Supply device, supply system

Abstract

The present invention provides a supply device and a supply system for stabilizing the liquid temperature of a processing liquid supplied to a substrate processing device. The supply device includes: a recovery tank that recovers the processing liquid from the substrate processing device and heats it; and a supply tank that supplies the processing liquid heated in the recovery tank to the substrate processing device. The recovery tank includes: a recovery container that stores the processing liquid; a first partition plate that divides the recovery container into a first area for introducing the processing liquid from the substrate processing device and a second area for introducing the processing liquid to the supply tank; a pipe that sends the processing liquid introduced into the first area to the second area; a first heater provided on the path of the pipe; and a sending pipe that sends the processing liquid in the second area heated by the first heater to the supply tank. The supply tank includes: a supply container that stores the processing liquid sent from the recovery tank; a supply pipe that supplies the processing liquid stored in the supply container to the substrate processing device; and a second heater provided on the path of the supply pipe.

Description

Technical Field

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

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

[0003] In a batch-type substrate processing device, since a plurality of substrates are processed at once, it has an advantage in terms of productivity. On the other hand, in a single-wafer substrate processing device, since each substrate is processed one by one, it is inferior to the batch-type substrate processing device in terms of productivity, 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 a single-wafer substrate processing device has gradually increased.

[0004] In a single-wafer substrate processing device, 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 it changes by only 1 °C from this temperature, the etching rate will change significantly, resulting in a deviation in the etching depth. Therefore, it is desirable to suppress the variation in the temperature of the processing liquid to, for example, within 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 Application Laid-Open No. 2007-258462 Summary of the Invention

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

[0010] From the perspective of efficiency, in most cases, multiple substrate processing devices are connected to such a container. That is, one tank recovers the processing liquid used in multiple substrate processing devices and supplies the processing liquid in the tank to multiple substrate processing devices. Therefore, sometimes the tank recovers a large amount of processing liquid at once due to the overlapping timing of substrate processing in each substrate processing device and supplies a large amount of processing liquid at once. In addition, even when connected to only one substrate processing device, the timing of recovering the processing liquid may deviate, such as 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 multiple substrate processing devices are connected and the timing of substrate processing overlaps, resulting in an increase in the amount of recovered processing liquid, 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 fully heated. However, even in this case, due to the variation in the amount of irregularly and unevenly recovered processing liquid, the temperature of the processing liquid in the tank changes at all times, so it is inevitable that the error in temperature control becomes large. 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 heater output 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, it is not possible to fully control the temperature of the processing liquid, resulting in a deviation in the etching depth of the substrate.

[0012] An object of the present invention is to provide 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 device of the present invention includes: a recovery tank that recovers and heats a processing liquid from a substrate processing device; and a supply tank that is connected to the recovery tank and supplies the processing liquid heated in the recovery tank to the substrate processing device. Among them, the recovery tank includes: a recovery container that stores the processing liquid; a first partition plate that divides the recovery container into a first area for introducing the processing liquid from the substrate processing device and a second area for introducing the processing liquid into the supply tank; a pipe that sends the processing liquid introduced into the first area to the second area; a first heater that is arranged on the path of the pipe and heats the processing liquid; and a sending pipe that sends the processing liquid in the second area heated by the first heater to the supply tank. The supply tank includes: a supply container that stores the processing liquid sent from the recovery tank; a supply pipe that supplies the processing liquid stored in the supply container to the substrate processing device; and a second heater that is arranged on the path of the supply pipe and heats the processing liquid.

[0015] In addition, a supply system including the above supply device is also set as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] The supply device and supply system 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 It is a diagram showing a substrate processing device and a supply device of an embodiment.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a perspective three-dimensional view showing a recovery tank of an embodiment.

[0020] Figure 3 It is a diagram showing a substrate processing device and a supply device of a modified example of an embodiment.

[0021] [Explanation of Reference Numerals]

[0022] 100: Substrate processing device

[0023] 101: Rotation drive unit

[0024] 102: Processing liquid supply unit

[0025] 103: Processing liquid recovery unit

[0026] 10: Recovery tank

[0027] 10a: Container

[0028] 11, 111, 112, 113: Partition plate

[0029] 11a: Opening

[0030] 20: Supply tank

[0031] 20a: Container

[0032] C, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S: Pipes

[0033] H1, H2: Heaters

[0034] L: Connection position

[0035] P1, P2, P3: Pumps

[0036] R1, R2, R3, R4: Areas

[0037] TH: Heater inside the tank

[0038] W: Substrate Detailed implementation manner

[0039] 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 , 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 a substrate processing device 100 is defined as a supply system SS.

[0040] (Substrate processing device)

[0041] 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 and rotates the substrate W; 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.

[0042] The rotation drive unit 101 is, for example, a rotary chuck that holds the edge of the substrate W by means of 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 drive unit 101 and ejects the processing liquid toward the surface of the substrate W that is rotated by the rotation drive 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 that is provided so as to surround the rotation drive unit 101 and recovers the processing liquid that overflows from the surface of the substrate W from its bottom. That is, the bottom of the processing liquid recovery unit 103 has an opening that is connected to the supply device 1 via a pipe C described later.

[0043] (Supply Device)

[0044] The supply device 1 is a supply device that heats the etched processing liquid recovered from the substrate processing device 100 and supplies it to the substrate processing device 100 again. 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 recovery tank 10, which is connected to the pipe C and stores the processing liquid recovered by the pipe C; a supply tank 20, which is connected to the recovery tank 10 and stores the processing liquid heated in the recovery tank 10; and a pipe S, which is a supply pipe that is connected to the supply tank 20 and supplies the processing liquid from the supply tank 20 to the processing liquid supply unit 102 of the substrate processing device 100.

[0045] The recovery 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 a plurality of regions by a 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 into which the processing liquid is introduced from the pipe C and a second region R2 that is connected to the supply tank 20. Further, the second region R2 is divided into a region R3 that is adjacent to the first region R1 and into which the processing liquid is introduced from the first region R1, and a region R4 that is adjacent to the region R3 and is connected to the supply tank 20 and supplies the processing liquid to the substrate processing device 100. In addition, when distinguishing between the two partition plates 11, the partition plate 11 that divides the first region R1 and the second region R2 is designated as the first partition plate 111, and the partition plate 11 that divides the region R3 and the region R4 of the second region R2 is designated as the second partition plate 112. In addition, an in-tank heater TH for keeping the processing liquid warm is provided in each of the regions R1, R3, and R4.

[0046] Openings 11a of oblong holes of the same size are provided in the first partition plate 111 and the second partition plate 112 to communicate 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 openings 11a in the present embodiment are elongated in the liquid level height direction. In addition, the size of the openings 11a is preferably set to a size that prevents the processing liquid introduced into the region R3 of the second region R2 from the pipe P described later from returning to the first region R1 through the openings 11a, so that the processing liquid circulates within 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 having not only corrosion resistance but also 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.

[0047] A pipe C is connected to the first region R1, and the processing liquid is introduced from the pipe C. As Figure 2 shown, the pipe C is provided in the container 10a on the other side surface facing the one side surface of the container 10a where the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111 is provided. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the processing liquid introduced from the pipe C 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.

[0048] Furthermore, in the first region R1, a pipe P is connected to the bottom. Specifically, as Figure 2As shown, the inlet of the pipe P is provided 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 provided in the path of the pipe P. In addition, on the path of the pipe P, for example, a heater H1 is provided on the downstream side of the pump P1 to heat the processing liquid sent out from the pump P1 to a specified target temperature. The specified temperature is, for example, 160 °C. A temperature sensor (not shown) is provided 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. In this way, in the first region R1, the pump P1 sucks out the processing liquid introduced from the pipe C from the pipe P, heats it, and sends it to the region R3 of the second region R2. Since the temperature of the processing liquid introduced from the pipe C is lower than the overall temperature of the processing liquid in the container 10a, it moves to the bottom of the container 10a. As a result, the processing liquid introduced from the pipe C is preferentially sucked out compared to the overall processing liquid in the container 10a. In addition, the processing liquid introduced from the pipe C is not only sucked out from the pipe P but also flows to the second region R2 through the opening 11a.

[0049] The pipe P is connected to the region R3 of the second region R2. Specifically, as Figure 2 shown, the outlet of the pipe P is provided near the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111. The processing liquid is introduced from the first region R1 via the pipe P. Furthermore, a pipe O is connected to the region R3 of the second region R2. Specifically, as Figure 2 shown, the outlet of the pipe O is provided near the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111. The processing liquid is introduced from a supply tank 20 (described later) via the pipe O. Mainly in the case where there is no inflow of the processing liquid from the pipe C, these processing liquids flow to the first region R1 through 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 through the opening 11a of the second partition plate 112.

[0050] In the region R4 of the second region R2, a pipe M is connected to the bottom, and the processing liquid is sent to the supply tank 20 via the pipe M. The pipe M is a delivery pipe that sucks out the processing liquid from the bottom of the region R4 and sends it to the supply tank 20. That is, a pump P2 is provided in the path of the pipe M.

[0051] The supply tank 20 includes a rectangular container 20a for storing the processing liquid introduced from the recovery tank 10. The container 20a is made of a raw material that is corrosion-resistant to the processing liquid. Via the pipe O, a pipe S is connected to the bottom of the supply tank 20, 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 out the processing liquid from the bottom of the supply tank 20. That is, a pump P3 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 P3 to heat the processing liquid sent out from the pump P3 to a target prescribed temperature. The prescribed 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 prescribed 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.

[0052] In addition, a pipe O as an overflow pipe is connected to the upper part of the side surface of the supply tank 20, and the processing liquid is introduced into the recovery tank 10 via the pipe O. In addition, since no pump is provided in the pipe O of the present embodiment, regarding the height at which the pipe O is provided in the supply tank 20, as Figure 1 shown, it is provided at a position higher than the height of the liquid surface of the processing liquid in the recovery tank 10. More specifically, as described above, it is introduced into the region R3 of the second region R2 of the recovery tank 10. That is, when the liquid surface of the processing liquid in the supply tank 20 rises to the connection position L of the pipe O, the processing liquid overflows from the supply tank 20 via the pipe O and flows into the recovery tank 10.

[0053] Furthermore, in the supply tank 20, a pipe N and a pipe R are connected. The pipe N is a fresh liquid pipe that is connected to a processing liquid supply device (not shown) including, for example, a liquid feeding device and a valve, and newly introduces a processing liquid equivalent to the amount reduced due to etching or the like in the substrate processing apparatus 100. In addition, in the processing liquid supply device, the processing liquid is pre-heated to a prescribed temperature, for example, 160°C. In addition, the reduction of the processing liquid may be detected by a liquid surface sensor (not shown) provided in the supply tank 20. In addition, a valve (not shown) or the like is provided in the pipe N, and it can be opened and closed in cooperation with the liquid surface sensor. The pipe R is branched from the pipe S and serves as a reflux pipe that returns a part of the supplied processing liquid to the supply tank 20. In addition, valves (not shown) or the like are provided in the pipe S and the pipe R, and the flow of the processing liquid can be controlled by opening and closing these valves.

[0054] (Function)

[0055] The operation of the supply device 1 with such a structure will be described. As a prerequisite, 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 from the opening of the processing liquid recovery unit 103 into the pipe C. The processing liquid recovered into the pipe C is introduced into the recovery tank 10 of the supply device 1. More specifically, it is introduced into the first region R1 of the recovery tank 10. A part of the processing liquid introduced into the first region R1 flows through the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111 to the adjacent second region R2. 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 specified target temperature by the heater H1 provided on the downstream side of the pump P1.

[0056] 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 through the opening 11a of the partition plate 11 to the region R4 of the first region R1 and the second region R2.

[0057] The processing liquid flowing from the region R3 to the region R4 is sucked out by the pump P2 from the pipe M connected to the bottom of the region R4. The sucked-out processing liquid is sent to the supply tank 20. The processing liquid introduced into the supply tank 20 is sucked out by the pump P3 from the pipe S connected to the bottom. The sucked-out processing liquid is heated to a specified target temperature by the heater H2 provided on the downstream side of the pump P2. The processing liquid heated by the heater H2 is supplied to the processing liquid supply unit 102 of the substrate processing apparatus 100. Thus, the processing liquid supply unit 102 can spray the processing liquid heated to the specified temperature, and therefore the substrate W can be etched at a desired etching rate. In addition, when the liquid level of the processing liquid introduced into the supply tank 20 rises to the connection position of the pipe O, it overflows from the supply tank 20 via the pipe O and flows into the recovery tank 10. Furthermore, the processing liquid introduced into the recovery tank 10 through the pipe O is mixed with the heated processing liquid supplied from the pipe P in the second region R2, whereby the target temperature can be approximated.

[0058] (Effect)

[0059] (1) The supply device 1 of this embodiment includes: a recovery tank 10 that recovers the processing liquid from the substrate processing device 100 and heats it; and a supply tank 20 that is connected to the recovery tank 10 and supplies the processing liquid heated in the recovery tank 10 to the substrate processing device 100. The recovery tank 10 includes: a container 10a that stores the processing liquid; a first partition plate 111 that divides the container 10a into a first area R1 into which the processing liquid is introduced from the substrate processing device 100 and a second area R2 into which the processing liquid is introduced to the supply tank 20; a pipe P that sends the processing liquid introduced into the first area R1 to the second area R2; a heater H1 that is provided on the path of the pipe P and heats the processing liquid; and a pipe M that sends the processing liquid in the second area R2 heated by the heater H1 to the supply tank 20. The supply tank 20 includes: a container 20a that stores the processing liquid sent from the recovery tank 10; a pipe S that supplies the processing liquid stored in the container 20a to the substrate processing device 100; and a heater H2 that is provided on the path of the pipe S and heats the processing liquid.

[0060] Thus, in the recovery tank 10 of this embodiment, the processing liquid heated by the heater H1 is stored in a second area R2 different from the first area R1 into which the processing liquid is introduced, and the processing liquid is supplied from the second area R2 to the supply tank 20. That is, since the heat of the processing liquid from the first area R1 is blocked by the first partition plate 111, the liquid temperature of the processing liquid in the second area R2 sent to the supply tank 20 can be stabilized. In addition, the heated processing liquid is sequentially sent to the supply tank 20 whose heat is blocked from the recovery tank 10, so that the influence of the liquid temperature change caused by the processing liquid recovered by the pipe C can be further reduced. Thus, since the liquid temperature of the processing liquid sent to the supply tank 20 can be stabilized, 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 device 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 area R2 is once heated by the heater H1, its liquid temperature is higher than that of the processing liquid in the first area R1. Therefore, the heater H2 can heat the processing liquid to a specified 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 varies due to the processing liquid that is recovered irregularly and in an indefinite amount. For such a varying liquid temperature, it is difficult to control the output of the heater that heats the processing liquid to reach the desired temperature. For example, the amount of the recovered processing liquid temporarily increases due to the processing overlap of the substrate processing apparatus. In such a case, the liquid temperature in the supply tank drops significantly. However, even if the output of the heater is increased accordingly, when the amount of the subsequently recovered processing liquid decreases, the output of the heater must be immediately suppressed. On the other hand, in the recovery 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 that is introduced irregularly and in an indefinite amount. Further, the heated processing liquid is sequentially sent to the supply tank 20 separated from the recovery tank 10. Therefore, the variation in the liquid temperature of the processing liquid can be suppressed. Thereby, the variation in the output of the heater H2 that heats the processing liquid in the supply tank 20 can be suppressed, and thus stable control can be performed.

[0062] (2) The first partition plate 111 of the present embodiment includes an opening 11a that communicates the first region R1 with the second region R2 and allows the processing liquid to flow therethrough. Thereby, a part of the processing liquid in the second region R2 flows through the opening 11a into the first region R1. 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. Therefore, 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 the present embodiment can keep the flow rate of the processing liquid sent from the pump P1 to the heater H1 constant or suppress the variation in the flow rate. Therefore, the output control of the heater H1 can be made stable.

[0063] Further, when a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 100 are connected to the recovery tank 10, the amount of the processing liquid introduced into the first region R1 significantly decreases according to the substrate processing time of each substrate processing apparatus 100. In such a case, the processing liquid flows from the second region R2 into the first region R1 through the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111. However, the processing liquid in the second region R2 has been heated by the heater H1 and the liquid temperature becomes high. Therefore, the liquid temperature of the processing liquid sucked from the first region R1 into the pipe P is also high. Therefore, the heater H1 can heat the processing liquid to the specified temperature with a smaller output.

[0064] (3) The recovery 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 for sending out the processing liquid from the pipe P and a region R4 for sending out the processing liquid to the supply tank 20. The second partition plate 112 includes an opening 11a that communicates the region R3 with the region R4 and allows the processing liquid to flow through. 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 for sending out the processing liquid, the change in the liquid temperature with respect to the processing liquid sent to the supply tank 20 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 of the container 10a of the recovery tank 10 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 of the container 10a of the recovery tank 10 facing the one side surface. In this way, by arranging the openings 11a of the two partition plates 11 staggeredly, it is difficult for the processing liquid 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 supply device 1 of this embodiment includes a pipe R which is branched from the pipe S and is used to introduce the processing liquid into the container 20a of the supply tank 20. In the past, 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 been heated by the heater H2 not long ago all the time by circulating the processing liquid through 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.

[0067] 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 20 circulates through the pipe S and the pipe R. In this case, the heater H2 only needs to supplement the amount of heat dissipated in the pipe S and the pipe R. Therefore, the processing liquid can be heated to a specified temperature with a relatively small output.

[0068] (6) The supply device 1 of this embodiment further includes a pipe O, which is connected to the upper part of the side surface of the supply tank 20, and when the liquid level of the processing liquid in the supply tank 20 reaches the connection position, the processing liquid is introduced into the container 10a of the recovery tank 10. Thereby, the flow rate of the processing liquid delivered to the pump P3 can be kept constant, so that the heating control of the heater H2 can be made more stable. In addition, the processing liquid introduced into the recovery tank 10 through the pipe O can be reheated by the heater H2. Furthermore, the processing liquid introduced into the recovery tank 10 through the pipe O has been heated by the heater H1 once, so the temperature is relatively high. That is, the liquid temperature of the processing liquid is as stable as that of the processing liquid in the supply tank 20, so it can be supplied to the supply tank 20 immediately without reheating. Thereby, the liquid volume of the processing liquid supplied to the substrate processing device 100 can be ensured sufficiently.

[0069] (7) The pipe P and the pipe O of this embodiment are arranged near the opening 11a of the first partition plate 111 in the second region R2. Thereby, the inflow of the processing liquid with a low liquid temperature in the first region R1 into the second region R2 can be suppressed. Furthermore, if the amount of the liquid sucked through the pipe P is set to be more than the inflow amount from the pipe C, 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, so the control of the heater H1 becomes easy. In addition, the processing liquid flowing from the second region R2 into the first region R1 is also reheated by the heater H1, so the liquid temperature in the second region R2 can be made more stable.

[0070] (8) The supply device 1 of this embodiment further includes a pipe N, which is connected to the supply tank 20 and supplies the preheated processing liquid. Thereby, compared with the case where the pipe N is connected to the recovery tank 10, the liquid temperature of the processing liquid in the supply tank 20 is stable, so it is easy to perform the heating control of the processing liquid by the heater H2. In addition, the amount of the processing liquid introduced into the recovery tank 10 from the pipe C is small. Therefore, even when the processing liquid cannot be sufficiently delivered from the pump P2, the processing liquid can be introduced from the pipe N, so that the liquid volume of the processing liquid in the supply tank 20 can be ensured. In addition, when the processing liquid is excessively introduced into the supply tank 20, since the processing liquid returns from the pipe O to the recovery tank 10, the liquid volume in the supply tank 20 will not be excessive. As described above, through the pipe N, the liquid temperature and the liquid volume of the processing liquid in the supply tank 20 can be made stable.

[0071] (9) 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 from the substrate processing device 100 and introduces it into the first region R1 of the container 10a of the recovery tank 10. 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 liquid temperature drops after etching 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 liquid temperature of the processing liquid in the region R3 to drop.

[0072] (Variant example)

[0073] This embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the following variant examples can also be configured. For example, pumps P1, P2, and P3 are respectively provided in the pipes P, M, and S, but pumps can also be respectively provided in the pipes C, N, O, and R. In particular, by providing a pump in the pipe O, the height at which the pipe O is provided in the supply tank 20 can be made lower than the liquid level of the recovery tank 10, etc., thereby increasing the degree of freedom in the tank configuration.

[0074] In addition, the pipe O may not be provided. In the case where the pipe O is not provided, the liquid level of the supply tank 20 can also be made constant by controlling the pump P2. Or, as Figure 3 shown, a branch pipe, i.e., a pipe Q, branched from the pipe M can also be provided at the front end of the pump P2, and a part of the processing liquid is returned to the recovery tank 10 via the pipe Q, thereby making the liquid level of the supply tank 20 constant. In addition, in this case, a three-way valve can also be provided at the part where the pipe M branches into the pipe Q, and the liquid volume of the processing liquid in the supply tank 20 is detected using a liquid level sensor (not shown), etc., and the flow direction of the processing liquid is switched using the three-way valve.

[0075] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, 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 at least the region into which the processing liquid to be recovered is introduced is separated from the region for supplying the heated processing liquid. 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 part 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 communication pipe for making the liquid levels of the first region R1 and the second region R2 constant can also be provided instead of the function of the opening 11a.

[0076] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the region R3 and the region R4 in the second region R2 are communicated through the opening 11a. However, similarly to the case between the first region R1 and the second region R2, they 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. Alternatively, the opening 11a may not be provided in the second partition plate 112, and the processing liquid in the region R4 may flow into the region R3 by making the liquid level height of the region R4 reach the upper end of the second partition plate 112.

[0077] [Other Embodiment Modes]

[0078] The embodiment modes of the present invention and the modification examples of each part have been described above. However, the above-described embodiment modes or the modification examples of each part are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiment modes described above can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiment modes 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 device, characterized in that, Comprising: A recovery tank that recovers a processing liquid from a substrate processing apparatus and heats it; And A supply tank that is connected to the recovery tank and supplies the processing liquid heated in the recovery tank to the substrate processing apparatus, Wherein, the recovery tank includes: A recovery container that stores the processing liquid; A first partition plate that divides the recovery container into a first area for introducing the processing liquid from the substrate processing apparatus and a second area for introducing the processing liquid into the supply tank; A pipe that sends the processing liquid introduced into the first area to the second area; A first heater that is provided on the path of the pipe and heats the processing liquid; and A sending pipe that sends the processing liquid in the second area heated by the first heater to the supply tank, The supply tank includes: A supply container that stores the processing liquid sent out from the recovery tank; A supply pipe that supplies the processing liquid stored in the supply container to the substrate processing apparatus; and A second heater that is provided on the path of the supply pipe and heats the processing liquid.

2. The supply device according to claim 1, wherein The first partition plate includes: a first opening that communicates the first area with the second area and allows the processing liquid to flow through.

3. The supply device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that It further includes: A second partition plate that divides the second area into: a third area for sending out the processing liquid from the pipe and a fourth area for introducing the processing liquid into the supply tank; The second partition plate includes: a second opening that communicates the third area with the fourth area and allows the processing liquid to flow through.

4. The supply device according to claim 2, wherein It further includes: A second partition plate that divides the second area into: a third area for sending out the processing liquid from the pipe and a fourth area for introducing the processing liquid into the supply tank; The second partition plate includes: a second opening that communicates the third area with the fourth area and allows the processing liquid to flow through, The first opening is arranged to: communicate the first area with the third area of the second area.

5. The supply device according to claim 4, wherein The first opening of the first partition plate is arranged on one side surface of the recovery container connected to the end of the first partition plate; The second opening of the second partition plate is arranged on the other side surface facing the one side surface of the recovery container.

6. The supply device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that It further includes, A reflux pipe that is branched from the supply pipe and introduces the processing liquid into the supply container of the supply tank.

7. The supply device according to claim 1, wherein It further includes: An overflow pipe that is connected to the upper part of the side surface of the supply tank and introduces the processing liquid into the recovery container of the recovery tank when the liquid level of the processing liquid in the supply tank reaches the connection position.

8. The supply device according to any one of claims 2, 4, and 5, characterized in that, It further includes: An overflow pipe that is connected to the upper part of the side surface of the supply tank and introduces the processing liquid into the recovery container of the recovery tank when the liquid level of the processing liquid in the supply tank reaches the connection position.

9. The supply device according to claim 8, wherein The pipe and the overflow pipe are arranged near the first opening of the first partition plate in the second area.

10. The supply device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Further included are: A fresh liquid pipe connected to the supply tank for supplying a pre-heated treatment liquid.

11. A supply system, characterized in that, Including: The supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 10; A substrate processing device for processing a substrate with the treatment liquid; And A recovery pipe for recovering the treatment liquid after processing the substrate from the substrate processing device and introducing it into the first area of the recovery container of the recovery tank.

12. The supply system according to claim 11, wherein The first partition plate includes a first opening that communicates the first area with the second area and through which the treatment liquid flows, The recovery pipe is disposed on the side of the other side surface of the recovery container of the recovery tank that faces the side surface of the recovery container where the opening of the first partition plate is provided.

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