Impurity collection system, water quality inspection system and liquid manufacturing and supply system

Abstract

To enable efficient liquid quality inspection.SOLUTION: An impurity extraction system is provided, comprising an ion exchanger unit 200 configured to adsorb impurities in an inspection target liquid, and a control unit 700 configured to switch between supplying of the inspection target liquid to the ion exchanger unit 200 and supplying of an eluent for eluting the impurities adsorbed by the ion exchanger unit 200 to the ion exchanger unit 200.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an impurity acquisition system, a water quality inspection system, and a liquid manufacturing and supply system. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, one method for inspecting the quality of ultrapure water supplied from an ultrapure water production facility to a point of use (for example, a use location in a semiconductor cleaning device) is to use analysis by a concentration method using an ion exchanger. As an analysis by such a concentration method, a method has been considered in which ultrapure water is passed through an ion exchanger for a predetermined period of time, the ion exchanger is removed and recovered, impurities are eluted from the recovered ion exchanger, and the concentration of the impurities is measured, thereby inspecting the quality of the ultrapure water (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-153854 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned techniques, the ion exchanger must be removed in order to test the quality of ultrapure water, which is troublesome and prevents efficient testing.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an impurity acquisition system, a water quality inspection system, and a liquid manufacturing and supply system that are capable of efficiently inspecting the water quality of a liquid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The impurity acquisition system of the present invention comprises: An impurity acquisition system for acquiring impurities in a test target liquid, an adsorbent that adsorbs impurities in the test liquid; a first control device that switches between passing the test liquid through the adsorbent and passing an elution liquid through the adsorbent, the elution liquid eluting impurities adsorbed to the adsorbent; has.

[0007] In addition, the impurity acquisition system of the present invention includes: An impurity acquisition system for acquiring impurities in a test target liquid, A plurality of adsorbents arranged in parallel to each other and configured to adsorb impurities in the test liquid; a control device for switching the passage of the test target liquid through the plurality of adsorbents; has.

[0008] In addition, the water quality testing system of the present invention includes: an adsorbent that adsorbs impurities in the liquid to be inspected; a first control device that switches between passing the test liquid through the adsorbent and passing an elution liquid through the adsorbent, the elution liquid eluting impurities adsorbed to the adsorbent; an impurity capture system having and an information processing device that analyzes the impurity concentration in the eluent that has been passed through the adsorbent and calculates the impurity concentration in the test liquid based on the analyzed impurity concentration.

[0009] The liquid manufacturing and supply system of the present invention further comprises: an adsorbent that adsorbs impurities in the liquid to be inspected; a first control device that switches between passing the test liquid through the adsorbent and passing an elution liquid through the adsorbent, the elution liquid eluting impurities adsorbed to the adsorbent; an impurity capture system having an information processing device that analyzes the impurity concentration in the eluent passed through the adsorbent and calculates the impurity concentration in the test liquid based on the analyzed impurity concentration; A water quality testing system comprising: a valve unit for controlling the supply of the test target liquid from a liquid production and supply facility that produces and / or supplies the test target liquid to a use point that uses the test target liquid; and a second control device that controls the valve unit based on the impurity concentration calculated by the information processing device. Effect of the Invention

[0010] In the present invention, the water quality of a liquid can be efficiently inspected. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of an impurity capturing system according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a water quality testing method in the impurity acquisition system shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 3 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the process of a concentration step in step S1 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the process of the elution and recovery step in step S2 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 3 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a cleaning process in step S3 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of an impurity capturing system according to the present invention. [Figure 7] 7 is a time chart for explaining an example of inter-system timing control performed by the control device 701 shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of an impurity capturing system according to the present invention. [Figure 9] 9 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a water quality testing method in the impurity acquisition system shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10]10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the concentration step in step S4 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing of the elution and recovery step in step S5 in the flowchart shown in FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a cleaning process in step S6 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the impurity capturing system of the present invention. [Figure 14] 14 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a water quality testing method in the impurity acquisition system shown in FIG. 13. [Figure 15] 15 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the concentration step in step S7 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 14. [Figure 16] 15 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the process of the elution and recovery step in step S8 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 14. [Figure 17] 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first cleaning process in step S9 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 14. [Figure 18] 15 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing of a reproducing step in step S10 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 14. [Figure 19] 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a second cleaning process in step S11 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 14. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a fifth embodiment of an impurity capturing system according to the present invention. [Figure 21] 21 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a water quality testing method in the impurity acquisition system shown in FIG. 20. [Figure 22] 22 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the concentration process in step S12 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 21. [Figure 23]22 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing of the elution and recovery step in step S13 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 21. [Figure 24] 22 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first cleaning process in step S14 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 21. [Diagram 25] 22 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing of a reproducing step in step S15 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 21. [Figure 26] 22 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a second cleaning process in step S16 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 21. [Figure 27] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a sixth embodiment of an impurity capturing system according to the present invention. [Figure 28] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a seventh embodiment of the impurity capturing system of the present invention. [Figure 29] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a liquid manufacturing and supply system to which the impurity acquisition system of the present invention is applied. [Diagram 30] FIG. 30 is a diagram showing one embodiment of the arrangement of a recovery container for recovering an eluent supplied to the ICP-MS shown in FIG. 29. [Diagram 31] 30 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in the system shown in FIG. 29. [Diagram 32] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of a liquid manufacturing and supply system to which the impurity acquisition system of the present invention is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (First embodiment)

[0013] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of an impurity capture system of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the impurity capture system in this embodiment includes an ion exchanger unit (ion exchanger) 200 which is an adsorbent, on-off valves 310, 320, and 330, an eluent 400, a pump 410, a collection container 500, a flow meter 600, and a control device 700.

[0014] The ion exchanger unit 200 is a unit that adsorbs impurities from test water from an ultrapure water production facility. Here, the ultrapure water production facility produces ultrapure water to be supplied to a semiconductor cleaning device, which is a point of use, and supplies the ultrapure water to the semiconductor cleaning device. In the following description, this ultrapure water is the liquid to be tested (test water), and the test water indicates the ultrapure water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility. The ion exchanger unit 200 has an ion removal or ion adsorption function (for example, an ion adsorption membrane or a monolithic organic porous material, an ion exchange resin). The object to be removed or adsorbed by the ion exchanger unit 200 is impurities. The impurities include ions (ionic metal impurities) and those in the form of fine particles. In this embodiment, the functional group of the ion exchanger unit 200 is a cation, an anion exchange group, or a chelate compound.

[0015] The on-off valve 310 controls the passage of test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the semiconductor cleaning device to the ion exchanger unit 200. Specifically, the on-off valve 310 passes the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the semiconductor cleaning device to either a flow path for draining the test water or a first pipe which is a flow path to the ion exchanger unit 200 via the on-off valve 320 in accordance with a control signal from the control device 700. Here, the flow path from the ultrapure water production facility to the on-off valve 310 may also be included in the first pipe. The on-off valve 320 is a first valve section which switches and controls the passage of either the test water via the on-off valve 310 or an eluent which is a liquid for eluting impurities adsorbed to the ion exchanger unit 200 to the ion exchanger unit 200. Specifically, the on-off valve 320 passes either the test water from the on-off valve 310 or the eluent 400 pumped up by the pump 410 and flowing through the second pipe to the ion exchanger unit 200 in accordance with a control signal from the control device 700. Here, the second pipe is a flow path for the pump 410 to pump up the eluent 400 stored in a predetermined container or the like and flow it to the on-off valve 320. The on-off valve 330 is a second valve section that controls the acquisition of water that has flowed out by passing through the ion exchanger unit 200. Specifically, the on-off valve 330 passes the test water and the eluent that have flowed out by passing through the ion exchanger unit 200 to a third pipe that is a flow path for passing the test water to wastewater via the flowmeter 600, and passes the eluent to a fourth pipe that is a flow path to the collection container 500 in accordance with a control signal from the control device 700.

[0016] The eluent 400 is an acidic or alkaline aqueous solution that elutes the impurities concentrated in the ion exchanger unit 200. Examples of the eluent 400 include an acidic aqueous solution of nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, or the like, or an alkaline aqueous solution of an organic alkali such as trimethylhydroxyammonium or tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). The eluent 400 has a metal impurity concentration of less than 100 ppt. The dilution degree of the eluent 400 is not particularly limited. The eluent 400 may be diluted with the test water to be measured. The eluent 400 is contained in a container such as a bottle. The pump 410 pumps the eluent 400 from the container and sends it to the on-off valve 320. For sending the eluent 400 from the eluent 400, a gas pressure feed may be used instead of the pump 410.

[0017] The collection container 500 is a container into which the eluent containing impurities eluted from the ion exchanger unit 200 in the elution and recovery process flows through the on-off valve 330. The collection container 500 may be, for example, a recovery bottle, but is not particularly limited as long as it can recover the eluent. The flowmeter 600 is a flow rate acquisition unit that measures the flow rate of the test water flowing from the on-off valve 330 to the flow path for drainage. The value measured by the flowmeter 600 is notified to the control device 700. A predetermined signal is used for this notification, and the signal may be transmitted by the flowmeter 600 and received by the control device 700. The flowmeter 600 may also measure the flow rate of the water (eluent) passed from the on-off valve 330 to the collection container 500. That is, the flowmeter 600 may be provided between the ion exchanger unit 200 and the on-off valve 330 and measure the flow rate of the liquid from the ion exchanger unit 200.

[0018] The control device 700 is a first control device that controls the opening and closing of each of the on-off valves 310, 320, and 330 based on the passage of a predetermined period of time. The passage of this predetermined period of time may be determined based on whether a preset time has elapsed, or may be determined based on whether the amount of water (test water, eluent) measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached a preset value (threshold value).

[0019] The specific operation of the control device 700 will be described below. First, in order to perform the concentration step, the control device 700 controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test water from the ultrapure water production facility is passed through the on-off valve 320. The control device 700 also controls the on-off valve 320 so that the test water from the on-off valve 310 is passed through the ion exchanger unit 200. The control device 700 also controls the on-off valve 330 so that the test water that has passed through the ion exchanger unit 200 and flowed out is drained into the third pipe. In the concentration step in this state, the inflow of the test water is started, and the control device 700 judges whether the flow rate of the test water measured by the flow meter 600 has reached a first threshold value set in advance. When the control device 700 judges that the flow rate of the test water measured by the flow meter 600 has reached the first threshold value, the control device 700 controls the on-off valve 310 to be closed or so that the test water passed from the ultrapure water production facility to the cleaning device is drained. The control device 700 also controls the on-off valve 320 so that the eluent 400 pumped up by the pump 410 is passed through the ion exchanger unit 200. The control device 700 also controls the on-off valve 330 so that the eluent flowing out of the ion exchanger unit 200 is acquired as the first liquid (passed through the collection container 500), that is, so that the eluent flows through the fourth pipe. In such an elution and recovery process, the control device 700 judges whether the amount of liquid acquired (recovered by the collection container 500) has reached a second threshold value set in advance. When the control device 700 judges that the amount of water acquired (recovered by the collection container 500) has reached a second threshold value set in advance, the control device 700 controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test water from the ultrapure water production facility is passed through the on-off valve 320. The control device 700 also controls the on-off valve 320 so that the test water from the on-off valve 310 is passed through the ion exchanger unit 200. The control device 700 also controls the on-off valve 330 so that the test water that has flowed through the ion exchanger unit 200 and flowed out is discharged into the third pipe. In this state, the control device 700 determines whether the flow rate of the liquid water measured by the flowmeter 600 during the cleaning process has reached a third threshold value set in advance. The control device 700 resets the flowmeter 600 when the liquid water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached the third threshold value.The test water flowing in the cleaning process is used as a cleaning liquid. The same applies in the following description.

[0020] A description will now be given of a water quality testing method in the impurity acquisition system shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a flow chart for explaining an example of a water quality testing method in the impurity acquisition system shown in Fig. 1.

[0021] First, the impurity acquisition system executes a concentration step (step S1). FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the concentration step process in step S1 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2. The control device 700 controls the on-off valve 330 so that the test water that flows out after passing through the ion exchanger unit 200 is discharged into a flow path to the flow meter 600 (step S111). The control device 700 controls the on-off valve 320 so that the test water from the on-off valve 310 is passed through the ion exchanger unit 200 (step S112). The control device 700 controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test water from the ultrapure water production facility is passed through the on-off valve 320 (step S113). Next, the control device 700 resets the flow meter 600 (step S114). Thereafter, the inflow of the test water is started, and the control device 700 judges whether the flow rate of the test water measured by the flow meter 600 has reached a first threshold value set in advance (step S115). When the control device 700 determines that the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached the first threshold value, it performs the process of step S2. The order of the processes of steps S111 to S113 is not particularly limited. Moreover, the processes of steps S111 to S113 may be performed simultaneously.

[0022] Next, the impurity acquisition system executes an elution and recovery step (step S2). Fig. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing of the elution and recovery step in step S2 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 2.

[0023] The control device 700 controls the on-off valve 310 to be in a closed state or to drain the test water passed from the ultrapure water production facility to the cleaning device (step S121). The control device 700 controls the on-off valve 320 to pass the eluent 400, which has been pumped up by the pump 410 and flowed through the second pipe, through the ion exchanger unit 200 (step S122). The control device 700 controls the on-off valve 330 to pass the eluent that has passed through the ion exchanger unit 200 and flowed out through the collection container 500, that is, to flow through the fourth pipe (step S123). Thereafter, the control device 700 determines whether the amount of water collected by the collection container 500 has reached a preset second threshold value (step S124). This determination may be, for example, a determination as to whether the collected eluent has filled the collection container 500, a determination based on the total weight of the collection container 500 in which the eluent has been collected, or a determination by irradiating the collection container 500 with a laser beam. In addition, in the case where the flowmeter 600 is provided between the ion exchanger unit 200 and the on-off valve 330, the determination may be based on whether the flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached a preset threshold value. When the control device 700 determines that the amount of water collected by the collection container 500 has reached the second threshold value, the control device 700 performs the process of step S3.

[0024] Next, the impurity acquisition system executes a cleaning step (step S3). Fig. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the cleaning step process in step S3 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 2.

[0025] The control device 700 controls the on-off valve 330 so that the test water that has flowed through the ion exchanger unit 200 is discharged to the third pipe (step S131). The control device 700 controls the on-off valve 320 so that the test water from the on-off valve 310 is passed through the ion exchanger unit 200 (step S132). The control device 700 controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test water from the ultrapure water production facility is passed through the on-off valve 320 (step S133). Next, the control device 700 resets the flowmeter 600 (step S134). The control device 700 determines whether the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached a preset third threshold value (step S135). When the control device 700 determines that the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached the third threshold value, the control device 700 performs the process of step S1 again. After the process of step S135, before performing the process of step S1, the control device 700 may reset the flowmeter 600. The processes of steps S131 to S133 are not necessarily performed if the on-off valves 310, 320, and 330 are already in the open / closed state capable of passing liquid as described above before performing each process.

[0026] In this embodiment, the process is transitioned between a concentration process in which impurities in the test water are captured using the ion exchanger unit 200, an elution and recovery process in which the captured impurities are eluted from the ion exchanger unit 200 and recovered, and a washing process in which the ion exchanger unit 200 from which the impurities have been eluted is washed with the test water by controlling an on-off valve provided at a key point in the flow path every predetermined period. This makes it possible to obtain a sample for testing the water quality of the test water without removing the ion exchanger unit 200 from the system, and to efficiently test the water quality of the test water. In addition, when the ion exchanger unit 200 is removed from the system and then the elution and recovery process is performed, the ion exchanger unit 200 may be contaminated when the ion exchanger unit 200 is removed or when the ion exchanger unit 200 is attached to an elution device, which may reduce the test accuracy. In this embodiment, the elution and recovery process can be performed without removing the ion exchanger unit 200 from the system, and therefore the ion exchanger unit 200 is not contaminated and the test accuracy can be suppressed from decreasing. (Second embodiment)

[0027] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the impurity capturing system of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 6, the impurity capturing system in this embodiment includes ion exchanger units 200-202, on-off valves 310-312, 320-322, 330-332, eluents 400-402, pumps 410-412, collection containers 500-502, flow meters 600-602, and a control device 701.

[0028] The ion exchanger unit 200, the on-off valves 310, 320, 330, the eluent 400, the pump 410, the collection container 500, and the flow meter 600 are the same as those in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, these components are provided in three systems in parallel. The ion exchanger units 201 and 202 correspond to the ion exchanger unit 200. The on-off valves 311 and 312 correspond to the on-off valve 310. The on-off valves 321 and 322 correspond to the on-off valve 320. The on-off valves 331 and 332 correspond to the on-off valve 330. The eluent 401 and 402 correspond to the eluent 400. The pumps 411 and 412 correspond to the pump 410. The collection containers 501 and 502 correspond to the collection container 500. The flow meters 601 and 602 correspond to the flow meter 600. The eluents 400 to 402 may be pumped up from a single container.

[0029] The control device 701 controls the on-off valves 310-312, 320-322, 330-332 in the same manner as the control device 700 in the first embodiment. The concentration step, elution recovery step, and washing step in each system are the same as those in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the control device 701 controls the timing of the concentration step, elution recovery step, and washing step between each system.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a time chart for explaining an example of timing control between the systems performed by the control device 701 shown in FIG. 6. A concentration step, an elution recovery step, and a washing step are sequentially and repeatedly performed in each of a system having an ion exchanger unit 200 (hereinafter referred to as system A), a system having an ion exchanger unit 201 (hereinafter referred to as system B), and a system having an ion exchanger unit 202 (hereinafter referred to as system C). At this time, the control device 701 controls the timing of the elution recovery step in each system A, system B, and system C so that the systems do not overlap. In addition, the control device 701 controls the on-off valves 310 to 312, 320 to 322 so that the test liquid is passed through the adsorbent in at least one of the systems A, system B, and system C. That is, the control device 701 controls the passing of the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the ion exchanger units 200 to 202. In the present embodiment, an example in which three systems are provided in parallel has been described, but the number of systems is not limited to this.

[0031] In this manner, in this embodiment, a plurality of systems are provided in parallel, and the timing of the elution and recovery steps in each system is controlled so as not to overlap with each other. In this way, the concentration steps can be performed continuously, and therefore test results can be obtained continuously. (Third embodiment)

[0032] 8 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of the impurity capturing system of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the impurity capturing system in this embodiment includes an ion exchanger unit 200, an impurity removing unit 210, on-off valves 310, 320, 330, and 340, an eluent 400, a pump 410, a collection container 500, a flow meter 600, and a control device 702.

[0033] The ion exchanger unit 200, the on-off valves 310, 320, 330, the eluent 400, the pump 410, the collection container 500 and the flow meter 600 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0034] The impurity removal unit 210 is a filter (impurity removal section) used in the cleaning process. The impurity removal unit 210 has an impurity removal function (for example, ion exchange, adsorption, filtration). The impurity removal unit 210 removes impurities from the test water by adsorbing impurities contained in the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the filter. The on-off valve 340 is a third valve section that controls the flow of the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the cleaning device to the impurity removal unit 210. Specifically, the on-off valve 340 passes the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the semiconductor cleaning device through either a flow path that flows to the on-off valve 310 or a seventh pipe that is a flow path to the impurity removal unit 210, according to a control signal from the control device 702. The impurity removal unit 210 removes impurities from the test water from the on-off valve 340, and discharges the water from which the impurities have been removed into a flow path to the on-off valve 320. In the cleaning process, the control device 702 sets the on-off valve 340 to a state in which the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the cleaning device is passed through the impurity removal unit 210 .

[0035] A description will now be given of a water quality testing method in the impurity acquisition system shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 9 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a water quality testing method in the impurity acquisition system shown in Fig. 8.

[0036] First, the impurity acquisition system executes the concentration step (step S4). FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the concentration step process in step S4 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 9. The control device 702 controls the on-off valve 330 so that the test water that has passed through the ion exchanger unit 200 and flowed out is discharged to the third pipe (step S141). The control device 702 controls the on-off valve 320 so that the test water from the on-off valve 310 is passed through the ion exchanger unit 200 (step S142). The control device 702 controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test water from the on-off valve 340 is passed through the on-off valve 320 (step S143). The control device 702 controls the on-off valve 340 so that the test water from the ultrapure water production facility is passed through the on-off valve 310 (step S144). Next, the control device 702 resets the flowmeter 600 (step S145). Thereafter, the inflow of the test water starts, and the control device 702 judges whether the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached a first threshold value set in advance (step S146). If the control device 702 judges that the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached the first threshold value, it performs the process of step S5. Note that the order of performing the processes of steps S141 to S144 is not particularly limited.

[0037] Next, the impurity acquisition system executes an elution and recovery step (step S5). Fig. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing of the elution and recovery step in step S5 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 9.

[0038] The control device 702 controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test target water is discharged from the on-off valve 340 (step S151). The control device 702 controls the on-off valve 320 so that the eluent 400 pumped up by the pump 410 and flowing through the second pipe is passed through the ion exchanger unit 200 (step S152). The control device 702 controls the on-off valve 330 so that the eluent flowing out after passing through the ion exchanger unit 200 is passed through the collection container 500, that is, flows through the fourth pipe (step S153). Thereafter, the control device 702 judges whether the amount of water collected by the collection container 500 has reached a preset second threshold value (step S154). This judgment may be the same as the judgment processing of step S124 in the first embodiment. When the control device 702 judges that the amount of water collected by the collection container 500 has reached the second threshold value, the control device 702 performs the processing of step S6.

[0039] Next, the impurity acquisition system executes a cleaning step (step S6). Fig. 12 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the cleaning step process in step S6 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 9.

[0040] The control device 702 controls the on-off valve 330 so that the test water that has passed through the ion exchanger unit 200 and flowed out is discharged to the third pipe (step S161). The control device 702 controls the on-off valve 320 so that the test water that has passed through the impurity removal unit 210 and flowed out is passed through the ion exchanger unit 200 (step S162). The control device 702 controls the on-off valve 340 so that the test water from the ultrapure water production facility is passed through the impurity removal unit 210 (step S163). Next, the control device 702 resets the flowmeter 600 (step S164). The control device 702 determines whether the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached a preset third threshold value (step S165). When the control device 702 determines that the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached the third threshold value, the control device 702 performs the process of step S4 again. After the process of step S165, before the process of step S4, the control device 702 may reset the flowmeter 600. The processes of steps S161 to S163 are not necessarily performed if the on-off valves 320, 330, and 340 are already in the open / closed state capable of passing liquid as described above before each process is performed.

[0041] In this embodiment, the process is transitioned between a concentration process in which impurities in the test object are captured using the ion exchanger unit 200, an elution and recovery process in which the captured impurities are eluted from the ion exchanger unit 200 and recovered, and a washing process in which the ion exchanger unit 200 from which the impurities have been eluted is washed with the test object water by controlling an on-off valve provided at a key point in the flow path every predetermined period. This makes it possible to obtain a sample for testing the water quality of the test object water without removing the ion exchanger unit 200 from the system, and to efficiently test the water quality of the test object water. Furthermore, the impurity removal unit 210 is provided, and impurities are removed from the test object water used for washing in the washing process through the impurity removal unit 210, thereby reducing the concentration of impurities in the test object water used for washing. (Fourth embodiment)

[0042] 13 is a diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the impurity capturing system of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 13, the impurity capturing system in this embodiment includes an ion exchanger unit 220, on-off valves 310, 323, and 333, an eluent 400, a regenerant 403, pumps 410 and 413, collection containers 500 and 510, a flow meter 600, and a control device 703.

[0043] The on-off valve 310, the eluent 400, the pump 410, the collection container 500 and the flow meter 600 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0044] The ion exchanger unit 220 is a unit that removes impurities from test water from an ultrapure water production facility. The ion exchanger unit 220 has an ion removal or ion adsorption function (for example, an ion adsorption membrane or a monolithic organic porous material, an ion exchange resin). The object to be removed or adsorbed by the ion exchanger unit 220 is metal impurities. The ion exchanger unit 220 also adsorbs fine particles by electrostatic effect. In this embodiment, the functional group of the ion exchanger unit 220 is a cation, an anion exchange group, or a chelate compound.

[0045] The regenerated liquid 403 is an acidic or alkaline liquid for regenerating the ion exchanger unit 220 in a regeneration step after eluting and cleaning the impurities concentrated in the ion exchanger unit 220. The regenerated liquid 403 is contained in a container such as a bottle. The pump 413 pumps the regenerated liquid 403 from the container and sends it to the on-off valve 323 through the fifth pipe. Here, the fifth pipe is a flow path for the pump 413 to pump the regenerated liquid 403 stored in a predetermined container or the like and flow it to the on-off valve 323. For sending the regenerated liquid 403, gas pressure feeding may be used instead of the pump 413. The regenerated liquid 403 has a metal impurity concentration of less than 100 ppt.

[0046] The collection container 510 is a container into which water (regeneration waste liquid) discharged from the ion exchanger unit 220 in the regeneration step flows via the on-off valve 333. The on-off valve 333 and the collection container 510 are disposed via a sixth pipe. The flow meter 600 may also measure the flow rate of water passed from the on-off valve 333 to the collection container 510.

[0047] The on-off valve 323 is a first valve section that controls the passage of any one of the test water via the on-off valve 310, the eluent 400 pumped up by the pump 410 and flowing through the second pipe, and the regenerated liquid 403 pumped up by the pump 413 and flowing through the fifth pipe to the ion exchanger unit 220. Specifically, the on-off valve 323 passes any one of the test water via the on-off valve 310, the eluent 400 pumped up by the pump 410 and flowing through the second pipe, and the regenerated liquid 403 pumped up by the pump 413 and flowing through the fifth pipe to the ion exchanger unit 220 in accordance with a control signal from the control device 703. The on-off valve 333 is a second valve section that controls the acquisition of water that flows out of the ion exchanger unit 220 by passing the water through it. Specifically, the on-off valve 333 passes the water (test water, eluent, or regeneration waste liquid) that has passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 and discharged therefrom in accordance with a control signal from the control device 703, passing the test water through a third pipe, the eluent through a fourth pipe, and the regeneration waste liquid through a sixth pipe.

[0048] The control device 703 is a first control device that controls the opening and closing of each of the on-off valves 310, 323, and 333 based on the passage of a predetermined period of time. The passage of this predetermined period of time may be determined based on whether a preset time has elapsed, or may be determined based on whether the amount of water (test water, eluent, regeneration waste liquid) measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached a preset value (threshold value).

[0049] The specific operation of the control device 703 will be described below. First, in order to perform the concentration step, the control device 703 controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the cleaning device is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220. The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 323 so that the test water passed through the on-off valve 310 is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220. The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 333 so that the test water passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 and discharged is discharged through the third pipe. In the concentration step in this state, the inflow of the test water is started, and the control device 703 judges whether the water flow rate measured by the flow meter 600 has reached a first threshold value set in advance. When the control device 703 judges that the water flow rate measured by the flow meter 600 has reached the first threshold value, the control device 703 controls the on-off valve 310 to be closed or so that the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the cleaning device is discharged. The control device 703 also controls the on-off valve 323 so that the eluent 400 pumped up by the pump 410 and flowing through the second pipe is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220. The control device 703 also controls the on-off valve 333 so that the eluent flowing out of the ion exchanger unit 220 is acquired as the first liquid (passed through the collection container 500), that is, so that the eluent flows through the fourth pipe. In such an elution and recovery process, the control device 703 judges whether the amount of water acquired (recovered by the collection container 500) has reached a second threshold value set in advance. When the control device 703 judges that the amount of water acquired (recovered by the collection container 500) has reached the second threshold value set in advance, the control device 703 controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test water from the ultrapure water production facility is passed through the on-off valve 323. The control device 703 also controls the on-off valve 323 so that the test water from the on-off valve 310 is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220. The control device 703 also controls the on-off valve 333 so that the test water that has passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 and flowed out is drained through the third pipe. In this state, the control device 703 determines whether the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 in the first cleaning step has reached a preset third threshold value.When the control device 703 determines that the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 in the first cleaning step has reached the third threshold, it controls the on-off valve 310 to be closed or to drain the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the cleaning device. The control device 703 also controls the on-off valve 323 to pass the regenerated liquid 403 pumped up by the pump 413 and flowing through the fifth pipe to the ion exchanger unit 220. The control device 703 also controls the on-off valve 333 to obtain the regenerated waste liquid discharged by passing through the ion exchanger unit 220 as the second liquid (passed through the collection container 510), that is, to flow to the sixth pipe. The control device 703 determines whether the amount of water obtained (recovered by the collection container 510) in the regeneration step in this state has reached the fourth threshold. When the control device 703 determines that the amount of water acquired in the regeneration process (recovered by the recovery container 510) has reached the fourth threshold, it controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the cleaning device is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220. The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 323 so that the test water passed through the on-off valve 310 is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220. The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 333 so that the test water passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 and discharged is discharged through the third pipe. The control device 703 determines whether the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 in the second cleaning process in this state has reached a preset fifth threshold. When the control device 703 determines that the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 in the second cleaning process has reached the fifth threshold, the control device 703 resets the flowmeter 600.

[0050] The following describes a water quality testing method in the impurity acquisition system shown in Fig. 13. Fig. 14 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a water quality testing method in the impurity acquisition system shown in Fig. 13.

[0051] First, the impurity acquisition system executes a concentration step (step S7). FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the concentration step process in step S7 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 14. The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 333 so that the test water that flows out after passing through the ion exchanger unit 220 is discharged through the third pipe (step S171). The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 323 so that the test water from the on-off valve 310 is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 (step S172). The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test water from the ultrapure water production facility is passed through the on-off valve 323 (step S173). Next, the control device 703 resets the flow meter 600 (step S174). Thereafter, the inflow of the test water is started, and the control device 703 judges whether the flow rate of the test water measured by the flow meter 600 has reached a first threshold value set in advance (step S175). When the control device 703 determines that the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached the first threshold value, it performs the process of step S8. Note that the order in which the processes of steps S171 to S173 are performed is not particularly limited.

[0052] Next, the impurity acquisition system executes an elution and recovery step (step S8). Fig. 16 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing of the elution and recovery step in step S8 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 14.

[0053] The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 310 to be in a closed state or to drain the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the cleaning device through the third pipe (step S181). The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 323 to pass the eluent 400 pumped up by the pump 410 and flowing through the second pipe through the ion exchanger unit 220 (step S182). The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 333 to pass the eluent that has passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 and flowed out through the collection container 500, that is, to flow through the fourth pipe (step S183). Thereafter, the control device 703 judges whether the amount of water collected by the collection container 500 has reached a preset second threshold value (step S184). This judgment may be the same as the judgment process of step S124 in the first embodiment. When the control device 703 determines that the amount of water collected in the collection container 500 has reached the second threshold, it performs the process of step S9.

[0054] Next, the impurity acquisition system executes a cleaning step (first cleaning step) (step S9). Fig. 17 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing of the first cleaning step in step S9 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 14.

[0055] The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 333 so that the test water that has flowed through the ion exchanger unit 220 is discharged through the third pipe (step S191). The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 323 so that the test water from the on-off valve 310 is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 (step S192). The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test water from the ultrapure water production facility is passed through the on-off valve 323 (step S193). Next, the control device 703 resets the flowmeter 600 (step S194). The control device 703 determines whether the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached a preset third threshold value (step S195). When the control device 703 determines that the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached the third threshold value, the control device 703 performs the process of step S10.

[0056] Next, the impurity capture system executes a regeneration process (step S10). In this embodiment, it is necessary to perform a regeneration process of the ion exchanger unit 220 in order to regenerate the ionic form of the functional group of the ion exchanger unit 220 to the reference form. Figure 18 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the regeneration process of step S10 in the flowchart shown in Figure 14.

[0057] First, the control device 703 controls the on-off valve 310 to be in a closed state or to drain the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the cleaning device through the third pipe (step S201). The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 323 so that the regenerated liquid 403 pumped up by the pump 413 and flowing through the fifth pipe is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 (step S202). The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 333 so that the alkaline waste liquid that has flowed through the ion exchanger unit 220 is passed through the collection container 510, that is, flows through the sixth pipe (step S203). After that, the control device 703 determines whether the amount of water collected by the collection container 510 has reached a preset fourth threshold value (step S204). This determination may be, for example, a determination as to whether the collected regenerated liquid has filled the collection container 510, a determination based on the total weight of the collection container 510 in which the alkaline waste liquid has been collected, or a determination by irradiating a laser beam onto the collection container 510. When the control device 703 determines that the amount of water collected by the collection container 510 has reached the fourth threshold value, the control device 703 performs the process of step S11.

[0058] Next, the impurity acquisition system executes a cleaning step (second cleaning step) (step S11). Fig. 19 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing of the second cleaning step in step S11 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 14.

[0059] The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 333 so that the test water that has flowed through the ion exchanger unit 220 and flowed out is discharged through the third pipe (step S211). The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 323 so that the test water from the on-off valve 310 is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 (step S212). The control device 703 controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test water from the ultrapure water production facility is passed through the on-off valve 323 (step S213). Next, the control device 703 resets the flowmeter 600 (step S214). The control device 703 determines whether the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached a preset fifth threshold value (step S215). When the control device 703 determines that the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached the fifth threshold value, it performs the process of step S7 again. After the process of step S215, before the process of step S7, the control device 703 may reset the flowmeter 600. The processes of steps S211 to S213 are not necessarily required to be performed if the on-off valves 310, 323, and 333 are already in the open / closed state capable of passing liquid as described above before each process is performed.

[0060] In this embodiment, the process includes a concentration process for capturing impurities in the test object using the ion exchanger unit 220, an elution and recovery process for eluting and recovering the captured impurities from the ion exchanger unit 220, a first cleaning process for cleaning the ion exchanger unit 220 from which the impurities have been eluted with the test object water, a regeneration process for regenerating the ion exchanger unit 220 with an acidic or alkaline liquid, and a second cleaning process for further cleaning the ion exchanger unit 220. The process is transitioned by controlling the on-off valves provided at key points in the flow path every predetermined period. This makes it possible to obtain a sample for testing the water quality of the test object water without removing the ion exchanger unit 220 from the system, and to efficiently test the water quality of the test object water. The anion exchanger group used in this embodiment may also be provided with multiple systems as in the second embodiment. (Fifth embodiment)

[0061] Fig. 20 is a diagram showing a fifth embodiment of the impurity capturing system of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 20, the impurity capturing system in this embodiment includes an impurity removing unit 210, an ion exchanger unit 220, on-off valves 310, 323, 333, and 340, an eluent 400, a regenerant 403, pumps 410 and 413, collection containers 500 and 510, a flow meter 600, and a control device 704.

[0062] The on-off valve 310, the eluent 400, the pump 410, the collection container 500, and the flowmeter 600 are the same as those in the first embodiment. The impurity removal unit 210 and the on-off valve 340 are the same as those in the third embodiment. The ion exchanger unit 220, the on-off valves 323 and 333, the regenerated liquid 403, the pump 413, and the collection container 510 are the same as those in the fourth embodiment. Here, the on-off valve 323 can switch and control the passage of any one of the test water that has passed through the impurity removal unit 210, the test water that has not passed through the impurity removal unit 210, the eluent 400 that has been pumped up by the pump 410 and flowed through the second pipe, and the regenerated liquid 403 that has been pumped up by the pump 413 and flowed through the fifth pipe to the ion exchanger unit 220.

[0063] The control device 704 is a first control device that controls the opening and closing of each of the on-off valves 310, 323, 333, and 340 based on the passage of a predetermined period of time. The passage of this predetermined period of time may be determined based on whether a preset time has elapsed, or may be determined based on whether the amount of water (test water, eluent, regeneration waste liquid) measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached a preset value (threshold value). The control device 704 has the function of the control device 702 in the third embodiment and the function of the control device 703 in the fourth embodiment.

[0064] The following describes a water quality testing method in the impurity acquisition system shown in Fig. 20. Fig. 21 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a water quality testing method in the impurity acquisition system shown in Fig. 20.

[0065] First, the impurity acquisition system executes the concentration step (step S12). FIG. 22 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the concentration step process in step S12 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 21. The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 333 so that the test water that has passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 and flowed out is discharged through the third pipe (step S221). The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 323 so that the test water from the on-off valve 310 is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 (step S222). The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test water from the on-off valve 340 is passed through the on-off valve 323 (step S223). The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 340 so that the test water from the ultrapure water production facility is passed through the on-off valve 310 (step S224). Next, the control device 704 resets the flowmeter 600 (step S225). Thereafter, the inflow of the test water starts, and the control device 704 judges whether the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached a first threshold value set in advance (step S226). If the control device 704 judges that the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached the first threshold value, it performs the process of step S13. Note that the order of performing the processes of steps S2211 to S224 is not particularly limited.

[0066] Next, the impurity acquisition system executes an elution and recovery step (step S13). Fig. 23 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing of the elution and recovery step in step S13 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 21.

[0067] The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 340 to be closed or to pass the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the cleaning device through the on-off valve 310 (step S231). When the control device 704 controls the on-off valve 340 so that the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the cleaning device passes through the on-off valve 310, the control device 704 controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test water is discharged from the on-off valve 340 (step S232). The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 323 so that the eluent 400 pumped up by the pump 410 and flowing through the second pipe is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 (step S233). The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 333 so that the eluent flowing out after passing through the ion exchanger unit 220 is passed through the collection container 500, that is, flows through the fourth pipe (step S234). Thereafter, the control device 704 determines whether the amount of water collected by the collection container 500 has reached a preset second threshold value (step S235). This determination may be the same as the determination process of step S124 in the first embodiment. When the control device 704 determines that the amount of water collected by the collection container 500 has reached the second threshold value, it performs the process of step S14.

[0068] Next, the impurity acquisition system executes a cleaning step (first cleaning step) (step S14). Fig. 24 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing of the first cleaning step in step S14 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 21.

[0069] The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 333 so that the test water that has passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 and flowed out is discharged through the third pipe (step S241). The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 323 so that the test water that has passed through the impurity removal unit 210 and flowed out is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 (step S242). The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 340 so that the test water from the ultrapure water production facility is passed through the impurity removal unit 210 (step S243). Next, the control device 704 resets the flowmeter 600 (step S244). The control device 704 determines whether the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached a preset third threshold value (step S245). When the control device 704 determines that the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached the third threshold value, the control device 704 performs the process of step S15.

[0070] Next, the impurity capturing system executes a regeneration process (step S15). In this embodiment, since the functional group of the ion exchanger unit 220 is an anion exchange group, it is necessary to perform a regeneration process of the ion exchanger unit 220 using an alkaline liquid. Figure 25 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the regeneration process of step S15 in the flowchart shown in Figure 21.

[0071] First, the control device 704 controls the on-off valve 340 to be closed or to pass the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the cleaning device through the on-off valve 310 (step S251). When the control device 704 controls the on-off valve 340 so that the test water supplied from the ultrapure water production facility to the cleaning device passes through the on-off valve 310, the control device 704 controls the on-off valve 310 so that the test water is discharged from the on-off valve 340 (step S252). The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 323 so that the regenerated liquid 403 pumped up by the pump 413 and flowing through the fifth pipe is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 (step S253). The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 333 so that the alkaline waste liquid discharged after passing through the ion exchanger unit 220 is passed through the recovery container 510, that is, flows through the sixth pipe (step S254). Thereafter, the control device 704 determines whether the amount of water collected by the collection container 510 has reached a fourth threshold value set in advance (step S255). This determination may be the same as the determination process of step S124 in the fourth embodiment. When the control device 704 determines that the amount of water collected by the collection container 510 has reached the fourth threshold value, it performs the process of step S16.

[0072] Next, the impurity acquisition system executes a cleaning step (second cleaning step) (step S16). Fig. 26 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing of the second cleaning step in step S16 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 21.

[0073] The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 333 so that the test water that has passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 and flowed out is discharged through the third pipe (step S261). The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 323 so that the test water that has passed through the impurity removal unit 210 and flowed out is passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 (step S262). The control device 704 controls the on-off valve 340 so that the test water from the ultrapure water production facility is passed through the impurity removal unit 210 (step S263). Next, the control device 704 resets the flowmeter 600 (step S264). The control device 704 determines whether the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached a preset fifth threshold value (step S265). When the control device 704 determines that the water flow rate measured by the flowmeter 600 has reached the fifth threshold value, it performs the process of step S12 again. After the process of step S265, before the process of step S12, the control device 704 may reset the flowmeter 600. The processes of steps S261 to S263 are not necessarily performed if the on-off valves 323, 333, and 340 are already in the open / closed state capable of passing liquid as described above before each process is performed.

[0074] In this embodiment, the process includes a concentration process in which impurities in the test water are captured using the ion exchanger unit 220, an elution and recovery process in which the captured impurities are eluted from the ion exchanger unit 220 and recovered, a first cleaning process in which the ion exchanger unit 220 from which the impurities have been eluted is washed with the test water, a regeneration process in which the ion exchanger unit 220 is regenerated with an alkaline liquid, and a second cleaning process in which the ion exchanger unit 220 is further washed. The process is transitioned by controlling the on-off valves provided at key points in the flow path every predetermined period. This makes it possible to obtain a sample for testing the water quality of the test water without removing the ion exchanger unit 220 from the system, and to efficiently test the water quality of the test water. Furthermore, the impurity removal unit 210 is provided, and impurities are removed from the test water used for cleaning in the first and second cleaning processes through the impurity removal unit 210, thereby reducing the concentration of impurities in the test water used for cleaning. (Sixth embodiment)

[0075] Fig. 27 is a diagram showing a sixth embodiment of the impurity capturing system of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 27, the arrangement of the eluent 400, the pump 410, and the collection container 500 in the impurity capturing system in this embodiment is different from that in the first embodiment.

[0076] The collection container 500 collects the eluent passed from the on-off valve 320 through the second pipe in the first embodiment. The eluent 400 is passed to the on-off valve 330 through the fourth pipe in the first embodiment by using the pump 410. In addition to the function in the first embodiment, the on-off valve 330 has a configuration for switching between passing the test liquid passed through the ion exchanger unit 200 to the third pipe and passing the eluent 400 passed through the fourth pipe to the ion exchanger unit 200. In addition to the function in the first embodiment, the on-off valve 320 has a configuration for switching between passing the test liquid from the on-off valve 310 to the ion exchanger unit 200 and passing the eluent 400 passed through the ion exchanger unit 200 to the second pipe.

[0077] In such a configuration, the control device 700 switches the on-off valve 320 to pass the eluent 400 passed through the ion exchanger unit 200 through the second pipe in the elution step, and switches the on-off valve 330 to pass the eluent 400 passed through the fourth pipe to the ion exchanger unit 200. The process used by the control device 700 as a trigger for transitioning from the elution step to the cleaning step may be a process that determines whether the collected eluent has filled the collection container 500, a process that determines based on the weight of the entire collection container 500 in which the eluent has been collected, or a process that determines by irradiating the collection container 500 with a laser beam. In addition, the flow meter 600 may be provided between the ion exchanger unit 200 and the collection container 500, and a process that determines based on whether the flow rate measured by the flow meter 600 has reached a preset threshold value.

[0078] In this manner, the present embodiment has a configuration in which the eluent flows in a direction opposite to the flow of the eluent used in the elution step in the first embodiment, thereby enabling the elution step to be realized in other ways than the first embodiment. (Seventh embodiment)

[0079] Fig. 28 is a diagram showing a seventh embodiment of the impurity capturing system of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 28, the impurity capturing system in this embodiment has regenerant 403, pump 413, and collection container 510 arranged differently from those in the fourth embodiment.

[0080] The collection container 510 collects the regenerated liquid passed from the on-off valve 323 through the fifth pipe in the fourth embodiment. The regenerated liquid 403 is passed to the on-off valve 333 through the sixth pipe in the fourth embodiment by using a pump 413. In addition to the functions in the fourth embodiment, the on-off valve 333 has a configuration for switching between passing the test liquid passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 to the third pipe, passing the eluent passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 to the fourth pipe, and passing the regenerated liquid passed through the sixth pipe to the ion exchanger unit 220. In addition to the functions in the fourth embodiment, the on-off valve 323 has a configuration for switching between passing the test liquid from the on-off valve 310 to the ion exchanger unit 220, passing the eluent 400 pumped up by the pump 410 and flowing through the second piping to the ion exchanger unit 220, and passing the regenerated liquid 403 passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 to the fifth piping.

[0081] In such a configuration, the control device 703 switches the on-off valve 323 to pass the regenerated liquid 403 passed through the ion exchanger unit 220 through the fifth pipe in the above-mentioned regeneration process, and switches the on-off valve 333 to pass the regenerated liquid 403 passed through the sixth pipe through the ion exchanger unit 220. The process used by the control device 703 as a trigger for transitioning from the regeneration process to the second cleaning process may be a process that determines whether the collected regenerated liquid has filled the collection container 510, a process that determines based on the total weight of the collection container 510 in which the alkaline waste liquid has been collected, or a process that determines by irradiating the collection container 510 with a laser beam. In addition, the flow meter 600 may also be provided between the ion exchanger unit 220 and the collection container 510, and a process that determines based on whether the flow rate measured by the flow meter 600 has reached a preset threshold value.

[0082] In this manner, in this embodiment, the regenerating liquid flows in a direction opposite to the flow of the regenerating liquid used in the regenerating step in the fourth embodiment. This allows the regenerating step to be realized in a manner other than that in the fourth embodiment. Note that this embodiment may be combined with the elution step described in the sixth embodiment.

[0083] The following describes an embodiment in which the above-mentioned impurity acquisition system is used. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of a liquid manufacturing and supply system to which the impurity acquisition system of the present invention is applied. The embodiment shown in FIG. 29 is a system in which ultrapure water is supplied to a semiconductor cleaning device (point of use) via CP1000, which is a non-regenerative ion exchange device in an ultrapure water production facility, and UF1100, which is an ultrafiltration device. The ultrapure water (test subject water) supplied to CP1000 is supplied from a liquid manufacturing and supply facility provided upstream. The liquid manufacturing and supply facility is also a facility for manufacturing ultrapure water. The dashed lines shown in FIG. 29 indicate a water flow path or a path of a control signal for testing the water quality of the ultrapure water that is the test subject water.

[0084] There are two flow paths through which ultrapure water is supplied to the semiconductor cleaning apparatus, and one of the flow paths is provided with an impurity removal unit 1200, and the ultrapure water is supplied to the semiconductor cleaning apparatus via the impurity removal unit 1200. An on-off valve 2000 is provided between the CP1000 and the UF1100. An on-off valve 2300 is provided to control the recovery of ultrapure water from the CP1000 to an ultrapure water recovery tank. An on-off valve 2400 is provided to control the recovery of ultrapure water from the UF1100 to the ultrapure water recovery tank. On-off valves 2100 and 2200 are provided in each of the two flow paths for supplying ultrapure water to the semiconductor cleaning apparatus.

[0085] The concentration / elution / recovery device 1300 corresponds to the impurity acquisition system shown in Figs. 1, 6, 8, 13, and 20, and performs the processes described in the first to fifth embodiments on the ultrapure water from the CP1000 or the ultrapure water from the UF1100, which is the water to be tested. The ICP-MS1400 is a device (information processing device) that analyzes the impurity concentration in the acquired eluent and calculates the impurity concentration in the water to be tested based on the analyzed impurity concentration, and is equipped with an information processing function for calculating the concentration. The concentration / elution / recovery device 1300 and the ICP-MS1400 constitute a water quality testing system. The control device 1500 is a second control device that controls the opening and closing of the on-off valves 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300, and 2400 based on the impurity concentration calculated by the ICP-MS1400.

[0086] When the impurity concentration calculated by the ICP-MS1400 for the outlet water of the CP1000 exceeds a preset concentration threshold, the control device 1500 controls the on-off valve 2000, which is the fifth on-off valve, to a closed state. At this time, the control device 1500 controls the on-off valve 2300 to an open state. Also, when the impurity concentration calculated by the ICP-MS1400 for the outlet water of the CP1000 is equal to or lower than the concentration threshold, the control device 1500 opens the on-off valve 2000. At this time, the control device 1500 closes the on-off valve 2300. Also, when the impurity concentration calculated by the ICP-MS1400 for the outlet water of the UF1100 exceeds a preset concentration threshold, the control device 1500 controls the on-off valves 2100 and 2200, which are the fourth valve unit, to a closed state. At this time, the control device 1500 controls the on-off valve 2400 to an open state. Moreover, when the impurity concentration calculated by the ICP-MS1400 for the outlet water of the UF1100 is equal to or lower than the concentration threshold, the control device 1500 opens the on-off valves 2100 and 2200. At this time, the control device 1500 controls the on-off valve 2400 to a closed state. Note that the control device 1500 may be configured to control the on-off valve 2100 to an open state when the impurity concentration calculated by the ICP-MS1400 for the outlet water of the UF1100 is equal to or lower than the first concentration threshold, control the on-off valve 2200 to an open state and control the on-off valve 2100 to a closed state when the impurity concentration calculated by the ICP-MS1400 exceeds the first concentration threshold and is equal to or lower than the second concentration threshold, and control the on-off valves 2100 and 2200 to a closed state when the impurity concentration calculated by the ICP-MS1400 exceeds the second concentration threshold. This utilizes the fact that even if the impurity concentration in the ultrapure water is relatively high in the flow path in which the impurity removal unit 1200 is installed, the impurities contained in the ultrapure water are removed by the impurity removal unit 1200, thereby reducing the impurity concentration in the ultrapure water supplied to the semiconductor cleaning equipment.

[0087] FIG. 30 is a diagram showing one embodiment of the arrangement of collection containers that collect the eluent supplied to the ICP-MS1400 shown in FIG. 29. As shown in FIG. 30, a plurality of collection containers 500 described in the first to fifth embodiments are arranged on an autosampler 520. When the eluent is collected in the collection container 500 in one elution and collection step described above, the autosampler 520 rotates to a position where the eluent is collected in another collection container (for example, an adjacent collection container) in the next elution and collection step. In addition, the collection container 500 in which the eluent has been collected is controlled so that the eluent is automatically sucked and supplied to the ICP-MS1400. For example, a suction device that sucks the eluent from the collection container 500 may detect that the eluent has been collected in the collection container 500 and the elution and collection step has ended, and the suction device may start sucking the eluent from the collection container 500 to supply the eluent to the ICP-MS1400.

[0088] The process in the system shown in FIG. 29 will be described below. FIG. 31 is a flow chart for explaining an example of the process in the system shown in FIG. 29. Here, the case where the ICP-MS1400 calculates the impurity concentration in the outlet water of the UF1100 shown in FIG. 29 will be described as an example. First, the ICP-MS1400 acquires the eluent of the outlet water of the UF1100 collected in the collection container 500 (step S51). This acquisition may be performed using the above-mentioned suction device. Then, the ICP-MS1400 measures the concentration of impurities contained in the acquired eluent (step S52). Concentration information indicating the measured concentration is transmitted from the ICP-MS1400 to the control device 1500. The control device 1500 judges whether the concentration indicated by the transmitted concentration information exceeds a preset concentration threshold (step S53). If the concentration indicated by the transmitted concentration information exceeds the concentration threshold, the control device 1500 closes a predetermined opening / closing valve (step S54). The predetermined on-off valve is an on-off valve that prevents ultrapure water from the ultrapure water production facility from being supplied to the semiconductor cleaning device, and is, for example, the on-off valves 2100 and 2200. At this time, the control device 1500 may open the on-off valve 2400 to supply ultrapure water to the ultrapure water recovery tank. Next, the control device 1500 notifies that the concentration indicated by the transmitted concentration information exceeds the concentration threshold (step S55). This notification is a notification to the system administrator or operator, the administrator of the ultrapure water production facility, etc., and is an output such as transmission of information indicating that, display on a screen, etc. Then, the process of step S51 is performed for the next recovery container. Here, as described above, there may be two thresholds to be compared with the concentration, and the control device 1500 may control the opening and closing of the on-off valves 2100 and 2200 based on the results of comparing the concentration with each of the two thresholds. The specific method of this control is as described above. Also, when the ICP-MS1400 calculates the impurity concentration of the outlet water of the CP1000 shown in FIG. 29, the same process as that described above is performed.

[0089] Fig. 32 is a diagram showing another example of a liquid manufacturing and supplying system to which the impurity acquisition system of the present invention is applied. In the application example shown in Fig. 32, the CP1000, UF1100, the concentration / elution / recovery device 1300, the ICP-MS1400, the control device 1500, and the on-off valve 2400 are the same as the CP1000, UF1100, the concentration / elution / recovery device 1300, the ICP-MS1400, the control device 1500, and the on-off valve 2400 shown in Fig. 29. Ultrapure water, which is the outlet water from the UF1100, is distributed to a plurality of flow paths and supplied to a plurality of semiconductor cleaning devices connected to each flow path. Each of the plurality of flow paths is branched into a flow path to the concentration / elution / recovery device 1300, and the ultrapure water flowing in each flow path is treated as the test target water in the concentration / elution / recovery device 1300 as described in the first to fifth embodiments. The flow path to be treated with the ultrapure water is selected by the control device 1500 by controlling the opening and closing of the on-off valves 2500-1 to 2500-4 provided in each branch flow path. Similarly to the above-mentioned process, the control device 1500 controls the opening and closing of the on-off valves 2100-1 to 2100-4, which are fifth on-off valves provided in each flow path, based on the impurity concentration calculated by the ICP-MS 1400. The control device 1500 may have a threshold value corresponding to each of the multiple semiconductor cleaning devices, and control the opening and closing of the on-off valves 2100-1 to 2100-4 based on a comparison between the impurity concentration calculated by the ICP-MS 1400 and the threshold value corresponding to each semiconductor cleaning device.

[0090] In this way, when the concentration of impurities contained in the ultrapure water exceeds a predetermined concentration threshold, the on-off valve is controlled to prevent the supply of ultrapure water to the semiconductor cleaning device, thereby preventing contamination of the semiconductor device and the components in the ultrapure water facility. The liquid (water) to be measured is not limited to ultrapure water, but may be a chemical solution such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol), PGMA (polyglycerol methacrylate), or PGMEA (propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate). Although the embodiment using a bottle for collecting the eluent has been described, the collected eluent may be directly sprayed into an analysis device for quantitative analysis. The concentration of metal impurities measured in this impurity acquisition system is not particularly limited, but is desirably 100 ng / L or less, preferably 1 ng / L or less, and more preferably 0.1 ng / L or less.

[0091] Although the above description has been given by allocating each function (processing) to each component, this allocation is not limited to the above. In addition, the configuration of the components is also not limited to the above-mentioned forms, which are merely examples. In addition, each embodiment may be combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 200~202,220 Ion exchange unit 210,1200 Impurity removal unit 310~312,320~323,330~333,340,2000,2100,2100-1~2100-4,2200,2300,2400,2500-1~2500-4 On-off valve 400~402 Eluent 403 Regeneration liquid 410~413 Pump 500~502,510 Collection container 520 Autosampler 600~602 Flowmeter 700~704,1500 Control device 1000CP 1100 UF 1300 Concentration / Elution / Recovery Device 1400 ICP-MS

Claims

1. An impurity acquisition system for acquiring impurities in a test target liquid, an adsorbent that adsorbs impurities in the test liquid; a flow rate acquiring unit that acquires a flow rate of the liquid passed through the adsorbent; a first control device that switches between a concentration step of passing the test target liquid through the adsorbent and an elution step of passing an elution solution through the adsorbent to elute impurities adsorbed on the adsorbent; having a washing step of passing a washing solution through the adsorbent when the flow rate of the elution solution passed through the adsorbent, which is acquired by the flow rate acquiring unit in the elution step, reaches a first threshold value; a regeneration step of passing a regeneration liquid through the adsorbent when a flow rate of the cleaning liquid passed through the adsorbent, the flow rate being acquired by the flow rate acquiring unit in the first cleaning step as a first cleaning step, reaches a second threshold value; and and when the flow rate of the regenerated liquid passed through the adsorbent, acquired by the flow rate acquisition unit in the regeneration process, reaches a third threshold value, a second cleaning process is executed in which the cleaning liquid is passed through the adsorbent.

2. The impurity capture system according to claim 1, The first control device is an impurity acquisition system that switches between passing the test target liquid through the adsorbent and passing the eluent through the adsorbent based on the flow rate acquired by the flow rate acquisition unit.

3. The impurity capture system according to claim 2, The first control device includes: a concentrating step of passing the test liquid through the adsorbent; an elution process for passing the eluent through the adsorbent when the flow rate of the test liquid passed through the adsorbent, acquired by the flow rate acquisition unit in the concentration process, reaches a fourth threshold value.

4. The impurity capture system according to claim 1, an impurity removal unit that removes impurities from the cleaning solution; The first control device supplies the cleaning liquid that has passed through the impurity removal unit to the adsorbent in the first cleaning step and the second cleaning step.

5. The impurity capture system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, An impurity capture system, wherein the functional group of the adsorbent is a cation exchange group, an anion exchange group, or a chelating compound.

6. The impurity capture system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and an information processing device that analyzes the impurity concentration in the eluent that has been passed through the adsorbent and calculates the impurity concentration in the liquid to be tested based on the impurity concentration.

7. The water quality testing system according to claim 6, a valve unit for controlling the supply of the test target liquid from a liquid production and supply facility that produces and / or supplies the test target liquid to a use point that uses the test target liquid; a second control device that controls the valve unit based on the impurity concentration calculated by the information processing device.

8. An impurity acquisition system for acquiring impurities in a test target liquid, A plurality of adsorbents arranged in parallel to each other and configured to adsorb impurities in the test liquid; a flow rate acquiring unit that acquires a flow rate of the liquid passed through the adsorbent; a control device for switching the passage of the test target liquid through the plurality of adsorbents; having the control device switches, for each of the plurality of adsorbents, between a concentration step of passing the test target liquid through the adsorbent and an elution step of passing an elution liquid through the adsorbent, the elution liquid eluting impurities adsorbed to the adsorbent; a washing step of passing a washing solution through the adsorbent when the flow rate of the elution solution passed through the adsorbent, which is acquired by the flow rate acquiring unit in the elution step, reaches a first threshold value; a regeneration step of passing a regeneration liquid through the adsorbent when a flow rate of the cleaning liquid passed through the adsorbent, the flow rate being acquired by the flow rate acquiring unit in the first cleaning step as a first cleaning step, reaches a second threshold value; and and when the flow rate of the regenerated liquid passed through the adsorbent, acquired by the flow rate acquisition unit in the regeneration process, reaches a third threshold value, a second cleaning process is executed in which the cleaning liquid is passed through the adsorbent.

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