Treatment solution supply apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10518199-B2
Application number	US-201715696365-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2017
Priority date	Sep 8, 2016
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

A treatment solution supply apparatus for supplying a treatment solution to a treatment solution discharge unit that discharges the treatment solution to a treatment body, includes: a temporary storage apparatus that temporarily stores the treatment solution supplied from a treatment solution supply source that stores the treatment solution; a filter that removes a foreign substance in the treatment solution from the temporary storage apparatus; and a pump that sends the treatment solution from which the foreign substance has been removed by the filter to the treatment solution discharge unit, wherein the temporary storage apparatus has a pressure-feeding function of pressure-feeding the treatment solution stored in the temporary storage apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A treatment solution supply apparatus for supplying a treatment solution to a treatment solution discharge unit that discharges the treatment solution to a treatment body, the treatment solution supply apparatus comprising:
a temporary storage apparatus that has a storage chamber temporarily storing the treatment solution supplied from a treatment solution supply source that stores the treatment solution;
a filter in downstream fluid communication from the temporary storage apparatus, wherein the filter removes a foreign substance in the treatment solution flowing from the temporary storage apparatus;
a pump in downstream fluid communication from the filter, wherein the pump sends the treatment solution from which the foreign substance has been removed by the filter to the treatment solution discharge unit; and
a controller,
wherein the temporary storage apparatus has a diaphragm capable of being deformed to change a capacity inside the storage chamber; and
wherein the controller is configured to cause the capacity of the storage chamber to change to control pressure-feeding of the treatment solution stored in the storage chamber to the filter so that a hydraulic pressure in the filter becomes a desired pressure.

2. The treatment solution supply apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a pressure measuring apparatus that is provided on a downstream side of the temporary storage apparatus and measures a hydraulic pressure of the treatment solution;
wherein the controller is further configured to control at least the pressure-feeding of the treatment solution from the temporary storage apparatus, based on a measured result by the pressure measuring apparatus.

3. The treatment solution supply apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the pressure measuring apparatus measures a hydraulic pressure on a secondary side of the filter, and
wherein the controller controls a hydraulic pressure at time of the pressure-feeding so that the hydraulic pressure on the secondary side of the filter becomes constant.

4. The treatment solution supply apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the pressure measuring apparatus measures a hydraulic pressure on a secondary side of the filter, and
wherein the controller makes the temporary storage apparatus pressure-feed the treatment solution by applying a predetermined pressure to the temporary storage apparatus when the hydraulic pressure on the secondary side of the filter falls within a predetermined range.

5. The treatment solution supply apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the pressure measuring apparatus measures a hydraulic pressure on a primary side of the filter, and
wherein the controller controls a hydraulic pressure at time of the pressure-feeding so that the hydraulic pressure on the primary side of the filter becomes constant.

6. The treatment solution supply apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a plurality of sets of the temporary storage apparatus, the filter, and the pump,
wherein the controller comprises an electropneumatic regulator that is provided for each of the temporary storage apparatuses and adjusts a hydraulic pressure in a storage chamber that stores the treatment solution of the temporary storage apparatus.

7. The treatment solution supply apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a treatment solution supply pipe that is provided with the temporary storage apparatus, the filter, and the pump in order from an upstream side,
wherein the pump comprises a storage chamber that stores the treatment solution,
wherein the treatment solution supply pipe comprises a first valve between the temporary storage apparatus and the filter, and a second valve between the temporary storage apparatus and the filter, and
wherein the controller is further configured to, at time of replenishing the storage chamber of the pump with the treatment solution from the temporary storage apparatus from which the foreign substance has been removed by the filter, control a pressure of the treatment solution from the temporary storage apparatus so that a pressure on a secondary side of the filter measured by the pressure measuring apparatus becomes a predetermined value in a state where the first valve is opened and the second valve is closed, then control a pressure in the storage chamber so that the pressure on the secondary side of the filter measured by the pressure measuring apparatus becomes the predetermined value in a state where the first valve is closed and the second valve is opened, and then start the replenishment in a state where the first valve and the second valve are opened.

8. The treatment solution supply apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the temporary storage apparatus is a tubephragm pump.

9. The treatment solution supply apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of sets of the temporary storage apparatus, the filter, and the pump,
wherein each of the temporary storage apparatuses comprises, as separate bodies, a storage apparatus that stores the treatment solution and another pump that pressure-feeds the treatment solution in the storage apparatus,
wherein a common electropneumatic regulator that adjusts a hydraulic pressure in a storage chamber that stores the treatment solution for the another pump is provided for the another pump of the temporary storage apparatus, and
wherein control of a hydraulic pressure at time of pressure-feeding the treatment solution from the temporary storage apparatus is performed by the electropneumatic regulator.

10. The treatment solution supply apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the another pump is a tubephragm pump.

11. The treatment solution supply apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pump is connected with a return pipe connected to the filter; and
wherein when the pump sends the treatment solution from which the foreign substance has been removed by the filter to the treatment solution discharge unit, the pump sends the treatment solution through the return pipe such that the treatment solution passes again through the filter.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Sasa Takashi
• Ishimaru Daisuke
• Hashimoto Katsuya
• Shite Hideo
• Wakamizu Shinya
• Kimura Kazuhiko

Classifications

• G03F7/3021

  from a wafer supported on a rotating chuck · CPC title

• B01D35/02

  Filters adapted for location in special places, e.g. pipe-lines, pumps, stop-cocks, (B01D35/05 takes precedence; {water pipe system filters E03B3/18, E03B7/07; dirt catchers in sewers E03F; filters or strainers for pipe-lines in general B08B, E03F; object or dirt catching devices in sinks or the like E03C1/26; suction strainers or filters for pumps F04B53/005, F04D29/70}) · CPC title

• B01D37/046

  by pressure measuring · CPC title

• F04B53/20

  Filtering · CPC title

• B01D2201/202

  Systems for applying pressure to filters · CPC title