Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Apparatus – With movable means to cause fluid motion
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-19
2001-03-13
Stinson, Frankie L. (Department: 1746)
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Apparatus
With movable means to cause fluid motion
C134S198000, C134S902000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199568
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a treating tank for treating substrates as immersed in a treating liquid, and a substrate treating apparatus having the treating tank. More particularly, the invention relates to an improvement in treating liquid injection pipes attached to the treating tank.
(2) Description of the Related Art
This type of treating tank requires streams of a treating liquid to be formed therein. For this purpose, as shown in
FIGS. 1A through 1C
, a treating tank
110
includes treating liquid injection pipes
103
disposed adjacent the bottom thereof. Each injection pipe
103
has a closed distal end
100
, and numerous treating liquid jet bores
102
arranged along a side wall for jetting a treating liquid introduced through a proximal end
101
out into the treating tank
110
. Conventionally, as shown in the drawings, each injection pipe
103
is formed of a single pipe having a constant inside diameter id from the proximal end
101
to the distal end
100
. The jet bores
102
formed in each injection pipe
103
have the same cylindrical shape and size. These bores
102
are formed, for example, by drilling each injection pipe
103
from the outer wall thereof.
The treating liquid is supplied from a treating liquid source
130
to the proximal ends
101
of injection pipes
103
through a treating liquid supply pipe
120
. Each injection pipe
103
has, at the proximal end
101
thereof, a liquid inlet
101
a
for introducing the treating liquid into a pipe portion (liquid jetting pipe portion)
104
defining the jet bores
102
, and a joint
101
b
for coupling to the supply pipe
120
.
The treating tank
110
supports a plurality of wafers W arranged therein. These wafers W receive a predetermined treatment as immersed in the treating liquid jetting from the jet bores
102
of injection pipes
103
and forming upward streams throughout the treating tank
110
.
In an etching process, for example, a plurality of wafers W are immersed in deionized water jetting from the jet bores
102
of injection pipes
103
and filling the treating tank
110
. Then, a chemical solution such as of hydrofluoric acid having etching action is jetted from the jet bores
102
of injection pipes
103
to replace the deionized water in the treating tank
110
.
The chemical solution is jetted from the jet bores
102
of injection pipes
103
to form streams of the chemical solution throughout the treating tank
110
. In this way, the deionized water is efficiently replaced by the chemical solution in the treating tank
110
.
However, the treating liquid injection pipes
103
used conventionally have a drawback that marked variations occur in the head length of the treating liquid jetting from the jet bores
102
. As shown in
FIG. 2
, the head lengths wl of the treating liquid jets increase gradually from the jet bore
102
adjacent the proximal end
101
to the jet bore
102
adjacent the distal end
100
of each injection pipe
103
.
FIG. 2
schematically shows results of an experiment carried out by using injection pipes
103
having an inside diameter id of 16 mm, and introducing the treating liquid at a flow rate of 10 l/min. through the liquid inlets
101
a
. Line wlt in
FIG. 2
represents a head length of the treating liquid jetting from the jet bores
102
closest to the distal ends
100
.
Thus, in an etching process performed in the conventional treating tank
110
, for example, the deionized water cannot be replaced uniformly by the chemical solution in the treating tank
110
because of the variations in the head length wl of the treating liquid jetting from the jet bores
102
. As shown in
FIG. 1B
, for example, when a plurality of wafers W are treated simultaneously as immersed in the treating liquid, the wafers W arranged adjacent the distal ends
100
and those arranged adjacent the proximal ends
101
of treating liquid injection pipes
103
are etched in different amounts. With such variations, it has been impossible to treat the wafers W uniformly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made having regard to the state of the art noted above, and its object is to provide a treating tank, and a substrate treating apparatus having the treating tank, for treating substrates uniformly in the treating tank.
The above object is fulfilled, according to a first aspect of the present invention, by a treating tank for immersing substrates in a treating liquid, comprising injection pipes each having a closed distal end, and a plurality of jet bores arranged along a side wall thereof for jetting, into the treating tank, the treating liquid introduced through a proximal end. Wherein each of the injection pipes includes a liquid jetting pipe portion defining the jet bores and having an inside diameter larger than a bore diameter of a liquid inlet formed at the proximal end for introducing the treating liquid into the liquid jetting pipe portion.
In the above treating tank according to the first aspect of the invention, each injection pipe attached to the treating tank includes a liquid jetting pipe portion defining jet bores and having an inside diameter larger than a bore diameter of a liquid inlet formed at the proximal end for introducing the treating liquid into the liquid jetting pipe portion. This construction suppresses variations in the dynamic pressure of the treating liquid in the liquid jetting pipe portion. As a result, substantially the same static pressure of the treating liquid occurs in the jet bores (i.e. jet pressure of the treating liquid from the jet bores). Variations in the head length of the treating liquid jetting from the jet bores are suppressed effectively, compared with the injection pipes used conventionally. Thus, the treating liquid jets from the jet bores into the treating tank with a uniform condition to perform a more uniform treatment of substrates than the conventional treating tank.
In the treating tank according to the first aspect of the invention, each of the injection pipes may further include a sloping pipe portion having an inside diameter gradually increasing from the liquid inlet to the liquid jetting pipe portion.
The sloping pipe portion noted above is effective to suppress turbulence of the treating liquid flowing from the liquid inlet into the liquid jetting pipe portion. Variations in the head length of the treating liquid jetting from the jet bores adjacent the proximal end also are suppressed while reducing the length of the liquid jetting pipe portion as much as possible. The treating liquid jetting from all the jet bores has further uniformed head lengths. With the suppression of turbulence occurring in the treating liquid flowing from the liquid inlet into the liquid jetting pipe portion, overall variations in the head length of the treating liquid jetting from the jet bores may be suppressed more effectively than with the injection pipe having no such sloping portion. Consequently, the treating liquid jets from the jet bores into the treating tank with a further uniformed condition. This construction assures treatment of substrates with increased uniformity.
The sloping pipe portion may have an inside diameter increasing in a curve from the liquid inlet to the liquid jetting pipe portion, or linearly from the liquid inlet to the liquid jetting pipe portion.
In a second aspect of the invention, a treating tank for immersing substrates in a treating liquid comprises injection pipes each having a closed distal end, and a plurality of jet bores arranged along a side wall thereof for jetting, into the treating tank, the treating liquid introduced through a proximal end, wherein each of the jet bores includes a slope portion having an inside diameter gradually decreasing from an inner wall toward an outside of each injection pipe.
In the above treating tank according to the second aspect of the invention, each jet bore includes a slope portion having an inside diameter gradually decreasing from an inner wall toward an outside of each injection pipe. Wit
Arai Kenichiro
Shirakawa Hajime
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co,. Ltd.
Stinson Frankie L.
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