Processing fluid supply device, substrate processing device, processing fluid supply method, substrate processing method, processing fluid processing device, and processing fluid processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10133173-B2
Application number	US-201314431992-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2013
Priority date	Sep 27, 2012
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

A processing liquid supplying apparatus is arranged to discharge a processing liquid from a discharge port to supply the processing liquid to a processing object, and the processing liquid supplying apparatus includes a first piping, through the interior of which the processing liquid can flow, the interior of the first piping being in communication with the discharge port, and an X-ray irradiating means irradiating X-rays onto the processing liquid present inside the first piping. The first piping has an opening in its pipe wall and the opening is closed by a window member formed using a material that can transmit the X-rays, and the X-ray irradiating means irradiates the X-rays onto the processing liquid present inside the first piping via the window member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A processing liquid supplying apparatus arranged to discharge a processing liquid from a discharge port to supply the processing liquid to a processing object, the processing liquid supplying apparatus comprising:
a first piping, having an interior for carrying flowing processing liquid, the interior of the first piping being in communication with the discharge port; and
an X-ray irradiating unit irradiating X-rays onto the processing liquid present inside the first piping and thereby ionizing the processing liquid present inside the first piping.

2. The processing liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first piping has an opening in its pipe wall,
the opening is closed by a window member formed using a material which transmits X-rays, and
the X-ray irradiating unit irradiates X-rays onto the processing liquid present inside the first piping via the window member.

3. The processing liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the window member is formed using beryllium or a polyimide resin.

4. The processing liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the wall surface of the window member at the side at which the processing liquid is present is coated with a coating film.

5. The processing liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the coating film includes one or more materials among a polyimide resin, diamond-like carbon, fluororesin, and hydrocarbon resin.

6. The processing liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the X-ray irradiating unit includes an X-ray generator that has an irradiating window disposed to face the window member, generates X-rays and irradiates the generated X-rays from the irradiating window.

7. The processing liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the X-ray irradiating unit further includes
a cover surrounding a periphery of the X-ray generator across an interval from the X-ray generator and
a gas supplying unit supplying a gas to the interior of the cover.

8. The processing liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first piping includes a processing liquid piping, through the interior of which the processing liquid flows toward the discharge port, and
the X-ray irradiating unit irradiates the X-rays onto the processing liquid flowing through the interior of the first piping.

9. The processing liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing liquid supplying apparatus further comprises: a processing liquid piping, through the interior of which the processing liquid flows toward the discharge port; and
the first piping includes a branch piping branching from the processing liquid piping.

10. The processing liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a fibrous substance, disposed at the discharge port and along which the processing liquid, discharged from the discharge port, flows.

11. The processing liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: an electrode disposed further downstream in the processing liquid flowing direction than the X-ray irradiation position in the first piping; and
a power supply applying a voltage to the electrode.

12. The processing liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the electrode is disposed at a tip portion of the first piping.

13. The processing liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a processing liquid detecting unit arranged to detect the presence or non-presence of the processing liquid at the irradiation position of the X-rays in the first piping; and
an X-ray irradiation control unit that executes the irradiation of the X-rays by the X-ray irradiating unit when the processing liquid is present at the irradiation position and does not perform the irradiation of X-rays by the X-ray irradiating unit when the processing liquid is not present at the irradiation position.

14. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a substrate holding unit holding a substrate; and
the processing liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 1 ; and
supplying a processing liquid, discharged from the discharge port, to a major surface of the substrate.

15. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein
the substrate holding unit includes a substrate holding and rotating unit that rotates the substrate around a predetermined vertical rotation axis while holding it in a horizontal attitude,
the substrate processing apparatus further comprises a cylindrical liquid receiver member surrounding a periphery of the substrate holding and rotating unit,
the processing liquid supplying apparatus further includes a processing liquid piping, through the interior of which the processing liquid flows toward the discharge port,
the first piping of the processing liquid supplying apparatus includes a branch piping branching from the processing liquid piping, and
the branch piping has a liquid receiver discharge port for discharging the processing liquid toward the liquid receiver member.

16. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the substrate holding unit includes a substrate holding and rotating unit that rotates the substrate around a predetermined vertical rotation axis while holding it in a horizontal attitude,
the substrate holding and rotating unit has a supporting member contacting at least a portion of a lower surface of the substrate to support the substrate in the horizontal attitude,
the supporting member is formed using a porous material, and
the processing liquid discharged from the discharge port is supplied to the supporting member.

17. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the substrate holding unit includes a substrate holding and conveying unit that conveys the substrate toward a predetermined conveying direction while holding the substrate.

18. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the substrate holding and conveying unit conveys the substrate while holding it in an attitude along the conveying direction and inclined with respect to a horizontal plane.

19. A processing liquid supplying method for making a processing liquid be discharged from a discharge port of a processing liquid supplying apparatus to supply the processing liquid to a processing object, the processing liquid supplying method comprising:
a facing positioning step of positioning the discharge port to face the processing object;
a first X-ray irradiating step of irradiating X-rays onto the processing liquid present in the interior of a first piping in communication with the discharge port and thereby ionizing the processing liquid present inside the first piping; and
a processing liquid discharging step of making the processing liquid be discharged from the discharge port in parallel to the first X-ray irradiating step, and
wherein in the processing liquid discharging step, the processing liquid is connected in liquid form between the discharge port and the processing object.

20. The processing liquid supplying method according to claim 19 , wherein, in the processing liquid discharging step, the processing liquid discharged from the discharge port takes on a continuous flow form connected to both the discharge port and the processing object.

21. The processing liquid supplying method according to claim 19 , wherein the processing object is a second piping, through the interior o

Assignees

• Screen Holdings Co Ltd

Inventors

• Miyagi Masahiro
• Araki Hiroyuki
• Suzuki Masanori
• Sato Tomokatsu
• Kawase Nobuo

Classifications

• H10P72/3314

  Continuous loading and unloading into and out of a processing chamber, e.g. transporting belts within processing chambers · CPC title

• H10P72/0414 Primary

  using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles · CPC title

• H10P72/0416

  with the semiconductor substrates being dipped in baths or vessels · CPC title

• H10P70/15 Primary

  by wet cleaning only (H10P70/52 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01L51/0004

  Electricity · mapped topic