JP2005353967A - Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an exposing device capable of accomplishing positioning accuracy improvement and high throughput by removing thermal effect on the exposing device itself without incurring the enlargement of the temperature conditioning apparatus of a circulatory system in a heat treatment of a heating element. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus reduces quantity of heat treated in the circulatory system in such a way that the heat treatment of the heating element is divided into two lines constituted by a thermal exhausting line and a circulatory line, and that the heat of the thermal exhausting line is exhausted to a factory exhausting line by taking in clean room air which does not belong to chamber environment. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly to an exposure apparatus having a temperature adjusting device for controlling a temperature environment.

  In order to prevent the influence of thermal expansion due to temperature changes or the error of the interferometer that detects position information, an exposure apparatus used in semiconductor manufacturing or the like surrounds the exposure apparatus body with a chamber and air-conditions the interior of the chamber to maintain a constant temperature. Yes.

  FIG. 3 shows an outline of a conventional air conditioning system. Circulating air 23 from the chamber 22 in which the exposure apparatus main body 21 is accommodated or clean room air 24 from the outside of the chamber 22 is supplied to the cooler 25 to be cooled. The cooling air 26 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heater 27 to become temperature-controlled air 28, passes through a filter 29, and is blown out to the internal environment of the chamber 22.

  Further, the temperature sensor 31 detects the temperature of the temperature control air 28, and the signal is input to the temperature controller 32. The temperature controller 32 performs PID feedback control based on the signal from the temperature sensor 31, supplies the output to the heater 27, and performs control so that the temperature-controlled air 28 is always at a constant temperature. This air circulation is performed by a blower 30 such as a sirocco fan, a turbo fan, or a radial fan.

The details of the circulating air 23 are shown in FIG. There are many heating elements 11 such as electrical equipment in the chamber. The cover 12 is placed so as to surround the heat generating body 11 so that the heat from the heat generating body 11 does not affect the exposure apparatus main body 21, and the air 15 in the chamber is introduced into the cover 12, so that the heat exhausting of the heat generating body 11 is performed. Do. The air 15 in the chamber passes through the duct 13 and is collected by the collecting pipe 14 to become the circulating air 23. That is, the circulating air 23 also serves as heat exhaust for the heating element inside the chamber.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-329951 JP 2000-023892 A

  However, with the recent miniaturization of transfer patterns or higher throughput, the heat generated by electrical equipment tends to increase exponentially.

  In the conventional heat treatment, it is necessary to increase the air flow rate, which leads to an increase in the size of all the circulating air temperature control devices such as a blower, a cooler, a filter, and a heater. Further, the increase in size of the apparatus causes performance deterioration such as positioning accuracy of the exposure apparatus main body due to vibration propagation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and removes the heat effect on the exposure apparatus main body without increasing the size of the circulating temperature control device by heat treatment of the heating element, and improves positioning accuracy. An object of the present invention is to provide an exposure apparatus that can achieve high throughput.

  In order to achieve the above object, the exposure apparatus of the present invention divides the heat treatment of the heating element into two systems, a heat exhaust system and a circulation system, and takes the heat of the heat exhaust system into the factory exhaust by taking clean room air outside the chamber environment. By exhausting, the amount of heat processed in the circulation system is reduced. At this time, unlike the circulation system, the heat exhaust system does not need to strictly control the air rising temperature, but if it is mounted in the conditioned space inside the chamber as it is, it will affect the exposure apparatus main body.

  In view of this, the duct has a double structure, the inside is a high-temperature heat exhaust system, and the outside is a low-temperature circulation system duct, so that the heat influence on the exposure apparatus main body from the heat exhaust system is removed.

  By providing an exhaust system, the amount of heat processed by the air conditioning system is reduced, contributing to downsizing of the apparatus, and further preventing deterioration in positioning accuracy of the exposure apparatus due to vibration propagation.

  Further, by preventing the influence of the exhaust system heat on the exposure apparatus main body, the change in thermal expansion is reduced, and the accuracy of positioning, printing and overlaying can be improved. In addition, the measurement error of the interferometer is reduced by reducing the temperature change of the air in the stage space, and the measurement reproducibility is improved.

  An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.

  A supply duct 1 for introducing clean room air 24 outside the chamber environment is provided in the cover 12 surrounding the heating element 11 connected to the heat exhaust system. A heat exhaust duct 2 is connected to the cover 12, and the heat exhaust duct is connected to a suction port of the exhaust fan 3. An exhaust port of the exhaust fan is connected to the factory exhaust duct 4. The above is the line configuration of the heat exhaust system, and the air flow is such that the clean room air 24 outside the chamber environment passes through the supply duct 1 and is guided into the cover 12 to take the heat of the heating element 11, and the heat exhaust duct 1 and the exhaust fan 3 are connected. It is discharged to the factory exhaust duct 4 via. At this time, the heat exhaust line including the supply duct 2, the cover 12, and the heat exhaust duct 2 is connected to the suction side of the exhaust fan 3, so that a negative pressure is generated. Can be prevented from leaking into the chamber interior 5 of the hot exhaust air 6, and contamination and contamination of the main body directly by the hot exhaust air 6 can be prevented.

  However, even if the hot exhaust air 6 does not enter the chamber interior 5, the heat of the hot exhaust air 6 can move to the chamber interior 5, so a circulation air duct 7 is provided outside the thermal exhaust duct 2 to form a double structure. The heat influence on the main body side by the hot exhaust air 6 can be extremely reduced. Here, the circulating air 23 that passes through the outer circulating air duct 7 is air that is controlled so that the temperature rise is low so as not to affect the main body.

  FIG. 2 shows another embodiment. In this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the thermal influence from the cover 12 by enclosing the cover 12 including the heating element 11 inside the main body side wall with the circulation system duct 7.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining Example 1; Explanatory drawing explaining Example 2. FIG. Explanatory drawing explaining the circulating air of a prior art example. Explanatory drawing explaining the circulating air of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Supply duct 2 Thermal exhaust duct 3 Exhaust fan 4 Factory exhaust duct 5 Chamber interior 6 Thermal exhaust air 7 Circulating air duct 11 Heating body 12 Cover 13 Duct 14 Collecting pipe 15 In-chamber 21 Exposure apparatus main body 22 Chamber 23 Circulating air 24 Clean room air 25 Cooler 26 Cooling Air 27 Heater 28 Temperature Control Air 29 Filter 30 Blower 31 Temperature Sensor 32 Temperature Controller

Claims (3)

  In a semiconductor exposure apparatus having an air-conditioning mechanism by air circulation, a heat exhaust system is provided separately from the circulation system, the circulation air circulating through the circulation system and the air outside the semiconductor exposure apparatus are taken in, and the heat is exhausted outside. Exposure equipment to do.   2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust system is connected to a suction side of an exhaust fan and maintained at a negative pressure.   2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an air passage for the circulation system is provided outside the exhaust system.

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