Supply tank, supply device, supply system

Abstract

The present invention provides a supply tank, a supply device, and a supply system that stabilize the liquid temperature of a processing liquid supplied to a substrate processing apparatus. The supply tank supplies the processing liquid to the substrate processing apparatus, and the supply tank includes: a container that stores the processing liquid; a first partition plate that divides the container into a first region into which the processing liquid is introduced and a second region that supplies the processing liquid to the substrate processing apparatus; a pipe that sends out the processing liquid introduced into the first region to the second region; and a heater that is provided on the path of the pipe and heats the processing liquid.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a supply tank, a supply device, and a supply system. Background Art

[0002] As a wet etching apparatus for etching a film laminated on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or glass using a processing liquid, a batch-type substrate processing apparatus that immerses a plurality of substrates in the processing liquid at once, and a single-substrate processing apparatus that supplies the processing liquid to each substrate one by one are known.

[0003] In the batch-type substrate processing apparatus, since a plurality of substrates are processed at once, there is an advantage in terms of productivity. On the other hand, in the single-substrate processing apparatus, since each substrate is processed one by one, the productivity is lower than that of the batch-type substrate processing apparatus, but fine and uniform etching can be performed. In particular, in recent years, as the miniaturization of the patterns on the substrate has advanced, the frequency of using the single-substrate processing apparatus has gradually increased.

[0004] In the single-substrate processing apparatus, in order to perform fine and uniform etching, it is necessary to strictly control the temperature of the processing liquid supplied to the substrate. The temperature of the processing liquid is, for example, maintained at 160°C, but even if the temperature is changed by only 1°C from this temperature, the etching rate will change significantly, and thus the depth of etching will deviate. Therefore, it is desirable to suppress the variation in the temperature of the processing liquid within, for example, 0.2°C.

[0005] However, such a processing liquid is relatively expensive, so it is recovered after etching and reused after adjusting the temperature. For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the processing liquid that has been used for etching is temporarily recovered into a tank, and after adjusting the liquid temperature, it is supplied to the substrate again.

[0006] [Prior Art Documents]

[0007] [Patent Documents]

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-258462 Summary of the Invention

[0009] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0010] In terms of efficiency, in most cases, a plurality of substrate processing devices are connected to such a container. That is, one tank recovers the processing liquid used in the plurality of substrate processing devices and supplies the processing liquid in the tank to the plurality of substrate processing devices. Therefore, sometimes the tank recovers a large amount of processing liquid at one time due to the overlapping timing of substrate processing in each substrate processing device and supplies a large amount of processing liquid at one time. In addition, even when connected to only one substrate processing device, the recovery timing of the processing liquid may deviate, for example, when the substrate processing device is temporarily stopped.

[0011] In short, due to such problems, the temperature variation of the processing liquid in the tank becomes large, and temperature control becomes difficult. For example, when a plurality of substrate processing devices are connected and the amount of recovered processing liquid increases due to the overlapping timing of substrate processing, since the temperature of the processing liquid in the tank drops significantly, it may not be possible to obtain sufficient heating time before supplying the processing liquid. It is also possible to consider stopping the supply before the processing liquid is sufficiently heated. However, even in this case, due to the variation in the amount of the processing liquid recovered irregularly and in an indefinite amount, the temperature of the processing liquid in the tank changes at all times, so it is impossible to avoid an increase in the error of temperature control. Furthermore, when the temperature of the processing liquid in the tank drops significantly, the output of the heater is increased to cope with it, but it takes time to control the reduction of the increased output of the heater by one degree. Therefore, even if the processing liquid in the tank is overheated this time, it is still difficult to perform temperature control. Thus, due to these two factors, the recovery of the processing liquid and the control of the heater, the temperature control of the processing liquid cannot be sufficiently performed, resulting in a deviation in the etching depth of the substrate.

[0012] An object of the present invention is to provide a supply tank, a supply device, and a supply system that can stabilize the liquid temperature of the processing liquid supplied to a substrate processing device.

[0013] [Technical means for solving the problem]

[0014] The supply tank of the present invention is a supply tank that supplies a processing liquid to a substrate processing device, and includes: a container that stores the processing liquid; a first partition plate that divides the container into a first region into which the processing liquid is introduced and a second region that supplies the processing liquid to the substrate processing device; a first pipe that sends the processing liquid introduced into the first region to the second region; and a first heater that is provided on the path of the first pipe and heats the processing liquid.

[0015] In addition, a supply device and a supply system including the supply tank are also set as one aspect of the present invention.

[0016] [Effects of the invention]

[0017] The supply tank of the present invention can stabilize the liquid temperature of the processing liquid supplied to the substrate processing device. Description of the Drawings

[0018] Figure 1 These are diagrams showing a substrate processing apparatus and a supply apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0019] Figure 2 These are perspective stereoscopic diagrams showing a supply tank according to an embodiment.

[0020] Figure 3 These are diagrams showing a substrate processing apparatus and a supply apparatus according to a modified example of the embodiment.

[0021] [Description of Reference Numerals]

[0022] 1: Supply apparatus

[0023] 10: Supply tank

[0024] 10a: Container

[0025] 11: Partition plate

[0026] 11a: Opening

[0027] 100: Substrate processing apparatus

[0028] 101: Rotation drive unit

[0029] 102: Processing liquid supply unit

[0030] 103: Processing liquid recovery unit

[0031] 111: First partition plate (partition plate)

[0032] 112: Second partition plate (partition plate)

[0033] 113: Third partition plate (partition plate)

[0034] C, N, P, Q, R, S: Pipes

[0035] H1, H2: Heaters

[0036] P1, P2, P3: Pumps

[0037] R1: First region (region)

[0038] R2: Second region (region)

[0039] R3, R4, R5, R6: Regions

[0040] SS: Supply system

[0041] TH: Heater inside the tank

[0042] W: Substrate Detailed Description of the Invention

[0043] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As Figure 1 shown, the supply device 1 of the present embodiment recovers the processing liquid from the substrate processing device 100 and supplies the processing liquid to the substrate processing device 100. In addition, although not shown in Figure 1 the figure, it is assumed that a plurality of substrate processing devices 100 are provided for one supply device 1. In addition, a system in which the processing liquid is circulated by such a supply device 1 and the substrate processing device 100 is set as a supply system SS.

[0044] (Substrate Processing Device)

[0045] The substrate processing device 100 is, for example, a single-wafer substrate processing device that supplies a processing liquid to a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer or glass and performs etching. The substrate processing device 100 includes: a rotation driving unit 101 that holds the substrate W and rotates it; a processing liquid supply unit 102 that supplies the processing liquid to the substrate W; and a processing liquid recovery unit 103 that recovers the processing liquid supplied to the substrate W.

[0046] The rotation driving unit 101 is, for example, a rotation chuck that holds the edge of the substrate W by a chuck pin or the like and rotates the held substrate W about an axis orthogonal to the substrate W. The processing liquid supply unit 102 is, for example, a nozzle that is provided above the rotation driving unit 101 and ejects the processing liquid toward the surface of the substrate W that is rotated by the rotation driving unit 101. The other end of the nozzle is connected to the supply device 1 via a pipe S described later. In addition, the processing liquid supply unit 102 may be provided only one with respect to the surface of the substrate W, or may be provided in plurality. The processing liquid is, for example, an acid-based liquid such as hydrofluoric acid, phosphoric acid, or sulfuric acid. The processing liquid recovery unit 103 is, for example, a frame provided so as to surround the rotation driving unit 101 and recover the processing liquid overflowing from the surface of the substrate W from its bottom. That is, the bottom of the processing liquid recovery unit 103 has an opening, and the opening is connected to the supply device 1 via a pipe C described later.

[0047] (Supply Device)

[0048] The supply device 1 is a supply device that heats the etched processing liquid recovered from the substrate processing device 100 and supplies it again to the substrate processing device 100. The supply device 1 includes: a pipe C, which is a recovery pipe for recovering the etched processing liquid from the processing liquid recovery unit 103 of the substrate processing device 100; a supply tank 10, which is connected to the pipe C and stores the processing liquid recovered by the pipe C; and a pipe S, which is a supply pipe that is connected to the supply tank 10 and supplies the processing liquid from the supply tank 10 to the processing liquid supply unit 102 of the substrate processing device 100.

[0049] The supply tank 10 includes a rectangular container 10a for storing the processing liquid. The container 10a is made of a material that is corrosion-resistant to the processing liquid. As Figure 2 shown, the container 10a is divided into multiple regions by the partition plate 11. In Figure 2 , it is divided into three regions by two partition plates 11. First, the container 10a is divided into a first region R1 for introducing the processing liquid from the pipe C and the pipes N and R described later, and a second region R2 connected to the pipe S. Further, the second region R2 is divided into a region R3 adjacent to the first region R1 and introducing the processing liquid from the first region R1, and a region R4 adjacent to the region R3 and connected to the pipe S and supplying the processing liquid to the substrate processing apparatus 100. In addition, when distinguishing between the two partition plates 11, the partition plate 11 that separates the first region R1 and the second region R2 is set as the first partition plate 111, and the partition plate 11 that separates the region R3 and the region R4 of the second region R2 is set as the second partition plate 112. In addition, tank heaters TH for keeping the processing liquid warm are provided in each of the regions R1, R3, and R4.

[0050] Long circular hole openings 11a of the same size are provided in the first partition plate 111 and the second partition plate 112 to connect the regions R1, R3, and R4. Since the processing liquid moves between the regions R1, R3, and R4 through the openings 11a, the liquid level height of the processing liquid is equal between the regions R1, R3, and R4. In order for the processing liquid to move between the regions R1, R3, and R4 even when the amount of the processing liquid in the container 10a is small, the opening 11a in the present embodiment is long strip-shaped in the liquid level height direction. In addition, the size of the opening 11a is preferably set to such a size that the processing liquid introduced from the pipe P described later into the region R3 of the second region R2 does not return to the first region R1 through the opening 11a, so that the processing liquid circulates in the regions R1 and R3 and it is difficult to flow to the region R4. On the other hand, the partition plate 11 is made of a raw material that not only has corrosion resistance but also has heat insulation properties, suppressing the reduction of the temperature difference of the processing liquid between the regions R1, R3, and R4. In addition, from the viewpoint of preventing the temperature of the processing liquid from becoming equal between the regions R1, R3, and R4, the positions where the openings 11a of the present embodiment are provided are separated between the partition plates 11. For example, as Figure 2 shown, when the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111 is provided on one side surface of the container 10a connected to the end of the first partition plate 111, the opening 11a of the second partition plate 112 is preferably provided on the other side surface of the container 10a facing the one side surface.

[0051] In the first region R1, the pipes C, N, and R are connected, and the processing liquid is introduced from these pipes. As Figure 2As shown, the pipe C, pipe N, and pipe R are arranged on the other side surface of the container 10a facing the side surface of the container 10a where the opening 11a provided with the first partition plate 111 is located. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the processing liquid introduced from the pipe C, pipe N, and pipe R from immediately flowing into the region R3 through the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111. The pipe C introduces the etched processing liquid recovered from the substrate processing apparatus 100. The pipe N is connected to a processing liquid supply apparatus (not shown) including, for example, a liquid feeding apparatus, a valve, etc., and newly introduces a processing liquid equivalent to the amount reduced due to etching or the like in the substrate processing apparatus 100. The reduction of the processing liquid can also be detected by a liquid level sensor (not shown). In addition, a valve (not shown) etc. is provided in the pipe N, and it can be opened and closed in cooperation with the liquid level sensor. The pipe R is a reflux pipe branched from the pipe S and functions to return a part of the supplied processing liquid to the supply tank 10. In addition, valves (not shown) etc. are provided in the pipe S and the pipe R, and by opening and closing these valves, the flow of the processing liquid can be controlled.

[0052] Furthermore, in the first region R1, a pipe P is connected to the bottom. Specifically, as Figure 2 shown, the inlet of the pipe P is arranged near the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111. The pipe P sends the processing liquid from the bottom of the first region R1 to the region R3 of the second region R2. That is, a pump P1 is arranged on the path of the pipe P. In addition, on the path of the pipe P, for example, a heater H1 is arranged on the downstream side of the pump P1 to heat the processing liquid sent out from the pump P1 to a target specified temperature. The specified temperature is, for example, 160°C. A temperature sensor (not shown) is arranged on the downstream side of the heater H1, and the output of the heater H1 is adjusted by receiving the feedback from the temperature sensor. The temperature sensor is, for example, a thermistor. Thus, in the first region R1, the pump P1 sucks the processing liquid introduced from the pipe C, pipe N, and pipe R from the pipe P, heats it, and sends it out to the region R3 of the second region R2. Since the temperature of the processing liquid introduced from the pipe C, pipe N, and pipe R is lower than the overall temperature of the processing liquid in the container 10a, it moves to the bottom of the container 10a. Thereby, the processing liquid introduced from the pipe C, pipe N, and pipe R is preferentially sucked out compared with the overall processing liquid in the container 10a. In addition, the processing liquid introduced from the pipe C, pipe N, and pipe R is not only sucked out from the pipe P, but also flows to the second region R2 through the opening 11a.

[0053] The pipe P is connected to the region R3 of the second region R2. Specifically, as Figure 2As shown, the outlet of the pipe P is provided near the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111. The processing liquid is introduced into the first region R1 via the pipe P. When the processing liquid does not flow in from the pipes C, N, and R, the processing liquid mainly flows to the first region R1 via the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111. In addition, the processing liquid introduced into the region R3 can also flow to the region R4 via the opening 11a of the second partition plate 112.

[0054] In the region R4 of the second region R2, a pipe S is connected to the bottom, and the processing liquid is supplied to the processing liquid supply unit 102 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 via the pipe S. The pipe S sucks the processing liquid from the bottom of the region R4. That is, a pump P2 is provided in the path of the pipe S. In addition, in the path of the pipe S, for example, a heater H2 is provided on the downstream side of the pump P2 to heat the processing liquid sent out from the pump P2 to a target specified temperature. The specified temperature is, for example, 160 °C. A temperature sensor is provided on the downstream side of the heater H2, and feedback from the temperature sensor is received to adjust the output of the heater H2. The temperature sensor is, for example, a thermistor. Thus, the processing liquid heated to the specified temperature is supplied to the processing liquid supply unit 102 of the substrate processing apparatus 100. In addition, a filter for removing impurities from the processing liquid may be provided in the path of the pipe S.

[0055] (Function)

[0056] The operation of the supply device 1 with such a structure will be described. As a premise, in the substrate processing apparatus 100, the processing liquid supply unit 102 sprays the processing liquid onto the substrate W, and the etched processing liquid is recovered into the pipe C from the opening of the processing liquid recovery unit 103. The processing liquid recovered into the pipe C is introduced into the supply tank 10 of the supply device 1. More specifically, it is introduced into the first region R1 of the supply tank 10. A part of the processing liquid introduced into the first region R1 flows to the adjacent second region R2 via the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111. On the other hand, most of the processing liquid introduced into the first region R1 is sucked out by the pump P1 from the pipe P connected to the bottom of the first region R1. The sucked-out processing liquid is heated to a target specified temperature by the heater H1 provided on the downstream side of the pump P1.

[0057] The processing liquid heated by the heater H1 is sent by the pump P1 via the pipe P to the region R3 of the second region R2. The processing liquid sent to the region R3 flows to the region R4 of the first region R1 and the second region R2 via the opening 11a of the partition plate 11.

[0058] The processing liquid flowing from region R3 to region R4 is sucked out by pump P2 from a pipe S connected to the bottom of region R4. The sucked processing liquid is heated by a heater H2 provided on the downstream side of pump P2 to a prescribed target temperature. The processing liquid heated by heater H2 is supplied to the processing liquid supply section 102 of the substrate processing apparatus 100. Thus, since the processing liquid supply section 102 can eject the processing liquid heated to the prescribed temperature, the substrate W can be etched at a desired etching rate.

[0059] (Effect)

[0060] (1) The supply tank 10 of the present embodiment is a supply tank 10 that supplies a processing liquid to the substrate processing apparatus 100, and includes: a container 10a that stores the processing liquid; a first partition plate 111 that divides the container 10a into a first region R1 into which the processing liquid is introduced and a second region R2 that supplies the processing liquid to the substrate processing apparatus 100; a pipe P that sends the processing liquid introduced into the first region R1 to the second region R2; and a heater H1 that is provided on the path of the pipe P and heats the processing liquid. Thus, in the supply tank 10 of the present embodiment, the processing liquid heated by the heater H1 is stored in a second region R2 different from the first region R1 into which the processing liquid is introduced, and the processing liquid is supplied from the second region R2 to the substrate processing apparatus 100. That is, since the heat of the processing liquid from the first region R1 is blocked by the first partition plate 111, the liquid temperature of the processing liquid in the second region R2 supplied to the substrate processing apparatus 100 can be stabilized. Therefore, it is not necessary to greatly change the output of the heater H2 that heats the processing liquid before supplying it to the substrate processing apparatus 100, and it is only necessary to perform control to keep the output substantially constant, so it is easy to control. Furthermore, since the processing liquid in the second region R2 has been heated by the heater H1 once, its liquid temperature is higher than that of the processing liquid in the first region R1. Thus, the heater H2 can heat the processing liquid to the prescribed temperature with a smaller output.

[0061] In the prior art, since no partition plate is provided in the supply tank, the liquid temperature in the supply tank always changes due to the processing liquid that is recovered irregularly and in an irregular amount. It is difficult to control the output of the heater that heats the processing liquid to reach the desired temperature for such a changing liquid temperature. For example, the amount of the recovered processing liquid temporarily increases due to processing overlap in the substrate processing apparatus. In such a case, the liquid temperature in the supply tank drops significantly, but even if the output of the heater is increased accordingly, when the amount of the recovered processing liquid decreases later, the output of the heater must be immediately suppressed. On the other hand, in the supply tank 10 of the present embodiment, the processing liquid in the second region R2 separated by the first partition plate 111 is not easily affected by the temperature of the processing liquid introduced irregularly and in an irregular amount, so the output change of the heater H2 that heats the processing liquid in the second region R2 can be suppressed, and thus stable control can be performed.

[0062] (2) The first partition plate 111 of this embodiment includes an opening 11a that connects the first region R1 and the second region R2 and through which the processing liquid flows. Thus, a part of the processing liquid in the second region R2 flows to the first region R1 via the opening 11a. Therefore, for example, even when the recovered processing liquid does not flow into the first region R1, the flow rate of the processing liquid sent out by the pump P1 can be maintained. If the opening 11a is not provided in the first partition plate 111, since the amount of the processing liquid introduced into the first region R1 varies, the flow rate of the processing liquid sent from the pump P1 to the heater H1 also varies, so it is difficult to control the output of the heater H1. On the other hand, the opening 11a provided in the first partition plate 111 of this embodiment can keep the flow rate of the processing liquid sent from the pump P1 to the heater H1 constant or suppress the variation of the flow rate, so the output control of the heater H1 can be stabilized.

[0063] Furthermore, when a plurality of substrate processing devices 100 are connected to the supply tank 10, according to the substrate processing time of each substrate processing device 100, the amount of the processing liquid introduced into the first region R1 is greatly reduced. In this case, the processing liquid flows from the second region R2 into the first region R1 via the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111, but the processing liquid in the second region R2 has been heated by the heater H1 once and the liquid temperature becomes high. Therefore, the liquid temperature of the processing liquid sucked out from the first region R1 to the pipe P is also high, so the heater H1 can heat the processing liquid to a specified temperature with less output. In addition, by supplying new liquid from the pipe N in accordance with the timing when the amount of the processing liquid introduced into the first region R1 is greatly reduced, the once-heated processing liquid from the second region R2 is mixed with the new liquid. Therefore, even when supplementing low-temperature new liquid, the heater H1 can heat the new liquid to a specified temperature with less output.

[0064] (3) The supply tank 10 of this embodiment further includes a second partition plate 112. The second partition plate 112 divides the second region R2 into a region R3 where the processing liquid is sent out from the pipe P and a region R4 where the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate processing device 100. The second partition plate 112 includes an opening 11a that connects the region R3 and the region R4 and through which the processing liquid flows. Thus, since two partition plates 11 are provided between the first region R1 into which the recovered processing liquid is introduced and the region R4 of the second region R2 where the processing liquid is supplied, the change in the liquid temperature with respect to the processing liquid supplied to the substrate processing device 100 can be more effectively suppressed.

[0065] (4) The opening 11a of the first partition plate 111 of this embodiment is provided on one side surface side of the container 10a connected to the end of the first partition plate 111, and the opening 11a of the second partition plate 112 is provided on the other side surface side of the container 10a facing the one side surface. In this way, by arranging the openings 11a of the two partition plates 11 staggeredly, the processing liquid is not likely to flow from the first region R1 for recovering the processing liquid into the region R4 of the second region R2 for supplying the processing liquid. Therefore, the change in the liquid temperature can be more effectively suppressed.

[0066] (5) The pipe P of this embodiment is arranged near the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111 in the second region R2. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the processing liquid with a low liquid temperature in the first region R1 from flowing into the second region R2. Furthermore, if the flow rate sucked through the pipe P is set to be larger than the inflow amounts from the pipes C, N, and R, the processing liquid flows from the second region R2 into the first region R1, so that the rate of decrease in the liquid temperature of the processing liquid in the first region R1 due to the processed liquid after etching can be suppressed. Thereby, the output variation of the heater H1 can be suppressed, and thus the control of the heater H1 becomes easier. In addition, the processing liquid flowing from the second region R2 into the first region R1 is heated again by the heater H1, so that the liquid temperature in the second region R2 can be made more stable.

[0067] (6) The supply device 1 of this embodiment includes: the supply tank 10 described above; a pipe S that supplies the processing liquid in the second region R2 to the substrate processing device 100; and a heater H2 that is arranged on the path of the pipe S and heats the processing liquid. Furthermore, it includes a pipe R that branches from the pipe S and is arranged to introduce the processing liquid into the container 10a. Conventionally, for example, when the processing of the substrate processing device 100 stagnates, the liquid temperature of the processing liquid in the pipe S may decrease. Even in such a case, the supply device 1 of this embodiment can supply the processing liquid that has just been heated by the heater H2 all the time by circulating the processing liquid using the pipe R. Therefore, the possibility of supplying the processing liquid with a decreased liquid temperature to the substrate processing device 100 can be reduced. In addition, since the processing liquid heated by the heater H2 is introduced into the first region R1 from the pipe R, the liquid temperature of the processing liquid in the first region R1 can be suppressed from significantly decreasing due to the processed liquid with a decreased liquid temperature after etching. Thereby, the output variation of the heater H1 can be suppressed, and thus stable control can be performed.

[0068] In addition, after the substrate processing of the substrate processing device 100 is completed, the processing liquid is not introduced from the pipe C, and the processing liquid in the supply tank 10 circulates through the pipe S and the pipe R. In this case, the heaters H1 and H2 only need to supplement the amount of heat dissipated in the pipes S and R, so the processing liquid can be heated to a specified temperature with a relatively small output.

[0069] (7) The supply system SS of this embodiment includes: the supply device 1 described above; a substrate processing device 100 that processes the substrate W using a processing liquid; and a pipe C that recovers the processing liquid after processing the substrate W and introduces it into the first region R1 of the container 10a. The pipe C is disposed on the other side surface of the container 10a facing the side surface of the container 10a where the opening 11a provided with the first partition plate 111 is located. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the processing liquid after the temperature drop of the etched liquid introduced from the pipe C from immediately flowing into the region R3 through the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111 and causing the temperature drop of the processing liquid in the region R3.

[0070] (Variant example)

[0071] This embodiment is not limited to the above-described form, and the following variant examples can also be configured. For example, pumps P1 and P2 are respectively provided in the pipes P and S, but pumps can also be respectively provided in the pipes C, N, and R. Furthermore, the pipe N is connected to the first region R1, but as long as it can be introduced into the supply tank 10 in a pre-heated state, it can also be connected to the second region R2. In this case, a heater can also be provided in the pipe N. In addition, the pipe R is connected to the first region R1, but as long as the temperature drop of the processing liquid is small, it can also be connected to the region R3 or the region R4.

[0072] In addition, in the above-described form, the number of sheets of the partition plate 11 is set to two, but it is not limited thereto. It can be one sheet or three or more sheets. As long as it is a structure that at least separates the region into which the recovered processing liquid is introduced from the region for supplying the heated processing liquid and can raise the liquid temperature to the target temperature as the liquid flows toward the suction port of the pipe S. In addition, there is no particular limitation on the position where the opening 11a is provided. For example, it can also be provided in the central portion of the partition plate 11. In addition, the opening 11a is not limited to an oblong hole, and can be a slit or an opening formed by arranging a plurality of round holes. In addition, a communicating pipe for making the liquid levels of the first region R1 and the second region R2 constant can be provided instead of the function of the opening 11a.

[0073] In addition, in the above-described form, the region R3 and the region R4 in the second region R2 are communicated through the opening 11a, but in the same way as the structure of the pipe P and the pump P1 provided between the first region R1 and the second region R2, it can also be communicated through a pipe, and the processing liquid can be sent from the region R3 to the region R4 by a pump provided on the pipe path. Or, the opening 11a may not be provided in the second partition plate 112, and the processing liquid in the region R4 can flow into the region R3 by making the liquid level of the region R4 reach the upper end of the second partition plate 112.

[0074] In addition, the partition plate 11 provided with the opening 11a and the partition plate 11 not provided with the opening 11a may be mixed. Regarding this form, refer to Figure 3 for description. In addition, for Figure 3 the structure shown, only the parts different from Figure 1 will be described, and the common parts will be omitted from description.

[0075] Figure 3 The supply tank 10 shown in includes, in addition to the first partition plate 111 and the second partition plate 112, a third partition plate 113. The third partition plate 113 is arranged to divide the region R4 in the second region R2 into a region R5 that communicates with the region R3 via the opening 11a of the second partition plate 112 and a region R6 that is connected to the pipe S and supplies the processing liquid to the substrate processing apparatus 100. As described above, no opening 11a is provided in the third partition plate 113. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3 , the upper end of the third partition plate 113 is arranged at a position higher than the liquid level of the processing liquid in the region R6 and lower than the upper end of the side surface of the container 10a. Thus, when the liquid level of the processing liquid in the region R6 is higher than the third partition plate 113, the processing liquid in the region R6 flows from the upper end of the third partition plate 113 to the region R5.

[0076] In addition, in the region R5, a pipe Q is connected to the bottom. The pipe Q sends the processing liquid from the bottom of the region R5 to the region R6. That is, a pump P3 is provided in the path of the pipe Q, and through the pump P3, the processing liquid in the region R5 is sucked out by the pipe Q and sequentially introduced into the region R6. Thus, the processing liquid supplied to the substrate processing apparatus 100 does not mix with the processing liquid in the first region R1 with a low liquid temperature via the opening 11a, so that the liquid temperature can be more reliably maintained. In addition, through the third partition plate 113 not provided with the opening 11a, the heat of the processing liquid from the region R5 is blocked, so that the temperature change of the processing liquid in the region R6 can be further suppressed. As a result, the output variation of the heater H2 becomes very small, and thus its control becomes easy. Furthermore, by setting the output of the pump P3 to be larger than the output of the pump P2, the liquid level in the region R6 can be always constant, that is, maintained at the height of the third partition plate 113. Thus, the flow rate of the processing liquid supplied to the pump P2 can be further kept constant, so that the heating control of the heater H2 can be made more stable. In addition, by providing a tank heater in the region R6, temperature stability can be further achieved.

[0077] [Other Embodiments]

[0078] The above has described the embodiments of the present invention and the modification examples of each part. However, the above embodiments or the modification examples of each part are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments described above can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments or their modifications are included in the scope or gist of the invention and are included in the invention described in the claims.

Claims

1. A supply tank, characterized in that, A processing liquid is supplied to a substrate processing apparatus, and the supply tank includes: A container for storing the processing liquid; A first partition plate that divides the container into a first area into which the processing liquid is introduced and a second area for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate processing apparatus; A first pipe that sends the processing liquid introduced into the first area to the second area; A first heater provided on the path of the first pipe to heat the processing liquid; and A second partition plate that divides the second area into a third area from which the processing liquid is sent out by the first pipe and a fourth area for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate processing apparatus; Wherein, the first partition plate includes an opening provided on a side surface of the container connected to an end of the first partition plate and communicating the first area with the second area, The second partition plate includes an opening provided on the other side surface of the container facing the one side surface and communicating the third area with the fourth area.

2. The supply tank according to claim 1, characterized in that The first pipe is provided in the second area near the opening of the first partition plate.

3. The supply tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes: A third partition plate that divides the fourth area into a fifth area communicating with the third area through the opening of the second partition plate and a sixth area for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate processing apparatus; And A second pipe that sends the processing liquid in the fifth area to the sixth area, Wherein, no opening for the processing liquid to flow to the fifth area is provided in the third partition plate, The upper end of the third partition plate is provided at a position higher than the liquid level of the processing liquid in the fifth area and lower than the upper end of the side surface of the container.

4. A supply device, characterized in that, It includes: The supply tank according to any one of claims 1 to 3; A supply pipe for supplying the processing liquid in the second area to the substrate processing apparatus; And A second heater provided on the path of the supply pipe to heat the processing liquid.

5. The supply device according to claim 4, characterized in that, It further includes: A reflux pipe branched from the supply pipe and introducing the processing liquid into the container.

6. A supply system, characterized in that, It includes: The supply apparatus according to claim 4; A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate with the processing liquid; And A recovery pipe for recovering the processing liquid after processing the substrate from the substrate processing apparatus and introducing it into the first area of the container.

7. The supply system according to claim 6, characterized in that The recovery pipe is provided on the other side surface of the container facing the side surface of the container where the opening of the first partition plate is provided in the container.

Images