Processing liquid supply device, substrate processing apparatus, and method for inspecting processing liquid supply device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12412756-B2
Application number	US-202318125310-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2023
Priority date	Mar 24, 2022
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a processing liquid supply device includes: a tank that stores the processing liquid; a supply path that supplies the processing liquid to the processing device; a heater that heats the processing liquid; a thermometer that measures a temperature of the processing liquid; a densitometer that measures a concentration of the processing liquid; and a controller including an inspecting unit that inspects the densitometer. The inspecting unit includes: a temperature setting device that sets a boiling point temperature at which a predetermined concentration is reached as a predetermined temperature; a heating controller that heats the processing liquid by the heater so as to reach a target temperature within a predetermined range; and a determination device that determines whether or not the concentration of the processing liquid is a target concentration within a predetermined range based on the predetermined concentration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A processing liquid supply device comprising:
a tank configured to store a processing liquid;
a supply path configured to supply the processing liquid from the tank to a processing device that processes a substrate with the processing liquid;
a heater configured to heat the processing liquid;
a thermometer configured to measure a temperature of the processing liquid;
a densitometer configured to measure a concentration of the processing liquid; and
a controller configured to control an overall operation of the processing liquid supply device and including an inspecting unit configured to inspect the densitometer,
wherein the inspecting unit includes:
a temperature setting circuitry that sets a boiling point temperature at which a predetermined concentration is reached, as a predetermined temperature, based on an atmospheric pressure at a place where the processing liquid supply device is provided and a preset vapor pressure curve of the processing liquid;
a heating control circuitry that controls the heater to heat the processing liquid to a target temperature within a predetermined range based on the predetermined temperature; and
a determination circuitry that determines whether the concentration of the processing liquid that reaches the target temperature, which is measured by the densitometer, is a target concentration within a predetermined range based on the predetermined concentration.

2. The processing liquid supply device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the determination circuitry determines that the concentration of the processing liquid is not the target concentration and is higher than the target concentration, the heating control circuitry dilutes the processing liquid so that the processing liquid has a concentration lower than the target concentration and a temperature lower than the target temperature, and then, heats the processing liquid again by the heater to reach the target temperature, and
the determination circuitry determines again whether the concentration of the processing liquid that reaches the target temperature, which is measured by the densitometer, is the target concentration.

3. The processing liquid supply device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
an output unit configured to output information that notifies that the determination circuitry determines again that the concentration of the processing liquid is not the target concentration.

4. The processing liquid supply device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cleaning processing circuitry configured to perform a cleaning processing on the densitometer when the determination circuitry determines that the target concentration is not reached.

5. The processing liquid supply device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a barometer configured to measure the atmospheric pressure.

6. The processing liquid supply device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a dilution unit including a feeding pipe configured to dilute the processing liquid with a diluent,
wherein the tank includes:
a supply tank that supplies the processing liquid to the processing device;
a recovery tank that recovers the processing liquid used in the processing device; and
a new liquid tank that supplies a new processing liquid, and
wherein the controller of the processing liquid supply device further includes:
a concentration control circuitry configured to, when the determination circuitry determines that the target concentration is reached, control the heater and the dilution unit based on the concentration measured by the densitometer, thereby adjusting the concentration of the processing liquid in the supply tank, the recovery tank, and the new liquid tank.

7. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a processing device configured to process a substrate; and
the processing liquid supply device according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Shibaura Mechatronics Corp

Inventors

• Furuya Masaaki
• Kobayashi Hiroaki
• Mori Hideki

Classifications

• H10P72/0604

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

• H10P72/0602 Primary

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0424 Primary

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

• H10P72/0431

  Apparatus for thermal treatment · CPC title

• H10P72/0422

  for wet etching · CPC title