阅读说明：本技术 管理液体供应的系统与方法 (System and method for managing liquid supply ) 是由 金在植 林钟吉 张成根 于 2019-11-08 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供了一种用于管理液体供应的系统,包括：气压调整器、第一液体容器、包括进液口以及出液口的第二液体容器、连接所述第一液体容器以及所述进液口的第一管路、连接所述出液口以及所述气压调整器的第二管路、进液传感器以及出液传感器。(The present invention provides a system for managing a supply of liquid, comprising: the liquid level sensor comprises an air pressure regulator, a first liquid container, a second liquid container comprising a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, a first liquid container, a first pipeline, a second pipeline, a liquid inlet sensor and a liquid outlet sensor, wherein the first liquid container is connected with the liquid inlet, the liquid outlet is connected with the second pipeline of the air pressure regulator, and the liquid inlet sensor is connected with the liquid outlet.)

1. A system for managing a supply of liquid, the system comprising:

an air pressure regulator;

a first liquid container containing a liquid;

the second liquid container comprises a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet;

the first pipeline is connected with the first liquid container and the liquid inlet;

the second pipeline is connected with the liquid outlet and the air pressure regulator;

the liquid inlet sensor is arranged on the first pipeline and used for detecting the liquid flowing into the liquid inlet; and

and the liquid outlet sensor is arranged on the second pipeline to detect the liquid flowing out of the liquid outlet.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises:

the liquid outlet valve is arranged between the liquid outlet sensor and the air pressure regulator; and

and the discharge valve is arranged on a discharge pipeline, and the discharge pipeline is communicated with a discharge port of the second liquid container.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a control assembly coupled to the inlet sensor, the outlet valve, the exhaust valve, and the pneumatic pressure regulator, the control assembly configured to receive data from the inlet sensor and the outlet sensor.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said data received from said tapping sensor comprises a signal indicating the presence of said liquid in a predetermined portion of said second conduit.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the gas pressure regulator is a gas injector.

6. A method for supplying liquid from a first liquid container to a second liquid container, the method comprising:

providing the system of any one of claims 1-5;

when the liquid inlet sensor detects that the first liquid container is empty, closing the discharge valve and opening the liquid outlet valve; and

activating the air pressure regulator to create a vacuum in the first line, the second liquid container, and the second line.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

and when the liquid outlet sensor detects that the second liquid container is full, closing the liquid outlet valve and closing the air pressure regulator.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

sending an alert to an external device to prompt replacement of the first liquid container.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a confirmation associated with the replacement of the first liquid container.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the liquid is a photoresist.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and more particularly to a system for managing liquid supply.

Background

In semiconductor manufacturing, changing the liquid in the production line often increases the downtime of the machine, affects the yield of the production line, and increases the manufacturing cost.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for managing liquid supply.

The present invention provides a system for managing a supply of liquid, comprising: the liquid level sensor comprises an air pressure regulator, a first liquid container, a second liquid container comprising a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, a first liquid container, a first pipeline, a second pipeline, a liquid inlet sensor and a liquid outlet sensor, wherein the first liquid container is connected with the liquid inlet, the liquid outlet is connected with the second pipeline of the air pressure regulator, and the liquid inlet sensor is connected with the liquid outlet. The liquid inlet sensor is arranged on the first pipeline to detect the liquid flowing into the liquid inlet. The liquid outlet sensor is arranged on the second pipeline to detect the liquid flowing out of the liquid outlet.

In some embodiments of the invention, the system further comprises a drain valve and a drain valve. The liquid outlet valve is arranged between the liquid outlet sensor and the air pressure regulator. The drain valve is disposed in a drain line that communicates with a drain port of the second liquid container.

In some embodiments of the invention, the system further comprises a control assembly coupled to the inlet sensor, the outlet valve, the exhaust valve, and the pneumatic pressure regulator, the control assembly configured to receive data from the inlet sensor and the outlet sensor.

In some embodiments of the invention, the data received from the tapping sensor comprises a signal indicating the presence of the liquid in a predetermined portion of the second line.

In some embodiments of the invention, the gas pressure regulator is a gas injector.

The present invention also provides a method for supplying liquid from a first liquid container to a second liquid container, the method comprising: providing the above system; when the liquid inlet sensor detects that the first liquid container is empty, closing the discharge valve and opening the liquid outlet valve; and activating the pneumatic pressure regulator to create a vacuum in the first line, the second liquid container, and the second line.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the method further comprises closing the liquid outlet valve and closing the air pressure regulator when the liquid outlet sensor detects that the second liquid container is full.

In some embodiments of the invention, the method further comprises sending an alert to an external device to prompt replacement of the first liquid container.

In some embodiments of the invention, the method further comprises receiving a confirmation associated with the replacement of the first liquid container.

In some embodiments of the invention, the liquid is a photoresist.

Drawings

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a system for managing liquid supply according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of the system shown in FIG. 1A operating in a refill mode.

FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of the system shown in FIG. 1A operating in a release mode.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of exemplary operation of the system shown in FIG. 1A.

Description of the main elements

System 100

First liquid container 110

Liquid 111

Second liquid container 120

Liquid inlet 121

Liquid outlet 122

Discharge port 123

Portion 124

Portion 125

Air pressure regulator 130

Nozzle 131

Liquid inlet sensor 141

Liquid outlet sensor 142

First pipeline 151

Second conduit 152

Discharge line 153

Liquid outlet valve 161

Arrows 181,182

Step 201,202,203,204,205,206,207

The following detailed description will further illustrate the invention in conjunction with the above-described figures.

Detailed Description

The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the described embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, and not restrictive of the full scope of the invention. All other embodiments, which can be obtained by a person skilled in the art without any inventive step based on the embodiments of the present invention, are within the scope of the present invention. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of describing the embodiments of the present invention and simplifying the description, but do not indicate or imply that the device or component in question must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the described features. In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically limited otherwise.

Referring to FIG. 1A, a system 100 for managing a supply of liquid is provided. In this embodiment, the system 100 includes a first liquid container 110, a second liquid container 120, an air pressure regulator 130, a first pipeline 151 connecting the first liquid container 110 and the second liquid container 120, a second pipeline 152 connecting the second liquid container 120 and the air pressure regulator 130, and a discharge pipeline 153 connecting the second liquid container 120 and an external pump (not shown). In some embodiments, the first liquid container 110 supplies a liquid 111, such as photoresist (photoresist). The first liquid container 110 may be replaced when the internal liquid is used up. The second liquid container 120 is a buffer storage for storing the photoresist supplied from the first liquid container 110. The gas pressure regulator 130 is a gas ejector for regulating the gas pressure in the system. For example, the air pressure regulator draws air by ejecting air from the nozzle 131 at a high speed to create a vacuum in the first tube 151, the second liquid container 120, and the second tube 152.

In some embodiments, the second liquid container 120 includes an inlet port 121, an outlet port 122, and a drain port 123. The first pipe 151 is connected to the liquid inlet 121. The second pipe 152 is connected to the liquid outlet 122. The discharge line 153 is connected to the discharge port 123.

The system 100 further comprises a liquid outlet sensor 142, a liquid inlet sensor 141, a liquid outlet valve 161 and a discharge valve 162. The liquid outlet sensor 142 is disposed at a predetermined position between the liquid outlet 122 and the liquid outlet valve 161 for detecting the liquid flowing out from the liquid outlet 122. The liquid inlet sensor 141 is disposed at a predetermined position between the first liquid container 110 and the liquid inlet 121, and is configured to detect the liquid flowing into the liquid inlet 121.

For example, a portion 124 of the first pipe 151 near the inlet port 121 is monitored by the inlet sensor 141, and a portion 125 of the second pipe 152 near the outlet port 122 is monitored by the outlet sensor 142. For example, the inlet sensor 141 may transmit data to indicate that the first liquid container is empty, the data including a signal indicating that the portion 124 is not photoresist present. The effluent sensor 142 can transmit data indicating that the second liquid container is full, the data including a signal indicating the presence of photoresist in the portion 125.

Please refer to fig. 1B, which is a schematic diagram illustrating the system 100 shown in fig. 1A operating in a refill mode. The system 100 further comprises a control unit (not shown) coupled to the pneumatic pressure regulator 130, the inlet liquid sensor 141, the outlet liquid sensor 142, the outlet valve 161 and the outlet valve 162. When the inlet sensor 141 detects that the first liquid container is empty, the control unit may send signals to close the outlet valve 162 and open the outlet valve 161. In turn or alternatively, the control unit may send an alert to a monitoring panel (not shown) to prompt replacement of the first liquid container 110. The refill mode may be initiated by receiving a confirmation associated with the replacement of the first liquid container 110. In the refill mode, the air pressure regulator 130 is activated by the control unit. By creating a vacuum in the first pipe 151, the second liquid container 120, and the second pipe 152, the photoresist 111 is sucked from the first liquid container 110 into the second liquid container 120, as indicated by arrow 181. When the outlet sensor 142 detects that the second liquid container 120 is full, the control unit sends signals to close the outlet valve 161 and close the air pressure regulator 130 to end the refilling mode.

Please refer to fig. 1C, which is a schematic diagram illustrating the system 100 shown in fig. 1A operating in the release mode. The release mode may be initiated subsequent to the refill mode. In the release mode, the control unit may send a signal to open the exhaust valve 162 to supply photoresist to the external pump, as indicated by arrow 182.

Referring to FIG. 2, a flowchart illustrating exemplary operation of the system 100 shown in FIG. 1A is shown.

In step 201, the inlet sensor 141 is configured to detect the liquid flowing from the first liquid container 110 into the inlet 121 of the second liquid container 120. The liquid outlet sensor 142 is configured to detect the liquid flowing out of the liquid outlet 122 of the second liquid container 120. For example, the control unit may perform an operation based on data received from the inlet liquid sensor 141 and the outlet liquid sensor 142.

In step 202, the system 100 determines whether the first liquid container 110 is empty. If the inlet sensor 141 detects that the portion 124 does not have photoresist, the process may proceed to step 203, otherwise, the process returns to step 201.

In step 203, the system 100 may send signals to close the drain valve 162 and open the drain valve 161. For example, the operation includes closing the drain valve and opening the drain valve when the liquid inlet sensor detects that the first liquid container is empty.

In step 204, the system 100 may initiate a release mode subsequent to receiving confirmation associated with replacement of the first liquid container 110.

In step 205, the system 100 may send a signal to activate the air pressure regulator 130 to generate a vacuum. Accordingly, the photoresist in the first liquid container 110 may be sucked into the second liquid container 120. For example, the operation includes activating the air pressure regulator 130 to create a vacuum in the first line 151, the second liquid container 120, and the second line 152.

In step 206, the system determines whether the second liquid container 120 is empty. If the liquid-out sensor 142 detects the photoresist present in the portion 125, the flow proceeds to step 207. For example, the operation includes closing the liquid outlet valve 161 and closing the air pressure regulator 130 when the liquid outlet sensor 142 detects that the second liquid container 120 is empty, otherwise, the air pressure regulator 130 continues to operate.

In step 207, the system can send a signal to open the exhaust valve 162 to initiate a release mode to supply photoresist to the external pump.

It should be understood that the above examples are only for illustrating the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made in the technical spirit of the present invention within the scope of the appended claims.