JP2013115065A - Mini-environment transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mini-environment having a compact and energy saving dehumidifier.SOLUTION: In the mini-environment, a mini-environment body internally having a transfer chamber for transferring a wafer, and a dehumidifier installed between the exhaust side and the suction side of the mini-environment body and dehumidifying the interior of the mini-environment body are provided. The dehumidifier consists of a suction dehumidifier including a pre-cooler 27 and an after-cooler 28 for cooling the air supplied to a dehumidification material adsorbing moisture, and an exhaust heater 33 and a regeneration heater 23 for heating the air supplied to a dehumidification material adsorbing moisture. A peltier element 41 is used as the heat source of the precooler 27 and after-cooler 28, and the exhaust heater 33 and regeneration heater 23.

Description

  The present invention relates to a mini-environment transfer apparatus (hereinafter abbreviated as “mini-en”) that can manage a transfer chamber in which a wafer is transferred to a low humidity state.

  In Minien, which supplies and discharges wafers to and from semiconductor manufacturing equipment and inspection equipment, the main transport is to take out the wafer from a front opening unified pod (FOUP) in which the wafer is stored, and supply the semiconductor manufacturing equipment and inspection equipment to the semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The wafer discharged from the apparatus and the inspection apparatus is taken out and stored in the FOUP. In order to prevent foreign matters from adhering to the wafer during the wafer transfer, the mini-ene transfer area is required to have a high degree of cleanness, and a fan filter unit is provided on the mini-ene upper part to keep the mini-en transfer area clean.

  On the other hand, as pattern miniaturization has progressed in recent years, there has been a concern about quality deterioration due to moisture adhering to the wafer as well as foreign matter, and the need to make the periphery of the wafer a low humidity environment has come out. . Originally, since many semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses and inspection apparatuses have a processing chamber in a vacuum state for processing, a state without water is inevitably created. The FOUP for transporting and storing the wafer is in a dry state by replacing the inside with nitrogen. Even in the minien that takes out the wafer from the FOUP and supplies it to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the inspection apparatus, it is considered that there is an increasing need for a low humidity environment in the wafer transfer area.

  For example, as in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1, the miniene is provided with an FFU (fan filter unit) at the upper part of the apparatus in order to keep the interior highly clean. By supplying dry air to this FFU, the inside of the miniene is made into a low humidity environment. However, in Patent Document 1, when the temperature is 23 ° C. and 5% RH or less, the gas is cooled to −25 ° C. In order to cool room temperature air to -25 ° C. with the amount of air supplied to the miniene, a refrigerator having a higher cooling capacity than a normal air conditioner or a large amount of refrigerant is required.

  Further, as in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 2, a dehumidifier that supplies low-humidity air is generally an adsorption dehumidifier having a dehumidification rotor used in a low dew point environment chamber. In order to dehumidify to a low dew point with a dehumidifier, the air to be dehumidified is first cooled to dehumidify to a certain degree, and then dehumidified to a low dew point with a dehumidifying rotor. The dehumidified air is further cooled because the temperature rises due to adsorption heat generated when moisture is adsorbed by the dehumidification rotor.

  Since this dehumidifying rotor is saturated when moisture is adsorbed to some extent, it becomes impossible to adsorb moisture. Therefore, high-temperature regeneration air is passed through the dehumidifying rotor to release the adsorbed moisture. In a general dehumidifier, dehumidification can be continuously performed by rotating a dehumidification rotor and repeating dehumidification and regeneration. It has a cooler and a heater for a series of dehumidification and regeneration.

JP 2004-31966 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-141917

  By the way, since the general adsorption type dehumidifier as described in Patent Document 2 described above uses a refrigerator as a cooler and an electric heater as a heater, the equipment becomes large and the running cost increases.

  Further, in the miniene as described in Patent Document 1 described above, since the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the inspection apparatus are required to reduce the installation area as much as possible, it is possible to reduce the size of the dehumidifier that can supply dry air with a low dew point. Is needed.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such demands, and a typical object thereof is to provide a miniene having a small-sized and energy-saving dehumidifier. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dehumidifier that does not require a large refrigerator and an electric heater in the dehumidifier attached to the mini-en.

  The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

  Of the inventions disclosed in the present application, the outline of typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

  That is, the outline of a typical one is that in a dehumidifier that supplies dry air to a miniene, a cooling device that cools the air that is supplied to the dehumidifying material that adsorbs moisture, and the air that is supplied to the dehumidifying material that adsorbs moisture are heated. A heating device, and a Peltier element is used as a heat source for the cooling device and the heating device.

  Among the inventions disclosed in the present application, effects obtained by typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

  That is, the effect obtained by a typical one can provide a miniene having a small-sized, energy-saving dehumidifier. More specifically, as a heat source for the cooling device for dehumidification in the dehumidifier and the heating device for regenerating the dehumidifying material, different heat sources have been conventionally used for the cooling device and the heating device. The present invention can provide a small-sized and energy-saving dehumidifier by simultaneously performing cooling and heating with one element using the Peltier effect in which heat is transferred by passing an electric current.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the miniene which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing an example of an adsorption dehumidifier in the miniene of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a cooler and a heater using a Peltier element in the adsorption dehumidifier of FIG. 2.

  In the following embodiments, when it is necessary for the sake of convenience, the description will be divided into a plurality of embodiments or sections. However, unless otherwise specified, they are not irrelevant and one is the other. There are some or all of the modifications, details, supplementary explanations, and the like. Further, in the following embodiments, when referring to the number of elements (including the number, numerical value, quantity, range, etc.), especially when clearly indicated and when clearly limited to a specific number in principle, etc. Except, it is not limited to the specific number, and may be more or less than the specific number.

  Further, in the following embodiments, the constituent elements (including element steps and the like) are not necessarily indispensable unless otherwise specified and apparently essential in principle. Needless to say. Similarly, in the following embodiments, when referring to the shapes, positional relationships, etc. of the components, etc., the shapes are substantially the same unless otherwise specified, or otherwise apparent in principle. And the like are included. The same applies to the above numerical values and ranges.

[Outline of Embodiment of the Present Invention]
A miniene according to an embodiment of the present invention (for example, a component corresponding to () and a reference numeral in the parentheses is added) includes a main body (miniene main body 1) having a transfer chamber for carrying wafers therein, A dehumidifier (dehumidifier 10) is installed between the exhaust side and the intake side to dehumidify the inside of the main body. The dehumidifier is composed of an adsorption-type dehumidifier, and supplies a cooling device (precooler 27, aftercooler 28) for cooling the air supplied to the dehumidifying material that adsorbs moisture and the dehumidifying material that adsorbs the moisture. A heating device (exhaust heater 33, regeneration heater 23) for heating air is provided, and a Peltier device (Peltier device 41) is used as a heat source for the cooling device and the heating device.

  An embodiment of the present invention based on the above-described outline of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiment, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

[One embodiment of the present invention]
A miniene according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

<Minien configuration and operation>
The configuration and operation of the miniene according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of this miniene.

  The miniene of the present embodiment includes a miniene main body 1 having a transfer chamber for carrying wafers therein, and a dehumidifier installed between the exhaust side and the intake side of the miniene main body 1 to dehumidify the inside of the miniene main body 1. 10 or the like. The mini-en main body 1 includes a fan unit 2 and a filter unit 3 constituting a fan filter unit (FFU), a transfer robot 4 to which a robot hand 5 is attached, a load port 6 serving as a transfer port for the wafer 8, and a FOUP 7 for storing the wafer 8. , Dew point meter 15, temperature sensor 16 and the like.

  The mini-en main body 1 is provided with an FFU comprising a fan unit 2 and a filter unit 3 at the top, and foreign air is removed from the air sent by the fan unit 2 of the FFU by the filter unit 3, and the mini-en main body is driven by an air flow 9 from the FFU. The inside of 1 is in a state of high cleanliness.

  Further, the mini-en main body 1 has a transfer robot 4 installed therein, and the robot hand 5 attached to the transfer robot 4 takes out the wafer 8 stored in the FOUP 7 and transfers it to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and an inspection apparatus. . Further, the processed wafer 8 is taken out from the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and inspection apparatus by the robot hand 5 and stored in the FOUP 7. When the processing of the wafer 8 accommodated in the FOUP 7 is completed, the lid of the FOUP 7 is closed by the load port 6 and transferred to the next process.

  Further, a dehumidifier 10 is attached to the mini-en main body 1, and dry air is supplied to the mini-en main body 1 through the intake duct 11. The intake duct 11 is installed on the intake side of the fan unit 2 installed on the upper part of the mini-en main body 1, and the air flow 13 of the dry air supplied from the dehumidifier 10 is supplied to the mini-en main body 1 through the filter unit 3 by the fan unit 2. It is sent inside. Further, the dry air forms a downflow inside the mini-en main body 1 like the air flow 9 from the FFU, and moves the dust and moisture inside the mini-en main body 1 downward. Then, dust and moisture inside the mini-en main body 1 are returned to the dehumidifier 10 together with the exhaust 14 from the mini-en main body 1 through the exhaust duct 12 connected below the mini-en main body 1.

  The mini-en main body 1 is provided with a dew point meter 15 for detecting the humidity inside the mini-en main body 1 and a temperature sensor 16 for detecting the temperature inside the mini-en main body 1. The dew point meter 15 and the temperature sensor 16 provide humidity. And the temperature is monitored and controlled to maintain low humidity and temperature.

  The mini-en configured and operated as described above communicates with the host device and controls each component by a controller (not shown), and manages the wafer transfer chamber inside the mini-en main body 1 in a low-humidity state to manufacture a semiconductor. The wafer can be supplied to and discharged from the apparatus and the inspection apparatus.

<Adsorption dehumidifier system and operation>
The system and operation of the adsorption type dehumidifier as the dehumidifier 10 attached to the mini-en main body 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing an example of this adsorption type dehumidifier.

  The adsorption-type dehumidifier is a dehumidifier that absorbs moisture in the air by the dehumidification rotor 22 and supplies intake air from which a certain amount of moisture has been removed. That is, this adsorption-type dehumidifier has a dehumidifying material that adsorbs moisture inside the dehumidifying rotor 22, a cooling device that cools the air supplied to the dehumidifying material, and a heating device that heats the air supplied to the dehumidifying material And.

  Specifically, the adsorption type dehumidifier is a precooler that is a dehumidification rotor 22 having an adsorbent and a first cooling device installed in a path from the exhaust side of the mini-en main body 1 to the first intake side of the dehumidification rotor 22. The cooler 27, the aftercooler 28 that is a second cooling device installed in the path from the first exhaust side of the dehumidifying rotor 22 to the intake side of the mini-en main body 1, and the dehumidifying rotor 22 from the exhaust side of the aftercooler 28 The regenerative heater 23 as a first heating device installed in the path to the second intake side and the exhaust as a second heating device installed in the path from the second exhaust side of the dehumidification rotor 22 to the outside. A heater 33 and the like are provided. Further, an intake fan 26 is installed on the intake side of the precooler 27, and an exhaust fan 21 is installed on the exhaust side of the exhaust heater 33.

  In the adsorption type dehumidifier configured as described above, the air taken in from the outside air by the intake fan 26 is cooled by the precooler 27, and the moisture in the taken-in air is removed to a preset humidity. Air that has been lowered to the set humidity is sent to the dehumidifying rotor 22, and moisture is finally removed to the required humidity. Since heat of adsorption is generated when moisture is adsorbed by the dehumidifying rotor 22, the temperature of the fed air rises. Therefore, the temperature of the dry air is lowered by the aftercooler 28 and supplied to the miniene main body 1 as the dry air 29 for supplying the miniene. The aftercooler 28 can also keep the temperature inside the mini-en main body 1 constant. Furthermore, the moisture content of the dry air is reduced and the load of the dehumidifier is reduced by returning the miniene recovery air 30 inside the miniene main body 1 whose humidity has been lowered to the intake side of the dehumidifier and lowering the intake humidity.

  In addition, when the dehumidifying rotor 22 adsorbs a certain amount of moisture, the dehumidifying material in the dehumidifying rotor 22 is saturated and cannot absorb moisture. Therefore, it is necessary to regenerate the dehumidifying material and return it to a state where moisture can be adsorbed again. In order to regenerate the dehumidifying rotor 22, the adsorbed water is evaporated and regenerated. The regeneration air 24 from the outside air and a part of the dry air supplied to the miniene body 1 are used as the regeneration dry air 25. The temperature of the regeneration air 24 and the regeneration dry air 25 is increased by the regeneration heater 23 to increase the amount of moisture that can be taken into the air. The regeneration air 31 whose temperature has been raised is passed through the dehumidification rotor 22, the moisture adsorbed by the dehumidification rotor 22 is evaporated, and the high-humidity air 32 after regeneration of the dehumidification rotor is dehumidified by the exhaust heater 33 by the exhaust heater 33. The inside of the machine is heated so as not to dew, and exhausted by the exhaust fan 21.

  In the adsorption type dehumidifier operating as described above, by rotating the dehumidification rotor 22 at a constant speed, moisture adsorption and regeneration can be repeated and dehumidification can be performed continuously.

<Description of cooler and heater using Peltier element>
A cooler and a heater using a Peltier element mounted on the adsorption dehumidifier described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an example of a cooler and a heater using this Peltier element. 3 shows a set of the precooler 27 and the exhaust heater 33 on one side of the dehumidifying rotor 22 shown in FIG. 2, and the aftercooler 28 and the regenerative heater on the other side of the dehumidifying rotor 22 attached in parentheses. A pair with 23 is shown.

  For example, a precooler and an aftercooler mounted on a general adsorption dehumidifier are equipped with a refrigerator used for an air conditioner such as an air conditioner. When the entire room such as a dry room is placed in a low humidity environment, the amount of dry air to be supplied is large, so the equipment of the dehumidifier itself is large and a refrigerator can be installed.

  However, in the adsorption type dehumidifier attached to the miniene as in the present embodiment, the installation area of the facility is limited when only the interior of the miniene main body 1 is set to a low humidity environment. It is necessary to.

  In addition, an electric heater is mainly used as a regeneration heater mounted on a general adsorption type dehumidifier. Also in this case, the equipment of the dehumidifier itself may be increased, but in the adsorption type dehumidifier attached to the miniene as in the present embodiment, the dehumidifier 10 needs to be downsized.

  Therefore, in the dehumidifier 10 of the present embodiment, the Peltier element 41 that absorbs heat by passing current and radiates heat on the other side is used as a heat source between the cooler and the heater, and the precooler 27 and after The cooler 28 is attached, and the regenerative heater 23 and the exhaust heater 33 are attached to the heat radiation side. Specifically, one Peltier element 41 is used for the pair of the precooler 27 and the exhaust heater 33, and similarly, another Peltier element 41 is also used for the pair of the aftercooler 28 and the regeneration heater 23. . Thereby, the cooling by the precooler 27 or the aftercooler 28 and the heating by the exhaust heater 33 or the regeneration heater 23 can be performed by one Peltier element 41, and the dehumidifier 10 can be downsized.

  Further, the Peltier element 41 is electrically connected to the Peltier element controller 42, and the dehumidification amount can be controlled by controlling the cooling temperature or the heating temperature by the Peltier element controller 42.

<Effects of the present embodiment>
As described above, according to the miniene according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) It is possible to prevent moisture from adhering to the wafer 8 by providing the dehumidifier 10 comprising an adsorption-type dehumidifier and maintaining the wafer transfer chamber of the miniene body 1 in a low humidity environment.

  (2) The Peltier device 41 is used as a heat source for the cooling device of the precooler 27 and the heating device of the exhaust heater 33, and the Peltier device 41 is used as a heat source for the cooling device of the aftercooler 28 and the heating device of the regenerative heater 23. As a result, cooling and heating can be performed with one heat source, respectively, so that downsizing of the equipment and energy saving can be realized.

  (3) By providing a cooling device for the precooler 27 and the aftercooler 28 and a heating device for the regeneration heater 23 and the exhaust heater 33, dehumidification in the mini-en main body 1 and regeneration of the dehumidification material in the dehumidification rotor 22 are realized. be able to.

  (4) An FFU composed of the fan unit 2 and the filter unit 3 is provided, dry air is supplied to the intake side of the fan unit 2, and foreign matters are removed from the dry air by the filter unit 3. A humidity environment can be realized.

  (5) The dew point meter 15 is provided, and the dew point meter 15 can detect the humidity inside the mini-en main body 1 to maintain the mini-en main body 1 in a constant low humidity environment.

  (6) The temperature sensor 16 is provided, and the temperature sensor 16 can detect the temperature inside the mini-en main body 1 to control the temperature inside the mini-en main body 1 to be constant.

  (7) A miniene having a low dew point type dehumidifier 10 capable of realizing downsizing and energy saving of equipment can be provided.

  As mentioned above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say.

  The miniene of the present invention relates to a miniene that supplies and discharges a wafer to and from a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and an inspection apparatus, and can be used for a miniene that can manage the transfer chamber in which the wafer is transferred to a low humidity state.

1 Mini-en body 2 Fan unit 3 Filter unit 4 Transfer robot 5 Robot hand 6 Load port 7 FOUP
8 Wafer 9 Airflow from FFU 10 Dehumidifier 11 Intake duct 12 Exhaust duct 13 Airflow of dry air 14 Exhaust from Minien 15 Dew point meter 16 Temperature sensor 21 Exhaust fan 22 Dehumidification rotor 23 Regenerative heater 24 Regenerative air 25 Regenerative dry air 26 Intake fan 27 Precooler 28 Aftercooler 29 Mini-en supply dry air 30 Mini-en recovery air 31 Regenerative air 32 with increased temperature High-humidity air 33 after dehumidification rotor regeneration Exhaust heater 41 Peltier element 42 Peltier element controller

Claims (6)

A main body having a transfer chamber for carrying wafers therein, and a dehumidifier installed between the exhaust side and the intake side of the main body to dehumidify the inside of the main body,
The dehumidifier comprises an adsorption-type dehumidifier, and includes a cooling device that cools air supplied to a dehumidifying material that adsorbs moisture, and a heating device that heats air supplied to the dehumidifying material that adsorbs moisture, A mini-environment conveying apparatus, wherein a Peltier element is used as a heat source for the cooling device and the heating device. In the mini-environment conveying apparatus according to claim 1,
The dehumidifier includes a dehumidification rotor having the adsorbent, a first cooling device installed in a path from an exhaust side of the main body to a first intake side of the dehumidification rotor, and a first dehumidification rotor A second cooling device installed in a path from the exhaust side to the intake side of the main body, and a first cooling device installed in a path from the exhaust side of the second cooling device to the second intake side of the dehumidifying rotor. And a second heating device installed in a path from the second exhaust side of the dehumidifying rotor to the outside, and a first heat source for the first cooling device and the second heating device. 1. A mini-environment conveying apparatus, wherein one Peltier element is used, and a second Peltier element is used as a heat source for the second cooling device and the first heating device. In the mini-environment conveying apparatus according to claim 2,
The first cooling device and the second cooling device function as a device for dehumidifying the inside of the main body, and the first heating device and the second heating device regenerate the dehumidifying rotor. A mini-environment transfer device that functions as a device. In the mini-environment conveying apparatus according to claim 1,
A fan filter unit is provided on the intake side of the main body and includes a fan unit and a filter unit. Dry air from the dehumidifier is supplied to the fan unit, and the dry air that has passed through the fan unit is the filter unit. The mini-environment transport apparatus is characterized in that the foreign matter is removed by the above-described method, and the cleanliness and humidity environment inside the main body are maintained. In the mini-environment conveying apparatus according to claim 1,
A mini-environment transport comprising a dew point meter for detecting the humidity inside the main body, wherein the humidity inside the main body is detected by the dew point meter and the humidity environment inside the main body is maintained. apparatus. In the mini-environment conveying apparatus according to claim 1,
A mini-environment transport comprising a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature inside the main body, and the temperature inside the main body is detected by the temperature sensor to maintain a temperature environment inside the main body. apparatus.

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