Ckd Corporation

Octec, Inc.

Tokyo Electron Limited

Tetsuya Toyoda

Katsuya Okumura

Akihiro Ito

Kazuhiro Sugata

Atsuyuki Sakai

Shigenobu Itoh

Tomohiro Ito

Akira Murakumo

Isao Nagasaki

This invention provides a chemical supply system for supplying chemical solution from a chemical tank. The chemical supply system includes a chemical supply pump, a pressure adjuster configured to suction the chemical solution into the pump chamber by setting the pressure of working gas to a suction pressure, a switching controller configured to switch the suction-side opening-closing valve to the open state for starting to fill the pump chamber with the chemical solution, a pressure detector configured to detect at least one of a gas pressure in a space connected to the working chamber and a gas pressure in the working chamber when the suction-side opening-closing valve is switched to the open state and starts an inflow of the chemical solution to the pump chamber, and a suction controller configured to control the suction pressure applied to the working chamber by the pressure adjuster, based on a detection result of the pressure detector.

Chemical supply system

A chemical liquid supply system that prevents the generation of heat during operation in a pump and allows downsizing the discharge pump for instilling a chemical liquid from a tip nozzle. Compressed air is supplied to an upper space of a resist bottle and the chemical liquid is conferred positive pressure and sent out to a pump chamber of a discharge pump, thereby the pump chamber is filled with a resist liquid. This eliminates the need of a conventional construction where a spring or others are used to drive a flexible membrane of the discharge pump to the operation chamber side to take in the resist liquid. As a result, no electric motor is used, so there is obviously no risk of heat damage to a semiconductor wafer and the discharge pump itself can be further downsized.

Chemical liquid supply system

A liquid chemical supply system that performs accurate pressure feedback control and controls the discharge flow rate of liquid chemical with high precision, even when the pressure setting value of the operation pressure differs due to changes in the type of liquid chemical, includes a pump having a pump chamber and an operation chamber separated by a diaphragm comprised of a flexible membrane. The intake and discharge of liquid chemical is performed in accordance with the change in pressure inside the operation chamber. An electro-pneumatic regulator supplies operation gas pressure to the operation chamber. A plurality of pressure sensors having different pressure detection ranges is provided for detecting the operation gas pressure. A controller selectively employs any of the detection results of the plurality of sensors in accordance with the pressure setting value of the operation air that is set for each use, and performs pressure feedback control.

Liquid chemical supply system having a plurality of pressure detectors

Growing community of inventors

Komaki, Japan

Tetsuya Toyoda