KR102404042B1 - Processing liquid supply apparatus, substrate processing apparatus, and processing liquid supply method - Google Patents

Abstract

A technique for reducing the amount of particles in a treatment liquid that has passed through a dissolution module is provided. The processing liquid supply unit 3 is a device that supplies the processing liquid filtered by the filters 31a to 31d to the plurality of processing units 2 . A supply valve 33 is interposed in the primary-side supply pipe 32 connected to the filters 31a to 31d. Moreover, the drain pipe 41 is connected to the primary side of the supply valve 33 in the primary side supply pipe 32 . A drain valve 42 is interposed in the drain pipe 41 . The control unit 52 closes the supply valve 33 and opens the drain valve 42 according to the amount of particles in the processing liquid, whereby the dissolution module 30 and the primary side supply pipe 32 and the drain pipe 41 are opened. ) to drain the treatment solution.

Description

Processing liquid supply apparatus, substrate processing apparatus, and processing liquid supply method

The present invention relates to a processing liquid supply apparatus and a processing liquid supply method for supplying a processing liquid to a processing unit that processes a substrate to be processed. The substrate to be treated includes, for example, a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a substrate for a plasma display, a substrate for a field emission display (FED), a substrate for an optical disk, a substrate for a magnetic disk, a substrate for a magneto-optical disk , substrates such as a substrate for a photomask, a ceramic substrate, and a substrate for a solar cell are included.

In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display device, the substrate processing apparatus which processes board|substrates, such as a semiconductor wafer, with a processing liquid is used. A single-wafer substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates one by one includes, for example, a processing unit having a spin chuck for rotating and holding a substrate horizontally, and a processing liquid nozzle for discharging processing liquid toward the substrate held by the spin chuck. , provided in the body part. In order to supply the processing liquid to the processing liquid nozzle, the substrate processing apparatus is provided with a processing liquid supplying device separately from the main body. A processing liquid supply pipe extending from the processing liquid supply device is connected to the processing liquid nozzle, and the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid tank of the processing liquid supply apparatus is supplied through the processing liquid supply pipe (for example, in the patent Literature 1).

Moreover, it is also implemented to process a board|substrate with the processing liquid which melt|dissolved predetermined gas by the dissolution module. For example, when treating a substrate with a rinse liquid containing pure water as a main component, carbonated water obtained by dissolving carbon dioxide gas at a predetermined concentration in the pure water is sometimes used (eg, Patent Document 2). By rinsing the substrate with carbonated water, charging of the substrate is prevented.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-351709 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2016-157895

However, there is a concern that particles (foreign substances) are generated in the treatment liquid that has passed through the dissolution module due to reasons such as aging deterioration due to long-term use of the dissolution module. Since the removal of particles in the processing liquid is strongly demanded with the miniaturization of the semiconductor structure, a technique for reducing the amount of particles in the processing liquid that has passed through the dissolution module is required.

Then, an object of this invention is to provide the technique which can reduce the amount of particles in the processing liquid which has passed through the dissolution module.

In order to solve the above problem, a first aspect is a treatment liquid supply device for supplying a treatment liquid, comprising: a dissolution module for dissolving a gas in a stock solution of the treatment liquid, and one end of which is connected to a secondary side of the dissolution module a primary supply pipe, a filter connected to the other end of the primary supply pipe and filtering the processing liquid; and a flow path connected to the secondary side of the filter and passing the processing liquid passing through the filter a secondary side supply pipe that is connected to the primary side supply pipe, and a drainage pipe that sends the processing liquid to a drainage unit, is formed in the primary side supply pipe, and the dissolution module and the filter communicate with each other; a switching part for switching between the state in which the dissolution module and the draining part are in communication; and a control unit for controlling a switching operation by the switching unit according to the amount of particles measured by the particle measuring unit.

A second aspect is the processing liquid supply apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the particle measuring unit measures the amount of particles in the processing liquid passing through a primary side of the primary supply piping connected to the drainage piping. do.

A third aspect is the processing liquid supply device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the switching unit includes a supply valve interposed in the primary supply pipe and configured to open and close a flow path in the primary supply pipe, and the drain pipe; and a drain valve interposed in the ventilator to open and close a flow path in the drain pipe, wherein the control unit controls opening and closing operations of the supply valve and the drain valve.

A fourth aspect is the processing liquid supply device according to the third aspect, wherein the control unit outputs an output according to the amount of particles measured by the particle measuring unit in a state in which the supply valve is closed and the drain valve is opened. Outputs a notification to the outside by the device.

A fifth aspect is the processing liquid supply apparatus according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein the primary supply pipe is branched into a plurality of branch pipes on a secondary side of the switching unit, and one The filters are respectively connected.

A sixth aspect is a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, wherein the substrate is treated with the processing liquid supply apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects and the processing liquid filtered by the filter of the processing liquid supply apparatus A processing unit is provided.

A seventh aspect is a treatment liquid supply method for supplying a treatment liquid, comprising the steps of: (a) dissolving a gas in a stock solution of a treatment liquid by a dissolution module; (b) dissolving the treatment liquid in which the gas is dissolved into the dissolution module a step of supplying the primary supply pipe from the measuring the amount of particles in the processing liquid passing through; (e) stopping the supply of the processing liquid to the filter in the step (c) according to the amount of particles measured in the step (d) and sending the treatment liquid that has passed through the dissolution module to the drainage unit through a drainage pipe branching from the primary side supply pipe.

According to the processing liquid supply device of the first aspect, the processing liquid can be discharged until the amount of particles in the processing liquid that has passed through the dissolution module is reduced. Thereby, the amount of particles in the processing liquid that has passed through the dissolution module can be reduced. In addition, by stopping the supply of the processing liquid to the filter and connecting the primary supply pipe to the drain pipe, the processing liquid including particles in the primary supply pipe can be discharged without passing through the filter. Thereby, since it is possible to reduce the passage of the processing liquid containing particles through the filter, the life of the filter can be increased. In addition, it is possible to reduce the diffusion of the processing liquid containing particles to the secondary side of the filter.

According to the processing liquid supply apparatus of the second aspect, the amount of particles in the processing liquid directed to the drainage piping in the primary supply piping can be measured. For this reason, it can be confirmed whether the amount of particles is reduced during the drainage process.

According to the processing liquid supply apparatus of the third aspect, the control unit automatically opens and closes the supply valve and the drain valve based on the measured amount of particles to perform the drainage process, thereby reducing the burden on the operator.

According to the processing liquid supply device of the fourth aspect, by notifying the outside according to the amount of particles measured during the drainage processing, the operator can appropriately recognize when parts are repaired or replaced.

According to the processing liquid supply apparatus of the fifth aspect, by performing drainage on the primary side of the plurality of filters, it is possible to reduce the passage of high-concentration particles through each of the filters. For this reason, while being able to achieve long life of each filter, spreading|diffusion of a particle to the secondary side of each filter can be reduced.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the sixth aspect, the processing liquid can be discharged until the amount of particles in the processing liquid that has passed through the dissolution module is reduced. Thereby, the amount of particles in the processing liquid that has passed through the dissolution module can be reduced. In addition, by stopping the supply of the processing liquid to the filter and connecting the primary supply pipe to the drain pipe, the processing liquid including particles in the primary supply pipe can be discharged without passing through the filter. Thereby, the life span of a filter can be attained. In addition, it is possible to reduce the supply of the processing liquid containing the particles together with the particles to the processing unit.

According to the processing liquid supply method of the seventh aspect, the processing liquid can be discharged until the amount of particles in the processing liquid that has passed through the dissolution module is reduced. Thereby, the amount of particles in the processing liquid that has passed through the dissolution module can be reduced. In addition, by stopping the supply of the processing liquid to the filter and connecting the primary supply pipe to the drain pipe, the processing liquid including particles in the primary supply pipe can be discharged without passing through the filter. Thereby, since it is possible to reduce the passage of the processing liquid containing particles through the filter, the life of the filter can be increased. In addition, it is possible to reduce the diffusion of the processing liquid containing particles to the secondary side of the filter.

1 : is a figure which shows typically the substrate processing apparatus 1 of embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of a main part of the substrate processing apparatus 1 .
3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the processing liquid supply unit 3 during drainage processing.
4 : is a time chart for demonstrating the control content at the time of the drainage process by the control part 52. As shown in FIG.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described, referring an accompanying drawing. In addition, the components described in this embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to only them. In the drawings, in order to facilitate understanding, the dimension and number of each part may be exaggerated or simplified if necessary.

<1. Embodiment>

1 : is a figure which shows typically the substrate processing apparatus 1 of embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 processes a semiconductor wafer W (hereinafter, simply referred to as "wafer W") as an example of a substrate. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a plurality of processing units 2 (processing units) and a processing liquid supply unit 3 (processing liquid supply apparatus) configured to supply a processing liquid to each processing unit 2 . Here, the processing liquid is supplied from one processing liquid supply unit 3 to the four processing units 2 , but a dedicated processing liquid supply unit may be provided for each processing unit.

The processing unit 2 is a single-wafer-type apparatus that processes the wafers W one by one with a processing liquid. The processing unit 2 includes a spin chuck 4 for rotating and holding the wafer W horizontally, and a nozzle 5 for supplying a processing liquid as a processing liquid to the wafer W.

The spin chuck 4 includes a spin base 8 rotatable about a vertical axis while holding the wafer W substantially horizontally, and a rotation drive mechanism 9 for rotating the spin base 8 about a vertical axis. include The nozzle 5 may be a fixed nozzle in which the liquid landing position of the processing liquid on the wafer W is fixed, and the liquid landing position moves in a range from the rotation center of the wafer W to the peripheral edge of the wafer W. It may be a movable nozzle (scan nozzle) used. The processing liquid is supplied to the nozzle 5 from the processing liquid supply unit 3 .

The processing liquid supply unit 3 includes a dissolution module 30 , filters 31a to 31d , a primary side supply pipe 32 , a supply valve 33 , secondary side supply pipes 34a to 34d , and a pump 35 . , an air supply valve 36 , a drain pipe 41 , a drain valve 42 , a particle measurement unit 51 , a control unit 52 , and discharge valves 53a to 53d .

The dissolution module 30 is an apparatus for generating carbonated water in which carbon dioxide gas (CO ₂ ) and pure water (DIW), which is a stock solution of a treatment liquid, are mixed. To the dissolution module 30 , while pure water is supplied from a pure water source, carbon dioxide gas is supplied from a carbon dioxide gas source (such as a cylinder). Supply of pure water is implemented by the pump 35 provided in the piping which connects a pure water source and the dissolution module 30. As shown in FIG. Moreover, supply of carbon dioxide gas is controlled by the air supply valve 36 interposed in the piping which connects the dissolution module 30 and a carbon dioxide source. The dissolution module 30 is provided with a hollow fiber membrane, for example, The carbon dioxide gas is dissolved in pure water by supplying carbon dioxide gas to pure water through the hollow fiber membrane. In the processing unit 2, the charging of the wafer W is reduced by treating (rinsing process) the wafer W with a processing liquid (carbonated water) in which carbon dioxide gas is dissolved in pure water.

The filters 31a to 31d filter the processing liquid supplied to each of the processing units 2 . The filters 31a to 31d, for example, are provided with countless pores, filter the processing liquid supplied to the processing unit 2, and remove particles from the processing liquid.

The primary side supply pipe 32 forms a flow path for the processing liquid. One end of the primary side supply pipe 32 is connected to the dissolution module 30 . Moreover, the other end side of the primary side supply piping 32 is branched into several branch piping 320a-320d from the branch part D1 on the way. The branch pipes 320a to 320d are connected to each of the filters 31a to 31d.

The supply valve 33 is interposed in the primary side supply pipe 32 . In more detail, the supply valve 33 is formed between the dissolution module 30 and the branch part D1. The supply valve 33 controls ON/OFF of supply of the processing liquid from the dissolution module 30 to the filters 31a to 31d by opening and closing the flow path formed by the primary side supply pipe 32 .

The secondary-side supply pipe 34a has one end connected to the filter 31a and the other end connected to one nozzle 5 among the plurality of processing units 2 . Also about the other secondary side supply piping 34b-34d, one end is connected to one of the filters 31b-31d, and the other end is connected to the nozzle 5 of one of the several processing units 2 . The secondary-side supply pipes 34a to 34d supply the processing liquid filtered by the filters 31a to 31d connected thereto to the nozzle 5 of the processing unit 2 .

Discharge valves 53a to 53d are interposed in each of the secondary side supply pipes 34a to 34d, respectively. The discharge valves 53a to 53d control the on/off of discharge of the processing liquid from each of the nozzles 5 by opening and closing the flow path of the processing liquid formed by the secondary side supply pipes 34a to 34d. In addition, the discharge valves 53a-53d may be comprised so that the opening degree of the flow path of the secondary side supply piping 34a-34d is adjustable. By adjusting the opening degree, the discharge amount per unit time of the processing liquid from each of the nozzles 5 can be controlled.

The drain pipe 41 is branched from the branch D2 on the primary side of the supply valve 33 of the primary side supply pipe 32 , and is connected to the drain tank 90 . The drain tank 90 is formed to store the processing liquid discharged from the processing liquid supply unit 3 . The processing liquid collected in the drainage tank 90 is drained to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 1 through the discharge pipe 92 .

The drain valve 42 is interposed in the drain pipe 41 . The drain valve 42 controls ON/OFF of discharging the processing liquid from the inside of the primary supply pipe 32 toward the drain tank 90 by opening and closing the flow path formed by the drain pipe 41 .

The supply valve 33 and the drain valve 42 are formed in the primary side supply pipe 32, and the state in which the dissolution module 30 and the filters 31a-31d communicate, and the dissolution module 30 and the drain tank (90) (drainage part) is an example of a switching part which switches between the communicating states.

The particle measuring unit 51 measures the amount of particles in the processing liquid passing through the primary supply pipe 32 . The particle measuring unit 51 is, for example, a measuring instrument (particle counter) that counts particles (dust, fine particles, impurities, etc.) present in the processing liquid. The particle measurement unit 51 measures the amount of particles by, for example, measuring the intensity of scattering of light from the particles and extracting the light intensity proportional to the size of the particles as an electrical signal.

The particle measurement unit 51 measures the amount of particles in the processing liquid passing through the piping portion 322 between the dissolution module 30 and the branching portion D2 in the primary supply piping 32 . Here, the particle measuring unit 51 has a sampling pipe 510 that bypasses the pipe portion 322 . The sampling pipe 510 has a smaller diameter than the primary side supply pipe 32 . The particle measurement unit 51 measures the amount of particles in the processing liquid passing through the pipe portion 322 by measuring the amount of particles passing through the sampling pipe 510 .

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of a main part of the substrate processing apparatus 1 . The control unit 52 includes a microcomputer, and controls a control target provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to a predetermined control program. In particular, the control unit 52 controls the pump 35 , the air supply valve 36 , the supply valve 33 , the drain valve 42 , and the discharge valves 53a to 53d . A particle measuring unit 51 is connected to the control unit 52 . In addition, it is not essential to control the pump 35 and the air supply valve 36 by the control part 52. For example, the pump 35 may be constantly driven when the processing liquid supply unit 3 is started to constantly pump out pure water from the pure water source.

Moreover, the memory|storage part 94 is connected to the control part 52. As shown in FIG. A recipe 940 is stored in the storage unit 94 . In the recipe 940 , the conditions of the processing to be performed on the wafer W in the processing unit 2 are described in a predetermined data format. Specifically, the treatment sequence or treatment content (treatment time, temperature, pressure or supply amount) and the like are described. The control unit 52 accesses the storage unit 94 so that the recipe 940 can be read and output appropriately.

The control unit 52 is configured to supply or stop the processing liquid to the filters 31a to 31d based on the amount of particles in the processing liquid passing through the primary supply pipe 32 measured by the particle measuring unit 51 . make a judgment Specifically, the control unit 52 controls the opening and closing of the supply valve 33 and the drainage valve 42 when the amount of particles exceeds a predetermined drainage reference value, thereby controlling the dissolution module 30 and the primary side supply pipe ( 32) A drainage treatment for discharging the internal treatment liquid is performed. The control unit 52 closes the supply valve 33 and opens the drain valve 42 when performing the drainage process. In this state, the processing liquid sent to the dissolution module 30 by the pump 35 passes through the dissolution module 30 and the primary-side supply pipe 32 , flows into the drainage pipe 41 , and is drained. Thereby, the particles accumulated in the dissolution module 30 , the primary side supply pipe 32 , etc. are appropriately washed away by the processing liquid.

At the time of the drainage treatment, by closing the air supply valve 36 , only pure water containing no carbon dioxide passes through the dissolution module 30 and the primary side supply pipe 32 . In this case, the inside of the dissolution module 30 and the primary side supply pipe 32 is mainly purified by pure water. However, by supplying carbon dioxide gas to the dissolution module 30 at the time of a drainage process, you may make the process liquid containing a carbon dioxide pass through the primary side supply pipe 32 .

<Explanation of operation of processing liquid supply unit 3>

When supplying the processing liquid to each of the processing units 2 , the control unit 52 drives the pump 35 and opens the air supply valve 36 . Thereby, in the dissolution module 30, a processing liquid (carbonated water) is produced|generated. Then, the control unit 52 puts the supply valve 33 in the open state and the drain valve 42 in the closed state, and transfers the processing liquid generated in the dissolution module 30 to the primary side supply pipe 32 . It is supplied to the filters 31a to 31d through the passage (supply process). Then, the processing liquid passes through each of the filters 31a to 31d, whereby the processing liquid is filtered (filtration step). When the processing liquid from which particles have been removed by this filtration is sent to each of the processing units 2 , it is supplied to the wafer W from the nozzle 5 of each processing unit 2 , and the wafer W is processed.

3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the processing liquid supply unit 3 during drainage processing. 4 is a time chart for explaining the contents of the control by the control unit 52 at the time of drainage processing.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the operation of the drainage processing in the processing liquid supply unit 3 includes a step S1 in which the control unit 52 determines whether the drainage processing is necessary based on a predetermined criterion. . In this step S1, as described above, the amount of particles is used as a criterion for judgment.

Specifically, the particle measurement unit 51 measures the amount of particles (particle amount measurement step). Then, upon receiving the information on the amount of particles that is the measurement result, the control unit 52 determines whether the amount of particles exceeds a predetermined drainage reference value. If not exceeded (No in step S1), step S1 is executed again. In this case, the determination of step S1 should just be performed for each cycle in which the particle measurement unit 51 measures the amount of particles. When the amount of particles exceeds the drainage standard value (Yes in step S1), the control unit 52 executes the next step S2.

In step S2, the control part 52 sets the supply valve 33 from an open state to a closed state. As shown in FIG. 4 , when the supply valve 33 is closed, the processing liquid is supplied to the filters 31a to 31d to a stopped state.

When the supply valve 33 is closed, the control unit 52 sets the drain valve 42 from the closed state to the open state at a slightly later or substantially the same timing as that (step S3 in Fig. 3 , Fig. 3 ). see 4). Thereby, the dissolution module 30 , the primary side supply pipe 32 (in detail, the pipe part 322 ), and the drain pipe 41 are in a state in which the drain tank 90 communicates. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the pump 35 is in an operating state. Further, the air supply valve 36 is closed. For this reason, the stock solution (pure water) of the treatment liquid not containing carbon dioxide flows from the dissolution module 30 through the primary side supply pipe 32 into the drainage pipe 41 , and is discharged toward the drainage tank 90 . (drainage process). In addition, as mentioned above, it is not essential to close the air supply valve 36 in a drainage process. That is, you may make it drain the process liquid containing carbon dioxide.

As shown in FIG. 4 , in the draining step of the present embodiment, after the draining valve 42 is opened, the draining valve 42 is closed for a predetermined period of time T1 minutes while the supplying valve 33 is closed, and then again Cycle control to open for a predetermined amount of time is performed a plurality of times (in this case, 4 times). In this way, by periodically closing the drain valve 42 , it is possible to intermittently stop the flow of the processing liquid in the dissolution module 30 and the primary-side supply pipe 32 . Hereinafter, such a draining process is called "flash draining process". According to the flash drainage treatment, since it is possible to provide a slow rate to the flow of the treatment liquid, the particles adhering to the inside of the dissolution module 30 and the primary side supply pipe 32 are easily removed, so that the particle removal efficiency is improved can be expected

In addition, when the control part 52 controls opening/closing of the drain valve 42 in the flash drainage process, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 4, you may control the drive of the pump 35 on-off. That is, the pump 35 may be stopped according to the timing of closing the drain valve 42 , and the pump 35 may be driven according to the timing of opening the drain valve 42 . Thereby, when the drain valve 42 is closed, the pressure rise inside the dissolution module 30 or the primary side supply pipe 32 can be suppressed. Therefore, the load applied to the dissolution module 30 or the pump 35 can be reduced.

In addition, during the draining process, the drain valve 42 may be always opened, and the driving of the pump 35 may be controlled on/off. Also in this case, it is possible to execute the flash draining process. In addition, it is not essential to perform the flash drainage process. That is, in the draining step, the pump 35 may be constantly driven and the drain valve 42 may be always opened.

In addition, in the draining step, when the control section 52 determines that a specific condition is satisfied, the flash draining process may be performed. The "specific condition" is, for example, when the amount of particles measured by the particle measurement unit 51 is an abnormal value exceeding a predetermined threshold.

In step S3, after the drain valve 42 is opened, the control unit 52 determines whether or not the amount of particles measured by the particle measuring unit 51 has become equal to or less than a predetermined allowable value (step S4). When the particles in the dissolution module 30 and the primary side supply pipe 32 are removed by discharging the treatment liquid, the amount of particles is expected to decrease. For this reason, in step S5, by monitoring the amount of particles, it is determined whether or not to continue draining.

When the amount of particles exceeds the predetermined allowable value (No in step S4), the flow returns to step S3 and the processing liquid is continuously discharged. On the other hand, when the amount of particles becomes less than or equal to the predetermined allowable value due to discharging of the processing liquid (Yes in step S4), the control unit 52 sets the drain valve 42 to a closed state (steps S5 in FIG. 3, FIG. 4 ). Reference). When the drain valve 42 is closed, the discharge of the processing liquid is stopped. In this way, when the control unit 52 monitors the amount of particles and performs the draining process, it is possible to suppress the draining process from being performed more than necessary.

In addition, in step S4, the control part 52 may output a notification to the outside by an output device (a display device, a printing device, a lamp, etc.) according to the particle amount measured by the particle measuring part 51. FIG. For example, it is conceivable to set a reference value in advance with respect to the duration of the drainage treatment (or the discharge amount of the treatment liquid). That is, in step S4, if the amount of particles does not fall below the allowable value even if the duration of the drainage processing (or the amount of the processing liquid) exceeds the reference value, the control unit 52 outputs a notification to the outside by the output device do. By this notification, the operator can recognize the abnormality of the processing liquid supply unit 3 , and therefore can appropriately recognize the maintenance/replacement timing of parts such as the dissolution module 30 .

When the drain valve 42 is placed in the closed state, the control unit 52 changes the supply valve 33 from the closed state to the open state at a slightly later or substantially the same timing as that (step S6 in FIG. 3 ). , see Fig. 4). In addition, when the air supply valve 36 is opened, carbon dioxide gas is supplied to the dissolution module 30 . As a result, the processing liquid containing carbon dioxide flows again in the primary side supply pipe 32 and is supplied to each of the filters 31a to 31d (refer to FIG. 4 ). That is, the processing liquid supply unit 3 is in a state capable of supplying the processing liquid to the processing unit 2 .

As described above, according to the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, in the processing liquid supply unit 3 , the supply valve 33 is closed (step S2 ) and the drain valve 42 is opened (step S2 ). S3). Thereby, the amount of particles in the processing liquid that has passed through the dissolution module 30 can be reduced. In addition, the processing liquid can be discharged from the primary side (ie, the processing liquid supply source side) rather than the filters 31a to 31d. Accordingly, particles generated from the dissolution module 30 , the primary side supply pipe 32 , or other oscillation sources are discharged to the outside without passing through the filters 31a to 31d . In this case, the passage of the processing liquid containing many particles generated on the primary side of the filters 31a to 31d through the filters 31a to 31d can be reduced. Thereby, lifetime improvement of the filters 31a-31d can be achieved.

In addition, since the processing liquid containing many particles can be discharged from the primary side of the filters 31a to 31d, the risk that the processing liquid containing the particles diffuses to the secondary side of the filters 31a to 31d is reduced can do it

In addition, when the drainage treatment is performed based on the amount of particles measured by the particle measuring unit 51 , it is possible to appropriately suppress the processing liquid containing high-concentration particles from passing through the filters 31a to 31d. In addition, it is possible to suppress that the processing liquid containing many particles is used for processing the wafer W. Moreover, it can suppress that a drainage process is performed unnecessarily.

<2. Modifications>

As mentioned above, although embodiment has been described, this invention is not limited to the above, and various deformation|transformation is possible.

For example, with respect to the amount of particles measured by the particle measuring unit 51 , a maintenance standard value serving as a standard for repairing/replacing parts such as the dissolution module 30 may be set in advance. Specifically, when the amount of particles exceeds a predetermined maintenance reference value, the control unit 52 may output a notification to the outside by an output device (display device, printing device, lamp, etc.). When the notification is made externally, the operator can appropriately recognize the repair/exchange timing of parts such as the dissolution module 30 .

Moreover, although the supply valve 33 and the drain valve 42 may be comprised so that electric opening and closing is possible under the control of the control part 52 like the said embodiment, at least one may be comprised so that opening and closing is possible manually. However, by automatically opening/closing control, the burden on the operator can be reduced.

Moreover, instead of interposing the supply valve 33 and the drain valve 42 to the primary side supply piping 32 as a switching part, it is also conceivable to use the 3-way valve which has these functions. In this case, what is necessary is just to provide a three-way valve in the branch part D2 connected to the drain pipe 41 in the primary side supply pipe 32. As shown in FIG.

The processing liquid supplied by the processing liquid supply unit 3 is not limited to one in which carbon gas is dissolved, and for example, another type of gas such as nitrogen gas may be dissolved in the processing liquid. Moreover, it is good also considering what mixed other liquids, such as a chemical|medical solution, with the liquid in which carbonated water or another type of gas, such as nitrogen gas, was dissolved as a processing liquid.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 of the above embodiment is a single-wafer type apparatus that processes the wafers W one by one with a processing liquid in the processing unit 2 . However, the present invention is also applicable to a substrate processing apparatus provided with a batch-type processing unit that simultaneously processes a plurality of wafers W with a processing liquid.

Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the wafer W was adopted as the substrate to be processed, it is not limited to the wafer W, for example, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a substrate for a plasma display, and a substrate for an FED. , substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, substrates for photomasks, ceramic substrates, substrates for solar cells, and the like may be processed.

Although the present invention has been described in detail, the above description is illustrative in all aspects, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It is to be understood that numerous modifications not illustrated can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Each structure demonstrated in each said embodiment and each modified example can be combined or abbreviate|omitted suitably unless it contradicts each other.

1: Substrate processing device
2: processing unit (processing unit)
3: processing liquid supply unit (processing liquid supply device)
30: melting module
31a ~ 31d: filter
32: primary supply piping
320a ~ 320d: branch piping
33: supply valve
34a ~ 34d : Secondary side supply pipe
35: pump
41: drain pipe
42: drain valve
51: particle measurement unit
52: control unit
90: drain tank (drainage part)
92: exhaust pipe
D1, D2: branch (connection part)
W: Wafer

Claims (7)

A processing liquid supply device for supplying a processing liquid, comprising:
A dissolution module for dissolving gas in the stock solution of the treatment solution;
a primary side supply pipe whose one end is connected to the secondary side of the dissolution module;
a filter connected to the other end of the primary supply pipe and filtering the treatment liquid;
a secondary supply pipe connected to the secondary side of the filter and forming a flow path through which the processing liquid that has passed through the filter passes;
a drainage pipe connected to the primary side supply pipe and sending the processing liquid to a drainage unit;
a switching unit formed in the primary side supply pipe and switching between a state in which the dissolution module and the filter are in communication and a state in which the dissolution module and the drain unit are in communication;
a particle measuring unit formed on the primary side of the conversion unit and measuring the amount of particles in the processing liquid passing through the primary side supply pipe;
and a control unit controlling a switching operation by the switching unit according to the amount of particles measured by the particle measuring unit. The method of claim 1,
The particle measuring unit has a sampling pipe that bypasses a piping portion on the primary side of the primary side supply piping to which the drain piping is connected, and measures the amount of particles passing through the sampling piping to measure the amount of particles passing through the piping. A processing liquid supply device for measuring the amount of particles in the processing liquid passing through the portion. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The conversion unit,
a supply valve interposed in the primary supply pipe and configured to open and close a flow path in the primary supply pipe;
and a drain valve interposed in the drain pipe and configured to open and close a flow path in the drain pipe,
The control unit controls opening and closing operations of the supply valve and the drain valve. 4. The method of claim 3,
wherein the control unit outputs a notification to the outside by an output device according to the amount of particles measured by the particle measuring unit in a state in which the supply valve is closed and the drain valve is opened. 4. The method of claim 3,
The processing liquid supply apparatus, wherein the primary supply pipe is branched into a plurality of branch pipes on a secondary side of the switching unit, and one filter is connected to each of the plurality of branch pipes. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising:
The processing liquid supply device of claim 1 or 2;
and a processing unit configured to process a substrate with the processing liquid filtered by the filter of the processing liquid supply apparatus. As a treatment liquid supply method for supplying a treatment liquid,
(a) dissolving the gas in the stock solution of the treatment solution by the dissolution module;
(b) supplying the treatment liquid in which the gas is dissolved from the dissolution module to a primary supply pipe;
(c) filtering the treatment liquid that has passed through the primary supply pipe through a filter connected to the primary supply pipe;
(d) measuring the amount of particles in the treatment liquid passing through the primary supply pipe;
(e) according to the amount of particles measured in the step (d), the supply of the treatment liquid to the filter in the step (c) is stopped and the treatment liquid that has passed through the dissolution module and sending to a drainage unit through a drainage piping branching from the primary supply piping.

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