KR20070031723A - Chemical supply apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a chemical liquid supply device for use in a semiconductor manufacturing process.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a chemical liquid supplying device includes a housing having a space for storing a predetermined chemical fluid, a predetermined protective film for protecting the inner wall surface of the housing, and a damaged portion when the protective film is damaged. And a sensing system for detecting the presence or absence of the chemical fluid discharged from the discharge holes and a chemical tank including a plurality of discharge holes to be discharged. In this case, the protective film is a protective sheet of fluorine resin material.

As described above, the chemical liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention can detect the internal damage of the chemical liquid tank for storing the chemical liquid.

Chemical liquid, storage tank, lining tank, chemical liquid supply device, detection member

Description

Chemical supply device {CHEMICAL SUPPLY APPARATUS}

1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of a chemical liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention.

2 is a view for explaining the operation effect and the operation sequence of the chemical liquid supply device shown in FIG.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

1: chemical liquid supply device 114a: valve

10: chemical tank 120: connection lines

11: treatment liquid outlet space 122, 124, 126, 128: first to fourth connection lines

12: tank outer wall 122a, 124a, 126a, 128a: valve

14: anti-corrosion coating film 130: suction line

16: fluorine resin protective film 132: flow meter

18: discharge hole 134: pressure gauge

100: detection system 136: suction member

110: chemical storage container 140: detection member

112: pressurizing line 142: first detecting member

112a: valve 144: second detecting member

114: drainage line

The present invention relates to a chemical liquid supply device for use in a semiconductor manufacturing process.

In the semiconductor manufacturing process, a chemical liquid is processed by a system that continuously and repeatedly supplies, transfers, circulates, mixes, and recovers high-purity chemicals (hereinafter referred to as 'chemical liquids').

In general, the above-mentioned chemical liquids are automatically supplied, transferred, circulated, mixed, and recovered by a central chemical supply system (CCSS). Such a central chemical liquid supply system receives chemical liquids from oil and other chemical liquid sources, and stores the chemical liquids in a storage means such as a tank, and then transfers the chemical liquids stored in the storage means by pressurization or pumping, circulation of the chemical liquids, a plurality of The chemical liquid is mixed, and the waste liquid used in the process is recovered.

The storage means described above comprises a housing made of carbon steel or stainless steel. Here, the storage means vary depending on the protection provided on the inner surface of the housing. For example, the storage means may form an electro-coating film on the inner surface of the housing by an electropolishing method to improve the corrosion resistance and corrosion resistance, and the inner surface of the fluorine resin series (eg, PTFE, PFA). It includes a lining tank (Advanced, PVDF, PE, PP), such as by adsorbing a sheet of material to improve the corrosion resistance and corrosion resistance to the chemical liquid. Generally, electrolytic polishing tanks are used for storage and treatment of solvent-based organic solvents, and acid and alkaline chemicals are stored and treated by lining tanks.

The storage means described above are pressurized by an inert gas or pumped by a pump to transfer the chemical liquids stored inside the housing. The interior of the housing is continuously subjected to pressure stress due to the pressurization may damage the protection means of the inner wall of the housing. In addition, the protective film made of fluorine resin material for protecting the inside of the tank may be damaged by the stored strong acid or strong alkaline chemicals. If the internal protection means of the tank are damaged, chemical liquids requiring ultra high purity may be contaminated, resulting in wafer defects in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

However, since the internal damage of the storage means is made of an opaque steel material, there is a problem that the operator cannot visually check the internal damage of the storage means without disassembly or disassembly of the tank.

An object of the present invention for solving the above problems is to provide a chemical liquid supply device that can detect the internal damage of the tank.

According to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, a chemical liquid supply apparatus includes a housing having a space for storing a predetermined chemical fluid, a predetermined protective film for protecting the inner wall surface of the housing, and a damaged portion if the protective film is damaged. It includes a chemical liquid tank including a plurality of discharge holes through which the chemical fluid is discharged to the outside and the detection system for detecting the presence of the chemical fluid discharged from the discharge holes.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sensing system is connected to the discharge holes a plurality of connecting lines for moving the chemical fluid to the chemical storage container, a suction line for discharging the chemical fluid from the chemical storage container, the It is coupled to the suction line includes a detection member for detecting the presence of the chemical fluid. At this time, the suction line is provided with a vacuum pump.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the detection member is provided at least one of the front end and the rear end of the vacuum pump.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the chemical liquid supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Embodiment of the present invention may be modified in various forms, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. In particular, the embodiment of the present invention has been described by taking a pressurized lining tank of the storage units used in the semiconductor industry as an example, but may be applied to the storage unit used in all other industries. This embodiment is provided to more fully explain the present invention to those skilled in the art, that is, to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the shape of elements in the figures is exaggerated to emphasize clear explanation.

(Example)

1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of a chemical liquid supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the chemical liquid supply device 1 according to the present invention includes a chemical liquid tank 10 and a detection system 100.

The chemical tank 10 includes a housing 12, an anti-corrosion coating film 14, a fluororesin protective film 16, and discharge holes 18.

The housing 12 receives the chemical liquid from a chemical liquid supply source (not shown) and stores the chemical liquid. The inner surface of the housing 12 is treated with an anticorrosion coating 14. The anti-corrosion coating film 14 prevents corrosion and oxidation of the inner wall of the housing 12 made of carbon steel or stainless steel by chemical. Inside the anti-corrosion coating film 14, a fluororesin protective film 16 is provided to prevent the inner wall of the housing 12 from being damaged by chemicals having strong acidity or strong alkalinity.

The fluororesin protective film 16 is, for example, a sheet made of a perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) material, which is provided on the inner wall of the housing 12 to improve corrosion resistance and corrosion resistance to strong acid or strong alkali chemicals. The fluororesin protective film 16 is preferably provided along the inner wall of the housing 12, and in this case, the fluororesin protective film 16 may be provided in close contact with the inner wall of the housing 12. To this end, when the fluorine resin protective film 16 is formed on the inner wall of the housing 12, air is sucked into the discharge holes 18 to be described later so that the fluorine resin protective film 16 is in close contact with the inner wall of the housing 12.

Here, a minute space (hereinafter, referred to as 'chemical liquid outflow space') 11 is formed between the fluororesin protective film 16 and the inner wall of the housing 12. This is because the fluororesin protective film 16 is not coated on the housing 12, but is provided in close contact with the inner surface of the housing 12. Therefore, a gap space between the inner wall of the housing 12 and the fluororesin protective film 16 is provided. That is, the chemical liquid outlet space 11 is provided.

The plurality of discharge holes 18 are provided in the housing 12. In this case, the discharge holes 18 are connected to the chemical liquid outlet space 11 and have a passage for discharging the chemical fluid remaining in the chemical liquid outlet space 11 to the outside. The discharge holes 18 are connected by the chemical storage container 110 and the connection lines 120 to be described later, and the gas generated from the chemical liquid or the chemical liquid introduced into the chemical liquid outlet space 11 of the housing 10 (hereinafter, 'Drug fluid') is discharged to the connection lines (120). These discharge holes 18 are provided for close contact of the fluorine resin protective film 16 when manufacturing the conventional chemical tank 10, the discharge holes 18 connected to the chemical liquid outlet space 11 for the present invention. ) Can be produced separately. In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, four discharge holes 18 are provided as an example. However, the discharge holes 18 may be provided in various ways depending on the capacity and structure of the chemical tank 10 of the discharge holes 18.

The detection system 100 includes a chemical storage container 110, connection lines 120, a suction line 130, and at least one detection member 140.

The chemical liquid storage container 110 is a space in which the chemical fluid moved from the chemical liquid outlet space 11 is stored. The chemical storage container 110 is preferably made of a fluorine resin-based material in order to prevent corrosion and oxidation by a strong acid or strong alkaline chemical liquid, and transports and stores the chemical fluid from the chemical liquid outlet space 11. .

The chemical storage container 110 is connected to a purge line 112 to which an inert gas is supplied, and a valve 112a is coupled to the purge line 112 to open and close the purge line 112. When the chemical fluid is discharged from the chemical storage container 110, the purge line 112 supplies an inert gas such as nitrogen gas to the chemical storage container 110 to discharge the internal pressure of the chemical fluid from the chemical storage container 110. Prevent it from being increased. In addition, a drain line 114 for draining the chemical liquid remaining in the chemical liquid storage container 110 is connected to the lower portion of the chemical liquid storage container 110. The drain line 114 is provided with a valve 114a to open and close the drain line 114. Here, the valves 112a and 114a are preferably automatic valves operated automatically by an electrical signal.

In addition, a leveling line (not shown) may be provided outside the chemical storage container 110. The leveling line is a line of transparent material so that the operator can recognize the amount of the chemical fluid in the chemical storage container 110, extends from the top and bottom of the chemical storage container 110, the extended top and bottom of the chemical liquid The line is connected in parallel with the side of the storage container (110). Thus, the leveling line indicates that the chemical fluid inside the chemical storage container 110 is introduced so that the height of the chemical fluid inside the chemical storage container 110 coincides with the height of the chemical fluid in the leveling line. At this time, the leveling line is provided with a plurality of leveling sensors to detect the amount of the chemical fluid stored in the chemical storage container 110, a predetermined control unit (not shown) connected to the leveling sensors to read the chemical liquid storage The operator is aware of the amount of the chemical fluid in the container (110).

The connection lines 120 include first to fourth connection lines 122, 124, 126, and 128. Each of the connection lines 120 is connected to the discharge holes 18 provided in the chemical tank 10, and each of the connection lines 122, 124, 126, and 128 is provided with valves 122a and 124a. , 126a and 128a are installed to open and close the respective connection lines 120. Although the present embodiment has been described with four connection lines 120 as an example, the number of such connection lines 120 may be variously applied.

The suction line 130 is coupled to the flow meter 132, the pressure gauge 134, and the suction member 136. Flowmeter 132 (flowmeter) is coupled to the suction line 130 to perform the flow rate measurement and flow rate control of the chemical fluid moving in the suction line 130. That is, the flow meter 132 measures the flow rate of the chemical liquid conveyed by the suction line 130 and at the same time to be conveyed with a uniform flow rate before the chemical fluid flows into the detection member 140 to be described later, the detection member 140 ) Helps to accurately measure the presence of chemical fluids.

The pressure gauge 134 is installed in the suction line 130 to display the pressure in the suction line 130. The pressure gauge 134 is an analog gauge and displays the operator to recognize the pressure in the suction line 130.

The suction member 136 is installed in the suction line 130 to transfer the chemical fluid stored in the chemical storage container 110. The suction member 136 is, for example, a turbo molecular pump and decompresses itself to transfer the fluid by the pressure difference with the chemical storage container 110.

Here, the suction line 130 may be further provided with a temperature controller (not shown) for maintaining a constant temperature of the fluid in the suction line 130. The temperature control device is provided at the front end of the detection member 140 to maintain a constant temperature of the fluid that is moved to the detection member 134 so that the presence or absence of the chemical fluid of the detection member 140 is accurately measured.

The detection member 140 includes first and second detection members 142 and 144. The detection member 140 is installed in the suction line 130 to detect the presence of the chemical fluid that is moved in the suction line 130. The detecting member 140 may be, for example, a gas detector that detects the presence and concentration of the chemical fluid that moves the pipe by emitting ultrasonic waves. The detection member 140 includes a first detection member 142 provided at the front end of the suction member 136 and a second detection member 144 provided at the rear end of the suction member 136. The plurality of detection members 140 are provided to more accurately detect the fluid moving along the suction line 130. However, the detection member 140 may be provided only one of the front end and the rear end.

Hereinafter, the operation sequence and effects of the chemical liquid supply device 100 having the above-described configuration will be described in detail.

2 is a view for explaining the operation sequence and effect of the chemical liquid supply device 1 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 2, the tank 10 transfers the chemical liquid in a manner in which a predetermined chemical liquid is received from a chemical liquid supply line (not shown) and stored, and then pressurized with an inert gas or pumped by a pump. In this embodiment, a pressurized chemical liquid tank for transferring the chemical liquid by pressurizing the inside with an inert gas will be described as an example.

When the fluororesin protective film 16 is broken inside the housing 12, the gas or the gas (hereinafter referred to as 'chemical fluid') generated from the fluororesin protective film 16a from the broken fluororesin protective film 16a is transferred to the chemical liquid outflow space 11. Inflow. The chemical fluid introduced into the chemical liquid outlet space 11 is discharged out of the housing 12 through the discharge holes 18. The chemical fluid is discharged to the discharge holes 18 by the internal pressure of the pressurized housing 12 because the chemical liquid tank 10 is a pressurized tank.

The chemical fluid discharged through the discharge holes 18 is stored in the chemical storage container 110 through the connection lines 120. The chemical fluid stored in the chemical storage container 110 is transferred to the suction line 130 by the suction member 138. At this time, inert gas is introduced from the purge line 112 into the chemical storage container to prevent an increase in the internal pressure of the chemical storage container due to the transport of the chemical fluid. In addition, when a large amount of chemical fluid is stored in the chemical storage container 110, the drain line 114 is opened by the valve 114a to drain the chemical fluid in the chemical storage container 110. The draining of the chemical storage container 110 is performed by the leveling sensors installed in the above-described leveling line (not shown). For example, when the height of the chemical fluid in the chemical storage container 110 exceeds a predetermined height is detected by the leveling sensors provided in the leveling line, the control unit (not shown) connected to the leveling sensor is determined Drain the chemical storage container 110.

The chemical fluid that is moved in the suction line 130 is measured by the detection member 140 to determine the presence of the chemical fluid. The flow meter 132 measures the flow rate of the chemical fluid at the front end of the detection member 134 and displays the operator to recognize it. Here, the detection member 140 may measure the concentration of the chemical fluid in the suction line 130.

The data sensed by the detection member 140 is transmitted to a predetermined controller (not shown), and the controller determines the data so that an operator can recognize whether the fluorine resin protective film 16 of the chemical tank 10 is damaged. Mark it so you can For example, the control unit receives data detecting the presence or absence of the chemical fluid or the concentration of the chemical fluid to be moved in the suction line 130 from the detection member 140. The detection member 134 determines this and displays the presence or absence of the chemical fluid or the concentration of the chemical fluid on the display member (not shown) so as to be recognized by the operator, or activate the alarm generating device (not shown).

After the operator grasps the data detected by the detection member 140, the operator performs maintenance such as repair and replacement of the chemical tank 10.

In the above, the configuration and operation of the chemical liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention has been shown according to the above description and drawings, but this is merely described for example, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. to be. For example, the number, type, arrangement order, and arrangement of the flow meter, the detection member, the pressure gauge, the suction member, and the valve described in this embodiment can be variously applied. In addition, the present invention has been described by taking a pressurized tank as an example, but is also applicable to a tank by a pumping method. The technical idea of the present invention is to provide a chemical liquid supply device capable of detecting damage in a chemical liquid tank to store a predetermined chemical liquid.

As described above, the chemical liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a detection system for detecting the internal damage of the chemical liquid tank for storing a predetermined chemical liquid, the operator can detect whether the chemical liquid tank inside the damage. Thus, contamination of the chemical liquid due to internal breakage of the chemical liquid tank is prevented.

Claims (5)

In the chemical liquid supply device used in the semiconductor manufacturing process, A chemical tank including a housing having a space for storing a predetermined chemical fluid, a predetermined protective film for protecting the inner wall surface of the housing, and a plurality of discharge holes through which the chemical fluid is discharged to the outside through the damaged portion if the protective film is damaged. Wow; And a sensing system for detecting the presence or absence of the chemical fluid discharged from the discharge holes. The method of claim 1, The protective film is a chemical liquid supply device, characterized in that the protective sheet of fluorine resin material. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The detection system, A plurality of connection lines connected to the discharge holes to move the chemical fluid to the chemical storage container; A suction line for discharging the chemical fluid from the chemical storage container; And a detection member coupled to the suction line to detect the presence or absence of the chemical fluid. The method of claim 3, wherein Chemical suction device, characterized in that the suction line is provided with a vacuum pump. The method of claim 4, wherein The detecting member is provided with at least one of the front and rear ends of the vacuum pump, the chemical liquid supply apparatus.

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