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US 12,741,237 B2Granted
Method of circulating chemical liquid and method of processing substrate
AssigneeSemes Co., Ltd.
InventorsGi Hun Choi, Seung Tae Yang, Seong Hyeon Kim, Sang Woo Park
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of circulating chemical liquid includes a chemical liquid circulation step of circulating chemical liquid through a chemical liquid supply line and a chemical liquid recovery line installed in a tank of a chemical liquid circulation portion; and a chemical liquid circulation preparation step of removing air bubbles in chemical liquid recovered to the chemical liquid recovery line by opening the chemical liquid recovery line before the chemical liquid supply line is opened, before the chemical liquid circulation step.
Claims20
A method of circulating chemical liquid, the method comprising:
- a chemical liquid circulation step of circulating chemical liquid through a chemical liquid supply line installed at an outlet of a tank of a chemical liquid circulation portion and a chemical liquid recovery line installed at an inlet of the tank;
- and
- a chemical liquid circulation preparation step comprising removing air bubbles from chemical liquid recovered to the chemical liquid recovery line, the removing of air bubbles including opening the chemical liquid recovery line before the chemical liquid supply line is opened, the chemical liquid circulation step being performed after the removing,
- wherein the chemical liquid circulation step is initiated by actuation of the chemical liquid recovery line prior to actuation of the chemical liquid supply line, and
- wherein, during the chemical liquid circulation preparation step, the chemical liquid recovered through the chemical liquid recovery line is introduced into the tank while the chemical liquid supply line remains closed such that air bubbles in the recovered chemical liquid rise to an upper side from chemical liquid contained in the tank and are removed before the chemical liquid supply line is opened.
2 more elements
A method of circulating chemical liquid, the method comprising:
- a first chemical liquid circulation step of circulating chemical liquid through a first chemical liquid supply line installed at an outlet of a first tank of a first chemical liquid circulation portion and a first chemical liquid recovery line installed at an inlet of the first tank;
- and
- a first chemical liquid circulation preparation step comprising removing air bubbles from chemical liquid recovered to the first chemical liquid recovery line by opening a first recovery valve of the first chemical liquid recovery line before opening a first supply valve of the first chemical liquid supply line, wherein the first chemical liquid circulation step is initiated after removal of the air bubbles,
- wherein, during the first chemical liquid circulation preparation step, the chemical liquid recovered through the first chemical liquid recovery line is introduced into the first tank while the first chemical liquid supply line remains closed such that air bubbles in the recovered chemical liquid rise to an upper side from chemical liquid contained in the first tank and are removed before the first chemical liquid supply line is opened, and
- wherein, in the first chemical liquid circulation step, a second supply valve of a second chemical liquid supply line installed at an outlet of a second tank of a second chemical liquid circulation portion and a second recovery valve of a second chemical liquid recovery line installed at an inlet of the second tank are in a closed state.
2 more elements
A method of processing a substrate, the method comprising:
- a first chemical liquid circulation step of circulating chemical liquid through a first chemical liquid supply line installed at an outlet of a first tank of a first chemical liquid circulation portion and a first chemical liquid recovery line at an inlet of the first tank, wherein a second supply valve of a second chemical liquid supply line installed at an outlet of a second tank of a second chemical liquid circulation portion and a second recovery valve of a second chemical liquid recovery line installed at an inlet of the second tank are in a closed state;
- and
- a first chemical liquid circulation preparation step comprising removing air bubbles from chemical liquid recovered to the first chemical liquid recovery line by opening a first recovery valve of the first chemical liquid recovery line before opening a first supply valve of the first chemical liquid supply line, wherein the first chemical liquid circulation preparation step is performed before the chemical liquid circulation step and the first chemical liquid circulation step is initiated after removal of air bubbles;
- and
- a chemical liquid supplying step of supplying the chemical liquid from the first chemical liquid supply line or the second chemical liquid supply line to a process chamber to discharge the chemical liquid to the substrate disposed in the process chamber when the substrate is processed in the process chamber,
- wherein, during the first chemical liquid circulation preparation step, the chemical liquid recovered through the first chemical liquid recovery line is introduced into the first tank while the first chemical liquid supply line remains closed such that air bubbles in the recovered chemical liquid rise to an upper side from chemical liquid contained in the first tank and are removed before the first chemical liquid supply line is opened.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.