US20070297927A1 - Pump for Supplying Chemical Liquids - Google Patents
Pump for Supplying Chemical Liquids Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20070297927A1 US20070297927A1 US11/665,969 US66596905A US2007297927A1 US 20070297927 A1 US20070297927 A1 US 20070297927A1 US 66596905 A US66596905 A US 66596905A US 2007297927 A1 US2007297927 A1 US 2007297927A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- pump
- chamber
- operating chamber
- wall surface
- internal wall
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04B—POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS
- F04B43/00—Machines, pumps, or pumping installations having flexible working members
- F04B43/02—Machines, pumps, or pumping installations having flexible working members having plate-like flexible members, e.g. diaphragms
- F04B43/06—Pumps having fluid drive
- F04B43/073—Pumps having fluid drive the actuating fluid being controlled by at least one valve
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04B—POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS
- F04B43/00—Machines, pumps, or pumping installations having flexible working members
- F04B43/02—Machines, pumps, or pumping installations having flexible working members having plate-like flexible members, e.g. diaphragms
- F04B43/06—Pumps having fluid drive
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04B—POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS
- F04B53/00—Component parts, details or accessories not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F04B1/00 - F04B23/00 or F04B39/00 - F04B47/00
- F04B53/16—Casings; Cylinders; Cylinder liners or heads; Fluid connections
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
- F05B—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
- F05B2210/00—Working fluid
- F05B2210/10—Kind or type
- F05B2210/11—Kind or type liquid, i.e. incompressible
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a pump for supplying chemical liquids that is suitable for applying a predetermined volume of a chemical liquid, such as a photoresist liquid, to individual semiconductor wafers in the chemical-using process of, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing device.
- a chemical liquid such as a photoresist liquid
- a pump for supplying chemical liquids such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1
- This pump is divided by a diaphragm into a pump chamber and an operating chamber (a pressurization chamber in Patent Document 1), and driving the diaphragm by supplying air to or withdrawing air from the operating chamber, via a supply/withdrawal passage connected to the operating chamber, changes the volume inside the pump chamber, thereby causing the pump chamber to suction or discharge a chemical liquid.
- the diaphragm When the pump chamber and the operating chamber are formed to be thin and the pump is made thin through the use of a diaphragm comprised of a flexible film, the diaphragm is secured at its perimeter, and consequently tends to deform more at its center. At the same time, to ensure efficient deformation of the entire diaphragm, it has been preferable to position the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage in the operating chamber in its center.
- the diaphragm When the interior of the operating chamber is evacuated in order to draw the chemical liquid into the pump chamber or when the interior of the operating chamber is opened to the surrounding atmosphere in order to supply the pressurized chemical liquid, the diaphragm begins to deform at its center toward the operating chamber, with the result that the center tends to come into contact with the internal wall of the operating chamber first. In such a case, the center of the diaphragm blocks the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage while the area surrounding the center of the diaphragm does not contact the internal wall of the operating chamber. This slows down the deformation of the diaphragm toward the operating chamber, and moreover, may prevent the diaphragm from deforming fully. As a result, it may take a long time for the chemical liquid to fill the pump chamber or it may not be possible to supply the pump chamber with the specified volume of chemical liquid.
- Patent document 1 Japanese patent application publication No. 2003-49778
- a primary object of the present invention is to provide a pump for supplying chemical liquids that can ensure quick and reliable deformation of the diaphragm toward the operating chamber, and that can shorten the time needed for filling the pump chamber with a chemical liquid and ensure that the pump chamber is filled with a sufficient volume of chemical liquid.
- a pump for supplying chemical liquids is configured as described below. That is, in a pump for supplying chemical liquids in which the pump chamber and operating chamber are divided by means of a diaphragm comprised of a flexible film, the diaphragm deforms toward the pump chamber when the interior of the pump chamber is pressurized using an operating gas, thereby discharging the chemical liquid that has been supplied into the pump chamber; and when the interior of the operating chamber reaches a negative pressure because of the withdrawal of the operating gas or when the interior of the operating chamber is opened to the surrounding atmosphere, the diaphragm deforms toward the operating chamber, thereby drawing a chemical liquid into the pump chamber, and
- a supply/withdrawal passage for supplying the operating gas to or withdrawing same from the operating chamber is formed in the pump housing, and the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage is provided in part of the internal wall surface of the operating chamber, and
- a venting groove that extends from the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage to the periphery of the internal wall surface is formed on the internal wall surface of the operating chamber.
- the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage is provided in part of the internal wall surface of the operating chamber, and a venting groove is formed, which extends from the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage to the periphery of the interior wall surface.
- the operating gas inside the operating chamber is evacuated (sucked out) through the supply/withdrawal passage.
- the diaphragm tends to deform from its center, which may cover the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage first.
- the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage is connected to the vent groove, which opens toward the periphery of the operating chamber as described above.
- the diaphragm will not block the venting groove until the diaphragm has sufficiently deformed toward the operating chamber, ensuring reliable evacuation (drawing out) of the operating gas from the operating chamber.
- the internal wall surface of the operating chamber is circular in shape and the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage is positioned in the center of the internal wall surface of the operating chamber.
- the fact that the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage is positioned in the center of the circular internal wall surface of the operating chamber allows the operating gas to be efficiently supplied to or withdrawn from the operating chamber.
- the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage is positioned in the center of the internal wall surface of the operating chamber, with the internal wall formed symmetrically from its center; and the venting groove is formed to be symmetrical, with the center of the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage at its center, in correspondence with the internal wall surface of the operating chamber.
- the venting groove is formed to be symmetrical from its center positioned at the center of the internal wall surface of the operating chamber, where the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage is positioned. Therefore, if, while a chemical liquid is being drawn in, the center of the diaphragm covers the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage first, this venting groove maintains the interior of the operating chamber at a stable negative pressure, enabling the diaphragm to stably deform.
- the venting groove should preferably have a linear shape.
- the venting groove can also be configured from continuous concave areas obtained by forming a rough internal wall surface in the operating chamber.
- Configuring the venting groove from continuous concave areas obtained by forming a rough internal wall surface in the operating chamber allows the venting groove to be easily formed by simply roughening the internal wall surface.
- the internal wall surface can be easily roughened by means of shot blasting, that is, by blasting the surface with abrasive grains.
- the entire internal wall surface of the operating chamber should be roughened.
- the roughening of the internal wall surface of the operating chamber is applied to the entire internal wall surface, which corresponds to the deformation region of the diaphragm.
- the internal wall surface of the operating chamber there is no need to separate the internal wall surface of the operating chamber into an area that should be roughened and an area that should not be roughened, thereby simplifying the operation of roughening the internal wall surface.
- the fact that the entire internal wall surface of the operating chamber is roughened prevents the diaphragm from blocking the venting groove until the diaphragm deforms sufficiently toward the operating chamber, thus ensuring reliable evacuation (drawing out) of the operating gas from the operating chamber.
- the pump housing should preferably be formed to be thin in the deformation direction of the diaphragm.
- the operating chamber When the pump housing is formed to be thin in the deformation direction of the diaphragm, the operating chamber must also be formed to be thin in the same direction. Since the resulting structure tends to cause the center of the diaphragm to contact the internal wall surface of the operating chamber first during suctioning of a chemical liquid, the significance of providing the venting groove is great.
- FIG. 1 is a frontal cross-sectional diagram illustrating the pump unit inside the chemical liquid supply system.
- FIG. 2 (a) is a side cross-sectional diagram of the pump unit, and (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional diagram of (a).
- FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating the entire circuitry of the chemical liquid supply system.
- FIG. 4 (a) is the front view of the pump housing on the operating chamber side, and (b) is a cross-sectional diagram along line A-A in (a).
- FIG. 5 ] (a) and (b) are diagrams explaining the operation of the diaphragm.
- FIG. 6 (a) is the front view of the pump housing on the operating chamber side in another example, and (b) is a cross-sectional diagram along line B-B in (a).
- FIG. 7 ] (a) and (b) are diagrams explaining the operation of the diaphragm in another example.
- 22 . . . pump housing 22 b . . . supply/withdrawal passage; 22 c . . . internal wall surface; 22 d . . . opening; 22 e . . . venting groove; 22 f . . . venting groove; 22 g . . . concave area; 23 . . . diaphragm; 25 . . . pump chamber; 26 . . . operating chamber; R . . . resist liquid (chemical liquid).
- FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate a pump unit 10 , which is a primary component of the system, while FIG. 3 illustrates the entire chemical liquid supply system.
- the pump unit 10 is formed by assembling together a pump 11 , a solenoid switching valve 12 , a suction-side shut-off valve 13 , a discharge-side shut-off valve 14 , a suckback valve 15 , a regulator 16 , a suction-side passage member 17 and a discharge-side passage member 18 .
- the pump 11 has a thin flat prism form having a nearly square shape when viewed from the front, and a pair of pump housings 21 and 22 .
- Concave areas 21 a and 22 a opened in almost circular dome shapes, are formed in the center of the opposing faces of pump housings 21 and 22 , respectively.
- the peripheries of the concave areas 21 a and 22 a hold and support a diaphragm 23 comprised of a circular flexible film made of a fluorine resin or the like, and the pump housings 21 and 22 are secured to each other using eight screws 24 .
- a diaphragm 23 partitions the space formed by the concave areas 21 a and 22 a of the pump housings 21 and 22 , with the space on the side of pump housing 21 (the left side of the diaphragm 23 in FIG. 2 ) used as a pump chamber 25 and the space on the side of pump housing 22 (the right side of the diaphragm 23 in FIG. 2 ) used as an operating chamber 26 .
- the pump chamber 25 is a space for supplying/withdrawing the resist liquid R (see FIG. 3 ) used as a chemical liquid
- the operating chamber 26 is a space for supplying/withdrawing the operation air for driving the diaphragm 23 .
- the pump housings 21 and 22 are made thin (in this case in the deformation direction of the diaphragm 23 ), with the result that both the pump chamber 25 and the operating chamber 26 form thin spaces in the same direction.
- a suction passage 21 b which is connected to the pump chamber 25 and extends linearly downward, is formed in pump housing 21 on the pump chamber 25 side.
- the Suction passage 21 b is connected to suction passage 17 a of the suction-side passage member 17 .
- a discharge passage 21 c which is connected to the pump chamber 25 and extends linearly upward, is also formed in the pump housing 21 . Furthermore, this discharge passage 21 c is provided on the same line L 1 as the suction passage 21 b .
- the pump chamber 25 in this embodiment is formed as a thin space in the deformation direction of the diaphragm 23 , the suction passage 21 b and discharge passage 21 c connected to this pump chamber 25 are bent perpendicularly near the pump chamber 25 to the degree necessary for connection (roughly equaling the width of the passage) (see FIG. 2 ). However, these bends do not significantly impact (create resistance to) the flow of the resist liquid R inside the pump 11 , but allow the resist liquid R to flow smoothly in these areas.
- a supply/withdrawal passage 22 b which supplies operating air to the operating chamber 26 , is formed in the pump housing 22 on the operating chamber 26 side.
- An opening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b on the internal wall surface 22 c of the operating chamber 26 (concave area 22 a ) is positioned in the center of the circular concave area 22 a .
- a cross-shaped venting groove 22 e whose end extends to the periphery of the operating chamber 26 , is formed on the internal wall surface 22 c of the operating chamber 26 , and the opening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b is positioned in the intersection of the cross-shaped venting groove 22 e .
- This supply/withdrawal passage 22 b is then connected to a solenoid switching valve 12 secured to the pump housing 22 .
- the intake port of the solenoid switching valve 12 is connected to one end of a supply tube 28 as shown in FIG. 3 .
- the supply tube 28 has an electro-pneumatic regulator 27 in the middle, and the other end of the supply tube 28 is connected to a supply source 29 a .
- the electro-pneumatic regulator 27 is adjusted by a controller 50 , such that the pressure of the operating air supplied from the supply source 29 a to the pump 11 remains constant at a preset value.
- the exhaust port of the solenoid switching valve 12 is connected to a vacuum generation source 29 b via an exhaust pipe 28 b .
- the solenoid switching valve 12 is controlled and switched by the controller 50 to connect the operating chamber 26 to either the supply source 29 a or the vacuum generation source 29 b . This switching action either supplies operating air to or withdraws it from the operating chamber 26 , thereby switching the pump 11 between suctioning and discharging actions.
- the diaphragm 23 deforms to its maximum deformation position to contact the internal wall surface 22 c of the operating chamber 26 , as shown in FIG. 5 ( a ).
- the diaphragm 23 tends to deform at its center, as shown in FIG. 5 ( b ), such that its center may cover the opening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b before the diaphragm 23 deforms to its maximum deformation position.
- the opening 22 d is connected to the venting groove 22 e , which extends to the periphery of the operating chamber 26 .
- the venting groove 22 e positioned on the outside of the contacted center is open. Therefore, it is possible to continue to evacuate the interior of the operating chamber 26 through the open venting groove 22 e (the arrow in FIG. 5 ( b ) indicates the flow of the operating air).
- the diaphragm 23 still reliably deforms to its maximum deformation position within a short period, thus shortening the time needed for filling the pump chamber 25 with the resist liquid R and ensuring a sufficient charging volume.
- a rod-shaped, suction-side passage member 17 is secured to the center of the bottom of the pump housings 21 and 22 .
- the suction-side passage member 17 is disposed along the flat direction of the pump 11 .
- a suction passage 17 a which extends nearly linearly downward, is formed in the suction-side passage member 17 .
- This suction passage 17 a is disposed on the same line L 1 as the suction passage 21 b of the pump 11 .
- a concave housing section 17 b is formed around the suction passage 17 a , and the seal ring 33 is housed inside the concave housing section 17 b .
- the seal ring 33 is disposed between the suction-side passage member 17 and the pump housing 21 , preventing the resist liquid R inside the suction passages 17 a and 21 b from leaking out of the gap between the suction-side passage member 17 and the pump housing 21 .
- the inner peripheral surface 33 a of the seal ring 33 is smoothly continuous with the inner peripheral surfaces of the suction passages 17 a and 21 b .
- the seal ring 33 has a shape in which the inner peripheral surface 33 a is continuous with the inner peripheral surfaces of the suction passages 17 a and 21 b , and in which the concave area gradually deepens toward the outside in the radial direction as the distance from the internal passages 17 a or 21 b toward the center of the seal ring 33 in its thickness direction increases.
- this shape allows the resist liquid R to flow smoothly in the seal ring 33 area, preventing the resist liquid R and air bubbles from becoming trapped.
- the suction-side passage member 17 using a coupling 19 provided at its tip, is connected to one end of a suction tube 31 , while the other end of the suction tube 31 is guided into the resist liquid R contained inside a resist bottle 30 .
- the suction-side shut-off valve 13 consisting of an air-operated valve is assembled together with the suction-side passage member 17 .
- the suction-side shut-off valve 13 has a nearly square prism shape, and is disposed in the direction perpendicular to the suction-side passage member 17 and along the flat direction of the pump 11 (pump housings 21 and 22 ).
- the suction-side shut-off valve 13 switches between opening and closing the suction passage 17 a based on the switching action of an electro-pneumatic regulator 32 that is controlled by the controller 50 . That is, the suction-side shut-off valve 13 has the structure shown in FIG. 1 .
- the valve body 13 b of the suction-side shut-off valve 13 receives a spring force from a spring 13 c and shuts off the suction passage 17 a ; when operating air is supplied to the supply/withdrawal chamber 13 a from the supply source 29 a , the valve body 13 b sinks by working against the spring force of the spring 13 c to open the suction passage 17 a .
- the part of the suction passage 17 a near the valve body 13 b is bent perpendicularly to the degree necessary for ensuring the reliable opening and closing action of the valve body 13 b (roughly equaling the width of the passage). However, this bend does not significantly impact (create resistance to) the flow of the resist liquid R inside the passage member 17 , but allows the resist liquid R to flow smoothly in this area as well.
- the rod-shaped, discharge-side passage member 18 is secured to the center of the top of the pump housings 21 and 22 .
- the discharge-side passage member 18 is disposed along the flat direction of the pump 11 .
- the discharge passage 18 a which extends nearly linearly upward, is formed in the discharge-side passage member 18 .
- This discharge passage 18 a is disposed on the same line L 1 as the discharge passage 21 c of the pump 11 .
- a concave housing section 18 b is formed around the discharge passage 18 a
- a seal ring 34 is housed inside the concave housing section 18 b .
- the seal ring 34 is disposed between the discharge-side passage member 18 and the pump housing 21 , preventing the resist liquid R inside the discharge passages 18 a and 21 c from leaking out of the gap between the discharge-side passage member 18 and the pump housing 21 .
- the inner peripheral surface 34 a of the seal ring 34 is smoothly continuous with the inner peripheral surfaces of the discharge passages 18 a and 21 c , resulting in a structure that prevents the resist liquid R and air bubbles from becoming trapped.
- the discharge-side passage member 18 using a coupling 20 provided at its tip, is connected to one end of a discharge tube 35 having a nozzle 35 a on its other end.
- the nozzle 35 a is orientated downward and disposed in a position that allows it to drip the resist liquid R onto the center of a semiconductor wafer 37 that is placed on and spins with a spinning platform 36 .
- a discharge-side shut-off valve 14 consisting of an air-operated valve is assembled together with the discharge-side passage member 18 .
- the discharge-side shut-off valve 14 has a nearly square prism shape, and is disposed in the direction perpendicular to the discharge-side passage member 18 and along the flat direction of the pump 11 (pump housings 21 and 22 ).
- the discharge-side shut-off valve 14 is constructed in the same way as the aforementioned suction-side shut-off valve 13 and switches between opening and closing the discharge passage 18 a based on the switching action of an electro-pneumatic regulator 38 that is controlled by the controller 50 . That is, the discharge-side shut-off valve 14 has the structure shown in FIG. 1 .
- a valve body 14 b of the discharge-side shut-off valve 14 receives a spring force from a spring 14 c and shuts off the discharge passage 18 a ; when operating air is supplied to the supply/withdrawal chamber 14 a from the supply source 29 a , the valve body 14 b sinks by working against the spring force of the spring 14 c to open the discharge passage 18 a .
- the part of the discharge passage 18 a near the valve body 14 b is bent perpendicularly to the degree necessary for ensuring the reliable opening and closing action of the valve body 14 b (roughly equaling the width of the passage). However, this bend does not significantly impact (create resistance to) the flow of the resist liquid R inside the passage member 18 , but allows the resist liquid R to flow smoothly in this area as well.
- the suckback valve 15 consisting of an air-operated valve is assembled together with the discharge-side passage member 18 , next to and on the downstream side of the discharge-side shut-off valve 14 .
- the suckback valve 15 also has a nearly square prism shape, and is disposed in the direction perpendicular to the discharge-side passage member 18 and along the flat direction of the pump 11 (pump housings 21 and 22 ).
- the suckback valve 15 is designed to suck back a predetermined amount of the resist liquid R located downstream of the valve 15 to the upstream side to prevent unintended dripping of the resist liquid R from the nozzle 35 a , based on the switching actions of an electro-pneumatic regulator 39 .
- the suckback valve 15 has the structure shown in FIG. 1 .
- a valve body 15 b of the suckback valve 15 sinks by receiving a spring force from a spring 15 c and enlarges the volume of the volume-expansion chamber 18 c connected in communication with the discharge passage 18 a , sucking in the predetermined amount of the resist liquid R into the volume-expansion chamber 18 c .
- valve body 15 b protrudes by working against the spring force of the spring 15 c , reducing the volume of the volume-expansion chamber 18 c provided in the discharge passage 18 a.
- the regulator 16 having the shape of an approximate rectangular parallelepiped is secured to the discharge-side passage member 18 on the side opposite from the discharge-side shut-off valve 14 and the suckback valve 15 . That is, the regulator 16 is installed on the discharge-side passage member 18 along the flat direction of the pump 11 .
- a base 41 of the regulator 16 is secured to the discharge-side passage member 18 .
- a securing platform 42 is secured to the base 41 , and the electro-pneumatic regulators 38 and 39 , which switch the discharge-side shut-off valve 14 and the suckback valve 15 , are secured to the securing platform 42 .
- a cover 43 that covers the electro-pneumatic regulators 38 and 39 is installed on this securing platform 42 .
- communication passages 45 and 46 which are connected to the electro-pneumatic regulators 38 and 39 , are respectively formed on the securing platform 42 and the base 41 , and are respectively connected to the supply/withdrawal chambers 14 a of the discharge-side shut-off valve 14 and the supply/withdrawal chambers 15 a of the suckback valve 15 , though not shown in the figure.
- the electro-pneumatic regulators 38 and 39 either supply operating air to or withdraw it from the supply/withdrawal chambers 14 a of the discharge-side shut-off valve 14 and the supply/withdrawal chambers 15 a of the suckback valve 15 , thereby operating the discharge-side shut-off valve 14 and the suckback valve 15 .
- the suction passage 17 a inside the suction-side passage member 17 , the suction passage 21 b and the discharge passage 21 c inside the pump 11 , and the discharge passage 18 a of the discharge-side passage member 18 , through all of which the resist liquid R passes, are all linear in shape and disposed on the same line L 1 . That is, the structure of this pump unit 10 allows the length of the resist liquid R passage to be short as much as possible, while nearly eliminating areas inside the resist liquid R passage where the resist liquid R or air bubbles could become trapped. The structure of the seal rings 33 and 34 also nearly eliminates areas where the resist liquid R or air bubbles could become trapped.
- the controller 50 controls a series of actions of the chemical liquid supply system, by controlling the electro-pneumatic regulator 27 to set the operating air supplied to the pump 11 at the predetermined pressure level, and also by controlling the solenoid switching valve 12 , which switches and operates the pump 11 ; the electro-pneumatic regulator 32 , which switches and operates the suction-side shut-off valve 13 ; and the electro-pneumatic regulators 38 and 39 , which operate the discharge-side shut-off valve 14 and the suckback valve 15 .
- the controller 50 first controls the electro-pneumatic regulator 32 to switch the suction-side shut-off valve 13 , shutting off the suction passage 17 a . This action cuts the pump 11 off from the resist bottle 30 .
- the controller 50 also switches the solenoid switching valve 12 to supply operating air adjusted to the predetermined pressure to the operating chamber 26 inside the pump 11 . This action causes the diaphragm 23 to, move toward the pump chamber 25 , pressurizing the resist liquid R contained inside the pump chamber 25 .
- the discharge passage 18 a is shut off by the discharge-side shut-off valve 14 on the downstream side of the pump 11 , preventing discharge of the resist liquid R.
- the controller 50 controls the electro-pneumatic regulator 38 to switch the discharge-side shut-off valve 14 , opening the discharge passage 18 a , and also controls the electro-pneumatic regulator 39 to cancel the sucking-in of the resist liquid R by the suckback valve 15 .
- the resist liquid R inside the pump chamber 25 pressurized by the diaphragm 23 , is discharged from the pump 11 , and a predetermined amount of this resist liquid R is dripped onto a semiconductor wafer from the nozzle 35 a at the tip of the discharge pipe 35 via the discharge passage 18 a.
- the controller 50 controls the electro-pneumatic regulator 38 to switch the discharge-side shut-off valve 14 , shutting off the discharge passage 18 a . This action stops the discharge of the resist liquid R from the nozzle 35 a .
- the controller 50 also controls the electro-pneumatic regulator 39 to cause the suckback valve 15 to draw in a predetermined amount of the resist liquid R, preventing unintended dripping of the resist liquid R from the nozzle 35 a.
- the controller 50 controls the electro-pneumatic regulator 32 to switch the suction-side shut-off valve 13 , opening the suction passage 17 a . This action connects the pump 11 to the resist bottle 30 .
- the controller 50 also switches the solenoid switching valve 12 , causing the operating air to be suctioned from the operating chamber 26 by means of the vacuum generation source 29 b .
- the pressure inside the operating chamber 26 becomes negative, with the result that the diaphragm 23 deforms to its maximum deformation position to contact the internal wall surface 22 c of the operating chamber 26 and the resist liquid R is suctioned into and fills the pump chamber 25 .
- the controller 50 repeats the aforementioned actions such that a predetermined amount of resist liquid R is dripped onto each semiconductor wafer 37 , as they are carried in one after another.
- the opening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b is positioned in the center of the internal wall surface 22 c of the operating chamber 26 (concave area 22 a ), and the cross-shaped venting groove 22 e , which extends from the opening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b toward the periphery of the internal wall surface 22 c , is formed on the internal wall surface 22 c .
- the diaphragm 23 tends to deform in its center, which may cover the opening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b first.
- the opening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b is connected to the venting groove 22 e , which opens toward the periphery of the operating chamber 26 . Therefore, even when the diaphragm 23 deforms in this manner, the venting groove 22 e positioned on the outside of the contacted center is open, making it possible to continue to evacuate the operating air inside the operating chamber 26 through the open venting groove. As a result, even when such uneven deformation occurs in the diaphragm 23 , the diaphragm 23 can reliably deform to its maximum deformation position toward the operating chamber 26 within a short period, thus shortening the time needed for filling the pump chamber 25 with the resist liquid R and ensuring a sufficient charging volume.
- the fact that the opening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b is positioned in the center of the circular internal wall surface 22 c of the operating chamber 26 allows the operating air to be efficiently supplied to or withdrawn from the operating chamber 26 .
- the diaphragm 23 can be prevented from blocking the venting groove 22 e until the diaphragm 23 deforms sufficiently toward the operating chamber 26 , thus ensuring reliable evacuation of the operating air inside the operating chamber 26 .
- the venting groove 22 e is formed in a symmetric cross shape, with its center positioned at the center of the internal wall surface 22 c of the circular operating chamber 26 (concave area 22 a ), which has a symmetric shape. Therefore, during suctioning of the resist liquid R, even if the center of the diaphragm 23 covers the opening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b first, the venting groove 22 e maintains the pressure inside the operating chamber 26 at a stable negative pressure, enabling the diaphragm 23 to stably deform.
- the venting groove 22 e is designed to have a linear shape, which allows it to be easily formed.
- the operating chamber 26 is also formed to be thin in the same direction. Because the resulting structure tends to cause the center of the diaphragm 23 to contact the internal wall surface 22 c of the operating chamber 26 first during suctioning of the resist liquid R, the significance of providing the venting groove 22 e is great.
- the cross-shaped venting groove 22 e is formed on the internal wall surface 22 c of the operating chamber 26 (concave area 22 a ).
- the shape of the venting groove is not limited to such a shape.
- the venting groove 22 e has a cross shape that extends in all four directions from the opening 22 d , it can also have a Y shape that extends in three directions, for example.
- the venting groove may also have a shape that extends in any other odd or even number of directions.
- venting groove when changing the shape of the venting groove, it is desirable to position the venting groove as close as possible to the periphery of the operating chamber, and it is best to extend the venting groove to the periphery of the operating chamber 26 (concave area 22 a ) as in the aforementioned embodiment.
- the internal wall surface 22 c can be easily roughened by means of shot blasting, that is, by blasting the surface with abrasive grains. Moreover, since the entire internal wall surface 22 c is roughened, there is no need to mask an area of the internal wall surface 22 c that should not be roughened, thus simplifying the operation of roughening the internal wall surface 22 c.
- the opening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b is positioned at the center of the operating chamber 26 (concave area 22 a ), but it can also be offset from the center.
- the pressure inside the operating chamber 26 is set to be negative during suctioning of the resist liquid R.
- the operating chamber 26 can also be opened to the surrounding atmosphere. In this case, the interior of the resist bottle 30 , for example, must be pressurized.
- the pump unit 10 is comprised of the pump 11 , which acts as a pump for supplying chemical liquids and into which shut-off valves 13 and 14 , the suckback valve 15 , or the like are integrated.
- the pump 11 acts as a pump for supplying chemical liquids and into which shut-off valves 13 and 14 , the suckback valve 15 , or the like are integrated.
- other configurations that have at least the pump 11 body can also be used.
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a pump for supplying chemical liquids that is suitable for applying a predetermined volume of a chemical liquid, such as a photoresist liquid, to individual semiconductor wafers in the chemical-using process of, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing device.
- In order to pump a chemical liquid such as a photoresist out of a bottle and apply a predetermined volume of this liquid to individual semiconductor wafers, a pump for supplying chemical liquids such as that disclosed in
Patent Document 1, for example, is currently in use. This pump is divided by a diaphragm into a pump chamber and an operating chamber (a pressurization chamber in Patent Document 1), and driving the diaphragm by supplying air to or withdrawing air from the operating chamber, via a supply/withdrawal passage connected to the operating chamber, changes the volume inside the pump chamber, thereby causing the pump chamber to suction or discharge a chemical liquid. - When the pump chamber and the operating chamber are formed to be thin and the pump is made thin through the use of a diaphragm comprised of a flexible film, the diaphragm is secured at its perimeter, and consequently tends to deform more at its center. At the same time, to ensure efficient deformation of the entire diaphragm, it has been preferable to position the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage in the operating chamber in its center.
- When the interior of the operating chamber is evacuated in order to draw the chemical liquid into the pump chamber or when the interior of the operating chamber is opened to the surrounding atmosphere in order to supply the pressurized chemical liquid, the diaphragm begins to deform at its center toward the operating chamber, with the result that the center tends to come into contact with the internal wall of the operating chamber first. In such a case, the center of the diaphragm blocks the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage while the area surrounding the center of the diaphragm does not contact the internal wall of the operating chamber. This slows down the deformation of the diaphragm toward the operating chamber, and moreover, may prevent the diaphragm from deforming fully. As a result, it may take a long time for the chemical liquid to fill the pump chamber or it may not be possible to supply the pump chamber with the specified volume of chemical liquid.
- Patent document 1: Japanese patent application publication No. 2003-49778
- A primary object of the present invention is to provide a pump for supplying chemical liquids that can ensure quick and reliable deformation of the diaphragm toward the operating chamber, and that can shorten the time needed for filling the pump chamber with a chemical liquid and ensure that the pump chamber is filled with a sufficient volume of chemical liquid.
- A pump for supplying chemical liquids according to the present teaching is configured as described below. That is, in a pump for supplying chemical liquids in which the pump chamber and operating chamber are divided by means of a diaphragm comprised of a flexible film, the diaphragm deforms toward the pump chamber when the interior of the pump chamber is pressurized using an operating gas, thereby discharging the chemical liquid that has been supplied into the pump chamber; and when the interior of the operating chamber reaches a negative pressure because of the withdrawal of the operating gas or when the interior of the operating chamber is opened to the surrounding atmosphere, the diaphragm deforms toward the operating chamber, thereby drawing a chemical liquid into the pump chamber, and
- a supply/withdrawal passage for supplying the operating gas to or withdrawing same from the operating chamber is formed in the pump housing, and the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage is provided in part of the internal wall surface of the operating chamber, and
- a venting groove that extends from the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage to the periphery of the internal wall surface is formed on the internal wall surface of the operating chamber.
- In this pump for supplying chemical liquids, the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage is provided in part of the internal wall surface of the operating chamber, and a venting groove is formed, which extends from the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage to the periphery of the interior wall surface. Here, when the chemical liquid is to be drawn in, the operating gas inside the operating chamber is evacuated (sucked out) through the supply/withdrawal passage. In this case, the diaphragm tends to deform from its center, which may cover the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage first. However, the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage is connected to the vent groove, which opens toward the periphery of the operating chamber as described above. Therefore, even when the diaphragm deforms from the center, thus covering the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage first, because the venting groove positioned on the outside of the contacted center is open, it is possible to continue to evacuate (draw out) the operating gas inside the operating chamber through the open venting groove. In this way, even when such uneven deformation occurs in the diaphragm, the diaphragm still quickly and reliably deforms toward the operating chamber, shortening the time needed for filling the pump chamber with the chemical liquid, and filling the pump chamber with a sufficient volume of chemical liquid.
- Note that it is desirable to position the extension destination of the venting groove as close as possible to the periphery of the operating chamber, and it is best to extend it to the periphery. With such a configuration, the diaphragm will not block the venting groove until the diaphragm has sufficiently deformed toward the operating chamber, ensuring reliable evacuation (drawing out) of the operating gas from the operating chamber.
- In a preferred embodiment of the pump for supplying chemical liquids, the internal wall surface of the operating chamber is circular in shape and the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage is positioned in the center of the internal wall surface of the operating chamber.
- In this configuration, the fact that the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage is positioned in the center of the circular internal wall surface of the operating chamber allows the operating gas to be efficiently supplied to or withdrawn from the operating chamber.
- In another preferred embodiment of the pump for supplying chemical liquids, the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage is positioned in the center of the internal wall surface of the operating chamber, with the internal wall formed symmetrically from its center; and the venting groove is formed to be symmetrical, with the center of the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage at its center, in correspondence with the internal wall surface of the operating chamber.
- In this configuration, the venting groove is formed to be symmetrical from its center positioned at the center of the internal wall surface of the operating chamber, where the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage is positioned. Therefore, if, while a chemical liquid is being drawn in, the center of the diaphragm covers the opening of the supply/withdrawal passage first, this venting groove maintains the interior of the operating chamber at a stable negative pressure, enabling the diaphragm to stably deform.
- In either of the above configurations, the venting groove should preferably have a linear shape.
- Such a linear shape allows the venting groove to be easily formed.
- The venting groove can also be configured from continuous concave areas obtained by forming a rough internal wall surface in the operating chamber.
- Configuring the venting groove from continuous concave areas obtained by forming a rough internal wall surface in the operating chamber allows the venting groove to be easily formed by simply roughening the internal wall surface.
- Note that the internal wall surface can be easily roughened by means of shot blasting, that is, by blasting the surface with abrasive grains.
- Preferably, the entire internal wall surface of the operating chamber should be roughened.
- According to this configuration, the roughening of the internal wall surface of the operating chamber is applied to the entire internal wall surface, which corresponds to the deformation region of the diaphragm. Thus, there is no need to separate the internal wall surface of the operating chamber into an area that should be roughened and an area that should not be roughened, thereby simplifying the operation of roughening the internal wall surface. Furthermore, the fact that the entire internal wall surface of the operating chamber is roughened prevents the diaphragm from blocking the venting groove until the diaphragm deforms sufficiently toward the operating chamber, thus ensuring reliable evacuation (drawing out) of the operating gas from the operating chamber.
- In either of the above configurations, the pump housing should preferably be formed to be thin in the deformation direction of the diaphragm.
- When the pump housing is formed to be thin in the deformation direction of the diaphragm, the operating chamber must also be formed to be thin in the same direction. Since the resulting structure tends to cause the center of the diaphragm to contact the internal wall surface of the operating chamber first during suctioning of a chemical liquid, the significance of providing the venting groove is great.
- [
FIG. 1 ] is a frontal cross-sectional diagram illustrating the pump unit inside the chemical liquid supply system. - [
FIG. 2 ] (a) is a side cross-sectional diagram of the pump unit, and (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional diagram of (a). - [
FIG. 3 ] is a circuit diagram illustrating the entire circuitry of the chemical liquid supply system. - [
FIG. 4 ] (a) is the front view of the pump housing on the operating chamber side, and (b) is a cross-sectional diagram along line A-A in (a). - [
FIG. 5 ] (a) and (b) are diagrams explaining the operation of the diaphragm. - [
FIG. 6 ] (a) is the front view of the pump housing on the operating chamber side in another example, and (b) is a cross-sectional diagram along line B-B in (a). - [
FIG. 7 ] (a) and (b) are diagrams explaining the operation of the diaphragm in another example. - 22 . . . pump housing; 22 b . . . supply/withdrawal passage; 22 c . . . internal wall surface; 22 d . . . opening; 22 e . . . venting groove; 22 f . . . venting groove; 22 g . . . concave area; 23 . . . diaphragm; 25 . . . pump chamber; 26 . . . operating chamber; R . . . resist liquid (chemical liquid).
- An embodiment in which the present invention is implemented into a pump unit of a chemical liquid supply system used in a manufacturing line of a semiconductor device, etc. is explained below, referencing the drawings. Note that
FIG. 1 andFIG. 2 illustrate apump unit 10, which is a primary component of the system, whileFIG. 3 illustrates the entire chemical liquid supply system. - As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2 , thepump unit 10 is formed by assembling together apump 11, asolenoid switching valve 12, a suction-side shut-offvalve 13, a discharge-side shut-offvalve 14, asuckback valve 15, aregulator 16, a suction-side passage member 17 and a discharge-side passage member 18. - The
pump 11 has a thin flat prism form having a nearly square shape when viewed from the front, and a pair ofpump housings Concave areas pump housings pump housings concave areas diaphragm 23 comprised of a circular flexible film made of a fluorine resin or the like, and thepump housings screws 24. - A
diaphragm 23 partitions the space formed by theconcave areas pump housings diaphragm 23 inFIG. 2 ) used as apump chamber 25 and the space on the side of pump housing 22 (the right side of thediaphragm 23 inFIG. 2 ) used as anoperating chamber 26. Thepump chamber 25 is a space for supplying/withdrawing the resist liquid R (seeFIG. 3 ) used as a chemical liquid, and theoperating chamber 26 is a space for supplying/withdrawing the operation air for driving thediaphragm 23. Note that in order to reduce the thickness of thepump 11, thepump housings pump chamber 25 and theoperating chamber 26 form thin spaces in the same direction. - A
suction passage 21 b, which is connected to thepump chamber 25 and extends linearly downward, is formed inpump housing 21 on thepump chamber 25 side. TheSuction passage 21 b is connected tosuction passage 17 a of the suction-side passage member 17. Adischarge passage 21 c, which is connected to thepump chamber 25 and extends linearly upward, is also formed in thepump housing 21. Furthermore, thisdischarge passage 21 c is provided on the same line L1 as thesuction passage 21 b. Since thepump chamber 25 in this embodiment is formed as a thin space in the deformation direction of thediaphragm 23, thesuction passage 21 b anddischarge passage 21 c connected to thispump chamber 25 are bent perpendicularly near thepump chamber 25 to the degree necessary for connection (roughly equaling the width of the passage) (seeFIG. 2 ). However, these bends do not significantly impact (create resistance to) the flow of the resist liquid R inside thepump 11, but allow the resist liquid R to flow smoothly in these areas. - A supply/
withdrawal passage 22 b, which supplies operating air to the operatingchamber 26, is formed in thepump housing 22 on the operatingchamber 26 side. Anopening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b on theinternal wall surface 22 c of the operating chamber 26 (concave area 22 a) is positioned in the center of the circularconcave area 22 a. Furthermore, as shown inFIG. 4 , across-shaped venting groove 22 e, whose end extends to the periphery of the operatingchamber 26, is formed on theinternal wall surface 22 c of the operatingchamber 26, and theopening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b is positioned in the intersection of thecross-shaped venting groove 22 e. This supply/withdrawal passage 22 b is then connected to asolenoid switching valve 12 secured to thepump housing 22. - Here, the intake port of the
solenoid switching valve 12 is connected to one end of asupply tube 28 as shown inFIG. 3 . Thesupply tube 28 has an electro-pneumatic regulator 27 in the middle, and the other end of thesupply tube 28 is connected to asupply source 29 a. The electro-pneumatic regulator 27 is adjusted by acontroller 50, such that the pressure of the operating air supplied from thesupply source 29 a to thepump 11 remains constant at a preset value. The exhaust port of thesolenoid switching valve 12 is connected to a vacuum generation source 29 b via anexhaust pipe 28 b. Thesolenoid switching valve 12 is controlled and switched by thecontroller 50 to connect the operatingchamber 26 to either thesupply source 29 a or the vacuum generation source 29 b. This switching action either supplies operating air to or withdraws it from the operatingchamber 26, thereby switching thepump 11 between suctioning and discharging actions. - That is, when the action of the
solenoid switching valve 12 supplies operating air to the operatingchamber 26, the interior of the operatingchamber 26 is pressurized, pushing thediaphragm 23 to thepump chamber 25 side and discharging the resist liquid R contained inside thepump chamber 25 to the downstream side via thedischarge passage 21 c. In contrast, when the action of thesolenoid switching valve 12 evacuates the operating air out of the operatingchamber 26 and the pressure inside the operatingchamber 26 becomes negative, thediaphragm 23, which has been pushed to thepump chamber 25 side, moves toward the operatingchamber 26, introducing the resist liquid R from the upstream side into thepump chamber 25 via thesuction passage 21 b. - Here, during suctioning of the resist liquid R, the
diaphragm 23 deforms to its maximum deformation position to contact theinternal wall surface 22 c of the operatingchamber 26, as shown inFIG. 5 (a). During this deformation, thediaphragm 23 tends to deform at its center, as shown inFIG. 5 (b), such that its center may cover theopening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b before thediaphragm 23 deforms to its maximum deformation position. In this case, theopening 22 d is connected to the ventinggroove 22 e, which extends to the periphery of the operatingchamber 26. Consequently, even when thediaphragm 23 deforms from the center, thus the center covers theopening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b first, the ventinggroove 22 e positioned on the outside of the contacted center is open. Therefore, it is possible to continue to evacuate the interior of the operatingchamber 26 through theopen venting groove 22 e (the arrow inFIG. 5 (b) indicates the flow of the operating air). As a result, even when such uneven deformation occurs in thediaphragm 23, thediaphragm 23 still reliably deforms to its maximum deformation position within a short period, thus shortening the time needed for filling thepump chamber 25 with the resist liquid R and ensuring a sufficient charging volume. - A rod-shaped, suction-
side passage member 17 is secured to the center of the bottom of thepump housings side passage member 17 is disposed along the flat direction of thepump 11. Asuction passage 17 a, which extends nearly linearly downward, is formed in the suction-side passage member 17. Thissuction passage 17 a is disposed on the same line L1 as thesuction passage 21 b of thepump 11. On the surface of the suction-side passage member 17 where it faces thepump housing 21, aconcave housing section 17 b is formed around thesuction passage 17 a, and theseal ring 33 is housed inside theconcave housing section 17 b. Theseal ring 33 is disposed between the suction-side passage member 17 and thepump housing 21, preventing the resist liquid R inside thesuction passages side passage member 17 and thepump housing 21. - The inner
peripheral surface 33 a of theseal ring 33 is smoothly continuous with the inner peripheral surfaces of thesuction passages seal ring 33 has a shape in which the innerperipheral surface 33 a is continuous with the inner peripheral surfaces of thesuction passages internal passages seal ring 33 in its thickness direction increases. In other words, this shape allows the resist liquid R to flow smoothly in theseal ring 33 area, preventing the resist liquid R and air bubbles from becoming trapped. Note that using an ordinary seal ring (O-ring) having a circular cross section creates an acute-angled dip between the seal ring andsuction passages passages FIG. 3 , the suction-side passage member 17, using acoupling 19 provided at its tip, is connected to one end of asuction tube 31, while the other end of thesuction tube 31 is guided into the resist liquid R contained inside a resistbottle 30. - The suction-side shut-off
valve 13 consisting of an air-operated valve is assembled together with the suction-side passage member 17. The suction-side shut-offvalve 13 has a nearly square prism shape, and is disposed in the direction perpendicular to the suction-side passage member 17 and along the flat direction of the pump 11 (pump housings 21 and 22). Here, as shown inFIG. 3 , the suction-side shut-offvalve 13 switches between opening and closing thesuction passage 17 a based on the switching action of an electro-pneumatic regulator 32 that is controlled by thecontroller 50. That is, the suction-side shut-offvalve 13 has the structure shown inFIG. 1 . When its supply/withdrawal chamber 13 a is opened to the atmosphere by the switching action of the electro-pneumatic regulator 32, thevalve body 13 b of the suction-side shut-offvalve 13 receives a spring force from aspring 13 c and shuts off thesuction passage 17 a; when operating air is supplied to the supply/withdrawal chamber 13 a from thesupply source 29 a, thevalve body 13 b sinks by working against the spring force of thespring 13 c to open thesuction passage 17 a. Note that the part of thesuction passage 17 a near thevalve body 13 b is bent perpendicularly to the degree necessary for ensuring the reliable opening and closing action of thevalve body 13 b (roughly equaling the width of the passage). However, this bend does not significantly impact (create resistance to) the flow of the resist liquid R inside thepassage member 17, but allows the resist liquid R to flow smoothly in this area as well. - The rod-shaped, discharge-
side passage member 18 is secured to the center of the top of thepump housings side passage member 18 is disposed along the flat direction of thepump 11. The discharge passage 18 a, which extends nearly linearly upward, is formed in the discharge-side passage member 18. This discharge passage 18 a is disposed on the same line L1 as thedischarge passage 21 c of thepump 11. On the surface of the discharge-side passage member 18 where it faces thepump housing 21, a concave housing section 18 b is formed around the discharge passage 18 a, and aseal ring 34 is housed inside the concave housing section 18 b. Theseal ring 34 is disposed between the discharge-side passage member 18 and thepump housing 21, preventing the resist liquid R inside thedischarge passages 18 a and 21 c from leaking out of the gap between the discharge-side passage member 18 and thepump housing 21. - Like the
aforementioned seal ring 33, the inner peripheral surface 34 a of theseal ring 34 is smoothly continuous with the inner peripheral surfaces of thedischarge passages 18 a and 21 c, resulting in a structure that prevents the resist liquid R and air bubbles from becoming trapped. Additionally, as shown inFIG. 3 , the discharge-side passage member 18, using acoupling 20 provided at its tip, is connected to one end of adischarge tube 35 having a nozzle 35 a on its other end. The nozzle 35 a is orientated downward and disposed in a position that allows it to drip the resist liquid R onto the center of asemiconductor wafer 37 that is placed on and spins with aspinning platform 36. - A discharge-side shut-off
valve 14 consisting of an air-operated valve is assembled together with the discharge-side passage member 18. The discharge-side shut-offvalve 14 has a nearly square prism shape, and is disposed in the direction perpendicular to the discharge-side passage member 18 and along the flat direction of the pump 11 (pump housings 21 and 22). Here, as shown inFIG. 3 , the discharge-side shut-offvalve 14 is constructed in the same way as the aforementioned suction-side shut-offvalve 13 and switches between opening and closing the discharge passage 18 a based on the switching action of an electro-pneumatic regulator 38 that is controlled by thecontroller 50. That is, the discharge-side shut-offvalve 14 has the structure shown inFIG. 1 . When its supply/withdrawal chamber 14 a is opened to the atmosphere by the switching action of the electro-pneumatic regulator 38, avalve body 14 b of the discharge-side shut-offvalve 14 receives a spring force from aspring 14 c and shuts off the discharge passage 18 a; when operating air is supplied to the supply/withdrawal chamber 14 a from thesupply source 29 a, thevalve body 14 b sinks by working against the spring force of thespring 14 c to open the discharge passage 18 a. Note that the part of the discharge passage 18 a near thevalve body 14 b is bent perpendicularly to the degree necessary for ensuring the reliable opening and closing action of thevalve body 14 b (roughly equaling the width of the passage). However, this bend does not significantly impact (create resistance to) the flow of the resist liquid R inside thepassage member 18, but allows the resist liquid R to flow smoothly in this area as well. - The
suckback valve 15 consisting of an air-operated valve is assembled together with the discharge-side passage member 18, next to and on the downstream side of the discharge-side shut-offvalve 14. Thesuckback valve 15 also has a nearly square prism shape, and is disposed in the direction perpendicular to the discharge-side passage member 18 and along the flat direction of the pump 11 (pump housings 21 and 22). Here, as shown inFIG. 3 , thesuckback valve 15 is designed to suck back a predetermined amount of the resist liquid R located downstream of thevalve 15 to the upstream side to prevent unintended dripping of the resist liquid R from the nozzle 35 a, based on the switching actions of an electro-pneumatic regulator 39. That is, thesuckback valve 15 has the structure shown inFIG. 1 . When its supply/withdrawal chamber 15 a is opened to the atmosphere by the switching action of the electro-pneumatic regulator 39, avalve body 15 b of thesuckback valve 15 sinks by receiving a spring force from aspring 15 c and enlarges the volume of the volume-expansion chamber 18 c connected in communication with the discharge passage 18 a, sucking in the predetermined amount of the resist liquid R into the volume-expansion chamber 18 c. In contrast, when operating air is supplied to the supply/withdrawal chamber 15 a from thesupply source 29, thevalve body 15 b protrudes by working against the spring force of thespring 15 c, reducing the volume of the volume-expansion chamber 18 c provided in the discharge passage 18 a. - Furthermore, the
regulator 16 having the shape of an approximate rectangular parallelepiped is secured to the discharge-side passage member 18 on the side opposite from the discharge-side shut-offvalve 14 and thesuckback valve 15. That is, theregulator 16 is installed on the discharge-side passage member 18 along the flat direction of thepump 11. Abase 41 of theregulator 16 is secured to the discharge-side passage member 18. A securingplatform 42 is secured to thebase 41, and the electro-pneumatic regulators valve 14 and thesuckback valve 15, are secured to the securingplatform 42. Acover 43 that covers the electro-pneumatic regulators platform 42. Furthermore,communication passages pneumatic regulators platform 42 and thebase 41, and are respectively connected to the supply/withdrawal chambers 14 a of the discharge-side shut-offvalve 14 and the supply/withdrawal chambers 15 a of thesuckback valve 15, though not shown in the figure. Based on the control by thecontroller 50, the electro-pneumatic regulators valve 14 and the supply/withdrawal chambers 15 a of thesuckback valve 15, thereby operating the discharge-side shut-offvalve 14 and thesuckback valve 15. - In the
pump unit 10 thus configured, thesuction passage 17 a inside the suction-side passage member 17, thesuction passage 21 b and thedischarge passage 21 c inside thepump 11, and the discharge passage 18 a of the discharge-side passage member 18, through all of which the resist liquid R passes, are all linear in shape and disposed on the same line L1. That is, the structure of thispump unit 10 allows the length of the resist liquid R passage to be short as much as possible, while nearly eliminating areas inside the resist liquid R passage where the resist liquid R or air bubbles could become trapped. The structure of the seal rings 33 and 34 also nearly eliminates areas where the resist liquid R or air bubbles could become trapped. - As shown in
FIG. 3 , thecontroller 50 controls a series of actions of the chemical liquid supply system, by controlling the electro-pneumatic regulator 27 to set the operating air supplied to thepump 11 at the predetermined pressure level, and also by controlling thesolenoid switching valve 12, which switches and operates thepump 11; the electro-pneumatic regulator 32, which switches and operates the suction-side shut-offvalve 13; and the electro-pneumatic regulators valve 14 and thesuckback valve 15. - That is, when a command to begin the operation of the chemical liquid supply system is generated, the
controller 50 first controls the electro-pneumatic regulator 32 to switch the suction-side shut-offvalve 13, shutting off thesuction passage 17 a. This action cuts thepump 11 off from the resistbottle 30. Thecontroller 50 also switches thesolenoid switching valve 12 to supply operating air adjusted to the predetermined pressure to the operatingchamber 26 inside thepump 11. This action causes thediaphragm 23 to, move toward thepump chamber 25, pressurizing the resist liquid R contained inside thepump chamber 25. During this process, the discharge passage 18 a is shut off by the discharge-side shut-offvalve 14 on the downstream side of thepump 11, preventing discharge of the resist liquid R. - Next, the
controller 50 controls the electro-pneumatic regulator 38 to switch the discharge-side shut-offvalve 14, opening the discharge passage 18 a, and also controls the electro-pneumatic regulator 39 to cancel the sucking-in of the resist liquid R by thesuckback valve 15. During this process, the resist liquid R inside thepump chamber 25, pressurized by thediaphragm 23, is discharged from thepump 11, and a predetermined amount of this resist liquid R is dripped onto a semiconductor wafer from the nozzle 35 a at the tip of thedischarge pipe 35 via the discharge passage 18 a. - Next, the
controller 50 controls the electro-pneumatic regulator 38 to switch the discharge-side shut-offvalve 14, shutting off the discharge passage 18 a. This action stops the discharge of the resist liquid R from the nozzle 35 a. Thecontroller 50 also controls the electro-pneumatic regulator 39 to cause thesuckback valve 15 to draw in a predetermined amount of the resist liquid R, preventing unintended dripping of the resist liquid R from the nozzle 35 a. - Next, the
controller 50 controls the electro-pneumatic regulator 32 to switch the suction-side shut-offvalve 13, opening thesuction passage 17 a. This action connects thepump 11 to the resistbottle 30. Thecontroller 50 also switches thesolenoid switching valve 12, causing the operating air to be suctioned from the operatingchamber 26 by means of the vacuum generation source 29 b. Then, the pressure inside the operatingchamber 26 becomes negative, with the result that thediaphragm 23 deforms to its maximum deformation position to contact theinternal wall surface 22 c of the operatingchamber 26 and the resist liquid R is suctioned into and fills thepump chamber 25. - During this suctioning, if the center of the
diaphragm 23 first covers theopening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b, theopening 22 d is connected to the ventinggroove 22 e, which extends to the periphery of the operatingchamber 26, causing the evacuation of the interior of the operatingchamber 26 to continue through the ventinggroove 22 e positioned on the outside of the center that is contacted first. Therefore, even when such uneven deformation occurs in thediaphragm 23, thediaphragm 23 can reliably deform to its maximum deformation position within a short period, thus shortening the time needed for filling thepump chamber 25 with the resist liquid R and ensuring a sufficient charging volume. From this point on, thecontroller 50 repeats the aforementioned actions such that a predetermined amount of resist liquid R is dripped onto eachsemiconductor wafer 37, as they are carried in one after another. - Next, the characteristic effects of such an embodiment are described.
- In the present embodiment, the
opening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b is positioned in the center of theinternal wall surface 22 c of the operating chamber 26 (concave area 22 a), and thecross-shaped venting groove 22 e, which extends from theopening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b toward the periphery of theinternal wall surface 22 c, is formed on theinternal wall surface 22 c. During suctioning of the resist liquid R, the operating air the operatingchamber 26 is evacuated through the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b. In this case, thediaphragm 23 tends to deform in its center, which may cover theopening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b first. However, in the present embodiment, theopening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b is connected to the ventinggroove 22 e, which opens toward the periphery of the operatingchamber 26. Therefore, even when thediaphragm 23 deforms in this manner, the ventinggroove 22 e positioned on the outside of the contacted center is open, making it possible to continue to evacuate the operating air inside the operatingchamber 26 through the open venting groove. As a result, even when such uneven deformation occurs in thediaphragm 23, thediaphragm 23 can reliably deform to its maximum deformation position toward the operatingchamber 26 within a short period, thus shortening the time needed for filling thepump chamber 25 with the resist liquid R and ensuring a sufficient charging volume. - In the present embodiment, the fact that the
opening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b is positioned in the center of the circularinternal wall surface 22 c of the operatingchamber 26 allows the operating air to be efficiently supplied to or withdrawn from the operatingchamber 26. - In the present embodiment, since the venting
groove 22 e extends to the periphery of the operatingchamber 26, thediaphragm 23 can be prevented from blocking the ventinggroove 22 e until thediaphragm 23 deforms sufficiently toward the operatingchamber 26, thus ensuring reliable evacuation of the operating air inside the operatingchamber 26. - In the present embodiment, the venting
groove 22 e is formed in a symmetric cross shape, with its center positioned at the center of theinternal wall surface 22 c of the circular operating chamber 26 (concave area 22 a), which has a symmetric shape. Therefore, during suctioning of the resist liquid R, even if the center of thediaphragm 23 covers theopening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b first, the ventinggroove 22 e maintains the pressure inside the operatingchamber 26 at a stable negative pressure, enabling thediaphragm 23 to stably deform. - In the present embodiment, the venting
groove 22 e is designed to have a linear shape, which allows it to be easily formed. - In the present embodiment, since the
pump housing 22 is formed to be thin in the deformation direction of thediaphragm 23 in order to make thepump 11 thin, the operatingchamber 26 is also formed to be thin in the same direction. Because the resulting structure tends to cause the center of thediaphragm 23 to contact theinternal wall surface 22 c of the operatingchamber 26 first during suctioning of the resist liquid R, the significance of providing the ventinggroove 22 e is great. - Note that the present invention is not limited to the described contents of the aforementioned embodiment and may be implemented in other ways, as in the following examples.
- In the aforementioned embodiment, the
cross-shaped venting groove 22 e is formed on theinternal wall surface 22 c of the operating chamber 26 (concave area 22 a). However, the shape of the venting groove is not limited to such a shape. Although the ventinggroove 22 e has a cross shape that extends in all four directions from theopening 22 d, it can also have a Y shape that extends in three directions, for example. The venting groove may also have a shape that extends in any other odd or even number of directions. Note that when changing the shape of the venting groove, it is desirable to position the venting groove as close as possible to the periphery of the operating chamber, and it is best to extend the venting groove to the periphery of the operating chamber 26 (concave area 22 a) as in the aforementioned embodiment. - Furthermore, as indicated by the dots in
FIG. 6 , it is also possible to form the entireinternal wall surface 22 c of the operatingchamber 26 as a rough surface, and configure a ventinggroove 22 f with continuous individualconcave areas 22 g obtained by roughening the surface, as indicated by the dash line inFIG. 7 (b). With such a configuration, even when the center of thediaphragm 23 covers theopening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b first during suctioning of the resist liquid R as shown inFIG. 7 (a), theopening 22 d is connected to the ventinggroove 22 f, which extends to the periphery of the operatingchamber 26 as the continuation of theconcave areas 22 g. This allows the evacuation of the interior of the operatingchamber 26 to continue through the ventinggroove 22 f, which is positioned on the outside of the contacted center. (InFIG. 7 (b), the arrow indicates the flow of the operating air.) Such a configuration also provides similar effects to those provided by the embodiment described above. - Note that the
internal wall surface 22 c can be easily roughened by means of shot blasting, that is, by blasting the surface with abrasive grains. Moreover, since the entireinternal wall surface 22 c is roughened, there is no need to mask an area of theinternal wall surface 22 c that should not be roughened, thus simplifying the operation of roughening theinternal wall surface 22 c. - In the aforementioned embodiment, the
opening 22 d of the supply/withdrawal passage 22 b is positioned at the center of the operating chamber 26 (concave area 22 a), but it can also be offset from the center. - In the aforementioned embodiment, the pressure inside the operating
chamber 26 is set to be negative during suctioning of the resist liquid R. However, the operatingchamber 26 can also be opened to the surrounding atmosphere. In this case, the interior of the resistbottle 30, for example, must be pressurized. - In the aforementioned embodiment, the
pump unit 10 is comprised of thepump 11, which acts as a pump for supplying chemical liquids and into which shut-offvalves suckback valve 15, or the like are integrated. However, other configurations that have at least thepump 11 body can also be used. - In the aforementioned embodiment, an explanation is provided using operating air as an example. However, it is also possible to use another gas such as nitrogen in place of air.
- In the aforementioned embodiment, an example using the resist liquid R is described. This is because the target onto which the chemical liquid is to be dripped is assumed to be a
semiconductor wafer 37. However, other chemical liquids and other chemical liquid dripping targets may also be used.
Claims (10)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2004316658A JP4526350B2 (en) | 2004-10-29 | 2004-10-29 | Chemical supply pump |
JP2004-316658 | 2004-10-29 | ||
PCT/JP2005/013921 WO2006046338A1 (en) | 2004-10-29 | 2005-07-29 | Chemical liquid supply pump |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20070297927A1 true US20070297927A1 (en) | 2007-12-27 |
Family
ID=36227589
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/665,969 Abandoned US20070297927A1 (en) | 2004-10-29 | 2005-07-29 | Pump for Supplying Chemical Liquids |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20070297927A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4526350B2 (en) |
KR (1) | KR101183216B1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2006046338A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP4740872B2 (en) | 2004-11-01 | 2011-08-03 | シーケーディ株式会社 | Chemical supply pump |
KR102290675B1 (en) | 2019-08-22 | 2021-08-17 | 세메스 주식회사 | Apparatus and method for charging chemical liquid |
Citations (10)
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---|---|---|---|---|
US3093086A (en) * | 1960-04-12 | 1963-06-11 | Westinghouse Electric Corp | Diaphragm assemblage |
US4459089A (en) * | 1983-01-07 | 1984-07-10 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Diaphragm pump with improved pressure regulation and damping |
US4465438A (en) * | 1982-02-05 | 1984-08-14 | Bran & Lubbe Gmbh | Piston diaphragm pump |
US4648819A (en) * | 1982-12-11 | 1987-03-10 | Nippon Piston Ring Co., Ltd. | Vane-type rotary compressor with rotary sleeve |
US4832581A (en) * | 1984-12-21 | 1989-05-23 | Lewa Herbert Ott Gmbh & Co. | Diaphragm pump with circulation flushing |
US5332370A (en) * | 1992-04-23 | 1994-07-26 | Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. | Miniature diaphragm pump |
US5902096A (en) * | 1994-10-07 | 1999-05-11 | Bayer Corporation | Diaphragm pump having multiple rigid layers with inlet and outlet check valves |
US20010038796A1 (en) * | 2000-03-16 | 2001-11-08 | Eberhard Schluecker | Nonrespiratory diaphragm chucking |
US20030170126A1 (en) * | 2002-03-05 | 2003-09-11 | Horst Kleibrink | Method for optimizing the gas flow within a diaphragm compressor and compressor with optimized flow |
US20070258837A1 (en) * | 2004-09-10 | 2007-11-08 | Katsuya Okumura | Pump Unit for Supplying Chemical Liquids |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE1267093B (en) * | 1956-05-29 | 1968-04-25 | Weyburn Engineering Company Lt | Diaphragm measuring pump unit |
JPS5138105A (en) * | 1974-09-26 | 1976-03-30 | Toa Electric Co Ltd | DAIYAFURA MUHONPU |
JPS55161078U (en) * | 1979-05-07 | 1980-11-19 |
-
2004
- 2004-10-29 JP JP2004316658A patent/JP4526350B2/en active Active
-
2005
- 2005-07-29 US US11/665,969 patent/US20070297927A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2005-07-29 KR KR1020077011943A patent/KR101183216B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2005-07-29 WO PCT/JP2005/013921 patent/WO2006046338A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3093086A (en) * | 1960-04-12 | 1963-06-11 | Westinghouse Electric Corp | Diaphragm assemblage |
US4465438A (en) * | 1982-02-05 | 1984-08-14 | Bran & Lubbe Gmbh | Piston diaphragm pump |
US4648819A (en) * | 1982-12-11 | 1987-03-10 | Nippon Piston Ring Co., Ltd. | Vane-type rotary compressor with rotary sleeve |
US4459089A (en) * | 1983-01-07 | 1984-07-10 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Diaphragm pump with improved pressure regulation and damping |
US4832581A (en) * | 1984-12-21 | 1989-05-23 | Lewa Herbert Ott Gmbh & Co. | Diaphragm pump with circulation flushing |
US5332370A (en) * | 1992-04-23 | 1994-07-26 | Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. | Miniature diaphragm pump |
US5902096A (en) * | 1994-10-07 | 1999-05-11 | Bayer Corporation | Diaphragm pump having multiple rigid layers with inlet and outlet check valves |
US20010038796A1 (en) * | 2000-03-16 | 2001-11-08 | Eberhard Schluecker | Nonrespiratory diaphragm chucking |
US20030170126A1 (en) * | 2002-03-05 | 2003-09-11 | Horst Kleibrink | Method for optimizing the gas flow within a diaphragm compressor and compressor with optimized flow |
US20070258837A1 (en) * | 2004-09-10 | 2007-11-08 | Katsuya Okumura | Pump Unit for Supplying Chemical Liquids |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
KR20070084586A (en) | 2007-08-24 |
JP2006125338A (en) | 2006-05-18 |
WO2006046338A1 (en) | 2006-05-04 |
KR101183216B1 (en) | 2012-09-14 |
JP4526350B2 (en) | 2010-08-18 |
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Owner name: OCTEC INC., JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:OKUMURA, KATSUYA;ITOH, SHIGENOBU;SUGATA, KAZUHIRO;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:019228/0748;SIGNING DATES FROM 20070402 TO 20070403 Owner name: CKD CORPORATION, JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:OKUMURA, KATSUYA;ITOH, SHIGENOBU;SUGATA, KAZUHIRO;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:019228/0748;SIGNING DATES FROM 20070402 TO 20070403 Owner name: OCTEC INC., JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:OKUMURA, KATSUYA;ITOH, SHIGENOBU;SUGATA, KAZUHIRO;AND OTHERS;SIGNING DATES FROM 20070402 TO 20070403;REEL/FRAME:019228/0748 Owner name: CKD CORPORATION, JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:OKUMURA, KATSUYA;ITOH, SHIGENOBU;SUGATA, KAZUHIRO;AND OTHERS;SIGNING DATES FROM 20070402 TO 20070403;REEL/FRAME:019228/0748 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
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