Chemical solution vaporizing tank and chemical solution treating system

• US 20090020072A1
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Mizunaga, Kouichi, Kudoh, Hiroyuki, Ooshima, Kazuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,858,710 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/719
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67017 Apparatus for fluid treatment H01L21/67126, H01L21/6715 take precedence

Abstract

An object is to suppress differences in concentration between processing gases supplied to a plurality of works in a chemical solution vaporizing tank. The chemical solution vaporizing tank includes a tank body having a plurality of vaporizing chambers formed by laterally and airtightly partitioning an internal space of the tank body, a chemical solution passage located under a liquid level in each vaporizing chamber and formed at each partition member for passing the chemical solution between the vaporizing chambers, and a gas passage located above the liquid level in each vaporizing chamber and formed at the partition member to communicate the vaporizing chambers with each other for uniformizing pressures in the respective vaporizing chambers. A quantity of the channel layer in each vaporizing chamber is controlled by managing, e.g., the liquid level.

Claims

1. A chemical solution vaporizing tank for producing a processing gas by supplying a vaporization gas to a chemical solution stored in the chemical solution vaporizing tank, and supplying the processing gas to a work for performing processing, comprising:

a tank body having an internal space laterally and airtightly partitioned by a partition member into a plurality of vaporizing chambers;

a chemical solution passage located under a liquid level in each of the vaporizing chambers and formed at each partition member for passing the chemical solution between the vaporizing chambers;

a gas passage located above the liquid level in each of the vaporizing chambers and formed at the partition member to communicate the vaporizing chambers with each other for uniformizing pressures in the respective vaporizing chambers;

a vaporization gas supply unit arranged at each of the vaporizing chambers for supplying the vaporization gas to the chemical solution in the vaporizing chamber and producing the processing gas in a space above the liquid level of the chemical solution;

a processing gas takeout passage arranged for each of the vaporizing chambers for externally taking out the processing gas produced in said vaporizing chamber;

a chemical solution supply passage for supplying the chemical solution to the vaporizing chamber; and

an atmospheric opening for supplying the chemical solution from said chemical solution supply passage to the vaporizing chamber.

2. The chemical solution vaporizing tank according to claim 1, wherein

the chemical solution supply passage is shared among the vaporizing chambers.

3. The chemical solution vaporizing tank according to claim 2, wherein

the partition member forms a liquid level monitoring chamber provided with a liquid level sensor for sensing a liquid level in the vaporizing chamber in addition to the plurality of vaporizing chambers;

said liquid level monitoring chamber includes a chemical solution passage opened under the liquid level in the vaporizing chamber for passing the chemical solution between the vaporizing chamber and the liquid level monitoring chamber, and a gas passage opened above the liquid level in the vaporizing chamber for uniformizing the pressures in the vaporizing chambers and the liquid level monitoring chamber; and

the chemical solution is supplied to the vaporizing chambers based on the liquid level sensed by the liquid level sensor.

4. The chemical solution vaporizing tank according to claim 3, wherein

said chemical solution supply passage is arranged in said liquid level monitoring chamber.

5. The chemical solution vaporizing tank according to claim 4, wherein

the vaporizing chambers surround an outer periphery of the liquid level monitoring chamber.

6. The chemical solution vaporizing tank according to claim 3, wherein

the vaporizing chambers surround an outer periphery of the liquid level monitoring chamber.

7. The chemical solution vaporizing tank according to claim 1, wherein

the partition member forms a liquid level monitoring chamber provided with a liquid level sensor for sensing a liquid level in the vaporizing chamber in addition to the plurality of vaporizing chambers;

said liquid level monitoring chamber includes a chemical solution passage opened under the liquid level in the vaporizing chamber for passing the chemical solution between the vaporizing chamber and the liquid level monitoring chamber, and a gas passage opened above the liquid level in the vaporizing chamber for uniformizing the pressures in the vaporizing chambers and the liquid level monitoring chamber; and

the chemical solution is supplied to the vaporizing chambers based on the liquid level sensed by the liquid level sensor.

8. The chemical solution vaporizing tank according to claim 7, wherein

said chemical solution supply passage is arranged in said liquid level monitoring chamber.

9. The chemical solution vaporizing tank according to claim 8, wherein

the vaporizing chambers surround an outer periphery of the liquid level monitoring chamber.

10. The chemical solution vaporizing tank according to claim 7, wherein

the vaporizing chambers surround an outer periphery of the liquid level monitoring chamber.

11. A chemical solution processing system comprising:

a plurality of processing modules each having a processing space for processing a work with a processing gas;

the chemical solution vaporizing tank recited in claim 1; and

a gas supply unit supplying a processing gas to each of the processing spaces via said processing gas takeout passage.