Substrate processing apparatus and method for cleaning piping in substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

To reduce the time required for cleaning piping in a substrate processing device.SOLUTION: The substrate processing device includes piping for supplying a plurality of modules in the substrate processing device with a first liquid and a cleaning liquid manufacturing device provided within the substrate processing device, for generating as a cleaning liquid ozone water, ozone microbubble water, which is pure water containing microbubbles of ozone gas, and / or oxygen microbubble water, which is pure water containing microbubbles of oxygen gas to supply the piping with the cleaning liquid in the substrate processing device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a method for cleaning piping in the substrate processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] When starting up a process on-site in a substrate processing equipment that manufactures semiconductor devices, etc., a reverse contamination check is performed by running a test substrate through the equipment to check whether contamination on the equipment side caused by construction work, etc. will contaminate the substrate (e.g., wafer), but there are cases where the result is outside the specifications (spec-out).One cause of this is that particles adhere to the substrate due to contamination in the piping inside the equipment.

[0003] Methods for cleaning pipes in substrate processing apparatuses are described, for example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2. Patent Document 1 describes a method in which pure water (e.g., DIW) is run through the pipes of a liquid supply device to clean the pipes, and then nitrogen gas is run through the pipes to dry the inside of the pipes. Patent Document 2 describes a method in which a chemical solution is filled into the pipes that supply a polishing liquid, the accumulated polishing liquid is dissolved, and then the inside of the pipes is cleaned with pure water. Furthermore, in conventional substrate processing apparatuses, each module is separated and checked for contamination (particles) on the substrates. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-002551 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-177303 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-141813 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-127861 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-119835 [Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-330050 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The methods of Patent Documents 1 and 2 require the pipes in the substrate processing apparatus to be flushed with pure water for a long time to be cleaned, and it is desirable to shorten the cleaning time for the pipes. It is also desirable to further improve the cleaning performance of the pipes.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to solve at least one of the above-mentioned problems. One object of the present invention is to shorten the cleaning time of pipes in a substrate processing apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to improve the cleaning performance of pipe cleaning of pipes in a substrate processing apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to enable early detection of contamination of each module in a substrate processing apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a pipe for supplying a first liquid to a plurality of modules in the substrate processing apparatus; and a cleaning liquid production device provided in the substrate processing apparatus for producing, as a cleaning liquid, ozone water, ozone microbubble water which is pure water containing microbubbles of ozone gas, and / or oxygen microbubble water which is pure water containing microbubbles of oxygen gas, and supplying the cleaning liquid to the pipe. A substrate processing apparatus is provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 shows the configuration of an ozone water production apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] The configuration of an ozone water production device having multiple ozone water generation units. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of a fluid in a T-shaped pipe. [Figure 4] Measurement example of ozone water concentration. [Figure 5]1 shows the configuration of an ozone water production device according to a comparative example. [Figure 6] 10 is an example of a flowchart for controlling the temperature inside the enclosure. [Figure 7] An example of a flowchart for controlling the number of high-voltage power supply units (discharge cells) in operation. [Figure 8] An example of a flowchart for monitoring ozone gas concentration. [Figure 9] A variation of the T-pipe. [Figure 10A] Another variation of T-piping. [Figure 10B] Another variation of T-piping. [Figure 11] Yet another variation of the T-pipe. [Figure 12] 1 shows an example of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 13] An example of the configuration of a cleaning liquid manufacturing device. [Figure 14] An example of the configuration of a cleaning liquid manufacturing device. [Figure 15] An example of the configuration of a cleaning liquid manufacturing device. [Figure 16] An example of the configuration of a cleaning liquid manufacturing device. [Figure 16A] An example of the configuration of a cleaning liquid manufacturing device. [Figure 17] 1 is an example of a flowchart for detecting particles. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the following embodiments and modifications of the embodiments, the same or corresponding components may be designated by the same reference numerals, and their description may be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the features shown in each embodiment may be applied to other embodiments as long as they are not mutually inconsistent. Furthermore, the drawings are diagrammatically illustrated to facilitate understanding of the features of the embodiments and modifications, and the dimensional ratios of each component may not necessarily be the same as those in reality.

[0010] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an ozone water production apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the ozone water production apparatus 100 according to this embodiment includes discharge cells 131 and 132 as an ozone gas supply unit that supplies ozone gas, which is a raw material for ozone water; a pump 102 as a pure water supply unit that supplies pure water (e.g., DIW), which is a raw material for ozone water; nozzles 111 and 112 as an ozone water production unit (also referred to as an ozone water production line) that dissolves ozone gas in the supplied pure water to produce ozone water; and a gas-liquid separation tank 124 that separates excess gas from the ozone water. These components are housed in a housing 101. Note that all or part of these components may be located outside the housing 101 or may be housed in a housing separate from the housing 101.

[0011] Discharge cells 131, 132 are ozone gas production devices that use a discharge method, and receive power (voltage) from high-voltage power supply unit 141. Oxygen, a raw material for ozone gas, is introduced between electrodes to which high voltage is applied, generating ozone gas. Along with oxygen gas, a raw material for ozone gas, carbon dioxide gas that inhibits decomposition of the generated ozone and nitrogen gas that improves the ozone concentration are introduced into discharge cells 131, 132. The ozone gas generated in discharge cells 131, 132 is supplied to nozzles 111, 112 through gas line 130. In the following description, oxygen gas, carbon dioxide gas, and nitrogen gas may be simply referred to as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen.

[0012] The pump 102 pressurizes the pure water introduced from a liquid supply source (pure water supply source, not shown) outside the ozone water production apparatus 100 and supplies it to the input parts of the nozzles 111 and 112. In addition, a flow meter 108 is provided on the upstream or downstream side of the pump 102, and measures the flow rate of the pure water supplied to the nozzles 111 and 112 (ozone water production parts) and outputs the measured value to the control device 150. The control device 150 controls the pump 102 to control the flow rate of the pure water based on the flow rate of the pure water detected by the flow meter 108. Note that if the supply flow rate of pure water is not detected in the ozone water production apparatus 100, the flow meter 108 may be omitted. In the example of FIG. 1, the pump 102 constitutes the pure water supply unit, but if pressurized pure water is supplied from outside the ozone water production apparatus 100 and the pump 102 is omitted, some or all of the piping connected to the input side of the nozzles 111 and 112 can be defined as the pure water supply unit.

[0013] Nozzles 111 and 112, which function as ozone water generators (ozone water generation lines), have the function of dissolving gas in supplied liquid. Nozzles 111 and 112 take in liquid and gas and generate a vortex of the liquid within the nozzles, thereby mixing the liquid and gas and dissolving the gas. For example, nozzles 111 and 112 may be those described in Patent Document 1 or those utilizing the Venturi effect (aspirators or ejectors) described in Patent Documents 2 to 4. Nozzle 121, described below, does not introduce gas but may have a similar structure to nozzles 111 and 112. Nozzles 111 and 112 and nozzle 121 (described below) each have a flow rate (optimal flow rate) that optimizes ozone dissolution efficiency (efficiency of dissolving ozone in water). In this embodiment, the optimal flow rates for nozzles 111 and 112 are assumed to be equal. In this example, the optimal flow rates for nozzles 111 and 112 are 5 L / min. The output ports of the nozzles 111 and 112 are connected to two ends of a T-shaped pipe (T-joint) 104, respectively, and the remaining end of the T-shaped pipe is connected to the input port of another nozzle 121. In other words, the output (downstream) sides of the nozzles 111 and 112 are connected to the nozzle 121 via the T-shaped pipe 104. The pure water (ozonated water) into which ozone gas is dissolved by the nozzles 111 and 112 contains undissolved ozone gas, and the ozonated water and undissolved ozone gas become turbulent and agitated in the T-shaped pipe 104, thereby further dissolving the ozone gas in the ozonated water (described later). The T-shaped pipe 104 can be a pipe having any cross-sectional shape, such as a circle, an ellipse, or a polygon. Furthermore, in the nozzle 121 downstream of the T-shaped pipe 104, the ozonated water becomes even more turbulent and agitated, thereby further dissolving the ozone gas in the ozonated water. The optimum flow rate of nozzle 121 is preferably set to be equal to or greater than the sum of the optimum flow rates of nozzle 111 and nozzle 112. This reduces the pressure loss of the ozonated water in nozzle 121, allowing more ozone gas to be dissolved in the ozonated water in nozzle 121. In this example, the optimum flow rate of nozzle 121 is set to 20 L / min.

[0014] The output of the nozzle 121 is connected to a gas-liquid separation tank 124 via a flow control valve 123. The flow control valve 123 is controlled by a control device 150 to control the flow rate of the ozone water supplied to the gas-liquid separation tank 124. In the gas-liquid separation tank 124, excess gas is separated from the ozone water stored therein and exhausted from the gas-liquid separation tank 124 via a valve (not shown) as indicated by arrow 127. The excess gas is rendered harmless by a catalyst or the like and its pressure is adjusted before being exhausted to the outside. The gas-liquid separation tank 124 is connected to an output pipe 125, and the ozone water from which the excess gas has been separated is output from the ozone water production apparatus 100 via the output pipe 125 and supplied to a point of use. A concentration meter 126 for detecting the ozone concentration of the ozone water is disposed in the output pipe 125. The detected value of the concentration meter 126 is supplied to the control device 150.

[0015] The ozone water production device 100 further has an air conditioner (air conditioner) 109 as a temperature control device. The air conditioner (air conditioner) 109 can be a device having a heat exchanger arranged inside the housing and a heat exchanger arranged outside the housing, a cooler that uses the heat of evaporation of water, or any other configuration that supplies temperature-controlled air. The air conditioner 109 controls the temperature inside the housing 101 based on the temperature detected by a temperature detector 110 so that it matches or approaches the temperature around the housing 101 (hereinafter referred to as ambient temperature). The output of the temperature detector 110 is supplied to a control device 150. The control device 150 controls the air conditioner 109 based on the detected value of the temperature detector 110. The temperature detector ( Alternatively, if it is known that the ambient temperature of the housing 101 is controlled to a predetermined temperature, a known predetermined temperature may be used.

[0016] FIG. 2 shows the configuration of an ozone water production apparatus 100 equipped with multiple ozone water generators. While FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a configuration in which ozone water is generated using a single ozone water generation line 103 (one set of nozzles 111, 112, and 121), as shown in FIG. 2, ozone water may also be generated using two ozone water generation lines 103A and 103B (two sets of nozzles 111, 112, and 121). For ease of explanation, in FIG. 2, the nozzles in each system are distinguished by adding "A" and "B" to the reference numerals of the nozzles. Also, in FIG. 2, discharge cells 131 and 132, high-voltage source 141, and concentration meter 142 are provided for each system, and the configuration of each group is distinguished by adding "A" and "B" to the reference numerals of the discharge cells 131 and 132, high-voltage source 141, and concentration meter 142 corresponding to the system. By providing two ozone water production lines, it is possible to increase the output amount of ozone water from the ozone water production apparatus 100. Although Fig. 2 illustrates a case where the ozone water production apparatus 100 is equipped with two ozone water production lines, three or more ozone water production lines may be provided depending on the output amount of ozone water required for the ozone water production apparatus 100.

[0017] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of fluid in the T-shaped pipe 104. The T-shaped pipe 104 includes pipe sections 104-1, 104-2, and 104-3. The pipe section 104-1 is connected to the output of the nozzle 111 directly or via another pipe. The pipe section 104-2 is connected to the output of the nozzle 112 directly or via another pipe. The pipe section 104-3 is connected to the input of the nozzle 121 directly or via another pipe. The input-side pipe sections 104-1 and 104-2 form an angle of approximately 90° with respect to the output-side pipe section 104-3. In this configuration, the ozonated water from the nozzle 111, indicated by arrow 106-1, and the ozonated water from the nozzle 112, indicated by arrow 106-2, collide at a confluence 105 of the pipe sections 104-1 and 104-2, generating a turbulent flow 107. The ozonated water is then output toward the nozzle 121 as indicated by arrow 106. The turbulence 107 generated by the collision of the ozonated water from the nozzles 111 and 112 agitates the ozonated water and the undissolved ozone gas in the ozonated water, causing more ozone gas to dissolve in the ozonated water. This further increases the concentration of the ozonated water, which is then supplied to the downstream nozzle 121.

[0018] FIG. 4 shows an example of measuring the concentration of ozone water generated by the ozone water production apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment and an ozone water production apparatus 100A according to a comparative example. For this measurement, the ozone water production apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, which has two ozone water production lines 103A and 103B as shown in FIG. 2, was used. FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the ozone water production apparatus 100A according to the comparative example. As shown in FIG. 5, the ozone water production apparatus 100A according to the comparative example has a configuration in which two ozone water production lines are provided, in which a nozzle 111 (optimal flow rate of 5 L / min) and a nozzle 121 (optimal flow rate of 20 L / min) are connected in series. In other words, only the nozzle 111 is connected to the input (upstream) side of the nozzle 121, which is different from the configuration of the present embodiment in which the nozzles 111 and 121 (each with an optimal flow rate of 5 L / min) are connected in parallel to the input side of the nozzle 121 (optimal flow rate of 20 L / min). The ozone water production apparatus of this embodiment and the comparative example differ only in this respect, and the other configurations are the same. The results of producing ozone water using these two ozone water production apparatuses are shown in the graph in Figure 4.

[0019] In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis indicates the flow rate of oxygen gas supplied to the discharge cells 131, 132 (ozone gas production device), and the vertical axis indicates the ozone concentration of the ozone water output from the gas-liquid separation tank 124. The measured values ​​of the concentration of ozone water produced by the ozone water production device 100A of the comparative example are indicated by triangular dots, and the measured values ​​of the concentration of ozone water produced by the ozone water production device 100 of this embodiment are indicated by circular dots. As is clear from the graph, for the same supply flow rate of oxygen gas, the concentration of ozone water produced by the device of this embodiment is higher than that of the comparative example. Furthermore, the greater the supply flow rate of oxygen gas, the greater the difference in ozone concentration, and the device of this embodiment It can be seen that the ozone concentration of the ozonated water generated by apparatus 100 is significantly higher than that of the comparative example. This is thought to be because, while the comparative example has a configuration in which nozzle 111 and nozzle 121 are arranged in series in each system, in this embodiment, nozzle 112 is arranged in parallel to nozzle 111, and after ozone gas is dissolved in pure water by nozzles 111 and 112, the ozonated water from nozzles 111 and 112 is caused to collide with each other in T-shaped pipe 104, generating turbulent flow 107 and stirring, thereby allowing undissolved ozone gas in the ozonated water to be further dissolved in the ozonated water.

[0020] In the measurement example shown in Figure 4, an apparatus equipped with two ozone water generation lines was examined, but it is expected that similar results will be obtained for apparatus equipped with one or three or more ozone water generation lines.

[0021] The ozone water producing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment can further have one or more of the following functions. (1) In the ozone water production apparatus 100, the control device 150 controls the air conditioner 109 based on the temperature inside the housing 101 detected by the temperature detector 110, thereby controlling the temperature inside the housing 101 so that it matches (approaches) the temperature around the housing 101 (ambient temperature). The ambient temperature may be detected by a temperature detector (not shown) and acquired by the control device 150. Alternatively, when the apparatus is used in an environment where the ambient temperature is controlled to a constant temperature, a preset value for the ambient temperature may be input into the control device 150 in advance. By controlling the temperature inside the housing 101 so that it matches or approaches the ambient temperature around the housing 101, the solubility of ozone, which is temperature-dependent, can be stabilized. As a result, the concentration of the generated ozone water can be stabilized. Ozone gas has the property of decomposing more rapidly as the ambient temperature (temperature inside the housing 101) increases. As the ambient temperature increases, the ozone concentration in the ozone water decreases due to the decomposition of the ozone gas. Therefore, by controlling the temperature inside the housing 101 to match (approach) the ambient temperature using the air conditioner 109, the decomposition of the ozone gas is suppressed and the concentration of the ozone water is stabilized. Note that the temperature inside the housing may be controlled to a temperature lower than the ambient temperature.

[0022] FIG. 6 is an example of a flowchart for controlling the temperature inside the housing. In step S10, the housing ambient temperature (temperature around the housing 101) is detected by a temperature detector installed outside the housing 101, or a pre-stored housing ambient temperature is read from memory to acquire the housing ambient temperature. Then, a target temperature range (upper limit value, lower limit value) is set based on the acquired housing ambient temperature. The target temperature range is a temperature range with a margin for the target temperature based on the acquired housing ambient temperature. Note that instead of a target temperature range, the housing temperature may be controlled to match or approach the target temperature (ambient temperature). Also, in step S10, the temperature inside the housing 101 is acquired from the temperature detector 110.

[0023] In step S11, it is determined whether the temperature inside the housing is higher than the upper limit of the target temperature range based on the ambient temperature. If the temperature inside the housing is higher than the upper limit of the target temperature range based on the ambient temperature, the process proceeds to step S12, where the set temperature of air conditioner 109 is lowered, and the process returns to step S10 and repeats the above steps. On the other hand, if the temperature inside the housing is equal to or lower than the upper limit of the target temperature range based on the ambient temperature, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0024] In step S13, it is determined whether the temperature inside the housing is lower than the lower limit of the target temperature range based on the ambient temperature. If the temperature inside the housing is lower than the lower limit of the target temperature range based on the ambient temperature, the process proceeds to step S14, where the set temperature of air conditioner 109 is increased, and then the process returns to step S10 and the above steps are repeated. On the other hand, if the temperature inside the housing is equal to or higher than the lower limit of the target temperature range based on the ambient temperature, the process returns to step S10 and the above steps are repeated.

[0025] When the pre-stored ambient temperature of the housing is read from the memory, the step The ambient temperature of the housing may be read from the memory in S10, and acquisition of the ambient temperature of the housing may be omitted from the second and subsequent times of step S10.

[0026] (2) In the ozone water production apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, when multiple high-voltage power supply units 141 are provided, the number of operating high-voltage power supply units 141 (the output of the ozone gas production apparatus, the amount of ozone gas produced) can be increased or decreased depending on the target concentration of ozone water. For example, the number of operating high-voltage power supply units 141 is determined depending on the target concentration of ozone water, and the determined number of operating high-voltage power supply units 141 is operated. The control device 150 may acquire the target concentration and automatically determine the number of operating high-voltage power supply units 141. In this way, when the target concentration of ozone water is low, the number of operating high-voltage power supply units 141 can be reduced, thereby reducing power consumption in the high-voltage power supply units. Furthermore, the control device 150 can control the number of operating high-voltage power supply units 141 (the output of the ozone gas production apparatus, the amount of ozone gas produced) based on the ozone concentration of ozone water detected by the concentration meter 126. 2, if the target value of the ozone concentration of the ozone water is low and the ozone concentration (detected value) detected by the concentration meter 126 is higher than the target concentration, one of the high-voltage power supply units 141 is stopped, and the discharge cells 131, 132 that receive voltage from the stopped high-voltage power supply unit 141 are stopped. On the other hand, if the ozone concentration (detected value) becomes lower than the target concentration, the stopped high-voltage power supply unit 141 and the discharge cells 131, 132 are restarted. By adjusting the number of operating high-voltage power supply units (discharge cells) based on the concentration of the output ozone water, the power consumption of the high-voltage power supply unit 141 can be reduced, thereby achieving energy conservation. Note that if there are three or more high-voltage power supply units 141, two or more of the multiple high-voltage power supply units may be stopped or restarted.

[0027] FIG. 7 is an example of a flowchart for controlling the number of operating high-voltage power supply units (discharge cells). In step S20, a target concentration range (upper limit value, lower limit value) is set based on the target ozone water concentration of the ozone water output from the ozone water production apparatus 100. The target ozone water concentration may be a concentration determined by the specifications of the apparatus, or may be received from the user. The target concentration range is a concentration range with a margin for the target concentration. Note that instead of setting a target concentration range, the concentration of the ozone water may be controlled to match or approach the target concentration. Also, in step S20, the ozone concentration of the ozone water output from the ozone water production apparatus 100 is obtained from the concentration meter 126.

[0028] In step S21, it is determined whether the concentration of ozone water is higher than the upper limit of the target concentration range. If the concentration of ozone water is higher than the upper limit of the target concentration range, the process proceeds to step S22, where the number of operating high-voltage power supply units (discharge cells) is reduced, and then the process returns to step S20 and repeats the above steps. On the other hand, if the concentration of ozone water is equal to or lower than the upper limit of the target concentration range, the process proceeds to step S23.

[0029] In step S23, it is determined whether the concentration of ozone water is lower than the lower limit of the target concentration range. If the concentration of ozone water is lower than the lower limit of the target concentration range, the process proceeds to step S24, where the number of operating high-voltage power supply units (discharge cells) is increased, and the process returns to step S20 and repeats the above steps. On the other hand, if the concentration of ozone water is equal to or higher than the lower limit of the target concentration range, the process returns to step S20 and repeats the above steps.

[0030] In step S20 from the second time onwards, the setting of the target concentration range / target concentration may be omitted.

[0031] (3) In the ozone water production apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the control device 150 detects the concentration of ozone gas using the concentration meter 142, and if the concentration of ozone gas is outside a predetermined range, adjusts the output voltage of the high-voltage power supply unit 141 to bring the ozone gas concentration within the predetermined range. The ozone gas output from the discharge cells 131 and 132 of the ozone gas production apparatus may contain unreacted oxygen gas, which is the raw material for ozone gas, and may also contain additive gases (carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas) for suppressing decomposition and improving concentration. Therefore, the ozone gas concentration refers to the proportion of ozone gas contained in the gas output from the discharge cells 131 and 132. The predetermined range of ozone gas concentration is defined as a range from a predetermined lower limit to a predetermined upper limit. This control allows for detection of an abnormality in the ozone gas concentration before an abnormality in the ozone water concentration is detected based on the concentration of the ozone water measured by the concentration meter 126. As a result, an abnormality in the ozone water production apparatus 100 can be detected early. If an abnormality in the ozone gas concentration is detected, an alarm may be output using light, sound, an image, or the like. This function can be considered a safety function that monitors the ozone gas concentration to ensure the safety of the ozone water production apparatus 100.

[0032] FIG. 8 is an example of a flowchart for monitoring ozone gas concentration. In step S30, a target concentration range (upper limit value, lower limit value) is set based on the target ozone concentration of ozone gas output from the discharge cells. The target ozone gas concentration may be a concentration determined by the specifications of the device, or may be received from the user. The target concentration range is a concentration range with a margin for the target concentration. Note that instead of setting the target concentration range, the ozone gas concentration may be controlled to match or approach the target concentration. Also, in step S30, the ozone concentration of ozone gas output from discharge cells 131 and 132 is obtained from concentration meter 142 (142A, 142B).

[0033] In step S31, it is determined whether the ozone gas concentration is higher than the upper limit of the target concentration range. If the ozone gas concentration is higher than the upper limit of the target concentration range, the process proceeds to step S32, where the output voltage of the high-voltage power supply unit is reduced and an alarm is output. After that, the process may return to step S30 and repeat the above process. If there are multiple ozone gas production devices (lines), the output voltage of only the high-voltage power supply unit of the ozone gas production device (line) whose ozone gas concentration is higher than the upper limit is reduced. For example, in the configuration of FIG. 2, if only the ozone gas concentration measured by concentration meter 142A is higher than the upper limit, the output voltage of the corresponding high-voltage power supply unit 141A is reduced. On the other hand, if the ozone gas concentration is equal to or lower than the upper limit of the target concentration range, the process proceeds to step S33.

[0034] In step S33, it is determined whether the ozone gas concentration is lower than the lower limit of the target concentration range. If the ozone gas concentration is lower than the lower limit of the target concentration range, the process proceeds to step S34, where the output voltage of the high-voltage power supply unit is increased and an alarm is output. Thereafter, the process may return to step S30 and repeat the above process. If there are multiple ozone gas production devices (lines), the output voltage of only the high-voltage power supply unit of the ozone gas production device (line) where the ozone gas concentration is lower than the lower limit is increased. For example, in the configuration of FIG. 2, if only the ozone gas concentration measured by concentration meter 142A is lower than the lower limit, the output voltage of the corresponding high-voltage power supply unit 141A is increased. On the other hand, if the ozone gas concentration is equal to or higher than the lower limit of the target concentration range, the process returns to step S30 and repeats the above steps.

[0035] In step S20 from the second time onwards, the setting of the target concentration range / target concentration may be omitted.

[0036] (Other embodiments) (1) Figure 9 shows a modified example of a T-shaped pipe. As shown in the figure, one or more obstacles 160 that collide with the flow of ozone water may be placed at a junction 105 where pipe sections 104-1, 104-2, and 104-3 of a T-shaped pipe 104 join together. The obstacle 160 is preferably placed opposite the pipe section 104-3 and symmetrically with respect to the pipe sections 104-1 and 104-2. In addition, the obstacle 160 may be placed symmetrically with respect to the pipe sections 104-1 and 104-2. The obstacles 160 can be provided continuously or discretely over a certain length in the circumferential direction on the inner wall of the T-shaped pipe 104. The obstacles 160 may have a sloped shape as shown in Fig. 9, or may have a stepped sloped shape.

[0037] With this configuration, the ozonated water from the nozzles 111 and 112 collide with each other and also with the obstacle 160, thereby generating a more complex turbulent flow and further promoting the mixing of the ozonated water with the undissolved ozone gas in the ozonated water. This further promotes the dissolution of the gas into the liquid, and further improves the concentration of the gas-dissolved liquid. Note that the diameter of the pipe at the confluence of the T-shaped pipe 104 may be adjusted so that the obstacle 160 does not cause excessive pressure loss for the ozonated water.

[0038] (2) FIGS. 10A and 10B show other modified examples of the T-shaped pipe. In the example of FIG. 10A, a roughened surface portion 161A is provided on the inner wall surface of the confluence 105 of the T-shaped pipe 104. In the example of FIG. 10B, an uneven portion 161B is provided on the inner wall surface of the confluence 105 of the T-shaped pipe 104. This generates an agitated state in the water flow portion where the ozone water that has flowed into the T-shaped pipe 104 comes into contact with the inner wall surface, making the turbulence in the confluence 105 more complex and promoting the dissolution of the ozone gas. Note that the roughened surface portion 161A or the uneven portion 161B may be provided on the entire inner wall surface of the confluence 105 of the T-shaped pipe 104. Alternatively, the roughened surface portion 161A and the uneven portion 161B may be provided in combination.

[0039] (3) Figure 11 shows yet another modified example of a T-shaped pipe. The T-shaped pipe 104 may be configured so that the axes of the two pipe sections 104-1 and 104-2 on the input side of the T-shaped pipe 104 and the axis of the pipe section 104-3 on the output side form an angle θ of less than 90°. With this configuration, the flow of the gas-dissolved liquid in the two pipe sections 104-1 and 104-2 on the input side of the T-shaped pipe 104 contains a component that flows back relative to the pipe section on the output side, making the turbulence at the confluence more complex, further promoting the dissolution of gas into the liquid and further improving the concentration of the gas-dissolved liquid.

[0040] (4) One or more of the configurations of FIG. 9, FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B, and FIG. 11 may be combined.

[0041] According to the present embodiment described above, at least the following advantageous effects are achieved. By dissolving ozone gas in pure water using two nozzles connected in parallel and causing the ozonated water from the two nozzles to collide with each other in a T-shaped pipe to generate turbulence, the dissolution of ozone gas into the ozonated water can be promoted, and the ozone concentration of the ozonated water can be improved. This is because the turbulence agitates the ozonated water, allowing undissolved ozone gas contained in the ozonated water to be further dissolved in the ozonated water.

[0042] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, by controlling the temperature inside the housing 101 of the ozone water production device 100 to match or approach the ambient temperature of the housing 101, it is possible to suppress temperature changes inside the housing 101, stabilize the solubility of ozone gas, and stabilize the concentration of ozone water.

[0043] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the target concentration is low, the number of operating high-voltage power supply units can be reduced, thereby achieving energy conservation.

[0044] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the ozone gas concentration is outside the predetermined range, the output voltage of the high-voltage power supply unit is controlled so that the ozone gas concentration is within the predetermined range. By detecting an abnormality in the ozone gas concentration before detecting an abnormality in the ozone water concentration, an abnormality in the ozone water production device can be detected earlier, and the high-voltage power supply unit can be controlled. This allows the ozone gas concentration to return to a normal range.

[0045] [Substrate processing equipment] 12 shows a configuration example of a polishing apparatus 200 as an example of a substrate processing apparatus. Here, a polishing apparatus is taken as an example of the substrate processing apparatus, but the present invention may also be applied to other apparatuses (e.g., plating apparatuses) that have pure water piping that supplies pure water to each module within the apparatus. The polishing apparatus 200 includes one or more load ports 201, a transfer robot 202, polishing modules 207 and 208, a transfer robot 206, a swing transporter 210, cleaning modules 213, 214, 215, and 216, a cleaning liquid production apparatus 230, and a control device 220.

[0046] The load port 201 receives a cassette storing a plurality of substrates (wafers in this example). While two load ports 201 are shown in the figure, one or three or more load ports 201 may be provided. The transfer robot 202 is a dry transfer robot for transporting dry substrates. The transfer robot 202 removes the substrate from the cassette in the load port 201 and transfers it to the inverter 204. The inverter 204 inverts the substrate and places it in the wafer station 203 or 205. The transfer robot 206 is a wet transfer robot for transporting wet substrates. The transfer robot 206 receives the substrate from the wafer station 203 or 205 and transfers it to the polishing module 207 or 208. The polishing modules 207 and 208 polish the substrate. The transfer robot 206 also removes the polished substrate from the polishing module 207 or 208 and places it in the wafer station 209. The swing transporter 210 receives the substrate from the wafer station 209 and transfers it to the inverter 211. The inverter 211 inverts the substrate and then places it on the wafer station 212. A transfer robot (not shown) provided in the cleaning module 213 receives the substrate from the wafer station 212 and carries it into the cleaning module 213, where it is subjected to a predetermined cleaning process. The substrate is then transported to the cleaning modules 214, 215, and 216 in this order, where it is subjected to a predetermined cleaning process and then dried in the cleaning module 216. The transfer robot 202 receives the dried substrate from the cleaning module 216 and returns it to the cassette on the load port 201. The control device 220 is a controller that controls each part of the polishing apparatus 200, and includes nonvolatile and / or volatile memory and a CPU that executes programs stored in the nonvolatile memory.

[0047] The polishing apparatus 200 further includes a pure water pipe 252 that supplies pure water (e.g., DIW) to each module. The pure water pipe 252 is connected to a pure water supply source 250, and pure water is supplied from the pure water supply source 250 to each module in the polishing apparatus 200 via the pure water pipe 252. In addition, pure water, oxygen gas, and carbon dioxide gas (carbon dioxide) are supplied to the cleaning liquid producing apparatus 230 from the pure water supply source 250, oxygen gas supply source 260, and carbon dioxide gas supply source 270.

[0048] [Cleaning liquid manufacturing equipment] FIG. 13 shows an example of the configuration of the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230. The cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 is an apparatus that produces ozone water, ozone microbubble water (also referred to as ozone microbubble water), and oxygen microbubble water (also referred to as oxygen microbubble water) as cleaning liquids. The cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 selectively produces one of ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and oxygen microbubble water, supplies it to the pure water pipe 252, and cleans the pure water pipe 252. In this specification, microbubbles refer to bubbles including microbubbles and nanobubbles. Microbubbles refer to microbubbles contained in a liquid with a diameter of 1 to 100 μm. Nanobubbles refer to microbubbles contained in a liquid with a diameter of several tens to less than 1 μm. Ozone water is pure water in which ozone is dissolved. Ozone microbubble water is pure water or ozone containing microbubbles of ozone gas (including microbubbles and / or nanobubbles). The oxygen microbubble water is pure water or oxygen water containing oxygen gas microbubbles (including microbubbles and / or nanobubbles). In this embodiment, the output (water supply flow rate) of the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 is, for example, 5 L / min, and the concentrations of the ozone water and oxygen water are, for example, up to 30 mg / L. However, the output (water supply flow rate) of the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 and the concentrations of the ozone water and oxygen water can be set to other values ​​depending on the application.

[0049] The cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 is built into the polishing apparatus 200 and includes any of the ozone water production apparatuses 100 described above, an oxygen water production apparatus 237, a microbubble generation nozzle 236, piping connecting the various components, and one or more valves. As described below, if the ozone water production apparatus 100 is also used as the oxygen water production apparatus 237, the separate oxygen water production apparatus 237 is omitted. Any of the ozone water production apparatuses 100 described above may be replaced with any other ozone water production apparatus, such as the ozone water production apparatus 100A according to the comparative example. The valves 241-244 and 254 may be, for example, on-off valves or flow control valves. Some of the valves may be replaced with three-way selector valves. For example, the valves 241 and 242, which switch between a flow path from the ozone water production apparatus 100 to the microbubble generation nozzle 236 and a path bypassing the microbubble generation nozzle 236, may be replaced with three-way selector valves. An output part of the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 is connected to a pipe 252 via a pipe 253. The pure water pipe 252 is provided with a valve 254 upstream of the junction with the pipe 253. By switching the open / close states of the valve 242 at the output part of the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 and the valve 254 of the pure water pipe 252, pure water from the pure water supply source 250 or the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 is supplied to the pure water pipe 252.

[0050] As described above, the ozone water production apparatus 100 generates ozone water and outputs it to the output pipe 125. Pipe 125A is connected to the output pipe 125, and pipe 125A connects the output of the ozone water production apparatus 100 to the input of the microbubble generation nozzle 236. Pipe 125A can be composed of one or more pipes, and a valve 241 is disposed midway through pipe 125A. Pipe 231 connects the output of the microbubble generation nozzle 236 to a pure water pipe 252 via pipe 253. Pipe 231 can be composed of one or more pipes, and a valve 242 is disposed midway through pipe 231. Pipe 125A branches off to pipe 232 upstream of valve 241, and pipe 232 bypasses the microbubble generation nozzle 236 and directly connects the output of the ozone water production apparatus 100 to pipe 231 on the pure water pipe 252 side. Pipe 232 can be made up of one or more pipes, and a valve 243 is arranged midway along pipe 232. Pipe 125A merges with pipe 233 downstream of valve 241, and pipe 233 is connected to oxygen water production device 237. Oxygen water production device 237 supplies oxygen water to the input side of microbubble generating nozzle 236 via pipe 233 and pipe 125A. Pipe 233 can be made up of one or more pipes, and a valve 244 is arranged midway along pipe 233.

[0051] The oxygen water production device 237 generates oxygen water by dissolving oxygen gas in pure water. The oxygen water production device 237 receives pure water from a pure water supply source 250 and oxygen gas from an oxygen gas supply source 260. The pure water supplied to the oxygen water production device 237 is pressurized by a pump (not shown). The oxygen water production device 237 produces oxygen water by dissolving oxygen gas in the pressurized pure water. High-pressure oxygen water containing sufficient dissolved oxygen gas is supplied to the microbubble nozzle 236. The oxygen water production device 237 may include a dissolving nozzle similar to the nozzles 111 and 112 described above, which dissolves gas in a liquid. Specifically, the oxygen water production device 237 may include a nozzle that takes in pure water and oxygen gas, generates a vortex in the pure water, mixes the pure water with the oxygen gas, and dissolves the oxygen gas in the pure water. The oxygen water production device 237 may also include a gas-liquid separation tank that separates excess gas from the oxygen water. The oxygen water production device 237 can have a configuration in which the discharge cell is omitted from the ozone water production device.

[0052] The microbubble generating nozzle (microbubble nozzle) 236 has a structure in which, for example, an orifice is provided in a flow path within the nozzle, and microbubbles are generated by the release of pressure when a gas solution passes through the orifice, and is a nozzle capable of generating microbubbles called microbubbles and nanobubbles. Note that in this specification, the microbubbles generated by the microbubble generating nozzle 236 include the microbubbles and nanobubbles defined above.

[0053] The microbubble generating nozzle 236 can receive a supply of ozone water from the ozone water production apparatus 100 via a valve 241 and a pipe 125A. In the ozone water production apparatus 100, ozone gas is dissolved in pure water pressurized by a pump 102 (FIG. 1, etc.) to produce ozone water, and therefore high-pressure ozone water with sufficient ozone gas dissolved therein is supplied to the microbubble generating nozzle 236. When ozone water is supplied to the microbubble generating nozzle 236, the ozone gas dissolved in the ozone water is converted into microbubbles by pressure release as it passes through an orifice in the microbubble generating nozzle 236, thereby producing "ozone microbubble water." The microbubble generating nozzle 236 can also receive a supply of high-pressure oxygen water with sufficient oxygen gas dissolved therein from an oxygen water production apparatus 237 via a pipe 233 and a valve 244. When oxygen water is supplied to the microbubble generating nozzle 236, the oxygen gas dissolved in the oxygen water turns into microbubbles due to the release of pressure as it passes through the orifice, and ``oxygen microbubble water'' is generated.

[0054] The ozone water production apparatus 100 may also be used to implement an oxygen water production apparatus. In this case, there is no need to provide an oxygen water production apparatus 237 separate from the ozone water production apparatus 100, and a configuration such as that shown in FIG. 14 can be used. Because the ozone water production apparatus and the oxygen water production apparatus can be realized using a common device (gas-dissolved liquid production apparatus), the configuration of the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 can be simplified and made smaller. Specifically, in the ozone water production apparatus 100, oxygen gas, which is a raw material gas, is dissolved in pure water to produce oxygen water without converting the oxygen gas to ozone gas. More specifically, in the ozone water production apparatus 100 (FIG. 1, etc.), the discharge cells 131 and 132 are stopped (the supply of power (voltage) from the high-voltage power supply unit 141 is stopped), and only oxygen gas is supplied without supplying carbon dioxide gas or the like. The oxygen gas is dissolved in pure water through the nozzles 111 and 112, etc., and the oxygen water is output from the ozone water production apparatus 100. That is, by switching the operation mode of the ozone water production apparatus 100, the ozone water production apparatus 100 can be operated as an ozone water production apparatus or an oxygen water production apparatus, and the ozone water production apparatus 100 outputs ozone water or oxygen water.

[0055] In such a cleaning liquid production apparatus 230, by selecting the open / close state of the valve, ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and / or oxygen microbubble water is selectively output as a cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 to the pure water pipe 252. Specifically, the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 selectively outputs any one of the cleaning liquids to the pure water pipe 252 in the following operation modes.

[0056] (1) Ozone water cleaning mode When cleaning the pure water pipe 252 with ozone water in the configuration of Figure 13, the valve 254 of the pure water pipe 252 is closed (the supply of pure water to the pure water pipe 252 is stopped), valves 242 and 243 are opened, valves 241 and 244 are closed, and ozone water is flowed from the ozone water production apparatus 100 into the pure water pipe 252 via pipes 125A, 232, 231, and 253 to clean the inside of the pure water pipe 252. When cleaning the pure water pipe 252 with ozone water in the configuration of Figure 14, the valve 254 of the pure water pipe 252 is closed (the supply of pure water to the pure water pipe 252 is stopped), valves 242 and 243 are opened, valve 241 is closed, and ozone water is flowed from the ozone water production apparatus 100 into the pure water pipe 252 via pipes 125A, 232, 231, and 253 to clean the inside of the pure water pipe 252.

[0057] (2) Ozone microbubble cleaning mode 13, when the pure water pipe 252 is cleaned with ozone microbubble water, the valve 254 of the pure water pipe 252 is closed (the supply of pure water to the pure water pipe 252 is stopped), the valves 241 and 242 are opened, and the valves 243 and 244 are closed. Then, ozone water is supplied from the ozone water production apparatus 100 to the microbubble generating nozzle 236 via the pipe 125A, and ozone microbubble water is generated in the microbubble generating nozzle 236. Then, the ozone microbubble water is flowed from the microbubble generating nozzle 236 through the pipes 231 and 253 into the pure water pipe 252 to clean the inside of the pure water pipe 252. 14, when the pure water pipe 252 is cleaned with ozone microbubble water, the valve 254 of the pure water pipe 252 is closed (the supply of pure water to the pure water pipe 252 is stopped), the valves 241 and 242 are opened, and the valve 243 is closed. Then, ozone water is supplied from the ozone water production apparatus 100 to the microbubble generating nozzle 236 via the pipe 125A, and ozone microbubble water is generated in the microbubble generating nozzle 236. Then, the ozone microbubble water is flowed from the microbubble generating nozzle 236 through the pipes 231 and 253 into the pure water pipe 252 to clean the inside of the pure water pipe 252.

[0058] (3) Oxygen microbubble water cleaning mode 13, when the pure water pipe 252 is cleaned with oxygen microbubble water, the valve 254 of the pure water pipe 252 is closed (the supply of pure water to the pure water pipe 252 is stopped), valves 242 and 244 are opened, valves 241 and 243 are closed, oxygen water is supplied from the oxygen water production device 237 to the microbubble generating nozzle 236 via the pipe 233, and oxygen microbubble water is generated by the microbubble generating nozzle 236. Then, the oxygen microbubble water is flowed from the microbubble generating nozzle 236 via the pipes 231 and 253 into the pure water pipe 252 to clean the inside of the pure water pipe 252. 14, when the pure water pipe 252 is cleaned with oxygen microbubble water, the valve 254 of the pure water pipe 252 is closed (the supply of pure water to the pure water pipe 252 is stopped), the valves 241 and 242 are opened, and the valve 243 is closed. Then, oxygen water is generated in the ozone water production device 100 as described above and supplied to the microbubble generating nozzle 236. Then, the oxygen microbubble water is generated in the microbubble generating nozzle 236 and is flowed into the pure water pipe 252 via the pipes 231 and 253 to clean the inside of the pure water pipe 252.

[0059] The pipes may be cleaned by combining two or more of the above operation modes (1) to (3). In this case, cleaning in the same operation mode may be selected multiple times.

[0060] The polishing apparatus 200 can also have the following functions. (A) Cleaning by the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 may be performed during a pre-dispense of the polishing apparatus 200. Pre-dispense is a process of periodically flushing the pure water stagnating in the pure water pipe 252 to prevent bacteria from growing in the pure water stagnating in the pure water pipe 252. During the pre-dispense, instead of flushing the pure water through the pure water pipe 252, a cleaning liquid (ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and / or oxygen microbubble water) generated by the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 is flushed through the pure water pipe 252, and the pure water stagnating in the pure water pipe 252 is discharged. Furthermore, cleaning of the pure water pipe 252 with the cleaning liquid produced by the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 may be performed as appropriate when the polishing apparatus 200 is idling, other than during the pre-dispense. In this manner, the degree of cleanliness within the pure water pipe 252 can be increased and maintained in a clean state even during operation after the polishing apparatus 200 has been started up.

[0061] (B) A liquid particle counter 300 may be provided in some or all of the modules in the polishing apparatus 200, and an alarm may be output by light, sound, image, or the like when the number of particles detected by the liquid particle counter 300 exceeds a predetermined threshold value. 12, the liquid particle counter 300 of the polishing module 207 is only shown, and the liquid particle counters of the other modules are not shown. The liquid particle counter 300 can be provided in the pipe that supplies pure water to the module where the particle count is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0062] 17 is an example of a flowchart for detecting particles. In step S11, the control device 220 acquires the detection value of the liquid-borne particle counter 300 of each module. In step S12, it is determined whether the number of particles detected by the liquid-borne particle counter 300 of each module is equal to or greater than a threshold value. If there is no module in which a particle count equal to or greater than the threshold value is detected, the process returns to step S11. On the other hand, if there is a module in which a particle count equal to or greater than the threshold value is detected in step S12, an alarm is output (step S13). In addition to outputting the alarm, a cleaning liquid (ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and / or oxygen microbubble water) may be supplied from the cleaning liquid production device 230 via the pure water pipe 252 or another pipe to the module in which the particle count is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (step S13). Thereafter, after the process of step S13, the process returns to step S11.

[0063] (C) The cleaning liquid (ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and / or oxygen microbubble water) generated in the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 may be used for substrate processing. For example, the cleaning liquid generated in the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 may be used as a cleaning liquid for cleaning organic substances and particles adhering to substrates in some or all of the cleaning modules 213 to 216. Also, it may be used instead of pure water flowing on the polishing pads in the polishing modules 207 and 208.

[0064] According to this embodiment, the cleaning liquid production device 230 in the polishing apparatus 200 supplies ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and / or oxygen microbubble water to the pure water pipe 252, thereby cleaning the entire pure water pipe 252 in the polishing apparatus 200. The use of ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and / or oxygen microbubble water as the cleaning liquid improves the cleaning performance of the pipe. Conventionally, when the inside of the pure water pipe 252 is cleaned with pure water, the pure water pipe 252 must be flushed for a long period of time to remove contaminants from the pure water pipe 252. However, by using ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and / or oxygen microbubble water, which have high cleaning power, as the cleaning liquid, contaminants from the pure water pipe 252 can be removed in a shorter time. As a result, the time required to clean the pipe can be reduced.

[0065] According to this embodiment, a cleaning liquid manufacturing device 230 that generates ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and / or oxygen microbubble water is provided within the polishing apparatus 200, so that these cleaning liquids can be generated near the point of use (in this example, the pure water piping 252), and deterioration of the cleaning liquid due to natural decomposition of ozone, disappearance of microbubbles, etc. can be suppressed.

[0066] According to this embodiment, liquid particle counters are provided in some or all of the modules in the polishing apparatus 200, and an alarm is output when the number of particles detected by the liquid particle counters exceeds a predetermined threshold, thereby enabling early detection of contamination in one or more modules in the polishing apparatus 200. Furthermore, there is no need to separate each module to check for contamination (particles) on the substrates. In addition, if an alarm is output and a cleaning liquid (ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and / or oxygen microbubble water) is supplied from the cleaning liquid production device 230 via the pure water piping 252 or other piping to a module where the number of particles exceeds a predetermined threshold, the relevant module can be cleaned early and the accumulation of dirt can be prevented. In addition, by outputting an alarm and supplying a cleaning liquid (ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and / or oxygen microbubble water) from the cleaning liquid manufacturing device 230 to the pure water piping 252 to clean the pure water piping 252, it is possible to prevent dirt from accumulating in the piping.

[0067] According to this embodiment, during on-site process startup of the polishing apparatus 200, prior to a reverse contamination check, the cleaning liquid (ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and / or oxygen microbubble water) is produced in the cleaning liquid production device 230 within the polishing apparatus 200. The ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and / or oxygen microbubble water is then used to thoroughly clean the pure water pipe 252, thereby improving the cleanliness of the pure water pipe 252 and preventing reverse contamination of substrates due to contamination in the pure water pipe 252. As a result, favorable results are more likely to be obtained in the reverse contamination check, allowing for faster startup of the polishing apparatus 200. Furthermore, even if the reverse contamination check results in an out-of-specification condition, it is possible to identify that the cause of the reverse contamination is something other than contamination in the pure water pipe, thereby enabling early identification of the contaminated area. Note that cleaning using the cleaning liquid production device 230 may be performed if the reverse contamination check results in an out-of-specification condition. In this case, cleaning the pure water pipe 252 using the cleaning liquid production device 230 increases the likelihood that the reverse contamination check will be within specifications.

[0068] (Other embodiments) (1) In the above embodiment, the pure water pipe 252 in the polishing apparatus 230 is cleaned, but other types of pipes (such as polishing liquid supply pipes) may also be cleaned.

[0069] (2) In the above embodiment, the cleaning liquid manufacturing apparatus 230 is configured to include the ozone water manufacturing apparatus 100, the oxygen water manufacturing apparatus 237 (including the case where the ozone water manufacturing apparatus 100 is used as the oxygen water manufacturing apparatus 237), and the microbubble generating nozzle 236, and to output ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and oxygen microbubble water. However, the cleaning liquid manufacturing apparatus 230 may also be configured as follows. (A) The cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 may be configured to selectively output ozone water or ozone microbubble water. In this case, in the configuration of Fig. 14, the control device 220 is configured to switch the open / close states of the valves 241 and 243 to selectively output ozone water or ozone microbubble water from the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230. Although the choice of cleaning liquid changes, the above description also applies to this modification, and similar effects are achieved. (B) The cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 may be configured to selectively output ozone water or oxygen microbubble water. For example, as shown in Fig. 15, the piping connecting the ozone water production apparatus 100 in Fig. 13 to the input part of the microbubble generating nozzle 236 can be omitted. Specifically, in the configuration of Fig. 15, ozone water or oxygen microbubble water can be selectively output from the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 by switching the open / closed states of valves 243 and 244. Furthermore, when implementing an oxygen water production device using the ozone water production device 100, it can have the same configuration as that shown in Fig. 14. In this case, in the configuration of Fig. 14, the control device 220 is configured so that the ozone water production device 100 produces ozone water or oxygen water, and the control device 220 switches the open / close states of the valves 241 and 243 to selectively output ozone water or oxygen microbubble water from the cleaning liquid production device 230. Although the choice of cleaning liquid is different, the above explanation also applies to this modification, and similar effects are achieved. (C) The cleaning liquid production device 230 may be configured to selectively output oxygen microbubble water or ozone microbubble water. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, It is possible to omit a flow path that bypasses the microbubble generating nozzle 236 from the water producing apparatus 100. Specifically, in the configuration of Fig. 16, ozone microbubble water or oxygen microbubble water can be selectively output from the cleaning liquid producing apparatus 230 by switching the open / close states of the valves 241 and 244. Furthermore, when implementing an oxygen water production apparatus using the ozone water production apparatus 100, as shown in Fig. 16A, the flow path bypassing the microbubble generating nozzle 236 can be omitted from the ozone water production apparatus 100 in the configuration of Fig. 14 (the oxygen water production apparatus 237 can be omitted in the configuration of Fig. 16). Specifically, in the configuration of Fig. 16A, ozone water or oxygen water can be selectively produced in the ozone water production apparatus 100, and ozone microbubble water or oxygen microbubble water can be selectively output from the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 via the microbubble generating nozzle 236. Although the choice of cleaning liquid is different, the above explanation also applies to this modification, and similar effects are achieved.

[0070] (3) Furthermore, the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 may be configured to output only one of ozone water, ozone microbubble water, or oxygen microbubble water. When the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 outputs only ozone water, components other than the ozone water production apparatus 100 can be omitted. When the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 outputs only ozone microbubble water, components other than the ozone water production apparatus 100 and the microbubble generating nozzle 236 can be omitted. When the cleaning liquid production apparatus 230 outputs only oxygen microbubble water, components other than the oxygen water production apparatus 237 or the ozone water production apparatus 100 and the microbubble generating nozzle 236 can be omitted.

[0071] (4) In the above embodiment, an example was given of a method in which microbubbles are generated by releasing pressure in a gas-dissolved liquid using a microbubble generating nozzle. However, microgases may be generated by any other method, such as a gas-liquid mixing shear method.

[0072] The present invention can also be described in the following aspects.

[0073] [1] According to one embodiment, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a pipe for supplying a first liquid to a plurality of modules in the substrate processing apparatus; and a cleaning liquid producing device provided in the substrate processing apparatus for producing, as a cleaning liquid, ozone water, ozone micro-bubble water which is pure water containing micro-bubbles of ozone gas, and / or oxygen micro-bubble water which is pure water containing micro-bubbles of oxygen gas, and supplying the cleaning liquid to the pipe. The first liquid may be pure water, a polishing liquid, or any other liquid. The substrate processing apparatus may be any substrate processing apparatus including a pure water pipe for supplying pure water to each module within the apparatus and / or a polishing liquid supply pipe. The substrate may be a substrate of any shape, such as a circle or a polygon.

[0074] According to this aspect, the piping that supplies liquid to one or more modules in the substrate processing apparatus is cleaned with a cleaning liquid (ozone water, ozone micro-bubble water, and / or oxygen micro-bubble water) produced by a cleaning liquid production apparatus in the substrate processing apparatus, thereby preventing back-contamination of substrates due to contamination of the piping. Ozone water, ozone micro-bubble water, and / or oxygen micro-bubble water have higher cleaning capabilities than pure water and can improve the cleaning performance of piping, thereby improving the cleanliness of the piping and shortening the cleaning time for the piping. Furthermore, shortening the cleaning time for the piping reduces the downtime of the apparatus and allows the apparatus to resume operation sooner. By improving the cleanliness of the piping through the above cleaning, if back-contamination of substrates occurs, it is possible to identify the cause of the back-contamination as something other than contamination of the piping.

[0075] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when ozone water is generated in the substrate processing apparatus, the cleaning of the pipes is unnecessary. Ozone water can be generated at the required timing, and decomposition of the ozone water used for cleaning can be suppressed (ozone water can be used for cleaning with the concentration of ozone water suppressed). As a result, ozone water can exhibit good cleaning performance, and the amount of ozone water required for cleaning can be reduced. This reduces the amount of raw materials (ozone gas, pure water, etc.) and electricity used to generate ozone water. Furthermore, even when ozone microbubble water and / or oxygen microbubble water are generated within a substrate processing apparatus, the disappearance of microbubbles can be suppressed, and deterioration of the ozone microbubble water and / or oxygen microbubble water can be suppressed (ozone water can be used for cleaning with the deterioration of the ozone microbubble water and / or oxygen microbubble water suppressed). As a result, the amount of raw materials and electricity used to generate ozone microbubble water and / or oxygen microbubble water can be reduced.

[0076] [2] According to one embodiment, the cleaning liquid manufacturing apparatus includes an ozone water manufacturing apparatus that converts oxygen gas into ozone gas and dissolves the ozone gas in pure water to generate ozone water, and the cleaning liquid manufacturing apparatus supplies ozone water to the piping as the cleaning liquid.

[0077] According to this embodiment, the cleaning performance of the pipes can be improved by cleaning the pipes with ozone water having high cleaning power. Also, since the ozone water production device is disposed in the substrate processing apparatus, as described above, the ozone water can be used for cleaning while suppressing a decrease in the concentration of the ozone water.

[0078] [3] According to one embodiment, the cleaning liquid manufacturing apparatus includes an ozone water manufacturing apparatus that converts oxygen gas into ozone gas and dissolves the ozone gas in pure water to produce ozone water, and a microbubble generator, wherein the microbubble generator receives a supply of ozone water output from the ozone water manufacturing apparatus and generates microbubbles in the ozone water to produce ozone microbubble water, and the cleaning liquid manufacturing apparatus supplies the ozone microbubble water to the piping as the cleaning liquid.

[0079] According to this embodiment, the cleaning performance of the pipes can be improved by cleaning the pipes with ozone micro-bubble water, which has high cleaning power. Also, since the ozone water production device and the micro-bubble generator are disposed in the substrate processing apparatus, the ozone micro-bubble water can be used for cleaning while suppressing deterioration of the ozone micro-bubble water, as described above.

[0080] [4] According to one embodiment, the cleaning liquid manufacturing apparatus includes an oxygen water manufacturing apparatus that dissolves oxygen gas in pure water to generate oxygen water, and a microbubble generator, wherein the microbubble generator receives a supply of oxygen water output from the oxygen water manufacturing apparatus and generates microbubbles in the oxygen water to generate oxygen microbubble water, and the cleaning liquid manufacturing apparatus supplies the oxygen microbubble water to the piping as the cleaning liquid.

[0081] According to this embodiment, the cleaning performance of pipes can be improved by cleaning the pipes with oxygen micro-bubble water, which has high cleaning power. Also, since the oxygen water production device and the micro-bubble generator are installed in the substrate processing apparatus, as described above, the ozone micro-bubble water can be used for cleaning while suppressing deterioration of the oxygen micro-bubble water.

[0082] [5] According to one embodiment, an ozone water production device is used as the oxygen water production device, and the ozone water production device is capable of producing oxygen water by dissolving oxygen gas in pure water without converting the oxygen gas into ozone gas.

[0083] According to this embodiment, oxygen water is produced by changing the operation mode of an ozone water production apparatus that uses oxygen gas as a raw material gas for ozone gas, and the ozone water production apparatus can be used as an oxygen production apparatus.

[0084] [6] According to one embodiment, the cleaning liquid manufacturing apparatus includes an ozone water manufacturing apparatus that converts oxygen gas into ozone gas and dissolves the ozone gas in pure water to produce ozone water, and a microbubble generator, wherein the microbubble generator receives a supply of ozone water output from the ozone water manufacturing apparatus and generates microbubbles in the ozone water to produce ozone microbubble water, and the cleaning liquid manufacturing apparatus selectively supplies either ozone water or ozone microbubble water to the piping as the cleaning liquid.

[0085] According to this embodiment, either ozone water or ozone microbubble water can be selectively used to clean the pipes depending on the cleaning power required and / or the nature of the dirt inside the pipes. Also, each cleaning liquid can be used once or multiple times to clean the pipes.

[0086] [7] According to one embodiment, the cleaning liquid production device includes an ozone water production device that converts oxygen gas into ozone gas and dissolves the ozone gas in pure water to produce ozone water, an oxygen water production device that dissolves oxygen gas in pure water to produce oxygen water, and a microbubble generator, wherein the microbubble generator receives a supply of oxygen water output from the oxygen water production device and generates microbubbles in the oxygen water to produce oxygen microbubble water, and the cleaning liquid production device selectively supplies either ozone water or oxygen microbubble water to the piping as the cleaning liquid. The oxygen water production device may be a dissolving nozzle that dissolves oxygen gas in pure water to produce oxygen water. Alternatively, the ozone water production device may be operated as the oxygen water production device.

[0087] According to this embodiment, either ozone water or oxygen microbubble water can be selectively used to clean the pipes depending on the cleaning power required and / or the nature of the dirt inside the pipes. Also, each cleaning liquid can be used once or multiple times to clean the pipes.

[0088] [8] According to one embodiment, the ozone water production device can produce oxygen water by dissolving oxygen gas in pure water without converting the oxygen gas into ozone gas, and the ozone water production device can also be used as the oxygen water production device.

[0089] According to this embodiment, oxygen water is produced by changing the operating mode of an ozone water production device that uses oxygen gas as a raw material gas for ozone gas. Since both ozone water and oxygen water can be produced using a common device, the configuration of the cleaning liquid production device can be simplified and made smaller.

[0090] [9] According to one embodiment, the cleaning liquid production device includes an ozone water production device that converts oxygen gas into ozone gas and dissolves the ozone gas in pure water to produce ozone water, an oxygen water production device that dissolves oxygen gas in pure water to produce oxygen water, and a microbubble generator, wherein the microbubble generator receives a supply of ozone water or oxygen water output from the ozone water production device and generates microbubbles in the ozone water or oxygen water to produce ozone microbubble water or oxygen microbubble water, and the cleaning liquid production device selectively supplies either ozone microbubble water or oxygen microbubble water to the piping as the cleaning liquid. The ozone water production device may be used as the oxygen water production device, or a device separate from the ozone water production device may be used.

[0091] According to this embodiment, either ozone micro-bubble water or oxygen micro-bubble water can be selectively used to clean the pipes depending on the cleaning power required and / or the nature of the dirt inside the pipes. Also, each cleaning solution can be used once or multiple times to clean the pipes.

[0092]

[10] According to one embodiment, the ozone water production device can produce oxygen water by dissolving oxygen gas in pure water without converting the oxygen gas into ozone gas, and the ozone water production device can also be used as the oxygen water production device.

[0093] According to this embodiment, oxygen water is produced by changing the operating mode of an ozone water production device that uses oxygen gas as a raw material gas for ozone gas. Since both ozone water and oxygen water can be produced using a common device, the configuration of the cleaning liquid production device can be simplified and made smaller.

[0094]

[11] According to one embodiment, the cleaning liquid production device includes an ozone water production device that converts oxygen gas into ozone gas and dissolves the ozone gas in pure water to produce ozone water, an oxygen water production device that dissolves oxygen gas in pure water to produce oxygen water, and a microbubble generator, wherein the microbubble generator receives a supply of ozone water or oxygen water output from the ozone water production device and generates microbubbles in the ozone water or oxygen water to produce ozone microbubble water or oxygen microbubble water, and the cleaning liquid production device selectively supplies ozone water, ozone microbubble water, or oxygen microbubble water to the piping as the cleaning liquid. The ozone water production device may be used as the oxygen water production device, or a device separate from the ozone water production device may be used.

[0095] According to this embodiment, ozone water, ozone microbubble water, or oxygen microbubble water can be selectively used to clean the pipes depending on the cleaning power required and / or the nature of the dirt inside the pipes. Also, each cleaning liquid can be used once or multiple times to clean the pipes.

[0096]

[12] According to one embodiment, the ozone water production device can produce oxygen water by dissolving oxygen gas in pure water without converting the oxygen gas into ozone gas, and the ozone water production device can also be used as the oxygen water production device.

[0097] According to this embodiment, oxygen water is produced by changing the operating mode of an ozone water production device that uses oxygen gas as a raw material gas for ozone gas. Since both ozone water and oxygen water can be produced using a common device, the configuration of the cleaning liquid production device can be simplified and made smaller.

[0098]

[13] According to one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a control device that controls the substrate processing apparatus, and the control device controls the cleaning liquid manufacturing device to clean the piping with the cleaning liquid when the substrate processing apparatus is started up and / or idling.

[0099] According to this aspect, by cleaning the pipes when starting up the substrate processing apparatus, it is possible to prevent the substrates from being contaminated by dirt inside the pipes after the substrate processing apparatus is in operation. Also, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the contaminant will be detected by the contaminant check when starting up the apparatus, and it is possible to start up the apparatus efficiently. Furthermore, by cleaning the pipes appropriately while the substrate processing apparatus is idling, it is possible to keep the inside of the pipes always clean.

[0100]

[14] According to one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a control device for controlling the substrate processing apparatus, and liquid-borne particle counters are provided in some or all of the plurality of modules, and the control device outputs an alarm when the number of particles detected by the liquid-borne particle counters exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

[0101] According to this aspect, contamination on the substrate can be detected by a liquid-borne particle counter provided in one or more modules, so there is no need to separate each module to detect particles on the substrate, as in the past. Also, an alarm can be used to notify the user that there is a module in which the particle count has exceeded a predetermined threshold. Also, for modules in which the particle count has exceeded a predetermined threshold, a particle counter can be used to detect contamination on the substrate via a pure water pipe or other pipe. The contaminated area may be cleaned by supplying ozone water, ozone microbubble water, and / or oxygen microbubble water. In this way, the contaminated area can be cleaned at the required timing, and the accumulation of dirt in the contaminated area can be suppressed.

[0102]

[15] According to one aspect, the cleaning liquid output from the cleaning liquid production apparatus is used to treat a substrate.

[0103] According to this embodiment, the cleaning liquid used to clean the pipes can be used not only to clean the pipes but also to process substrates, and the cleaning liquid generated within the substrate processing apparatus (cleaning liquid manufacturing apparatus) can be effectively utilized within the substrate processing apparatus.

[0104]

[16] According to one embodiment, the microbubble generator is a microbubble generating nozzle, which has a flow path with an orifice and generates microbubbles from gas dissolved in a liquid by releasing pressure when the liquid passes through the orifice. The microbubble generating nozzle is also called a microbubble nozzle, and generates microbubbles in a liquid.

[0105] According to this embodiment, the microbubble generating nozzle, which utilizes the principle of an ejector, can generate microbubbles in a liquid with a simple structure. When microbubbles are generated by passing ozonated water or oxygenated water through the microbubble generating nozzle, ozone gas or oxygen gas is dissolved in the ozonated water or oxygenated water, so microbubbles can be generated in the liquid without supplying gas to the nozzle.

[0106]

[17] According to one embodiment, the ozone water production apparatus includes: a first nozzle for dissolving ozone gas in pure water; a second nozzle connected in parallel to the first nozzle for dissolving ozone gas in pure water; and a T-shaped pipe for merging the ozone water output from the first nozzle and the ozone water output from the second nozzle, causing them to collide with each other to generate turbulence, and then outputting the ozone water. The T-shaped pipe may be a T-joint pipe or any other T-shaped pipe.

[0107] According to this embodiment, the gas-dissolved liquids, in which gas is dissolved in liquid, from the first and second nozzles are caused to collide with each other in the T-shaped pipe, generating turbulence, which promotes dissolution of ozone gas into pure water and increases the concentration of ozone water. This improves the cleaning performance of ozone water and ozone micro-bubble water. Similarly, when oxygen gas is dissolved in pure water, the dissolution of oxygen gas into pure water can be promoted, and the concentration of oxygen water can be increased. This improves the cleaning performance of oxygen micro-bubble water.

[0108]

[18] According to one embodiment, there is provided a method for cleaning piping in a substrate processing apparatus, the method comprising: generating ozone water, ozone micro-bubble water which is pure water containing micro-bubbles of ozone gas, and / or oxygen micro-bubble water which is pure water containing micro-bubbles of oxygen gas in the substrate processing apparatus; and supplying the ozone water, the ozone micro-bubble water, and / or the oxygen micro-bubble water to piping connecting multiple modules in the substrate processing apparatus to clean the piping.

[0109] This embodiment provides the same effects as those described in [1] above.

[0110] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention naturally includes equivalents thereof. Furthermore, any combination of the embodiments and modifications may be made within the scope of solving at least part of the above-described problems or achieving at least part of the effects. Any combination of the elements described in the claims and the specification is possible, and any combination or omission of the elements is possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 100, 100A Ozone Water Generator 101 Case 102 Pump 103 Ozone water generation section (ozone water generation line) 104 T-pipe 105 Confluence (Confluence) 107 Turbulence 108 Flow meter 109 Air Conditioner 110 Temperature detector 111 Nozzle 112 nozzle 160 Obstacles 161A Rough surface area 161B Uneven part 121 nozzle 123 Flow Control Valve 124 Gas-liquid separation tank 125 Output piping 126 Densitometer 130 Gas Line 131 Discharge cell 132 discharge cells 141 High-voltage power supply 142 Densitometer 150 control device 200 Polishing equipment 230 Cleaning liquid manufacturing equipment 236 Microbubble generating nozzle 241, 242, 243, 244, 254 valves 252 Pure water piping 300 Particle Counter

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus, a first pipe for supplying a first liquid to a plurality of modules in the substrate processing apparatus; a cleaning liquid producing device provided in the substrate processing apparatus, which produces, as a cleaning liquid, ozone water, ozone micro-bubble water which is pure water containing micro-bubbles of ozone gas, and / or oxygen micro-bubble water which is pure water containing micro-bubbles of oxygen gas, and supplies the cleaning liquid to the first piping; Equipped with The cleaning liquid manufacturing apparatus includes: an ozone water production device that converts oxygen gas into ozone gas and dissolves the ozone gas in pure water to produce ozone water; a microbubble generator that receives the ozone water output from the ozone water production device and generates microbubbles in the ozone water to produce ozone microbubble water; a second pipe for supplying ozone water from the ozone water production device to the microbubble generator; a third pipe for allowing the ozone water from the ozone water production device to bypass the microbubble generator; and The cleaning liquid manufacturing device switches between supplying ozone water output from the ozone water manufacturing device to the micro-bubble generator or the third pipe, and selectively supplies either ozone water or ozone micro-bubble water as the cleaning liquid to the first pipe.

2. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The cleaning liquid production device further includes a fourth pipe connected to the output of the microbubble generator and the third pipe, and connected to the first pipe.

3. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The cleaning liquid manufacturing device is an oxygen water manufacturing device that generates oxygen water by dissolving oxygen gas in pure water. and The microbubble generator receives a supply of ozone water output from the ozone water production device or oxygen water output from the oxygen water production device, and generates microbubbles in the ozone water or oxygen water to produce ozone microbubble water or oxygen microbubble water, The cleaning liquid manufacturing device switches between supplying ozone water output from the ozone water manufacturing device to the first pipe via the micro-bubble generator, supplying oxygen water from the oxygen water manufacturing device to the first pipe via the micro-bubble generator, and supplying ozone water output from the ozone water manufacturing device to the first pipe via the third pipe, thereby selectively supplying either ozone water, ozone micro-bubble water, or oxygen micro-bubble water to the first pipe as the cleaning liquid.

4. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, The ozone water production apparatus is capable of producing oxygen water by dissolving oxygen gas in pure water without converting the oxygen gas into ozone gas, and the ozone water production apparatus is also used as the oxygen water production apparatus.

5. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, The oxygen water production device is provided separately from the ozone water production device, The cleaning liquid production device includes a fifth pipe that supplies oxygen water from the oxygen water production device to the microbubble generation device.

6. 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, a control device for controlling the substrate processing apparatus; The control device controls the cleaning liquid production device to clean the first pipe with the cleaning liquid when the substrate processing apparatus is started up and / or when the substrate processing apparatus is idling.

7. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, a control device for controlling the substrate processing apparatus; A liquid-borne particle counter is provided in some or all of the plurality of modules, The control device outputs an alarm when the number of particles detected by the liquid-borne particle counter reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

8. 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, a substrate processing apparatus that uses the cleaning liquid output from the cleaning liquid production apparatus to process a substrate;

9. 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, the microbubble generating device is a microbubble generating nozzle having a flow path with an orifice, and generating microbubbles from gas dissolved in the liquid by releasing pressure when the liquid passes through the orifice.

10. 10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, The ozone water production apparatus comprises: a first nozzle for dissolving ozone gas in pure water; a second nozzle connected in parallel to the first nozzle and configured to dissolve ozone gas in pure water; a T-shaped pipe through which the ozone water output from the first nozzle and the ozone water output from the second nozzle are joined together and collided with each other to generate turbulence, and then the ozone water is output; The substrate processing apparatus has:

11. 1. A method for cleaning a first pipe in a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: generating ozone water in an ozone water producing device in the substrate processing apparatus; supplying the ozone water output from the ozone water production device to a microbubble generator via a second pipe, generating microbubbles in the ozone water to produce ozone microbubble water, and outputting the ozone microbubble water to the first pipe; outputting the ozone water from the ozone water production device to the first pipe via a third pipe that bypasses the microbubble generator; and switching between supplying the ozone water output from the ozone water production device to the microbubble generator or the third pipe, and selectively supplying either ozone water or ozone microbubble water as a cleaning liquid to the first pipe.

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