JP-2026075378-A - Fluid observation device

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a method that enables fluid observation independent of the analysis direction using an analysis method based on the S-BOS method. [Solution] The fluid observation device comprises an imaging unit (50) that captures a background image (53) through an observation area (S) where fluid is present, and a computer (60) that analyzes the fluid flow using the background Schlieren method with respect to the image acquired by the imaging unit (50). The background image (53) has a pattern in which the intensity of light and dark changes repeatedly in both the horizontal and vertical directions. The computer (60) is configured to analyze the fluid flow with respect to both the horizontal and vertical directions of the background image (53). [Selection Diagram] Figure 1

Inventors

• 大西 葵
• 古田 智靖

Assignees

• 株式会社ＳＣＲＥＥＮホールディングス

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20241022

Claims (5)

1. A fluid observation device for observing the flow of a fluid, An imaging unit that captures a background image through an observation area where the fluid is present, A computer that analyzes the fluid flow using the background Schlieren method with respect to the image acquired by the imaging unit, Equipped with, The aforementioned background image has a pattern in which the intensity of light and dark changes repeatedly in both the horizontal and vertical directions. A fluid observation device in which the computer is configured to analyze the flow of the fluid with respect to both the horizontal and vertical directions of the background image.
2. A fluid observation device according to claim 1, The computer is a fluid observation device that synthesizes the analysis results of the fluid flow in both the lateral and vertical directions.
3. A fluid observation device according to claim 1 or claim 2, The aforementioned background image has a pattern in which the intensity changes periodically in both the horizontal and vertical directions, and is used in a fluid observation device.
4. A fluid observation device according to claim 3, The fluid observation device has a background image that has a pattern composed of two figures of different colors or tones arranged alternately in both the horizontal and vertical directions.
5. A fluid observation device according to claim 1 or claim 2, The aforementioned background image has a pattern that is not periodic in either the horizontal or vertical direction, and is used in fluid observation devices.

Description

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a fluid observation device. Conventionally, equipment is known that cleans substrates, such as semiconductor wafers, by supplying a processing solution to them. In this type of equipment, even slight changes in airflow within the chamber can degrade product quality. Therefore, there is a need for technology that allows observation of the airflow state within the chamber while the substrate cleaning process is being performed. One known technique for observing airflow is the Background-Oriented Schlieren (BOS) method. The BOS method involves imaging a background (such as a random dot pattern) placed through the object being observed using a camera, and obtaining refractive index changes associated with temperature changes and density gradients due to the object from the optical distortion of the background distribution. The BOS method allows for the simple and reasonable visualization of gas movement and heat flow by capturing local refractive index changes. A conventional apparatus using the BOS method is described, for example, in Patent Document 1. When considering the BOS method as an airflow visualization technique, several challenges arose related to the processing method. Specifically, the processing load for cross-correlation calculations was high, making immediate output difficult as the number of pixels increased. Furthermore, the need to appropriately define the inspection and exploration regions required for cross-correlation calculations was also a challenge. Thus, the BOS method had problems that needed to be solved in terms of image clarity, immediacy, and automation of the technique. As a method to solve the problems of the BOS method, the S-BOS (Simplified-Background Oriented Schlieren) method has been proposed (e.g., Non-Patent Document 1). The S-BOS method uses a periodic pattern (such as stripes) as the background pattern and calculates its displacement (phase change) to visualize airflow. Unlike the conventional BOS method, the S-BOS method allows analysis using simple trigonometric function calculations, resulting in a lighter processing load and enabling application to real-time observation. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-143917 Junichi Akatsuka, Shinji Nagai, and Shinji Honami, "Improvement of a visualization method for density gradients based on the Background-Oriented Schlieren method," JSME Vol. 77, No. 784, 2391-2400 (2011).Philippe Weinzaepfel, Jerome Revaud, Zaid Harchaoui, Cordelia Schmid, “DeepFlow: Large displacement optical flow with deep matching,” HAL-OS pp.1385-1392 (2013). This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus equipped with a fluid observation device according to one embodiment.This is a diagram showing an example of a background image.This figure shows another example of a background image.This is a block diagram showing the electrical connections between the computer and the various parts of the circuit board processing unit.Figure 2 conceptually illustrates the S-BOS method when using the background image shown (an image with periodicity in the horizontal and vertical directions).Figure 3 conceptually illustrates the S-BOS method when using the background image (random dot pattern) shown.This diagram shows the process for obtaining S-BOS analysis images from time-series measurement images.This figure shows an example of additional analysis based on composite images. The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the components described in these embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to them alone. In the drawings, for ease of understanding, the dimensions and number of parts may be exaggerated or simplified as needed. <1. Embodiments> Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus 1 equipped with a fluid observation device according to one embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a device that supplies a processing liquid to the surface of a disc-shaped substrate W in the semiconductor wafer manufacturing process to clean the substrate W. As shown in Figure 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 comprises a chamber 10, a substrate holding unit 20, a rotating mechanism 30, a processing liquid supply unit 40, an imaging unit 50, and a computer 60. The chamber 10 is a housing that encloses a processing space 11 for processing the substrate W. The chamber 10 has side walls 12 surrounding the sides of the processing space 11, a top plate 13 covering the upper part of the processing space 11, and a bottom plate 14 covering the lower part of the processing space 11. The substrate holding section 20, the rotating mechanism 30, and part of the processing liquid supply section 40 (specifically, the nozzle 45 and cup 47) are housed inside the chamber 10. A portion of the side wall 12 is provided with an entr