JPH05340581A - Clean room system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the volume of a clean facility, which necessitates cleaning, and permit the execution of the maintenance of the clean facility easily when it is necessary. CONSTITUTION:A clean facility 10 is constituted of the minimum volume, in which works can be supplied and necessary processing machines can be stored therein while the volume is sealed, and is maintained so as to be clean. The clean facility 10 is provided with a maintenance window for maintenance while the maintenance of the clean facility is effected while communicating the maintenance window with a working window provided on a maintenance vehicle 30.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clean room system, and more particularly to an improved clean room system capable of easily maintaining a processing and assembling machine inside the clean room while significantly reducing a required clean air volume.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacturing process of semiconductors, products,
In particular, such a processing line is installed in a clean room because dust adheres to IC wafers and the like to cause processing defects or deteriorate product quality. In the highly sophisticated semiconductor manufacturing process in recent years, the cleanliness of this clean room, for example, the cleanliness of 100 or more, is controlled, and high quality IC wafers can be manufactured with high efficiency.

Such a clean room is widely applied not only in the semiconductor manufacturing process but also in a manufacturing line for assembling a hard disk in an enclosure by hermetically assembling it, such as a hard disk drive. Therefore, it is expected that the applications of various processing or assembly lines using such a clean room will further expand in the future.

However, in such a cream room, in general, the whole factory or a part thereof is partitioned to maintain a desired cleanliness inside, so that a circular filtering is applied to a wide clean area where workers can freely walk. Therefore, there is a problem that a large-scale cleaning device is required to obtain and maintain a desired degree of cleanliness, and the maintenance cost is enormous.

Conventionally, in order to reduce the maintenance cost of such a clean room, the maintenance cost is reduced by storing only the processing or assembly line in a small closed chamber where no worker can enter and reducing the cleaning volume. A system was proposed that allowed it.

[0006]

However, in such a small clean room, the clean room must be opened when performing maintenance of the work transfer path or the processing and assembling machine provided inside the small clean room. However, there is a problem in that the cleaning and start-up time is required to obtain a desired degree of cleanliness each time, and the machining or assembly line is stopped for a long time each time maintenance is performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional problems, and an object thereof is to reduce a cleaning area to remarkably reduce a maintenance cost of a clean room, and also to perform maintenance without reducing the cleanliness. The object is to provide an improved clean room system that can be easily performed at any given time.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is directed to a clean small facility which is a hermetically sealed small unit capable of accommodating only a work and a processing and assembling machine which a worker cannot enter and leave. It features a capacity line, and on the other hand, a maintenance vehicle that can be connected to any clean equipment area is used during maintenance.

The maintenance vehicle can be boarded by maintenance personnel, and the inside is kept clean in a sealed state.
Further, it is characterized in that it has a working window facing the maintenance window provided at an arbitrary position of the clean facility and allowing the clean facility and the maintenance vehicle to communicate with each other.

Of course, the clean facility has a maintenance window which is in a normally closed and easily removable state and which communicates with the working window of the maintenance vehicle at an arbitrary position in the processing chamber and the transfer path.

[0011]

Therefore, according to the present invention, normally, the clean equipment performs automatic processing or automatic assembly work on the work inside it, and performs desired processing and assembly with a minimum necessary volume, so it must be cleaned. Since the volume that must be reduced is reduced, the maintenance cost can be significantly reduced,
At the same time, the degree of cleanliness can be much higher than that of the open space, which makes it possible to significantly reduce the manufacturing cost of wafers and keep the processing quality high, for example, in the processing system of semiconductor IC wafers. When maintenance is required in the clean equipment, maintenance personnel board the maintenance vehicle, clean the narrow area of the maintenance vehicle, and then connect the maintenance vehicle and the clean equipment to each other under a clean condition. Perform necessary maintenance. Therefore, this maintenance does not impair the cleanliness of the clean equipment, and the clean equipment can be immediately returned to normal processing and assembly after the necessary maintenance and inspection or repair is completed.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the entire structure of a clean room system according to the present invention, which is configured as a wafer processing apparatus in a semiconductor manufacturing facility, for example. In Figure 2,
Some units of this fabrication process are shown in perspective view,
The IC wafer processing process in the embodiment will be briefly described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The clean facility 10 is shown as part of an IC wafer processing apparatus and is divided into individual units according to the processing steps as follows. That is, the unit 11 represents a photoresist coating and pre-baking line, and constitutes a line for coating and baking the resist on the IC wafer in advance. The unit 12 represents an ultraviolet mask aligner or an electron beam exposure device, and exposes a predetermined pattern on the resist of the IC wafer.

The unit 13 is a conveyance path, and conveys the IC wafer on which the desired pattern is exposed to the next unit 14, and the unit 14 performs development and cleaning processing. Further, the units 15 and 16 form a post bake line by connecting two units, and the next unit 1
Deliver the IC wafer to the etching and cleaning process at 7.

As described above, in the embodiment, each processing chamber, that is, the units 11, 12, 14, 15, 16,
Each of 17 and the transport path 13 has a predetermined standardized outer shape, and is configured to facilitate connection with a maintenance vehicle described later.

That is, as is apparent from FIG. 2, the processing chambers and the transfer paths are configured so that the width and height thereof have constant dimensions, whereby the maintenance provided in the processing chambers and the transfer paths. The size and position of the windows are standardized to facilitate communication between the maintenance vehicle and the work window.

In FIG. 2, an air conditioner bear 20 is provided so as to penetrate through each processing chamber and a transfer path, and the air conditioner bear 20 blows out air from a large number of pores 21 provided on the surface thereof. Air conditioner bare 20 directly or with the IC wafer that is the work placed on the tray
The IC wafer can be quickly conveyed to a predetermined position and stopped there by controlling the air jetting direction or the timing.

As is well known, in each processing chamber, as can be seen in FIG. 2, a photoresist coating machine indicated by reference numeral 22 is built in, for example, a photoresist coating line.

In the present embodiment, the inside of each processing chamber and the transfer path are cleaned to a high degree of cleanliness, for example, a cleanness of about 100, and dust adheres to the work to deteriorate the quality, or defective processing occurs. Is surely prevented.

Therefore, in the present invention, the processing chamber and the transfer path cannot be maintained or inspected or repaired from the outside in a normal processing or assembly line, and the state of each process depends on, for example, the electron beam of the unit 12. As can be seen in the exposure apparatus, it can be determined externally by the monitor 23 placed in place. In addition, as shown by reference numerals 24 and 25 in the drawing, a warning indicator and a connector are provided in each processing chamber or transfer path, and the internal processing and assembly is performed without impairing the clean sealed state of the processing chamber and transfer path. It is possible to monitor the processing status or send a predetermined remote control signal or the like.

As described above, according to the present invention, since only the necessary processing chambers and transfer paths are cleaned, the clean area has a minimum required volume, and the conventional room or the entire factory can be cleaned. Unlike a system in which a worker walks in it, the clean maintenance cost can be significantly reduced, and along with this, the processing and manufacturing cost of a work such as an IC wafer or a hard disk drive can be reduced.

Further, since only a very limited clean area is maintained at a high degree of cleanliness, an extremely stable and excellent clean state can be generated and maintained.

However, even in such a clean room system, it is indispensable to maintain the transport path provided inside the system, for example, the air conditioner bear 20 and the processing machine. In the present invention, such maintenance is performed by the maintenance vehicle. It is characterized by

The appearance of the maintenance vehicle is shown in FIG. 3, and the maintenance vehicle is indicated by reference numeral 30 in FIGS. 1 and 3. This maintenance vehicle is composed of a self-propelled sealed vehicle into which maintenance personnel can board, and in the embodiment, it can be driven at low speed by a motor. Further, the maintenance vehicle 30 itself is provided with an air cleaning unit 31, which quickly cleans the inside of the maintenance vehicle 30 and, at the time of connection with the clean facility 10, cleans the connection portion thereof, as will be described later. Can be done.

In FIG. 3, the maintenance vehicle 30 is shown.
Has an overhanging portion 32 on its entire surface, and a work window communicating with the maintenance window of the clean facility 10 is provided on the bottom surface of this overhanging portion 32, which is hidden and not visible in FIG. Similarly, the reference numeral 3 is provided below the front portion of the maintenance vehicle 30.
A work window indicated by reference numeral 3 and work windows indicated by reference numeral 34 are further provided on both side surfaces.

Further, the maintenance vehicle 30 has a communication door 35 at its rear portion for communicating with the air shower chamber 69.
Is provided. Reference numerals 36, 37, and 38 shown in FIG. 3 are monitoring windows for monitoring the outside from inside the maintenance vehicle 30, respectively.

On the other hand, as is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, maintenance windows 26 are provided on the upper surface of the clean equipment 10 side, and the maintenance windows 26 have the same shape for each unit. Have. The maintenance window 26 is fixed to each unit by bolts 27 provided on its four sides. As a result, the maintenance window 26 can be opened by loosening the bolt 27 from the outside.

Further, guide posts 28 are provided around the four corners of each maintenance window 26 for each unit, whereby before the maintenance window 26 is opened,
The maintenance vehicle 30 makes the working window fit tightly around the maintenance window 26 with the guide post 28 as a reference, so that the clean facility 10 and the maintenance vehicle 30 are firmly communicated with each other and the cleanliness is made equal to each other. The window 26 is opened, and desired maintenance and inspection work is performed.

In addition to the upper maintenance window 26, a side maintenance window 40 or 41 is provided in each of the processing chambers and the transfer path.
41 are also respectively standardized, and correspond to the work window 33 provided on the front surface of the maintenance vehicle 30 and the work window 34 provided on the side portion thereof. Each maintenance window 4
Similarly to the maintenance window 26, the 0 and 41 are detachably fixed to the four sides with bolts 42 and 43, and four guide posts 44 and 45 are provided around the four sides.

In FIG. 4, the relationship between the maintenance window of the clean facility 10, for example, 40 and the work window on the maintenance vehicle 30 side, for example, 33, will be described.

The maintenance window 40 is fixed by a nut 52 to a bolt 51 fixed to a unit wall 50 of the clean facility 10. At this time, the packing 53 is inserted between the maintenance window 40 and the unit wall 50,
The inside of the unit is kept sealed.

In FIG. 4, a guide post 54 is fixed to the unit wall 50 around the four sides of the maintenance window 40. The guide post 54 is similar to the guide post 44 shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the working window 33 of the maintenance vehicle
Is firmly fixed to the vehicle wall 55 by bolts 56, and a packing 57 is provided between the vehicle wall 55 and the work window 33 to keep the work window 33 in a sealed state. A bellows 59 is attached to the periphery of the work window 33 by a fixed frame 58.
A packing 61 is further fixed to the outer periphery of the close contact frame 60 provided at the tip of the guide post 54 and the guide hole 62 provided in the close contact frame 60 and the packing 61.
The work window 33 and the maintenance window 40 can be firmly attached to each other.

Therefore, in FIG. 4, the maintenance vehicle 30 is moved, the working window 33 is brought closer to the desired maintenance window 40, and the contact frame 60 is attached to the guide post 54.
By engaging the guide holes 62 of the packing 61 with the unit wall 50, the packing 61 fits tightly, and the air in the space 63 sealed by the maintenance vehicle 30, the unit wall 50, the bellows 59, and the outer packing is preliminarily cleaned ( If the working window 33 and the maintenance window 40 are removed from the inside of the maintenance vehicle 30 after cleaning with (not shown), the maintenance vehicle 30 can easily communicate with a desired unit to perform a predetermined maintenance work. Becomes When maintenance is not performed, it is preferable to cover and cover the maintenance window, including the guide posts, in order to keep the contact portion with the maintenance vehicle 30 clean.

According to the present invention, as described above, by providing the clean equipment 10 in which only a limited area is cleaned and the maintenance vehicle 30 communicating with the clean equipment 10 only at the time of maintenance, in a normal working and assembling state. Air cleaning costs can be significantly reduced, and the inside of clean equipment can be easily inspected and repaired during maintenance.

FIG. 1 shows the movement of the maintenance vehicle 30 at the time of maintenance. When maintenance is required, the maintenance staff takes out the dust-free garment from the dust-free garment locker 70, puts on the dust-free garment, and then wears it. Enter 69 and take an air shower. On the other hand, as shown in A of FIG. 1, the maintenance vehicle 30 has its door 35 closely fixed to the entrance / exit of the air shower chamber 69. Such movement or close contact work of the maintenance vehicle 30 may be performed by a worker outside the clean area, or may be performed remotely by a maintenance worker who has entered the air shower chamber 69.

In this way, the maintenance personnel who have been subjected to the air cleaning board the maintenance vehicle 30, seal the inside of the maintenance vehicle 30, and at the same time operate the air cleaning unit 31 to clean the inside of the maintenance vehicle 30. .. Then, from this state, the maintenance vehicle 30 is self-propelled in the embodiment, and as shown by a symbol B or a symbol C, is brought into close contact with a unit requiring maintenance, and as described with reference to FIG.
A desired maintenance is performed by connecting the working window inside and the maintenance window of the clean facility 10 to each other. At this time, since the inside of the maintenance vehicle 30 has the same degree of cleanliness as the clean facility 10, when the necessary maintenance inspection is completed and the maintenance window is sealed, the clean facility 10 immediately returns to the normal processing or assembly state. be able to.

In the above-described embodiment, the maintenance vehicle 30 is self-propelled by itself, but of course it is possible for an operator outside the clean area to move the maintenance vehicle 30 by another trolley or the like. According to the above, since the clean area is extremely limited within the clean equipment 10 and the maintenance vehicle 30, other than that, the worker can proceed with the work regardless of the cleanliness, and any method can be adopted. ..

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the maintenance window and the working window are fixed by bolts, but it is also possible to adopt a sliding type, for example, and an arbitrary window structure can be adopted.

[0041]

As described above, according to the present invention,
For processing parts or assembling parts such as semiconductor IC wafers or hard disk drives that require high cleanliness, only the minimum required clean volume is provided, which significantly reduces the air cleaning cost, thereby reducing the product cost. It has the advantage of lowering.

In addition, at the time of maintenance, the inside can be freely inspected or repaired by the maintenance vehicle, so that there is an advantage that the maintenance can be performed very easily and quickly, and the clean facility can be immediately returned to the work after the completion of the maintenance.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view showing an overall structure of a clean room system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of clean equipment according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a maintenance vehicle used in this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing a communication structure between a clean facility and a maintenance vehicle in the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Clean Equipment 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17 Processing Room 13 Transport Path 26, 40, 41 Maintenance Window 30 Maintenance Vehicle 33 Work Window

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A processing chamber for performing desired processing and assembling work on a work, and a transfer path connected to the processing chamber for supplying the work to the processing chamber. The interior is kept clean by sealing the inside of the passage, and there is a clean facility with a maintenance window that can be opened and closed in a part of the processing chamber and the conveyance passage. A clean room system comprising: a maintenance vehicle that is kept clean and has a working window that faces the maintenance window of the clean facility and that allows communication between the clean facility and the vehicle.