JP6227005B2 - Deaeration device and deaeration method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a deaeration device and a deaeration method, and more particularly to a deaeration device and a deaeration method for removing a gas dissolved in a liquid from the liquid.

  The gas dissolved in the liquid may cause inconveniences such as deteriorating the liquid or damaging the electronic component or the like when cleaning the electronic component or the like using the liquid as a cleaning liquid. The deaeration device prevents such inconvenience from occurring by removing the gas dissolved in the liquid from the liquid. Such deaerators use various principles. Among the deaerators, a deaerator using a vacuum pump is generally known.

  The deaeration devices proposed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 are all deaeration devices for removing gas dissolved in the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid for cleaning electronic components and the like. These deaeration devices remove gas dissolved in the cleaning liquid by decompressing the inside of the container into which the cleaning liquid is injected. The depressurization method of such a deaeration device is a method of depressurizing the inside of the container by sucking the gas present inside the container with a vacuum pump.

JP-A-9-187603 JP 11-319407 A JP 2000-288307 A

  However, the deaeration devices proposed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 need to be provided with a vacuum pump for depressurizing the inside of the container in addition to the circulation path of the cleaning liquid. Therefore, these deaerators have a complicated configuration of the deaerator. In addition, it is necessary to appropriately select a vacuum pump in accordance with the cleaning device to which the deaeration device is applied and the type of cleaning liquid to be deaerated.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to remove gas from a liquid with high accuracy irrespective of a system having a simple structure and a system incorporating a deaeration device and the type of liquid to be deaerated. An object of the present invention is to provide a deaeration device and a deaeration method that can be noticed.

A chamber having a sealable structure, in which a liquid to be degassed is stored; an injection unit for injecting the liquid into the chamber from above the chamber while maintaining a sealed state inside the chamber; A discharge means for discharging the liquid stored in the chamber from a lower portion of the chamber; an exhaust section for exhausting a gas degassed from the liquid stored in the chamber;
An opening / closing means for opening and closing the exhaust part, an injection amount adjusting means for adjusting a flow rate of the liquid injected into the chamber, and a controller for controlling the operation of the opening / closing means and the operation of the injection amount adjusting means. , the discharge means is in a closed state of the interior of the chamber, the liquid in the flow rate more than the liquid flow rate to be injected into the chamber and discharged from the chamber, to reduce the pressure of the chamber, wherein The controller controls the injection amount adjusting means to close the exhaust portion with the opening / closing means while injecting the liquid with a flow rate smaller than the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the chamber into the chamber. The inside of the chamber is hermetically sealed, and the liquid amount larger than the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the chamber is controlled by controlling the injection amount adjusting means. While injecting the serial chamber, open the vent in the opening and closing means is controlled so as to release the sealed state of the chamber, characterized in that.

  According to the present invention, the apparatus includes the injection portion for injecting the liquid into the chamber from the upper portion of the chamber, and the discharge means for discharging the liquid stored in the chamber from the lower portion of the chamber, and the chamber is sealed. The inside of the chamber is decompressed by discharging a liquid having a flow rate larger than that of the liquid to be injected into the chamber. Therefore, gas dissolved in the liquid can be generated as bubbles, and the gas can be degassed from the liquid. In addition, since a liquid having a flow rate higher than that of the liquid to be injected into the chamber is discharged from the chamber and the pressure in the chamber is reduced, it is not necessary to provide a separate vacuum pump. As a result, the structure of the deaeration device can be simplified. Further, since the deaeration is performed without providing the vacuum pump, the gas dissolved in the liquid can be degassed from the liquid without being influenced by the performance of the vacuum pump.

Further , according to the present invention, the controller closes the exhaust portion by the opening / closing means while injecting the liquid having a flow rate smaller than the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the chamber into the chamber, and the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the chamber Since the exhaust part is controlled to open with the opening / closing means while injecting more liquid into the chamber, the gas dissolved in the liquid can be degassed from the liquid by reliably reducing the pressure in the chamber. The degassed gas can be reliably exhausted from the chamber.

  In the deaeration apparatus according to the present invention, the exhaust unit is connected to the exhaust unit, and sucks a gas exhausted from the chamber when the opening / closing unit is opened.

  According to the present invention, since the discharging means sucks the gas exhausted from the chamber when the opening / closing means is opened, the gas degassed from the liquid can be forcibly exhausted from the chamber. .

  In the deaeration device according to the present invention, a lower limit sensor that detects that the liquid level of the liquid stored in the chamber has reached a preset lower limit position of the chamber, and a signal from the lower limit sensor. And a timer that operates based on the controller, and when the lower limit sensor detects that the liquid level of the liquid has reached the lower limit position, the controller controls the operation of the injection amount adjusting means. The liquid level of the liquid is controlled so as to be injected into the chamber at a flow rate larger than the flow rate of the liquid to be discharged from the chamber, and the liquid level of the liquid is set to a preset upper limit position of the chamber after the timer is activated. The controller controls the operation of the injection amount adjusting means when the predetermined time required to reach Characterized in that it is controlled so that the liquid flow rate is smaller than the flow rate of the liquid discharged from Yanba injected into the chamber.

  According to the present invention, the controller includes the lower limit sensor, and the controller controls the operation of the injection amount adjusting means when the lower limit sensor detects that the liquid level has reached the lower limit position in the chamber. Since the liquid is controlled to be injected into the chamber at a flow rate higher than the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the chamber, an appropriate amount of liquid can be stored in the chamber for degassing. . In addition, a timer that operates based on the signal from the lower limit sensor is provided, and the predetermined time required for the liquid level to reach a preset upper limit position in the chamber after the timer starts to operate based on the signal from the lower limit sensor. Since the controller controls the operation of the injection amount adjusting means to inject a liquid with a flow rate smaller than the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the chamber into the chamber. Can be depressurized.

  The deaeration device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a cooling device that cools the upper side of a predetermined position in the chamber.

  According to the present invention, since the cooling device for cooling the upper side of the predetermined position in the chamber is provided, the cooling device cools the upper side of the predetermined position in the chamber, thereby reducing the pressure in the chamber. Can be made easier. Moreover, even if the liquid evaporates, deaeration can be effectively performed by liquefying again. The cooling device may include a pipe disposed above a predetermined position set in the chamber and a chiller that circulates the refrigerant through the pipe.

The implant inside the sealed chamber injection of the liquid from the top of the chamber, when the liquid is injected before Symbol sealed chamber, more than the flow rate of the liquid to be injected into the chamber the flow rate of The liquid is discharged from the lower part of the chamber, the inside of the chamber is depressurized, and the liquid discharged from the chamber is discharged when the liquid level of the liquid reaches a preset lower limit position in the chamber. The liquid is controlled to be injected into the chamber at a flow rate higher than the flow rate, and the liquid discharged from the chamber when the liquid level reaches a preset upper limit position in the chamber. Control is performed so that the liquid having a flow rate smaller than the flow rate of the liquid is injected into the chamber .

  According to the present invention, in a state where the inside of the chamber is sealed, a liquid having a flow rate larger than the flow rate of the liquid injected into the chamber is discharged from the chamber and the pressure in the chamber is reduced. Can be generated as bubbles and the gas can be degassed from the liquid. Further, since the inside of the chamber is decompressed by discharging a liquid having a flow rate larger than the flow rate of the liquid to be injected into the chamber, it is not necessary to provide a separate vacuum pump.

According to the present invention, when the liquid level reaches the lower limit position in the chamber set in advance, the liquid having a flow rate larger than the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the chamber is injected into the chamber. Therefore, an amount of liquid necessary for deaeration can be secured in the chamber. On the other hand, when the liquid level reaches the preset upper limit position in the chamber, the liquid is controlled to be injected into the chamber at a flow rate smaller than the liquid flow rate discharged from the chamber. The pressure inside the chamber can be reliably reduced.

  In the deaeration method according to the present invention, the upper side of a predetermined position in the chamber is cooled.

  According to this invention, since the upper side of the predetermined position in the chamber is cooled, the pressure in the chamber can be easily reduced. Moreover, even if the liquid evaporates, deaeration can be effectively performed by liquefying again.

  According to the present invention, the structure of the deaeration device can be simplified. In addition, gas can be degassed from the liquid with high accuracy regardless of the apparatus to which the degassing apparatus is applied and the type of liquid to be degassed.

It is a distribution diagram showing an outline of a system of a deaeration device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the outline | summary of the internal structure of the chamber with which the deaeration apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is explanatory drawing which shows the effect | action of a deaeration apparatus typically, (A) shows the state where the liquid level of the liquid is rising, (B) shows the state where the liquid level of the liquid reached the upper end of the chamber , (C) shows a state in which the liquid level is lowered, (D) shows a state in which the liquid level has reached the lower limit position in the chamber, and (E) shows that the liquid level has risen. (F) shows a state in which the liquid level reaches the upper end of the chamber. It is a flowchart which shows the outline | summary of an effect | action of a deaeration apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the following description and drawings, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[Basic configuration]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the degassing device 1 according to the present invention includes a chamber 10 in which a liquid 100 to be degassed is stored, and an injection for injecting the liquid 100 into the chamber 10 from above the chamber 10. And a discharge means 30 for discharging the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 from the lower portion of the chamber 10. The deaeration device 1 reduces the pressure inside the chamber 10 by discharging the liquid 100 having a flow rate larger than the flow rate of the liquid 100 to be injected into the chamber 10 in a state where the inside of the chamber 10 is sealed. The liquid 100 is degassed.

In the present specification, the upper portion of the chamber 10 is not limited to the position of the lid 15 that constitutes the upper surface of the chamber 10, and is relatively above the main body 11 that constitutes the side surface of the chamber 10. It means a part including a region. For example, in the case of the chamber 10 shown in FIG. 2, the upper portion of the chamber 10 means a region above the predetermined position 201 of the lid 15 and the main body 11. Moreover, the lower part of the chamber 10 is not limited to the lowest part of the chamber 10, but means a part including a relatively lower region of the chamber 10. For example, in the case of the chamber 10 shown in FIG. 2, the lower portion of the chamber 10 means a region closer to the bottom surface 12 than the lower limit position 202.

  This deaeration device 1 has a specific effect that the structure of the deaeration device 1 can be simplified. In addition, the gas can be degassed from the liquid 100 with high accuracy regardless of the device to which the degassing device 1 is applied and the type of liquid to be degassed.

The deaeration device 1 and the deaeration method according to the present invention improve its effect by being incorporated in a cleaning system that cleans electronic components and wafers using an ultrasonic wave, or removes impurities on the surface. Therefore, it is called “Surface / Ultrasonic / Flat / Fix / System”, or “Suffix System” for short. However, degasser 1 and degassing method of the present invention, when used to degas the gas from the cleaning liquid for cleaning electronic parts or wafer or the like incorporated in the cleaning apparatus other than cleaning system using ultrasonic waves Can be used. In addition, the degassing apparatus 1 and the degassing method of the present invention can be used to prevent the liquid 100 from being deteriorated under the influence of the dissolved gas. In particular, when the dissolved gas is oxygen, it can be used to prevent the liquid from being oxidized.

[Overview of overall configuration]
The degassing apparatus 1 includes a chamber 10 in which a liquid 100 to be degassed is stored, an injection unit 20 for injecting the liquid 100 into the chamber 10 from above the chamber 10, and the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10. And a pump 30 (hereinafter simply referred to as “pump 30”) as discharge means for discharging the gas from the lower portion of the chamber 10. The pump 30 is not a vacuum pump provided only for exhausting the gas in the chamber 10 provided in a conventional deaeration device. In addition, the deaeration device 1 includes an exhaust unit 40 that exhausts the gas in the chamber 10, a liquid level sensor 80 that detects the position of the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 in the chamber 10, and a pressure that measures the internal pressure of the chamber 10. And a sensor 90.

  The injection unit 20 has a configuration for injecting the liquid 100 into the chamber 10 from the upper part of the chamber 10, and includes a main pipe 21 and a sub pipe 25, and the liquid 100 to be injected into the chamber 10. The flow rate can be changed. The pump 30 is connected to the lower part of the chamber 10 by a pipe 31, and sucks the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 and discharges it from the chamber 10. The exhaust part 40 includes a pipe 41 and an opening / closing valve 42. One end of the pipe 41 is connected to the chamber 10, and the other end is connected to the pipe 31. The open / close valve 42 is provided in the middle of the pipe 41.

  In addition, the deaeration device 1 includes a bypass path constituted by a pipe 35 that connects a liquid reservoir (not shown) that stores the liquid 100 supplied into the chamber 10 and the pipe 31. The bypass path including the pipe 35 allows the pump 30 to suck the liquid 100 even while the liquid 100 is not sucked from the chamber 10.

  The deaerator 1 further includes a controller 60 that controls the operation of the deaerator 1 and a pilot line 70 through which compressed air flows. The controller 60 controls the operation of the deaeration device 1 and performs control based on the timer 65, a signal from the liquid level sensor 80, and a signal from the pressure sensor 90. The timer 65 is built in the controller 60. The pilot line 70 includes a line connected to the injection unit 20, a line connected to the exhaust unit 40, a line connected to the pump 30, and the like. The pilot line 70 receives a command from the controller 60 and supplies compressed air to a line necessary for control.

  In addition, the deaeration apparatus 1 is provided with a cooling device 50 as necessary. The cooling device 50 is a device whose main purpose is to cool the inside of the chamber 10 and lower the temperature of the gas. The cooling device 50 is a device provided according to the type of liquid to be deaerated, and is not an essential configuration.

  Hereinafter, each structure with which the deaeration apparatus 1 is provided is demonstrated, referring drawings suitably.

(Chamber)
The chamber is configured as shown in FIG. The chamber 10 is a part for storing the liquid 100 therein, and is composed of a main body 11 and a lid 15. The main body 11 is open at the top and closed at the bottom by the bottom surface 12. The lid 15 is configured to be detachable from the main body 11, and can be attached to the upper portion of the main body 11 of the opened chamber 10 to close the upper portion of the main body 11 or be removed to open the upper portion of the main body 11. It is configured. The main body 11 and the lid 15 are sealed by a sealing material or the like provided between the lid 15 and the upper portion of the main body 11 when the lid 15 is closed. The bottom surface 12 of the main body 11 includes a discharge port 13 for discharging the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10. In the illustrated example, the discharge port 13 is provided at the lowest position of the bottom surface 12. The chamber 10 is configured such that the liquid 100 is injected from the injection unit 20 and discharged from the discharge port 13, and the liquid 100 is temporarily retained.

  The capacity of the chamber 10 is appropriately set according to the flow rate of the liquid 100 to be injected and the flow rate of the liquid 100 to be discharged from the chamber 10. Further, the flow rate of the liquid 100 injected into the chamber 10 and the flow rate of the liquid 100 discharged from the chamber 10 are appropriately set depending on the type of the liquid 100 to be degassed and the target to which the degassing device 1 is applied. Is done.

(Injection part)
The injection unit 20 is means for injecting the liquid 100 to be degassed into the chamber 10. In the deaeration device 1 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the injection part 20 is constituted by two pipes 21 and 25. The two pipes 21 and 25 pass through the lid 15 of the chamber 10, respectively, and their distal ends are inserted into the chamber 10. One of the two pipes 21 and 25 is the main pipe 21, and the other pipe is the sub pipe 25.

  The main pipe 21 is provided at an arbitrary position of the lid 15. For example, it is provided so as to penetrate through the lid 15 at a substantially central position of the chamber 10. The main pipe 21 is provided with a nozzle 22 at its tip, and the liquid 100 is sprayed into the chamber 10. The main pipe 21 constantly injects the liquid 100 into the chamber 10 while the deaeration device 1 is operating. The nozzle 22 may include a filter that prevents impurities from entering the chamber 10.

  The sub pipe 25 is also provided at an arbitrary position of the lid 15. For example, the sub pipe 25 is provided so as to penetrate the lid 15 at a position outside the main pipe 21 in the radial direction of the chamber 10. The sub pipe 25 is a pipe used when the amount of the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 is reduced and the liquid 100 is supplied to the chamber 10. The sub pipe 25 includes an opening / closing valve 27 whose opening / closing is controlled by a pilot line 70 described later. The liquid 100 is injected into the chamber 10 from the sub pipe 25 by opening the opening / closing valve 27, and the injection of the liquid 100 into the chamber 10 is stopped by closing the opening / closing valve 27. The sub pipe 25 is also provided with a nozzle 26 at its tip, and the liquid 100 is sprayed into the chamber 10. The sub pipe 25 may also include a filter for preventing impurities from entering the chamber 10.

  The sub pipe 25 provided with the opening / closing valve 27 opens the opening / closing valve 27 to inject more liquid 100 into the chamber 10 when the opening / closing valve 27 is closed, and closes the opening / closing valve 27 to close the opening / closing valve 27. Less liquid 100 is injected into the chamber 10 than when it is open, and functions as an injection amount adjusting means.

(Pump as discharge means)
The pump 30 is connected to the chamber 10 via a pipe 31. The pump 30 discharges the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 from the chamber 10. The liquid 100 is forcibly discharged by the pump 30. The pump 30 discharges more liquid 100 from the chamber 10 than the flow rate of the liquid 100 injected into the chamber 10 only by the main pipe 21 of the injection unit 20. On the other hand, the pump 30 discharges the liquid 100 from the chamber 10 that is smaller than the flow rate of the liquid 100 injected into the chamber 10 by both the main pipe 21 and the sub pipe 25. The pump 30 is controlled to start and stop by a pilot line 70.

The exhaust part 40 is a part that exhausts the gas degassed from the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10. The exhaust part 40 extends from the lid 15 toward the outside of the chamber 10, and is connected to a pipe 41 and an open / close valve 42 (hereinafter simply referred to as an open / close valve) as an open / close means that is opened and closed by a pilot line 70. 42). While the pump 30 discharges the liquid 100 having a flow rate higher than that of the liquid 100 to be injected, the opening / closing valve 42 is closed to seal the inside of the chamber 10. On the other hand, the open / close valve 42 is opened while the liquid 100 is replenished to the chamber 10 so that the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 in the chamber 10 reaches the preset upper limit position 203 of the chamber 10. While the opening / closing valve 42 is opened, the pump 30 exhausts the gas degassed from the liquid 100 to the outside of the chamber 10 by sucking the gas in the chamber 10 through the pipe 41 . Note that the gas exhausted from the chamber 10 is discharged to the outside through a pipe 43 provided on the downstream side of the pump 30.

(Liquid level sensor)
The liquid level sensor 80 is composed of a mandrel 81 arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction, and floats 82 and 83 provided at two positions on the upper and lower sides of the mandrel 81, respectively. The floats 82 and 83 provided at two locations are configured to be movable in a vertical direction within a certain range of the mandrel 81, and move upward due to the buoyancy of the liquid 100. The lower float 83 constituting the liquid level sensor 80 detects that the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 has reached a preset position in the chamber 10. The lower float 83 also detects that the liquid level 101 rises and passes the lower limit position 202, as will be described in the section of the action of the deaeration device 1 described later. The upper float 82 constituting the liquid level sensor 80 detects that the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 passes through a preset position of the chamber 10. .

  The float 83 provided on the lower side is a lower limit sensor that detects whether the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 has reached a preset lower limit position 202 in the chamber. When the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 reaches the lower limit position 202, the float 83 pushed up by the buoyancy of the liquid 100 is lowered. The float 83 descends to detect that the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 has reached the lower limit position 202. Further, when the float 83 is pushed up as the liquid level 101 rises, the operation of the timer 65 is started.

  The float 82 provided on the upper side is a sensor provided when a cooling device 50 described later is provided. The float 82 is a sensor that detects that the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 has passed a predetermined position 201 in the chamber 10 and functions as a switch for starting and stopping the operation of the cooling device 50. Yes. When the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 rises and passes through the predetermined position 201, the float 82 is pushed up by the buoyancy of the liquid 100. When the float 82 is pushed up, it is detected that the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 has risen to the predetermined position 201. On the other hand, when the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 descends and passes through the predetermined position 201, the float 82 pushed up by the buoyancy descends. When the float 82 is lowered, it is detected that the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 has been lowered to the predetermined position 201.

  The liquid level sensor has been described above by taking as an example the case where the liquid level sensor includes the floats 82 and 83. However, the liquid level sensor is not limited to using the floats 82 and 83. The liquid level sensor is an optical sensor that optically detects the position of the liquid level 101, an ultrasonic sensor that detects the position of the liquid level 101 using ultrasonic waves, and a liquid level 101 that reflects changes in capacitance. Various sensors such as a capacitance type level sensor that detects the position of the sensor can be used.

(timer)
The timer 65 is provided in the controller 60 and is set to start counting based on a signal from the float 83 which is a lower limit sensor. The timer 65 has a preset time until the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 reaches the preset upper limit position 203 in the chamber 10 from the lower limit position 202. The volume between the lower limit position 202 where the float 83 is provided and the upper limit position 203 of the chamber 10 is set in advance. The flow rate at which the injection unit 20 injects the liquid 100 into the chamber 10 is also set in advance. Therefore, the position of the liquid level 101 can be controlled by setting the time with the timer 65 and controlling the timing for closing the open / close valve 27.

  The preset upper limit position 203 in the chamber 10 is preferably set at the upper end of the chamber 10 where the lid 15 of the chamber 10 exists. However, the upper limit position 203 is not limited to being set at the upper end of the chamber 10, and may be set at an arbitrary position between the predetermined position 201 and the upper end of the chamber 10.

(pressure sensor)
The pressure sensor 90 measures the internal pressure of the chamber 10 and sends a signal corresponding to the pressure to the controller 60. The pressure sensor 90 is used to determine whether the internal pressure of the chamber 10 is reduced to a pressure suitable for degassing the gas from the liquid 100 by measuring the internal pressure of the chamber 10. .

(Pilot line)
The pilot line 70 is a line through which compressed air flows. The pilot line 70 opens and closes the opening / closing valve 27 provided in the injection unit 20, starts and stops the operation of the pump 30, and opens and closes the opening / closing valve 42 provided in the exhaust unit 40. ing. The pilot line 70 also opens and closes the opening / closing valve 54 provided in the cooling device 50.

1 correspond to the opening / closing valve 27 of the injection unit 20, the pump 30, the opening / closing valve 42 of the exhaust unit 40, and the opening / closing valve 54 of the cooling device 50, respectively. doing. The pilot line 70 flows or stops compressed air through the line connected to the opening / closing valve 27, the line connected to the opening / closing valve 42, and the line connected to the opening / closing valve 54 based on a command from the controller 60. And the flow of compressed air to the line connected to the pump 30 and the flow of compressed air are stopped .

  For example, when opening the opening / closing valve 27 of the injection unit 20, compressed air is caused to flow through the pilot line 70 connected to the opening / closing valve 27, and a spool (not shown) of the opening / closing valve 27 is moved by the flowed compressed air. On the contrary, when closing the on-off valve 27 of the injection part 20, the compressed air that has flowed through the pilot line 70 connected to the on-off valve 27 is stopped, and the spool (not shown) of the on-off valve 27 is returned to its original state.

  Note that the pilot line 70 shown in FIG. 1 simultaneously flows or stops compressed air through the line connected to the on-off valve 27, the line connected to the on-off valve 42, and the line connected to the on-off valve 54. Or the flow of compressed air to a line arbitrarily selected from the line connected to the on-off valve 27, the line connected to the on-off valve 42, and the line connected to the on-off valve 54 is stopped or stopped. You may comprise so that it may.

(controller)
The controller 60 selects which line in the pilot line 70 the compressed air is to flow, so that (1) opening / closing of the opening / closing valve 27 provided in the injection unit 20, (2) start of operation of the pump 30, and Control of stopping, (3) opening / closing of the opening / closing valve 42 provided in the exhaust unit 40, and (4) opening / closing of the opening / closing valve 54 of the cooling device 50 is performed.

  At that time, the controller 60 selects the pilot line 70 for flowing the compressed air based on the signals from the float 83 and the timer 65 of the liquid level sensor 80 and stops the compressed air flowing through the pilot line 70. .

  The main control contents of the controller 60 are as follows. That is, when the float 83 which is the lower limit sensor detects that the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 has reached the lower limit position 202, the controller 60 issues a command to open the opening / closing valve 27 of the injection unit 20, and the chamber The liquid 100 having a flow rate larger than the flow rate of the liquid 100 discharged from the inside 10 is injected into the chamber 10. At that time, the signal sent by the float 83 activates the timer 65. As described above, the timer 65 is set with a time until the liquid 100 reaches the preset upper limit position 203 in the chamber 10. On the other hand, the controller 60 closes the open / close valve 27 when a predetermined time elapses from when the timer 65 is activated until the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 reaches the preset upper limit position 203 in the chamber 10. A command is issued, and control is performed so that the liquid 100 having a flow rate smaller than the flow rate of the liquid 100 discharged from the chamber 10 is injected into the chamber 10.

  The controller 60 also controls the operation of the deaeration device 1 so as to reset the operation of the deaeration device 1 based on a signal from the pressure sensor 90. When the gas is mixed in the liquid 100, the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 is affected by the gas even after the time set in the timer 65 has elapsed, and the liquid level 101 is preset in the chamber 10. The upper limit position 203 is not reached. In particular, when the upper limit position 203 is set at the upper end of the chamber 10, a space is formed between the liquid level 101 and the upper end of the chamber 10. When deaeration is performed in such a state, the internal pressure of the chamber 10 may not be reduced to a pressure that can effectively perform the deaeration. In order not to cause this phenomenon, the controller 60 controls the operation of the deaeration device 1 so as to reset the operation of the deaeration device 1 based on a signal from the pressure sensor 90.

The controller 60 includes a storage unit (not shown), and this storage unit stores the maximum internal pressure that can be effectively deaerated. The controller 60 compares the pressure signal transmitted from the pressure sensor 90 with the maximum internal pressure stored in the storage unit, and when a pressure signal higher than the maximum internal pressure continues to be transmitted from the pressure sensor 90 for a certain period of time. Then, the operation of the deaeration device 1 described above is reset. That is, the inside of the chamber 10 is emptied, and then the liquid 100 is put into the chamber 10 to raise the liquid level 101 to operate the float 83 and the timer 65 is operated based on a signal from the float 83. Resetting the operation of the degassing device 1 allows the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 to reach a preset upper limit position 203 in the chamber 10.

(Cooling system)
As described above, the cooling device 50 is provided as necessary. The cooling device 50 includes a pipe 52 disposed above the liquid 100 inside the chamber 10 and a chiller 51 that circulates a refrigerant through the pipe 52. The pipe 52 is formed in a spiral shape inside the chamber 10 and efficiently cools the upper part of the chamber 10. The pipe 52 and the chiller 51 are connected by a pipe 53.

  The spiral pipe 52 is disposed at a position above the predetermined position 201 where the float 82 is provided and away from the side wall surface of the chamber 10 by a certain distance. The pipe 53 includes an open / close valve 54. The on-off valve 54 supplies the refrigerant supplied from the chiller 51 to the spiral pipe 52 or stops the supply.

  Specifically, the float 82 is pushed up by the buoyancy of the liquid 100 when the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 rises and passes a predetermined position. When the float 82 is pushed up, the float 82 sends a signal. In response to the signal sent from the float 82, the controller 60 issues a command to the pilot line 70 to stop the compressed air supplied to the opening / closing valve 54. When the compressed air supplied by the pilot line 70 is stopped, the spool (not shown) moves and the open / close valve 54 is closed. When the opening / closing valve 54 is closed, the cooling device 50 stops supplying the refrigerant to the spiral pipe 52.

  On the other hand, when the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 descends and passes through the predetermined position 201, the float 82 descends from a state where it has been pushed up by buoyancy. When the float 82 descends, the float 82 stops signaling. The controller 60 issues a command to the pilot line 70 to supply compressed air to the on-off valve 54 when the signal sent from the float 82 is stopped. The spool (not shown) is moved by the compressed air supplied by the pilot line 70, and the open / close valve 54 is opened. When the opening / closing valve 54 is opened, the cooling device 50 supplies the refrigerant to the spiral pipe 52.

The cooling device 50 cools the upper side in the chamber 10 from the predetermined position 201 where the float 82 is provided, thereby contracting the volume of the gas staying in the upper side in the chamber 10 and reducing the pressure in the chamber 10. It also has a function to make it easier. When the pressure inside the chamber 10 is reduced, the gas dissolved in the liquid 100 tends to appear as bubbles. The cooling device 50 makes it easy to remove the gas dissolved in the liquid 100 from the liquid 100 by using such a principle.

Moreover, the upper side in the chamber 10 is cooled by operating the cooling device 50 as described above. When the liquid 100 is evaporated and vaporized, the liquid 10 can be returned to the liquid state again from the vaporized state by cooling the upper side in the chamber 10. Since the inside of the chamber 10 is decompressed by returning to the liquid 100, the cooling device 50 can effectively degas the liquid from the liquid 100. Such a cooling device 50 is particularly effective when degassing a liquid having a low boiling point.

  The case where the deaeration device 1 includes the pilot line 70 and controls the operation of the on-off valves 27 and 47 and the pump 30 using the pilot pressure has been described above. However, the deaeration device 1 may be configured to electromagnetically control the open / close valves 27 and 42 and the pump 30.

  The deaeration apparatus 1 having the above configuration can be incorporated into an existing cleaning apparatus by simply connecting the deaeration apparatus 1 to a pipe of an existing cleaning apparatus or the like.

[Operation of deaerator]
The deaeration device 1 having the above-described configuration injects the liquid 100 into the sealed chamber 10 from above, and supplies the liquid 100 at a flow rate higher than the flow rate of the liquid 100 injected into the chamber 10. The inside of the chamber 10 is depressurized by discharging from the lower part of the chamber. The specific action of the deaeration device 1 and the content of the control performed according to the operation of the liquid level sensor 80 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following, the upper limit position 203 where the liquid level 101 reaches is set to the upper end of the chamber 10 (the position where the lid 11 exists. However, the lid 11 is not shown in FIG. 3). explain.

  The deaeration device 1 degass the gas dissolved in the liquid 100 from the liquid 100 while the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 repeatedly increases and decreases. That is, the amount of the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 increases, the liquid surface 101 of the liquid 100 reaches the upper end of the chamber 10, and the amount of the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 decreases. The process of the liquid surface 101 of the liquid 100 reaching the lower limit position 202 is repeated. The gas dissolved in the liquid 100 is degassed from the liquid 100 while these steps are repeated.

(Liquid level rising process)
When the deaerator 1 is powered on (S1 in FIG. 4), the controller 60 causes the compressed air to flow through the pilot line 70 connected to the injection unit 20 and the pilot line 70 connected to the exhaust unit 40. Issue a command. Thereby, the opening / closing valve 27 of the injection part 20 is opened. As shown in FIG. 3A, the liquid 100 is injected into the chamber 10 from both the main pipe 21 and the sub pipe 25 of the injection unit 20 (S2 in FIG. 4). Moreover, the operation of the pump 30 starts when the power is turned on. At that time, the liquid 100 flows through the bypass path composed of the pipe 35, and the liquid 100 flowing through the bypass path composed of the pipe 35 is supplied to the pump 30. Further, the open / close valve 42 of the exhaust unit 40 is opened (S3 in FIG. 4). The pump 30 sucks the gas staying in the chamber 10 through the pipe 41 and the pipe 31, and the gas staying in the chamber 10 is exhausted outside the chamber 10. The gas exhausted out of the chamber 10 is exhausted through the pipe 41 and the exhaust pipe 43.

  When the liquid 100 is injected into the chamber 10 and the liquid level 101 rises and passes through the lower limit position 202 (S5 in FIG. 4), the float 83 is pushed up by the buoyancy of the liquid 100. When the float 83 is pushed up, the float 83 sends a signal to the controller 60. When this signal is received by the timer 65 built in the controller 60, the timer 65 is activated (S6 in FIG. 4). The timer 65 is set to a time until the liquid level 101 passes the lower limit position 202 and reaches the upper end of the chamber 10. The controller 60 controls the opening / closing valve 27 until the liquid level 101 reaches the upper end of the chamber 10. Controls to keep open.

  The cooling device 50 is a device provided as necessary as described above. When the deaeration device 1 includes the cooling device 50, the chiller 51 included in the cooling device 50 causes the refrigerant to flow through the spiral pipe 52 or stops the refrigerant based on a command from the float 82. . First, when the power is turned on, the chiller 51 circulates the refrigerant through the spiral pipe 52 (S4 in FIG. 4). When the liquid level 101 rises and passes through the predetermined position 201 (S7 in FIG. 4), the float 82 is pushed up by the buoyancy of the liquid 100. When the float 82 is pushed up, the float 82 sends a signal to the controller 60. Upon receiving a signal from the float 82, the controller 60 issues a command to the chiller 51 to stop the flow of the refrigerant through the spiral pipe 52, and the cooling is stopped (S8 in FIG. 4).

(Switching from rising process to descending process)
When the set time of the timer 65 has elapsed (S9 in FIG. 4), the liquid level 101 reaches the upper end of the chamber 10 as shown in FIG. When the set time of the timer 65 elapses, the controller 60 compresses the compressed air that has flowed through the pilot line 70 connected to the opening / closing valve 27 of the injection unit 20 and the pilot line 70 connected to the opening / closing valve 42 of the exhaust unit 40. A command to stop is issued. As a result, the opening / closing valve 27 of the injection unit 20 is closed, and the liquid 100 is injected into the chamber 10 only from the main pipe 21. Further, the open / close valve 42 of the exhaust unit 40 is closed (S10 in FIG. 4), and the inside of the chamber 10 is sealed.

(Liquid level lowering process)
When the opening / closing valve 27 of the injection unit 20 is closed , the liquid 100 is injected into the chamber 10 from only the main pipe 21 of the injection unit 20, so that the liquid 100 injected into the chamber 10 only from the main pipe 21. Is less than the flow rate of the liquid 100 discharged from the chamber 10 by the pump 30. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3C, the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 gradually decreases by the difference between the injection amount and the discharge amount (S11 in FIG. 4). In this process, the opening / closing valve 42 of the exhaust unit 40 is closed, so that the interior of the chamber 10 is sealed. Therefore, when the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 is forcibly discharged from the chamber 10 by the pump 30, the pressure in the chamber 10 is reduced. The gas dissolved in the liquid 100 appears as bubbles from the inside of the liquid 100 and is removed from the liquid 100 when the inside of the chamber 10 is depressurized. The gas that appears as bubbles stays in the upper part of the chamber 10 in the process of lowering the liquid level.

  In addition, when the deaeration apparatus 1 is provided with the cooling device 50, the cooling device 50 is controlled to start operation as follows. That is, when the liquid level descends and passes through the predetermined position 201 (S12 in FIG. 4), the float 82 pushed up by the buoyancy descends. As the float 82 descends, the float 82 stops the signal. When the float 82 stops sending a signal, the controller 60 instructs the chiller 51 to circulate the refrigerant through the spiral pipe 52 and controls it to cool (S13 in FIG. 4). When the cooling device 50 starts operating in this way, the area inside the chamber 10 above the predetermined position 201 is cooled. As a result, even if the liquid evaporates and stays in the upper part of the chamber 10, the evaporated liquid is liquefied again by cooling. The cooling device 50 improves the effect of degassing the liquid 100 by liquefying the evaporated material again.

(Switching from the descent process to the rise process)
When the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 decreased and the liquid level 101 reached the lower limit position 202 (S14 in FIG. 4), the liquid 100 was pushed up by the buoyancy of the liquid 100 as shown in FIG. The float 83 descends. When the float 83 descends, the liquid level sensor 80 stops sending signals. When the liquid level sensor 80 stops sending a signal, the controller 60 issues a command for flowing compressed air to the pilot line 70 connected to the injection unit 20. Thereby, the opening / closing valve 27 of the injection part 20 is opened. Further, the controller 60 issues a command for flowing compressed air to the pilot line 70 connected to the exhaust unit 40. Thereby, the opening / closing valve 42 of the exhaust part 40 is opened (S15 in FIG. 4).

(Liquid level rising and lowering processes for the second and subsequent times)
When the opening / closing valve 27 of the injection unit 20 is opened, the liquid 100 is injected into the chamber 10 from both the main pipe 21 and the sub pipe 25. The flow rate of the liquid 100 injected into the chamber 10 from both the main pipe 21 and the sub pipe 25 is larger than the flow rate of the liquid 100 discharged from the chamber 10 by the pump 30. Therefore, the flow rate of the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 is increased by the difference between the flow rate of the injected liquid 100 and the discharged liquid 100, and the liquid level 101 rises (S16 in FIG. 4). The float 83 is pushed up by the buoyancy of the liquid 100 as the liquid level 101 rises. When the float 83 is pushed up, the float 83 sends a signal to the controller 60. The timer 65 built in the controller 60 starts operating upon receiving a signal from the float 83 (S17 in FIG. 4).

  Since the controller 60 and the timer 65 are controlled to maintain the open / close valve 27 until the set time elapses, the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 is maintained as shown in FIG. Surface 101 rises. In addition, since the open / close valve 42 is open, the pump 30 sucks the gas staying in the chamber 10 through the pipe 31 and the pipe 41 and exhausts it outside the chamber 10.

  When the set time of the timer 65 elapses (S20 in FIG. 4) and the liquid level 101 reaches the upper end of the chamber 10 as shown in FIG. 3 (F), the controller 60 opens and closes the open / close valve 42 of the exhaust unit 40. Is closed (S21 in FIG. 4). Further, the opening / closing valve 27 of the injection unit 20 is closed, and the flow rate of the liquid 100 injected into the chamber 10 is made smaller than the flow rate of the liquid 100 discharged from the chamber 10 (S22 in FIG. 4).

  When the deaeration device 1 includes the cooling device 50, when the liquid level 101 passes through the predetermined position 201 (S18 in FIG. 4), the controller 60 sets the cooling device 50 based on the signal from the float 82. The operation is controlled in the same manner as described above to stop cooling (S19 in FIG. 4).

  After closing the opening / closing valve 27 of the injection unit 20, the flow rate discharged is larger than the flow rate injected into the chamber 10, so that the liquid level 101 of the liquid 100 stored in the chamber 10 falls. When the liquid level 101 descends and passes the predetermined position 201 (S23 in FIG. 4), cooling is started again (S24 in FIG. 4). The liquid level 101 further descends and reaches the lower limit position 202 in the chamber.

  The deaeration device 1 removes the gas dissolved in the liquid 100 from the liquid 100 by repeatedly performing these steps (S15 to S25 in FIG. 4). While the deaeration device 1 repeatedly performs these steps, the pressure sensor 90 constantly measures the internal pressure of the chamber 10. Note that the time for one cycle in which the deaeration device 1 performs these steps is the capacity of the chamber 10, the flow rate of the liquid 100 injected into the chamber 10 by the injection unit 20, and the liquid 100 discharged from the chamber 10 by the pump 30. It is set appropriately according to the flow rate.

  In addition, while the deaeration apparatus 1 repeatedly performs such a process, there is a possibility that the inside of the chamber 10 may not be decompressed to a desired pressure due to gas mixed into the liquid 100. In that case, the controller 60 controls the operation of the deaeration device 1 to reset the operation of the deaeration device 1 based on the pressure signal from the pressure sensor 90. Specifically, the controller 65 compares the pressure signal transmitted from the pressure sensor 90 with the maximum internal pressure stored in the storage unit, and a pressure signal higher than the maximum internal pressure is output from the pressure sensor 90 for a predetermined time. If the transmission continues, the operation of the deaeration device 1 is reset. That is, the chamber 10 is emptied, then the liquid 100 is put into the chamber 10 to raise the liquid level 101, the float 83 is activated, and the timer 65 is activated based on the signal from the float 83.

  The liquid surface 101 of the liquid 100 may be controlled to reach an arbitrary position between the predetermined position 201 where the float 82 is provided and the upper end of the chamber 100. In that case, the operation of the on-off valve 27 is controlled by setting a timer time so that the liquid level 101 reaches a desired position.

  Such a deaeration device 1 and a deaeration method have various effects as listed below.

  The degassing apparatus 1 and the degassing method can improve the effect by incorporating them into a cleaning system that cleans an electronic component, a wafer, or the like using ultrasonic waves, or removes impurities on the surface. However, it can also be used for degassing a cleaning liquid for cleaning electronic components, wafers, and the like by incorporating it into a generally used cleaning apparatus other than a cleaning system using ultrasonic waves.

  The deaeration device 1 and the deaeration method can remove the ultrasonic obstacle from the liquid and improve the cavitation effect.

  The degassing apparatus 1 and the degassing method can use a volatile solvent. For example, NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone), a photoresist stripping solution, or the like can be used as the stripping solution.

  The degassing apparatus 1 and the degassing method can prevent the liquid 100 from being deteriorated by the influence of the gas in which the liquid 100 is dissolved. In particular, when the dissolved gas is oxygen, the degassing apparatus 1 and the degassing method can prevent the liquid from being oxidized.

  The degassing apparatus 1 and the degassing method can shorten the time for cleaning, peeling, and the like.

  In addition, the deaeration device 1 has an effect that it can be easily incorporated into a cleaning device or the like simply by connecting to a pipe provided in an existing cleaning device or the like, and there is no need to perform regular maintenance.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Deaeration device 10 Chamber 11 Main body 12 Bottom surface 13 Discharge part 15 Lid 20 Injection part 21 Main piping 22 Nozzle 25 Sub piping (flow rate adjusting means)
26 nozzle 27 open / close valve (flow rate adjusting means)
30 Pump (Discharge means)
31 Piping 35 Piping 40 Exhaust section 41 Piping 42 Open / close valve (open / close means)
50 Cooling Device 51 Chiller 52 Spiral Piping 53 Piping 60 Controller 65 Timer 70 Pilot Line 80 Liquid Level Sensor 81 Mandrel 82 Float 83 Float (Lower Limit Sensor)
90 Pressure sensor 100 Liquid 101 Liquid level 201 Predetermined position 202 Lower limit position 203 Upper limit position

Claims (6)

A chamber having a sealable structure and storing a liquid to be degassed;
An injection part for injecting the liquid into the chamber from the upper part of the chamber, while maintaining a sealed state inside the chamber;
Discharging means for discharging the liquid stored in the chamber from a lower portion of the chamber;
An exhaust section for exhausting a gas degassed from the liquid stored in the chamber;
Opening and closing means for opening and closing the exhaust part;
Injection amount adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate of the liquid injected into the chamber;
A controller for controlling the operation of the opening / closing means and the operation of the injection amount adjusting means;
With
The discharge means discharges the liquid at a flow rate larger than the flow rate of the liquid injected into the chamber with the inside of the chamber sealed, and depressurizes the chamber .
The controller is
While injecting the liquid having a flow rate smaller than the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the chamber by controlling the injection amount adjusting unit, the exhaust unit is closed by the opening / closing unit to close the inside of the chamber. Is sealed and
While the liquid amount larger than the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the chamber by controlling the injection amount adjusting means is injected into the chamber, the exhaust part is opened by the opening / closing means to seal the inside of the chamber. Control to release the state,
A deaeration device characterized by that. The deaeration device according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust unit is connected to the exhaust unit and sucks a gas exhausted from the chamber when the opening / closing unit is opened. A lower limit sensor for detecting that the liquid level of the liquid stored in the chamber has reached a preset lower limit position of the chamber;
A timer that operates based on a signal from the lower limit sensor, and
When the lower limit sensor detects that the liquid level of the liquid has reached the lower limit position, the controller controls the operation of the injection amount adjusting means to discharge the liquid from the chamber. Control to inject a large amount of the liquid into the chamber;
The controller controls the operation of the injection amount adjusting means when a predetermined time required until the liquid level of the liquid reaches the preset upper limit position of the chamber after the timer is activated. The deaeration apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the liquid is controlled to be injected into the chamber at a flow rate smaller than a flow rate of the liquid discharged from the chamber. The deaeration device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a cooling device that cools an upper side of a predetermined position in the chamber. Inject liquid from the top of the chamber by the injection part into the sealed chamber ,
When injecting the liquid before Symbol sealed chamber, and discharging the liquid of the more than the flow rate of the liquid to be injected into the chamber flow from the bottom of the chamber, the chamber was depressurized,
When the liquid level of the liquid reaches a preset lower limit position in the chamber, control is performed so that the liquid having a flow rate larger than the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the chamber is injected into the chamber. And
When the liquid level of the liquid reaches a preset upper limit position in the chamber, control is performed so that the liquid having a flow rate smaller than the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the chamber is injected into the chamber. doing,
A degassing method characterized by that. The deaeration method according to claim 5 , wherein an upper side of a predetermined position in the chamber is cooled.

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