JP4998825B2 - Ion generator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ion generation device, and more particularly to an ion generation device that discharges an object to be discharged by blowing ionized air onto the object to be discharged in a clean room.

  In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices with higher performance and higher integration and flat panel displays with larger sizes, the destruction of devices and the adhesion of dust due to static electricity are problems. In order to prevent these static electricity disturbances, a static eliminator is used that reduces the potential generated by ionizing and supplying air to the interior of the manufacturing apparatus and the transport process during the manufacturing process.

  By the way, in many of such static elimination apparatuses, the discharge needle is installed near the product (object to be eliminated), and there is a problem in that the electric field generated by the discharge needle causes an obstacle to the product. Therefore, a method of separating the discharge needle from the manufacturing apparatus has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the blower static eliminator of Patent Document 1 is a direct current static eliminator installed in the air duct 102, in which the hot air or cold air from the hot air or cold air source 100 is sent into the air duct 102. The ions generated in 104 are supplied to the object to be neutralized from the outlet 106 at the tip of the air duct 102.

  Further, this blower static eliminator is provided with an inspection window in the body portion of the blower duct 102, the DC static eliminator 104 is attached to a lid plate 116 (see FIG. 8) that closes the inspection window, and the inspection window is closed by the lid plate 116. By installing the DC static eliminator 104 in the air duct 102 in the state, maintenance of the DC static eliminator 104 is facilitated.

FIG. 8 shows the structure of the DC static eliminator 104. The DC static eliminator 104 has needle-like electrodes 110 and 112 implanted in an electrically insulating electrode holder 114. The electrode holder 114 is installed on the lid plate 116. A high voltage is applied to the needle-like electrodes 110 and 112 through the high-voltage cable 118, and ions are generated from the electrodes 110 and 112.
JP 2003-36994 A

  However, in the conventional method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the high-voltage cable is exposed outside the apparatus, and there is a problem in safety. In addition, since the high-voltage power supply and the electrode are directly connected, there is a risk of injury to a person when the person accidentally touches the electrode.

  Furthermore, the dirt state of the electrode cannot be confirmed unless the cover plate is removed and the inspection window is opened. Also, the discharge needle cannot be removed. Thus, the conventional method has a problem in maintainability.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, and it aims at providing the ion generator which made safety and maintenance nature compatible.

In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is directed to a blower fan, a chamber in which the blower fan is installed, a discharge unit including a discharge needle and a discharge needle mounting base, and communication with the chamber. In addition, the discharge needle is housed inside, and at least an inner wall of an insulating pipe made of an insulating material, a high voltage power source installed in the chamber, and a high voltage installed in the insulating pipe And a high-voltage electric wire that is installed inside the chamber and the insulating pipe and connects the high-voltage power source and the high-voltage terminal, and the discharge portion is provided on a side wall of the insulating pipe. An opening for insertion is provided, and the insulating pipe serves as a guide means for guiding the discharge portion inserted through the opening to be connected to the high voltage terminal. Pipe radial rail member formed along a provided in the discharge section, the high voltage while being guided along the rail member is inserted inside the insulating pipe through the opening It is configured to be detachable with respect to the terminal for use, and the longitudinal direction of the discharge needle and the axial direction of the insulating pipe are arranged to be parallel to each other, and when the discharge part is connected to the high voltage terminal, It is possible to apply a high voltage to the discharge needle from the high voltage power source.

According to the present invention, a high-voltage power supply for connecting a high-voltage power supply and a high-voltage terminal is installed by installing a high-voltage power supply in the chamber and installing a high-voltage terminal in an insulating pipe communicating with the chamber. Wiring can be performed without being exposed to the outside (outside of the chamber and the insulating pipe), and safety can be improved. Moreover, since the discharge part is configured to be detachable from the high voltage terminal, the discharge part can be removed, washed with water, and disposable, thereby improving maintainability. In addition, since the guide means for guiding the discharge portion to be connected to the high voltage terminal is provided, the discharge portion and the high voltage terminal can be easily connected.

The invention according to claim 2 relates to one aspect of the invention according to claim 1, and further includes a current control means for controlling current so that an abnormal current does not flow from the high-voltage power source to the high-voltage terminal. It is characterized by being.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent an abnormal current from flowing to the discharge part (discharge needle) via the high voltage terminal, thereby improving safety.

A third aspect of the invention relates to one aspect of the first or second aspect of the invention, wherein the insulating pipe is made of a transparent member.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to check the dirt state of the discharge needle accommodated in the insulating pipe from the outside without removing the discharge part from the insulating pipe, and the maintainability is improved. .

The invention according to claim 4 relates to one aspect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the discharge needle mounting base is provided with a connection portion from which the discharge needle can be removed. It is characterized by.

According to the invention described in claim 4 , it is possible to replace only the discharge needle.

According to the present invention, a high-voltage power supply for connecting a high-voltage power supply and a high-voltage terminal is installed by installing a high-voltage power supply in the chamber and installing a high-voltage terminal in an insulating pipe communicating with the chamber. Wiring can be performed without being exposed to the outside (outside of the chamber and the insulating pipe), and safety can be improved. Moreover, since the discharge part is configured to be detachable from the high voltage terminal, the discharge part can be removed, washed with water, and disposable, thereby improving maintainability. In addition, since the guide means for guiding the discharge portion to be connected to the high voltage terminal is provided, the discharge portion and the high voltage terminal can be easily connected.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an ion generator according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an ion generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 to 4 are a front view, a plan view, and a side sectional view of an insulating pipe of the ion generator according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram illustrating a discharge unit of the ion generator according to the present embodiment.

  An ion generator 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a discharge unit 14 including a plurality of discharge needles 12, an ion generation unit 16 in which ions are generated by the discharge needles 12, and an air supply unit 18 that supplies air to the ion generation unit 16. And a power supply unit 20 that applies a high voltage to the discharge needle 12.

  The ion generator 16 is configured by a cylindrical insulating pipe 22 having at least an inner wall surface made of an insulating material. A plurality of discharge needles 12 constituting the discharge portion 14 are accommodated in the insulating pipe 22 with their needle tips facing forward (on the outlet 24 provided at the tip of the insulating pipe 22). ing.

  The air supply unit 18 is provided with a blower fan 30. The blower fan 30 is installed in a chamber 32, and the chamber 32 communicates with the rear end portion of the insulating pipe 22 through a communication port 34. In response to the operation of the blower fan 30, air is supplied from the chamber 32 to the insulating pipe 22.

  The power supply unit 20 includes a high voltage power source 36, a high voltage electric wire 38, and a high voltage terminal 40. The high-voltage power supply 36 is installed in the chamber 32, and the high-voltage terminal 40 is installed in the insulating pipe 22. The high-voltage electric wire 38 that connects these (the high-voltage power supply 36 and the high-voltage terminal 40) is The wires are wired inside the device (outside the chamber 32 and the insulating pipe 22) without being exposed outside the device (outside the chamber 32 and the insulating pipe 22).

  The discharge portion 14 is configured to be detachable from the insulating pipe 22, and the discharge portion 14 is attached to the insulating pipe 22 (that is, the plurality of discharge needles 12 are accommodated in the insulating pipe 22. In the state), the discharge unit 14 is configured to be connected to the high voltage terminal 40. As a result, a high voltage can be applied from the high voltage power source 36 to the discharge needle 12.

  In particular, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the insulating pipe 22 of this embodiment has a rail member 42 that guides the discharge portion 14 to be connected to the high voltage terminal 40 (“guide means of the present invention”). Is equivalent). Thereby, by connecting the discharge part 14 and the high voltage terminal 40 by inserting the discharge part 14 into the insulating pipe 22 along the rail member 42, it is possible.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the discharge portion 14 of the present embodiment includes a connection portion 44 provided corresponding to each discharge needle 12, a discharge needle mounting base 46 to which each connection portion 44 is fixed, and a discharge. A guided member 48 that supports the needle mount 46 and is directly guided by the rail member 42 described above, and a discharge needle take-out lid 50 that is fixed to one end of the guided member 48 are provided. In a state where the discharge unit 14 is attached to the insulating pipe 22, the discharge needle take-out lid 50 is configured to close the opening provided on the side wall of the insulating pipe 22.

  Each connection portion 44 is configured such that the base end portion of the corresponding discharge needle 12 can be attached and detached (removable). When replacing the discharge needle 12, the discharge needle 14 is removed from the insulating pipe 22 by grasping the discharge needle take-out lid 50, the discharge needle 12 is removed from the connection portion 44, and a new discharge is applied to the connection portion 44. After attaching the needle, it can be restored to its original state. Thus, according to the aspect which provides the connection part 44 which can remove the discharge needle 12, only the discharge needle 12 can be replaced | exchanged. Of course, there may be a mode in which the base end portion of each discharge needle 12 is implanted in the discharge needle mounting base 46.

  With this configuration, when a high voltage is applied to the discharge needle 12 from the high-voltage power supply 36 via the high-voltage wire 38 and the high-voltage terminal 40, corona discharge is generated from the discharge needle 12 and ions are generated. At the same time, the air supplied from the blower fan 30 installed in the chamber 32 flows into the insulating pipe 22 through the communication port 34, and the generated ions are blown out from the blower outlet 24 together with the air. The In this way, by discharging the ionized air blown from the ion generator 10 onto the object to be neutralized, the object to be neutralized can be neutralized.

  As a preferable aspect of the present invention, there is an aspect in which the insulating pipe 22 is formed of a transparent member. Moreover, the aspect which comprises the discharge needle extraction lid | cover 50 with a transparent member is also preferable. According to such an aspect, it becomes possible to confirm the dirt state of the discharge needle 12 accommodated in the insulating pipe 22 from the outside without removing the discharge part 14. The entire insulating pipe 22 may be made of a transparent member, or a window portion made of a transparent member may be provided on a part of the insulating pipe 22 (for example, a part of the side wall). The same applies to the discharge needle take-out lid 50, as long as at least a part of the discharge needle take-out lid 50 is made of a transparent member. Moreover, the transparent member does not need to be completely transparent, and may be transparent so that the dirt state of the discharge needle 12 can be visually recognized from the outside.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a current control device 52 (corresponding to the “current control means” of the present invention) that controls current so that an abnormal current does not flow from the high-voltage power supply 36 to the high-voltage terminal 40 is replaced with the high-voltage power supply 36. An embodiment provided between the high voltage terminal 40 and the high voltage terminal 40 is also preferable. It is possible to prevent an abnormal current from flowing through the discharge unit 14 (discharge needle 12), and to prevent the person from being injured when the person accidentally touches the electrode.

  According to the ion generator 10 of the present embodiment, the high voltage power source 36 is installed in the chamber 32, and the high voltage power source 36 is installed in the insulating pipe 22 communicating with the chamber 32. It is possible to wire the high-voltage electric wire 38 connecting the high-voltage terminal 40 without exposing it to the outside of the apparatus (outside the chamber 32 and the insulating pipe 22), and safety can be improved. Further, by configuring the discharge unit 14 to be detachable from the high voltage terminal 40, the discharge unit 14 is cleaned (for example, washed with water) in a state where the discharge unit 14 is electrically separated from the high voltage power source 36 side. Therefore, the discharge part can be removed, washed with water, and disposable, so that maintainability is improved.

  In the present embodiment, the needle-like electrode (discharge needle 12) is used to generate ions, but the same effect can be obtained by using a discharge electrode of another shape such as a flat electrode using creeping discharge. it can.

  As mentioned above, although the ion generator of this invention was demonstrated in detail, this invention is not limited to the above example, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it is possible to perform various improvement and deformation | transformation. Of course.

The block diagram which showed the ion generator which concerns on embodiment of this invention Front view of the insulating pipe of the ion generator shown in FIG. Plan view of the insulating pipe of the ion generator shown in FIG. Side sectional view of the insulating pipe of the ion generator shown in FIG. The block diagram which showed the discharge part of the ion generator shown in FIG. The block diagram which showed the ion generator provided with the current control apparatus The figure which showed the ventilation static elimination apparatus which concerns on a prior art A diagram showing the structure of a DC static eliminator according to the prior art

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Ion generator, 12 ... Discharge needle, 14 ... Discharge part, 16 ... Ion production part, 18 ... Air supply part, 20 ... Power supply part, 22 ... Insulative pipe, 24 ... Air outlet, 30 ... Blower fan, 32 ... Chamber, 34 ... Communication port, 36 ... High voltage power supply, 38 ... High voltage electric wire, 40 ... High voltage terminal, 42 ... Rail member, 44 ... Connection part, 46 ... Discharge needle mounting base, 48 ... Guided member, 50 ... Lid for taking out the discharge needle, 52 ... Current control device

Claims (4)

A blower fan,
A chamber in which the blower fan is installed;
A discharge section comprising a discharge needle and a discharge needle mount;
An insulative pipe which is in communication with the chamber and in which the discharge needle is housed and at least an inner wall surface is made of an insulating material;
A high-voltage power supply installed in the chamber;
A high-voltage terminal installed in the insulating pipe;
A high-voltage electric wire that is installed inside the chamber and the insulating pipe and connects the high-voltage power source and the high-voltage terminal;
An opening for inserting the discharge part is provided on a side wall of the insulating pipe,
Inside the insulating pipe, it is formed along the radial direction of the insulating pipe as guide means for guiding the discharge part inserted through the opening to be connected to the high voltage terminal. Rail members are provided,
The discharge part is inserted into the insulating pipe through the opening and guided along the rail member and is configured to be detachable from the high voltage terminal.
The longitudinal direction of the discharge needle and the axial direction of the insulating pipe are arranged so as to be parallel to each other,
When the discharge unit is connected to the high-voltage terminal, a high voltage can be applied to the discharge needle from the high-voltage power source. 2. The ion generator according to claim 1, further comprising a current control unit configured to control a current so that an abnormal current does not flow from the high-voltage power source to the high-voltage terminal. The insulating pipe ion generating apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it is constituted by a transparent member. The ion generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the discharge needle mounting base is provided with a connection part from which the discharge needle can be removed.

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