Exhaust device for use in a clean room, cleanroom, and method

Details Exhaust device for use in a clean room, cleanroom, and method Exhaust device for use in a clean room, cleanroom, and method

2000-04-06

2002-05-21

Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)

Material or article handling

Apparatus for moving material between zones having different...

For carrying standarized mechanical interface type

C454S188000, C454S187000, C414S939000, C414S940000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06390755

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to ventilation equipment, and more particularly, to an exhaust device used in a cleanroom for manufacturing semiconductor devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the semiconductor industry, the cleanliness requirement for a cleanroom has been becoming severer from year to year. Convenient references for cleanrooms are U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,173 to Saiki et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,496 to Nishiyama et al.
FIG. 1
illustrates a simplified diagram of separate cleanrooms
100
and
100
′. Elements in room
100
′ having a prime marker are analogous to the elements in room
100
.
In cleanroom
100
, air conditioning system
110
provides air flow
120
that goes substantially in a single direction, from ceiling
101
to room floor
102
. Often, air conditioning system
110
establishes an over pressure in the cleanroom (so-called plenum system). Also, air conditioning system
110
can provide reuse of air (circulation outside room
100
from floor
102
to ceiling
101
, through filter
112
)
While a variety of wafer manufacturing facilities stand on floor
102
, further service room
103
below floor
102
provides infrastructure, for example, by electrical cable
104
and pipe
106
.
Having rooms
100
and
100
′ separated is required because wafer processing machine
140
in room
100
′ could influence wafer processing machine
130
in room
100
by chemicals that parasitically leak out from machine
140
. This problem is now explained with more detail by way of example. Processing machine
130
of a first type processes wafer
139
by deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography. This comprises the application of photoresist pattern, exposure by ultraviolet radiation, etching and other steps.
In a consecutive manufacturing step, processing machine
140
of a second type seals wafer
149
by dispersing IMID (polyimide) through nozzle
142
. IMID is a liquid that is temporarily stored in tank
144
and transported in pipe
106
′. Sometimes, for example, once a week, IMID-machine
140
with tank
144
, pipe
106
′ and nozzle
142
is cleaned (rinsed) by a solvent, for example, NMP (1Methyl-2Pyrrolidone,M-pyrol). NMP that is also a liquid easily converts into gas that becomes part of cloud
150
with exhaust gas. Exhaust gas containing NMP is detrimental to the processes in DUV-machine
130
because they would attack wafers
139
(still unsealed) being processed in DUV-machine
130
.
Since cloud
150
leaves machine
140
, there is a danger that room air flow
120
′ contributes to the distribution of cloud
150
with exhaust gas throughout room
100
′.
As explained, the prior art prevents contamination of processes by chemicals, (e.g., NMP interfering with the DUV processes) by providing separate cleanrooms
100
and
100
′. The separation is, however, inconvenient and expensive. For example, the wafers have to be carried from room
100
to room
101
′.
The present invention seeks to provide a means which mitigates or avoids these and other disadvantages and limitations of the prior art.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3336855 (1967-08-01), Messina
patent: 3616624 (1971-11-01), Marsh
patent: 3774522 (1973-11-01), Marsh
patent: 3776121 (1973-12-01), Truhan
patent: 4693173 (1987-09-01), Saiki et al.
patent: 4923352 (1990-05-01), Tamura et al.
patent: 5316518 (1994-05-01), Challenger
patent: 5553496 (1996-09-01), Nishiyama
patent: 5681219 (1997-10-01), LeFevre et al.
patent: 5928077 (1999-07-01), Kisakibaru
patent: 5934992 (1999-08-01), Sohier et al.
patent: 129123 (1983-08-01), None
patent: 42533 (1985-03-01), None
patent: 360140034 (1985-07-01), None
patent: 403199579 (1991-08-01), None

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