Solution supply apparatus and solution supply method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11433420-B2
Application number	US-201816768216-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2018
Priority date	Dec 12, 2017
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

A solution supply apparatus is for supplying a treatment solution to a treatment solution discharger which discharges the treatment solution to a treatment object. The solution supply apparatus includes: a supply pipe line connected to the treatment solution discharger; a filter provided on the supply pipe line which filters the treatment solution to remove foreign substances; and a controller. The controller performs a determination of a state of the treatment solution to be supplied to a primary side of the filter and, when the state of the treatment solution is determined to be bad, outputs a control signal for restricting supply of the treatment solution to the primary side of the filter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solution supply apparatus for supplying a treatment solution to a treatment solution discharger configured to discharge the treatment solution to a treatment object, the solution supply apparatus comprising:
a supply pipe line connected to the treatment solution discharger, wherein the supply pipe line is connected, at an end part on a side opposite to the treatment solution discharger, to an external pipe line laid in a space where the solution supply apparatus is installed;
a filter provided on the supply pipe line and configured to filter the treatment solution to remove foreign substances; wherein the solution supply apparatus further comprises a branch pipe line branched off from a branch point located between an end part on the external pipe line side on the supply pipe line and the filter;
a foreign substance detector provided on the branch pipe line and configured to detect foreign substances contained in the treatment solution in the branch pipe line;
another foreign substance detector configured to detect foreign substances contained in the treatment solution supplied to a downstream side of the filter on the supply pipe line, wherein:
a size of the foreign substance of the detection target of the foreign substance detector is larger than that of the another foreign substance detector; and
a controller configured to perform a determination of a state of the treatment solution to be supplied to a primary side of the filter and, when the state of the treatment solution is determined to be bad, to output a control signal for restricting supply of the treatment solution to the primary side of the filter, wherein:
the controller is configured to:
perform, as the determination, a determination of a state of the treatment solution to be additionally supplied to the solution supply apparatus via the external pipe line; and
output a control signal for restricting supply of the treatment solution to be additionally supplied via the external pipe line, to a downstream side of the branch point on the supply pipe line, when the state of the treatment solution to be additionally supplied to the solution supply apparatus via the external pipe line is determined to be bad,

the controller is configured to perform the determination of a state of the treatment solution to be additionally supplied via the external pipe line based on a result of detection by the foreign substance detector, and
the controller is configured to perform the determination of the state of the treatment solution to be additionally supplied via the external pipe line based on a result of detection by the foreign substance detector of which the size of the foreign substance of the detection target is larger than that of the another foreign substance detector.

2. The solution supply apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the treatment solution is a coating solution for forming a coating film on the treatment object;
the solution supply apparatus comprises:
a return pipe line configured to connect a portion on a secondary side of the filter on the supply pipe line and a portion on the primary side of the filter on the supply pipe line; and
a drainage pipe line branched off from a branch point on the return pipe line and reaching a place different from the supply pipe line; and

the controller is configured to:
output a control signal for sending the coating solution filtered by the filter to the return pipe line;
perform, as the determination, a determination of a state of the coating solution in the return pipe line;
output a control signal for returning the coating solution in the return pipe line to the portion on the primary side of the filter on the supply pipe line when the state of the coating solution in the return pipe line is determined to be good; and
output a control signal for draining the coating solution in the return pipe line from the drainage pipe line when the state of the coating solution in the return pipe line is determined to be bad.

3. The solution supply apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising an additional foreign substance detector configured to detect foreign substances contained in the coating solution and provided on an upstream side of the branch point on the return pipe line, wherein
the controller is configured to perform a determination of the state of the coating solution in the return pipe line based on a result of detection by the additional foreign substance detector.

4. The solution supply apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the controller is configured to:
output a control signal so that a dummy discharge is periodically performed from the treatment solution discharger; and
perform a determination of the state of the coating solution in the return pipe line based on whether a period decided based on an interval of the dummy discharge has elapsed.

5. The solution supply apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising other foreign substance detectors configured to detect foreign substances contained in the coating solution and provided on both a primary side and a secondary side of the filter on the supply pipe line, wherein
the controller is configured to perform a determination of a state of the filter based on results of detection by the other foreign substance detectors.

6. The solution supply apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the treatment solution is a coating solution for forming a coating film on the treatment object;
the supply pipe line is connected, at an end part on a side opposite to the treatment solution discharger, to a supply source storing the coating solution;
the solution supply apparatus further comprises:
a drainage pipe line branched off from a branch point located on the primary side of the filter on the supply pipe line; and
an additional foreign substance detector provided on an upstream side of the branch point on the supply pipe line and configured to detect foreign substances contained in the coating solution in the supply pipe line; and

the controller is configured to:
perform, as the determination, a determination of a state of the supply source based on a result of detection by the additional foreign substance detector; and
output a control signal for supplying the coating solution in the supply source to the primary side of the filter only when the state of the supply source is determined to be good.

7. The solution supply apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising a circulation pipe line connecting a primary side and a secondary side of the foreign substance detector on the supply pipe line, wherein
the controller is configured to:
output a control signal for returning the coating solution passed through the foreign substance detector to the primary side of the foreign substance detector on the supply pipe line via the circulation pipe line; and
perform the determination of the state of the supply source based on results of detection in a plurality of times by the foreign substance detector.

8. The solution supply apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising other foreign substance detectors configured to detect foreign substances contained in the coating solution and provided on both a primary side and a secondary side of the filter on the supply pipe line, wherein
the controller is configured to perform a determination of a state of the filter based on results of detection by the other foreign substance detectors.

9. The solution supply apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the branch pipe line is branched into a plurality of pipe lines, and a pipe line located at a lower part in a vertical direction of the plurality of pipe lines is provided with the foreign substance dete

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Naitou Ryouichirou
• Hayashi Masato
• Shite Hideo
• Ide Hiroyuki
• Kameda Yosuke
• Totsuka Seiya
• Maita Atsumu
• Satoh Takami
• Araki Hirofumi
• Yoshihara Kentaro

Classifications

• H10P72/0448 Primary

  Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like · CPC title

• H10P72/0604

  Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0402

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title

• H10P72/0414

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

• H10P72/0404

  for general liquid treatment, e.g. etching followed by cleaning · CPC title