JP4656296B2 - Local cleaning device and clean room - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a local cleaning apparatus and a clean room, and more particularly to a local cleaning apparatus suitable for locally cleaning the periphery of precision product manufacturing equipment and a clean room in which the local cleaning apparatus is arranged.

  When producing precision products such as semiconductor wafers, product defects may occur if dust or gaseous chemical components in the air adhere to the precision products. For this reason, it is common practice to install manufacturing equipment for performing various types of processing and processing in a clean room that is kept highly clean. However, in order to maintain a clean room large space where a large number of manufacturing devices are installed at a high level of cleanliness, the construction cost and operation cost of the clean room become enormous, and the manufacturing cost of precision products increases. Therefore, in recent years, a mini-environment type clean room has been adopted.

  FIG. 11 is a side sectional view illustrating a mini-environment clean room. The clean room 1 of this system reduces the number of FFUs (fan filter units) 3 installed on the ceiling, thereby reducing the cleanliness of the interior and reducing the cost of the clean room 1. Precision products such as semiconductor wafers are stored in a sealed container 4 and transported by a transport vehicle 5, and only a transfer chamber (mini-environment chamber) 6 to the manufacturing equipment 2 is locally highly cleaned, thereby achieving precision products. It prevents the adhesion of dust and chemical components. In this method, the environment for precision products can be kept highly clean at normal times. However, when the inside of the manufacturing equipment 2 is opened for maintenance work of the manufacturing equipment 2, the inside of the manufacturing equipment 2 is contaminated by a clean room atmosphere with a low cleanliness, and as a result, the precision products handled after the maintenance work are contaminated. There is a problem of being. Further, the manufacturing equipment 2 itself has dust and residual gas as reaction products. For this reason, when the inside of the manufacturing apparatus 2 is opened, there is a problem that these substances diffuse into the clean room 1 and contaminate other manufacturing apparatuses 2 and precision products.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a clean room structure for preventing diffusion of contaminants from manufacturing equipment. The outline is shown in FIG. In the clean room 11, the entire ceiling surface is covered with the filter unit 12, and the cleanliness of the entire clean room 11 is improved by circulating air in harmony with temperature and humidity by the air conditioner 13 in the order of ceiling space → clean room 11 → underfloor space. It is kept. When the manufacturing equipment 15 that generates the rising airflow W such as a hot airflow is arranged in the clean room 11, there is a concern about the diffusion of contaminants accompanying the rising airflow W. Therefore, an intake port 16 is arranged on the back side of the filter unit 12 above the manufacturing equipment 15, and the rising air flow W is sucked from the intake port 16 by the intake fan 18 connected to the intake port 16. A blower port 17 is disposed on the discharge side of the intake fan 18, and the sucked airflow is returned to the clean room 11 as a descending airflow Z through the blower port 17.

With such a configuration, diffusion of the updraft W is suppressed. Further, contaminants in the updraft W are removed when passing through the filter unit 12, and the clean downdraft Z serves as an air curtain that covers the periphery of the manufacturing equipment 15.
JP-A-8-247512

  However, in the clean room 11 described in Patent Document 1, when there is no or weak ascending airflow from the manufacturing equipment 15, as shown in FIG. The air X is sucked in, and the stay Y is generated above the manufacturing equipment 15, so that there is a disadvantage that the contamination from the manufacturing equipment 15 cannot be removed promptly. A part of the staying airflow is eventually attracted by the surrounding downward airflow Z and flows into the air conditioner 13 and other manufacturing equipment, causing the entire clean room 11 to be contaminated.

  The object of the present invention is to improve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, protect the surroundings of individual precision product manufacturing equipment installed in a clean room from surrounding contamination, and to prevent contamination generated from the manufacturing equipment itself in other areas. An object of the present invention is to provide a local cleaning device and a clean room that do not diffuse.

In order to achieve the above object, the local cleaning device according to the present invention cleans the air sucked from the central air intake port for sucking air around the precision product manufacturing apparatus installed in the clean room, and the air sucked from the central air intake port. One end is connected to the central air inlet, the air cleaner that is disposed so as to surround the central air inlet, and the air outlet that blows clean air from the air cleaner toward the manufacturing equipment. A suction duct of which the other end extends and opens to the manufacturing equipment side and is adjustable in length , and the air cleaning means can take in external air from a position away from the manufacturing equipment. And an air supply port provided with a flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the amount of external air to be taken in is connected, and the air cleaning means is connected to the external air taken in from the air supply port and the air before being sucked in from the central air intake port. And cleaning the confluent air contaminated air, characterized in that it is so fed to the blower opening. Further, in the local cleaning device according to the present invention, a damper is attached to the air supply port, and the amount of external air taken in from the air supply port can be adjusted by changing the opening of the damper. It is characterized by that.

The local cleaning device having the above-described configuration is configured such that the effective diameter of the suction duct is w, the average suction wind speed of the suction duct is v1, and the average blowing wind speed of the blower port is v2, and the other end opening of the suction duct and the manufacturing device It is desirable that the distance d to the surface is adjusted so as to satisfy the formula d ≦ 2 · w · v2 / v1. Moreover, the local cleaning apparatus of the said structure can be moved within the said clean room.
The clean room according to the present invention is characterized in that the local cleaning device having the above-described configuration is disposed inside.

  According to the local cleaning device of the present invention, the periphery of the manufacturing equipment is protected from the surrounding contamination by fixing or moving the device at a necessary place even in a low-clean clean room. Do not disperse contamination from itself to other areas. For this reason, the environment of the manufacturing equipment can be kept highly clean even during maintenance work of the manufacturing equipment. It is also effective in preventing contamination between manufacturing equipment and ensuring worker safety. Furthermore, according to the clean room of the present invention, the local cleaning device can be operated only when necessary, or can be used by moving to a necessary location, so it is not necessary to keep the cleanliness of the entire clean room high all the time. . For this reason, the operating cost of a clean room can be reduced.

  FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a first embodiment of a local cleaning device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. The local cleaning device 20 is disposed in the vicinity of the precision product manufacturing apparatus 24 installed in the clean room 22 as shown in FIG. The clean room 22 is, for example, a mini-environment type clean room, and a reduced number of FFUs (fan filter units) 28 are installed on the ceiling 26 to blow clean air into the clean room 22. After this clean air has passed through the breathable floor 30, most of it returns from the circulation path 32 to the ceiling space, and part of it returns to the ceiling space through the duct 35 after the temperature and humidity are adjusted by the air conditioner 34. , And circulated as clean air by the FFU 28.

  The local cleaning device 20 is suspended from the ceiling 26 of the clean room 22 by a support member 36 at a position directly above the manufacturing equipment 24. The local cleaning device 20 has a central air inlet 42 at the center of the lower surface of a box-shaped chamber 40, and four FFUs 44 as air cleaning means are provided in the chamber 40 so as to surround the central air inlet 42. It is stored. Each FFU 44 has a structure in which a chemical filter 48 and an air filter 50 are stacked below an upper fan 46. The lower surface of the air filter 50 is a blower port 52, and clean air purified by the FFU 44 is blown downward toward the manufacturing equipment 24 from the blower port 52. One end of a suction duct 54 is slidably connected to the central air inlet 42, and the other end of the suction duct 54 extends to the manufacturing equipment side and opens. The distance d between the other end opening of the suction duct 54 and the surface of the manufacturing equipment 24 can be adjusted by sliding one end of the suction duct 54 in the vertical direction.

  An air supply port 56 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the chamber 40 so that air in the clean room 22 can be taken from a position away from the manufacturing equipment 24. A damper 58 is attached to the air supply port 56, and the amount of air taken in from the air supply port 56 can be adjusted by changing the opening degree of the damper 58.

  The local cleaning device 20 having the above-described configuration is mainly operated when contaminated air is temporarily or continuously generated from the manufacturing equipment 24. That is, when the inside of the manufacturing equipment 24 is opened for maintenance work or the like, contaminated air is generated from the manufacturing equipment 24. Alternatively, there may be a case where contaminated air is continuously generated from the manufacturing device 24 even when the manufacturing device 24 is in steady operation. Therefore, the local cleaning device 20 is operated so that such contaminated air does not diffuse from the manufacturing equipment 24 to the entire clean room 22. For this reason, the local cleaning device 20 is disposed in advance so as to be located immediately above the contaminated air generation unit 24A of the manufacturing equipment 24.

  When the local cleaning device 20 is operated, the other end opening of the suction duct 54 is brought as close as possible to the contaminated air generation unit 24A. Next, the fan 46 of each FFU 44 is driven. Then, the contaminated air generated in the contaminated air generating unit 24A is sucked into the suction duct 54 from the other end opening of the suction duct 54, passes through each FFU 44 from the central intake port 42, and is sent to the blower port 52. When the polluted air passes through the FFU 44, harmful gas components in the polluted air are removed by the chemical filter 48 and dust is removed by the air filter 50 to become clean air. The clean air is blown downward from the blower opening 52 toward the manufacturing equipment 24 to form an air curtain, and most of the air is again sucked into the central air intake 42. As a result, the contaminated air generated in the contaminated air generating unit 24A is surrounded by an air curtain made of clean air, and the contaminated air is prevented from diffusing to the entire clean room 22. In addition to the function of reliably sucking the contaminated air generated in the contaminated air generating section 24A, the suction duct 54 functions as a partition plate, and clean air blown out from the blower port 52 is surely moved downward along the outer surface. invite.

  The air supply port 56 is effective in adjusting the amount of contaminated air sucked from the central air intake port 42. The FFU 44 cleans the combined air of the external air taken in from the air supply port 56 and the contaminated air sucked in from the central intake port 42 and sends it to the blower port 52. When the opening degree of the damper 58 provided at the air supply port 56 is increased, a large amount of air in the clean room 22 from a position away from the manufacturing equipment 24 is sucked into the chamber 40 from the air supply port 56, and the central intake air is correspondingly increased. The amount of contaminated air sucked from the mouth 42 is reduced. Conversely, when the opening degree of the damper 58 is reduced, the amount of air sucked into the chamber 40 from the air supply port 56 is reduced, and the amount of contaminated air sucked from the central air inlet 42 is increased accordingly.

  Therefore, when the amount of polluted air generated in the polluted air generating unit 24A is small or the polluted air has a low degree of pollution, the amount of the polluted air sucked from the central air inlet 42 is decreased by increasing the opening degree of the damper 58. Let Then, the amount of air circulating internally above the manufacturing equipment 24 is reduced, and the amount of clean air B flowing downward around the manufacturing equipment 24 can be increased. This clean air A encloses the manufacturing equipment 24 and cleans it. Preserve the environment. On the contrary, when the amount of contaminated air generated in the contaminated air generating unit 24A is large or the degree of contamination of the contaminated air is high, the amount of the contaminated air sucked from the central air inlet 42 by reducing the opening of the damper 58 is reduced. increase. Then, the generated contaminated air can be reliably sucked from the central air inlet 42, and the outside diffusion of the contaminated air is prevented.

According to the experimental examination results, the distance d between the other end opening of the suction duct 54 and the surface of the manufacturing equipment 24 is as follows. The effective diameter of the suction duct 54 is w, the average suction wind speed of the suction duct 54 is v ₁ , It is desirable to adjust so that the formula d ≦ 2 · w · v ₂ / v ₁ is satisfied when the average blowing wind speed of 52 is v ₂ . In the above relational expression, the effective diameter of the suction duct 54 is the width of each side when the duct cross-sectional shape is square, the average width of the long side and the short side when rectangular, and the diameter when circular. When the above relational expression is satisfied, the contaminated air can be sucked up by the suction duct 54 relatively smoothly. In order to satisfy the above relational expression, there are mainly two approaches. The first method is a method of directly adjusting the distance d by sliding the suction duct 54 in the vertical direction. The second method is a method of adjusting the opening degree of the damper 58 provided at the air supply port 56. By adjusting the opening degree of the damper 58 as described above, the amount of contaminated air sucked from the central air inlet 42, that is, the average suction wind speed v1 of the suction duct 54 can be increased or decreased. Therefore, the distance d can be indirectly adjusted by adjusting the opening degree of the damper 58.

  However, since the shape of the manufacturing equipment 24 is various, and the shape and spread of the contaminated air generating unit 24A are also various, the above relational expression does not always hold. In this case, the distance d and the opening degree of the damper 58 may be appropriately adjusted using this relational expression as a guide.

  In the above description, as an operating state of the local cleaning device 20, a case where contaminated air is generated from the manufacturing equipment 24 and the generated contaminated air is not diffused to other areas of the clean room 22 has been described. However, the local cleaning device 20 according to the present embodiment is also useful for protecting the manufacturing equipment 24 from the contaminated environment of the clean room 22 when the environment of the clean room 22 is contaminated for some reason. In this case, the damper 58 of the air supply port 56 is fully opened, the air intake amount from the air supply port 56 is relatively increased, and the air intake amount from the central intake port 42 is decreased. Then, the amount of clean air A corresponding to the amount of air taken in from the air supply port 56 greatly encloses the manufacturing equipment 24, and the manufacturing equipment 24 is protected from the contaminated environment of the clean room 22.

  As described above, according to the local cleaning device 20 of the present embodiment, the periphery of the precision product manufacturing device 24 installed in the clean room 22 is protected from surrounding contamination, and the contamination generated from the manufacturing device 24 itself is protected from other contamination. Do not diffuse into the area.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a main part of the second embodiment of the present invention. Two FFUs 44A are arranged with the central air inlet 42A interposed therebetween, and a closing plate 60 is attached to the remaining two sides of the central air inlet 42A. A suction duct 54A is connected below the central air inlet 42A. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. In other words, the entire periphery of the central air inlet 42A is not surrounded by the FFU 44A, but is partially omitted. In this embodiment, there is a possibility that clean air from the blower opening 52 </ b> A does not reach the lower region of the closing plate 60. Therefore, the inclined air blowing part 62 is provided in a part of the air blowing port 52A. As a result, clean air spreads also to the lower region of the closing plate 60, and contamination from the surroundings can be prevented.

  FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing the main part of the third embodiment of the present invention. Similar to the first embodiment, a central air inlet 42B is disposed in the center of the chamber 40B, and a blower port 52B is provided so as to surround the central air inlet 42B. A fan 64 is disposed in the central air inlet 42B, and a chemical filter 48B and an air filter 50B are disposed on the air outlet 52B side. In the structure of this embodiment, the fan 64 blows air sucked from the central air inlet 42B toward the inside of the chamber 40B, so that the inside of the chamber 40B has a positive pressure with respect to the outside. For this reason, the air supply port 56 as shown in the first embodiment cannot be provided and external air cannot be taken in. However, since only one fan 64 can intake and blow air, the device is reduced in weight and cost is reduced. be able to.

  FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing the main part of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Similarly to the first embodiment, in this embodiment, a central air inlet 42C is arranged at the center of the chamber 40C, and an air outlet 52C is provided so as to surround the central air inlet 42C. One FFU 44C composed of a fan 64C, a chemical filter 48C, and an air filter 50C is disposed above the central intake port 42C, and intake, air purification, and ventilation are performed by the FFU 44C. According to the fourth embodiment, it is possible to further reduce the weight and cost of the apparatus.

  FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing an essential part of a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, similarly to the fourth embodiment, one FFU 44D is arranged at the central air inlet 42D, and intake, air purification, and ventilation are performed by the FFU 44D. A guide plate 66 that smoothly guides the direction of airflow is installed in the chamber 40D. Further, the periphery of the central air inlet 42D is surrounded by the closing plate 60D, and the air blowing port 52D is opened outside the closing plate 60D in a small area. With such a configuration, it is possible to increase the blowing speed of clean air from the blower opening 52D, enhance the air curtain effect, and expand the intake range on the manufacturing equipment side. If the inner portion where the closing plate 60D is installed is replaced with the closing plate 60D to form a ventilation port with a large ventilation resistance, and the surrounding area is a ventilation port 52D with a small ventilation resistance, the downflow of clean air will be disturbed. It becomes more effective because it becomes difficult.

  FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing the main part of the sixth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, similarly to the fourth embodiment, one FFU 44E is arranged at the central air inlet 42E, and intake, air cleaning, and blowing are performed by the FFU 44E. An outer peripheral chamber 68 is provided so as to cover the chamber 40 </ b> E, and a second FFU 70 is attached to the center of the upper surface of the outer peripheral chamber 68. The second FFU 70 takes in and cleans the outside air in the clean room, and blows out this clean air as a descending air current from the outlet 72 formed in the outer peripheral portion of the chamber 40E. According to the sixth embodiment, the amount of clean air blown to the lower manufacturing equipment side is increased, so that the periphery is further protected from the surrounding contamination, and the contamination generated from the manufacturing equipment 24 itself is transferred to other areas. Do not diffuse.

  FIG. 9 is a side view showing a seventh embodiment of the present invention. Since the main part 80 of the local cleaning apparatus according to this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals as those shown in FIG. In this local cleaning device, the main part 80 is supported by a plurality of pillars 74, and wheels 76 are attached to the lower ends of the pillars 74 so that the floor surface 78 of the clean room can be moved. According to the seventh embodiment, the local cleaning device can be moved to the position of the manufacturing equipment 24 that requires maintenance work or the like, and its function can be exhibited. For this reason, it is not necessary to install the local cleaning apparatus corresponding to each manufacturing apparatus 24, and it contributes to cost reduction. In the present embodiment, the local cleaning device is movable on the floor surface 78, but instead of this, a traveling rail is arranged on the ceiling surface of the clean room, and the main part 80 is movable along the ceiling surface. Also good.

  FIG. 10 is a side view showing an eighth embodiment of the present invention. In the local cleaning device according to this embodiment, the main portion 90 stands up 90 degrees with respect to those of the above-described embodiments, and the main portion 90 is supported by the support column 92. Since the main part 90 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals as those shown in FIG. The local cleaning apparatus according to the eighth embodiment is suitably used when the open surface of the manufacturing equipment 94 is in the horizontal direction. It is also possible to attach a wheel to the column 92 of the local cleaning device so that it can move in the clean room.

It is a sectional side view which shows 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is AA arrow sectional drawing of FIG. It is a sectional side view of the clean room where the local cleaning device concerning a 1st embodiment was installed. It is a sectional side view which shows the principal part of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the principal part of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the principal part of 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the principal part of 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is side sectional drawing which shows the principal part of 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows 7th Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows 8th Embodiment of this invention. It is side sectional drawing which illustrated the clean room of the mini environment system. It is a sectional side view which shows the outline | summary of the clean room disclosed by patent document 1. FIG. It is a sectional side view for demonstrating the technical subject of the clean room disclosed by patent document 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  20 ......... Local cleaning device, 22 ......... Clean room, 24 ......... Manufacturing equipment, 24A ......... Contaminated air generating part, 26 ......... Ceiling, 28 ......... FFU, 30 ...... Floor surface, 32 ......... circulation path, 34 ......... air conditioner, 35 ......... duct, 36 ......... support member, 40, 40B, 40C, 40D, 40E ......... chamber, 42, 42A, 42B, 42C, 42D , 42E ......... Central air inlet, 44, 44A, 44C, 44D, 44E ......... FFU, 46, 46C ......... Fan, 48, 48B, 48C ......... Chemical filter, 50, 50B, 50C ......... Air filter, 52, 52A, 52B, 52C, 52D ......... Blower port, 54, 54A ......... Suction duct, 56 ......... Air supply port, 58 ...... Damper, 60 ......... Closed plate, 62 ... ...... Inclined fan section, 64 …… Fan, 66 ......... Guide plate, 68 ......... Outer peripheral chamber, 70 ......... Second FFU, 72 ......... Blowout port, 74 ......... Post, 76 ...... Wheel, 78 ......... Floor surface , 80, 90... Main part, 92.

Claims (5)

A central air inlet that sucks in the air around the precision product manufacturing equipment installed in the clean room, an air cleaning means that cleans the air sucked from the central air inlet, and a central air inlet that is arranged to surround the air inlet. The length of the air outlet that blows clean air from the air cleaning means toward the manufacturing equipment and one end connected to the central air inlet and the other end extended and opened toward the manufacturing equipment. An adjustable suction duct ,
The air cleaning means is connected to an air supply port that is capable of taking in external air from a position away from the manufacturing equipment and includes a flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the amount of the external air to be taken in. The local cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the converting means purifies the combined air of the external air taken in from the air supply port and the air sucked in from the central air intake port and sends it to the air blowing port . The damper according to claim 1 , wherein a damper is attached to the air supply port, and an amount of external air taken in from the air supply port can be adjusted by changing an opening degree of the damper . Local cleaning device. When the effective diameter of the suction duct is w, the average suction wind speed of the suction duct is v ₁ , and the average blowing wind speed of the blower outlet is v ₂ , the distance d between the other end opening of the suction duct and the surface of the manufacturing equipment is The local cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the local cleaning apparatus is adjusted so as to satisfy the formula d ≦ 2 · w · v ₂ / v ₁ .   The local cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the local cleaning apparatus is movable in the clean room.   A clean room in which the local cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is arranged.

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