Nitrogen sealed water tanks, pure water equipment and semiconductor processing systems

Abstract

The present application relates to a nitrogen-sealed water tank, pure water equipment and a semiconductor processing system. The nitrogen-sealed water tank comprises: a water tank body, wherein a water storage space for storing pure water is formed inside; a nitrogen pipe, which is connected to the water storage space and is used to input nitrogen; an exhaust pipe, comprising a first end and a second end opposite to each other along its longitudinal direction, wherein the first end is connected to the water storage space, and the second end is located outside the water tank body. When the nitrogen-sealed water tank is working, the height of the second end is higher than the first end in the direction of gravity. Thus, the nitrogen in the exhaust pipe needs to overcome the movement of gravity in the process of moving from the first end to the second end. Since the weight of the water carried in the nitrogen is greater than the weight of the nitrogen, the water has a shorter movement distance than the nitrogen, resulting in that most of the water cannot move to the second end, and finally flows back into the water storage space under the action of gravity, thereby preventing the pure water from leaving the storage space with the nitrogen and reducing the waste of pure water.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of pure water production, and in particular to a nitrogen-sealed water tank, pure water equipment and a semiconductor processing system. Background Art

[0002] With the progress of industry, the demand for ultrapure water in various industries is increasing. The air contains impurities such as carbon dioxide and dust, and ultrapure water is a pure solvent with a strong ability to dissolve these impurities. Therefore, once ultrapure water comes into contact with air, its resistivity will drop rapidly. Practice has shown that ultrapure water above 15MΩ.cm will drop to 3-4MΩ.cm after being exposed to air for 1 minute, and will drop to about 2MΩ.cm after 3 minutes. Therefore, the storage container of ultrapure water must ensure that the water does not come into contact with the air.

[0003] At present, the nitrogen filling method is widely used to prevent pure water from contacting with air. A certain amount of nitrogen is filled into a sealed nitrogen-sealed water tank so that the surface of the pure water is filled with nitrogen, and an appropriate positive pressure is maintained in the nitrogen-sealed water tank to prevent the atmosphere from contacting the pure water in the nitrogen-sealed water tank. Since nitrogen is an inert gas, it can prevent other substances such as CO2 from dissolving into the water and affecting the water quality, thereby ensuring that the pure water in the nitrogen-sealed water tank is not polluted by secondary pollution and causes water quality to deteriorate.

[0004] During the operation of the existing nitrogen sealing water tank, the amount of pure water in the nitrogen sealing water tank is constantly changing. In order to avoid excessive or insufficient nitrogen pressure in the water tank, which affects the normal operation of the equipment, when the water amount changes, some nitrogen needs to be introduced into or discharged from the nitrogen sealing water tank. However, in the process of nitrogen being discharged from the water tank, the nitrogen will be discharged together with some pure water, thereby causing a waste of pure water. Summary of the invention

[0005] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a nitrogen-sealed water tank, pure water equipment and semiconductor processing system to address the problem that when nitrogen is discharged from the water tank, it will carry a part of the pure water with it, thus causing waste of pure water.

[0006] A nitrogen sealed water tank, comprising:

[0007] The water tank body has a water storage space formed inside for storing pure water;

[0008] a nitrogen pipe, connected to the water storage space and used for inputting nitrogen;

[0009] The exhaust pipe includes a first end and a second end opposite to each other along its longitudinal direction, wherein the first end is connected to the water storage space, and the second end is located outside the water tank body. When the nitrogen-sealed water tank is working, the height of the second end is higher than the first end in the direction of gravity.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, the exhaust pipe at least partially extends in a zigzag manner.

[0011] In one embodiment, the exhaust pipe includes a first section, a second section, and a third section that are connected in sequence, an end of the first section away from the second section is used as the first end, and an end of the third section away from the second section is used as the second end;

[0012] When the nitrogen-sealed water box is working, the first section and the third section both extend in the direction of gravity, the extension direction of the second section intersects with the direction of gravity, and the second section is higher than the second end in the direction of gravity.

[0013] In one embodiment, the exhaust pipe and / or the nitrogen pipe is a PVC pipe.

[0014] In one of the embodiments, when the nitrogen-sealed water tank is in operation, one end of the nitrogen pipe extends into the water storage space, and one end of the exhaust pipe located in the water storage space is located below the water level of the pure water.

[0015] In one of the embodiments, when the nitrogen-sealed water tank is in operation, the other end of the nitrogen pipe is located outside the water storage space, and the nitrogen pipe extends longitudinally along the direction of gravity.

[0016] In one embodiment, the water tank body includes a cylindrical portion and a conical barrel portion which are arranged to form the water storage space, the cylindrical portion is columnar, and the conical barrel portion is conical. When the nitrogen-sealed water tank is working, the conical barrel portion is installed above the cylindrical portion, and the tip of the conical barrel portion faces a side away from the cylindrical portion.

[0017] In one of the embodiments, an exhaust port is provided on the inner wall of the cone barrel portion, and the exhaust port is connected to the first end of the exhaust pipe.

[0018] A pure water device comprises the nitrogen sealed water tank as described in any one of the above items.

[0019] A semiconductor processing system comprises the pure water device as described above.

[0020] When the above-mentioned nitrogen-sealed water tank is working, the height of the second end is higher than the first end in the direction of gravity. In this way, the nitrogen in the exhaust pipe needs to overcome the movement of gravity when moving from the first end to the second end. The water carried in the nitrogen has a weight greater than the weight of the nitrogen. Therefore, the movement distance of the water is shorter than that of the nitrogen, resulting in most of the water being unable to move to the second end. Finally, it flows back into the water storage space under the action of gravity, preventing pure water from leaving the storage space with the nitrogen and reducing the waste of pure water. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the nitrogen-sealed water tank in some embodiments of the present application.

[0022] Description of reference numerals:

[0023] Water tank body 10; cylindrical portion 11; conical barrel portion 12; exhaust port 13;

[0024] Nitrogen pipe 20;

[0025] Exhaust pipe 30; first end 31; second end 32; first section 33; second section 34; third section 35;

[0026] Gravity direction X; water level Z. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0028] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that if the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. appear, the orientation or position relationship indicated by these terms is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0029] In addition, if the terms "first" or "second" appear, these terms are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, if the term "plurality" appears, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0030] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like appear, these terms should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integrated connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0031] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if there is a description that a first feature is "above" or "below" a second feature, etc., or similar descriptions appear, it may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "above" and "above" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. The first feature being "below", "below" and "below" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0032] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. If present, the terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation method.

[0033] See also Figure 1 A nitrogen-sealed water tank provided in one embodiment of the present application includes a water tank body 10, a nitrogen pipe 20 and an exhaust pipe 30. A water storage space for storing pure water is formed inside the water tank body 10. During actual use, the pure water produced by the pure water production device is transported to the water storage space and temporarily stored in the water storage space for use by other equipment at any time.

[0034] One end of the nitrogen pipe 20 is connected to an external nitrogen storage or production device, and the other end is connected to a water storage space, so as to input nitrogen into the water storage space and isolate pure water from air through nitrogen to prevent pure water from being contaminated by ions in the air. When the pure water production equipment continuously inputs pure water into the water storage space, the water level of the pure water in the water storage space rises. In order to ensure that the pressure value of the nitrogen in the water storage space remains within an appropriate range, the exhaust pipe 30 connects the water storage space with the outside of the water tank body 10, thereby discharging a portion of the nitrogen in the storage space through the exhaust pipe 30 to ensure the pressure value of the nitrogen in the water storage space.

[0035] Specifically, the exhaust pipe 30 includes a first end 31 and a second end 32 which are opposite to each other along its longitudinal direction. The first end 31 is connected to the water storage space, and the second end 32 is located outside the water tank body 10. The nitrogen in the water storage space enters the exhaust pipe 30 through the first end 31 and is discharged from the exhaust pipe 30 from the second end 32, thereby completing the discharge of the nitrogen.

[0036] Among them, when the nitrogen sealing water tank is working, in the gravity direction X, the height of the second end 32 is higher than the first end 31. In this way, the nitrogen in the exhaust pipe 30 needs to overcome the movement of gravity when moving from the first end 31 to the second end 32. Since the water carried in the nitrogen has a weight greater than the weight of the nitrogen, the movement distance of the water is shorter than that of the nitrogen, resulting in most of the water being unable to move to the second end 32. Finally, it flows back into the water storage space under the action of gravity, preventing pure water from leaving the storage space with the nitrogen, thereby reducing the waste of pure water.

[0037] In some embodiments of the present application, the exhaust pipe 30 at least partially extends in a zigzag manner. When nitrogen flows in the exhaust pipe 30, when it moves to the zigzag portion of the exhaust pipe 30, the exhaust pipe 30 is bent, and the nitrogen is blocked at the bend, so the flow rate of the nitrogen is reduced and it cannot continue to carry water. Therefore, the water will stay in the exhaust pipe 30 and finally flow back into the water storage space under the action of gravity, preventing pure water from leaving the water storage space with the nitrogen, thereby reducing the waste of pure water. At the same time, the zigzag exhaust pipe 30 makes it difficult for dirt outside the water storage space to flow into the water storage space through the exhaust pipe 30, thereby preventing the pure water from being contaminated by the outside.

[0038] In some embodiments, the exhaust pipe 30 includes a first section 33, a second section 34 and a third section 35 connected in sequence, an end of the first section 33 away from the second section 34 serves as the first end 31 of the exhaust pipe 30, and an end of the third end away from the second end 32 serves as the second end 32, that is, after the nitrogen in the water storage space enters the exhaust pipe 30 from the first end 31, it will pass through the first section 33, the second section 34 and the third section 35 in sequence, and finally be discharged from the exhaust pipe 30 from the second end 32 on the third section 35.

[0039] When the nitrogen sealing water tank is working, the first section 33 and the third section 35 of the exhaust pipe 30 both extend along the gravity direction X, the extension direction of the second section 34 intersects with the gravity direction X, and the second section 34 is higher than the second section 34 of the exhaust pipe 30 in the gravity direction X. Figure 1 As shown, by setting the second section 34 at a higher position and making the second section 34 intersect with the extension direction of the first section 33 and the third section 35, the exhaust pipe 30 forms a zigzag extension shape at the second section 34. In the process of nitrogen entering from the first section 33 to the second section 34 and from the second section 34 to the third section 35, the speed of nitrogen gradually decreases, and the water carried also gradually decreases. The water stays in the exhaust pipe 30 and finally flows back to the water storage space.

[0040] In some embodiments of the present application, the exhaust pipe 30 is a PVC pipe. The PVC pipe has the advantages of strong pressure resistance, ability to prevent corrosion by acidic and alkaline substances, good waterproofness, etc. It also has the advantage of low cost and can effectively reduce the cost of the nitrogen sealing water tank. Furthermore, the nitrogen pipe 20 can also be made of PVC pipe, thereby further reducing the overall cost of the nitrogen sealing water tank.

[0041] In some embodiments of the present application, when the nitrogen-sealed water tank is working, one end of the nitrogen pipe 20 extends into the water storage space, and the end of the exhaust pipe 30 located in the water storage space is located below the water level Z of the pure water, that is, the end of the nitrogen pipe 20 located in the water storage space is inserted into the pure water, so that the end of the nitrogen pipe 20 located in the water storage space is completely wrapped by the pure water, thereby forming a liquid seal on one end of the nitrogen pipe 20 through the pure water, so that nitrogen can only be input into the water storage space through the nitrogen pipe 20, and the nitrogen in the water storage space cannot be discharged through the nitrogen pipe 20.

[0042] In some embodiments of the present application, when the nitrogen sealing water tank is working, the other end of the nitrogen pipe 20 is located outside the water storage space to facilitate the connection of the nitrogen pipe 20 with an external nitrogen generator or a nitrogen tank and other nitrogen sources, and the nitrogen extends longitudinally along the gravity direction X, that is, compared with the tortuous exhaust pipe 30, the nitrogen pipe 20 presents a straight extension shape, thereby avoiding obstruction of nitrogen movement in the nitrogen pipe 20 and increasing the nitrogen inflation speed.

[0043] In some embodiments of the present application, the water tank body 10 includes a cylindrical portion 11 and a conical barrel portion 12 that are enclosed to form a water storage space. The cylindrical portion 11 is columnar and the conical barrel portion 12 is conical. When the nitrogen-sealed water tank is working, the conical barrel portion 12 is installed above the cylindrical portion 11, and the tip of the conical barrel portion 12 faces the side away from the cylindrical portion 11, such as Figure 1As shown, the water tank body 10 as a whole is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. The wider cylindrical portion 11 allows the water tank body 10 to store more pure water, while the narrower upper conical barrel portion 12 of the water tank body 10 can make the space on the top of the pure water smaller. The nitrogen used to isolate the pure water is mainly concentrated on the top of the pure water. The upper volume of the water tank body 10 is reduced, so that the amount of nitrogen used to isolate the pure water can be reduced, thereby saving the cost of nitrogen.

[0044] In some embodiments, an exhaust port 13 is opened on the inner wall of the conical barrel portion 12, and the exhaust port 13 is connected to the first end 31 of the exhaust pipe 30, that is, the first end 31 of the exhaust pipe 30 does not extend into the water storage space, so that the exhaust port 13 maintains a higher height to prevent pure water from entering the exhaust pipe 30.

[0045] An embodiment of the present application also provides a pure water device, including a nitrogen-sealed water tank as in any of the above embodiments, and the pure water equipment also includes a pure water production device for producing pure water. The pure water produced by the pure water production device is input into the water storage space of the nitrogen-sealed water tank through a pipeline, and is temporarily stored in the water storage space for use by other equipment at any time.

[0046] An embodiment of the present application also provides a semiconductor processing system, including the pure water equipment in the above embodiment. The semiconductor processing system also includes a processing device for processing semiconductors. The processing device is connected to a nitrogen-sealed water tank and is used to extract pure water from the nitrogen-sealed water tank for processing semiconductors. For example, when cutting semiconductors, the semiconductors are cleaned with pure water.

[0047] The above nitrogen sealed water tank has at least the following advantages:

[0048] When the nitrogen-sealed water tank is working, in the gravity direction X, the height of the second end 32 is higher than the first end 31. In this way, the nitrogen in the exhaust pipe 30 needs to overcome the movement of gravity when moving from the first end 31 to the second end 32. Since the weight of the water carried in the nitrogen is greater than the weight of the nitrogen, the movement distance of the water is shorter than that of the nitrogen, resulting in most of the water being unable to move to the second end 32. Finally, it flows back into the water storage space under the action of gravity, preventing the pure water from leaving the storage space with the nitrogen and reducing the waste of pure water.

[0049] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0050] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A nitrogen sealed water tank, characterized in that: The nitrogen sealing water tank comprises: A water tank body (10) is formed with a water storage space for storing pure water; a nitrogen pipe (20) connected to the water storage space and used for inputting nitrogen; when the nitrogen sealing water tank is working, one end of the nitrogen pipe (20) extends into the water storage space, and one end of the nitrogen pipe (20) located in the water storage space is located below the water level line (Z) of the pure water; The exhaust pipe (30) comprises a first end (31) and a second end (32) which are opposite to each other along its longitudinal direction, wherein the first end (31) is connected to the water storage space, and the second end (32) is located outside the water tank body (10). When the nitrogen-sealed water tank is in operation, in the gravity direction (X), the height of the second end (32) is higher than that of the first end (31).

2. The nitrogen sealing water tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: The exhaust pipe (30) at least partially extends in a zigzag manner.

3. The nitrogen sealing water tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: The exhaust pipe (30) comprises a first section (33), a second section (34) and a third section (35) which are connected in sequence, an end of the first section (33) away from the second section (34) serving as the first end (31), and an end of the third section (35) away from the second section (34) serving as the second end (32); When the nitrogen-sealed water box is working, the first section (33) and the third section (35) both extend along the gravity direction (X), the extension direction of the second section (34) intersects with the gravity direction (X), and the second section (34) is higher than the second end (32) in the gravity direction (X).

4. The nitrogen sealing water tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: The exhaust pipe (30) and / or the nitrogen pipe (20) are PVC pipes.

5. The nitrogen sealing water tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the nitrogen-sealed water tank is in operation, the other end of the nitrogen pipe (20) is located outside the water storage space, and the nitrogen pipe (20) extends longitudinally along the gravity direction (X).

6. The nitrogen sealing water tank according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water tank body (10) comprises a cylindrical portion (11) and a conical barrel portion (12) which are arranged to surround and form the water storage space; the cylindrical portion (11) is columnar, and the conical barrel portion (12) is conical; when the nitrogen-sealed water tank is in operation, the conical barrel portion (12) is installed above the cylindrical portion (11), and the tip of the conical barrel portion (12) faces a side away from the cylindrical portion (11).

7. The nitrogen-sealed water tank according to claim 6, characterized in that: An exhaust port (13) is provided on the inner wall of the cone barrel portion (12), and the exhaust port (13) is connected to the first end (31) of the exhaust pipe (30).

8. A pure water device, characterized in that: Comprising a nitrogen-sealed water tank as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A semiconductor processing system, characterized in that: Comprising the pure water equipment as described in claim 8.

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