Ozone Reconditioning in Substrate Treatment Liquid Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing substrate treatment apparatus fails to adjust the ozone concentration of sulfuric acid for reuse, leading to unintended ozone concentration in the treatment liquid, which can oxidize the substrate surface.
Innovation Solution
A substrate treatment apparatus with a recovery tank, heating member, and ozone gas supply system that heats the treatment liquid to release ozone, then adjusts its temperature and mixes ozone gas back in to control the concentration, ensuring precise ozone levels for reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the treatment liquid is reused without adjusting ozone concentration, then productivity is improved through reuse, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to unintended ozone concentration variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by adjusting the ozone concentration in the recovered treatment liquid through controlled ozone gas supply. The system monitors ozone concentration levels and adds ozone gas to maintain the desired concentration range, transforming the fixed composition problem into a dynamically adjustable parameter that ensures both productive reuse and precise concentration control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control by measuring the ozone concentration in the treatment liquid and using this information to regulate ozone gas supply. The concentration measurement results feed back to the control system, which adjusts the ozone gas flow rate to maintain the target concentration, enabling precise control during the reuse process.
2Productivity
If ozone gas is mixed in the treatment liquid for reuse, then the treatment liquid can be reused, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to unintended oxidation of the substrate surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent controls the harmful oxidation effect by precisely adjusting the ozone concentration parameter in the treatment liquid. By maintaining ozone concentration within a specific range through controlled gas supply and monitoring, the system enables beneficial reuse while preventing excessive oxidation that would harm the substrate surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful ozone in the treatment liquid into a beneficial controlled parameter. By monitoring and regulating ozone concentration, the system transforms what could be an uncontrolled harmful oxidizing agent into a precisely managed treatment parameter that enhances productivity without causing substrate damage.
3Device complexity
If the ozone concentration is not adjusted before reuse, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to inconsistent treatment quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent ensures reliable treatment quality by implementing feedback control through ozone concentration measurement and regulation. The system continuously monitors ozone levels in the treatment liquid and adjusts gas supply accordingly, creating a self-regulating mechanism that maintains consistent treatment quality across multiple reuse cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The treatment liquid reuse system performs self-adjustment of ozone concentration through automatic monitoring and control. The system measures its own ozone concentration levels and regulates gas supply independently, enabling reliable consistent treatment without requiring complex external intervention or manual adjustment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method allows for the effective reuse of the treatment liquid while preventing unintended oxidation of the substrate surface by precisely controlling ozone concentration.
Implementation Method 1
a heating member that heats the treatment liquid to a first temperature in at least one of the recovery pipe and the recovery tank
Implementation Method 2
the treatment liquid used for the substrate treatment is heated to the first temperature in at least one of the recovery pipe and the recovery tank. Therefore, ozone contained in the treatment liquid is released in the form of ozone gas
Implementation Method 3
The ozone gas supplied from the ozone gas pipe to the supply piping system is mixed in the treatment liquid passing through the supply piping system before the treatment liquid is supplied to the substrate treatment unit. Therefore, the ozone gas is dissolved in the treatment liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate treatment apparatus includes: a substrate treatment unit that treats a substrate with a treatment liquid containing ozone dissolved therein; a recovery tank in which the treatment liquid discharged from the substrate treatment unit is recovered; a recovery pipe that connects the substrate treatment unit to the recovery tank; a heating member that heats the treatment liquid to a first temperature in at least one of the recovery pipe and the recovery tank; a supply piping system that supplies the treatment liquid from the recovery tank to the substrate treatment unit; and an ozone gas pipe that supplies ozone gas to the supply piping system to mix the ozone gas in the treatment liquid passing through the supply piping system.