# US 10,500,617 B2 · Substrate liquid treatment apparatus, tank cleaning method and non-transitory storage medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,500,617 B2 - Document ID: US10500617B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/597,195 - Filed: 2017-05-17 - Published: 2017-11-23 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2016-05-17 - Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited - Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited - Inventors: Shogo Mizota - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10500617B2 ## CPC - B08B 9/0325: {Control mechanisms therefor} - H10P 72/0402: {Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence)} - H10P 72/0414: {using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles} - B08B 9/093: by the force of jets or sprays ({B08B9/0813} , B08B9/20 take precedence) - H10P 72/0404: {for general liquid treatment, e.g. etching followed by cleaning} - B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract In one embodiment, a substrate liquid treatment apparatus includes: a tank that stores a processing liquid; a circulation line connected to the tank, through which circulation line a circulation flow of the processing liquid that leaves the tank and then returns back to the tank; a processing unit that processes a substrate by supplying the processing liquid, distributed from the circulation line, to the substrate; a return line that returns, to the tank, the processing liquid discharged from the processing unit after being supplied to the substrate; a cleaning nozzle that discharges a cleaning liquid onto an inner wall surface of the tank to clean the inner wall surface by the cleaning liquid; and a cleaning line that supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning nozzle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A substrate liquid treatment apparatus comprising: a tank that stores a processing liquid; a circulation line connected to the tank, through which circulation line a circulation flow of the processing liquid that leaves the tank and then returns back to the tank flows; a distribution line branched from the circulation line at a first branch point for supplying processing liquid to a processing unit, wherein the processing unit processes a substrate by supplying the processing liquid, distributed from the circulation line, to the substrate via the distribution line; a return line that returns, to the tank, the processing liquid discharged from the processing unit after being supplied to the substrate; a cleaning nozzle that discharges a cleaning liquid onto an inner wall surface of the tank to clean the inner wall surface by the cleaning liquid; a cleaning line that supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning nozzle, wherein the cleaning line is branched from the circulation line at a second branch point downstream from the first branch point, and the processing liquid stored in the tank is used as the cleaning liquid; and a constant pressure valve disposed on the circulation line at a location between the branch points for regulating the pressure in the distribution line. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The substrate liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a first shutoff valve disposed on the cleaning line; a second shutoff valve disposed on the circulation line at a location downstream of a branch point and upstream of the tank, the cleaning line being branched from the circulation line at the branch point; and a controller that controls the first and second shutoff valves such that the first shutoff valve is closed and the second shutoff valve is opened when the substrate is being processed in the processing unit, and such that the second shutoff valve is closed and the first shutoff valve is opened when the inner wall surface of the tank is being cleaned with the cleaning liquid. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The substrate liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a processing liquid replenishing unit that supplies the processing liquid into the tank; a liquid level sensor that detects a level of the processing liquid in the tank; a controller that controls the processing liquid replenishing unit based on the level of the processing liquid in the tank detected by the liquid level sensor such that the level of the processing liquid is maintained within a range between an upper limit level and a lower limit level; wherein the cleaning nozzle is disposed at a level higher than the upper limit level, and wherein the cleaning nozzle is arranged such that the cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning nozzle falls on the inner wall surface at a level which is the same as or higher than the upper limit level. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The substrate liquid treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning nozzle extends in a horizontal direction along the inner wall surface of the tank and has a plurality of discharge ports arrayed at intervals in the horizontal direction. ### Claim 5 A tank cleaning method executed in a substrate liquid treatment apparatus, the substrate liquid treatment apparatus including a tank that stores a processing liquid, a circulation line connected to the tank, through which circulation line a circulation flow of the processing liquid that leaves the tank and then returns back to the tank flows, a distribution line branched from the circulation line at a first branch point for supplying processing liquid to a processing unit, wherein the processing unit processes a substrate by supplying the processing liquid, distributed from the circulation line, to the substrate via the distribution line, a return line that returns, to the tank, the processing liquid discharged from the processing unit after being supplied to the substrate, the tank cleaning method comprising: extracting the processing liquid flowing through the circulation line at a second branch point downstream from the first branch point to a cleaning line; discharging, as a cleaning liquid, the processing liquid from the cleaning line to a cleaning nozzle onto an inner wall surface of the tank, thereby cleaning the inner wall surface by the cleaning liquid; and regulating the pressure in the distribution line by adjusting a constant pressure valve located in the circulation line between the branch points. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The tank cleaning method according to claim 5, wherein the discharging of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning nozzle onto the inner wall surface of the tank is performed with the processing liquid in the tank being drained through a drain line. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The tank cleaning method according to claim 5, wherein the tank cleaning method is performed when the processing liquid stored in the tank is exchanged. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) A non-transitory storage medium storing a computer program, wherein upon execution of the program by a computer for controlling operations of the substrate liquid treatment apparatus, the computer controls the substrate liquid treatment apparatus to perform the tank cleaning method according to claim 5.