Patent ID: 6333003
Filing Date: 2001-12-25
Classification: F24F,G03F,H01L

Abstract:
A treatment method for treating a semiconductor wafer or an LCD class substrate in accordance with photolithography in an isolated treatment space in an air-conditioned clean room, comprising the steps of:(a) preparing a process unit, a removing unit, and air collecting mechanism, an air supply mechanism, a spray mechanism for spraying an impurity remover, a gas-liquid contact portion wherein a sprayed impurity remover comes into fluid contact with collected air, a pan for temporarily storing the impurity remover, a sterilizer for sterilizing the impurity remover, a reuse circuit for reusing the impurity remover, an impurity remover replenishing mechanism, a supply pipe, and a heat exchanger;(b) starting an operation of said removing unit, gathering at least some part of air in said process unit into said removing unit by means of said air collecting mechanism, replenishing a new impurity remover from said impurity remover replenishing mechanism, supplying said new impurity remover to a gas-liquid contact portion of a lowermost-stream side of an airflow after exchanging heat between said new impurity remover and an impurity remover discharged from a pan of an uppermost-stream side of the airflow, separating and removing alkaline components from said collected air, feeding purified air back to said process unit by means of said air supply mechanism, and supplying the impurity remover that is discharged from the pan of the uppermost-stream side of the air flow and that passes through the reuse circuit to the spray mechanism of the lowermost-stream side of the airflow;(c) stopping the operation of said removing unit;(d) discharging the impurity remover in said reuse circuit; and(e) supply a biocide to the purity remover in the reuse circuit with said sterilizer unit.