Gas dissolution supply apparatus and gas dissolution supply method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11352274-B2
Application number	US-202016885794-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2020
Priority date	Jun 4, 2019
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

A gas dissolution supply apparatus dissolves a gas supplied from a gas supply unit in a liquid supplied from a liquid supply unit to produce a gas dissolution in a gas dissolving unit, stores the gas dissolution produced in the gas dissolving unit in a gas dissolution tank, supplies the gas dissolution from the gas dissolution tank to a point of use, measures the flow rate of a part of the gas dissolution supplied to the point of use that is returned to the gas dissolving unit, and adjusts the flow rate of the liquid supplied from the liquid supply unit to the gas dissolving unit based on the result of the measurement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas dissolution supply apparatus, comprising:
a gas supply unit that supplies a gas that is a raw material of a gas dissolution;
a liquid supply unit that supplies a liquid that is a raw material of the gas dissolution;
a gas dissolving unit that dissolves the gas supplied from the gas supply unit in the liquid supplied from the liquid supply unit to produce the gas dissolution;
a gas dissolution tank that stores the gas dissolution produced in the gas dissolving unit;
supply pipe for supplying the gas dissolution from the gas dissolution tank to a point of use, the gas dissolution being supplied from the gas dissolution tank to the point of use through the supply pipe;
return pipe for returning the gas dissolution to be supplied to the point of use to the gas dissolving unit, the return pipe being separated from the supply pipe upstream of the point of use and being connected to the gas dissolving unit;
a first flow rate measurement unit that measures a flow rate of the gas dissolution returned to the gas dissolving unit, the first flow rate measurement unit being provided on the return pipe;
a second flow rate measurement unit that measures a flow rate of the gas dissolution supplied to the point of use, the second flow rate measurement unit being provided on the supply pipe;
a pressure adjustment unit that keeps a pressure in the supply pipe constant, the pressure adjustment unit being provided on the return pipe; and
a flow rate adjustment unit that adjusts a flow rate of the liquid supplied from the liquid supply unit to the gas dissolving unit based on a result of the measurement by the first flow rate measurement unit and a result of the measurement by the second flow rate measurement unit.

2. The gas dissolution supply apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the supply pipe is provided with a pump for feeding the gas dissolution from the gas dissolution tank to the point of use, and
the pump is an air-driven pump.

3. The gas dissolution supply apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the return pipe is provided with a temperature measurement unit that measures a temperature of the gas dissolution returned to the gas dissolving unit.

4. The gas dissolution supply apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a second pressure adjustment unit capable of adjusting a pressure in the gas dissolution tank to be maintained within a range of 0 to 100 KPa.

5. The gas dissolution supply apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas that is a raw material of the gas dissolution is ozone gas,
the liquid that is a raw material of the gas dissolution is pure water, and
the gas dissolution is an ozone dissolution.

6. A gas dissolution supply method, comprising:
dissolving, in a gas dissolving unit, a gas in a liquid to produce a gas dissolution, the gas being supplied from a gas supply unit and the liquid being supplied from a liquid supply unit;
storing the gas dissolution produced in the gas dissolving unit in a gas dissolution tank;
supplying, through a supply pipe, the gas dissolution from the gas dissolution tank to a point of use;
returning, through a return pipe separated from the supply pipe upstream of the point of use and being connected to the gas dissolving unit, the gas dissolution to be supplied to the point of use through the supply pipe to the gas dissolving unit after the gas dissolution is supplied from the gas dissolution tank and before the gas dissolution is supplied to the point of use;
measuring, by a first flow rate measurement unit, a flow rate of a part of the gas dissolution supplied to the point of use that is returned to the gas dissolving unit through the return pipe;
measuring, by a second flow rate measurement unit, a flow rate of a part of the gas dissolution supplied to the point of use through the supply pipe;
keeping a pressure in the supply pipe for supplying the gas dissolution to the point of use constant; and
adjusting, by a flow rate adjustment unit, a flow rate of the liquid supplied from the liquid supply unit to the gas dissolving unit based on a result of the measurement by the first flow rate measurement unit and on a result of the measurement by the second flow rate measurement unit.

Assignees

• Ebara Corp

Inventors

• Ozawa Suguru
• Araki Yuji
• Watanabe Toshifumi
• Nakagawa Yoichi

Classifications

• B01F35/2111

  Flow rate · CPC title

• C02F1/008

  Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F · CPC title

• B01F2101/58

  Mixing semiconducting materials, e.g. during semiconductor or wafer manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B01F23/2368

  Mixing receptacles, e.g. tanks, vessels or reactors, being completely closed, e.g. hermetically closed · CPC title

• B01F23/29

  Mixing systems, i.e. flow charts or diagrams · CPC title