# US 12,604,696 B2 · Liquid processing method, liquid processing apparatus, and storage medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,604,696 B2 - Document ID: US12604696B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/725,771 - Filed: 2022-12-26 - Published: 2025-03-27 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2022-01-07 - Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited - Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited - Inventors: Takahiro Takumi; Takeshi Shimoaoki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12604696B2 ## CPC - H10P 72/0404: {for general liquid treatment, e.g. etching followed by cleaning} - H10P 52/00: Grinding, lapping or polishing of wafers, substrates or parts of devices - H10P 72/0402: {Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence)} - H10P 72/0414: {using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles} - H10P 72/0604: {Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring} - H10P 76/00: Manufacture or treatment of masks on semiconductor bodies, e.g. by lithography or photolithography - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A liquid processing method includes: a substrate processing process for allowing a processing liquid to flow through a flow path connecting a reservoir and a processing liquid supply, and be discharged to a substrate from the processing liquid supply, thereby processing the substrate; a stay process for filling the flow path with a liquid and keeping the liquid stay in the flow path; a flow-through process for allowing the staying liquid to flow through the flow path; a signal acquisition process for irradiating the flow path with a light by a light irradiator and receiving the light from the flow path by the light receiver, to acquire a detection signal output from the light receiver according to a foreign substance in the liquid; and a response process for estimating an abnormal location in the flow path based on the detection signal, and presenting or executing a response operation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A liquid processing method comprising: flowing a processing liquid through a flow path connecting a reservoir storing the processing liquid and a processing liquid supply, and discharging the processing liquid to a substrate from the processing liquid supply, thereby processing the substrate; filling the flow path with a liquid and keeping the liquid stay in the flow path; flowing the liquid kept in the flow path through the flow path; irradiating the flow path with a light by a light irradiator and receiving the light from the flow path by the light receiver, during the flowing the liquid, to acquire a detection signal output from the light receiver according to a foreign substance in the liquid; and responding to an abnormality in the flow path by estimating an abnormal location in the flow path based on the detection signal, and presenting or executing a response operation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The liquid processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the filing, a time for keeping the liquid stay in the flow path is 0.5 hours or longer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The liquid processing method according to claim 1, further comprising: detecting a discharge amount of the liquid discharged from the processing liquid supply during the flowing the liquid, wherein the responding is performed based on the discharge amount when a foreign substance is detected. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The liquid processing method according to claim 1, wherein the responding is performed based on a machine learning performed until the responding is performed, and the detection signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The liquid processing method according to claim 4, wherein the responding includes a cleaning operation to flow a cleaning liquid through the flow path, and the machine learning is a learning to determine a timing for terminating the cleaning operation. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The liquid processing method according to claim 4, wherein the responding includes a cleaning operation to flow a cleaning liquid through the flow path, the response operation is selected from a plurality of response operation candidates, and the machine learning is a learning to select the response operation. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The liquid processing method according to claim 1, wherein the responding includes: estimating the abnormal location in the flow path based on the detection signal and the discharge amount of the liquid discharged from the processing liquid supply, and presenting or executing the response operation responding to a result of the estimating. ### Claim 8 A liquid processing apparatus comprising: a processing liquid supply configured to discharge a processing liquid to a substrate, thereby processing the substrate; a flow path connecting a reservoir that stores the processing liquid and the processing liquid supply; a flow-through mechanism including a pump configured to flow a liquid through the flow path; a light irradiator configured to irradiate the flow path with a light; a light receiver configured to receive a light from the flow path; and a controller configured to perform a process including: flowing the processing liquid through the flow path and discharging the processing liquid to the substrate from the processing liquid supply, thereby processing the substrate, filling the flow path with a liquid and keeping the liquid stay in the flow path, flowing the liquid kept in the flow path through the flow path, irradiating the flow path with a light by a light irradiator and receiving the light from the flow path by the light receiver, during the flowing the liquid, to acquire a detection signal output from the light receiver according to a foreign substance in the liquid, and responding to an abnormality in the flow path by estimating an abnormal location in the flow path based on the detection signal, and presenting or executing a response operation. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a timing for keeping the liquid stay in the flow path during the filling is 0.5 hours or longer. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: a measurement gauge configured to measure a discharge amount of the liquid discharged from the processing liquid supply during the flowing the liquid, wherein the responding is performed based on the discharge amount when a foreign substance is detected. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the responding is performed based on a machine learning performed until the responding is performed, and the detection signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the responding includes a cleaning operation to flow a cleaning liquid through the flow path, and the machine learning is a learning to determine a timing for terminating the cleaning operation. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the responding includes a cleaning operation to flow a cleaning liquid through the flow path, the response operation is selected from a plurality of response operation candidates, and the machine learning is a learning to select the response operation. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the responding includes: estimating the abnormal location in the flow path based on the detection signal and the discharge amount of the liquid discharged from the processing liquid supply in the flowing the liquid, and presenting or executing the response operation to respond to a result of the estimating. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a program used in a liquid processing apparatus including: a processing liquid supply configured to discharge a processing liquid to a substrate, thereby processing the substrate; a flow path connecting a reservoir that stores the processing liquid and the processing liquid supply; a flow-through mechanism including a pump configured to flow a liquid through the flow path; a light irradiator configured to irradiate the flow path with a light; and a light receiver configured to receive a light from the flow path, the program causes the liquid processing apparatus to perform a process including: flowing the processing liquid through the flow path and discharging the processing liquid to the substrate from the processing liquid supply, thereby processing the substrate, filling the flow path with a liquid and keeping the liquid stay in the flow path, flowing the liquid kept in the flow path through the flow path, irradiating the flow path with a light by a light irradiator and receiving the light from the flow path by the light receiver, during the flowing, to acquire a detection signal output from the light receiver according to a foreign substance in the liquid, and responding to an abnormality in the flow path by estimating an abnormal location in the flow path based on the detection signal, and presenting or executing a response operation.