter unit 360 in advance. The detection unit 370 may be located in the pipe of the refrigeration cycle. At this time, the detection unit 370 may monitor temperature values of the first temperature sensor 371 and the second temperature sensor 372.

The first temperature sensor 371 may be located at the input terminal of the filter unit 360, and the second temperature sensor 372 may be located at the output terminal of the filter unit 360. For example, the first temperature sensor 371 is located between the condenser 330 and the filter unit 360, and the second temperature sensor 372 is located between the filter unit 360 and the expansion valve 340. can do.

In addition, the detection unit 370 prior to the replacement time of the filter unit 360 based on the temperature difference between the input terminal and the output terminal of the filter unit 360 measured by the first temperature sensor 371 and the second temperature sensor 372. Can be detected. Specifically, the detection unit 370 may detect whether the temperature difference between the temperature measured by the first temperature sensor 371 and the temperature measured by the second temperature sensor 372 is greater than or equal to a preset threshold. For example, the detection unit 370 receives the first temperature data from the first temperature sensor 371, receives the second temperature data from the second temperature sensor 372, and the first temperature data and the second temperature data. Based on the determination of whether the temperature difference between the temperature measured by the first temperature sensor 371 and the temperature measured by the second temperature sensor 372 is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the replacement time of the filter unit 360 is determined in advance. Can be detected. Here, the preset threshold may be, for example, 5 ° C.

The control unit 380 may control the temperature control unit 300. For example, when the temperature difference detected by the detection unit 370 is measured as a threshold value or higher, the control unit 380 may output a notification for replacement of the filter unit 360. At this time, the control unit 380 may transmit the notification to the administrator terminal (not shown).

The control unit 380 may receive a threshold value for replacement of the filter unit 360 from the administrator. For example, the administrator may input a threshold value for replacement of the filter unit 360 through the operation of the control unit 380, or input a threshold value for replacement of the filter unit 360 through the operation of the administrator terminal. Then, the threshold value input by the administrator terminal may be transmitted to the control unit 380.

In addition, the control unit 380 may control the temperature control unit 300, the humidity control unit 390 and the blowing unit 220.

Humidity control unit 390 is provided with a humidification tank 391, it is possible to control the humidity of the gas flowing from the temperature control unit 300.

The blowing unit 220 may supply the temperature and humidity controlled gas supplied from the humidity control unit 390 to the substrate processing apparatus 200. For example, the blower 220 may include a fan and a motor, which uses a motor to drive the fan to form an airflow. Here, the airflow may be airflow introduced into the gas inlet (not shown) and discharged to the blowing unit 220.

That is, in the gas supply device 210, the gas introduced through the gas inlet part (not shown) is cooled or heated through the temperature controller 300 to adjust the temperature. And, as described above, the temperature-controlled gas flows through the upper portion of the humidification tank 391 of the humidity control unit 390 and flows into the blowing unit 220 in a state where the humidity is controlled, and flows into the blowing unit 220. The gas having the adjusted temperature and humidity can be discharged to the substrate processing apparatus 200 through the pipe 230 according to the operation of the blower 220.

As described above, the gas supply device 120 may further include a plurality of units for gas supply, in addition to the units described above, and description of each unit will be omitted for convenience as it is not significantly related to the core of the present invention. .

Figure 3 is a flow chart of a method for measuring the replacement time of the filter unit in the gas supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, a refrigeration cycle, a first temperature sensor positioned at an input end of a filter unit and a filter unit for adsorbing residual moisture generated by a refrigeration cycle, and removing foreign matter, and a second temperature sensor located at an output end of the filter unit Humidity control with at least one temperature sensor including, a temperature control unit for controlling the temperature of the gas through the refrigeration cycle by introducing an external gas, and a humidification tank for controlling the humidity of the gas introduced from the temperature control unit The method for measuring the replacement time of the filter unit performed in the gas supply unit including the blowing unit for supplying the temperature and humidity-controlled gas supplied from the unit and the humidity control unit to the substrate processing unit is the temperature measured by at least one temperature sensor Step of detecting the replacement time of the filter unit in advance based on (S310) and outputting a notification for replacement of the filter unit (S32) 0).

First, in a step (S310) of detecting in advance the replacement time of the filter unit based on the temperature measured by the at least one temperature sensor, the detection unit of the input terminal and the output terminal of the filter unit measured by the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor Based on the temperature difference, the replacement time of the filter unit can be detected in advance. Specifically. In step (S310) of detecting the replacement time of the filter unit in advance based on the temperature measured by the at least one temperature sensor, the detection unit receives the first temperature data from the first temperature sensor, and the second temperature from the second temperature sensor The data may be received, and it may be determined whether the temperature difference between the temperature measured by the first temperature sensor and the temperature measured by the second temperature sensor is greater than or equal to a preset threshold based on the first temperature data and the second temperature data. At this time, the threshold value for the replacement of the filter unit may be previously input through an input unit (not shown).

In the above description, steps S310 to S320 may be further divided into additional steps or combined into fewer steps, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, some steps may be omitted if necessary, and the order between the steps may be changed.

One embodiment of the invention may also be implemented in the form of a recording medium comprising instructions executable by a computer, such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. In addition, computer readable media may include both computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Communication media typically include computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave, or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery media.

The above description of the present invention is for illustration only, and a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can understand that it can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims rather than the above detailed description, and it should be interpreted that all changes or modified forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalent concepts thereof are included in the scope of the present invention. do.

200: main equipment
210: sub equipment
220: blower
230: plumbing
310: gas
320: compressor
330: condenser
335: coolant
340: expansion valve
350: evaporator
360: filter unit
370: detection unit
371: first temperature sensor
372: second temperature sensor
380: control unit
390: humidity control unit
391: humidification tank

Claims (9)

In the gas supply device for supplying gas to the substrate processing apparatus,
A temperature control unit having a refrigeration cycle and controlling the temperature of the gas through the refrigeration cycle by introducing external gas,
Humidity control unit having a humidification tank for adjusting the humidity of the gas flowing from the temperature control unit and
It includes a blower for supplying the temperature and humidity of the gas is supplied from the humidity control unit to the substrate processing apparatus,
The temperature control unit,
A filter unit for adsorbing residual moisture generated by the refrigeration cycle and removing foreign substances,
It includes a detection unit for detecting in advance the replacement time of the filter unit,
The gas supply device further includes a first temperature sensor located at the input end of the filter unit and a second temperature sensor located at the output end of the filter unit,
The detection unit detects the replacement time of the filter unit in advance based on the temperature difference between the input terminal and the output terminal of the filter unit measured by monitoring the temperature values of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor,
The detection unit is to determine whether the temperature difference between the input terminal and the output terminal of the filter unit is greater than or equal to a preset threshold value, and detects the replacement time of the filter unit in advance.
The temperature control unit,
A gas inlet through which the gas flows from the outside;
A compressor for compressing the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant gas recovered from the evaporator into a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas;
A condenser that condenses the high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant gas flowing from the compressor into a high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant liquid;
An expansion valve converting the high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant liquid into a low-temperature low-pressure refrigerant liquid; And
An evaporator that cools the gas by exchanging the gas with the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant liquid introduced from the expansion valve.
Further comprising,
The filter portion is located on the side of the expansion valve,
The first temperature sensor is located between the condenser and the filter unit,
The second temperature sensor is located between the filter unit and the expansion valve,
The filter unit adsorbs the residual moisture to the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant liquid condensed by the condenser,
A gas supply device, wherein the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant liquid, to which the residual moisture is adsorbed, is introduced into the expansion valve by the filter unit.
delete delete According to claim 1,
Gas control device further comprises a control unit for controlling the temperature control unit, the humidity control unit and the blowing unit.
The method of claim 4,
The control unit,
When the temperature difference is measured above the threshold, a gas supply device for outputting a notification for replacement of the filter unit.
At least a refrigeration cycle, at least a first temperature sensor positioned at the input end of the filter unit and a filter unit for adsorbing residual moisture generated by the refrigeration cycle and removing foreign matter, and a second temperature sensor located at the output end of the filter unit Humidity control with a temperature sensor, a temperature control unit to control the temperature of the gas through the refrigeration cycle by introducing an external gas, and a humidification tank to control the humidity of the gas flowing from the temperature control unit In the method for measuring the replacement time of the filter unit performed in the gas supply device including a blowing unit for supplying the temperature and humidity-controlled gas supplied from the humidity control unit and the substrate processing apparatus,
Pre-detecting a replacement time of the filter unit based on a temperature measured by the at least one temperature sensor; And
Outputting a notification for replacement of the filter unit
To include,
Pre-detecting the replacement time of the filter unit based on the temperature measured by the at least one temperature sensor,
By monitoring the temperature values of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, it is to detect in advance the replacement time of the filter unit based on the temperature difference between the input terminal and the output terminal of the filter unit,
Pre-detecting the replacement time of the filter unit based on the temperature measured by the at least one temperature sensor,
Receiving first temperature data from the first temperature sensor;
Receiving second temperature data from the second temperature sensor; And
Replace the filter unit by determining whether the temperature difference between the temperature measured by the first temperature sensor and the temperature measured by the second temperature sensor is greater than or equal to a preset threshold based on the first temperature data and the second temperature data It includes the step of detecting the time in advance,
The temperature control unit,
A gas inlet through which the gas flows from the outside;
A compressor for compressing the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant gas recovered from the evaporator into a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas;
A condenser that condenses the high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant gas flowing from the compressor into a high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant liquid;
An expansion valve converting the high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant liquid into a low-temperature low-pressure refrigerant liquid; And
An evaporator that cools the gas by exchanging the gas with the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant liquid introduced from the expansion valve.
Further comprising,
The filter portion is located on the side of the expansion valve,
The first temperature sensor is located between the condenser and the filter unit,
The second temperature sensor is located between the filter unit and the expansion valve,
The high temperature and high pressure refrigerant liquid condensed by the condenser is adsorbed by the residual moisture by the filter unit,
The method of measuring the replacement time of the filter part, wherein the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant liquid, in which the residual moisture is adsorbed by the filter part, flows into the expansion valve.
delete A substrate processing system comprising the gas supply device according to claim 1 and a substrate processing device that receives gas from the gas supply device and processes the substrate.
The method of claim 8,
The substrate processing apparatus is located on top of the gas supply apparatus, the substrate processing system.

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