Processing fluid supply device and processing fluid supply method

Abstract

A processing fluid supply device (70) according to one embodiment of the present invention is provided with a supply line (61), a cooling unit, a pump (75), a return line (90), a heating unit, and a flow rate adjustment mechanism. The supply line (61) supplies the processing fluid to the substrate processing apparatus (1) from a processing fluid supply source (60) that supplies the processing fluid in a gaseous state. The cooling unit is provided in the supply line (61), and cools the gas-state processing fluid to generate a liquid-state processing fluid. A pump (75) is provided on the downstream side of the cooling section in the supply line (61). The return line (90) branches from a branching section (76) on the downstream side of the pump (75) in the supply line (61), and returns the process fluid to a confluence section (71) on the upstream side of the cooling section in the supply line (61). The heating unit is provided in the return line (90) and heats the process fluid. The flow rate adjusting mechanism adjusts the flow rate of the processing fluid supplied to the heating unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a treatment fluid supply apparatus and a treatment fluid supply method. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, there is known a substrate processing device that forms a liquid film for preventing drying on the surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) or the like as a substrate, and makes the wafer formed with the liquid film contact with a processing fluid in a supercritical state to perform a drying process. In addition, there is known a processing fluid supply device that supplies a processing fluid to the substrate processing device (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 7109328 Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0007] The present invention provides a technology capable of improving the filtering performance of a processing fluid in a processing fluid supply device that supplies the processing fluid to a substrate processing device.

[0008] Technical solutions for solving technical problems

[0009] A processing fluid supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a supply pipeline, a cooling unit, a pump, a return pipeline, a heating unit and a flow regulating mechanism. The supply pipeline supplies the processing fluid from a processing fluid supply source that supplies the processing fluid in a gas state to a substrate processing device. The cooling unit is disposed in the supply pipeline, and is capable of cooling the processing fluid in a gas state to generate the processing fluid in a liquid state. The pump is disposed on the downstream side of the cooling unit in the supply pipeline. The return pipeline branches off from a branch portion in the supply pipeline located on the downstream side of the pump, and returns the processing fluid to a confluence portion in the supply pipeline located on the upstream side of the cooling unit. The heating unit is disposed in the return pipeline, and is capable of heating the processing fluid. The flow regulating mechanism is capable of regulating the flow rate of the processing fluid supplied to the heating unit.

[0010] Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the filtering performance of a processing fluid in a processing fluid supplying device that supplies the processing fluid to a substrate processing device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a liquid processing unit according to an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 3 It is a schematic perspective view showing a structural example of a drying unit according to an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing an example of the overall system configuration of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment.

[0016] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing an example of the piping structure of the supply unit and the drying unit according to the embodiment.

[0017] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing an example of a piping structure of a processing fluid supply device according to an embodiment.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of a piping structure of a processing fluid supply device according to Modification 1 of the embodiment.

[0019] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a heater according to Modification 1 of the embodiment.

[0020] Fig. 9 yes Figure 8 A cross-sectional view taken along line AA is shown.

[0021] Fig.10 It is a diagram showing an example of a piping structure of a processing fluid supply device according to a second modification of the embodiment.

[0022] Fig.11 It is a diagram showing an example of a piping structure of a processing fluid supply device according to a third modification of the embodiment.

[0023] Fig.12 It is a diagram showing an example of a piping structure of a processing fluid supply device according to a fourth modification of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the treatment fluid supply device and the treatment fluid supply method of the present invention will be described in detail. In addition, the embodiments shown below do not limit the present invention. In addition, the accompanying drawings are schematic, and the dimensional relationship of each element, the proportion of each element, etc. may be different from the actual. Moreover, there may be parts with different dimensional relationships and proportions between the drawings.

[0025] A substrate processing device is known in the prior art, which forms a liquid film for preventing drying on the surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) or the like serving as a substrate, and brings the wafer formed with the liquid film into contact with a processing fluid in a supercritical state to perform a drying process.

[0026] Since the piping from the processing fluid supply source to the substrate processing device in the processing fluid supply device that supplies the processing fluid to the substrate processing device is formed in series, even if a filter is used to filter foreign matter in the processing fluid, the number of times it can be filtered is limited.

[0027] Therefore, by setting a return pipeline in the treatment fluid supply device to return the treatment fluid from the downstream side to the upstream side, the treatment fluid can be circulated in the treatment fluid supply device, which can increase the number of times that can be filtered (number of filtration times) and improve the performance of removing foreign matter.

[0028] At this time, the treatment fluid in a liquid state on the downstream side is heated by the heater in the return line, thereby converting the treatment fluid into a gas state, and then the gaseous treatment fluid is filtered by the gas filter.

[0029] However, when the pressure of the treatment fluid in the treatment fluid supply device rises sharply, the treatment fluid returning from the return pipeline to the upstream side may not be sufficiently heated. As a result, if the treatment fluid in a gas-liquid mixed state flows through the gas filter, the filtering performance of the treatment fluid may be reduced.

[0030] Therefore, people hope to realize a technology that can solve the above-mentioned problems and improve the filtering performance of the processing fluid in a processing fluid supply device that supplies the processing fluid to the substrate processing device.

[0031] <Structure of substrate processing apparatus>

[0032] First, refer to Figure 1 , the structure of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment will be described. Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. In the following, in order to clarify the positional relationship, mutually orthogonal X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are defined, and the positive direction of the Z-axis is defined as the vertical upward direction.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, the substrate processing device 1 includes a feeding station 2 and a processing station 3. The feeding station 2 and the processing station 3 are arranged adjacent to each other.

[0034] The loading and unloading station 2 includes a carrier placement unit 11 and a conveying unit 12. A plurality of carriers C can be placed on the carrier placement unit 11, and a plurality of semiconductor wafers W (hereinafter referred to as "wafers W") can be stored in the carrier C in a horizontal state.

[0035] The conveying section 12 is provided adjacent to the carrier placing section 11. Inside the conveying section 12, a conveying device 13 and a delivery section 14 are arranged.

[0036] The conveying device 13 includes a wafer holding mechanism for holding the wafer W. The conveying device 13 is movable in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction and is rotatable about the vertical axis, and conveys the wafer W between the carrier C and the interface 14 using the wafer holding mechanism.

[0037] The processing station 3 is disposed adjacent to the conveying section 12. The processing station 3 includes a conveying block 4 and a plurality of processing blocks 5.

[0038] The transport block 4 includes a transport area 15 and a transport device 16. The transport area 15 is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped area extending in the arrangement direction (X-axis direction) of the transport station 2 and the processing station 3. The transport device 16 is disposed in the transport area 15.

[0039] The transport device 16 includes a wafer holding mechanism that holds the wafer W. The transport device 16 is movable in the horizontal and vertical directions and rotatable about a vertical axis, and transports the wafer W between the interface 14 and the plurality of processing blocks 5 using the wafer holding mechanism.

[0040] The plurality of processing blocks 5 are arranged adjacent to the conveying area 15 on both sides of the conveying area 15. Specifically, the plurality of processing blocks 5 are arranged on one side (positive Y-axis side) and the other side (negative Y-axis side) of the conveying area 15 in a direction (Y-axis direction) orthogonal to the arrangement direction (X-axis direction) of the in-and-out station 2 and the processing station 3.

[0041] Although not shown, the plurality of processing blocks 5 are arranged in multiple layers (e.g., three layers) in the vertical direction. The wafer W is transported between the processing blocks 5 arranged in each layer and the interface 14 by a transport device 16 arranged in the transport block 4. In addition, the number of layers of the processing blocks 5 is not limited to three layers.

[0042] Each processing block 5 includes a liquid processing unit 17, a drying unit 18, and a supply unit 19. The drying unit 18 is an example of a substrate processing unit.

[0043] The liquid processing unit 17 performs a cleaning process for cleaning the upper surface of the wafer W as a pattern forming surface. In addition, the liquid processing unit 17 performs a liquid film forming process for forming a liquid film on the upper surface of the cleaned wafer W. The structure of the liquid processing unit 17 will be described later.

[0044] The drying unit 18 performs supercritical drying on the wafer W after the liquid film forming process. Specifically, the drying unit 18 dries the wafer W by bringing the wafer W after the liquid film forming process into contact with a processing fluid in a supercritical state (hereinafter also referred to as "supercritical fluid"). The structure of the drying unit 18 will be described later.

[0045] The supply unit 19 supplies the treatment fluid to the drying unit 18. Specifically, the supply unit 19 includes: a supply equipment group including a flow meter, a flow regulator, a back pressure valve, a heater, etc.; and a housing for storing the supply equipment group. In this embodiment, the supply unit 19 supplies CO2 as the treatment fluid to the drying unit 18. The structure of the supply unit 19 will be described later.

[0046] In addition, the supply unit 19 is connected to a treatment fluid supply device 70 (see Figure 4 ). In the embodiment, the treatment fluid supply device 70 supplies CO 2 as the treatment fluid to the supply unit 19. The details of the treatment fluid supply device 70 will be described later.

[0047] The liquid processing unit 17, the drying unit 18 and the supply unit 19 are arranged along the conveying area 15 (i.e., along the X-axis direction). Among the liquid processing unit 17, the drying unit 18 and the supply unit 19, the liquid processing unit 17 is arranged at the position closest to the feeding and unfeeding station 2, and the supply unit 19 is arranged at the position farthest from the feeding and unfeeding station 2.

[0048] Thus, each processing block 5 includes a liquid processing unit 17, a drying unit 18, and a supply unit 19. That is, the same number of liquid processing units 17, drying units 18, and supply units 19 are provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0049] The drying unit 18 includes a processing area 18 a for performing supercritical drying and a delivery area 18 b for delivering wafers W between the transport block 4 and the processing area 18 a. The processing area 18 a and the delivery area 18 b are arranged along the transport area 15 .

[0050] Specifically, of the processing area 18a and the interface area 18b, the interface area 18b is disposed on the side closer to the liquid processing unit 17 than the processing area 18a. That is, in each processing block 5, the liquid processing unit 17, the interface area 18b, the processing area 18a and the supply unit 19 are arranged in sequence along the conveying area 15.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, the substrate processing device 1 includes a control device 6. The control device 6 is, for example, a computer, and includes a control unit 7 and a storage unit 8.

[0052] The control unit 7 includes a microcomputer and various circuits having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input / output port, etc. The CPU of the microcomputer reads and executes the program stored in the ROM to control the conveying devices 13 and 16, the liquid processing unit 17, the drying unit 18, the supply unit 19, etc.

[0053] In addition, the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium and installed from the storage medium into the storage unit 8 of the control device 6. Examples of computer-readable storage media include a hard disk (HD), a floppy disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a magneto-optical disk (MO), and a memory card.

[0054] The storage unit 8 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor storage element such as a RAM or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk.

[0055] In the substrate processing apparatus 1 constructed as above, first, the conveying device 13 of the in-and-out station 2 takes out a wafer W from the carrier C placed on the carrier placement portion 11, and places the taken-out wafer W on the delivery portion 14. The wafer W placed on the delivery portion 14 is taken out from the delivery portion 14 by the conveying device 16 of the processing station 3, and is conveyed to the liquid processing unit 17.

[0056] The wafer W sent to the liquid processing unit 17 is subjected to cleaning and liquid film forming treatments by the liquid processing unit 17 and then sent out from the liquid processing unit 17 by the transport device 16. The wafer W sent out from the liquid processing unit 17 is sent to the drying unit 18 by the transport device 16 and subjected to drying treatment by the drying unit 18.

[0057] The wafer W dried by the drying unit 18 is transported out of the drying unit 18 by the transport device 16 and placed in the interface 14. Then, the processed wafer W placed in the interface 14 is returned to the carrier C of the carrier placement unit 11 by the transport device 13.

[0058] <Structure of Liquid Processing Unit>

[0059] Next, refer to Figure 2 , the structure of the liquid processing unit 17 is described. Figure 2 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the liquid processing unit 17. The liquid processing unit 17 is configured as, for example, a single-wafer cleaning device that cleans wafers W one by one by spin cleaning.

[0060] like Figure 2As shown, liquid processing unit 17 holds wafer W substantially horizontally using wafer holding mechanism 25 disposed in outer chamber 23 forming a processing space, and rotates wafer W by rotating wafer holding mechanism 25 about a vertical axis.

[0061] Then, the liquid processing unit 17 moves the nozzle arm 26 to the top of the rotating wafer W, and supplies chemical liquid and rinse liquid in a predetermined order from the chemical liquid nozzle 26a provided at the front end of the nozzle arm 26, thereby cleaning the upper surface of the wafer W.

[0062] In the liquid processing unit 17, a chemical liquid supply passage 25a is also formed inside the wafer holding mechanism 25. The lower surface of the wafer W is also cleaned by the chemical liquid and the rinse liquid supplied from the chemical liquid supply passage 25a.

[0063] The cleaning process first removes particles and organic pollutants using, for example, SC1 solution (a mixture of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide solution) as an alkaline chemical solution, and then rinses and cleans using deionized water (hereinafter referred to as "DIW") as a rinse solution.

[0064] Next, the natural oxide film is removed using a diluted hydrofluoric acid (hereinafter referred to as "DHF") aqueous solution as an acidic chemical solution, and then rinsed and cleaned again using DIW.

[0065] The various liquid medicines are blocked by the outer chamber 23 and the inner cup-shaped portion 24 disposed in the outer chamber 23, and are discharged from the drain port 23a provided at the bottom of the outer chamber 23 and the drain port 24a provided at the bottom of the inner cup-shaped portion 24. Furthermore, the atmosphere in the outer chamber 23 is discharged from the exhaust port 23b provided at the bottom of the outer chamber 23.

[0066] The liquid film forming process is performed after the rinsing process in the cleaning process. Specifically, the liquid processing unit 17 rotates the wafer holding mechanism 25 while supplying liquid IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol, hereinafter referred to as "IPA liquid") to the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W. As a result, the DIW remaining on both sides of the wafer W is replaced with IPA. After that, the liquid processing unit 17 slowly stops the rotation of the wafer holding mechanism 25.

[0067] The wafer W having completed the liquid film forming process is delivered to the transfer device 16 by a delivery mechanism (not shown) provided in the wafer holding mechanism 25 with the IPA liquid film formed on the upper surface thereof, and is transported out of the liquid processing unit 17 .

[0068] Regarding the liquid film formed on the chip W, during the process of transporting the chip W from the liquid processing unit 17 to the drying unit 18 or during the movement of the chip W into the drying unit 18, pattern collapse due to evaporation (gasification) of the liquid on the upper surface of the chip W is prevented.

[0069] <Structure of Drying Unit>

[0070] Next, refer to Figure 3 , the structure of the drying unit 18 will be described. Figure 3 It is a schematic perspective view showing a structural example of the drying unit 18 .

[0071] The drying unit 18 includes a main body 31, a holding plate 32, and a cover member 33. The box-shaped main body 31 is formed with an opening 34 for carrying in and out the wafer W. The holding plate 32 holds the wafer W to be processed in a horizontal direction. The cover member 33 supports the holding plate 32 and seals the opening 34 when the wafer W is carried into the main body 31.

[0072] The main body 31 is a container having a processing space formed therein that can accommodate a wafer W having a diameter of, for example, 300 mm, and a supply port 35, 36 and a discharge port 37 are provided on its wall. The supply ports 35, 36 and the discharge port 37 are respectively connected to a supply flow path and a discharge flow path for circulating a supercritical fluid in the drying unit 18.

[0073] The supply port 35 is connected to the side surface of the box-shaped main body 31 on the opposite side to the opening 34. In addition, the supply port 36 is connected to the bottom surface of the main body 31. Moreover, the discharge port 37 is connected to the lower side of the opening 34. Figure 3 Although two supply ports 35 and 36 and one discharge port 37 are shown in FIG. 3 , the number of the supply ports 35 and 36 and the discharge port 37 is not particularly limited.

[0074] Furthermore, fluid supply heads 38 and 39 and a fluid discharge head 40 are provided inside the main body 31. The fluid supply heads 38 and 39 have a plurality of supply ports arranged in the longitudinal direction of the fluid supply heads 38 and 39, and the fluid discharge head 40 has a plurality of discharge ports arranged in the longitudinal direction of the fluid discharge head 40.

[0075] The fluid supply head 38 is connected to the supply port 35 and is provided adjacent to the side surface opposite to the opening 34 in the box-shaped main body 31. The plurality of supply ports formed in a row in the fluid supply head 38 face the opening 34 side.

[0076] The fluid supply head 39 is connected to the supply port 36 and is provided at the center of the bottom surface inside the box-shaped main body 31. In addition, a plurality of supply ports formed in a row in the fluid supply head 39 face upward.

[0077] The fluid discharge head 40 is connected to the discharge port 37, and is adjacent to the side surface of the opening 34 in the box-shaped main body 31 and provided below the opening 34. The plurality of discharge ports formed in a row in the fluid discharge head 40 face upward.

[0078] The fluid supply heads 38 and 39 supply the supercritical fluid into the main body 31. The fluid discharge head 40 guides the supercritical fluid in the main body 31 to the outside of the main body 31 for discharge. The supercritical fluid discharged to the outside of the main body 31 via the fluid discharge head 40 includes the IPA liquid dissolved in the supercritical fluid in the supercritical state from the surface of the wafer W.

[0079] In the drying unit 18, the IPA liquid between the patterns formed on the wafer W gradually dissolves into the supercritical fluid by contacting with the supercritical fluid in a high pressure state (e.g., 16 MPa), and the space between the patterns is gradually replaced by the supercritical fluid. Finally, only the supercritical fluid fills the space between the patterns.

[0080] Then, after removing the IPA liquid from between the patterns, the pressure inside the main body 31 is reduced from the high pressure state to the atmospheric pressure, and CO2 is transformed from the supercritical state to the gas state, and only the gas occupies the space between the patterns. In this way, the IPA liquid between the patterns is removed, and the drying process of the wafer W is completed.

[0081] Here, the supercritical fluid has a lower viscosity than a liquid (e.g., IPA liquid) and a higher ability to dissolve liquids. In addition, there is no interface between the supercritical fluid and the liquid or gas in equilibrium. Therefore, in the drying process using the supercritical fluid, the liquid can be dried without being affected by surface tension. Therefore, according to an embodiment, pattern collapse during the drying process can be suppressed.

[0082] In addition, in the embodiment, an example of using IPA liquid as the anti-drying liquid and using supercritical CO2 as the processing fluid is shown, but a liquid other than IPA can also be used as the anti-drying liquid, and a fluid other than supercritical CO2 can be used as the processing fluid.

[0083] <Structure of substrate processing system>

[0084] Next, refer to Figures 4 to 6 , describing the structure of the substrate processing system S according to the embodiment. Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall system configuration of the substrate processing system S according to the embodiment. In addition, each part of the substrate processing system S described below can be controlled by the control unit 7 .

[0085] The substrate processing system S includes a processing fluid supply source 60, a processing fluid supply device 70, and a substrate processing apparatus 1. The processing fluid supply device 70 supplies the processing fluid supplied from the processing fluid supply source 60 to the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0086] like Figure 4 As shown, the substrate processing device 1 includes a plurality of drying units 18 and a plurality of supply units 19. The wafer W (see FIG. 1 ) is treated in the drying unit 18 by using the processing fluid supplied by the corresponding supply unit 19. Figure 5 ) for processing.

[0087] The processing fluid supply source 60 and the plurality of drying units 18 are connected via a supply line 61 , and the processing fluid is supplied from the processing fluid supply source 60 to the plurality of drying units 18 via the supply line 61 .

[0088] The supply line 61 includes a first supply line 62 and a plurality of second supply lines 63. The first supply line 62 supplies the treatment fluid from the treatment fluid supply source 60 to the treatment fluid supply device 70. In addition, the first supply line 62 is branched into a plurality of second supply lines 63 in the treatment fluid supply device 70. The second supply line 63 supplies the treatment fluid to the drying unit 18 via the supply unit 19.

[0089] Figure 5 The figure shows an example of the piping structure of the supply unit 19 and the drying unit 18 of the embodiment. In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the processing fluid flowing in the second supply line 63 is supplied to the drying unit 18, and is discharged from the drying unit 18 to the outside through the discharge line 50.

[0090] The second supply line 63 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is provided with a valve 41, a heater 42, a temperature sensor 43, an orifice 44, a filter 45, and a valve 46 in order from the upstream side. In addition, a valve 48 is provided in a branch line 47 branched from between the filter 45 and the valve 46 in the second supply line 63.

[0091] The valve 41 is a valve for regulating the opening and closing of the flow of the treatment fluid. In the open state, the treatment fluid flows toward the heater 42 on the downstream side, and in the closed state, the treatment fluid does not flow toward the heater 42 on the downstream side.

[0092] The heater 42 heats the liquid treatment fluid flowing in the second supply line 63 to generate a supercritical treatment fluid. The temperature sensor 43 detects the temperature of the supercritical treatment fluid generated in the heater 42.

[0093] The orifice 44 is used to reduce the flow rate and adjust the pressure of the supercritical treatment fluid generated by the heater 42. The orifice 44 allows the supercritical treatment fluid whose pressure is adjusted to about 16 MPa to flow through the second supply line 63 on the downstream side.

[0094] The filter 45 filters the supercritical processing fluid flowing in the second supply line 63 to remove foreign matter contained in the processing fluid. By removing foreign matter in the processing fluid with the filter 45, it is possible to suppress the generation of particles on the surface of the wafer W when the wafer W is dried using the supercritical fluid.

[0095] Valves 46 and 48 are valves for regulating the opening and closing of the flow of the process fluid. When opened, the process fluid flows toward the drying unit 18 on the downstream side, and when closed, the process fluid does not flow toward the drying unit 18 on the downstream side.

[0096] The drying unit 18 is provided with a temperature sensor 49 . The temperature sensor 49 is used to detect the temperature of the treatment fluid filled in the drying unit 18 .

[0097] In the discharge line 50, a pressure sensor 51, a valve 52, a flow meter 53, and a back pressure valve 54 are provided in order from the upstream side. The pressure sensor 51 is used to measure the pressure of the treatment fluid flowing in the discharge line 50. Since the pressure sensor 51 is directly connected to the drying unit 18 via the discharge line 50, the pressure of the treatment fluid measured by the pressure sensor 51 is a value substantially equal to the internal pressure of the treatment fluid in the drying unit 18.

[0098] The valve 52 is a valve for regulating the flow of the treatment fluid. When it is open, the treatment fluid flows to the downstream drainage portion DR, and when it is closed, the treatment fluid does not flow to the downstream drainage portion DR. The flow meter 53 is used to measure the flow rate of the treatment fluid flowing in the discharge line 50.

[0099] The back pressure valve 54 is configured to maintain the primary pressure at the set pressure by adjusting the valve opening to allow the fluid to flow to the secondary side when the primary pressure of the discharge line 50 exceeds the set pressure. The valve opening and the set pressure of the back pressure valve 54 can be changed by the control unit 7 at any time.

[0100] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a piping structure of a processing fluid supply device 70 according to an embodiment. Figure 6 As shown, the process fluid supply device 70 has a supply pipeline 61. The supply pipeline 61 has a first supply pipeline 62 and a plurality of (two in the figure) second supply pipelines 63.

[0101] The first supply line 62 supplies the treatment fluid from the treatment fluid supply source 60 to the treatment fluid supply device 70. In addition, the first supply line 62 is branched into a plurality of second supply lines 63 within the treatment fluid supply device 70.

[0102] The first supply line 62 is provided with a valve 64, a check valve 65, a confluence portion 71, a plurality of (two in the figure) confluence portions 72, a filter 73, a condenser 74, a pump 75, and a branch portion 76 in order from the upstream side, based on the treatment fluid supply source 60. In addition, the first supply line 62 is provided with a connection portion 77, a pressure sensor 78, and a branch portion 79 in order from the upstream side, based on the branch portion 76.

[0103] The valve 64 is a valve for regulating the opening and closing of the flow of the treatment fluid. In the open state, the treatment fluid flows to the check valve 65 on the downstream side, and in the closed state, the treatment fluid does not flow to the check valve 65 on the downstream side. The check valve 65 is used to prevent the treatment fluid in the first supply line 62 from flowing back to the upstream side of the check valve 65.

[0104] The confluence portion 71 is a portion where the first supply line 62 and a return line 90 described later merge. The confluence portion 72 is an example of another confluence portion. The confluence portion 72 is a portion where the first supply line 62 and a return line 100 described later merge.

[0105] In addition, the first supply line 62 is supplied with a treatment fluid in a gaseous state from the treatment fluid supply source 60. Furthermore, the treatment fluid in a liquid state returned to the first supply line 62 from the plurality of return lines 100 is converted from a liquid state to a gaseous state by the high-temperature treatment fluid in a gaseous state returned to the first supply line 62 from the return line 90. Therefore, the treatment fluid in a gaseous state flows into the filter 73.

[0106] The filter 73 is, for example, a gas filter, which is used to filter the gaseous processing fluid flowing in the first supply line 62 to remove foreign matter contained in the processing fluid. By removing foreign matter in the processing fluid through the filter 73, it is possible to suppress the generation of particles on the surface of the wafer W when the wafer W is dried using the supercritical fluid.

[0107] The condenser 74 is an example of a cooling unit. The condenser 74 is connected to a cooling water supply unit (not shown), for example, and can exchange heat between the cooling water and the gaseous treatment fluid. Therefore, the condenser 74 can cool the gaseous treatment fluid flowing in the first supply line 62 to generate a liquid treatment fluid.

[0108] The pump 75 pressure-feeds the liquid-state treatment fluid supplied from the condenser 74 to the downstream side of the first supply line 62. A return line 90 described later branches off from the branch portion 76. A bypass line 110 is connected to the connection portion 77.

[0109] The pressure sensor 78 is used to measure the pressure of the treatment fluid flowing in the first supply line 62. From the branch portion 79, a plurality of (two in the figure) second supply lines 63 are branched.

[0110] Each second supply line 63 is provided with an orifice 80, a branch portion 81, and a pressure sensor 82 in order from the upstream side based on the branch portion 79. The orifice 80 is used to reduce the flow rate of the liquid treatment fluid flowing in the second supply line 63 to adjust the pressure.

[0111] The return line 100 branches off from the branch portion 81. The pressure sensor 82 is used to measure the pressure of the process fluid flowing in the second supply line 63.

[0112] The return line 100 is an example of another return line. The return line 100 is used to return the treated fluid in a liquid state flowing in the second supply line 63 to the confluence portion 72 of the first supply line 62. In this way, by using the return line 100 to return the treated fluid to the upstream side, the number of times that can be filtered can be increased, and the performance of removing foreign matter can be improved.

[0113] In the return line 100 , a back pressure valve 101 and a valve 102 are provided in order from the upstream side with reference to the branch portion 81 .

[0114] The back pressure valve 101 is configured to adjust the valve opening to allow fluid to flow to the secondary side when the primary side pressure of the return line 100 exceeds the set pressure, thereby maintaining the primary side pressure at the set pressure. In addition, the valve opening and set pressure of the back pressure valve 101 can be changed by the control unit 7 at any time.

[0115] The valve 102 is a valve for regulating the opening and closing of the flow of the treatment fluid. In the open state, the treatment fluid flows to the confluence part 72 on the downstream side, and in the closed state, the treatment fluid does not flow to the confluence part 72 on the downstream side.

[0116] The liquid state processing fluid returned from the return line 100 is returned to the confluence portion 72 of the first supply line 62. In addition, the liquid state processing fluid returned from the confluence portion 72 is converted from the liquid state to the gas state by the high-temperature gas state processing fluid returned from the confluence portion 71 and flowing in the first supply line 62.

[0117] The return line 90 branched from the branch portion 76 of the first supply line 62 returns the treated fluid in a liquid state flowing in the first supply line 62 to the confluence portion 71 of the first supply line 62. In this way, by using the return line 90 to return the treated fluid to the upstream side, the number of times that can be filtered can be increased, and the performance of removing foreign matter can be improved.

[0118] In the return line 90 , a spiral heater 91 , a connection portion 92 , a back pressure valve 93 , and a valve 94 are provided in order from the upstream side with reference to the branch portion 76 .

[0119] The spiral heater 91 is an example of a heating unit. The spiral heater 91 is wound around the return line 90, and heats the treatment fluid in a liquid state flowing in the return line 90 to generate the treatment fluid in a supercritical state.

[0120] The bypass line 110 is connected to the connection portion 92 . That is, the connection portion 77 of the first supply line 62 and the connection portion 92 of the return line 90 are connected by the bypass line 110 .

[0121] The back pressure valve 93 is configured to maintain the primary side pressure at the set pressure by adjusting the valve opening to allow the fluid to flow to the secondary side when the primary side pressure of the return line 90 exceeds the set pressure.

[0122] The back pressure valve 93 reduces the pressure of the supercritical treatment fluid flowing in the return line 90 to generate a gaseous treatment fluid. The valve opening and set pressure of the back pressure valve 93 can be changed by the control unit 7 at any time.

[0123] Furthermore, the connection part 92 and the back pressure valve 93 are arranged above the spiral heater 91. Thus, the processing fluid in a supercritical state with a low density can flow smoothly from the spiral heater 91 to the connection part 92 and the back pressure valve 93.

[0124] The valve 94 is a valve for regulating the opening and closing of the flow of the treatment fluid. In the open state, the treatment fluid flows to the confluence portion 71 on the downstream side, and in the closed state, the treatment fluid does not flow to the confluence portion 71 on the downstream side.

[0125] The high-temperature gaseous process fluid generated by the back pressure valve 93 is returned to the confluence portion 71 of the first supply line 62 via the valve 94 .

[0126] The processing fluid supply device 70 described above can supply the plurality of supply units 19 (see Figure 4 ) supplies a processing fluid in a liquid state. That is, in the embodiment, what is supplied from the processing fluid supply device 70 to the substrate processing device 1 is a processing fluid in a liquid state, not a processing fluid in a gaseous state or a supercritical state.

[0127] Therefore, even if there is a difference in the distance between the process fluid supply device 70 and each drying unit 18, that is, the length of each second supply line 63, problems caused by the length difference can be reduced.

[0128] The control unit 7 measures the pressure of the treatment fluid supplied from the second supply line 63 to the supply unit 19 using the pressure sensor 82, and controls the pressure of the treatment fluid using the valve opening of the back pressure valve 101. For example, the control unit 7 increases the pressure of the treatment fluid supplied to the supply unit 19 by increasing the primary side set pressure of the back pressure valve 101.

[0129] Furthermore, the control unit 7 can reduce the pressure of the treatment fluid supplied to the supply unit 19 by, for example, reducing the primary-side set pressure of the back pressure valve 101 .

[0130] Similarly, the control unit 7 measures the pressure of the treatment fluid supplied from the first supply line 62 to the plurality of second supply lines 63 using the pressure sensor 78, and controls the pressure of the treatment fluid using the valve opening of the back pressure valve 93. The control unit 7 appropriately adjusts the valve opening of the back pressure valve 93 so that the measured value of the pressure sensor 78 becomes constant.

[0131] In addition, in the embodiment, the spiral heater 91 is used to change the process fluid from a liquid state to a supercritical state between the pump 75 and the back pressure valve 93. That is, between the pump 75 and the valve 41 (see Figure 5 ) or the back pressure valve 93 is not filled with the treatment fluid in an incompressible liquid state, but a portion of the treatment fluid becomes a compressible supercritical state.

[0132] Therefore, even when the treatment fluid in a non-compressible liquid state is delivered by the pump 75 in the first supply line 62, the pulsation generated by the pump 75 can be absorbed in the supercritical state. Therefore, according to the embodiment, when the treatment fluid in a liquid state is delivered by the pump 75, the influence of the pulsation generated by the pump 75 can be reduced.

[0133] Here, for example, when the treatment fluid supply device 70 is not provided with the bypass line 110, if the flow rate of the treatment fluid flowing in the first supply line 62 increases sharply, the feedback control using the back pressure valve 93 may not respond in time.

[0134] Therefore, in this case, the pressure loss of the treatment fluid at the spiral heater 91 increases sharply, which may cause the treatment fluid to be insufficiently heated in the spiral heater 91. As a result, this may cause the treatment fluid returned from the return line 90 to the first supply line 62 to fail to reach a desired high temperature, and thus the treatment fluid in a liquid state supplied from the return line 100 may fail to be sufficiently heated.

[0135] Therefore, since the treatment fluid flowing through the filter 73 is in a gas-liquid mixed state, the treatment fluid may not be fully filtered in the filter 73. That is, when the treatment fluid supply device 70 is not provided with a bypass line 110, when the flow rate of the treatment fluid flowing through the first supply line 62 increases sharply, the filtering performance of the treatment fluid may be reduced.

[0136] Therefore, in the embodiment, a bypass line 110 is provided in the treatment fluid supply device 70. Thus, when the flow rate of the treatment fluid flowing in the first supply line 62 increases sharply, the treatment fluid can flow to the downstream side of the spiral heater 91 in the return line 90 through the bypass line 110. That is, in the embodiment, the flow rate of the treatment fluid flowing in the spiral heater 91 can be adjusted by using the bypass line 110.

[0137] In other words, in the embodiment, the bypass line 110 functions as a flow rate regulating mechanism for regulating the flow rate of the treatment fluid flowing in the spiral heater 91. By regulating the flow rate of the treatment fluid flowing in the spiral heater 91, a sharp increase in the pressure loss of the treatment fluid in the spiral heater 91 can be suppressed.

[0138] Therefore, the treatment fluid can be sufficiently heated to a desired temperature in the spiral heater 91, thereby preventing the treatment fluid from being in a gas-liquid mixed state upstream of the filter 73 in the first supply line 62. Therefore, according to the embodiment, the filtering performance of the treatment fluid can be improved.

[0139] During normal operation, the low-density supercritical processing fluid generated by the spiral heater 91 fills most of the connection portion 92 and the bypass line 110, so the high-density liquid state processing fluid is not easy to flow from the first supply line 62 to the downstream side of the bypass line 110.

[0140] <Variation 1>

[0141] Next, refer to Figure 7 to Figure 12 , describing various variations of the implementation methods. Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of a piping structure of a processing fluid supply device 70 according to Modification 1 of the embodiment.

[0142] like Figure 7 As shown, the treatment fluid supply device 70 of the modification 1 is different from the above embodiment in that a heater 120 is provided in the first supply line 62. Therefore, in the following examples, the same reference numerals are attached to the same parts as those in the above-described embodiment, and detailed description is omitted.

[0143] The heater 120 is an example of another heating unit and is provided between the plurality of confluence portions 72 and the filter 73 in the first supply line 62 to heat the treatment fluid flowing in the first supply line 62 .

[0144] Therefore, if Figure 7 As shown, even if the amount of treatment fluid returned from the return pipeline 100 is large, causing the treatment fluid on the downstream side of multiple confluence sections 72 to be in a gas-liquid mixed state, the treatment fluid in the gas-liquid mixed state can be heated and changed into a gas state.

[0145] Therefore, according to Modification 1, the filtering performance of the treated fluid can be improved.

[0146] Figure 8 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the heater 120 according to the first modification of the embodiment, and is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heater 120 as viewed from the side. Figure 8 As shown, the heater 120 includes an annular pipe 121 and a heating member 122 .

[0147] The annular pipe 121 is an annular pipe, for example, an annular pipe having a horizontally long rectangular shape when viewed from the side and arranged obliquely. The annular pipe 121 has a branch portion 121a, a descending portion 121b, an ascending portion 121c, an ascending portion 121d, a descending portion 121e and a converging portion 121f.

[0148] The branch portion 121a is located at a corner of the rectangular ring pipe 121, for example, and is connected to the first supply line 62 on the upstream side. The ring pipe 121 is branched into the descending portion 121b and the ascending portion 121c.

[0149] The descending portion 121b is, for example, a long side of the rectangular annular pipe 121 and is a portion that gently descends from the branch portion 121a. The ascending portion 121c is, for example, a short side of the rectangular annular pipe 121 and is a portion that ascends from the branch portion 121a.

[0150] The rising portion 121d is connected to the lower end of the descending portion 121b and rises from the lower end of the descending portion 121b. The rising portion 121d includes most of the short sides and long sides of the rectangular annular pipe 121, for example.

[0151] The descending portion 121e is connected to the upper end of the ascending portion 121c and is gently descended from the upper end of the ascending portion 121c. The descending portion 121e includes, for example, a part of the long side of the rectangular annular pipe 121.

[0152] The confluence portion 121f is a portion where the upper end of the ascending portion 121d and the lower end of the descending portion 121e merge and are connected to the first supply line 62 on the downstream side.

[0153] The heating member 122 is provided along the descending portion 121b of the annular pipe 121, and is used to heat the processing fluid flowing inside the descending portion 121b. The detailed structure of the heating member 122 will be described later.

[0154] In variation 1, if Figure 8 As shown, of the gas-liquid mixed state processing fluid flowing into the heater 120 from the upstream side of the first supply line 62, the liquid state processing fluid with high density flows toward the descending portion 121b, and the gas state processing fluid with low density flows toward the ascending portion 121c. That is, in Modification 1, a gas-liquid separation mechanism is provided inside the heater 120.

[0155] Then, the liquid treatment fluid flowing into the descending portion 121b is heated by the heating member 122 and converted into gaseous treatment fluid, and then the gaseous treatment fluid flows toward the first supply line 62 on the downstream side through the ascending portion 121d and the converging portion 121f.

[0156] Furthermore, the gaseous process fluid that has flowed into the ascending portion 121 c flows toward the first supply line 62 on the downstream side through the descending portion 121 e and the converging portion 121 f .

[0157] Thus, in Modification 1, the liquid processing fluid flowing into the descending portion 121b flows relatively slowly in the gently inclined descending portion 121b while being heated by the heating member 122. Thus, the liquid processing fluid can be heated with a larger contact area, and thus the liquid processing fluid can be efficiently converted into a gaseous processing fluid.

[0158] In Modification 1, the heater 120 may include a gas-liquid separation mechanism. This allows heating of only the liquid state of the gas-liquid mixed state of the treatment fluid, thereby efficiently converting the gas-liquid mixed state of the treatment fluid into a gas state.

[0159] In addition, Figure 8 In the example of FIG. 1 , an example is shown in which the annular pipe 121 is in a horizontally long rectangular shape when viewed from the side, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any side shape is acceptable as long as it is annular.

[0160] Fig. 9 yes Figure 8 The cross-sectional view along the AA line is a diagram showing the cross-sectional structure of the heating component 122. Fig. 9 As shown, the heating member 122 has a first plate member 123 , a second plate member 124 , a heater body 125 , a fastening member 126 , and a fastening member 127 .

[0161] The first plate-shaped member 123 is made of a metal material such as aluminum, and is, for example, in the shape of a flat plate. The first plate-shaped member 123 has a threaded hole 123a, a through hole 123b, a rod-shaped member 123c, and a groove 123d. The threaded hole 123a is a threaded hole formed to enable the fastening member 126 to be threadedly fastened. The through hole 123b passes through between the upper surface and the lower surface of the first plate-shaped member 123.

[0162] The rod-shaped member 123c is a rod-shaped member extending in a predetermined direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in the figure) inside the through hole 123b. The rod-shaped member 123c is configured to be rotatable in the circumferential direction inside the through hole 123b, and has a threaded hole 123c1 extending in the radial direction. The threaded hole 123c1 is a threaded hole formed to enable the fastening member 127 to be threadedly fastened.

[0163] The groove 123d is formed on the lower surface of the first plate-shaped member 123, extending in a predetermined direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in the figure), and has a semicircular cross-section. The semicircular shape is in line with the annular pipe 121 (see Figure 8 ) of the descending portion 121b (refer to Figure 8 )’s upper half of the cross-sectional shape.

[0164] The second plate-like member 124 is made of a metal material such as aluminum and is, for example, in the shape of a flat plate. The second plate-like member 124 has a through hole 124a, a through hole 124b, a rod-like member 124c, and a groove 124d. The through hole 124a is a through hole formed so that the fastening member 126 can be inserted therethrough, and is arranged at a position corresponding to the screw hole 123a of the first plate-like member 123.

[0165] The through hole 124 b penetrates between the upper surface and the lower surface of the second plate-shaped member 124 and is arranged at a position offset in a predetermined direction (rightward in the figure) with respect to the through hole 123 b of the first plate-shaped member 123 .

[0166] The rod-shaped member 124c is a rod-shaped member extending in a predetermined direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in the figure) inside the through hole 124b. The rod-shaped member 124c is configured to be rotatable in the circumferential direction inside the through hole 124b, and has a through hole 124c1 extending in the radial direction. The through hole 124c1 is a through hole formed so that the fastening member 127 can be inserted therein.

[0167] The groove 124d is formed on the upper surface of the second plate-shaped member 124, extending in a predetermined direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in the figure), and having a semicircular cross section. The semicircular shape corresponds to the lower half of the cross-sectional shape of the descending portion 121b of the annular pipe 121. The groove 124d is arranged at a position corresponding to the groove 123d of the first plate-shaped member 123.

[0168] The heater body 125 is a component that is heated by power supplied from the outside and is embedded in the second plate-shaped member 124. The heater body 125 extends in a predetermined direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in the figure) inside the second plate-shaped member 124, for example.

[0169] The fastening members 126 and 127 are, for example, bolts, and are screwed to the first plate-shaped member 123 via the second plate-shaped member 124 .

[0170] The heating member 122 is arranged so that the descending portion 121 b of the annular pipe 121 is sandwiched between the groove 123 d of the first plate member 123 and the groove 124 d of the second plate member 124 , and is formed by fastening the first plate member 123 and the second plate member 124 with fastening members 126 and 127 .

[0171] At this time, fastening member 126 is located substantially perpendicular to the main surfaces of first plate member 123 and second plate member 124 , while fastening member 127 is located obliquely relative to the main surfaces of first plate member 123 and second plate member 124 .

[0172] Therefore, if Fig. 9 As shown, the first plate member 123 and the second plate member 124 generate a force pressing the descending portion 121b of the annular pipe 121 located inside the grooves 123d and 124d from the left and right.

[0173] This is because the rod-shaped members 123 c and 124 c that are in direct contact with the fastening member 127 rotate in the circumferential direction as the force of screw fastening is applied, and thus a force that causes a horizontal deviation is generated between the first plate-shaped member 123 and the second plate-shaped member 124 .

[0174] Thus, in Modification 1, it is possible to improve the adhesion between the first plate-shaped member 123 and the second plate-shaped member 124 and the descending portion 121b of the annular pipe 121. Thus, according to Modification 1, it is possible to increase the amount of heat transferred from the heater body 125 to the descending portion 121b of the annular pipe 121, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the heating member 122.

[0175] Furthermore, since the left-right force generated by the fastening member 127 is limited to a certain extent by the fastening member 126 , an excessive force is not applied to the descending portion 121 b of the annular pipe 121 by the left-right force generated by the fastening member 127 .

[0176] <Modification 2>

[0177] Fig.10 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a piping structure of a treatment fluid supply device 70 according to a second variation of the embodiment. Fig.10 As shown, the difference between the treatment fluid supply device 70 of the modification example 2 and the above-mentioned modification example 1 is that the spiral heater 91 and the bypass pipeline 110 are not provided.

[0178] Thus, in the return line 90 , the treatment fluid is not heated and the liquid treatment fluid is supplied to the confluence 71 of the first supply line 62 . Therefore, the gas-liquid mixed treatment fluid flows into the downstream side of the plurality of confluences 72 in the first supply line 62 .

[0179] On the other hand, in Modification 2, since the heater 120 is provided between the plurality of confluence portions 72 of the first supply line 62 and the filter 73 , the treatment fluid in the gas-liquid mixed state can be converted into the gas state.

[0180] Therefore, according to Modification 2, the filtering performance of the treated fluid can be improved.

[0181] <Variation 3>

[0182] Fig.11 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a piping structure of a treatment fluid supply device 70 according to a third variation of the embodiment. Fig.11 As shown, in the processing fluid supply device 70 of variant example 3, in the first supply pipeline 62, with the processing fluid supply source 60 as a reference, a valve 64, a check valve 65, a confluence part 171, a plurality of confluence parts 172 and a confluence part 173 are arranged in sequence from the upstream side.

[0183] Furthermore, in the first supply line 62 , a filter 174 , a condenser 175 , a pump 176 , a branch portion 177 , a pressure sensor 178 , a branch portion 179 , and a branch portion 180 are provided in order from the upstream side with reference to the confluence portion 173 .

[0184] The confluence portion 171 is used to merge the first supply line 62 with the return line 200 described later. The confluence portion 172 is an example of another confluence portion. The confluence portion 172 is used to merge the first supply line 62 with the return line 210 described later. The confluence portion 173 is used to merge the first supply line 62 with the return line 190 described later.

[0185] In addition, in the third modification, the liquid state processing fluid returned from the plurality of return lines 210 and the return line 190 to the first supply line 62 is converted from the liquid state to the gas state by the high-temperature gas state processing fluid returned from the return line 200 to the first supply line 62. Thus, the gas state processing fluid flows into the filter 174.

[0186] The filter 174 is, for example, a gas filter, which is used to filter the gaseous processing fluid flowing in the first supply line 62 to remove foreign matter contained in the processing fluid. By using the filter 174 to remove foreign matter in the processing fluid, it is possible to suppress the generation of particles on the surface of the wafer W when the wafer W is dried using the supercritical fluid.

[0187] The condenser 175 is an example of a cooling unit. The condenser 175 is connected to a cooling water supply unit (not shown), for example, to enable the cooling water to exchange heat with the gaseous treatment fluid. Thus, the condenser 175 can cool the gaseous treatment fluid flowing in the first supply line 62 to generate a liquid treatment fluid.

[0188] The pump 176 presses the liquid state treatment fluid supplied from the condenser 175 to the downstream side of the first supply line 62. A return line 190 described later branches from the branch portion 177. The pressure sensor 178 measures the pressure of the treatment fluid flowing in the first supply line 62.

[0189] A return line 200 described later branches out from the branch portion 179. A plurality of (two in the figure) second supply lines 63 branches out from the branch portion 180.

[0190] Each second supply line 63 is provided with an orifice 181, a branch portion 182, and a pressure sensor 183 in order from the upstream side based on the branch portion 180. The orifice 181 is used to reduce the flow rate of the liquid treatment fluid flowing in the second supply line 63 to adjust the pressure.

[0191] The return line 210 branches off from the branch portion 182. The pressure sensor 183 is used to measure the pressure of the process fluid flowing in the second supply line 63.

[0192] The return line 210 is an example of another return line. The return line 210 returns the treated fluid in a liquid state flowing in the second supply line 63 to the confluence portion 172 of the first supply line 62. In this way, by using the return line 210 to return the treated fluid to the upstream side, the number of times that can be filtered can be increased, and the performance of removing foreign matter can be improved.

[0193] In the return line 210 , a back pressure valve 211 and a valve 212 are provided in order from the upstream side with reference to the branch portion 182 .

[0194] The back pressure valve 211 is configured to maintain the primary pressure at the set pressure by adjusting the valve opening to allow the fluid to flow to the secondary side when the primary pressure of the return line 210 exceeds the set pressure. In addition, the valve opening and the set pressure of the back pressure valve 211 can be changed by the control unit 7 at any time.

[0195] The valve 212 is a valve for regulating the opening and closing of the flow of the treatment fluid. In the open state, the treatment fluid flows to the confluence part 172 on the downstream side, and in the closed state, the treatment fluid does not flow to the confluence part 172 on the downstream side.

[0196] The liquid state processing fluid returned from the return line 210 is returned to the confluence portion 172 of the first supply line 62. In addition, the liquid state processing fluid returned from the confluence portion 172 is converted from the liquid state to the gas state by the high-temperature gas state processing fluid returned from the confluence portion 171 and flowing in the first supply line 62.

[0197] The return line 190 branched from the branch portion 177 of the first supply line 62 returns the treated fluid in a liquid state flowing in the first supply line 62 to the confluence portion 173 of the first supply line 62. In this way, by using the return line 190 to return the treated fluid to the upstream side, the number of times that can be filtered can be increased, and the performance of removing foreign matter can be improved.

[0198] In the return line 190 , a back pressure valve 191 and a valve 192 are provided in order from the upstream side with reference to the branch portion 177 .

[0199] The back pressure valve 191 is configured to maintain the primary side pressure at the set pressure by adjusting the valve opening to allow the fluid to flow to the secondary side when the primary side pressure of the return line 190 exceeds the set pressure.

[0200] The valve 192 is a valve for regulating the opening and closing of the flow of the treatment fluid. In the open state, the treatment fluid flows to the confluence portion 173 on the downstream side, and in the closed state, the treatment fluid does not flow to the confluence portion 173 on the downstream side.

[0201] The liquid state processing fluid returned from the return line 190 is returned to the confluence portion 173 of the first supply line 62. In addition, the liquid state processing fluid returned from the confluence portion 173 is converted from the liquid state to the gas state by the high-temperature gas state processing fluid returned from the confluence portion 171 and flowing in the first supply line 62.

[0202] The return line 200 branched from the branch portion 179 of the first supply line 62 returns the treated fluid in a liquid state flowing in the first supply line 62 to the confluence portion 171 of the first supply line 62. In this way, by using the return line 200 to return the treated fluid to the upstream side, the number of times that can be filtered can be increased, and the performance of removing foreign matter can be improved.

[0203] In the return line 200 , a spiral heater 201 , a valve 202 , and an orifice 203 are provided in order from the upstream side with reference to the branch portion 179 .

[0204] The spiral heater 201 is an example of a heating unit. The spiral heater 201 is wound around the return line 200 and heats the liquid treatment fluid flowing in the return line 200 to generate a supercritical treatment fluid. The spiral heater 201 is located near the confluence portion 171 .

[0205] The valve 202 is a valve for regulating the opening and closing of the flow of the treatment fluid. In the open state, the treatment fluid flows to the orifice 203 on the downstream side, and in the closed state, the treatment fluid does not flow to the orifice 203 on the downstream side.

[0206] The orifice 203 is an example of a flow regulating mechanism. The orifice 203 controls the flow of the treatment fluid so that the flow of the treatment fluid flowing in the return line 200 is maintained at a certain value. In addition, the orifice 203 decompresses the treatment fluid in a supercritical state flowing in the return line 200 to generate a treatment fluid in a gas state.

[0207] The high-temperature gaseous process fluid generated at the orifice 203 is returned to the confluence portion 171 of the first supply line 62 .

[0208] In the third modification, the spiral heater 201 is used between the pump 176 and the valve 202 to change the phase of the treatment fluid from the liquid state to the supercritical state. That is, between the pump 176 and the valve 41 (see Figure 5 ) or valve 202 is not filled with the treatment fluid in an incompressible liquid state, but a portion of the treatment fluid becomes a compressible supercritical state.

[0209] Thus, even when the pump 176 delivers the incompressible liquid treatment fluid in the first supply line 62, the pulsation generated by the pump 176 can be absorbed in the supercritical portion. Therefore, according to Modification 3, when the pump 176 delivers the liquid treatment fluid, the influence of the pulsation generated by the pump 176 can be reduced.

[0210] In addition, in Modification 3, the flow rate of the treatment fluid flowing in the return line 200 is controlled to a certain value by using the orifice 203. Thus, even when the flow rate of the treatment fluid flowing in the first supply line 62 increases sharply, the amount of the treatment fluid flowing in the return line 200 can be kept constant, so that the treatment fluid can be fully heated to a desired temperature in the spiral heater 201.

[0211] Therefore, according to Modification 3, it is possible to suppress the treated fluid on the upstream side of the filter 174 in the first supply line 62 from becoming a gas-liquid mixed state, and thus it is possible to improve the filtering performance of the treated fluid.

[0212] In Modification 3, the spiral heater 201 may be located near the confluence portion 171 . This allows the confluence portion 171 of the first supply line 62 to be supplied with a higher temperature gaseous treatment fluid, thereby preventing the gas-liquid mixed treatment fluid from flowing into the filter 174 .

[0213] <Variation 4>

[0214] Fig.12 FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a piping structure of a treatment fluid supply device 70 according to a fourth variation of the embodiment. Fig.12 As shown, the treatment fluid supply device 70 of Modification 4 is different from the above-mentioned Modification 3 in that the above-mentioned heater 120 is provided in the first supply pipeline 62 .

[0215] The heater 120 is disposed between the confluence portion 173 and the filter 174 in the first supply line 62 to heat the process fluid flowing in the first supply line 62 .

[0216] Therefore, if Fig.12 As shown, even if the amount of treatment fluid returned from, for example, return pipeline 190 or return pipeline 210 is large, resulting in the treatment fluid on the downstream side of confluence section 173 being in a gas-liquid mixed state, the treatment fluid in the gas-liquid mixed state can be heated and converted into a gas state.

[0217] Therefore, according to Modification 4, the filtering performance of the treated fluid can be improved.

[0218] The processing fluid supply device 70 of the embodiment includes a supply pipeline 61, a cooling part (condenser 74 (175)), a pump 75 (176), a return pipeline 90 (200), a heating part (spiral heater 91 (201)) and a flow regulating mechanism. The supply pipeline 61 can supply the processing fluid to the substrate processing device 1 from the processing fluid supply source 60 that supplies the processing fluid in a gas state. The cooling part (condenser 74 (175)) is arranged in the supply pipeline 61, and can cool the processing fluid in a gas state to generate a processing fluid in a liquid state. The pump 75 (176) is arranged on the downstream side of the cooling part (condenser 74 (175)) in the supply pipeline 61. The return line 90 (200) branches off from the branch section 76 (179) located on the downstream side of the pump 75 (176) in the supply line 61, and returns the treated fluid to the confluence section 71 (171) located on the upstream side of the cooling section (condenser 74 (175)) in the supply line 61. The heating section (spiral heater 91 (201)) is provided in the return line 90 (200) and is capable of heating the treated fluid. The flow regulating mechanism (bypass line 110, orifice 203) is capable of regulating the flow of the treated fluid supplied to the heating section (spiral heater 91 (201)). Thus, the filtering performance of the treated fluid can be improved.

[0219] Furthermore, in the treatment fluid supply device 70 of the embodiment, the flow rate regulating mechanism is a bypass line 110 that connects the downstream side of the branch portion 76 in the supply line 61 to the downstream side of the heating portion (spiral heater 91) in the return line 90. Thus, even when the flow rate of the treatment fluid flowing in the first supply line 62 increases sharply, the pressure loss of the treatment fluid in the spiral heater 91 can be suppressed from increasing sharply.

[0220] In addition, the treatment fluid supply device 70 of the embodiment further includes a filter 174 provided between the confluence portion 171 and the cooling portion (condenser 175) in the supply line 61. In addition, the heating portion (spiral heater 201) is provided near the confluence portion 171. Thus, the treatment fluid in a gas-liquid mixed state can be suppressed from flowing into the filter 174.

[0221] Furthermore, in the treatment fluid supply device 70 of the embodiment, the heating portion (spiral heater 201) is provided near the confluence portion 171 in the return line 200. Furthermore, the flow rate regulating mechanism is an orifice 203 provided on the downstream side of the heating portion (spiral heater 201) in the return line 200. Thus, even when the flow rate of the treatment fluid flowing in the first supply line 62 increases sharply, it is possible to suppress a sharp increase in the pressure loss of the treatment fluid in the spiral heater 201.

[0222] In addition, the treatment fluid supply device 70 of the embodiment also includes another return pipeline (return pipeline 100 (210)). The other return pipeline (return pipeline 100 (210)) branches from another branch portion (branch portion 81 (182)) located on the downstream side of the branch portion 76 (179) in the supply pipeline 61. In addition, the other return pipeline (return pipeline 100 (210)) returns the treatment fluid to another confluence portion (confluence portion 72 (172)) located on the upstream side of the cooling portion (condenser 74 (175)) in the supply pipeline 61. In this way, the number of times that can be filtered can be increased, and the performance of removing foreign matter can be improved.

[0223] In addition, the treatment fluid supply device 70 of the embodiment further includes a filter 73 (174) and another heating unit (heater 120). The filter 73 (174) is disposed between another confluence unit (confluence unit 72 (172)) and a cooling unit (condenser 74 (175)) in the supply pipeline 61. Another heating unit (heater 120) is located between another confluence unit (confluence unit 72 (172)) and the filter 73 (174) to heat the treatment fluid. Thus, the filtering performance of the treatment fluid can be improved.

[0224] In the processing fluid supply device 70 of the embodiment, the other heating unit (heater 120) has a gas-liquid separation mechanism, thereby making it possible to efficiently convert the processing fluid in a gas-liquid mixed state into a gas state.

[0225] In addition, the processing fluid supply method of the embodiment includes the steps of filtering, liquidizing, passing the fluid, and regulating the flow rate. In the filtering step, the processing fluid in a gas state supplied from the processing fluid supply source 60 is filtered by passing through the filter 73 (174) provided in the supply pipeline 61. In the liquidizing step, the processing fluid that has passed through the filter 73 (174) is cooled in a cooling section (condenser 74 (175)) provided in the supply pipeline 61 to become a liquid state. In the passing the fluid step, the processing fluid in a liquid state is pressed to the substrate processing device 1 by the pump 75 (176), while the processing fluid is passed to the return pipeline 90 (200) branched from the downstream side of the pump 75 (176) in the supply pipeline 61. In the step of adjusting the flow rate, the treatment fluid is heated in the heating unit (spiral heater 91 (201)) provided in the return line 90 (200), and the flow rate of the treatment fluid supplied to the heating unit (spiral heater 91 (201)) is adjusted. Thus, the filtering performance of the treatment fluid can be improved.

[0226] In addition, the processing fluid supply method of the embodiment includes a filtering step, a liquid state step, a liquid passing step, and a heating step. In the filtering step, the gaseous processing fluid supplied from the processing fluid supply source 60 is filtered by passing through the filter 73 (174) provided in the supply pipeline 61. In the liquid state step, the processing fluid that has passed through the filter 73 (174) is cooled in a cooling unit (condenser 74 (175)) provided in the supply pipeline 61 to make it liquid. In the liquid passing step, the processing fluid in the liquid state is pressed into the substrate processing device 1 by the pump 75 (176), while the processing fluid is passed to the return pipeline 90 (200) branched from the downstream side of the pump 75 (176) in the supply pipeline 61. In the heating step, the processing fluid returned from the return pipeline 90 (200) to the upstream side of the filter 73 (174) in the supply pipeline 61 is heated before it passes through the filter 73 (174). This can improve the filtering performance of the treated fluid.

[0227] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiments, an example in which the first supply line 62 is branched into two second supply lines 63 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and the first supply line 62 may also be branched into three second supply lines 63. In addition, the first supply line 62 may not be branched into a plurality of second supply lines 63.

[0228] The embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and non-restrictive. In fact, the above embodiments can be implemented in various forms. In addition, the above embodiments can be omitted, replaced or changed in various forms without departing from the scope of the attached present invention.

[0229] Description of Reference Numerals

[0230] 1. Substrate processing device

[0231] 18 Drying unit (an example of a substrate processing unit)

[0232] 60 Treatment fluid supply source

[0233] 61 Supply pipeline

[0234] 62 first supply line

[0235] 63 Second supply line

[0236] 71 Confluence

[0237] 72Confluence (An example of other confluence)

[0238] 73 filters

[0239] 74 Condenser (an example of cooling unit)

[0240] 75 Pumps

[0241] 76 Branch

[0242] 81 Branch (An example of another branch)

[0243] 90 return line

[0244] 91 Spiral heater (an example of a heating unit)

[0245] 110 Bypass line (an example of a flow regulating mechanism)

[0246] 120 Heater (an example of other heating unit)

[0247] 171 Confluence

[0248] 172Confluence (An example of other confluence)

[0249] 174 filters

[0250] 175 Condenser (an example of cooling unit)

[0251] 176 Pump

[0252] 179 Branch

[0253] 182 Branch (An example of another branch)

[0254] 200 return pipeline

[0255] 201 spiral heater (an example of a heating unit)

[0256] 203 orifice (an example of a flow regulating mechanism).

Claims

1. A processing fluid supply device, characterized in that: include: a supply line for supplying the processing fluid from a processing fluid supply source for supplying the processing fluid in a gaseous state to the substrate processing device; a cooling unit, which is disposed in the supply pipeline and is capable of cooling the treatment fluid in a gaseous state to generate the treatment fluid in a liquid state; a pump disposed in the supply line on a downstream side of the cooling section; a return line branching from a branching portion of the supply line located on a downstream side of the pump and returning the process fluid to a confluence portion of the supply line located on an upstream side of the cooling portion; a heating unit, which is disposed in the return pipeline and is capable of heating the treatment fluid; and A flow rate regulating mechanism is capable of regulating the flow rate of the treatment fluid supplied to the heating portion.

2. The processing fluid supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flow rate adjustment mechanism is a bypass line that connects a downstream side of the branch portion in the supply line and a downstream side of the heating portion in the return line.

3. The processing fluid supply device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: further comprising a filter disposed between the confluence portion and the cooling portion in the supply line, The heating portion is provided near the confluence portion.

4. The processing fluid supply device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The heating unit is disposed near the confluence portion in the return line. The flow regulating mechanism is an orifice provided on the downstream side of the heating portion in the return line.

5. The processing fluid supply device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The invention also includes another return pipeline, which branches from another branch portion of the supply pipeline located on the downstream side of the branch portion and returns the processing fluid to another confluence portion of the supply pipeline located on the upstream side of the cooling portion.

6. The processing fluid supply device according to claim 5, characterized in that: Also includes: a filter disposed between the other confluence portion and the cooling portion in the supply line; and Another heating part, located between the other confluence part and the filter, is capable of heating the treatment fluid.

7. The processing fluid supply device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The other heating unit includes a gas-liquid separation mechanism.

8. A method for supplying a treatment fluid, characterized in that: include: The step of filtering the gaseous treatment fluid supplied from the treatment fluid supply source by passing it through a filter provided in the supply line; A step of cooling the treatment fluid that has passed through the filter to make it into a liquid state in a cooling unit provided in the supply line; A step of pressurizing the processing fluid in a liquid state to a substrate processing device by a pump and causing the processing fluid to flow to a return line branched from a downstream side of the pump in the supply line; and The step of heating the treatment fluid in a heating portion provided in the return line and adjusting the flow rate of the treatment fluid supplied to the heating portion.

9. A method for supplying a treatment fluid, characterized in that: include: The step of filtering the gaseous treatment fluid supplied from the treatment fluid supply source by passing it through a filter provided in the supply line; A step of cooling the treatment fluid that has passed through the filter to make it into a liquid state in a cooling unit provided in the supply line; A step of pressurizing the processing fluid in a liquid state to a substrate processing device by a pump and causing the processing fluid to flow to a return line branched from a downstream side of the pump in the supply line; and The process fluid returned from the return line to the upstream side of the filter in the supply line is heated before passing through the filter.

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