IP Library Granted Patent US 12662405
Granted Patent B2
US 12662405 · App. 18/475,898 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Ultrapure water production system, semiconductor processing system including the same, and semiconductor fabrication method using the same

Inventors: Juhui Park (Suwon-si, KR); Jongha Yun (Suwon-si, KR); Younhaeng Lee (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
C02F9/00H10P50/642H10P52/402H10P70/00C02F1/20C02F1/283C02F1/325C02F1/42C02F2001/422C02F2101/10C02F2101/30C02F2103/04C02F2103/346C02F2201/326C02F2209/20C02F2209/22
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12662405
App. No.
18/475,898
Granted
Jun 23, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed are ultrapure water production systems, semiconductor processing systems, and semiconductor fabrication methods. An ultrapure water production system may include a front filtering part that filters a fluid and a rear filtering part that filters the fluid released from the front filtering part. The rear filtering part may include a UV irradiator that irradiates a UV ray to the fluid to remove an organic material from the fluid, an ANP that removes hydrogen peroxide from the fluid released from the UV irradiator, a connection line that connects the UV irradiator to the ANP, a hydrogen peroxide detector that is on the connection line and detects a concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the fluid released from the UV irradiator, and a DO detector between the hydrogen peroxide detector and the ANP to measure a concentration of dissolved oxygen in the fluid released from the UV irradiator.

Claims (62)

1 . An ultrapure water production system, comprising:

a front filtering part configured to filter a fluid; and

a rear filtering part configured to filter the fluid after the fluid is released from the front filtering part, wherein

the rear filtering part includes

an ultraviolet (UV) irradiator configured to irradiate a UV ray onto the fluid to remove an organic material from the fluid;

an anion polisher (ANP) configured to remove hydrogen peroxide from the fluid after the fluid is released from the UV irradiator;

a connection line that connects the UV irradiator to the ANP, the connection line being in fluid communication with UV irradiator and the ANP;

a hydrogen peroxide detector on the connection line and configured to detect a concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the fluid after the fluid is released from the UV irradiator; and

a dissolved oxygen (DO) detector on the connection line between the hydrogen peroxide detector and the ANP, the DO detector being configured to measure a concentration of dissolved oxygen in the fluid after the fluid is released from the UV irradiator.

2 . The ultrapure water production system of claim 1 , wherein

the ANP includes an ANP tank providing a reaction space and a plurality of particles in the reaction space,

the ANP tank is connected to the connection line and in fluid communication with the connection line, and

each of the plurality of particles includes a resin bead and a reactant on a surface of the resin bead.

3 . The ultrapure water production system of claim 2 , wherein the reactant includes sulfur trioxide (SO 3 ).

4 . The ultrapure water production system of claim 1 , wherein

the UV irradiator includes a UV tank providing a UV irradiation space and a plurality of UV lamps in the UV irradiation space, and

the UV tank is connected to the connection line and in fluid communication with the connection line.

5 . The ultrapure water production system of claim 1 , wherein

the hydrogen peroxide detector includes a first detection line and a hydrogen peroxide sensor connected to an end of the first detection line,

the first detection line is branched from the connection line and in fluid communication with the connection line, and

the hydrogen peroxide sensor is configured to detect a concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the fluid after the fluid is released from the first detection line.

6 . The ultrapure water production system of claim 1 , wherein

the DO detector includes a second detection line and a dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor,

the second detection line is branched from the connection line and in fluid communication with the connection line, and

the dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor that is connected to an end of the second detection line and configured to detects a concentration of dissolved oxygen in the fluid after the fluid is released from the second detection line.

7 . The ultrapure water production system of claim 1 , wherein the rear filtering part further includes a total organic carbon (TOC) analyzer between the front filtering part and the UV irradiator.

8 . The ultrapure water production system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a controller configured to control an operation of at least one of the UV irradiator or the ANP based on information received from at least one of the hydrogen peroxide detector or the DO detector.

9 . A semiconductor processing system, comprising:

the ultrapure water production system of claim 1 , the ultrapure water production system being configured to produce ultrapure water; and

a substrate processing apparatus arranged to be supplied with the ultrapure water from the ultrapure water production system, the substrate processing apparatus configured to perform a process on a substrate.

10 . The semiconductor processing system of claim 9 , wherein the substrate processing apparatus includes one of a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus, a substrate cleaning apparatus, and a substrate etching apparatus.

11 . The semiconductor processing system of claim 9 , wherein the front filtering part includes an active carbon filter, a front UV irradiator, an ion exchange resin device, and a vacuum degassing device.

12 . The semiconductor processing system of claim 11 , wherein

the UV irradiator is configured to irradiate the fluid with UV radiation in a range of about 180 nm to about 190 nm, and

the front UV irradiator is configured to irradiate the fluid with a UV ray having a different wavelength from a wavelength of the UV radiation from the UV irradiator.

13 . The semiconductor processing system of claim 9 , wherein

the ANP includes an ANP tank providing a reaction space and a plurality of particles in the reaction space.

14 . A semiconductor fabrication method, comprising:

producing ultrapure water using the ultrapure water production system of claim 1 ; and

performing a process on a substrate using the ultrapure water, wherein

the producing the ultrapure water includes

using the hydrogen peroxide detector to measure the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the fluid released from the UV irradiator,

controlling the UV irradiator based on information about the concentration of hydrogen peroxide measured by the hydrogen peroxide detector; and

using the ANP to remove hydrogen peroxide from the fluid released from the UV irradiator.

15 . The semiconductor fabrication method of claim 14 , wherein

the UV irradiator includes a plurality of UV lamps,

the producing the ultrapure water further includes measuring a concentration of total organic carbon (TOC) in the fluid released from the UV irradiator,

the controlling the UV irradiator includes

detecting whether the concentration of TOC in the fluid is equal to or less than a first value,

detecting whether the concentration of hydrogen peroxide is equal to or greater than a second value; and

stopping an operation of at least one operating UV lamp among the plurality of UV lamps in response to the concentration of TOC in the fluid being equal to or less than the first value, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the fluid being equal to or greater than the second value, or both the concentration of TOC in the fluid being equal to or less than the first value and the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the fluid being equal to or greater than the second value.

16 . The semiconductor fabrication method of claim 15 , wherein the controlling the UV irradiator further includes operating at least one more UV lamp among the plurality of UV lamps, in response to the concentration of TOC in the fluid being greater than the first value and irrespective of the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the fluid.

17 . The semiconductor fabrication method of claim 15 , wherein

the producing the ultrapure water further includes using the dissolved oxygen (DO) detector to measure the concentration of DO in the fluid after the fluid is released from the UV irradiator,

the DO detector is between the UV irradiator and the ANP.

18 . The semiconductor fabrication method of claim 17 , wherein

the controlling the UV irradiator includes stopping an operation of at least one operating UV lamp among the plurality of UV lamps in response to at least one of the concentration of TOC in the fluid being equal to or less than the first value, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide being less than the second value, and the concentration of DO in the fluid being equal to or greater than a third value.

19 . The semiconductor fabrication method of claim 14 , wherein performing the process on the substrate includes one or more of:

polishing the substrate;

cleaning the substrate; and

etching the substrate.