| US 7,591,922 B2 | ||
| Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method | ||
| Yoshio Okamoto, Kyoto (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd., (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Apr. 08, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/101,739. | ||
| Application 11/101739 is a continuation of application No. 10/347845, filed on Jan. 17, 2003, granted, now 6,878,303. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2002-009131 (JP), filed on Jan. 17, 2002. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2005/0178503 A1, Aug. 18, 2005 | ||
| This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer. | ||
| Int. Cl. H01B 13/00 (2006.01); C23C 16/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 156—345.18 [156/345.24; 134/113; 134/902] | 11 Claims |
| 1. A substrate processing apparatus for supplying a treatment liquid onto a surface of a substrate to treat the same, comprising:
a spin chuck for holding and rotating the substrate;
a nozzle for supplying a treatment liquid to the substrate held by the spin chuck;
a circulating passage arranged such that the treatment liquid supplied to the substrate from the nozzle and used for substrate
treatment is circulated to the nozzle and reutilized for substrate treatment,
the circulating passage including a treatment liquid tank which stores the treatment liquid, the spin chuck being disposed
outside the treatment liquid tank;
a treatment liquid supply passage through which the treatment liquid is supplied from the treatment liquid tank to the substrate,
and a treatment liquid collecting passage through which the treatment liquid after the substrate treatment is returned to
the treatment liquid tank;
a treatment liquid return passage arranged to guide the treatment liquid from the treatment liquid supply passage to the treatment
liquid tank;
the supply passage, the collecting passage and the return passage being separate passages each communicating separately with
said treatment liquid tank;
a valve unit arranged to selectively guide the treatment liquid in the treatment liquid supply passage to the nozzle or the
treatment liquid return passage;
a pump arranged to pump out the treatment liquid in the treatment liquid tank and supply the treatment liquid through the
treatment liquid supply passage toward the valve unit;
a sampling passage which diverges from the treatment liquid supply passage at a part of the treatment liquid supply passage
on the treatment liquid tank side with respect to the valve unit;
a metal contamination amount measuring device connected to the treatment liquid supply passage through the sampling passage
for sampling the treatment liquid in the treatment supply passage, and for measuring a metal contamination amount in the treatment
liquid thus sampled, wherein the metal contamination amount measuring device does not return the treatment liquid thus sampled
to the circulating passage, but discards the sampled treatment liquid; and
a judgment processing unit for judging whether or not a value measured by the metal contamination amount measuring device
has exceeded a predetermined set value and thereby judging whether or not the treatment liquid circulating through the circulating
passage should be replaced.
|