Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Cover with surface water receiver at eave or valley
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-05
2002-08-27
Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Cover with surface water receiver at eave or valley
C052S302100, C052S302300, C052S506060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06438901
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shielding apparatus for protecting a machine, and more particularly, to a shielding apparatus fixed above the machine to protect the machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general Fab, all processes are performed in a clean room. To save space, a plurality of mezzanines are adopted in the clean room whereby both a mesh anti-acid zinc-plated steel ledge and a handrail are installed at a predetermined height followed by the installation of a chief machine and a plurality of lines and tubing.
However, two design problems occur. The first problem is the inability of the mesh anti-acid zinc-plated steel ledge and the handrail to protect the machine and the people below from falling tools and debris due to the existence of an interspace between the mesh and the handrail. The second problem is the escape of acidic and basic process liquids or volatile gases used during processes in the tubing and the lines, such as the mixture of nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid to remove silicon dioxide in the wet etching process. These process liquids or volatile gases may escape from the joint of the lines and the tubing or from the machines on the mesh, and through the interspace of the mesh and the handrail to harm the machines and people below.
The high volatility and corrosiveness of the process liquids or gases can lead to severe physical damage to those they contact. As well, the process liquids or volatile gases can lead to the corrosion of the machines and electric circuits below, resulting in breakdown of the entire machine and hindering the subsequent processes of a production line. As well, within the clean room, particles volatilized from the process liquids or gases can damage the wafer surface.
Please refer to FIG.
1
.
FIG. 1
is a schematic diagram of the prior art. In the prior art, a shielding apparatus
100
is installed within a clean room
200
. The clean room
200
comprises the shielding apparatus
100
, an air filter
202
, a gas inlet
204
, a gas outlet
206
, a mesh steel ledge
208
, a machine
210
a
positioned atop the mesh steel ledge
208
, and a machine
210
b
positioned below the mesh steel ledge
208
. The shielding apparatus
100
comprises an anti-acid zinc plate
102
fixed above the machine
210
b
, and four supporting beams
104
positioned vertically at the four corners of the anti-acid zinc plate
102
(only two of
104
are shown). The anti-acid zinc plate
102
has a greater area than that of the machine
210
b
to allow for the protection of the people and the machine below.
The clean room
200
uses the air filter
202
, the gas inlet
204
, and the gas outlet
206
to maintain a proper level of cleanliness. For example, the air filter
202
removes the particles in the air, the gas inlet
204
supplies fresh air into the clean room
200
and attenuates the concentration of the particles in the air, while the gas outlet
206
expels the air out of the clean room
200
to allow for sufficient convection.
The original design of the clean room
200
is to maintain cleanliness through sufficient filtration of particles by the air filter
202
as well as maintaining sufficient convection by the gas inlet
204
and the gas outlet
206
(as shown by arrow heads). However, the location of the shielding apparatus
100
of the prior art hinders air circulation (as shown by arrow heads) and consequently, hinders the ability of the clean room to maintain a proper level of cleanliness.
Although the structure of the prior art protects the people and the machine from the formed process liquids or volatile gases as well as from falling tools and debris, it hinders air circulation and therefore affects the maintenance of a proper cleanliness level.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a shielding apparatus to solve the above mentioned-problems.
In accordance with the claimed invention, the present invention provides a shielding apparatus installed over a machine in a clean room to protect the machine. The shielding apparatus comprises at least two supporting beams and a plurality of rectangular-shaped plate flaps placed parallel to each other. The flaps are connected to the supporting beams at an angle, and each flap has areas overlapping with the neighboring flap along a vertical cross-section. The smallest length of edge area projected on the vertical cross-section is between 1 mm to 20 cm. Each flap is an anti-acid zinc-plated steel plate, and is connected to the bottom of the neighboring flap by a mesh plate. A drain piping is connected to the bottom of each flap to collect and deliver process liquids.
It is an advantage of the present invention that the shielding apparatus can efficiently solve the above-mentioned problems.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3685235 (1972-08-01), Lang
patent: 3791089 (1974-02-01), Alderman
patent: 3848385 (1974-11-01), Thonpson
patent: 4261143 (1981-04-01), Rizzo
patent: 4878330 (1989-11-01), Machin
patent: 4947607 (1990-08-01), Stein
patent: 5258079 (1993-11-01), Nakatsukasa
patent: 5729931 (1998-03-01), Wade
patent: 6050030 (2000-04-01), Wax
patent: 6279271 (2001-08-01), Burkart
patent: 6308479 (2001-10-01), Prohofsky
Chiu Yu-Chun
Hsieh Heng-Chang
Shu Hung-I
Tan Kok-Weng
Friedman Carl D.
McDermott Kevin
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