Dilution device and particle size determination system using the same

Abstract

The present application provides a dilution device which can easily dilute a test sample at a very high rate. The dilution device (100) of the present application comprises: a first container (11) capable of receiving liquid from a stock solution supply source (20) and a first supply source (31) of a dilution medium to obtain a first dilution liquid, and configured to deliver the first dilution liquid; and a second container (12) capable of receiving the first dilution liquid from the first container (11) and liquid from a second supply source (32) of a dilution medium to obtain a second dilution liquid; and configured such that the stock solution supply source (20) can quantitatively supply the stock solution in a range of 1 ml to 100 ml.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a dilution apparatus and a particle size determination system using the same, particularly a dilution apparatus for diluting to a measurable state for determining particle size in a liquid and a particle size determination system using the same. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, when confirming the properties and quality of powder products, especially slurries in which powder is dispersed in a liquid, physical quantities related to the sample particles, such as particle size distribution, are measured. For example, laser scattering / diffraction is used to determine particle size distribution.

[0003] In the laser scattering / diffraction method, parallel light rays such as lasers are irradiated onto the sample particles, and the light patterns after diffraction and scattering by the sample particles are measured and analyzed, thereby calculating the particle size distribution.

[0004] This type of particle size analyzer typically performs the measurement after diluting the dispersion containing the sample particles.

[0005] Patent document 1 discloses a particle size determination system that includes such a dilution device.

[0006] Existing technical documents Patent documents Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-004537 Summary of the Invention The problem that the invention aims to solve In recent years, semiconductor miniaturization has reached extreme levels, thus requiring extremely high precision in the quality control of semiconductor polishing slurries containing abrasive particles. Specifically, it is even necessary to manage the number of nanoscale abrasive particles contained in the polishing slurry. This is particularly important for the quality management of the slurry during its manufacturing process.

[0007] Therefore, extremely high precision is required for particle size determination, and the grinding slurry needs to be diluted at extremely high dilution ratios with high reproducibility.

[0008] In addition, liquids containing particles have very high viscosity, or when particle size is determined by Single Particle Optical Sensing (SPOS) or laser scattering / diffraction, it is necessary to dilute the liquid at an extremely high dilution ratio before measuring the particle size.

[0009] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a dilution device and a particle size determination system using the same, which can easily dilute and determine samples at extremely high magnification with high reproducibility.

[0010] Technical means to solve the problem The inventors have discovered that the above-mentioned problems can be solved by the present invention, which includes the following embodiments.

[0011] In one embodiment, the dilution apparatus of the present invention comprises: A first container, which can receive liquid from a source of concentrate and a first source of dilution medium to obtain a first diluted solution, and is configured to transport the first diluted solution; and A second container is provided, which can receive a first diluent from the first container and liquid from a second supply source of diluent medium to obtain a second diluent; Furthermore, it is configured such that the stock solution supply source can quantitatively supply raw materials within the range of 1ml to 100ml.

[0012] The dilution apparatus according to the present invention, being configured to quantitatively supply raw materials, allows for easy and highly reproducible dilution and determination of samples at extremely high ratios.

[0013] In one embodiment, the dilution apparatus of the present invention is configured such that the stock solution supply source delivers the stock solution via an injection pump.

[0014] In the dilution apparatus of the present invention, if an injection pump is used to deliver the stock solution, extremely small amounts of stock solution can be accurately measured and used, thereby enabling highly reproducible quantitative delivery of the stock solution, which is extremely advantageous.

[0015] In one embodiment, in the dilution apparatus of the present invention, the first supply source and the second supply source of the dilution medium are connected to the same supply source.

[0016] In the dilution apparatus of the present invention, the apparatus can be easily constructed if the dilution medium is supplied from the same supply source, which is advantageous.

[0017] In one embodiment, the dilution apparatus of the present invention is configured such that the first diluent can be mixed with a diluent from a second supply source within a pipeline.

[0018] When the dilution apparatus of the present invention is configured in this way, it is very easy to dilute using a dilution medium, and is therefore preferred.

[0019] In one embodiment, the dilution apparatus of the present invention includes an ultrasonic flow meter or a thermal flow meter between the first container and the second container.

[0020] When the dilution apparatus of the present invention is configured in this way, extremely small-volume metering can be performed even without the use of a syringe pump, and is therefore preferred.

[0021] In one embodiment, the dilution apparatus of the present invention is configured such that the first container and the second container can be cleaned by the dilution medium.

[0022] When the dilution device of the present invention is configured in this way, the dilution device can be cleaned automatically, which greatly reduces the burden on the user, and is therefore preferred.

[0023] In one embodiment, in the dilution apparatus of the present invention, The second container is configured to deliver the second diluent; and, It also includes a third container configured to receive a second diluent from the second container and liquid from a third supply source of the diluent medium.

[0024] According to the dilution apparatus of this embodiment, the stock solution can be diluted in at least three stages, thus enabling highly reproducible dilution at extremely high ratios, such as 1 million times. Furthermore, when diluting semiconductor polishing slurries, ultrapure water costing several hundred yen per liter is required as the diluent, resulting in high costs even when diluting just 1 ml of polishing slurry 100,000 to 1 million times. However, with this multi-stage dilution apparatus, only about 1 liter of diluent is needed even when diluting 1 ml of polishing slurry 1 million times, which is highly advantageous.

[0025] In one embodiment, in the dilution apparatus of the present invention, the first supply source, the second supply source, and the third supply source of the dilution medium are connected to the same supply source.

[0026] In the dilution apparatus of the present invention, the apparatus can be easily constructed if the dilution medium is supplied from the same supply source, which is advantageous.

[0027] In one embodiment, the dilution apparatus of the present invention is configured such that the third container can receive a first diluent from the first container.

[0028] When the dilution apparatus of the present invention is configured in this way, it is advantageous to dilute at a dilution ratio of about 10,000 times without the need for a second container.

[0029] In one embodiment, the dilution apparatus of the present invention is configured such that the second diluent and the diluent from a third supply source can be mixed within a pipeline.

[0030] When the dilution apparatus of the present invention is configured in this way, it is very easy to dilute using a dilution medium, and is therefore preferred.

[0031] In one embodiment, the dilution apparatus of the present invention includes an ultrasonic flow meter or a thermal flow meter between the second container and the third container.

[0032] When the dilution apparatus of the present invention is configured in this way, extremely small-volume metering can be performed even without the use of a syringe pump, and is therefore preferred.

[0033] In one embodiment, the dilution apparatus of the present invention is configured such that the third container can be cleaned by the dilution medium.

[0034] When the dilution device of the present invention is configured in this way, the dilution device can be cleaned automatically, which greatly reduces the burden on the user, and is therefore preferred.

[0035] In one embodiment, the particle size determination system of the present invention includes the above-described dilution device and particle size determination device, configured to deliver a second diluent from the second container to the particle size determination device, or deliver a third diluent from the third container to the particle size determination device.

[0036] In one embodiment, the particle size measuring device in the particle size measuring system of the present invention is a particle size measuring device of SPOS method or laser scattering / diffraction method.

[0037] The particle size determination system is highly advantageous when used in combination with the dilution device described above, especially in particle size determination devices using the SPOS or laser scattering / diffraction methods. When comparing with other measurement results, it is very important to measure at the same concentration, so it is particularly advantageous when used in combination with the dilution device described above.

[0038] In one embodiment, the method for manufacturing the slurry of the present invention includes: diluting the slurry using the dilution device and measuring the particle size using the particle size measuring device.

[0039] In one embodiment, the grinding method of the substrate of the present invention includes: sampling the grinding slurry used by the grinding apparatus, diluting the grinding slurry using the dilution device, and measuring the particle size using the particle size measuring device.

[0040] Invention Effects According to the present invention, a dilution apparatus and a particle size determination system using the same are provided, which can easily dilute and determine samples at extremely high ratios. Attached Figure Description

[0041] Figure 1 The particle size determination system apparatus of the first embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in summary.

[0042] Figure 2 The particle size determination system apparatus of the second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in summary.

[0043] Figure 3 The particle size determination system apparatus of the third embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in summary. Detailed Implementation

[0044] The present invention will be specifically described using the following embodiments as examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. If the various devices, mechanisms, and means are not specifically described in detail in this specification, those skilled in the art can use well-known mechanical devices, mechanisms, and means. Those skilled in the art can combine the various embodiments based on common sense, and regarding configurations not specifically described in each embodiment, they may have the same configuration as other embodiments or configurations suitable for that embodiment. Furthermore, regarding configurations not specifically described in the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art should understand them based on common sense.

[0045] Figure 1 The particle size determination system of the first embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in summary.

[0046] The particle size determination system of the present invention consists of a dilution device 100 and a particle size determination device 200. In addition, various devices, valves, pumps, regulators, flow meters, etc. are connected to a control device (PLC), thereby enabling fully automatic control of the dilution device 100.

[0047] The dilution device 100 has an upstream chemical supply source 20 and a deionized water (DIW) supply source 30 as the dilution medium, as well as an air or nitrogen gas supply source 60. Furthermore, the dilution device 100 has a downstream waste liquid pipeline 70.

[0048] To implement three-stage dilution, the dilution apparatus 100 includes: a first container 11 that receives liquid from a stock solution supply source 20 (first supply line 41a) and a first supply line 31 for diluting medium to obtain a first diluted solution, and is connected to a first delivery line 41b for delivering the first diluted solution; a second container 12 that receives liquid from the delivery line 41b (second supply line 42a) for delivering the first diluted solution and a second supply line 32 for diluting medium to obtain a second diluted solution, and is connected to a second delivery line 42b for delivering the second diluted solution; and a third container 13 configured to receive liquid from the second delivery line 42b (third supply line 43a) for delivering the second diluted solution and a third supply line 33 for diluting medium.

[0049] The dilution device 100 can, for example, dilute the original solution by volume ratio of 10 times, 50 times, 100 times, 1000 times, 100,000 times, or more than 500,000 times, or dilute it by less than 5 million times, less than 3 million times, less than 1 million times, less than 500,000 times, or less than 100,000 times.

[0050] The capacity of each of the first container 11 to the third container 13 may be less than 10 liters, less than 5 liters, less than 3 liters, or less than 2 liters. Each of these containers may be equipped with a stirrer, a measuring device, etc.

[0051] The stock solution supply source 20 uses a syringe pump as the first supply mechanism 51, thereby supplying the stock solution to the first container 11 through the first supply line 41a. By using the syringe pump, the stock solution can be supplied to the first container 11 in the range of 1 ml to 50 ml, especially in the range of 1 ml to 10 ml. Since the stock solution is delivered in such a very small amount, the first supply line 41a can be designed as a small-diameter tube, and the stock solution can be delivered by gas pressure by connecting to the gas supply source 60.

[0052] In this embodiment, the first supply line 31 of the diluent is connected to the first supply line 41a of the original solution, and the diluent is also transported to the first container 11 through the first supply line 41a. However, the first supply line 31 of the diluent can also be directly connected to the first container 11.

[0053] The stock solution and diluent mixed in the first container 11 serve as a first diluent, which is then conveyed to the second container 12 via a first delivery line 41b. To dilute the first diluent at a high ratio with the diluent in the second container 12, the amount of diluent conveyed via the first delivery line 41b is preferably in the range of 1 ml to 50 ml, particularly 1 ml to 10 ml. To ensure such minute delivery of the diluent, this embodiment may include a flow meter as a second supply mechanism 52 for supplying the first diluent to the second container 12. Such a flow meter can be an ultrasonic flow meter or a thermal flow meter. Flow meters of these types can measure minute amounts of liquid with high accuracy.

[0054] In addition, gas is supplied from the gas supply source 60 to the first container 11 to increase the internal pressure of the first container 11, thereby allowing the first diluent to be pressurized from the first container 11 to the first delivery pipeline 41b.

[0055] exist Figure 1 In this embodiment, the first diluent from the first delivery line 41b can be mixed with the diluent in the second supply line 32 and the in-line mixer 52a. Furthermore, the first diluent and diluent, originating from the first container 11, can be transported to the second container 12 via the second supply line 42a. Alternatively, the first diluent and diluent can be transported to the second container 12 via separate lines. In this embodiment, the first supply line 31 and the second supply line 32 are connected to the same supply source 30, but the diluent can also be supplied from different sources, and the diluent can be different types of liquids.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first delivery line 41b from the first container 11 is connected not only to the second supply line 42a leading to the second container 12, but also to a bridging supply line 45 for direct supply to the third container 13. Thus, the third container 13 is configured to directly receive the first diluent prepared in the first container 11. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the bridging supply line 45 is also connected to the second supply line 32 for the diluent, the third container 13 is configured to directly receive the diluent from the second supply line 32. Moreover, after the first diluent and the diluent are mixed in the second supply line 32 and the mixer 52a within the first line, the third container 13 can receive this mixture from the bridging supply line 45.

[0057] The second container 12 has the same configuration as the first container 11. That is, the first diluent and diluent medium received from the second supply line 42a can be transported to the third container 13 through the second delivery line 42b. Here, in order to deliver the second diluent in a small amount in the second delivery line 42b, it is preferable to control the flow rate with high precision through the flow meter of the third supply mechanism 53. Such a flow meter can be an ultrasonic flow meter or a thermal flow meter.

[0058] Gas is supplied from gas supply source 60 to second container 12, increasing the internal pressure of second container 12, thereby allowing the second diluent to be pressurized from second container 12 to second delivery line 42b.

[0059] The second diluent from the second delivery line 42b can be mixed with the diluent in the third supply line 33 and the mixer 53a within the second line. Furthermore, the configuration allows the second diluent and diluent from the second delivery line 42b, which originates from the second container 12, to be transported to the third container 13 via the third supply line 43a. Alternatively, the second diluent and diluent can be transported to the third container 13 via separate lines. In this embodiment, the first supply line 31, the second supply line 32, and the third supply line 33 are connected to the same supply source 30 and supplied from the same source, but the diluent can also be supplied from different sources, and the diluent can be different types of liquids.

[0060] A third diluent can be prepared in the third container 13 and conveyed to the particle size measuring device 200. Here, gas is also supplied from the gas supply source 60 to increase the internal pressure of the third container 13, thereby pressurizing the third diluent from the third container 13 to the third delivery line 43b. In addition, the particle size measuring device 200 may have a configuration for drawing the third diluent from the third container 13.

[0061] Alternatively, the particle size analyzer 200 can be a commercially available liquid particle counter type particle size analyzer, such as an SPOS type, light-shielding type, or laser scattering / diffraction type particle size analyzer. This commercially available particle size analyzer may also include a dilution device, and the third container 13 can also be a container for a commercially available particle size analyzer. Examples of commercially available SPOS type particle size analyzers include AccuSizer (trademark, Entegris Co., Ltd., Japan). Since this type of particle size analyzer sometimes requires dilution at extremely high ratios, it is more useful to use it in combination with the aforementioned dilution device.

[0062] As shown in the figure, all pipelines are ultimately connected to waste liquid pipeline 70, allowing for cleaning with a dilution medium. Liquid measured by particle size analyzer 200 can be completely discarded through waste liquid pipeline 70.

[0063] Additionally, although not shown in the figure, the dilution apparatus 100 may also include a container and supply line for supplying additives, such as defoamers to remove air bubbles generated in the container and contrast agents to facilitate particle size analysis. Since the amount of such additives used is extremely small, they can be supplied using a syringe pump, or the flow rate can be highly controlled using an ultrasonic flow meter or a thermal flow meter, and then pressurized using gas.

[0064] This particle size measurement system is particularly useful when manufacturing slurries containing particles, as it allows for extremely high precision control of slurry quality. Examples of such slurries include grinding slurries for semiconductors, inks for inkjet printing, slurries for fuel cells, drinking water, and pharmaceuticals, among others.

[0065] That is, the present invention may include a method for manufacturing a slurry, comprising: a step of preparing the slurry, and a step of diluting the slurry using such a dilution device, and performing particle size measurement using a particle size measuring device such as an SPOS method. Furthermore, the present invention may also include a particle size measuring system for manufacturing slurries (especially semiconductor grinding slurries), which may include such a dilution device and a particle size measuring device (especially an SPOS-type particle size measuring device). In this embodiment, the particle size measuring system is not embedded in the grinding device.

[0066] On the other hand, in other embodiments, this particle size determination system can also be embedded as part of the grinding apparatus. In this case, the particle size determination system samples the grinding slurry used by the grinding apparatus and dilutes the grinding slurry using such a dilution device. In this case, the grinding slurry diluted by such a dilution device can have the same concentration as the grinding slurry used by the grinding apparatus. That is, the present invention can have a grinding method for a substrate, which may include: a step of sampling the grinding slurry used by the grinding apparatus, a step of diluting the sampled grinding slurry using such a dilution device, and a step of measuring the particle size using such a particle size determination device.

[0067] For example, the present invention may include a grinding system comprising: a source for supplying grinding slurry; a grinding apparatus for grinding using the slurry supplied from the source; a dilution apparatus for diluting the slurry supplied from the source; and a particle size measuring apparatus (especially an SPOS-type particle size measuring apparatus) for measuring the particle size of the slurry diluted by the dilution apparatus. Here, the grinding slurry used by the grinding apparatus and the grinding slurry diluted by the dilution apparatus have substantially the same concentration.

[0068] Figure 2 A particle size determination system according to a second embodiment of the present invention is briefly illustrated. Regarding... Figure 2 Unless otherwise specified, but related to Figure 1 The configuration shown is the same as that in the first embodiment.

[0069] In this embodiment, the gas supply source 60 shown in the first embodiment is not shown, but the internal pressure can be adjusted as needed to pressurize and deliver liquid.

[0070] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the particle size determination system also consists of a dilution device 100 and a particle size determination device 200. Here, various devices, valves, pumps, regulators, flow meters, etc., are also connected to a control device (not shown), thereby enabling fully automatic control of the particle size determination system.

[0071] The dilution device 100 has a raw liquid supply source 20 and a dilution medium supply source 30 upstream. In addition, the dilution device 100 has a waste liquid line 70 downstream, which is directly connected to the lower part of each of the first container 11 to the third container 13, thereby making it easy to clean each container with the dilution medium.

[0072] To implement the three-stage dilution, the dilution apparatus 100 also includes: a first container 11 configured to receive liquid from the original liquid supply source 20 (first supply line 41a) and the first supply line 31 for the dilution medium, and connected to a first delivery line 41b for delivering the first diluent; a second container 12 configured to receive liquid from the delivery line 41b (second supply line 42a) for delivering the first diluent and the second supply line 32 for the dilution medium, and connected to a second delivery line 42b for delivering the second diluent; and a third container 13 configured to receive liquid from the second delivery line 42b (third supply line 43a) for delivering the second diluent and the third supply line 33 for the dilution medium.

[0073] In this embodiment, the stock solution supply source 20 also uses an injection pump as the first supply mechanism 51, thereby supplying the stock solution to the first container 11 via the first supply line 41a. The dilution medium supply source 30 is also connected to the injection pump that delivers the stock solution via a first cleaning line 30a, thereby cleaning the injection pump. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the dilution medium can be supplied directly from the first dilution medium supply line 31 to the first container 11.

[0074] The stock solution and diluent mixed in the first container 11, forming a first diluent, are transported to the second container 12 via a first delivery line 41b. The first delivery line 41b is connected to the lower part of the first container 11, allowing it to flow into the waste liquid line 70. A small amount of the first diluent can be supplied to the second supply line 42a leading to the second container 12 via a syringe pump, which serves as a second supply mechanism 52. Here, the diluent supply source 30 is also connected to the second supply mechanism 52 (syringe pump) for transporting the first diluent via a second cleaning line 30b, thereby cleaning the second supply mechanism 52 (syringe pump).

[0075] In this embodiment, the first delivery line 41b from the first container 11 is connected not only to the second supply line 42a leading to the second container 12, but also to a bridging supply line 45 for direct supply to the third container 13. Thus, the third container 13 is configured to directly receive the first diluent prepared in the first container 11. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a delivery pump serving as a bridging supply mechanism 55 is connected to the bridging supply line 45, thereby allowing the first diluent to be pumped to the third container 13.

[0076] In the second container 12, the first diluent received from the second supply line 42a and the diluent from the second supply line 32 can be mixed to prepare a second diluent, which is then conveyed to the third container 13 via the second delivery line 42b. Here, the second delivery line 42b is also connected to the lower part of the second container 12, so that the waste liquid after cleaning the second container 12 with the diluent can flow into the waste liquid line 70.

[0077] In this embodiment, a delivery pump serving as a third supply mechanism 53 is connected to the second delivery line 42b of the diluent, thereby allowing the second diluent to be pumped to the third container 13. Alternatively, an injection pump can be used to deliver the diluent from the second delivery line 42b to the third container, or an ultrasonic flow meter or thermal flow meter can be used to pressurize and deliver the diluent using pressurized gas, a pump, or the like.

[0078] Figure 3 A particle size determination system according to a third embodiment of the present invention is briefly illustrated. Regarding... Figure 3 Unless otherwise specified, but related to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The configuration shown is the same as that in the first and second embodiments.

[0079] In this embodiment, the gas supply source 60 shown in the first embodiment is not shown, but the internal pressure can be adjusted as needed to pump the liquid. Here, various devices, valves, pumps, regulators, flow meters, etc., are also connected to a control device (not shown), thereby enabling fully automatic control of the particle size determination system.

[0080] The dilution apparatus 100 has a first container 11 to a fourth container 14, and can perform four-stage dilution. The dilution apparatus 100 includes: a first container 11 configured to receive liquid from a source 20 (and a first supply line 41a) and a first supply line 31 for diluting medium, and connected to a first delivery line 41b for delivering the first diluent; a second container 12 configured to receive liquid from the delivery line 41b (and a second supply line 42a) for delivering the first diluent and a second supply line 32 for diluting medium, and connected to a second delivery line 42b for delivering the second diluent; a third container 13 configured to receive liquid from the second delivery line 42b (and a third supply line 43a) for delivering the second diluent and a third supply line 33 for diluting medium; and a fourth container 14 configured to receive liquid from the third delivery line 43b for delivering the third diluent and a fourth supply line 34 for diluting medium.

[0081] In this embodiment, not only is a syringe pump used as the first supply mechanism 51 for delivering the stock solution, but also as the second supply mechanism 52 for delivering the first diluent from the first container 11 to the second container 12. Furthermore, a syringe pump is also used as the third supply mechanism 53 for delivering the second diluent from the second container 12 to the third container 13.

[0082] In addition, the dilution device 100 has a waste liquid line 70 downstream, which is directly connected to the lower part of each of the first container 11 to the fourth container 14, thereby making it easy to clean each container with the dilution medium.

[0083] In this embodiment, the stock solution and diluent mixed in the first container 11, as a first diluent, are transported to the second container 12 via a first delivery line 41b for transporting the first diluent. The first delivery line 41b for the first diluent can supply a small amount of the diluent to a second supply line 42a leading to the second container 12 via an injection pump, which serves as a second supply mechanism 52. Here, the diluent supply source 30 is also connected to the second supply mechanism 52 for transporting the first diluent via a second cleaning line 30b, thereby allowing the second supply mechanism 52 to be cleaned.

[0084] Furthermore, the second diluent mixed in the second container 12 is transported to the third container 13 via a second delivery line 42b for transporting the second diluent. The second delivery line 42b for the second diluent can supply a trace amount of diluent to a third supply line 43a leading to the third container 13 via an injection pump that serves as a third supply mechanism 53. Here, the diluent supply source 30 is also connected to the third supply mechanism 53 for transporting the second diluent via a third cleaning line 30c, thereby allowing the third supply mechanism 53 to be cleaned.

[0085] The first container 11 is connected not only to the second supply line 42a leading to the second container 12, but also to a bridging supply line 45 for direct supply to the final fourth container 14. Thus, the fourth container 14 is configured to directly receive the first diluent prepared in the first container 11. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a delivery pump serving as a bridging supply mechanism 55 is connected to the bridging supply line 45, thereby allowing the first diluent to be pumped to the fourth container 14.

[0086] Furthermore, the second container 12 is connected not only to the third supply line 43a leading to the third container 13, but also to the second bridging supply line 46 for direct supply to the final fourth container 14. Thus, the fourth container 14 is configured to directly receive the second diluent prepared in the second container 12. In addition, in this embodiment, a delivery pump serving as a second bridging supply mechanism 56 is connected to the second bridging supply line 46, thereby allowing the second diluent to be pumped to the fourth container 14.

[0087] Regarding the transfer from the third container 13 to the fourth container 14, a flow meter can be used to manage the flow from the bottom of the third container 13, and the transfer can be carried out through the third transfer line 43b. The transfer can be carried from the fourth container 14 to the particle size measuring device 200 through the fourth transfer line 44b.

[0088] [Explanation of Labels in the Attached Image] 11 First Container 12 Second Container 13 Third Container 14 Fourth Container 20 raw material supply sources 30 Dilution Media Supply Source 31. First supply source of dilution medium 32 Second supply source of dilution medium 33. Third supply source of dilution medium 41a First Supply Pipeline 41b First delivery pipeline 42a Second Supply Pipeline 42b Second Delivery Pipeline 43a Third Supply Pipeline 43b Third Delivery Pipeline 45 Bridge Pipeline 51. First Supply Organization 52 Second Supply Organization 52a First Pipeline In-line Mixer 53 Third Supply Organization 53a Second Pipeline In-line Mixer 60 gas supply sources 70 waste liquid pipeline 100 dilution device 200 Particle Size Measurement Device

Claims

1. A dilution apparatus comprising: A first container, capable of receiving liquid from a source of concentrate and a first source of dilution medium to obtain a first diluted solution, and configured to transport the first diluted solution; and The second container is capable of receiving a first diluent from the first container and liquid from a second supply source of the diluent medium to obtain a second diluent; It is configured such that the stock solution supply source can quantitatively supply raw materials within the range of 1ml to 100ml.

2. The dilution apparatus of claim 1, configured such that the stock solution supply source delivers the stock solution via an injection pump.

3. The dilution apparatus as described in claim 2, wherein, The first and second supply sources of the dilution medium are connected to the same supply source.

4. The dilution apparatus of claim 1, configured such that the first diluent can be mixed with the diluent from the second supply source within the pipeline.

5. The dilution apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, An ultrasonic flow meter or a thermal flow meter is provided between the first container and the second container.

6. The dilution apparatus of claim 1, configured such that the first container and the second container can be cleaned by the dilution medium.

7. The dilution apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The second container is configured to deliver the second diluent; and, The dilution apparatus further includes a third container configured to receive a second diluent from the second container and liquid from a third supply source of the dilution medium.

8. The dilution apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein, The third container is configured to receive a first diluent from the first container.

9. The dilution apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein, The first, second, and third supply sources of the dilution medium are connected to the same supply source.

10. A particle size determination system comprising a dilution device and a particle size determination device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, and configured to deliver a second diluent from a second container to the particle size determination device.

11. The particle size determination system as described in claim 8, wherein, The particle size measuring device is a particle size measuring device based on laser scattering / diffraction.

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