Waste developing solution regeneration system and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a waste developing solution regeneration system and method, and relates to the technical field of developing solution regeneration. Comprising a collection module, a regeneration module and a storage module which are sequentially connected, the collection module is used for collecting the waste developing solution, and the regeneration module is an electrodialysis device and is used for filtering hydroxyl radicals and tetramethyl ammonium radicals in the waste developing solution to obtain the developing solution; and the storage module is used for storing a developing solution. According to the invention, the waste liquid treatment cost is reduced, the emission of ammonia nitrogen in the waste water is reduced, and the resource utilization rate of the tetraalkyl ammonium hydroxide is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of developer regeneration, and in particular to a waste developer regeneration system and method. Background Art

[0002] In the manufacturing processes of semiconductors and flat panel displays, the method of forming a pattern on a wafer or a glass substrate is as follows: First, a photoresist is coated on the substrate or a metal or non-metal film layer formed on the substrate, and then ultraviolet light passes through a photomask with a formed pattern to expose the photoresist. Utilizing the difference in solubility between the exposed and unexposed photoresist, a developer is used to develop it, and then etching is performed to achieve the purpose of forming a pattern. The main component of the developer is tetraalkylammonium hydroxide. After development, the waste developer solution contains photoresist and unutilized tetraalkylammonium hydroxide. Factories need to spend a large amount of money on biodegradation treatment of the waste solution. However, the existing technology for treating the waste solution requires heating, consuming a large amount of energy, and requires setting up a heat source and various auxiliary devices for this purpose, which is not conducive to energy conservation and is also not convenient for maintenance.

[0003] Therefore, proposing a waste developer regeneration system and method to solve the problems existing in the prior art is an urgent problem that needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides a waste developer regeneration system and method, which reduces the waste solution treatment cost, reduces the ammonia nitrogen emission in the wastewater, and improves the resource utilization rate of tetraalkylammonium hydroxide.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A waste developer regeneration system includes a collection module, a regeneration module, and a storage module connected in sequence;

[0007] The collection module is used to collect waste developer;

[0008] The regeneration module is an electrodialysis device, which is used to filter out hydroxide ions and tetramethylammonium ions in the waste developer to obtain a developer;

[0009] The storage module is used to store the developer.

[0010] In the above system, optionally, the regeneration module includes a positive electrode, a dialysis unit, and a negative electrode arranged in sequence;

[0011] The dialysis unit includes a plurality of waste liquid chambers and product chambers arranged at intervals. Among them, the waste liquid chamber close to the negative electrode and the product chamber are separated by a cation exchange membrane, and the waste liquid chamber close to the positive electrode and the product chamber are separated by an anion exchange membrane. The product chamber is used to obtain anions and cations in the waste liquid to form a product.

[0012] Optionally, in the above system, the waste liquid is injected into the waste liquid chamber of the dialysis unit, and high-purity water or an aqueous solution of pure product is injected into the product chamber of the dialysis unit as a solvent.

[0013] Optionally, in the above system, the regeneration module further includes a primary filtration unit and a waste liquid tank. The primary filtration unit filters impurities in the waste liquid using a filter, and the filter includes a traditional cartridge filter, a candle filter, a centrifugal filter, or a membrane filter; the membrane of the membrane filter includes a microfiltration membrane or an ultrafiltration membrane. The waste liquid tank is used to store the waste developer solution treated by the dialysis unit.

[0014] Optionally, in the above system, the regeneration module further includes a purification unit.

[0015] The purification unit purifies the product using a resin tower, including one or a combination of strongly positive resins and weakly positive resins.

[0016] Optionally, in the above system, in the dialysis unit, the anion exchange membrane only allows monovalent anions to pass through and has a retention effect on divalent and higher-valent anions.

[0017] A method for regenerating waste developer solution, applied to the waste developer solution regeneration system described in any one of the above, includes the following steps:

[0018] Collect the waste developer solution output by the collection device into the primary filtration unit, and absorb the insoluble impurities in the waste developer solution to obtain the waste liquid after primary filtration.

[0019] Input the waste liquid after primary filtration into the waste liquid chamber, and input high-purity water or an aqueous solution of pure product into the product chamber as a solvent.

[0020] Connect the electrodes to a power source to form an electric field, so that the cations and anions inside the waste liquid after primary filtration enter the product chamber to obtain a product after primary treatment.

[0021] Perform a purification operation and a modulation operation on the product after primary treatment to obtain a treated solution, so that the pH value and concentration of the solution meet the preset threshold; then the treated solution is transported back to the original device as a developer solution for use.

[0022] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a waste developer solution regeneration system and method, which have the following beneficial effects: 1) The present invention utilizes the characteristics of the selective permeability of anion and cation exchange membranes to anions and cations, and separates alkylammonium hydroxide in the waste developer solution under the action of an externally applied electric driving force to obtain a pure alkylammonium hydroxide solution, realizing the regeneration of the developer solution, reducing the waste liquid treatment cost, reducing the ammonia nitrogen emission in the wastewater, and improving the resource utilization rate of tetraalkylammonium hydroxide; 2) The present invention can regenerate a pure developer solution from the waste developer solution, and the process is simple. Description of the Drawings

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the accompanying drawings required in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only the embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other accompanying drawings can also be obtained according to the provided accompanying drawings.

[0024] Figure 1 It is a block diagram of a waste developer regeneration system disclosed by the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the dialysis unit disclosed by the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 It is a flowchart of a method for regenerating waste developer disclosed by the present invention. Specific Embodiments

[0027] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] Referring to Figure 1 As shown, the present invention discloses a waste developer regeneration system, including a collection module, a regeneration module, and a storage module connected in sequence;

[0029] The collection module is used to collect waste developer;

[0030] The regeneration module is an electrodialysis device, which is used to filter out hydroxide ions and tetramethylammonium ions in the waste developer to obtain developer;

[0031] The storage module is used to store the developer.

[0032] Furthermore, in actual industrial production scenarios, waste developer usually comes from various printing, lithography and other process procedures. The collection module collects these waste developers scattered in different production links. In order to ensure the efficiency and stability of the collection process, the pipeline system will be reasonably designed in terms of pipe diameter and layout according to the flow rate and characteristics of the waste developer; at the same time, in order to prevent leakage of the waste developer during the collection process, the pipeline will be made of corrosion-resistant materials and equipped with well-sealed connectors.

[0033] Furthermore, the collection module includes a liquid level monitoring device and a modulation unit, which real-time monitors the liquid level height of the waste developer in the collection container. When the liquid level reaches a certain threshold, an alarm will be issued in time to remind the operator to handle it;

[0034] In the modulation unit, acid solution or alkali solution is used to adjust the pH value of the waste liquid.

[0035] Furthermore, the regeneration module includes a positive electrode, a dialysis unit, and a negative electrode arranged in sequence.

[0036] Refer to Figure 2 As shown, the dialysis unit includes a plurality of waste liquid chambers and product chambers arranged at intervals. Among them, the waste liquid chamber close to the negative electrode is separated from the product chamber by a cation exchange membrane, and the waste liquid chamber close to the positive electrode is separated from the product chamber by an anion exchange membrane. The product chamber is used to obtain anions and cations in the waste liquid to form a product.

[0037] Furthermore, the waste liquid is injected into the waste liquid chamber of the dialysis unit, and high-purity water or pure product aqueous solution is injected into the product chamber of the dialysis unit as a solvent.

[0038] Specifically, the positive electrode and the negative electrode form an electric field. Under the action of the electric field force, the cations in the waste liquid will move towards the negative electrode and enter the product chamber through the cation exchange membrane; the anions will move towards the positive electrode and enter the product chamber through the anion exchange membrane. The product chamber can obtain anions and cations in the waste liquid to form a product after primary treatment.

[0039] Furthermore, the regeneration module further includes a primary filtration unit and a waste liquid tank. The primary filtration unit uses a filter to filter impurities in the waste liquid. The filter includes a traditional cartridge filter, a candle filter, a centrifugal filter, or a membrane filter; the membrane of the membrane filter includes a microfiltration membrane or an ultrafiltration membrane. The waste liquid tank is used to store the waste developer solution treated by the dialysis unit.

[0040] Specifically, different types of filters have different filtration precisions and application ranges. The appropriate filter can be selected according to the nature and content of impurities in the waste developer solution: for larger particles of impurities, a traditional cartridge filter can be used for preliminary filtration; for tiny particles and colloidal impurities, a membrane filter can be used for fine filtration.

[0041] Furthermore, the primary filtration unit further includes a liquid level detection module and a pressure detection module, which are used to monitor the pressure and flow rate of the filter in real time. When the pressure exceeds a certain threshold or the flow rate drops significantly, it indicates that the filtration unit may be blocked or damaged, and it needs to be cleaned or replaced in time.

[0042] Furthermore, the regeneration module further includes a purification unit.

[0043] The purification unit uses a resin tower to purify the product, including one or a combination of strongly positive resin and weakly positive resin.

[0044] Specifically, the resin has a specific chemical structure and functional groups, and can selectively adsorb or exchange with metal ions, thereby removing metal ions from the products of primary treatment. For example, strongly positive sulfonic acid resins can exchange with metal cations and fix the metal cations on the resin, so as to achieve the purpose of removing metal ions.

[0045] Furthermore, in the dialysis unit, the anion membrane exchange only allows monovalent anions to pass through, and has a retention effect on divalent and higher-valent anions.

[0046] Furthermore, the storage module also includes a concentration adjustment device. If the concentration of the product is too low, part of the solvent can be removed by distillation to reduce the concentration, or a high-concentration concentrated developer can be added to increase the concentration of the developer; if the concentration is too high, the amount of solvent can be increased to increase the concentration.

[0047] Furthermore, the system also includes an auxiliary circulation module, a cleaning module, and connection components such as pipelines and pumps. The auxiliary circulation module is connected to the collection module, the waste liquid tank, and the storage module through pipelines. The collection module is provided with a liquid level monitoring unit. When it detects that the liquid level is not sufficient to automatically flow into the regeneration module, it controls the pump to pressurize the collection module so that the waste liquid flows into the regeneration module. The cleaning module is used to clean the waste liquid tank. After the cleaning is completed, the pipeline is opened and flows into the wastewater treatment station after harmless treatment.

[0048] A method for regenerating waste developer, applied to a waste developer regeneration system according to any one of the above, referring to Figure 3 as shown, includes the following steps:

[0049] The waste developer output by the collection device is sent to the primary filtration unit to suck out the insoluble impurities in the waste developer to obtain the waste liquid after primary filtration;

[0050] The waste liquid after primary filtration is input into the waste liquid chamber, and high-purity water or an aqueous solution of pure product is used as a solvent and input into the product chamber;

[0051] The electrodes are connected to the power supply to form an electric field, so that the cations and anions inside the waste liquid after primary filtration enter the product chamber to obtain a product after primary treatment;

[0052] Purification operation and modulation operation are carried out on the product after primary treatment to obtain a treated solution, so that the pH value and concentration of the solution meet the preset thresholds; then the treated solution is transported back to the original device as a developer for use.

[0053] The foregoing description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A waste developer regeneration system, comprising a collection module, a regeneration module, and a storage module connected in sequence; The collection module is used to collect waste developer; The regeneration module is an electrodialysis device, which is used to filter out hydroxide ions and tetramethylammonium ions in the waste developer to obtain developer; The storage module is used to store the developer.

2. The waste developer regeneration system according to claim 1, wherein The regeneration module includes a positive electrode, a dialysis unit, and a negative electrode arranged in sequence; The dialysis unit includes a plurality of waste liquid chambers and product chambers arranged at intervals. Among them, the waste liquid chamber close to the negative electrode is separated from the product chamber by a cation exchange membrane, and the waste liquid chamber close to the positive electrode is separated from the product chamber by an anion exchange membrane. The product chamber is used to obtain anions and cations in the waste liquid to form a product.

3. The waste developer regeneration system according to claim 2, wherein The waste liquid is injected into the waste liquid chamber of the dialysis unit, and high-purity water or pure product aqueous solution is injected into the product chamber of the dialysis unit as a solvent.

4. The waste developer regeneration system according to claim 2, wherein The regeneration module further includes a primary filtration unit and a waste liquid tank. The primary filtration unit uses a filter to filter impurities in the waste liquid. The filter includes a traditional cartridge filter, a candle filter, a centrifugal filter, or a membrane filter; the membrane of the membrane filter includes a microfiltration membrane or an ultrafiltration membrane. The waste liquid tank is used to store the waste developer treated by the dialysis unit.

5. The waste developer regeneration system according to claim 2, wherein The regeneration module further includes a purification unit, The purification unit uses a resin tower to purify the product, including one or a combination of strongly positive resin and weakly positive resin.

6. The waste developer regeneration system according to claim 2, wherein In the dialysis unit, the anion membrane exchange only allows monovalent anions to pass through and has a retention effect on divalent and higher-valent anions.

7. A method for regenerating waste developer, applied to the waste developer regeneration system according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: Output the waste developer from the collection device to the primary filtration unit, and absorb the insoluble impurities in the waste developer to obtain the waste liquid after primary filtration; Input the waste liquid after primary filtration into the waste liquid chamber, and input high-purity water or pure product aqueous solution into the product chamber as a solvent; Connect the electrodes to a power source to form an electric field, so that cations and anions inside the waste liquid after primary filtration enter the product chamber to obtain a product after primary treatment; Perform purification operation and modulation operation on the product after primary treatment to obtain a treated solution, so that the pH value and concentration of the solution meet the preset threshold; then the treated solution is transported back to the original device as a developer for use.

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