Degassing device for photoresist
By employing a buffer cavity design with a transition structure of arc surface and horn-shaped inclined surface in the degassing device for photoresist, the problems of bubble generation and material waste during photoresist flow are solved, achieving uniform flow and efficient utilization of photoresist.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- HANGZHOU COBETTER SEMICONDUCTOR SEPARATION MEMBRANE CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-05-30
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-19
AI Technical Summary
In existing degassing devices for photoresist, bubbles are easily generated during the flow of photoresist, leading to reduced coating accuracy and quality defects, as well as problems such as material waste and incomplete cleaning.
A degassing device for photoresist is designed, which adopts a transition structure of arc surface and horn-shaped inclined surface for the first and second guide sidewalls in the buffer cavity to reduce right-angle turns, ensure uniform flow of photoresist, reduce dead corners, and improve the utilization rate of the material liquid.
This achieves uniform flow of photoresist, reduces bubble generation, minimizes material waste, and improves photoresist utilization and cleaning efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN224252163U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of hollow membrane fiber assemblies for gas-liquid separation, and in particular to a degassing device for photoresist. Background Technology
[0002] In the production processes of fine patterning for display panels, integrated circuits, and discrete semiconductor devices, the photoresist used needs to be exposed to light of a specific wavelength for a specific time, allowing it to undergo photochemical reactions that cause different chemical structural changes in various substances. When photoresist is coated onto a circuit board, if residual air bubbles are present within the photoresist, it can lead to decreased coating accuracy, quality defects on the circuit board, or photoresist development defects. To prevent this, a hollow fiber degassing assembly for gas-liquid separation is installed before the process.
[0003] The prior art CN217068407U discloses the above-mentioned hollow membrane fiber degassing device for photoresist gas-liquid separation. In this device, the perforated plates 6 at both ends of the hollow membrane fiber bundle 7 are adapted to the external pipeline via a connector 5. The head 51 of the connector 5 is connected to the external pipeline, and a central flow channel communicating with the external pipeline is provided inside the head 51 of the connector 5. The first welding ring 53 of the connector 5 is connected to the hollow membrane fiber bundle 7, and a buffer cavity is provided inside the first welding ring 53. A snap-fit part 52 is provided between the head 51 of the connector 5 and the first welding ring 53. The inner wall of the snap-fit part 52 forms a right-angle bend structure. In other words, a right-angle bend structure that causes a sharp change in the inner diameter is formed between the buffer cavity formed inside the connector 5 and the central flow channel.
[0004] Photoresist is a highly viscous liquid. Before entering one end of the hollow fiber bundle, it first enters the bottom of a buffer cavity of a connector, gradually filling the entire buffer cavity. After leaving the other end of the hollow fiber bundle, it also first enters the buffer cavity of another connector before being discharged through the hollow flow channel. This right-angle bend structure leads to the following problems: First, during liquid injection, as the photoresist in the buffer cavity enters the bottom of the buffer cavity from the central flow channel, most of the photoresist will fall directly under gravity. Under the action of a large impact force, the photoresist may generate unnecessary large bubbles. During liquid discharge, the degassed photoresist will also be impacted by the sharp right-angle bend structure, generating unnecessary bubbles again. Second, the central flow channel and the buffer cavity are concentric and coaxial. Due to the presence of the right-angle bend structure, most of the photoresist continuously concentrates in the central area of the corresponding central flow channel of the buffer chamber, that is, the photoresist is concentrated in the middle part of the area surrounded by the hollow film filament ends. At this time, the outer edge of the area surrounded by the hollow film filament ends cannot be fully utilized in the initial liquid introduction stage. Thirdly, after the photoresist fills the buffer chamber, dead corners are easily formed at the right-angle bend, resulting in photoresist waste. Photoresist is relatively expensive. At the same time, the photoresist in the dead corners is also difficult to clean thoroughly during rinsing. Specifically, after the user completes the positive photoresist introduction operation for the degassing device, an organic solvent needs to be introduced to dissolve and clean the positive photoresist inside the buffer chamber. If the dissolution and cleaning are not thorough, when negative photoresist is introduced again for degassing, the positive and negative photoresist will undergo a chemical reaction, affecting the use of negative photoresist for degassing. Utility Model Content
[0005] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, this utility model provides a degassing device for photoresist, which can smoothly guide the photoresist fluid to the bottom of the second guide sidewall, so that the distribution of the liquid can be relatively more uniform when the buffer cavity is first filled with the photoresist, ensuring that the hollow film filaments are fully utilized, and reducing the volume of dead corners where the liquid accumulates, thus reducing the waste of photoresist liquid.
[0006] The technical solution adopted by this utility model to solve its technical problem is: a degassing device for photoresist, including a housing, a hollow membrane fiber bundle located inside the housing, and a connector for connecting the hollow membrane fiber bundle and an external pipeline. The housing is provided with a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet, and a gas extraction port. The two connectors are respectively inserted through the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet. The connector has a hollow flow channel extending along the axial direction. One end of the connector that is sealed and connected to the hollow membrane fiber bundle is provided with a buffer cavity. The buffer cavity has a first guide sidewall connected to the bottom end of the inner wall of the hollow flow channel, and a second guide sidewall connected to the bottom end of the first guide sidewall. The first guide sidewall is an arc surface protruding towards the central axis of the hollow flow channel. The two ends of the first guide sidewall smoothly transition with the hollow flow channel and the second guide sidewall, respectively. The second guide sidewall is a flared inclined surface that is smaller at the top and larger at the bottom, and the bottom end of the second guide sidewall is located radially outside the area enclosed by all the ends of the hollow membrane fibers in the hollow membrane fiber bundle.
[0007] In this invention's degassing device, the second guide sidewall of the buffer chamber and the hollow flow channel are smoothly connected through the arc-shaped first guide sidewall. Therefore, the first and second guide sidewalls work together to form a good connection and transition between the hollow flow channel, the first guide sidewall, and the second guide sidewall. This avoids excessively damaging the surface tension of the viscous photoresist, thus making the flow path of the photoresist from the external pipeline to the hollow film bundle an organic whole. This guides the photoresist fluid, which has a certain viscosity and high tension, to flow along the preset flow path as much as possible.
[0008] On the other hand, since the bottom end of the second guide sidewall is located radially outside the area enclosed by the ends of all the hollow membrane fibers in the hollow membrane bundle, under the combined action of the first guide sidewall and the second guide sidewall, more photoresist fluid will be guided to flow along the preset flow path to the bottom end of the second guide sidewall. Subsequently, more photoresist fluid will flow to the outer edge of the hollow membrane bundle, preventing the photoresist from falling into the central area of the hollow membrane bundle. This ensures that the end face of the entire hollow membrane bundle is covered with photoresist, and the liquid can be distributed to the outer edge of the hollow membrane bundle when the photoresist is first introduced into the buffer cavity. The liquid distribution is more uniform, which is conducive to guiding the photoresist to the bottom outer edge of the buffer cavity, ensuring that all the hollow membrane fibers of the hollow membrane bundle can be distributed with liquid, thereby ensuring that they are fully utilized.
[0009] Thirdly, in this invention, the second guide sidewall is a sloping, smooth structure composed of a trumpet-shaped inclined surface that is smaller at the top and larger at the bottom, and an arc-shaped first guide sidewall. Compared with the right-angled square structure in the prior art, the second guide sidewall is designed as an inclined surface, which makes it less likely to generate dead corners. Even if there are corners, the volume of the buffer cavity is greatly reduced, which correspondingly reduces the area of residual particles in the photoresist solution, thereby reducing the dead corners and the accumulation volume of the photoresist solution. This not only reduces the waste of photoresist but also facilitates the rinsing and cleaning of the photoresist.
[0010] Fourthly, the first guide sidewall is an arc surface, and its two ends smoothly transition to the hollow flow channel and the second guide sidewall respectively, so that there will be virtually no sharp corners. When the liquid is discharged, the degassed photoresist comes into contact with the second guide sidewall and flows along the inclined second guide sidewall to the first guide sidewall. It will not cause the degassed photoresist to generate bubbles again due to impact with sharp corners, thus ensuring the normal progress of subsequent dispensing processes.
[0011] Furthermore, the hollow membrane fiber bundle includes a perforated plate for fixing multiple hollow membrane fibers, and the connector has an annular connecting portion located on the outer periphery of the bottom end of the second flow guide sidewall. The annular connecting portion is welded to the perforated plate to form an annular protrusion protruding toward the central axis of the hollow flow channel within the buffer cavity. The included angle between the annular protrusion and the second flow guide sidewall is an acute angle.
[0012] With this configuration, the welding liquid generated when the annular connector is welded to the flower plate will bulge out and solidify along the horizontal radial direction on the inner and outer sides of the welding surface to form annular protrusions. The annular protrusions form an acute angle with the inclined second guide sidewall. Compared with the right angle dead angle formed by the annular protrusions and the vertical sidewall, not only is the dead angle reduced, but the area of the particle residue area is also reduced. That is, the liquid inside the acute angle dead angle is reduced, making it easier to rinse and avoiding excessive waste of photoresist.
[0013] Furthermore, the sum of the axial heights of the first and second guide sidewalls is H, the radius of the first guide sidewall is R, the size of the bottom opening of the first guide sidewall is L, the connector is cylindrical and the hollow flow channel is located at the center of the connector, the outer diameter of the connector is Y, and the radial width of the annular connecting part is X, satisfying the following formula:
[0014] With this configuration, the combined constraints of the aforementioned parameters ensure that the angle θ between the second guide sidewall and the horizontal plane is between 30° and 60°. If the angle θ is less than 30°, it indicates that the second guide sidewall is too gentle, resulting in poor photoresist guiding effect. In this case, most of the photoresist falls off midway due to gravity before reaching the bottom of the second guide sidewall, preventing it from flowing smoothly to the outer edge of the hollow film bundle. If the angle θ is greater than 60°, it indicates that the second guide sidewall is too steep, again resulting in poor photoresist guiding effect. In this case, less photoresist is guided from the first guide sidewall to the second guide sidewall, and most of the photoresist falls off midway due to gravity before reaching the bottom of the second guide sidewall, preventing it from flowing smoothly to the outer edge of the hollow film bundle, resulting in poor photoresist distribution.
[0015] Furthermore, the second guide sidewall is a concave curved surface away from the central axis of the hollow flow channel, and the second guide sidewall and the first guide sidewall form an S-shaped guide surface.
[0016] With this configuration, due to the concave shape of the second guide sidewall, the surface tension of the photoresist entering the starting end of the second guide sidewall is greater. The first guide sidewall can guide more photoresist from the hollow channel to the starting end of the second guide sidewall. Moreover, due to the arc-shaped concave structure of the second guide sidewall, it can form a certain accumulation effect on the photoresist, which not only attracts more photoresist to flow to the second guide sidewall, but also generates sufficient tension to allow it to flow smoothly to the bottom end of the second guide sidewall. The second guide sidewall and the first guide sidewall form an S-shaped guide surface, so that the surface tension of the photoresist will not change abruptly during the flow of the photoresist on the S-shaped guide surface, thus allowing it to flow more smoothly to the bottom end of the second guide sidewall. This ensures that the photoresist is distributed to the outer edge of the hollow film bundle as soon as it is introduced into the buffer cavity, resulting in more uniform distribution and ensuring that all hollow film fibers of the hollow film bundle are fully utilized.
[0017] Furthermore, the buffer cavity has a third flow-guiding sidewall connected to the bottom end of the second flow-guiding sidewall, the third flow-guiding sidewall extending axially, and the bottom end of the third flow-guiding sidewall located radially outside the region enclosed by the ends of all the hollow membrane fibers in the hollow membrane bundle.
[0018] This configuration increases the volume of the buffer cavity by adding a third flow-guiding sidewall. Its axial extension also allows the photoresist at the bottom of the second flow-guiding sidewall to flow rapidly along the third flow-guiding sidewall to the hollow film filaments at the outer edge of the hollow film filament bundle. The bottom of the third flow-guiding sidewall is located radially outside the area enclosed by the ends of all the hollow film filaments in the hollow film filament bundle, which guides more photoresist to the outer edge of the hollow film filament bundle. This ensures that the photoresist is distributed to the outer edge of the hollow film filament bundle as soon as it is introduced into the buffer cavity, resulting in more uniform distribution and ensuring that all the hollow film filaments in the hollow film filament bundle are fully utilized.
[0019] Furthermore, the second guide sidewall is a conical plane, and the second guide sidewall and the third guide sidewall are smoothly connected by a transition surface, which is a concave curved surface away from the central axis of the hollow flow channel.
[0020] With this configuration, the photoresist flows from the hollow channel along the first guide sidewall into the conical plane of the second guide sidewall, then into the transition surface, and finally flows along the vertical third guide sidewall to the outer edge of the hollow film filament bundle. The entire process has a small dead zone for photoresist accumulation, and the surface tension of the photoresist fluid does not change too much. More photoresist fluid can enter the hollow film filament bundle along this flow path, especially the hollow film filaments at the outer edge of the hollow film filament bundle, where the photoresist distribution is more uniform, ensuring that all hollow film filaments in the hollow film filament bundle are fully utilized.
[0021] Furthermore, the end face of the flower plate facing the connector has a groove to form an annular support for welding with the connector, and the second flow guide sidewall is located radially inside the groove sidewall.
[0022] This design creates a cavity on one side of the flower plate, corresponding to the buffer cavity, thus increasing the volume of the buffer area and facilitating the distribution of photoresist. The groove also forms an annular support, making welding between the flower plate and the connector more convenient and the fixing structure more stable. All the hollow film fibers of the hollow film bundle are located within the space surrounded by the sidewall of the groove. The second flow guide sidewall is positioned radially inside the sidewall of the groove, allowing the photoresist flowing to the bottom of the second flow guide sidewall to enter the groove and then into the hollow film bundle for degassing. This prevents some photoresist from remaining between the connector and the flower plate, thus avoiding photoresist waste.
[0023] Furthermore, the inner wall of the groove is inclined, the groove is formed into a flared opening that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, and the angle between the annular protrusion and the inner wall of the groove is an acute angle.
[0024] This design, compared to a right angle between the annular protrusion and the inner wall of the groove, reduces the dead angle and the area of particle residue. In other words, the liquid trapped in the dead angle is reduced, making it easier to rinse and preventing excessive waste of photoresist. In addition, when the annular connector is welded to the flower plate, part of the welding liquid will flow along the inclined inner wall of the groove. At this time, the radially protruding part of the annular protrusion is reduced accordingly, which is beneficial to reducing the dead angle.
[0025] Furthermore, the connector includes an upper connector that partially extends out of the housing and a lower connector that forms a buffer cavity. The upper connector and the lower connector are sealed together. The upper connector has an upper hollow flow channel, and the lower connector has a lower hollow flow channel. The inner diameters of the upper hollow flow channel and the lower hollow flow channel are equal.
[0026] This design makes the installation and flushing of connectors more convenient, adapts to different usage scenarios, and offers greater application flexibility. The inner diameters of the upper and lower hollow flow channels are equal, thus preventing dead corners on the inner walls of the upper and lower connectors. This minimizes the accumulation of photoresist in the uneven areas of the hollow flow channels, reducing flow dead corners, avoiding photoresist accumulation and waste, and resulting in high photoresist utilization.
[0027] Furthermore, the upper connecting body has an annular boss and a blocking portion extending radially outward from the outer wall of the annular boss. This blocking portion abuts against the housing, and the annular boss engages with the liquid inlet and / or liquid outlet and is welded and fixed to the housing. This structure eliminates locking components, reduces installation parts, facilitates installation, and provides excellent sealing performance.
[0028] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: In the degassing device of this utility model, the second guide sidewall of the buffer chamber and the hollow flow channel are smoothly connected through the first guide sidewall with an arc surface. Therefore, the first guide sidewall and the second guide sidewall work together to form a good connection and transition effect among the hollow flow channel, the first guide sidewall, and the second guide sidewall. This will not excessively damage the surface tension of the viscous photoresist. As a result, the flow path of the photoresist from the external pipeline to the hollow film bundle is an organic whole, guiding the photoresist fluid with a certain viscosity and high tension to flow along the preset flow path as much as possible.
[0029] Since the bottom end of the second guide sidewall is located radially outside the area enclosed by the ends of all the hollow membrane fibers in the hollow membrane bundle, under the combined action of the first and second guide sidewalls, more photoresist fluid will be guided to the bottom end of the second guide sidewall along the preset flow path. Subsequently, more photoresist fluid will flow to the outer edge of the hollow membrane bundle, preventing the photoresist from falling into the central area of the hollow membrane bundle. This ensures that the end face of the entire hollow membrane bundle is covered with photoresist. When the photoresist is first introduced into the buffer cavity, it can be distributed to the outer edge of the hollow membrane bundle, resulting in more uniform distribution. This facilitates the photoresist flow to the bottom outer edge of the buffer cavity, ensuring that all the hollow membrane fibers in the hollow membrane bundle can receive photoresist, thereby ensuring that they are fully utilized. Attached Figure Description
[0030] Figure 1 This is a front view of the photoresist degassing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0031] Figure 2This is a top view of the photoresist degassing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0032] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of a photoresist degassing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0033] Figure 4 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the connector and hollow membrane fiber bundle involved in the embodiments of this utility model. Figure 1 .
[0034] Figure 5 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the connector and hollow membrane fiber bundle involved in the embodiments of this utility model. Figure 2 .
[0035] Figure 6 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the connector and hollow membrane fiber bundle involved in the embodiments of this utility model. Figure 3 .
[0036] Figure 7 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the connector involved in the embodiment of the present utility model. Figure 1 .
[0037] Figure 8 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the connector involved in the embodiment of the present utility model. Figure 2 .
[0038] Figure 9 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the connector involved in the embodiment of the present utility model. Figure 3 .
[0039] Figure 10 This is a partial cross-sectional view of another degassing device for structural photoresist according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0040] Figure 11 for Figure 10 Enlarged view of the structure at point A in the image.
[0041] Figure 12 This is a partial cross-sectional view of another degassing device for structural photoresist according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0042] Figure 13 for Figure 12 Enlarged view of the structure at point B in the image.
[0043] Among them, 1-shell, 11-liquid inlet, 12-liquid outlet, 13-air extraction port, 14-accommodating cavity, 15-cylinder, 16-cover, 2-hollow membrane fiber bundle, 21-hollow membrane fiber, 22-flower plate, 221-groove, 222-annular support, 3-connector, 31-hollow flow channel, 32-buffer cavity, 321-annular protrusion, 322-annular connection, 33-first guide sidewall, 34-second guide sidewall, 35-third guide sidewall, 36-transition surface, 371-upper connector, 372-lower connector, 373-nut, 374-step, 375-pipe, 376-ferrule, 381-upper hollow flow channel, 382-lower hollow flow channel, 391-annular boss, 392-blocking part. Detailed Implementation
[0044] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0045] like Figures 1-3 As shown, a degassing device for photoresist is used to remove gas entrained in the photoresist solution. The degassing device includes a housing 1 with a receiving cavity 14, a hollow membrane bundle 2 located within the receiving cavity 14, and two connectors 3 respectively disposed at both ends of the hollow membrane bundle 2. In this embodiment, the housing 1 includes a cylindrical body 15 and a cover 16 sealingly covering the top of the cylindrical body 15. The cover 16 of the housing 1 has an inlet 11, an outlet 12, and an exhaust port 13. The inlet 11, outlet 12, and exhaust port 13 are all circular through holes for the cylindrical connectors 3 to pass through. The two connectors 3 are respectively sealed through the inlet 11 and outlet 12, thereby connecting the hollow membrane bundle 2 to an external pipeline.
[0046] The ends of the hollow membrane bundle 2 are welded to the connector 3 via a perforated plate 22. One end of the hollow membrane bundle 2 is sealed and connected below the liquid inlet 11, and the other end is sealed and connected below the liquid outlet 12 via the connector 3, thus forming a U-shaped hollow membrane bundle 2 as shown in the figure. Of course, in other embodiments, the hollow membrane bundle 2 can also be spirally wound around the receiving cavity 14 of the shell 1, thereby providing a longer path of membrane filaments. The hollow membrane bundle 2 is manufactured and formed by bundling multiple hollow fiber membrane filaments, which is the prior art. The perforated plate 22 can be a circular plate with multiple through holes. The hollow fiber membrane filaments are thin tubes. Multiple hollow fiber membrane filaments are inserted into the through holes and sintered and fixed to the perforated plate. The perforated plate 22 itself and its sintering and forming process with the hollow membrane bundle 2 are also the prior art, and will not be described in detail here. Alternatively, the perforated plate 22 can be formed by sintering and bonding the sleeves at the ends of multiple hollow fiber membranes. The specific formation method of the perforated plate 22 is not specifically limited, and it can also be other methods in the prior art.
[0047] like Figure 4 As shown, the connector 3 has a direction along the axis of its housing 1 ( Figure 1 and Figure 3 The hollow flow channel 31 extends vertically (as shown in the diagram), and a buffer cavity 32 is connected to the hollow flow channel 31. The buffer cavity 32 is located at the end where the connector 3 is sealed to the hollow membrane bundle 2. Figure 4 Taking the direction shown as an example, the buffer cavity 32 is a groove located at the bottom end of the hollow flow channel 31, and the bottom surface of the groove is closed by the flower plate 22 to form the buffer cavity 32.
[0048] The buffer cavity 32 has a first guide sidewall 33 connected to the bottom of the inner wall of the hollow flow channel 31, and a second guide sidewall 34 connected to the bottom of the first guide sidewall 33. The first guide sidewall 33 is an arc surface protruding toward the central axis of the hollow flow channel 31. The two ends of the first guide sidewall 33 smoothly transition with the hollow flow channel 31 and the second guide sidewall 34, respectively. The second guide sidewall 34 is a flared inclined surface that is smaller at the top and larger at the bottom, and the bottom end of the second guide sidewall 34 is located radially outside the region enclosed by the ends of all the hollow membrane fibers 21 in the hollow membrane fiber bundle 2.
[0049] In this invention, the second guide sidewall 34 of the buffer cavity 32 and the hollow flow channel 31 are smoothly connected by the first guide sidewall 33. Specifically, the smooth transition is achieved by the first guide sidewall 33 being a convex arc surface that is not only substantially tangent to the sidewall of the hollow flow channel 31 but also substantially tangent to the second guide sidewall 34, thus eliminating abrupt and sharp transitions at both ends of the first guide sidewall 33. The second guide sidewall 34 is a trumpet-shaped inclined surface extending from top to bottom and from inside to outside. The second guide sidewall 34 can be planar or curved. The first guide sidewall 33 guides the light within the hollow flow channel 31... The photoresist is guided towards the second guide sidewall 34. Compared to the right-angle turning structure in the prior art, the arc-shaped first guide sidewall 33 does not disrupt the surface tension of the photoresist, preventing most of the photoresist in the hollow channel 31 from falling directly under gravity. Instead, it guides as much photoresist as possible towards the second guide sidewall 34. At the same time, the second guide sidewall 34 is not horizontal but designed as an inclined surface, which facilitates the flow of photoresist guided by the first guide sidewall 33 along the second guide sidewall 34 until it reaches its bottom. In other words, the first guide sidewall 33 and the second guide sidewall 34 work together to create a good connection and transition between the hollow channel 31, the first guide sidewall 33, and the second guide sidewall 34. This makes the flow path of the photoresist from the external pipeline to the hollow film bundle 2 an organic whole, guiding as much of the viscous, high-tension photoresist fluid as possible along the preset flow path.
[0050] It is important to emphasize that, in practice, it has been proven that the first guide sidewall 33 and the second guide sidewall 34 are indispensable. If only the second guide sidewall 34 is present, and the first guide sidewall 33 is replaced with the right-angle turn structure in the prior art, the right-angle turn structure will disrupt the surface tension of the photoresist, causing only a small amount of photoresist to flow to the second guide sidewall 34. Most of the photoresist will still fall directly into the central area of the hollow flow channel 31 corresponding to the buffer cavity 32. At least in the initial stage of photoresist introduction, uniform liquid distribution cannot be achieved, and unnecessary bubbles are easily generated during the falling process. On the other hand, if only the first guide sidewall 33 is present, and the second guide sidewall 34 is replaced with the horizontal structure in the prior art, even if most of the photoresist can enter the starting end of the second guide sidewall 34 along the first guide sidewall 33, under the action of gravity, the photoresist cannot flow to its end along the second guide sidewall 34 and falls in the middle, still failing to achieve uniform liquid distribution, and bubbles are easily generated during the falling process.
[0051] On the other hand, since the bottom end of the second guide sidewall 34 is located radially outside the region enclosed by the ends of all the hollow membrane fibers 21 in the hollow membrane fiber bundle 2, that is, as Figure 4As shown in the cross-sectional view, the area enclosed by the ends of all hollow membrane filaments 21 is the region defined by L1-L2. The bottom end of the second flow guiding sidewall 34 is located radially outside L1 and L2. After multiple hollow membrane filaments 21 are sintered onto the flower plate 22, the area enclosed by the ends of the hollow membrane filaments 21 on the flower plate 22 appears roughly circular from a top view. Under the combined action of the first flow guiding sidewall 33 and the second flow guiding sidewall 34, more photoresist fluid will be guided to flow radially outside the region defined by L1 and L2 along the preset flow path, and then more photoresist fluid will flow... The photoresist will flow to the outer edge of the hollow membrane bundle 2, preventing it from falling into the central area of the hollow membrane bundle 2. This ensures that the entire end face of the hollow membrane bundle 2 is covered with photoresist. In particular, the photoresist is distributed to the outer edge of the hollow membrane bundle 2. In other words, the photoresist is distributed to the outer edge of the hollow membrane bundle 2 as soon as the photoresist is introduced into the buffer cavity 32. The distribution is more uniform, which helps the photoresist to flow to the bottom outer edge of the buffer cavity 32. This ensures that all the hollow membrane fibers 21 of the hollow membrane bundle 2 can receive the photoresist, thus ensuring that they are fully utilized.
[0052] Thirdly, in this utility model, at least part of the longitudinal section of the buffer cavity 32 is a funnel-shaped structure with a smaller top and a larger bottom. Compared with the right-angled square structure in the prior art, the second guide sidewall 34 is designed as an inclined surface, which is less likely to generate dead corners. Even if there are corners, since the volume of the buffer cavity 32 is greatly reduced, the area of residual particles in the photoresist is correspondingly reduced, thereby reducing the dead corners and reducing the volume of photoresist accumulation. This not only reduces the waste of photoresist, but also facilitates the rinsing and cleaning of photoresist.
[0053] Fourthly, the first guide sidewall 33 is an arc surface, and its two ends smoothly transition to the hollow flow channel 31 and the second guide sidewall 34 respectively. When the degassed photoresist is discharged from the outlet 12, it will not generate bubbles again due to impact with the right-angle turn structure, ensuring the normal progress of subsequent dispensing processes. When the photoresist is discharged, after contacting the second guide sidewall 34, it flows along the inclined second guide sidewall 34 to the first guide sidewall 33, and will not be impacted by the sharp right-angle turn structure to generate unnecessary bubbles again.
[0054] like Figure 5 As shown, the hollow membrane fiber bundle 2 includes a perforated plate 22 for fixing multiple hollow membrane fibers 21. The connector 3 has an annular connecting portion 322 located on the outer periphery of the bottom end of the second flow guide sidewall 34. The annular connecting portion 322 is welded and fixed to the perforated plate 22, thereby forming an annular protrusion 321 in the buffer cavity 32. The annular protrusion 321 protrudes towards the central axis O of the hollow flow channel 31, and the included angle between the annular protrusion 321 and the second flow guide sidewall 34 is an acute angle, i.e. Figure 5 The angle α is less than 90°.
[0055] In the prior art, the longitudinal section of the buffer cavity 32 is a square structure, with a right angle at the welding point between the flower plate 22 and the connector 3. This structure leads to an increase in the dead corner area, resulting in a larger area of residual particles in the photoresist, an increased photoresist accumulation volume, and increased photoresist waste. In this invention, the welding point between the flower plate 22 and the connector 3 is designed as an acute angle structure, which not only reduces the dead corner but also reduces the area of residual particles. That is, less liquid is trapped in the acute corner dead corner, making it easier to rinse and preventing excessive photoresist waste.
[0056] In addition, in this utility model, the annular connecting part 322 is located on the outer periphery of the bottom end of the second guide side wall 34. The annular connecting part 322 is welded and fixed to the flower plate 22, which also indicates that the flower plate 22 and the hollow film wire bundle 2 will not extend into the buffer cavity 32. The function of the buffer cavity 32 is to buffer the photoresist.
[0057] like Figure 7 As shown, the sum of the axial heights of the first guide sidewall 33 and the second guide sidewall 34 is H, the radius of the first guide sidewall 33 is R, the size of the bottom opening of the first guide sidewall 33 is L, the connector 3 is cylindrical and the hollow flow channel 31 is located at the center of the connector 3, the buffer cavity 32 is concentric and coaxial with the hollow flow channel 31, the outer diameter of the connector 3 is Y, and the radial width of the annular connecting part 3 is X. Then, the following formula is satisfied: If we construct the above formula within a right-angled triangle, then it becomes: Figure 7 , Figure 8 The θ angle is between 30° and 60°. Figure 7 The angle θ in the equation is 30°. Figure 8 The θ angle is -60°. If the θ angle is less than 30°, it indicates that the second guide sidewall 34 is too gentle, resulting in poor photoresist guiding effect. In this case, most of the photoresist falls due to gravity before reaching the bottom of the second guide sidewall 34, or even falls to the center region of the hollow film bundle 2 before reaching the middle of the second guide sidewall 34. The photoresist cannot flow smoothly to the outer edge of the hollow film bundle 2. If the θ angle is greater than 60°, it indicates that the second guide sidewall 34 is too steep, and its photoresist guiding effect is still poor. In this case, less photoresist is guided from the first guide sidewall 33 to the second guide sidewall 34, and most of the photoresist falls due to gravity before reaching the bottom of the second guide sidewall 34, resulting in the photoresist not flowing smoothly to the outer edge of the hollow film bundle 2. The solution distribution effect is still poor.
[0058] like Figure 9As shown, the second guide sidewall 34 is a concave curved surface away from the central axis of the hollow flow channel 31. At this time, the second guide sidewall 34 and the first guide sidewall 33 form an S-shaped guide surface. Since the second guide sidewall 34 is concave, the surface tension of the photoresist entering the starting end of the second guide sidewall 34 is greater. The first guide sidewall 33 can guide more photoresist from the hollow flow channel 31 to the starting end of the second guide sidewall 34. Moreover, since the second guide sidewall 34 has an arc-shaped concave structure, it can form a certain accumulation effect on the photoresist. It can not only attract more photoresist to flow to the second guide sidewall 34, but also generate sufficient tension so that it can flow smoothly to the bottom end of the second guide sidewall 34. The second guide sidewall 34 and the first guide sidewall 33 form an S-shaped guide surface, which prevents the surface tension of the photoresist from changing abruptly during the flow of the photoresist through the S-shaped guide surface. This allows the photoresist to flow more smoothly to the bottom of the second guide sidewall 34, ensuring that the photoresist is distributed to the outer edge of the hollow membrane bundle 2 as soon as it is introduced into the buffer cavity 32. This results in more uniform distribution of the photoresist and ensures that all the hollow membrane fibers 21 of the hollow membrane bundle 2 are fully utilized.
[0059] like Figure 10 , Figure 11 As shown, the buffer cavity 32 has a third flow-guiding sidewall 35 connected to the bottom end of the second flow-guiding sidewall 34. The third flow-guiding sidewall 35 extends axially, and its bottom end is located radially outside the region enclosed by the ends of all the hollow membrane filaments 21 in the hollow membrane bundle 2, that is, the bottom end of the third flow-guiding sidewall 35 is located radially outside the region defined by L1-L2. The provision of the third flow-guiding sidewall 35 increases the volume of the buffer cavity 32, and its axial extension can facilitate the photoresist at the bottom end of the second flow-guiding sidewall 34 to flow rapidly along the third flow-guiding sidewall 35 to the hollow membrane filaments 21 at the outer edge of the hollow membrane bundle 2. The bottom end of the third guide sidewall 35 is located radially outside the area enclosed by the ends of all the hollow membrane fibers 21 in the hollow membrane bundle 2. This guides more photoresist to the outer edge of the hollow membrane bundle 2. When the photoresist is first introduced into the buffer cavity 32, it can be distributed to the outer edge of the hollow membrane bundle 2, resulting in more uniform distribution and ensuring that all the hollow membrane fibers 21 in the hollow membrane bundle 2 can be fully utilized.
[0060] The above does not limit the shape of the second guide sidewall 34, such as Figure 11 As shown, it can be an arc-shaped concave structure, forming an S-shaped guide surface with the first guide sidewall 33. For example... Figure 13As shown, it can also be a conical plane. In this case, the second guide sidewall 34 and the third guide sidewall 35 are smoothly connected by a transition surface 36, which is a concave curved surface away from the central axis of the hollow flow channel 31. At this time, the photoresist flows from the hollow flow channel 31 along the first guide sidewall 33 into the conical second guide sidewall 34, then into the transition surface 36, and finally flows along the vertical third guide sidewall 35 to the outer edge of the hollow film wire bundle 2. The whole process has a small dead angle for photoresist accumulation, and the surface tension of the photoresist fluid will not change too much. More photoresist fluid can enter the hollow film wire bundle 2 along this flow path, especially the hollow film wires 21 at the outer edge of the hollow film wire bundle 2. The distribution of photoresist is more uniform, ensuring that all the hollow film wires 21 of the hollow film wire bundle 2 are fully utilized.
[0061] like Figures 4-6 As shown, the end face of the perforated plate 22 facing the connector 3 has a groove 221. This groove 221 forms an annular support portion 222 for welding with the connector 3. Specifically, the annular support portion 222 is welded and fixed to the annular connecting portion 322. The second guide sidewall 34 is located radially inside the sidewall of the groove 221. The groove 221 creates a cavity on one side of the perforated plate 22, which corresponds to the buffer cavity 32, thereby increasing the volume of the buffer area and facilitating the distribution of the photoresist fluid. The groove 221 forms the annular support portion 222, so the perforated plate 22 and the connector 3 are welded and fixed together by the annular support portion 222 and the annular connecting portion 322. The welding operation is more convenient and the fixing structure is more stable. In addition, all the hollow membrane fibers 21 of the hollow membrane bundle 2 are located in the space surrounded by the side wall of the groove 221. The second flow guide side wall 34 is set on the radial inner side of the side wall of the groove 221, so that the photoresist liquid flowing to the bottom of the second flow guide side wall 34 can enter the groove 22 and then enter the hollow membrane bundle 2 for degassing. This avoids some photoresist liquid remaining between the connector 3 and the flower plate 22, which would cause waste of photoresist.
[0062] like Figure 6 As shown, the inner wall of the groove 221 is inclined, thus forming a funnel shape with a larger top and a smaller bottom in the longitudinal section of the groove 221. The included angle between the annular protrusion 321 and the inner wall of the groove 221 is an acute angle, i.e. Figure 6 The β angle is less than 90°. Setting a β angle here, compared to a right-angle structure, reduces the dead angle area and the area of particle residue. That is, the liquid inside the sharp dead angle is reduced, making it easier to rinse and preventing excessive waste of photoresist. In addition, when the annular connecting part 322 is welded to the flower plate 22, part of the welding liquid will flow along the inclined inner sidewall of the groove 221. At this time, the radially protruding part of the annular protrusion 321 is reduced accordingly, which is beneficial to reducing the dead angle.
[0063] like Figure 12As shown, the connector 3 includes an upper connector 371 that partially extends out of the housing 1 and a lower connector 372 that forms a buffer cavity 32. The upper connector 371 and the lower connector 372 are sealed together. The upper connector 371 has an upper hollow flow channel 381 and the lower connector 372 has a lower hollow flow channel 382. The inner diameters of the upper hollow flow channel 381 and the lower hollow flow channel 382 are equal, so that no dead corners are generated on the inner walls of the upper connector 371 and the lower connector 372. There is basically no photoresist accumulation in the uneven parts of the hollow flow channel 31, which reduces flow dead corners, avoids the accumulation and waste of photoresist, and has a high utilization rate of photoresist.
[0064] The upper connector 371 has an external thread on its outer wall, and the lower connector 372 extends into the upper connector 371. A nut 373 is connected to the external thread, which is used to seal the connection between the upper connector 371 and the lower connector 372. Specifically, the inner wall of the upper connector 371 has a stepped portion 374, and the lower connector 372 has a tube portion 375 that abuts against the end face of the stepped portion 374. The nut 373 is fixedly connected to the tube portion 375, and a retaining sleeve 376 that abuts against the upper connector 371 is fitted around the outer periphery of the tube portion 375. The retaining sleeve 376 is located inside the nut 373.
[0065] During installation, the nut 373 is threaded into the external thread of the upper connector 371, thereby clamping the sleeve 376 with the nut 373 and the upper connector 371 facing each other. At this time, the upper connector 371, the nut 373, and the tube 375 compress the sleeve 376, making the sleeve 376 and the upper connector 371 abut and seal, and the sleeve 376 and the tube 375 abut and seal. The end face of the tube 375 abuts tightly with the stepped part 374, finally achieving a sealed installation of the upper connector 371 and the lower connector 372. At this time, the inner wall of the tube 375 is flush with the inner wall of the upper connector 371, that is, the inner wall of the hollow flow channel 31 is smoothly transitioned. The entire connection structure is simple, the sealing effect is good, and there is basically no photoresist accumulation on the uneven parts of the inner wall of the hollow flow channel 31, reducing flow dead angles and maximizing the utilization of photoresist. In this embodiment, the lower connector 372 is made of fluoropolymer material, the upper connector 371 is made of metal material, the ferrule 376 can be made of an elastic material, and the material of the nut 373 is not limited; it can be made of metal or fluoropolymer material.
[0066] The upper connector 371 has an annular boss 391 and a blocking portion 392 extending radially outward from the outer wall of the annular boss 391. The blocking portion 392 abuts against the housing 1, and the annular boss 391 is engaged with the liquid inlet 11 and welded to the housing 1 for fixation. Similarly, the upper connector 371 of the connector 3 of the liquid outlet 12 also has an annular boss 391 and a blocking portion 392, thereby achieving fixed connection of the two connectors 3 to the liquid inlet 11 and the liquid outlet 12 and the housing 1, respectively, thereby achieving sealing of the liquid inlet 11 and the liquid outlet 12. This structure omits locking components, reduces installation parts, facilitates installation, and provides excellent sealing performance.
[0067] The above specific embodiments are used to explain and illustrate the present utility model, and are not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications and changes made to the present utility model within the spirit and scope of the claims shall fall within the protection scope of the present utility model.
Claims
1. A degassing device for photoresist, comprising a housing, a hollow film bundle located within the housing, and connectors for connecting the hollow film bundle to an external pipeline, wherein the housing is provided with a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet, and a gas extraction port, and two connectors are respectively disposed at the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet, each connector having a hollow flow channel extending axially, characterized in that: The connector is provided with a buffer cavity at one end that is sealed to the hollow membrane bundle. The buffer cavity has a first guide sidewall connected to the bottom of the inner wall of the hollow flow channel and a second guide sidewall connected to the bottom of the first guide sidewall. The first guide sidewall is an arc surface that protrudes toward the central axis of the hollow flow channel. The two ends of the first guide sidewall smoothly transition to the hollow flow channel and the second guide sidewall, respectively. The second guide sidewall is a flared inclined surface that is smaller at the top and larger at the bottom, and the bottom end of the second guide sidewall is located radially outside the area enclosed by the ends of all the hollow membrane fibers in the hollow membrane bundle.
2. The degassing device for photoresist according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hollow membrane fiber bundle includes a perforated plate for fixing multiple hollow membrane fibers. The connector has an annular connecting portion located on the outer periphery of the bottom end of the second flow guide sidewall. The annular connecting portion is welded to the perforated plate to form an annular protrusion protruding toward the central axis of the hollow flow channel within the buffer cavity. The included angle between the annular protrusion and the second flow guide sidewall is an acute angle.
3. The degassing device for photoresist according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sum of the axial heights of the first and second guide sidewalls is H, the radius of the first guide sidewall is R, the size of the bottom opening of the first guide sidewall is L, the connector is cylindrical and the hollow flow channel is located at the center of the connector, the outer diameter of the connector is Y, and the radial width of the annular connecting part is X, satisfying the following formula:
4. The degassing apparatus for photoresist according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second guide sidewall is a concave curved surface away from the central axis of the hollow flow channel, and the second guide sidewall and the first guide sidewall form an S-shaped guide surface.
5. The degassing apparatus for photoresist according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buffer cavity has a third flow-guiding sidewall connected to the bottom end of the second flow-guiding sidewall. The third flow-guiding sidewall extends axially, and the bottom end of the third flow-guiding sidewall is located radially outside the region enclosed by the ends of all the hollow membrane fibers in the hollow membrane bundle.
6. The degassing apparatus for photoresist according to claim 5, characterized in that: The second guide sidewall is a conical plane, and the second guide sidewall and the third guide sidewall are smoothly connected by a transition surface, which is a concave curved surface away from the central axis of the hollow flow channel.
7. The degassing apparatus for photoresist according to claim 2, characterized in that: The end face of the flower plate facing the connector has a groove to form an annular support for welding with the connector, and the second flow guide sidewall is located radially inside the groove sidewall.
8. The degassing apparatus for photoresist according to claim 7, characterized in that: The inner wall of the groove is inclined, and the groove is formed into a flared opening that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. The angle between the annular protrusion and the inner wall of the groove is an acute angle.
9. The degassing apparatus for photoresist according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connector includes an upper connector that partially extends out of the housing and a lower connector that forms a buffer cavity. The upper connector and the lower connector are sealed together. The upper connector has an upper hollow flow channel and the lower connector has a lower hollow flow channel. The inner diameters of the upper hollow flow channel and the lower hollow flow channel are equal.
10. The degassing apparatus for photoresist according to claim 9, characterized in that: The upper connector has an annular boss and a blocking portion extending radially outward from the outer wall of the annular boss. The blocking portion abuts against the housing. The annular boss is engaged with the liquid inlet and / or liquid outlet and welded to the housing.