Fluid supply system, substrate processing apparatus, and fluid supply method

Abstract

To provide a technology advantageous for detecting a leak of fluid at each of a plurality of on-off valves.SOLUTION: With respect to each of a plurality of on-off valves, a leak determination unit determines presence of occurrence of a leak of fluid on the basis of a temperature measured by a corresponding temperature measurement unit in a state in which pressure in an inflow path is made to be higher than pressure in an outflow path by filling the inflow path with pressurized fluid while the on-off valve is being closed so that a valve body performs blocking between the inflow path and the outflow path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a fluid supply system, a substrate processing apparatus, and a fluid supply method. [Background technology]

[0002] Substrate processing apparatuses that perform a drying process on substrates using a supercritical fluid are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such substrate processing apparatuses, a plurality of on-off valves are provided in a pipe through which the fluid flows, and the flow of the fluid in the pipe is controlled by appropriately opening and closing the plurality of on-off valves. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-43882 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides an advantageous technique for detecting fluid leaks in each of a plurality of on-off valves. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a fluid supply system comprising: a pipe; a fluid supply unit that supplies a fluid to the pipe so as to flow the fluid from upstream to downstream in the pipe; a plurality of on-off valves provided in the pipe, each having an inlet channel, an outlet channel, and a valve body that connects and blocks the inlet channel and the outlet channel; a plurality of temperature measurement units provided to correspond to each of the plurality of on-off valves, each measuring the temperature of at least one of a component located downstream of the on-off valve associated with it and the inside of the component; and a leak determination unit that determines whether or not a fluid leak has occurred in the plurality of on-off valves, wherein the leak determination unit determines whether or not a fluid leak has occurred for each of the plurality of on-off valves based on the temperature measured by the associated temperature measurement unit when the on-off valve is closed so that the inlet channel and the outlet channel are blocked by the valve body, and the inlet channel is filled with pressurized fluid so that the pressure in the inlet channel is higher than the pressure in the outlet channel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The present disclosure is advantageous in detecting fluid leaks in each of a plurality of on-off valves. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the liquid processing unit. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the drying unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the drying unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the supply unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the third flow rate adjusting unit and its periphery. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a substrate drying processing system (including a fluid supply system) including a drying unit (see FIG. 4) and a supply unit (see FIG. 6). [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the on-off valve (appearance) and the temperature measuring unit (cross section). [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a graph (simulation graph) showing an example of the pressure in the inlet passage of the on-off valve and an example of the temperature measured by the associated temperature measurement unit, where the horizontal axis indicates time (seconds), the left vertical axis indicates temperature (°C), and the right vertical axis indicates pressure (MPa). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Non-limiting embodiments of the disclosed technology are described below. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, directional expressions such as "up," "down," "left," and "right" are used merely for convenience based on the state shown in the corresponding drawing, and do not limit the actual orientation of each element.

[0009] [Substrate processing equipment] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1. The X, Y, and Z directions shown in Fig. 1 are perpendicular to one another, the X and Y directions coincide with the horizontal direction, and the upward direction along the height direction coincides with the positive Z direction.

[0010] 1 includes a loading / unloading station 2, a processing station 3, and a control device 6. The loading / unloading station 2 and the processing station 3 are provided adjacent to each other.

[0011] The carry-in / out station 2 includes a carrier placement section 11 and a transport section 12. On the carrier placement section 11, a plurality of (four in FIG. 1) carriers C are placed, each of which accommodates a plurality of substrates (for example, semiconductor wafers) W in a horizontal state.

[0012] The transport section 12 is provided adjacent to the carrier placement section 11. The transport section 12 is provided with a transport device 13 and a delivery section .

[0013] The transport device 13 has a substrate holding mechanism that holds the substrate W, and uses the substrate holding mechanism to transport the substrate W between the carrier C and the transfer section 14. The substrate holding mechanism of the transport device 13 is capable of holding the substrate W and moving the substrate W in the horizontal and / or vertical directions, and rotating the substrate W around a vertical axis.

[0014] The processing station 3 is provided adjacent to the transport section 12 and includes a transport block 4, a plurality of processing blocks 5, and a plurality of supply units 19.

[0015] The transport block 4 includes a transport area 15 and a transport device 16 provided in the transport area 15. The transport area 15 is a rectangular parallelepiped region extending in the arrangement direction (X direction) of the loading / unloading stations 2 and the processing stations 3. The transport device 16 has a substrate holding mechanism that holds the substrate W. The transport device 16 uses the substrate holding mechanism to transport the substrate W between the transfer section 14 and the multiple processing blocks 5. The substrate holding mechanism of the transport device 16 is capable of holding the substrate W and moving the substrate W in the horizontal and / or vertical directions and rotating the substrate W around a vertical axis.

[0016] The processing blocks 5 are arranged adjacent to each other in the transfer area 15 on both sides of the transfer area 15 (i.e., on one side and the other side in the Y direction). Although not shown in FIG. 1, two or more (e.g., three) processing blocks 5 are arranged stacked in the Z direction, and the transfer of substrates W between each of the stacked processing blocks 5 and the delivery section 14 is performed by one transfer device 16.

[0017] 1 has one liquid processing unit 17 and one drying unit 18 arranged in the X direction along the transport area 15. The liquid processing unit 17 is closer to the loading / unloading station 2 than the drying unit 18.

[0018] The liquid processing unit 17 of this embodiment performs, as an example, a cleaning process for cleaning the upper surface of the substrate W on which a pattern is formed, and then performs a liquid film forming process for forming a liquid film on the upper surface of the substrate W.

[0019] The drying unit 18 performs supercritical drying processing on the substrate W after the liquid film formation processing. That is, the drying unit 18 dries the substrate W by bringing a processing fluid in a supercritical state (also referred to as a "supercritical fluid") into contact with the substrate W after the liquid film formation processing. The drying unit 18 shown in FIG. 1 has a processing area 181 and a delivery area 182 that are aligned in the X direction along the transport area 15, and the delivery area 182 is closer to the liquid processing unit 17 than the processing area 181. The supercritical drying processing is performed in the processing area 181, and the delivery area 182 is an area for delivering the substrate W between the transport block 4 and the processing area 181.

[0020] A supply unit 19 is also provided to supply a processing fluid to the drying unit 18. The supply unit 19 may be provided for each processing block 5, or for each set of multiple processing blocks 5 (for example, for each set of two or more processing blocks 5 stacked in the Z direction), or one common supply unit 19 may be assigned to two or more processing blocks 5.

[0021] The supply unit 19 includes a group of supply devices including a flow meter, a flow regulator, a back pressure valve, a heater, etc., and a housing that houses the group of supply devices. The supply unit 19 of this embodiment supplies carbon dioxide (CO2) as a processing fluid to one or more processing blocks 5 assigned thereto.

[0022] The control device 6 includes a control unit 7 and a storage unit 8, and may be configured by, for example, a computer. The control unit 7 may include a microcomputer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), input / output ports, etc., and various circuits. The CPU of the microcomputer can control various elements of the substrate processing apparatus 1 (e.g., the transport devices 13 and 16, the liquid processing unit 17, the drying unit 18, the supply unit 19, etc.) by reading and executing programs stored in the ROM.

[0023] The program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium and installed from the storage medium into the storage unit 8 of the control device 6. Such a computer-readable storage medium is not limited and may be, for example, a hard disk (HD), a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a magnet optical disk (MO), or a memory card. The storage unit 8 is realized by a storage device such as a semiconductor memory element such as RAM or flash memory, a hard disk, or an optical disk.

[0024] In the substrate processing apparatus 1 configured as described above, first, the transport device 13 in the loading / unloading station 2 takes out the substrate W from the carrier C placed on the carrier placement part 11, and places the substrate W on the delivery part 14. The substrate W placed on the delivery part 14 is then taken out of the delivery part 14 by the transport device 16 in the processing station 3, and carried into the liquid processing unit 17.

[0025] The substrate W carried into the liquid processing unit 17 is subjected to cleaning processing and liquid film forming processing by the liquid processing unit 17, and then carried out from the liquid processing unit 17 by the transport device 16. The substrate W carried out from the liquid processing unit 17 is carried into the drying unit 18 by the transport device 16, and is subjected to drying processing by the drying unit 18.

[0026] The substrate W that has been subjected to the drying process by the drying unit 18 is carried out from the drying unit 18 by the transport device 16 and placed on the delivery section 14. The processed substrate W placed on the delivery section 14 is returned to the carrier C on the carrier placement section 11 by the transport device 13.

[0027] [Liquid processing unit] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the liquid processing unit 17. As shown in FIG.

[0028] 2 is configured as a single-wafer cleaning apparatus that cleans substrates W one by one by spin cleaning. That is, liquid processing unit 17 has a substrate holding mechanism 25, which holds substrate W approximately horizontally in the inner space (processing space) of outer chamber 23 and rotates substrate W around a vertical axis.

[0029] 2 is provided so as to be capable of advancing and retreating in the horizontal direction, and by changing the advancing and retreating position of the nozzle arm 26, the radial position of the chemical nozzle 26a relative to the substrate W can be changed.

[0030] The substrate holding mechanism 25 has a chemical liquid supply path 25a extending in the height direction (Z direction). One end (upper end) of the chemical liquid supply path 25a faces the underside of the substrate W held by the substrate holding mechanism 25. The processing liquid supplied to the chemical liquid supply path 25a is sprayed from the one end and adheres to the underside of the substrate W, and is used to clean the underside of the substrate W.

[0031] The cleaning process may involve, for example, first applying an alkaline chemical solution, SC1 liquid (a mixture of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide water), to the substrate W to remove particles and organic contaminants, and then applying a rinse solution, deionized water (hereinafter also referred to as "DIW"), to the substrate W to perform a rinse clean.

[0032] Next, an acidic chemical solution, dilution hydrofluoric acid (hereinafter also referred to as "DHF"), may be applied to the substrate W to remove the native oxide film, and then DIW may be applied to the substrate W to perform rinsing.

[0033] The various chemical liquids scattered from the substrate W are received by the outer chamber 23 and an inner cup 24 provided in the outer chamber 23. The various chemical liquids received by the outer chamber 23 are discharged from the outer chamber 23 via a drainage port 23a provided in the bottom of the outer chamber 23. The various chemical liquids received by the inner cup 24 are discharged from the inner cup 24 via a drainage port 24a provided in the bottom of the inner cup 24. The atmosphere inside the outer chamber 23 is discharged from the outer chamber 23 via an exhaust port 23b provided in the bottom of the outer chamber 23.

[0034] The liquid film forming process is performed after the rinsing process in the cleaning process. Specifically, the liquid processing unit 17 supplies liquid IPA (IsoPropyl Alcohol) (hereinafter also referred to as "IPA liquid") to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W while rotating the substrate W using the substrate holding mechanism 25. This replaces the DIW remaining on both surfaces of the substrate W with IPA. Thereafter, the liquid processing unit 17 gently stops the rotation of the substrate W by the substrate holding mechanism 25.

[0035] After the liquid film forming process, the substrate W, with a liquid film of IPA liquid formed on its upper surface (i.e., with its surface wetted with IPA liquid), is handed over to the transport device 16 by a transfer mechanism (not shown) provided in the substrate holding mechanism 25, and is transported out of the liquid processing unit 17.

[0036] The liquid film on the substrate W is effective in suppressing the occurrence of pattern collapse caused by evaporation (vaporization) of liquid on the upper surface of the substrate W during transport of the substrate W from the liquid processing unit 17 to the drying unit 18 (including during loading into the drying unit 18).

[0037] [Drying unit configuration] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the drying unit 18. As shown in FIG.

[0038] 3 has a main body 31, a holding plate 32, and a lid member 33. An opening 34 is formed in the housing-like main body 31, and the holding plate 32 and the lid member 33 move relative to the main body 31 through the opening 34 to load and unload the substrate W. The holding plate 32 holds the substrate W to be processed in a horizontal direction. The lid member 33 acts as a support member that supports the holding plate 32, and positions the substrate W held by the holding plate 32 together with the holding plate 32 in the processing chamber within the main body 31, while airtightly sealing the opening 34.

[0039] The main body 31 is a container (processing vessel) having a processing space (processing chamber) formed therein that can accommodate a substrate W with a diameter of, for example, 300 mm. Supply ports 35, 36 and a discharge port 37 are provided on the wall of the main body 31. A supply flow path (supply piping) for supplying a supercritical fluid to the drying unit 18 (particularly the processing chamber) is connected to the supply ports 35, 36. A discharge flow path (discharge piping) for receiving the supercritical fluid discharged from the drying unit 18 (particularly the processing chamber) is connected to the discharge port 37. In this manner, the supply piping (a second supply line 72 (see FIG. 4) described below) is connected to the processing chamber of the drying unit 18 via the supply ports 35, 36, and a discharge piping (a discharge line 76 (see FIG. 4) described below) is connected to the discharge port 37.

[0040] The supply port 35 is connected to the side of the main body 31 opposite to the opening 34. The supply port 36 is connected to the bottom surface of the main body 31. The discharge port 37 is connected to the lower side of the opening 34. Although two supply ports 35, 36 and one discharge port 37 are shown in Figure 3, the number of supply ports and discharge ports is not limited.

[0041] Fluid supply headers 38, 39 and a fluid discharge header 40 are provided inside the main body 31. A plurality of supply ports are formed in each of the fluid supply headers 38, 39 and aligned in the longitudinal direction of the fluid supply headers 38, 39. A plurality of discharge ports are formed in the fluid discharge header 40 and aligned in the longitudinal direction of the fluid discharge header 40.

[0042] The fluid supply header 38 is provided adjacent to the side surface opposite the opening 34 inside the main body 31, and is connected to the supply port 35. The fluid supply header 38 has a plurality of supply ports formed side by side and facing the opening 34 side.

[0043] The fluid supply header 39 is provided in the center of the bottom surface inside the main body 31, and is connected to the supply port 36. A plurality of supply ports formed side by side in the fluid supply header 39 face upward.

[0044] The fluid discharge header 40 is provided inside the main body 31 adjacent to the side surface on the opening 34 side and below the opening 34, and is connected to the discharge port 37. The multiple discharge ports formed side by side in the fluid discharge header 40 face upward.

[0045] The fluid supply headers 38, 39 supply the supercritical fluid to the processing chamber in the main body 31. The fluid discharge header 40 guides and discharges the supercritical fluid in the processing chamber in the main body 31 to the outside of the main body 31. The supercritical fluid discharged to the outside of the main body 31 via the fluid discharge header 40 contains IPA liquid that has been dissolved in the supercritical fluid from the surface of the substrate W.

[0046] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the drying unit 18.

[0047] 4 is connected to a second supply line 72 of the supply unit 19. The second supply line 72 branches into two supply lines in the drying unit 18, one of which is connected to the supply port 35 and the other of which is connected to the supply port 36. A first flow rate adjuster 250, a pressure sensor 243, and a heater 68 are provided in this order from the upstream side (the supply unit 19 side) on the second supply line 72 of the drying unit 18.

[0048] The first flow rate adjusting unit 250 has on-off valves 211 to 213 and orifices 221 to 223, and adjusts the supply flow rate of the processing fluid to the main body 31.

[0049] The on-off valves 211 to 213 are connected in parallel to one another to the second supply line 72. The on-off valves 211 to 213 adjust the flow of the processing fluid on and off, allowing the processing fluid to flow through the orifices 221 to 223 when in the open state and not allowing the processing fluid to flow through the orifices 221 to 223 when in the closed state.

[0050] The orifices 221-223 are connected in series to the on-off valves 211-213, respectively, and serve to adjust the pressure by reducing the flow rate of the gaseous or liquid processing fluid supplied from the supply unit 19 via the on-off valves 211-213. In this way, the orifices 221-223 allow the pressure-adjusted processing fluid to flow in the second supply line 72 downstream.

[0051] The pressure sensor 243 measures the pressure of the processing fluid flowing through the second supply line 72 between the first flow rate adjustment unit 250 and the heater 68. That is, the pressure sensor 243 can measure the pressure on the secondary side (downstream side) of the orifices 221 to 223. The output (measurement result) of the pressure sensor 243 is sent to the control device 6.

[0052] The heater 68 generates a supercritical processing fluid by heating the gaseous or liquid processing fluid flowing through the second supply line 72. The heater 68 can be configured, for example, by a spiral heater wound around the second supply line 72, but the specific configuration of the heater 68 is not limited.

[0053] A discharge line 76 is connected to the discharge port 37. A pressure sensor 242, an on-off valve 214, a flow meter 251, and a back pressure valve 231 are provided on the discharge line 76 in this order from the upstream side, that is, from the main body 31 side.

[0054] The pressure sensor 242 measures the pressure of the processing fluid flowing in the discharge line 76 at a location immediately after the main body 31, and transmits the measurement result to the control device 6. In this embodiment, the pressure value of the processing fluid measured by the pressure sensor 242 can be substantially regarded as the pressure value of the processing fluid in the main body 31 (i.e., the processing chamber).

[0055] The on-off valve 214 adjusts the flow of the processing fluid between on and off, allowing the processing fluid to flow to the downstream discharge line 76 when open, and not allowing the processing fluid to flow to the downstream discharge line 76 when closed.

[0056] The flow meter 251 measures the flow rate (discharge flow rate) of the processing fluid flowing through the discharge line 76. The output (measurement result) of the flow meter 251 is sent to the control device 6.

[0057] When the pressure on the primary side (upstream side) of the discharge line 76 exceeds the set pressure, the back pressure valve 231 adjusts the valve opening to allow the fluid to flow to the secondary side (downstream side), thereby maintaining the pressure on the primary side at the set pressure. For example, the set pressure of the back pressure valve 231 is adjusted by the control device 6 based on the output of the pressure sensor 242.

[0058] A temperature sensor 241 is provided to detect the temperature of the processing fluid inside (processing chamber) of the main body 31. The output (detection result) of the temperature sensor 241 is sent to the control device 6.

[0059] In the drying unit 18 (particularly the processing chamber of the main body 31), the IPA liquid between the patterns formed on the substrate W comes into contact with the supercritical fluid in a high-pressure state (for example, 16 MPa) and gradually dissolves in the supercritical fluid, and the IPA liquid between the patterns is gradually replaced by the supercritical fluid. Finally, the spaces between the patterns are filled only with the supercritical fluid, and the IPA liquid is removed from between the patterns.

[0060] After the IPA liquid is removed from between the patterns, the pressure inside the main body 31 (processing chamber) is reduced from a high pressure state to atmospheric pressure under the control of the control device 6, causing the processing fluid (CO2) inside the main body 31 to change from a supercritical state to a gaseous state, and the spaces between the patterns are occupied by only gas. In this way, the IPA liquid between the patterns is removed, and the drying process of the substrate W is completed.

[0061] A supercritical fluid has a lower viscosity than a liquid (e.g., IPA liquid), has a high ability to dissolve liquids, and furthermore, there is no interface between the supercritical fluid and a liquid or gas in equilibrium with the supercritical fluid. Therefore, by using a drying process using a supercritical fluid, it is possible to dry the pattern on the substrate W while suppressing the effects of surface tension, and to prevent the pattern from collapsing during the drying process.

[0062] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which IPA liquid is used as the liquid for preventing drying and CO2 in a supercritical state is used as the processing fluid, but a liquid other than IPA may be used as the liquid for preventing drying, and a fluid other than CO2 in a supercritical state may be used as the processing fluid.

[0063] [Supply unit configuration] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the supply unit 19. As shown in FIG.

[0064] 5 supplies the processing fluid to three drying units 18A, 18B, and 18C. The drying units 18A to 18C shown in FIG. 5 correspond to the drying unit 18 shown in FIG.

[0065] The supply unit 19 has a first supply line 71 connected to a processing fluid supply source (fluid supply section) 90, and a plurality (three) of second supply lines 72A, 72B, and 72C connected to the first supply line 71. The second supply lines 72A to 72C shown in Fig. 5 correspond to the second supply line 72 shown in Fig. 4, and the branch points 62A to 62C shown in Fig. 5 correspond to the branch point 62 shown in Fig. 4.

[0066] The processing fluid supply source 90 supplies the processing fluid to the piping (the first supply line 71 and the second supply lines 72A to 72C, etc.) so that the processing fluid flows from upstream to downstream in the piping.

[0067] The second supply lines 72A to 72C are connected to the first supply line 71 at a plurality of branch points 77A, 77B, and 77C provided on the first supply line 71. Specifically, the second supply line 72A is connected to the first supply line 71 at the branch point 77A, and the second supply lines 72B and 72C are connected to the first supply line 71 at the branch point 77B. The second supply line 72A is connected to the drying unit 18A, the second supply line 72B is connected to the drying unit 18B, and the second supply line 72C is connected to the drying unit 18C.

[0068] An on-off valve 220, a temperature measurement unit 171, an orifice 124, and an exhaust unit 69 are sequentially provided in a portion of the first supply line 71 further downstream of the branch points 77A to 77C. The outlet path of the on-off valve 220 is connected to the exhaust unit 69 via the first supply line 71. The temperature measurement unit 171 and the orifice 124 that locally narrows the flow path through which the treatment fluid flows are provided in the first supply line 71 between the on-off valve 220 and the exhaust unit 69. The exhaust unit 69 can be configured as, for example, an exhaust duct, and exhausts gas sent from upstream in the first supply line 71 via the orifice 124 from the first supply line 71.

[0069] 5, the temperature measuring unit 171 is provided between the on-off valve 220 and the orifice 124 (i.e., upstream of the orifice 124), but it may be provided downstream of the orifice 124. For example, the temperature measuring unit 171 may be provided to measure the temperature of the exhaust unit 69 (e.g., the surface of the exhaust duct).

[0070] The first supply line 71 is provided with a connection point 61, a filter 64, a condenser 65, a tank 66, and a pump 67 in this order from the upstream side (the treatment fluid supply source 90 side).

[0071] The filter 64 filters the gaseous processing fluid flowing through the first supply line 71 to remove foreign matter contained in the processing fluid. By removing foreign matter from the processing fluid using the filter 64, it is possible to suppress the generation of particles on the surface of the substrate W during the drying process of the substrate W using the supercritical fluid.

[0072] The condenser (cooling unit) 65 is connected to, for example, a cooling water supply unit (not shown), and performs heat exchange between the cooling water from the cooling water supply unit and the gaseous treatment fluid flowing through the first supply line 71. In this way, the condenser 65 cools the gaseous treatment fluid flowing through the first supply line 71 to generate a liquid treatment fluid.

[0073] The tank 66 stores the liquid treatment fluid produced in the condenser 65. The pump 67 sends the liquid treatment fluid stored in the tank 66 to the downstream side of the first supply line 71.

[0074] A branch point 62A is provided on second supply line 72A, a branch point 62B is provided on second supply line 72B, and a branch point 62C is provided on second supply line 72C. Branch point 62A is provided between on-off valve 115A and drying unit 18A, branch point 62B is provided between on-off valve 115B and drying unit 18B, and branch point 62C is provided between on-off valve 115C and drying unit 18C. Supply unit 19 has a first branch line 73A connected to branch point 62A, a first branch line 73B connected to branch point 62B, and a first branch line 73C connected to branch point 62C.

[0075] The first branch line 73A is provided with, in order from the upstream side (branch point 62A side), an on-off valve 116A, a back pressure valve 131A, and an on-off valve 114A. The first branch line 73B is provided with, in order from the upstream side (branch point 62B side), an on-off valve 116B, a back pressure valve 131B, and an on-off valve 114B. The first branch line 73C is provided with, in order from the upstream side (branch point 62C side), an on-off valve 116C, a back pressure valve 131C, and an on-off valve 114C.

[0076] The on-off valve 116A controls the flow of the processing fluid between on and off, allowing the processing fluid to flow into the downstream first branch line 73A when open and not allowing the processing fluid to flow into the downstream first branch line 73A when closed. The on-off valves 116B and 116C have the same configuration as the on-off valve 116A.

[0077] When the pressure on the primary side of the first branch line 73A exceeds the set pressure, the back pressure valve 131A adjusts the valve opening to allow fluid to flow to the secondary side, thereby maintaining the pressure on the primary side at the set pressure. For example, the set pressure of the back pressure valve 131A is adjusted by the control device 6 based on the outputs of the pressure sensors 142A and 243. The back pressure valves 131B and 131C have the same configuration as the back pressure valve 131A.

[0078] The on-off valve 114A controls the flow of the processing fluid between on and off, allowing the processing fluid to flow into the downstream first branch line 73A when in the open state and not allowing the processing fluid to flow into the downstream first branch line 73A when in the closed state. The on-off valves 114B and 114C have the same configuration as the on-off valve 114A.

[0079] The supply unit 19 has a second branch line 74 connected to the first branch lines 73A to 73C. The first branch lines 73A to 73C are connected to the second branch line 74 at a plurality of connection points 75A and 75B provided on the second branch line 74. Specifically, the first branch line 73A is connected to the second branch line 74 at the connection point 75A, and the first branch lines 73B and 73C are connected to the second branch line 74 at the connection point 75B. The second branch line 74 is connected to the connection point 61. That is, the second branch line 74 connects the first branch lines 73A to 73C and the connection point 61. Note that the second branch line 74 may not be provided, and the first branch lines 73A to 73C may be directly connected to the first supply line 71 upstream of the filter 64 at independent connection points, respectively.

[0080] In the second supply line 72A, a pressure sensor 141A, a third flow rate adjustment unit 150A, a pressure sensor 142A, and an on-off valve 115A are provided between the branch points 77A and 62A, in that order from the upstream side (the branch point 77A side). In the second supply line 72B, a pressure sensor 141B, a third flow rate adjustment unit 150B, a pressure sensor 142B, and an on-off valve 115B are provided between the branch points 77B and 62B, in that order from the upstream side (the branch point 77B side). In the second supply line 72C, a pressure sensor 141C, a third flow rate adjustment unit 150C, a pressure sensor 142C, and an on-off valve 115C are provided between the branch points 77B and 62C, in that order from the upstream side (the branch point 77B side).

[0081] The pressure sensor 141A measures the pressure of the process fluid flowing through the second supply line 72A upstream of the third flow rate control unit 150A. The output (measurement result) of the pressure sensor 141A is transmitted to the control device 6. The pressure sensors 141B and 141C have the same configuration as the pressure sensor 141A.

[0082] The third flow rate adjustment unit 150A adjusts the flow rate of the processing fluid flowing through the first branch line 73A. The third flow rate adjustment units 150B and 150C have the same configuration as the third flow rate adjustment unit 150A.

[0083] The pressure sensor 142A measures the pressure of the processing fluid flowing through the second supply line 72A between the third flow rate control unit 150A and the on-off valve 115A. The output (measurement result) of the pressure sensor 142A is transmitted to the control device 6. The pressure sensors 142B and 142C have the same configuration as the pressure sensor 142A.

[0084] The on-off valve 115A controls the flow of the processing fluid between on and off, allowing the processing fluid to flow into the downstream second supply line 72A when in the open state and not allowing the processing fluid to flow into the downstream second supply line 72A when in the closed state. The on-off valves 115B and 115C have the same configuration as the on-off valve 115A.

[0085] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the third flow rate adjustment unit 150A and its periphery. The third flow rate adjustment units 150B and 150C (see FIG. 5) have the same configuration as the third flow rate adjustment unit 150A.

[0086] 6 has on-off valves 111 to 113 and orifices 120 to 123. The orifices 121, 122, and 123 are connected in parallel to the orifice 120 and are provided downstream of the on-off valves 111 to 113, respectively. The on-off valve 111 is connected in series to the orifice 121, the on-off valve 112 is connected in series to the orifice 122, and the on-off valve 113 is connected in series to the orifice 123.

[0087] The orifices 120 to 123 serve to reduce the flow rate of the processing fluid flowing through the second supply line 72A and adjust the pressure of the processing fluid, and in particular, allow the processing fluid with adjusted pressure to flow in the second supply line 72A on the downstream side.

[0088] The on-off valves 111 to 113 adjust the flow of the processing fluid on and off, allowing the processing fluid to flow into the downstream second supply line 72A when open, and not allowing the processing fluid to flow into the downstream second supply line 72A when closed.

[0089] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a substrate drying processing system (including a fluid supply system) including a drying unit 18 (see FIG. 4) and a supply unit 19 (see FIG. 6).

[0090] Generally, even when an on-off valve is in a closed state, a fluid leak may occur in the on-off valve, causing the fluid to leak from the upstream flow path to the downstream flow path. It is not always easy to identify the on-off valve in question, and particularly when a large number of on-off valves are installed, it can take a great deal of effort to find the specific on-off valve in question. Therefore, in practice, if there is a concern that a leak may be occurring in any of the on-off valves, it is common to replace all of the on-off valves that may be leaking.

[0091] In this embodiment, a plurality of temperature measurement units 161-171 are provided so as to correspond to the plurality of on-off valves, respectively. Then, the control device 6 (see FIG. 1) that functions as a leak determination unit determines whether or not a leak of the processing fluid has occurred in the plurality of on-off valves based on the measurement results (i.e., changes in the measured temperatures) of the plurality of temperature measurement units 161-171.

[0092] The control device 6 can perform any control process based on the results of the leak determination. For example, if an on-off valve is determined to be leaking a processing fluid, the control device 6 may control various devices to issue an alarm to an operator or suspend processing in the substrate processing apparatus 1. Such an alarm allows the operator to identify the specific on-off valve determined to be leaking and prompts the operator to repair or replace the specific on-off valve. Issuing an alarm does not necessarily suspend all or part of processing in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The manner and content of the alarm are not limited. For example, the control device 6 may control an alarm device (not shown) so that a message urging the operator to repair or replace the on-off valve determined to be leaking is conveyed to the operator via a display and / or voice. After an alarm is issued, a confirmation message may be issued via the alarm device or another device to inquire about whether the repair or replacement of the on-off valve determined to be leaking has been completed.

[0093] 7, a unique temperature measurement unit is assigned to all the on-off valves provided in the piping of the drying unit 18 and the supply unit 19, but a unique temperature measurement unit may be assigned to only some of the on-off valves. Specifically, a temperature measurement unit is assigned to each of the on-off valves indicated by reference numerals 111 to 113, 114A to 114C, 115A to 115C, 116A to 116C, and 211 to 214 in FIGS. 4 to 7. More specifically, temperature measurement units 161 to 163 are provided for the on-off valves 111 to 113, and temperature measurement units 167 to 170 are provided for the on-off valves 211 to 214. Also, temperature measuring units 166A to 166C are provided for the on-off valves 114A to 114C shown in FIG. 5, temperature measuring units 164A to 164C are provided for the on-off valves 115A to 115C, and temperature measuring units 165A to 165C are provided for the on-off valves 116A to 116C.

[0094] 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the on-off valve 300 (appearance) and the temperature measurement unit 320 (cross section). The on-off valve 300 shown in FIG. 8 can be applied to one or more (for example, all) of the multiple on-off valves shown in FIGS. 4 to 7. Similarly, the temperature measurement unit 320 shown in FIG. 8 can be applied to one or more (for example, all) of the multiple temperature measurement units shown in FIGS. 4 to 7.

[0095] The on-off valve 300 can be configured as any type of valve, such as an air-operated valve, and has an inlet passage 311 connected to an upstream pipe, an outlet passage 312 connected to a downstream pipe 330, and a valve element (not shown) that connects and disconnects the inlet passage and the outlet passage. The temperature measurement unit 320 measures the temperature of at least one of a component located downstream of the associated on-off valve 300 and the inside of the component, and transmits the measurement result to the control device 6 (leak determination unit; see FIG. 1). The "component located downstream of the on-off valve 300" referred to here can be, for example, a portion of the pipe 330 connected to the outlet passage and a component connected to the outflow passage via the pipe 330, but is not limited thereto.

[0096] In the examples shown in Figures 4 to 7, each temperature measurement unit is provided in a section of piping located downstream of the associated on-off valve, and measures the temperature of the piping section (e.g., the surface) at the installation location and / or the inside of the piping section (e.g., the treatment fluid) at the installation location.

[0097] 8 is installed in a pipe (downstream pipe) 330 located downstream of the associated on-off valve 300, and measures the temperature of the process fluid flowing inside the downstream pipe 330. The temperature measurement unit 320 includes a temperature sensor 324, a measurement body 326 connected to the temperature sensor 324, and a sleeve pipe 322 that covers one end of the temperature sensor 324. One end of the temperature sensor 324 is disposed in a flow path inside the downstream pipe 330 while covered by the sleeve pipe 322, and functions as a sensor unit that measures the temperature of the process fluid flowing through the flow path of the downstream pipe 330. The sleeve pipe 322 is a sensor cover that has water resistance and strength sufficient to effectively prevent the process fluid in the downstream pipe 330 from coming into contact with the temperature sensor 324, and heat conductivity sufficient to effectively transmit the temperature of the process fluid to the temperature sensor 324.

[0098] 8, the sensor portion of the temperature sensor 324 can be disposed near the center of the cross section of the downstream piping 330 (particularly the inner flow path), which is advantageous for accurately measuring the temperature of the processing fluid flowing through the downstream piping 330. The temperature measured by the temperature sensor 324 (i.e., the measured temperature of the processing fluid in the downstream piping 330) is transmitted from the measurement body 326 to the control device 6 (leak determination unit).

[0099] The control device 6 (see FIG. 1 ) of this embodiment determines whether or not a process fluid leaks from multiple on-off valves installed in a pipe. That is, while the on-off valve is closed, the upstream pipe connected to the on-off valve's inlet passage is filled with pressurized process fluid, and the pressure in the upstream pipe is made higher than the pressure in the downstream pipe connected to the outlet passage. The temperature measurement unit associated with the on-off valve measures the temperature. Specifically, while the on-off valve is closed so that the inlet passage is blocked from the outlet passage by the valve body, the inlet passage is filled with pressurized process fluid, and the pressure in the inlet passage is made higher than the pressure in the outlet passage. The control device 6 determines whether or not a process fluid leaks from each on-off valve based on the results of the temperature measurement (measured temperature).

[0100] If a leak of the treatment fluid occurs in the on-off valve, the treatment fluid will leak from the inlet to the outlet even if the on-off valve is closed. If such a leak occurs when the pressure in the inlet is higher than the pressure in the outlet, as described above, the treatment fluid leaking into the outlet will undergo adiabatic expansion, resulting in a drop in the temperature of the components located downstream of the on-off valve and the inside of those components.

[0101] FIG. 9 is a graph (simulation graph) showing an example of the pressure in the inlet passage of the on-off valve and an example of the temperature measured by the associated temperature measurement unit, where the horizontal axis indicates time (seconds), the left vertical axis indicates temperature (°C), and the right vertical axis indicates pressure (MPa).

[0102] 9 shows a measurement example ("Measured Temperature Example 1") of the temperature measurement unit 170 associated with the on-off valve 214 below the heater 68, and a measurement example ("Measured Temperature Example 2") of the temperature measurement unit 170 associated with an on-off valve (e.g., on-off valve 115A) upstream of the heater 68. The "Pressure Example" shown in FIG. 9 is common to "Measured Temperature Example 1" and "Measured Temperature Example 2," and illustrates the pressure in the inflow path of the on-off valve associated with the temperature measurement unit 170 that acquired "Measured Temperature Example 1" and "Measured Temperature Example 2."

[0103] The object measured by Measurement Temperature Example 1 shown in Fig. 9 (a piping section or the inside of a piping section in the examples shown in Figs. 4 to 7) is inherently high temperature, while the object measured by Measurement Temperature Example 2 (a piping section or the inside of a piping section in the examples shown in Figs. 4 to 7) is inherently low temperature. Furthermore, for each of Measurement Temperature Example 1 and Measurement Temperature Example 2 shown in Fig. 9, a leak of the processing fluid was caused in the corresponding on-off valve during the temperature measurement. In particular, the timing of the leak occurrence was set to the same time (approximately 70 seconds in the example shown in Fig. 9) after the start of measurement (0 seconds) in Measurement Temperature Example 1 and Measurement Temperature Example 2.

[0104] As is clear from FIG. 9, regardless of the inherent temperature of the measurement object, the temperature measured by the associated temperature measurement unit drops due to the occurrence of a leak in the on-off valve.

[0105] The control device 6 determines whether or not a temperature drop due to adiabatic expansion has occurred based on the measurement results of the temperature measurement unit, and if it determines that a temperature drop due to adiabatic expansion has occurred, it determines that a process fluid leak has occurred in the corresponding on-off valve.While any method can be used to determine whether or not a temperature drop due to adiabatic expansion has occurred, it can typically be determined by comparing the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit with a predetermined determination threshold temperature.That is, if the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit is lower than the determination threshold temperature, it may be determined that a process fluid leak has occurred in the corresponding on-off valve, and if the measured temperature is equal to or higher than the determination threshold temperature, it may be determined that no leak has occurred in the corresponding on-off valve.

[0106] Furthermore, for each on-off valve, the control device 6 may determine that no leakage of the process fluid is occurring if the temperature measured by the associated temperature measurement unit is within a threshold temperature range, or may determine that a leakage of the process fluid is occurring if the temperature is outside the threshold temperature range. The control device 6 may also determine whether a leakage of the process fluid is occurring at the corresponding on-off valve based on multiple measured temperatures acquired multiple times by the temperature measurement unit. For example, if all of the multiple measured temperatures acquired by the temperature measurement unit periodically measuring over a certain period of time are lower than the threshold temperature or outside the threshold temperature range, the control device 6 may determine that a leakage of the process fluid is occurring at the corresponding on-off valve. On the other hand, if one or more of the multiple measured temperatures are equal to or higher than the threshold temperature or within the threshold temperature range, the control device 6 may determine that no leakage of the process fluid is occurring at the corresponding on-off valve. The "certain period of time" referred to here is not limited and may be set appropriately based on the accuracy of temperature measurement by the temperature measurement unit and other factors.

[0107] Note that the normal temperature of an object measured by the temperature measurement unit during normal operation (normal processing) varies between objects. For example, the normal temperatures during normal operation of a location heated by heat emitted from the heater 68, the heated processing fluid, and a location through which the heated processing fluid flows are relatively high. On the other hand, the normal temperatures during normal operation of a location not heated by heat emitted from the heater 68, a processing fluid at or below the ambient temperature (e.g., room temperature (5 to 35°C)), and a location through which the processing fluid at or below the ambient temperature flows are relatively low. Therefore, the above-mentioned determination threshold temperature and determination temperature range are determined for each object based on the normal temperature of the object during normal operation.

[0108] Next, an example of the basic operation of drying unit 18 and supply unit 19 in the substrate processing method (substrate drying processing method) will be described.

[0109] The gaseous process fluid supplied from the process fluid supply source 90 to the first supply line 71 is supplied to the condenser 65 via the filter 64, where it is cooled and liquefied. The liquefied process fluid is stored in the tank 66. The liquid process fluid stored in the tank 66 is made into a high-pressure fluid by the pump 67, and a portion of this high-pressure fluid is supplied to the drying units 18A to 18C. The other portion of the high-pressure fluid flows through the first branch lines 73A to 73C and the second branch line 74, and then returns to the first supply line 71 for circulation.

[0110] The high-pressure fluid supplied to the drying units 18A to 18C is brought to a supercritical state by the heater 68. The high-pressure processing fluid brought to a supercritical state in this way is supplied to the processing chamber in the main body 31, and is used in the processing chamber to process (dry) the substrate W. The processing fluid used in the processing of the substrate W and discharged from the processing chamber in this way is received by a discharge line 76 (fluid discharge section) connected to the processing chamber in the main body 31, and is sent to a subsequent stage via the discharge line 76.

[0111] Next, an example of a method for detecting whether or not a leakage of the processing fluid occurs in the on-off valve will be described.

[0112] The timing of performing the following leak detection flow (leak detection method) is not limited, and may be performed before, after, and / or during the above-described substrate processing flow (substrate drying processing method). Therefore, the leak detection flow may be performed in a failure detection sequence that is performed separately from the normal substrate processing sequence, or may be performed in the normal substrate processing sequence, and the presence or absence of leakage in each on-off valve may be constantly monitored.

[0113] As described above, in order to determine whether or not a leakage of the processing fluid has occurred in the on-off valve, a process (pressurizing process) in which the inlet passage is filled with pressurized processing fluid while the on-off valve is closed, and a process (temperature measuring process) in which the temperature is measured by the associated temperature measuring unit are performed. In this embodiment, these pressurizing process and temperature measuring process are performed sequentially from the on-off valve on the upstream side to the downstream side.

[0114] 7 , first, detection and determination of leakage of the process fluid from the on-off valves 111-113, 115A-115C, and 220 located most upstream, designated by the symbol "I," is performed. Specifically, while the target on-off valves 111-113, 115A-115C, and 220 are closed, the pump 67 sends the process fluid toward the target on-off valve, while the on-off valves located downstream of the target on-off valve are opened. As a result, the inflow passages of the target on-off valves 111-113, 115A-115C, and 220 are filled with high-pressure process fluid, while the outflow passages are adjusted to a lower pressure (e.g., atmospheric pressure) than the inflow passages. In this state where a relatively large pressure difference exists between the inflow passages and the outflow passages, the associated temperature measurement units 161-163, 164A-164C, and 171 measure temperatures, and the measurement results are sent to the control device 6. Based on the measured temperatures sent from the temperature measuring units 161-163, 164A-164C, 171 in this way, the control device 6 detects and determines whether there is a leak of the processing fluid in the on-off valves 111-113, 115A-115C, 220 located most upstream.

[0115] 7, detection and determination of leakage of the process fluid from the on-off valves 116A-116C, 211-213 located next upstream is performed. Specifically, the target on-off valves 116A-116C, 211-213 are closed, while the on-off valves located upstream and downstream of the target on-off valves (except on-off valve 220) are opened, and the pump 67 sends the process fluid toward the target on-off valve. As a result, the inflow passages of the target on-off valves 116A-116C, 211-213 are filled with high-pressure process fluid, while the outflow passages are adjusted to a lower pressure (e.g., atmospheric pressure) than the inflow passages. In this state where there is a relatively large pressure difference between the inflow passages and the outflow passages, the associated temperature measurement units 165A-165C, 167-169 measure temperatures, and the measurement results are sent to the control device 6. The control device 6 detects and determines whether or not there is a leak of the processing fluid in the on-off valves 116A to 116C and 211 to 213 based on the measured temperatures sent from the temperature measuring units 165A to 165C and 167 to 169 in this manner.

[0116] Thereafter, detection and determination of leakage of the process fluid from the on-off valves 114A-114C located next upstream, designated by the symbol "III" in FIG. 7, is performed. Specifically, the target on-off valves 114A-114C are closed, while the on-off valves 111-113, 115A-115C, and 116A-116C (excluding the on-off valve 220) located upstream of the target on-off valve are opened. The on-off valves 211-214 are closed. Then, the pump 67 sends the process fluid toward the target on-off valves 114A-114C. As a result, the inflow passage of the target on-off valves 114A-114C is filled with high-pressure process fluid, while the outflow passage is adjusted to a pressure lower than that of the inflow passage (e.g., atmospheric pressure). In this state where there is a relatively large pressure difference between the inflow passage and the outflow passage, the associated temperature measurement units 166A-166C perform temperature measurement, and the measurement results are sent to the control device 6. The control device 6 detects and determines whether or not there is a leak of the processing fluid in the on-off valves 114A to 114C based on the measured temperatures sent from the temperature measuring units 166A to 166C in this manner.

[0117] Thereafter, detection and determination of a process fluid leak at the on-off valve 214 located next upstream, designated by the symbol "IV" in FIG. 7, is performed. Specifically, the target on-off valve 214 is closed, while the on-off valves 111-113, 115A-115C, and 211-213 (excluding the on-off valve 220) located upstream of the target on-off valve are opened. Note that the on-off valves 114A-114C and 116A-116C may be opened or closed as long as the inflow path of the target on-off valve 214 can be filled with the process fluid at a desired high pressure. Then, the pump 67 sends the process fluid toward the target on-off valve 214. As a result, the inflow path of the target on-off valve 214 is filled with the high-pressure process fluid, while the outflow path is adjusted to a lower pressure (e.g., atmospheric pressure) than the inflow path. In this state where there is a relatively large pressure difference between the inflow path and the outflow path, the associated temperature measurement unit 170 measures the temperature, and the measurement result is sent to the control device 6. The control device 6 detects and determines whether or not there is a leak of the processing fluid at the on-off valve 214 based on the measured temperature sent from the temperature measuring unit 170 in this manner.

[0118] By carrying out the above-described series of leak occurrence detection flows, it is possible to detect and determine whether or not there is a leak of the processing fluid for each of all the on-off valves that the drying unit 18 and the supply unit 19 have.

[0119] In the above-described leak detection flow, the form of the fluid in the inflow and outflow paths of the on-off valve to be detected and determined is not limited, and may be in any of a gaseous state, a liquid state, and / or a supercritical state.

[0120] Therefore, at least one of the multiple temperature measurement units may measure the temperature when a gaseous treatment fluid is present in at least one of the outflow path of the associated on-off valve and the portion of the piping downstream of the valve body of the associated on-off valve.

[0121] Furthermore, at least one of the plurality of temperature measurement units may measure the temperature when a fluid in a liquid state or a supercritical state is present in the inflow path of the associated on-off valve. In the above-described leak detection flow, the heater 68 also heats the gaseous or liquid processing fluid flowing through the second supply line 72 to generate a processing fluid in a supercritical state and sends the supercritical fluid downstream. Therefore, the associated temperature measurement unit 170 measures the temperature when a fluid in a liquid state or a supercritical state is present in the inflow path of the on-off valve 214 located downstream of the heater 68 and the main body 31.

[0122] When detecting and determining whether or not there is a leak of the processing fluid in the on-off valve 214, the pressurizing step and the temperature measuring step are performed in a state where there is no substrate W in the processing chamber in the main body 31.

[0123] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to easily and quickly detect and determine whether or not a processing fluid leaks from each on-off valve based on the measured temperature. As a result, the fluid supply system, substrate processing apparatus, and fluid supply method of this embodiment are useful for early detection of an abnormality in an on-off valve, reducing the number of steps and labor required for detecting and determining whether or not a leak has occurred in each on-off valve, and preventing secondary damage such as damage to products due to an emergency shutdown of the apparatus.

[0124] [Variations] In the above-described embodiment, each temperature measurement unit measures the temperature of the piping section (e.g., the surface) downstream of the corresponding on-off valve or the inside of the piping section, but it may also measure the temperature of any component located downstream of the corresponding on-off valve.

[0125] Furthermore, the installation positions and number of on-off valves provided in the piping are not limited to the above examples (see Figs. 4 to 7), and any number of on-off valves can be installed at any location in the piping. For example, an on-off valve may be provided between heater 68 and main body 31 as shown in Fig. 7, and a temperature measuring unit may be provided to measure the temperature of at least one of a member located downstream of the on-off valve and the inside of the member.

[0126] It should be noted that the embodiments and modifications disclosed in this specification are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be construed as limiting. The above-described embodiments and modifications may be omitted, substituted, and modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined in whole or in part, and embodiments other than those described above may be combined with the above-described embodiments or modifications. Furthermore, the effects of the present disclosure described in this specification are merely illustrative, and other effects may be obtained.

[0127] The technical category that embodies the above technical idea is not limited. For example, the above technical idea may be embodied by a computer program that causes a computer to execute one or more procedures (steps) included in a method of manufacturing or using the above device. The above technical idea may also be embodied by a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a computer program is recorded. [Explanation of symbols]

[0128] 6. Control device 18, 18A~18c Drying unit 19 Supply Unit 71 First Supply Line 72, 72A~72C Second supply line 73A~73C First branch line 74 Second Branch Line 76 Discharge Line 90 Treatment fluid supply source 111~116C, 211~214 On-off valves 161~171 Temperature measurement section

Claims

1. Piping and a fluid supply unit that supplies the fluid to the pipe so that the fluid flows from upstream to downstream in the pipe; a plurality of on-off valves provided in the piping, each of which has an inlet channel, an outlet channel, and a valve body that connects and disconnects the inlet channel and the outlet channel; a plurality of temperature measurement units provided to correspond to the plurality of on-off valves, each of which measures the temperature of at least one of a member located downstream of the on-off valve to which it is associated and an inside of the member; a leak determination unit that determines whether or not a leak of the fluid has occurred in the plurality of on-off valves, The leak determination unit determines whether or not a leak of the fluid has occurred for each of the plurality of on-off valves based on the temperature measured by the associated temperature measurement unit when the on-off valve is closed so that the inlet path and the outlet path are blocked by the valve body, and the inlet path is filled with pressurized fluid, making the pressure in the inlet path higher than the pressure in the outlet path.

2. 2. The fluid supply system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of temperature measurement units measures the temperature when the gaseous fluid is present in at least one of the outlet path of the associated on-off valve and the portion of the piping downstream of the valve body of the associated on-off valve.

3. The fluid supply system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of temperature measurement units measures the temperature when the fluid in a liquid state or a supercritical state is present in the inlet channel of the associated on-off valve.

4. The fluid supply system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of temperature measurement units measures a temperature inside a portion of the piping downstream of an associated on-off valve.

5. The fluid supply system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of temperature measurement units measures the temperature of a surface of the piping downstream of the associated on-off valve.

6. 2. The fluid supply system according to claim 1, wherein the outlet passage of at least one of the plurality of on-off valves is connected to an exhaust section via the piping provided with an orifice that locally narrows the flow path through which the fluid flows.

7. 2. The fluid supply system according to claim 1, wherein the leak determination unit determines that no leakage of the fluid is occurring when the temperature measured by the associated temperature measurement unit for each of the plurality of on-off valves is within a determination temperature range for a certain period of time.

8. 2. The fluid supply system of claim 1, wherein the inlet passage is filled with pressurized fluid while the on-off valve is closed for the determination, and the temperature is measured by the associated temperature measuring unit, sequentially starting from the on-off valve located upstream.

9. The fluid delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid comprises carbon dioxide.

10. a processing chamber into which a fluid in a supercritical state is supplied and into which a substrate is processed using the fluid; a supply pipe connected to the processing chamber and supplying the fluid to the processing chamber; a discharge pipe connected to the processing chamber and receiving the fluid discharged from the processing chamber; a plurality of on-off valves including at least one on-off valve provided in the supply pipe and at least one on-off valve provided in the discharge pipe; a plurality of temperature measurement units provided so as to correspond to the plurality of on-off valves, respectively; a leak determination unit that determines whether or not a leak of the fluid has occurred in the plurality of on-off valves, Each of the plurality of on-off valves has an inlet channel, an outlet channel, and a valve body that establishes and blocks communication between the inlet channel and the outlet channel, each of the plurality of temperature measurement units measures the temperature of at least one of a member located downstream of a corresponding on-off valve and the inside of the member; The leak determination unit determines whether or not a leak of the fluid has occurred in the substrate processing apparatus, based on the temperature measured by the associated temperature measurement unit, when the on-off valve is closed so that the valve body blocks the inlet and outlet paths, and the inlet path is filled with pressurized fluid, making the pressure in the inlet path higher than the pressure in the outlet path.

11. 11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the inlet passage is filled with the pressurized fluid while the on-off valve is closed for the determination regarding at least one on-off valve provided in the exhaust pipe, and the temperature is measured by the associated temperature measurement unit, while the substrate is not present in the processing chamber.

12. supplying the fluid to a pipe so that the fluid flows from upstream to downstream in the pipe; a step of connecting or blocking the inlet and outlet paths of the plurality of on-off valves provided in the piping with valve bodies; a step of measuring the temperature of at least one of a member located downstream of the corresponding on-off valve and an inside of the member by a plurality of temperature measurement units respectively associated with the plurality of on-off valves; determining whether or not leakage of the fluid occurs in the plurality of on-off valves based on the temperatures measured by the plurality of temperature measurement units, With respect to each of the plurality of on-off valves, the on-off valve is closed so that the inflow path and the outflow path are blocked by the valve body, and the inflow path is filled with the pressurized fluid so that the pressure in the inflow path is higher than the pressure in the outflow path. In this state, whether or not a leak of the fluid has occurred is determined based on the temperature measured by the associated temperature measuring unit. Fluid supply method.

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