Method of replacing liquid of circulation line in substrate liquid processing apparatus of single-wafer type

• Main Author: ESHIMA KAZUYOSHI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 17.12.2013
• Subjects: ACTUATING-FLOATS; APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TOSURFACES, IN GENERAL; APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL; BLASTING; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COCKS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HEATING; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METALLURGY; MULTI-STEP PROCESSES FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLICMATERIAL INVOLVING AT LEAST ONE PROCESS PROVIDED FOR IN CLASSC23 AND AT LEAST ONEPROCESS COVERED BY SUBCLASS C21D OR C22F OR CLASS C25; NON-MECHANICAL REMOVAL OF METALLIC MATERIAL FROM SURFACE; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; TAPS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING; VALVES; WEAPONS

An apparatus and method of replacing a liquid of a circulation line in a substrate liquid processing apparatus of a single-wafer type, which can replace the liquid more efficiently, by relating the replacing method with a process-liquid replenishing method. A substrate liquid processing apparatus of a single-wafer type includes: a circulation line through which a process liquid is circulated; a tank disposed in the circulation line; a liquid level sensor disposed in the tank; a liquid replenish part configured to replenish the tank with a new process liquid, based on an output of the liquid level sensor; and a liquid-replacement control part configured to stop the operation of the liquid replenish part based on a predetermined replenish stop condition that is set cooperatively with a predetermined liquid disposal condition, and to discard all the process liquid in the tank based on the predetermined liquid disposal condition.