Substrate liquid processing apparatus, and control method of heater unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016305688-A1
Application number	US-201615089662-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 4, 2016
Priority date	Apr 16, 2015
Publication date	Oct 20, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A control device configured to control a power to be supplied to a heater unit. The control device cuts off the power to be supplied to a heating portion when it is determined that an event where a maximum temperature that the processing liquid within the heater unit reaches exceeds a processing liquid upper limit temperature is likely to occur even when a supply of the power to the heating portion is stopped based on an actual temperature of the processing liquid measured by a temperature detector under an assumption that a flow of the processing liquid flowing in a processing liquid supply line is stopped.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A liquid processing apparatus comprising:
a processing liquid supply line configured to supply a processing liquid from a processing liquid source to a workpiece; a heater unit including a heating portion configured to heat the processing liquid flowing in the processing liquid supply line; a control device configured to control a power to be supplied to the heating portion; and a temperature detector configured to measure a temperature of the processing liquid flowing in the processing liquid supply line, wherein the control device performs a cut-off control that cuts off the power to be supplied to the heating portion when it is determined that the temperature of the processing liquid within the heater unit is equal to or higher than a processing liquid upper limit temperature when a supply of the power to the heating portion is stopped, and the determination as to whether the temperature of the processing liquid within the heater unit is equal to or higher than the processing liquid upper limit temperature is made based on an actual temperature of the processing liquid measured by the temperature detector under an assumption that a flow of the processing liquid flowing in the processing liquid supply line is stopped.

2 . The liquid processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing liquid upper limit temperature is a temperature at which an estimated maximum temperature of the processing liquid within the heater unit after a temperature rise and a stop of the flow of the processing liquid imparts damage to the heater unit,
in the control device, a heating portion upper limit temperature, which is a maximum temperature allowed for the heating portion, is set for the actual temperature of the processing liquid such that the temperature of the processing liquid does not reach the processing liquid upper limit temperature, and the determination as to whether the temperature of the processing liquid is equal to or higher than the processing liquid upper limit temperature is made based on the actual temperature of the processing liquid, and the set heating portion upper limit temperature.

3 . The liquid processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing liquid upper limit temperature is a temperature at which the processing liquid is boiled, and
the processing liquid upper limit temperature is set according to a kind of the processing liquid.

4 . The liquid processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a heating portion upper limit temperature that is a maximum temperature allowed for the heating portion is set for the actual temperature such that the temperature of the processing liquid within the heater unit does not reach the processing liquid upper limit temperature,
the control device includes: a first controller configured to determine a power to be supplied to the heating portion of the heater unit so that the actual temperature of the processing liquid reaches a target temperature of the processing liquid based on a deviation between the actual temperature of the processing liquid detected by the temperature detector and the target temperature of the processing liquid, and a second controller configured to perform the cut-off control when an actual temperature of the heating portion of the heater unit exceeds the set heating portion upper limit temperature, and allow the power determined by the first controller to be supplied to the heating portion of the heater unit when the actual temperature is equal to or lower than the heating portion upper limit temperature, and the heating portion upper limit temperature is set according to the actual temperature of the processing liquid.

5 . The liquid processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein, as the actual temperature of the processing liquid changes from a temperature below the target temperature of the processing liquid to a temperature close to the target temperature, the heating portion upper limit temperature is set to a temperature which changes from a temperature above the target temperature of the processing liquid to a temperature closer to the target temperature.

6 . The liquid processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the actual temperature of the processing liquid is divided into a plurality of temperature zones, and the heating portion upper limit temperature is set for each of the temperature zones.

7 . The liquid processing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein, when the actual temperature of the processing liquid is increased to a setting temperature, the heating portion upper limit temperature is set to a first heating portion upper limit temperature until the actual temperature of the processing liquid reaches a first processing liquid temperature, and the heating portion upper limit temperature is set to a second heating portion upper limit temperature lower than the first heating portion upper limit temperature until the actual temperature of the processing liquid reaches a second processing liquid temperature higher than the first processing liquid temperature.

8 . The liquid processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the control device includes a PID controller serving as the first controller, an ON/OFF controller serving as the second controller, and a current adjustment unit, and
the ON/OFF controller is interposed between the PID controller and the current adjustment unit to perform a control of changing a power command value output from the PID controller to the current adjustment unit to zero and outputting the power command value to the current adjustment unit, or outputting the power command value to the current adjustment unit as it is, or perform an equivalent control thereof.

9 . The liquid processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a tank configured to serve as the processing liquid source that stores the processing liquid; a circulation line connected to the tank and configured to cause the processing liquid flowing out from the tank to flow through the circulation line and then flow into the tank; a processing unit configured to perform a liquid processing on the workpiece using the processing liquid flowing through the circulation line; and a branch line split from the circulation line to supply the processing liquid flowing through the circulation line to the processing unit, wherein the processing liquid supply line is constituted by at least a part of the circulation line and the branch line.

10 . A control method of a heater unit comprising:
performing a liquid processing on a workpiece by supplying a processing liquid to the workpiece through a processing liquid supply line from a processing liquid source; and controlling a temperature of the processing liquid flowing in the processing liquid supply line by controlling a power to be supplied to a heating portion provided in a heater unit, the heating portion being configured to heat the processing liquid flowing in the processing liquid supply line, wherein controlling the temperature includes performing a cut-off control that cuts off the power to be supplied to the heating portion when it is determined that an event where a maximum temperature that the processing liquid within the heater unit reaches exceeds a processing liquid upper limit temperature is likely to occur even when a supply of the power to the heating portion is stopped based on an actual temperature of the processing liquid flowing in the processing liquid supply line under an assumption that a flow of the processing liquid flowing in the processing liquid supply line is stopped.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the processing liquid upper limit temperature is a temperature at which the processing liquid is boile

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Nakayama Hisakazu
• Ojima Tomoaki

Classifications

• H10P72/0602

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0424

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

• H10P72/0414

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

• H10P72/0402

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

• G05D23/1919

  characterised by the type of controller · CPC title