JP2003056898A - Air conditioner and method for manufacturing semiconductor device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner in which a replacing cycle is shortened by prolonging a lifetime of a various type filter such as a chemical filter or the like and which has an excellent energy conservation effect. SOLUTION: The air conditioner comprises the chemical filter units 5 provided in chambers 2 for passing treated air, and a bypass channel 31 provided between units 21 and 21 in which the filters 5 are mounted. The conditioner further comprises dampers 23, 33 provided at inlets of the units 21, 21 and inlets of the channel 31 for openably and closably setting inlets. If a contaminant in the treated air exceeds an allowable value, the damper 23 of the unit 21 is opened, and the damper 33 of the inlet 32 of the channel 31 is closed. If the contaminant is the allowed value or less, the damper 23 of the unit 21 of the unit 5 is closed, the damper 33 of the inlet 32 of the channel 31 is opened, and hence the treated air flows in the chamber 2 without passing through the chemical filter.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner having a chemical substance adsorption filter and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a clean room equipped with the air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, when treating outside air and supplying clean air to a clean room, a chemical substance adsorption filter (hereinafter referred to as "chemical filter") may be installed in an outside air intake system or the like. In this case, a chemical filter (for example, activated carbon filter) is usually arranged in a chamber formed by a panel or the like in a cylindrical shape so that the passage surface is perpendicular to the process air, and as a chemical filter unit integrated with the chamber, It is installed between a prefilter that collects coarse dust and a high-performance filter that also collects dust from the chemical filter itself. As a result, the treated air that has passed through the dust removal filter unit always passes through the passage surface of the chemical filter unit and is treated.

[0003]

By the way, in reality,
If the chemical concentration in the open air is below the allowable concentration, it may not be necessary to treat with a chemical filter. In this respect, in the conventional method, the treatment air is always passed through the chemical filter to constantly adsorb the chemical substances in the treatment air, and thus the life of the treatment air is reached quickly. Therefore, the replacement cycle was short, which was a problem. Further, since the chemical filter is more expensive than the ordinary dust removal filter, there is a problem in cost. Furthermore, because the pressure loss of the air flowing through the chemical filter is larger than that of other filters, extra energy (blowing power = air volume x pressure loss of the chemical filter) is continuously consumed while the chemical filter is not needed, thus saving energy. Was also a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and extends the life of various target adsorption filters such as chemical filters to prolong the replacement cycle, and is more energy-saving than conventional air. The purpose is to provide a harmony device to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the air conditioner of the present invention comprises a chamber through which treated air passes, and a chemical substance adsorbent disposed in the chamber for cleaning the treated air. An air conditioner having a filter, a fan for introducing processing air into a chamber, and an air conditioning processing unit installed on the downstream side of the chemical substance adsorption filter, wherein the chemical substance adsorption is performed in the chamber. A bypass flow passage is provided that communicates with the air conditioning processing unit without passing through a filter, and the treatment air introduced into the chamber is selectively flown to the chemical substance adsorption filter side or the bypass flow passage side. A damper is provided in the chamber.

According to the present invention, by switching the damper,
Since the processing air can be switched to the chemical adsorption filter side or the bypass flow path side and introduced into the air conditioning processing unit,
For example, if the target chemical adsorption filter is a chemical filter, and if the amount of pollutants is less than the allowable amount, it is possible to introduce the chemical adsorption filter directly into the air conditioning processing unit without passing through it. is there. Therefore, the target chemical substance adsorption filter is not always processed, but the target chemical substance adsorption filter is processed only when it is truly necessary, so that the life of the chemical substance adsorption filter is extended. At the same time, the time taken to process the target chemical substance adsorption filter is reduced, so that energy waste due to pressure loss is suppressed. Further, by setting the bypass flow passage in the chamber, it is configured as one unit as a whole.

The air conditioning processing unit may be any unit that has a mechanism for performing at least one of cooling, heating, humidification, dehumidification and the like. The air conditioning processing unit may be integrally configured in a chamber in which the chemical substance adsorption filter is arranged, but the air conditioning processing unit may be housed in the casing separately from the filter chamber and may be duct-connected. .
The fan may be installed in any location such as in the filter chamber, in the casing having the air conditioning processing unit, between the outside air intake and the filter chamber, and on the downstream side of the air conditioning processing unit. Further, in the present invention, it is possible to install another filter such as a dust filter separately on the downstream side of the chemical substance adsorption filter and the bypass flow path.

It is preferable that the inlets of the bypass passages are evenly arranged in the chamber. As a result, it is possible to prevent the processing air that has passed through the bypass passage from flowing unevenly. From this point of view, a plurality of inlets of the chemical adsorption filter and the inlet of the bypass passage are set, for example, the inlets of the bypass passage are located on both sides of the inlet of the chemical adsorption filter, or vice versa. It is preferable that the inlets of the chemical substance adsorption filter are located on both sides of the bypass flow passage with the inlet of the bypass flow passage interposed therebetween, or that a plurality of inlets are provided and the respective inlets are alternately set.

When the treated air flows through the bypass passage,
The number of rotations of the fan may be controlled to be high. Thus, for example, when the bypass flow path cannot be wide, it is possible to secure the required flow rate in the air conditioning processing unit on the downstream side by increasing the wind speed.

Furthermore, a sensor for measuring the concentration of contaminants to be removed by the chemical substance adsorption filter in the process air introduced into the chamber is provided, and based on the measurement result of the sensor, the damper The operation may be controlled. As a result, when the concentration of the pollutant to be removed by the chemical substance adsorption filter is below the permissible value, the process air is passed through the bypass channel, and when the concentration exceeds the permissible value, the chemical substance adsorption filter does not perform the operation. It can be done automatically.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows an air conditioner 1 according to the present embodiment in which a filter unit is incorporated to supply clean air to a clean room or the like. 2 shows an outline of the configuration, and FIG. 2 shows an outline of the configuration as viewed from the same plane.

Inside the rectangular tunnel-shaped chamber 2, a dust removal filter unit 4, for example, a chemical filter unit 5 for collecting and removing chemical substances by chemical adsorption or catalytic action from the intake 3 side of the outside air OA 5, activated carbon. A dust removing filter unit 6, a cooling coil unit 7, and a heating coil unit 8 for removing dust such as the above are sequentially installed.
These are housed in one chamber 2 and form an external regulator, but each component may be ducted.

A humidifying area 9 in which a humidifying device (not shown) is arranged is formed on the downstream side of the heating coil unit 8. A fan 11 driven by a motor 10 is installed on the downstream side of the humidification area 9, and the treated air that passes through these series of units and is adjusted to a desired cleanliness and temperature / humidity is used as the supply air SA. The air is supplied from the air outlet 12 on the upper part of the fan 11. In the present embodiment, the cooling coil unit 7, the heating coil unit 8, and the humidifying area 9 form an air conditioning processing unit.

The chemical filter unit 5 itself is constituted by connecting two units 21 and 21 in parallel with a bypass passage, which will be described later, interposed therebetween. Each unit 21
In this embodiment, six pieces of the same shape and size (two rows and three stages) are further used.
It is divided into units. Both side plates, a top plate, and a bottom plate are formed by the panel material 22 constituting the casing. For example, the filter material of the chemical substance adsorption filter having activated carbon is provided in this casing.

The inlet portion 27 on the upstream side of each unit 21
A plurality of rotatable dampers 23 are provided in multiple stages. Each damper 23 rotates in conjunction with each other. That is, the rotation fulcrum of each damper 23 is set horizontally at the inlet portion 27 of the unit 21, and the upstream end of each damper is vertically moved via an appropriate link member (not shown) in the vertical direction. It is rotatably supported by a support column 24 arranged at. Therefore, when the support pillars 24 move upward, the front ends of the dampers 23 are lifted accordingly, and the entrance of the unit 21 is closed. In the state shown in FIG. 1, each damper 23 is in a horizontal state, and the inlet portion 27 of the unit 21 is open.

The support column 24 moves up and down by the drive unit 25. That is, the lower end of the support column 24 is connected to one end of the link member 26, and the other end of the link member 26 is keyed to the drive shaft of the drive unit 25. Therefore, when the drive shaft rotates, the link member 26 moves up and down. In the present embodiment, the drive roller 25 uses a modtrol motor.

A bypass flow passage 31 formed by a side plate of the unit 21, a top plate of the chamber 2 and a bottom plate is formed between the units 21 and 21 of the chemical filter unit 5, that is, in the center of the flow passage in the chamber 2. ing. The inlet portion 32 of the bypass flow passage 31 is formed in a rectangular shape by a frame material, and the inlet portion 32 is provided with a plurality of dampers 33 that can open and close the inlet portion 32.

The damper 33 has the same structure as the damper 23 of the unit 21, and each damper 33 is rotated by the upward movement of the support pillar 24, and the support pillar 24 itself is moved by the drive section 25. It moves up and down by driving the drive shaft.

The control of the drive unit 25 is controlled by the control device 41. That is, when the damper 23 of the unit 21 of the chemical filter unit 5 is open, the damper 33 of the inlet portion 32 of the bypass flow passage 31 is opened.
When the damper 23 of the unit 21 of the chemical filter unit 5 is closed, on the contrary, the controller 41 controls the drive unit 25 so as to open the damper 33 of the inlet 32 of the bypass flow passage 31. is doing.

Further, the control device 41 has a function of controlling the rotation speed of the motor 10 of the fan 11 as well. That is, when the damper 23 of the unit 21 of the chemical filter unit 5 is closed and the damper 33 of the inlet portion 32 of the bypass flow passage 31 is opened, the rotation speed of the motor 10 is reduced to suppress the rotation speed of the fan 11. Chamber 2
The control is performed so as to increase the amount of processing air introduced into the inside. That is, since the pressure loss of the chemical filter unit 5 is large, the fan 11 must be operated at a speed that can beat it, but the bypass passage 31
In this case, the pressure loss is small, the amount of air flow is too large in the same operation, and it is against energy conservation. Therefore fan 1
The operation is to suppress 1.

The air conditioner 1 according to the present embodiment is
With the above configuration, when the concentration of pollutant chemicals in the process air introduced into the chamber 2 by the operation of the fan 11 exceeds the permissible value, as shown in FIGS. In addition, the unit 2 of the chemical filter unit 5
The damper 23 of No. 1 is opened, and the damper 33 of the inlet 32 of the bypass passage 31 is closed. As a result, the processing air that has been introduced into the chamber 2 and has had its dust removed by the dust removal filter unit 4 passes through the unit 21 of the chemical filter unit 5 to remove contaminant chemical substances. Then, after the powder such as activated carbon is removed by the powder removing filter unit 6, the temperature and humidity of the cooling coil unit 7, the heating coil unit 8 and the humidifying area 9 are adjusted, and then the powder is blown out from the outlet 12. Thereafter, the treated air is sent into a clean room (not shown), and the clean room is filled with the purified air. In such a clean room, it is used as a clean room for manufacturing semiconductor devices, and semiconductor wafers and the like are processed in the clean room.

When the concentration of the chemical pollutant in the treated air is below the allowable value, the damper 23 of the unit 21 of the chemical filter unit 5 is closed and the bypass passage 3
The damper 33 of the first inlet 32 is opened. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the process air introduced into the chamber 2 does not pass through the unit 21 of the chemical filter unit 5 but flows through the bypass passage 31 as it is, and thereafter, by the post-powder removal filter unit 6. The powder such as activated carbon is removed, and after the temperature and humidity are adjusted in the cooling coil unit 7, the heating coil unit 8 and the humidification area 9, the powder is blown out from the air outlet 12.

At this time, the cross-sectional area of the bypass flow passage 31 is narrower than that of the unit 21 of the chemical filter unit 5, but the pressure loss is small, so that the flow speed of the fan 11 flows through the bypass flow passage 31 even if the rotational speed of the fan 11 is suppressed. The air is at a high speed and a certain amount of air is obtained. Note that the rotation speed (rotation speed) of the fan 11 is the amount of air near the outlet of the fan 11,
Alternatively, the room pressure of the room to which the air discharged from the fan 11 is supplied may be detected and controlled.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the concentration of the chemical pollutant in the treated air is less than the allowable value, in other words, when it is not necessary to treat with the chemical filter, the treated air is chemically treated. Without passing through the unit 21 of the filter unit 5, it flows through the bypass flow passage and is sent as it is to the air conditioning processing unit on the downstream side. Therefore,
It is possible to extend the life of the chemical filter used in the chemical filter unit 5 and to suppress energy waste due to pressure loss.

In the above-described embodiment, the bypass flow passage 31 is set in the central portion of the chemical filter unit 5, and the units 21 and 21 are provided with chemical filters on both sides thereof.
However, like the air conditioner 51 of the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, two bypass flow paths 31 and 31 are set in the chamber 2 and the chemical filter is used. The bypass channels 31 and 31 may be arranged alternately with the unit 21 of the unit 5 and symmetrically provided.

Further, in the second embodiment, the concentration between the dust removing filter unit 4 and the chemical filter unit 5 is determined so as to determine the concentration of the chemical contaminant to be removed by the chemical filter in the treated air. A sensor 52 is provided. The measurement result by the concentration sensor 52 is transmitted to the control device 41, and the measurement result is
When the concentration of the chemical pollutant in the treated air exceeds the allowable value, the control device 41 opens the damper 23 of the unit 21 of the chemical filter unit 5 and the damper 33 of the inlet portion 32 of the bypass flow passage 31. Control to close. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the processing air introduced into the chamber 2 is removed by the dust removing filter unit 4 and then the chemical filter unit 5 is removed.
After passing through the unit 21, the contaminant chemicals are removed. Then, after the powder such as activated carbon is removed by the powder removing filter unit 6, the temperature and humidity of the cooling coil unit 7, the heating coil unit 8 and the humidifying area 9 are adjusted, and then the powder is blown out from the outlet 12.

Further, as a result of the measurement by the concentration sensor 52, when the concentration of the chemical pollutant is below the allowable value, the damper 23 of the unit 21 of the chemical filter unit 5 is closed and the damper of the inlet portion 32 of the bypass flow passage 31 is closed. The control device 41 controls to open 33. As a result, the process air introduced into the chamber 2 is discharged to the unit 21 of the chemical filter unit 5 as shown in FIG.
Bypass passages 31, 31 without passing through
Flowing through. Therefore, according to the air conditioner 51 of the second embodiment, the flow path inside the chamber 2 is automatically switched depending on the concentration of the chemical substance.

In this case, the two bypass channels 31, 31
Are alternately arranged with the unit 21 of the chemical filter unit 5, and the bypass flow paths 31, 31 are symmetrically arranged, so that the air flowing through the bypass flow paths 31, 31 is not biased to the downstream side. It flows. Further, as in the case of the above-described embodiment, when the cross-sectional areas of the bypass flow passages 31 and 31 are narrower than that of the unit 21 of the chemical filter unit 5, and a predetermined air volume cannot be obtained even if pressure loss is taken into consideration. Is controlled so that the rotation speed of the fan 11 is increased and the amount of process air introduced into the chamber 2 is increased.

In the above embodiment, the opening and closing of the damper was automatically switched, but a chemical substance in the outside air, for example, SOx.
The maintenance personnel may measure the concentration with a measuring instrument and switch the damper manually.

[0030]

According to the present invention, depending on the concentration of the pollutant to be removed by the chemical substance adsorbing filter, the chemical substance adsorbing filter can be used for processing, or the chemical substance adsorbing filter can be directly passed to the air conditioning processing unit on the downstream side. It is possible to lead to. Therefore, the life of the target chemical substance adsorption filter can be made longer than before, and the energy saving effect is also superior.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a configuration of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view from a plan view showing how the treated air passes through the chemical filter in the air conditioner according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view from a plan view showing how the treated air is passing through the bypass passage in the air conditioner according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an outline of a configuration of an air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory plan view showing how the treated air passes through the chemical filter in the air conditioner according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory plan view showing a state in which process air passes through a bypass flow path in the air-conditioning apparatus according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 chamber 5 Chemical filter unit 7 Cooling coil unit 8 heating coil unit 9 Humidification area 11 fans 21 units 23 Damper 25 Drive 31 Bypass channel 33 damper

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Minoru Yoshida             1871 Shiga Akanuma, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Altopia             No B-203 (72) Inventor Michio Kato             Seiko, 3-3-3 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture             -In Epson Corporation F-term (reference) 3L051 BC10                 4D058 JA12 QA01 QA03 QA19 QA21                       QA23 SA04 TA03 UA25

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A chamber through which process air passes, a chemical substance adsorption filter disposed in the chamber for cleaning the process air, a fan for introducing the process air into the chamber, and the chemical substance. An air conditioner having an air conditioning processing unit installed on the downstream side of an adsorption filter, wherein a bypass flow path that leads to the air conditioning processing unit without passing through the chemical substance adsorption filter is provided in the chamber, A damper is provided in the chamber for selectively switching the flow of the process air introduced into the chamber to the chemical substance adsorption filter side or the bypass flow channel side, and the chamber is provided with the damper. . 2. The inlet of the bypass passage is provided separately from the inlet to the chemical adsorption filter in the chamber, and at least one side of these two inlets is arranged to be parallel to each other. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The inlet of the processing air of the chamber is divided into an inlet of the bypass flow passage and an inlet leading to the chemical substance adsorption filter, and the two divided inlets are alternately arranged adjacent to each other. Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above.
The air conditioner according to 1. 4. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the number of revolutions of the fan is controlled to be high when the treated air flows through the bypass passage. 5. In the process air introduced into the chamber,
2. A sensor for measuring the concentration of a contaminant to be removed by the chemical substance adsorption filter, wherein the operation of the damper is controlled based on the measurement result of the sensor. The air conditioner according to 3 or 4. 6. A step of measuring the concentration of a pollutant contained in treated air, and when the concentration exceeds a predetermined concentration, the treated air is introduced into an air conditioning treatment section through a chemical substance adsorption filter, When the concentration is equal to or lower than a predetermined concentration, a step of introducing the treatment air into the air conditioning treatment section without passing through the chemical substance adsorption filter, and a step of introducing the treatment air in the air conditioning treatment section or the upstream side thereof. A semiconductor device comprising: a step of introducing the processing air into a clean room after performing dust removal; and a step of processing a semiconductor wafer in the clean room containing the cleaned processing air. Manufacturing method.