JP6777869B2 - EFEM device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transport chamber capable of transporting an object to be transported in a clean state without exposing it to the outside air.

Conventionally, in the semiconductor field, semiconductor devices have been manufactured by subjecting wafers to various processing steps.

In the semiconductor device manufacturing process, a wafer transfer environment that is particle-less and chemical component-less is required, and wafer transfer is performed between a closed storage container called FOUP (Front-Opening Unified Pod) and a processing device. A transport chamber generally called EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) is used (see Patent Document 1 below). In the transport room, the FFU (Fun Filter Unit) installed at the top usually sucks in the fresh outside air in the clean room, downflows the inside, and discharges it from the floor to the outside to create a constant clean atmosphere. It can be obtained stably.

Furthermore, in recent years, as the semiconductor device structure has become finer, the influence of moisture, oxygen, chemical components, etc. has become more problematic, and in response to these, the inside of the transport chamber is made of an inert gas. It has been proposed that the wafer be transported in an N2 atmosphere by substituting with a certain N2 (nitrogen) gas. In that case, in order to reduce the consumption of N2 gas and reduce the running cost, it is necessary to keep the internal cleanliness while reducing the supply amount of fresh N2 gas, so N2 gas is passed through the filter. It is conceivable to circulate.

Further, it is conceivable to provide a chemical filter in order to efficiently remove the chemical component from the circulating N2 gas. Since chemical components may be brought into the transport chamber by wafers that have been processed by a processing device, it is possible to efficiently remove these chemical components using a chemical filter and maintain a cleaner atmosphere. Become.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-49382

When the gas is circulated inside the transport chamber as described above, it is almost impossible to expect the chemical components brought in from the processing apparatus side to be discharged to the outside, so that the removal by the chemical filter can be performed more efficiently. It will be necessary.

Here, since the chemical filter involves a removal mechanism that utilizes a hydrolysis reaction for the acid component and the alkaline component, it becomes difficult to remove the acid component and the alkaline component if the humidity is too low. However, as described above, since the N2 gas supplied to the transport chamber usually contains almost no water, the transport chamber may be in a low humidity state and it may not be possible to sufficiently remove the chemical components.

An object of the present invention is to provide a transport chamber capable of transporting an object to be transported in a clean state while maintaining the function of removing chemical components by a chemical filter.

The present invention has taken the following measures in order to achieve such an object.

That is, the EFEM apparatus of the present invention is for transferring the object to be transported to and from the processing apparatus side by using the transfer robot provided inside the housing, and is internally for circulating the supplied gas. It has a circulation path formed in. The gas treatment device provided in the middle of the circulation path is a chemical filter, and is provided with a humidifying device for humidifying the chemical filter. The housing forms a transport space for accommodating the transport robot and a gas treatment space for accommodating the gas treatment device, and the transport space and the gas treatment space communicate with each other to form one closed space.

Here, the above-mentioned supply gas refers to a gas other than water gas, that is, water vapor.

With the above configuration, the chemical filter can be appropriately hydrolyzed to remove chemical components and keep the inside clean. Therefore, it is possible to transport the object to be transported while maintaining a clean state. Further, by providing a humidity detection device that detects the humidity inside the housing, it is possible to humidify based on the humidity detection value and maintain the humidity inside appropriately.

Further, it is preferable that the housing is partitioned into a transport space in which the transport robot operates and a gas return path.

It is preferable that the gas return space is provided with a blower, and the blower is provided so as to form an upward air flow in the gas return space.

The chemical filter uses a hydrolysis reaction to be brought into a transport space from a processing apparatus to remove chemical components contained in a supply gas circulating in a circulation path from the supply gas.

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to provide a transport chamber capable of maintaining the function of removing chemical components by a chemical filter and transporting an object to be transported in a clean state.

The plan view which shows typically the relationship between the transport chamber and the processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which shows typically the transport chamber. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the transport chamber at the AA position in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the transport chamber at the BB position in FIG. A block diagram schematically showing a configuration for controlling the internal atmosphere of the transport chamber.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the relationship between the transport chamber 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention and the processing device 6 connected to the transport chamber 1. As shown in this figure, the transport chamber 1 is configured as a modular device generally called EFEM. Specifically, the transport chamber 1 is a transport robot 2 that transports a wafer W to be transported between predetermined delivery positions, and a box-shaped housing provided so as to surround the transfer robot 2. It is composed of 3 and a plurality of (three in the drawing) load ports 4 to 4 connected to the outside of the wall (front wall 31) on the front side of the housing 3.

Here, in the present application, the direction of the side to which the load ports 4 to 4 are connected is defined as the front, and the direction of the back wall 32 facing the front wall 31 is defined as the rear when viewed from the housing 3. The direction orthogonal to the vertical direction is defined as lateral. That is, the three load ports 4 to 4 are arranged side by side.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the transport chamber 1 is adjacent to the outside of the back wall 32, and a load lock chamber 61 forming a part of the processing device 6 can be connected to the transport chamber 1. By opening the door 1a provided between the load lock chamber 61 and the load lock chamber 61, the inside of the transport chamber 1 and the load lock chamber 61 can be communicated with each other. Various types of processing devices 6 can be used, but in general, a relay chamber 62 is provided adjacent to the load lock chamber 61, and a plurality of processing devices W are processed adjacent to the relay chamber 62 (FIG. 6). Among them, three) processing units 63 to 63 are provided. Doors 62a and 63a to 63a are provided between the relay chamber 62, the load lock chamber 61, and the processing units 63 to 63, respectively. By opening these doors, the doors 62a and 63a to 63a can be communicated with each other. The wafer W can be moved between the load lock chamber 61 and the processing units 63 to 63 by using the transfer robot 64 provided in the relay chamber 62.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the transport chamber 1 as viewed from the load port 4 side, and FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the transport chamber 1 at the AA position of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the housing 3 constituting the transport chamber 1 is composed of a main body box 3A, a chemical filter box 3B, and a control box 3C, and the main body box 3A is internally transported. The transfer chamber main body 1A is composed of the robot 2 (see FIG. 1) and the load ports 4 to 4 provided on the front wall 31. Further, the main body box 3A, the chemical filter box 3B, and the control box 3C are separable from each other.

The front wall 31, rear wall 32, left side wall 33, and right side wall 34 of the housing 3 are the main body box 3A, the chemical filter box 3B, the front walls 31A, 31B, 31C of the control box 3C, the rear walls 32A, 32B, 32C, It is composed of left side walls 33A, 33B, 33C and right side walls 34A, 34B, 34C, respectively. The upper surface wall 35 of the housing 3 is composed of the upper surface wall 35C of the control box 3C, and the bottom wall 36 of the housing 3 is composed of the bottom wall 36A of the main body box 3A. Further, the bottom wall 36B of the chemical filter box 3B is in contact with the top wall 35A of the main body box 3A, and the bottom wall 36C of the control box 3C is in contact with the top wall 35B of the chemical filter box 3B. ..

A load port 4 is connected to the opening 31a provided in the front wall 31A of the main body box 3A, and the rectangular opening 32a (see FIG. 1) provided in the back wall 32A is provided by a door 1a generally called a gate valve. It is closed. Further, the upper surface wall 35A of the main body box 3A is provided with two openings 35A1 and 35A2, and the bottom wall 36B of the chemical filter box 3B is also provided with openings 36B1 and 36B2 at positions corresponding to these. The space S1 inside and the space S2 inside the chemical filter box 3B communicate with each other to form one substantially enclosed space CS.

The transfer robot 2 provided in the space S1 in the main body box 3A supports the arm portion 2a provided with the pick on which the wafer W is placed and conveyed, and the arm portion 2a from below, and operates the arm portion 2a. The base portion 2b is composed of a base portion 2b having a drive mechanism and an elevating mechanism, and the base portion 2b is supported by a front wall 31A of the main body box 3A via a support portion 21 and a guide rail 22. Then, the transfer robot 2 can move along the guide rail 22 extending in the width direction in the main body box 3A, and each load is caused by the control means 5 described later controlling the operation of the transfer robot 2. It is possible to transport the wafer W housed in the FOUP 41 mounted on the ports 4 to 4 to the load lock chamber 61, and to transport the processed wafer W in each of the processing units 63 to 63 again into the FOUP 41. It has become.

A chemical filter unit 7 as a so-called chemical filter is provided in the chemical filter box 3B. The chemical filter unit 7 has an organic substance removing filter 71 for removing an organic substance component among chemical components contained in a gas passing through the chemical filter unit 7, an acid removing filter 72 for removing an acid component, and an alkaline component for removing an alkaline component. It is composed of the alkali removing filter 73 of the above, and each of the filters 71 to 73 can be replaced independently.

Inside the control box 3C, a control means 5 which is a control unit for controlling the entire transport chamber main body 1A is provided. The control means 5 is composed of a CPU, a memory, a normal microprocessor provided with an interface, and the like. Programs necessary for processing are stored in the memory in advance, and the CPU sequentially takes out and executes the necessary programs. However, it is designed to realize the desired function in cooperation with peripheral hardware resources. As will be described later, the control means 5 operates the transfer robot 2 and the load port 4 in the main body box 3A, opens and closes the doors 1a and 4a, and supplies gas to the main body box 3A and the chemical filter box 3B. Take control.

As shown in FIG. 3, the space S1 in the main body box 3A is divided into a transport space S11, which is a space in which the transport robot 2 operates by an internal wall 37A extending from the bottom wall 36A to the top wall 35A, and a gas return space S12. Has been done. An opening 37A1 is provided in the lower part of the inner wall 37A, and the transport space S11 and the gas return space S12 communicate with each other on the lower side through the opening 37A1. Further, a fan 77 is provided in the lower part of the gas return space S12 in succession with the opening 37A1, and by driving the fan 77, the gas in the transport space S11 is taken into the gas return space S12 and inside the gas return space S12. It is possible to create an upward airflow with.

Here, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. As can be seen from this figure, a wall portion 38A surrounding the door 1a with the load lock chamber 61 (see FIG. 1) is formed in the central portion of the gas return space S12, and the space around the door 1a is conveyed. It is continuous with the space S11 (see FIG. 3). Therefore, the gas return space S12 is divided into two parts so as to avoid the door 1a from below, and is configured to rejoin the upper part.

Returning to FIG. 3, the transport space S11 and the gas return space S12 communicate with the space S2 in the chemical filter box 3B, respectively, through the openings 35A1 and 35A2 of the upper surface wall 35A described above. Therefore, the transport space S11 and the gas return space S12 communicate with each other via the space S2 in the chemical filter box 3B even on the upper side.

The FFU76 is provided in the upper part of the transport space S11, specifically, at a position slightly below the upper surface wall 35A, and the gas taken in from the space S2 in the chemical filter box 3B is sent downward by the FFU76 and transported. A downflow can be formed in the space S11. Furthermore, the FFU76 incorporates high-performance filters such as a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter and a ULPA (Ultra Low Penetration Air) filter, and collects minute particles contained inside the passing gas. It is possible to do.

On the other hand, in the chemical filter box 3B, a discharge fan 75 is provided between the opening 36B1 of the bottom wall 36B and the chemical filter unit 7 described above, and a suction fan 76 is provided above the opening 36B2. The opening 36B2 and the opening 35A2 continuous with the opening 36B2 function as a gas inlet for inflowing gas toward the chemical filter unit 7, and the suction fan 76 passes through the openings 36B2 and 35A2 from the gas return space S12 to the chemical filter box. Gas is made to flow into 3B. The opening 36B1 and the opening 35A1 continuous with the opening 36B1 function as a gas discharge port for discharging gas from the chemical filter unit 7, and the discharge fan 75 allows gas that has passed through the chemical filter unit 7 to pass through these openings 35B1, 35A1. Can be sent to the transport space S11. Therefore, it is possible to create a gas flow by compensating for the pressure loss due to the chemical filter unit 7 by the two fans 75 and 76.

As described above, in the substantially enclosed space CS formed in the main body box 3A and the chemical filter box 3B, the gas constituting the internal atmosphere circulates along the following circulation path CL. That is, the circulation path CL advances downward from the FFU 76 provided in the upper part of the transport space S11, and advances upward in the gas return space S12 through the openings 37A1 and the fan 77 provided in the lower part of the inner wall 37A. After passing through the openings 35A2 and 36B2, it enters the space S2 in the chemical filter box 3B via the suction fan 74, passes through the chemical filter unit 7, passes through the discharge fan 75 and the openings 36B1, 35A1 to the transport space S11. Formed to return. Therefore, it can be said that the chemical filter unit 7 is provided in the middle of the circulation path CL.

In order to supply N2 gas to the substantially enclosed space CS in which the circulation path CL is formed and purge it, a gas supply port 91 is provided on the rear wall 32B of the chemical filter box 3B, and the rear wall 32A of the main body box 3A is provided with a gas supply port 91. Is provided with a gas discharge port 92.

As shown in FIG. 5, a gas supply line GS and a gas discharge line GE are connected to the gas supply port 91 and the gas discharge port 92, respectively.

The gas supply line GS includes a gas supply means NS in which a regulator 93, a valve 94, an MFC (gas flow rate controller) 95, and a valve 94 are sequentially provided in a pipe led from an N2 gas supply source.

In the gas discharge line GE, a flow rate adjusting valve 98 and a valve 94 are sequentially provided in a pipe connected to the gas discharge port 92A, and a gas discharge destination is connected to the flow rate adjusting valve 98 and the valve 94 in this order.

Therefore, by supplying N2 gas from the gas supply port 91 while discharging the gas from the gas discharge port 92, the air in the substantially enclosed space CS can be eliminated and filled with the N2 gas.

Then, when the concentration of N2 gas rises above a certain level, the amount of N2 gas supplied from the gas supply port 91 is reduced, the amount of gas discharged from the gas discharge port 92A is reduced, and the inside is kept at a positive pressure. I have to. In this state, by circulating the internal gas according to the circulation path CL, particles and chemical components contained in the gas can be removed by the FFU76 and the chemical filter unit 7 to keep the inside clean. There is. Further, since the N2 gas is a dry gas containing almost no water, it is possible to reduce the water content inside and prevent corrosion of the surface of the wafer W.

By the way, by continuing to supply the N2 gas used for replacing the internal atmosphere as described above, the internal water content may become too small, and the chemical component removing performance by the chemical filter unit 7 may deteriorate.

As shown in FIG. 3, among the organic matter removing filter 71, the acid removing filter 72, and the alkali removing filter 73 constituting the chemical filter unit 7, the organic matter removing filter 71 removes the organic matter component by adsorption, whereas the acid removing filter 72 and the alkali removing filter 73 remove an acid component and an alkali component by a hydrolysis reaction. Therefore, a certain amount of water is required to remove the acid component and the alkaline component, and if the humidity in the gas becomes too low, the removal performance is significantly deteriorated.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to keep the internal humidity constant, the following water supply means HS is provided so that the N2 gas supplied from the gas supply means NS can contain water.

The water supply means HS includes a valve 94 connected to a pipe connected to a water supply source, an LFC (liquid flow controller) 99 as a flow rate control unit, a valve 94, a sprayer 96 generally called an injection, and a vaporizer 97. It is composed of a heater controller 97b that operates the heater 97a included in the vaporizer 97.

Specifically, the valve 94, the LFC 99, and the valve 94 are connected in order to the pipe connected to the water supply source, and further connected to the sprayer 96 provided in the middle of the gas supply line GS.
Therefore, the amount of water to be given can be determined by adjusting the flow rate of water with the LFC 99, and the water can be atomized into a minute atom and contained in the N2 gas by the atomizer 96. On the downstream side of the atomizer 96, a vaporizer 97 composed of a coil-shaped pipe and a heater 97a for heating the pipe is provided. By supplying electric power to the heater 97a by the heater controller 97b, it is possible to heat the gas flowing through the pipe and vaporize the water particles contained therein. Further, the pipes constituting the gas supply line GS from the atomizer 96 to the gas supply port 91 via the vaporizer 97 are provided with a heat insulating means HI composed of a pipe heat insulating material and a heat insulating heater. The vaporized water is prevented from condensing and forming water droplets that flow into the chemical filter box 3B.

Further, the gas supply means NS and the water supply means HS cooperate with each other to form a gas / water supply means NHS for supplying N2 gas containing water into a substantially enclosed space CS.

In order to control the gas / moisture supply means NHS, humidity detectors HG1 and HG2 as humidity detection means for detecting humidity are provided in the space S1 in the main body box 3A and the space S2 in the chemical filter box 3B. Each is provided. Further, a pressure detector PG is provided as a pressure detecting means for detecting the pressure difference between the space S1 in the main body box 3A and the outside.

Then, in order to control the gas supply means NS based on the detected values from these, the above-mentioned control means 5 has the following configuration.

The control means 5 includes a gas (N2) flow rate determination unit 51, a water (H2O) flow rate determination unit 52, a heater operation command unit 53, a pressure acquisition unit 54, a humidity acquisition unit 55, and a storage unit 56. ing.

The storage unit 56 stores a pressure target value and a humidity target value, which are predetermined values. The pressure acquisition unit 54 can acquire the output from the pressure detector PG and output it as a pressure detection value. The humidity acquisition unit 55 can acquire the outputs from the humidity detectors HG1 and HG2 and output them as humidity detection values.

The gas flow rate determination unit 51 determines the flow rate of N2 gas supplied from the gas supply line GS based on the pressure detection value obtained by the pressure acquisition unit 54, and outputs the corresponding gas flow rate command value to the MFC 95. It is configured in. More specifically, when the pressure detection value is within a predetermined range centered on the pressure target value, the gas flow rate command value is maintained as it is, and when the pressure detection value is smaller than the above predetermined range, N2 gas When the pressure detection value is larger than the above-mentioned predetermined range, the gas flow rate command value is changed so as to decrease the supply amount of N2 gas.

The water flow rate determination unit 52 determines the flow rate of water supplied from the water supply means HS based on the humidity detection value by the humidity detector HG2 obtained via the humidity acquisition unit 55, and the corresponding water flow rate command value. Is configured to be output to LFC99. More specifically, when the humidity detection value is within a predetermined range centered on the humidity target value, the water flow rate command value is maintained as it is, and when the humidity detection value is smaller than the above predetermined range, water The water supply amount is increased, and when the humidity detection value is larger than the above-mentioned predetermined range, the water flow rate command value is changed so as to decrease the water supply amount. When the humidity detection value is larger than the humidity target value, the water supply amount may be set to zero and only N2 gas may be supplied. Regarding such humidity control, it is also preferable to suppress overshoot and hunting by using PID control. When performing the above control, the humidity detection value by the humidity detector HG1 is used for the monitor, but the humidity detection value by the humidity detector HG2 is used for the monitor and the humidity detection value by the humidity detector HG1 is used for the control. You can also do it.

The heater operation command unit 53 is configured to give a command to the heater controller 97b in order to operate the heater 97a in response to the water flow rate command value determined by the water flow rate determination unit 52.

By configuring the transport chamber 1 as described above, the operation can be performed as follows.

First, when starting the operation of the transport chamber 1, as shown in FIG. 5, gas exhaust is performed while supplying N2 gas from the gas supply port 91 to the substantially enclosed space CS inside via the gas supply line GS. Air is removed from the port 92 via the gas discharge line GE, and purging with N2 gas is performed. At this time, the pressure acquisition unit 54 acquires the pressure detection value from the output obtained from the pressure detector PG, and the gas flow rate determination unit 51 determines the gas flow rate command value based on the pressure detection value and outputs it to the MFC 95. Then, the MFC95 adjusts the gas flow rate according to the gas flow rate command value, so that the flow rate of the N2 gas supplied to the substantially enclosed space CS is changed. By doing so, the inside of the substantially enclosed space CS can be kept at a positive pressure higher than the outside, and the invasion of particles from the outside can be prevented.

Further, by operating the FFU 76 and the fans 74, 75, 77 by the control means 5, the gas can be circulated internally along the circulation path CL, and the chemical filter unit 7 and the FFU 76 put the gas into the gas. It can remove particles and chemical components contained in it to make it clean.

Further, the humidity acquisition unit 55 constituting the control means 5 acquires a humidity detection value from the output obtained from the humidity detector HG2, and the water flow rate determination unit 52 determines the water flow rate command value based on the humidity detection value. And output to LFC99. By adjusting the water flow rate according to the water flow rate command value, the LFC 99 adjusts the amount of water contained in the N2 gas supplied to the substantially enclosed space CS. Further, the water is given as fine particles by the atomizer 96 and then given to the inside of the chemical filter box 3B in a state of being vaporized by the vaporizer 97 on the downstream side. By doing so, it is possible to maintain a slight humidity in the substantially enclosed space CS so as not to impair the hydrolysis reaction by the chemical filter unit 7, effectively remove the chemical components, and the wafer W due to excessive humidity. It can also prevent the corrosion of.

By purifying the internal atmosphere as described above, the normal state in which the supply amount of N2 gas is reduced is shifted to while maintaining the positive pressure in the substantially enclosed space CS, and the consumption amount of N2 gas is reduced. Then, by operating the transfer robot 2, the load ports 4 to 4 shown in FIG. 1, and the doors 1a, 4a to 4a by the control means 5, the wafer W to be conveyed can be conveyed while maintaining a clean state. It can be carried out.

Furthermore, the removal performance by the chemical filter unit 7 can be maintained by continuously performing the humidity control based on the humidity detection value by the humidity detector HG2 even during the normal operation, and the processing apparatus. Even when a chemical component flows in from the 6 side together with the wafer W, it can be appropriately removed to keep the inside clean.

As described above, the transfer chamber 1 in the present embodiment is for transferring the wafer W as the object to be conveyed to and from the processing device 6 side by using the transfer robot 2 provided inside, and is a gas. A circulation path CL formed inside to circulate the gas, a chemical filter unit 7 as a chemical filter provided in the middle of the circulation path CL, and a humidity detector HG2 as a humidity detection means for detecting the internal humidity. The gas supply means NS that supplies gas to the inside and the water supply means HS that supplies water to the inside are provided, and the moisture supply means HS is operated based on the humidity detection value by the humidity detection means. It was done.

Since it is configured in this way, the internal humidity can be properly maintained by operating the moisture supply means HS based on the humidity detection value by the humidity detector HG2, so that the chemical filter unit 7 is appropriately hydrolyzed. The reaction can be carried out to remove chemical components and keep the inside clean. Therefore, the wafer W can be conveyed while maintaining a clean state, and the yield of the semiconductor device manufactured by using the wafer W can be improved.

Further, since the water supply means HS is configured to contain water in the gas in the middle of the gas supply line GS from the gas supply means NS, it becomes possible to supply water more stably. There is.

Then, the water supply means HS is used as an LFC 99 as a flow control unit connected to a water supply source, a sprayer 96 for spraying water supplied from the LFC 99 into a gas, and vaporization of the water sprayed in the gas. Since it is composed of the vessel 97, it is possible to control the amount of water supplied easily and appropriately.

Further, since the gas supply line GS on the downstream side of the water supply by the water supply means HS is configured to be provided with the heat retention means HI for keeping the pipe warm, the gas is supplied after the water is supplied by the water supply means HS. Since it is possible to prevent the temperature from dropping below the dew point and causing dew condensation, it is possible to suppress the invasion of excess water while maintaining an appropriate internal humidity.

The specific configuration of each part is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, N2 gas is used as the gas that fills the inside, but Ar (argon) gas, which is the same inert gas, can also be preferably used. Further, as long as it is a gas other than water gas, that is, water vapor, a gas other than N2 gas or Ar gas can be used, and it can be appropriately changed according to the content of the treatment for the wafer W to be transported.

Further, the transport chamber 1 can also be used to transport an object to be transported other than the wafer W.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the moisture supply means HS is configured to supply moisture to the N2 gas supplied to the substantially enclosed space CS, but is configured to supply moisture directly into the substantially enclosed space CS. Even in that case, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the moisture supply means HS is operated based on the value detected by the humidity detector HG2 to maintain the substantially enclosed space CS at the target humidity. Instead of using the value detected by HG2, a predetermined amount of water may be supplied from the water supply means HS every predetermined time. By doing so, it is possible to maintain the desired humidity in the substantially enclosed space CS, and it is possible to obtain the same effect as described above. In addition, by eliminating the need for the humidity detector HG2, the manufacturing cost is further reduced. It is also possible to reduce it.

Other configurations can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 ... Transfer chamber 2 ... Transfer robot 5 ... Control means 6 ... Processing device 7 ... Chemical filter unit (chemical filter)
96 ... Atomizer 97 ... Vaporizer 99 ... LFC (Flow control unit)
CL ... Circulation path GE ... Gas discharge line GS ... Gas supply line HS ... Moisture supply means HG1, HG2 ... Humidity detector (humidity detection means)
HI ... Heat retention means NS ... Gas supply means W ... Wafer (conveyed object)

Claims (9)

An EFEM device for delivering an object to be transported to and from the processing device side using a transfer robot provided inside the housing.
The housing has a transport space for accommodating the transport robot, a gas treatment space for accommodating a gas treatment device, and a gas return space capable of returning gas from the transport space to the gas treatment space.
The transport space, the gas treatment space, and the gas return space communicate with each other to form one closed space, and an inert gas is supplied to the closed space from the gas supply unit.
The inert gas advances downward by a fan filter unit that forms a downflow in the transport space, enters the gas return space through a suction port provided below the transport space, and enters the gas return space. A circulation path is formed so as to advance upward, enter the gas treatment space, pass through the gas treatment device, and return to the transport space.
The gas treatment device has a chemical filter that uses a hydrolysis reaction, and is provided with a humidifying device that humidifies the inert gas supplied to the chemical filter.
An EFEM device characterized in that. The EFEM device according to claim 1, further comprising a humidity detection device that detects the humidity inside the housing, and operating the humidifying device based on the humidity detection value of the humidity detection device. The EFEM apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the humidifying apparatus is operated based on the humidity detection value so that the chemical filter maintains the function of removing the chemical component contained in the inert gas circulating in the circulation path. .. The housing has a main body box forming the transport space and a gas treatment box forming the gas treatment space, and humidifies the inert gas circulating in the circulation path in the gas treatment box. The EFEM apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The gas processing box is provided with the gas supply unit.
The EFEM device according to claim 4, wherein the humidifying device humidifies the inert gas circulating in the circulation path through the gas supply unit. The EFEM device according to claim 4, wherein the humidifying device supplies water to the inert gas circulating in the circulation path in the gas treatment box. The housing has a control box provided above the gas treatment box.
The EFEM device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the humidifying device is controlled by a controller unit provided inside the control box. An EFEM device for delivering an object to be transported to and from a processing device side having a load lock chamber by using a transfer robot provided inside the housing to which a load port is connected .
The housing has a transport space for accommodating the transport robot, a gas treatment space for accommodating a gas treatment device, and a gas return space capable of returning gas from the transport space to the gas treatment space.
The transport space, the gas treatment space, and the gas return space communicate with each other to form one closed space, and an inert gas is supplied to the closed space from the gas supply unit.
The inert gas advances downward by a fan filter unit that forms a downflow in the transport space, enters the gas return space through a suction port provided below the transport space, and enters the gas return space. A circulation path is formed so as to advance upward, enter the gas treatment space, pass through the gas treatment device, and return to the transport space.
The gas treatment apparatus includes a chemical filter that uses a hydrolysis reaction.
It has a humidifying device that humidifies the inert gas supplied to the chemical filter .
It has a fan provided adjacent to the chemical filter to compensate for the pressure loss due to the chemical filter.
An EFEM device characterized in that. An EFEM device for delivering an object to be transported to and from a processing device side having a load lock chamber by using a transfer robot provided inside the housing to which a load port is connected .
The housing has a transport space for accommodating the transport robot, a gas treatment space for accommodating a gas treatment device, and a gas return space capable of returning gas from the transport space to the gas treatment space.
The transport space, the gas treatment space, and the gas return space communicate with each other to form one closed space, and an inert gas is supplied to the closed space from the gas supply unit.
The inert gas advances downward by a fan filter unit that forms a downflow in the transport space, enters the gas return space through a suction port provided below the transport space, and enters the gas return space. A circulation path is formed so as to advance upward, enter the gas treatment space, pass through the gas treatment device, and return to the transport space.
The gas treatment device has a chemical filter that uses a hydrolysis reaction, and has a humidifying device that humidifies the inert gas supplied to the chemical filter.
Based on the pressure detection value of the pressure detection device that detects the pressure inside the housing, the gas supply unit and the gas discharge unit that discharges the gas inside the housing are operated to create positive pressure inside the housing. Keep in,
An EFEM device characterized in that.