PROCESS AND EQUIPMENT FOR RECOVERING DEVELOPER FROM PHOTORESIST DEVELOPMENT WASTE AND REUSING IT.

摘要

A TETRAALKYLAMMONIUM HYDROXIDE (TAAH) SOLUTION RECOVERED FROM A DEVELOPMENT WASTE THROUGH SEPARATION THEREFROM OF IMPURITIES SUCH AS PHOTORESIST IS MIXED WITH A SURFACE-ACTIVE SUBSTANCE TO HAVE THE SURFACE TENSION THEREOF ADJUSTED TO A DESIRED ONE, AND THEN REUSED AS A REJUVENATED DEVELOPER. THUS, THE SURFACE-ACTIVE EFFECT (WETTING RPOPERTIES) OF THE REJUVENATED DEVELOPER RECOVERED FROM THE DEVELOPMENT WASTE IS PROPERLY ADJUSTED AND DEVELOPMENT.USABLE SURFACE-ACTIVE SUBSTANCE INCLUDE SURFACTANTS, AND DISSOLVED PHOTORESISTS CONTAINED IN THE DEVELOPMENT WASTE OR A PHOTORESIST-CONTAINING SOLUTION SUCH AS A PHOTORESIST-CONTAINING TREATED SOLUTION DERIVED THEREFROM. EXAMPLES OF THE METHOD OF MIXING THE RECOVERED TAAH-CONTAINING SOLUTION WITH THE PHOTORESIST-CONTAINING SOLUTION TO PREPARE THE REJUVENATED DEVELOPER INCLUDE A METHOD WHEREIN THE TAAH CONCENTRATION THEREOF IS ADJUSTED WITHER AFTER OR WHILE MIXING THE TWO SOLUTIIONS, AND A METHOD WHEREIN THE TAAH CONCENTRATIONS OF THE TWO SOLUTIONS ARE RESPECTIVELY ADJUSTED, FOLLOWED BY MIXING THE TWO SOLUTIONS AT A PROPER PROPORTION.(FIGURE 2)