Liquid circulation device, substrate processing device, and method for manufacturing articles

Abstract

In a liquid circulation system equipped with a deoxygenation unit, this technology offers advantages in reducing the evaporation of the circulating liquid. [Solution] A liquid circulation device for cooling a heat-generating part, characterized by comprising: a liquid circulation path; a deoxygenation unit provided on the circulation path for reducing oxygen in the liquid; and an evaporation reduction unit for reducing the amount of evaporation of the liquid.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid circulation device, a substrate processing apparatus, and a method for manufacturing an article. [Background Art]

[0002] Semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses such as pattern forming apparatuses including exposure apparatuses, imprint apparatuses, and electron beam lithography apparatuses, or plasma processing apparatuses including CVD apparatuses, etching apparatuses, and sputtering apparatuses, have a heat generating portion such as a member heated by a driving mechanism or plasma. In order to cool such a heat generating portion, a cooling device is provided in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The cooling device cools the heat generating portion by absorbing heat from the heat generating portion and discharging the heat to the outside of the apparatus. As a system for cooling a heat generating portion, a liquid circulation system such as a refrigerator or a chiller is generally used.

[0003] In the liquid circulation facility described in Patent Document 1, makeup water is required because the circulating liquid evaporates even in a closed circulation facility. When the makeup water contains oxygen, corrosion occurs in the pipes. Therefore, a system in which oxygen is removed from the makeup water before the makeup water is supplied to the circulation system has been disclosed. By removing oxygen from the liquid to be supplied to the circulation facility in advance, corrosion that may occur in devices and pipes can be suppressed. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-77054 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0005] The liquid circulation system described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-77054 requires replenishment of the circulating liquid, but depending on the properties of the circulating liquid, evaporation can change the liquid's concentration. If it is a simple diluted mixture, the concentration can be adjusted each time while checking the concentration of the circulating liquid. However, if the circulating liquid is a mixture of liquids with different vapor pressures, it is difficult to maintain the concentration of the circulating liquid.

[0006] Therefore, an exemplary objective of the present invention is to provide a technology that is advantageous in reducing the evaporation of circulating liquid in a liquid circulation system equipped with a deoxygenation unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, a liquid circulation device as one aspect of the present invention is a liquid circulation device for cooling a heat-generating section, characterized by comprising: a liquid circulation path; a deoxygenation section provided on the circulation path for reducing oxygen in the liquid; and an evaporation reduction section for reducing the amount of evaporation of the liquid. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, in a liquid circulation system equipped with a deoxygenation unit, it is possible to provide a technology that is advantageous in reducing the evaporation of the circulating liquid. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a liquid circulation system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a saturated vapor pressure curve for water. [Figure 3] This figure shows another example of the evaporation reduction means according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a liquid circulation system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention to the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any way. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numeral, and redundant descriptions are omitted. In this specification and the attached drawings, directions are indicated in an XYZ coordinate system where the direction parallel to the substrate surface (processed surface) is the XY plane. The directions parallel to the X, Y, and Z axes in the XYZ coordinate system are defined as the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction, respectively, and the rotations around the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis are defined as θX, θY, and θZ, respectively.

[0011] <First Embodiment> The present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings, through exemplary embodiments thereof. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of a liquid circulation system (liquid circulation device) 100 according to the first embodiment. The liquid circulation system 100 comprises a liquid circulation unit 1, an evaporation reduction unit 2, and a cooling system 3. The liquid circulation system 100 dissipates heat and controls the temperature of the circulating liquid 5 and the heat-generating unit 7, which will be described later.

[0012] The liquid circulation unit 1 comprises a tank 4, a pump 6, a temperature sensor 8 (first measurement unit), and a dissolved oxygen meter 9. The tank 4 is filled with circulating liquid 5. In liquid circulation systems, water and glycol-based coolants are commonly used as circulating liquids. Water is frequently used as a useful coolant because it has a large specific heat capacity and good heat recovery efficiency. Examples of glycol-based coolants include ethylene glycol and propylene glycol. Ethylene glycol and propylene glycol lower the freezing point when mixed with water and are used as antifreeze. In addition, some can have preservatives and rust inhibitors added to suppress metal corrosion. The temperature sensor 8 is located upstream of the heat generation unit 7 and measures the temperature of the circulating liquid 5 upstream of the heat generation unit 7. The pump 6 is located downstream of the tank 4. The dissolved oxygen meter 9 measures the amount of dissolved oxygen in the circulating liquid 5 in the tank 4. In the liquid circulation system 100 of this embodiment, the circulating liquid 5 filled in the tank 4 is split into two downstream of the pump 6 and sent to the heat generation unit 7 and the evaporation reduction unit 2, respectively.

[0013] The circulating fluid 5 supplied to the heat-generating unit 7 recovers the heat from the heat-generating unit 7 and is returned to the tank 4. That is, the circulating fluid 5 is returned to the tank 4 after circulating through the circulation path. The heat-generating unit 7 is, for example, a coil that generates heat when driven.

[0014] The evaporation reduction unit 2 comprises a cooler 14 (cooling unit) to which one of the circulation paths branched by the pump 6 is connected, a deoxygenation unit 15 that supplies an inert gas, and a gas-liquid separation unit 16. The evaporation reduction unit 2 is an evaporation reduction means for reducing the amount of evaporation of the circulating liquid 5. In order to improve the cooling efficiency of the liquid circulation system, metal pipes with high thermal conductivity are sometimes used for cooling pipes, but if oxygen is dissolved in the circulating liquid, it will cause the metal pipes to corrode. In particular, it is preferable to use copper from the viewpoint of thermal conductivity, but with water, which is often used as the circulating liquid, copper pipe corrosion is a well known common problem. As a phenomenon of corrosion, cuprous oxide is first produced by the oxidation reaction of copper. Generally, cuprous oxide shows good corrosion resistance as long as it is in a stable environment. However, as time passes, basic copper carbonate, basic copper sulfate, basic copper chloride, etc. are produced in the oxide film of cuprous oxide, etc., and since the film adhesion is poor, it is not useful for preventing copper corrosion. When such corrosion occurs, corrosion products become mixed into the circulating fluid, causing problems such as filter clogging and increased pipe resistance. For this reason, in liquid circulation systems, measures such as using corrosion-resistant metal piping and corrosion-resistant circulating fluid are considered. In this embodiment, metal corrosion is suppressed by reducing the amount of dissolved oxygen in the circulating fluid 5. Metal corrosion is an oxidation reaction, and the corresponding reduction reaction involves dissolved oxygen. Therefore, if there is no dissolved oxygen to cause the reduction reaction, the oxidation reaction will not occur, and thus metal corrosion can be suppressed.

[0015] In the evaporation reduction section 2, the circulating liquid 5, which is first sent to the cooler 14, is cooled by the cooling system 3, passes through the deoxygenation section 15, and is returned to the tank 4. That is, the cooler 14 is located upstream of the deoxygenation section 15 on the circulation path. In the deoxygenation section 15, the oxygen in the circulating liquid 5 is reduced. Specifically, in the deoxygenation section 15, a gas-liquid multiphase flow of the circulating liquid 5 and the inert gas is generated by sending an inert gas with a low oxygen partial pressure to the circulating liquid 5. As a result, the oxygen in the circulating liquid 5 moves to the inert gas side, and the amount of dissolved oxygen in the circulating liquid can be reduced by discharging the inert gas with a higher oxygen partial pressure. For example, nitrogen gas can be used as the inert gas.

[0016] As a method for supplying an inert gas in the deoxygenation unit 15, bubbling in the liquid is preferable. In inert gas aeration on the liquid surface, the deoxygenation step is performed only between the gas phase and the liquid surface, whereas in in-liquid bubbling, the contact area corresponding to the total surface area of the bubbles can be increased. Further, an inert gas with a low oxygen partial pressure has a low vapor pressure, and thus it can be expected that the effect of reducing dissolved oxygen is promoted. However, at the same time, moisture in the circulating liquid 5 is also taken in and evaporated.

[0017] The amount of evaporation is determined by the saturated vapor pressure of the circulating liquid 5. The saturated vapor pressure can be represented by a saturated vapor pressure curve. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a saturated vapor pressure curve for water. In this figure, the horizontal axis represents temperature and the vertical axis represents saturated vapor pressure. The saturated vapor pressure of water can be obtained by the following Tetens' equation. [Mathematics] The saturated vapor pressure curve of water is an upward-sloping curve as shown in this figure.

[0018] The saturated vapor pressure value is proportional to temperature. The higher the saturated vapor pressure is, the easier evaporation becomes; conversely, the lower the saturated vapor pressure is, the harder evaporation becomes. For this reason, by adopting a configuration in which a cooler 14 is disposed in the evaporation reduction unit 2 and the circulating liquid 5 cooled by the cooling system 3 is fed into the deoxygenation unit 15, the saturated vapor pressure is reduced, and evaporation of the circulating liquid 5 can be reduced. When the circulating liquid 5 to which the inert gas is supplied is water, the saturated vapor pressure at a temperature of 25°C is 3169 Pa according to Tetens' equation. When the temperature of water is 0°C, the saturated vapor pressure is 611 Pa. Therefore, when the temperature of water is 0°C, compared with a temperature of 25°C, there is an effect of reducing the evaporation rate by 81% in terms of the saturated vapor pressure ratio.

[0019] The gas-liquid separation unit 16 is arranged upstream of the tank 4 and separates gas from the circulating liquid 5. The inert gas introduced into the circulating liquid must be exhausted, because if it is not exhausted, the pressure in the circulation system will continue to increase, leading to equipment damage. Since the high-temperature circulating liquid 5 that has recovered heat from the heat generating unit 7 also flows back into the tank 4, exhausting the inert gas from the tank 4 will cause the high-temperature circulating liquid 5 and the inert gas to contact at the liquid surface and evaporate. Therefore, by providing the gas-liquid separation unit 16 upstream of the tank 4, the inert gas introduced into the circulating liquid 5 in the deoxygenation unit 15 can be separated by gas-liquid separation and exhausted, and only the deoxygenated circulating liquid 5 can be returned into the tank. According to this method, a semi-closed circulation system can be formed, and outside air will not enter the tank 4, so evaporation can be further reduced. In addition, the dissolution of oxygen from outside air can also be prevented by adopting the semi-closed circulation system.

[0020] Figure 3 is a diagram showing another example of the evaporation reducing means according to the first embodiment. As an evaporation reducing means other than the gas-liquid separation unit 16, for example, as shown in Figure 3, a drop lid 23 (lid unit) covering the liquid surface of the circulating liquid 5 in the tank 4 may be provided. By providing the drop lid 23 on the liquid surface of the circulating liquid 5 in the tank 4, the contact area between the inert gas and the liquid surface of the circulating liquid 5 can be physically reduced. That is, the drop lid 23 functions as a part of the evaporation reducing unit herein.

[0021] Also at this time, the circulating liquid 5 returning to the tank 4 evaporates to a considerable extent also by contacting the gas phase in the tank 4. For this reason, it is preferable that the circulating liquid 5 returning to the tank 4 is directly discharged into the filled liquid in the tank 4. This can effectively suppress the evaporation of the circulating liquid 5 and the dissolution of oxygen.

[0022] The evaporation reduction unit 2 further comprises a control valve 17 and a control unit A18 (third control unit). The control valve 17 is a flow control valve with an adjustable opening. The amount of dissolved oxygen in the circulating liquid 5 can be measured by a dissolved oxygen meter 9 (third measurement unit) installed in the tank 4. The control unit A18 acquires the measurement result from the dissolved oxygen meter 9, in other words, reads the measured value from the dissolved oxygen meter 9. Based on the measurement result from the dissolved oxygen meter 9, i.e., the measured value from the dissolved oxygen meter 9, the control unit A18 controls the opening of the control valve 17 so that the amount of dissolved oxygen in the circulating liquid 5 becomes a desired value. Specifically, the control unit A18 increases the opening of the control valve 17 and increases the flow rate of the inert gas until the measured value from the dissolved oxygen meter 9 reaches a predetermined value. This allows for the rapid removal of dissolved oxygen from the circulating liquid 5.

[0023] This configuration minimizes the impact of metal corrosion during system startup. Furthermore, when the dissolved oxygen level measured by the dissolved oxygen meter 9 falls below a predetermined value, the control unit A18 reduces the opening of the control valve 17, thereby reducing the amount of inert gas used. This allows for operation with the minimum necessary amount of inert gas at all times, leading to reduced inert gas operating costs.

[0024] The cooling system 3 dissipates heat recovered by the circulating liquid 5 in the liquid circulation unit 1 to the outside. Specifically, the cooling system 3 is a refrigerant circulation system equipped with a compressor 10, a condenser 11, and an expansion valve 12 (first expansion valve). The liquid-phase refrigerant is reduced in pressure to the required vapor pressure by the expansion valve 12, stores the heat from the heat-generating part 7 of the liquid circulation unit 1 through a gas phase change, is pressurized by the compressor 10, and dissipates the heat to a heat dissipation medium (not shown) in the condenser 11, where it condenses into a liquid phase and circulates. The amount of refrigerant sent (supplied) to the cooler 14 can be adjusted by adjusting the opening of the expansion valve 12. In this embodiment, the cooling system 3 is an example of a typical refrigerator configuration, but the liquid flowing to the cooler 14 can be low-temperature cooling water or the like, as long as the heat from the circulating liquid 5 can be recovered.

[0025] The cooling system 3 further includes a control unit B13 (first control unit). The temperature of the circulating fluid 5 upstream of the heat-generating unit 7 can be measured by a temperature sensor 8. The control unit B13 acquires the measurement result from the temperature sensor 8, in other words, reads the measured value from the temperature sensor 8. Based on the measurement result from the temperature sensor 8, i.e., the measured value from the temperature sensor 8, the control unit B13 controls the opening degree of the expansion valve 12 so that the temperature of the circulating fluid 5 becomes a desired value. Specifically, the control unit B13 controls the opening degree of the expansion valve 12 so that the measured value from the temperature sensor 8 becomes a predetermined value, i.e., the control temperature, thereby adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing to the cooler 14.

[0026] Furthermore, a temperature sensor may be provided upstream of the deoxygenation unit 15 and downstream of the cooler 14. For example, the control unit B13 controls the opening degree of the expansion valve 12 based on the measurement result of the temperature sensor provided upstream of the deoxygenation unit 15 and downstream of the cooler 14. This makes it possible to bring the temperature of the circulating liquid 5 supplied to the deoxygenation unit 15 closer to the desired temperature, and to further reduce the evaporation of the circulating liquid 5.

[0027] As described above, according to this embodiment, in a liquid circulation system that performs deoxygenation treatment to reduce the amount of oxygen in the circulating liquid, it is possible to reduce the evaporation of the circulating liquid.

[0028] <Second Embodiment> Next, the liquid circulation system 110 of the second embodiment will be described based on Figure 4. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the liquid circulation system 110 according to the second embodiment. The liquid circulation system 110 of the second embodiment includes a condensing section 30 as an evaporation reduction section. Matters not mentioned in the second embodiment follow those of the first embodiment.

[0029] The condensing unit 30 includes an expansion valve 20 (second expansion valve) and a condenser 19 which has a passage inside through which the refrigerant discharged from the expansion valve 20 passes. In the liquid circulation system 110 according to the second embodiment, a branch pipe is provided on the outlet side of the condenser 11 which is configured in the cooling system 3, and refrigerant is supplied to the expansion valve 12 for the cooler 14 and the expansion valve 20 for the condenser 19. The refrigerant discharged from the expansion valve 12 for the cooler 14 is supplied to the cooler 14, and the refrigerant discharged from the expansion valve 20 for the condenser 19 is supplied to the condenser 19 located inside the tank 4.

[0030] The condensing unit 30 further includes a temperature sensor 21 (second measurement unit) and a control unit C22 (second control unit). The temperature sensor 21 measures the temperature of the refrigerant flowing inside the condenser 19. The control unit C22 acquires the measurement result from the temperature sensor 21, in other words, reads the measured value from the temperature sensor 21. Based on the measurement result from the temperature sensor 21, i.e., the measured value from the temperature sensor 21, the control unit C22 controls the opening degree of the expansion valve 20 so that the temperature of the refrigerant flowing inside the condenser 19 becomes a desired value. Specifically, the control unit C22 controls the opening degree of the expansion valve 20 so that the measured value from the temperature sensor 21 becomes a predetermined value, i.e., the temperature of the condenser 19 is below the solidification temperature of the circulating liquid 5, thereby adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the condenser 19. When refrigerant is supplied to the condenser 19, the condenser 19 is cooled, and the circulating liquid 5 that has evaporated in the tank comes into contact with the condenser 19, causing the evaporated circulating liquid 5 to recondense into water droplets and be condensed back into the circulating liquid 5 in the tank.

[0031] According to the second embodiment, the evaporated circulating liquid 5 can be directly condensed and rehydrated, thus maintaining the amount of circulating liquid 5 filled, and reducing maintenance costs as well as maintenance work such as liquid replenishment and circulating liquid concentration adjustment.

[0032] <Substrate Processing Apparatus Embodiment> Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment. The liquid circulation system according to the embodiment described above can be applied to a substrate processing apparatus used when manufacturing articles such as semiconductor devices. The substrate processing apparatus is a lithography apparatus for manufacturing articles such as semiconductor devices using a lithography apparatus.

[0033] Lithography equipment is used in the lithography process, a manufacturing process for semiconductor devices and liquid crystal display devices, to form patterns on substrates. Examples of lithography equipment include exposure equipment, which transfers the pattern from a master plate onto a substrate by exposing the substrate through a master plate, and imprint equipment, which forms patterns on imprint material on a substrate using a mold as a master plate. In the following, exposure equipment 200 will be used as an example to explain substrate processing equipment.

[0034] In this embodiment, the exposure apparatus 200 is a projection exposure apparatus that exposes the pattern of the master plate (mask, reticle) onto the substrate via a projection optical system using a step-and-repeat method or a step-and-scan method.

[0035] The exposure apparatus 200 includes an illumination optical system 201 for irradiating light, a projection optical system 209, a reticle stage 203 for holding a reticle 202, a substrate stage 205 for holding a substrate 204, a control unit 206, a measurement unit 207, and a liquid circulation system 208. The reticle 202 is, for example, a master plate on which a pattern to be transferred (e.g., a circuit pattern) is formed on the surface of quartz glass using chromium. The substrate 204 is, for example, single-crystal silicon with a photosensitive material (resist) coated on its surface. The reticle stage 203 holds the reticle 202 and may be driven by, for example, a linear motor having a coil. The substrate stage 205 holds the substrate 204 and may be driven by, for example, a linear motor having a coil. The control unit 206 controls each part of the exposure apparatus 200. The measurement unit 207 measures the height position of the substrate 204 held by the substrate stage 205. The liquid circulation system 208 cools, for example, the coil of the substrate stage 205. Because the substrate stage 205 (and the reticle stage 203 in the case of a step-and-scan exposure system) is driven at high speed and high acceleration, the coil, which is made up of the linear motor that drives the stage, generates a lot of heat. For this reason, the liquid circulation system 208 is used to cool the coil. In other words, the coil is the heat-generating part of the liquid circulation system 208.

[0036] In the exposure apparatus 200, exposure light from a light source (not shown) illuminates the reticle 202 held on the reticle stage 203 via the illumination optical system 201. The light transmitted through the reticle 202 is irradiated onto the substrate 204 via the projection optical system 209. At this time, the light from the pattern formed on the reticle 202 forms an image on the surface of the substrate 204, and the shot areas of the substrate 204 (photosensitive material) are exposed by the pattern image. The exposure apparatus 200 exposes the shot areas on the substrate 204 in this manner, and similarly exposes each of the multiple shot areas.

[0037] <Embodiment of Article Manufacturing Method> The lithography apparatus described above can be used to implement a method for manufacturing articles for the production of various articles (semiconductor IC elements, liquid crystal display elements, MEMS, etc.). The method for manufacturing articles in the embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing articles such as devices (semiconductor elements, magnetic storage media, liquid crystal display elements, etc.). Such a method for manufacturing articles includes a processing step of processing a master plate using the above-described processing method (information processing apparatus), and a transfer step of transferring the pattern of the master plate processed in the processing step onto a substrate. The method for manufacturing articles also includes a processing step of processing the substrate after the transfer step, and a manufacturing step of manufacturing an article from the substrate after the processing step. Furthermore, such a method for manufacturing articles may include other well-known processes (oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). The method for manufacturing articles in this embodiment is advantageous compared to conventional methods in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article.

[0038] <Other Embodiments> Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist.

[0039] In the above-described embodiment, an example of applying a liquid circulation system to an exposure apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus was explained, but it can be applied to a variety of devices such as industrial machinery, medical machinery, scientific and chemical instruments, and food processing machinery.

[0040] This embodiment includes the following configuration. (Composition 1) A liquid circulation device for cooling a heat-generating part, Liquid circulation pathways, A deoxygenation unit is provided on the circulation path to reduce the oxygen in the liquid, A liquid circulation device characterized by comprising an evaporation reduction unit for reducing the amount of evaporation of the liquid. (Configuration 2) The liquid circulation device according to configuration 1, characterized in that the evaporation reduction unit is provided upstream of the deoxygenation unit on the circulation path and includes a cooling unit for cooling the liquid. (Composition 3) Along the aforementioned circulation path, a first measuring unit measures the temperature of the liquid, A first expansion valve for supplying refrigerant to the cooling section, The liquid circulation device according to configuration 2, further comprising a first control unit that controls the opening degree of the first expansion valve based on the measurement results of the first measurement unit. (Composition 4) The liquid circulation device according to configuration 3, characterized in that the first measuring unit is provided upstream of the heating unit. (Composition 5) The liquid circulation device according to configuration 3, characterized in that the first measuring unit is provided upstream of the deoxygenation unit and downstream of the cooling unit. (Composition 6) The liquid circulation device according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that the evaporation reduction unit includes a condensing unit that condenses the vapor of the liquid in a tank filled with the liquid. (Composition 7) The aforementioned condensation section is A condenser installed inside the aforementioned tank, A second measuring unit measures the temperature of the refrigerant flowing inside the condenser, A second expansion valve for supplying the refrigerant to the condenser, The liquid circulation device according to configuration 6, further comprising a second control unit that controls the opening degree of the second expansion valve based on the measurement results of the second measurement unit. (Composition 8) The liquid circulation device according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, characterized in that the evaporation reduction unit includes a lid that covers the liquid surface in the tank filled with the liquid. (Composition 9) It has a third measuring unit that measures the amount of dissolved oxygen in the liquid filled in the tank, The aforementioned deoxygenation unit is A flow control valve for introducing an inert gas into the aforementioned liquid, A liquid circulation device according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, comprising a third control unit that controls the opening degree of the flow control valve based on the measurement results of the third measurement unit. (Composition 10) The liquid circulation device according to configuration 9, characterized in that the deoxygenation unit includes a gas-liquid separation unit for separating gas from the liquid after the introduction of the inert gas. (Composition 11) A liquid circulation device according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, characterized in that the liquid is discharged into the filling liquid in a tank filled with the liquid after circulating through the circulation path. (Composition 12) A substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates, A substrate processing apparatus characterized by comprising a liquid circulation device described in any one of configurations 1 to 11. (Method 1) The process includes processing a substrate using the substrate processing apparatus described in configuration 12, A method for manufacturing an article, characterized by manufacturing an article from the processed substrate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1 Liquid circulation section 2 Evaporation reduction section 3. Cooling System 4 tanks 5 Circulating fluid 7. Heat-generating part 8.21 Temperature sensor 9. Dissolved oxygen meter 10 Compressor 11 Condenser 12,20 Expansion valve 13 Control Unit B 14 Cooler 15 Deoxygenation section 16. Gas-liquid separation section 17 Control valve 18 Control Unit A 19 Condenser 22 Control part C 23 Drop lid 30 Condensing section 100,110,208 Liquid circulation system 200 Exposure equipment

Claims

1. A liquid circulation device for cooling a heat-generating part, Liquid circulation pathways, A deoxygenation unit is provided on the circulation path to reduce the oxygen in the liquid, A liquid circulation device characterized by comprising an evaporation reduction unit for reducing the amount of evaporation of the liquid.

2. The liquid circulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the evaporation reduction unit is provided upstream of the deoxygenation unit on the circulation path and includes a cooling unit for cooling the liquid.

3. Along the aforementioned circulation path, a first measuring unit measures the temperature of the liquid, A first expansion valve for supplying refrigerant to the cooling section, The liquid circulation device according to claim 2, further comprising a first control unit that controls the opening degree of the first expansion valve based on the measurement results of the first measurement unit.

4. The liquid circulation device according to claim 3, characterized in that the first measuring unit is provided upstream of the heating unit.

5. The liquid circulation device according to claim 3, characterized in that the first measuring unit is provided upstream of the deoxygenation unit and downstream of the cooling unit.

6. The liquid circulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the evaporation reduction unit includes a condensing unit that condenses the vapor of the liquid in a tank filled with the liquid.

7. The aforementioned condensation section is A condenser installed inside the aforementioned tank, A second measuring unit measures the temperature of the refrigerant flowing inside the condenser, A second expansion valve for supplying the refrigerant to the condenser, The liquid circulation device according to claim 6, further comprising a second control unit that controls the opening degree of the second expansion valve based on the measurement results of the second measurement unit.

8. The liquid circulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the evaporation reduction unit includes a lid that covers the liquid surface in the tank filled with the liquid.

9. It has a third measuring unit that measures the amount of dissolved oxygen in the liquid filled in the tank, The aforementioned deoxygenation unit is A flow control valve for introducing an inert gas into the aforementioned liquid, The liquid circulation device according to claim 1, further comprising a third control unit that controls the opening degree of the flow control valve based on the measurement results of the third measurement unit.

10. The liquid circulation device according to claim 9, characterized in that the deoxygenation unit includes a gas-liquid separation unit for separating gas from the liquid after the introduction of the inert gas.

11. The liquid circulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the liquid is discharged into the filling liquid in a tank filled with the liquid after circulating through the circulation path.

12. A substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates, A substrate processing apparatus characterized by comprising a liquid circulation device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The process includes processing a substrate using the substrate processing apparatus described in claim 12, A method for manufacturing an article, characterized by manufacturing an article from the processed substrate.

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