JPH06302396A - Migration method for ionized air and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow the proper separation of ions over a relatively long time by independently migrating separated positive ions and negative ions. CONSTITUTION:A duct 11 has an air flow inlet 11a at one side and a forked branch section at the other side. One section of the branch is used as a positive ion duct 11b, while the other is used as a negative ion duct 11c. Also, an ion generator 15 is laid downstream of the inlet 11a. A coil 17 for causing the action of magnetic field B to separate positive and negative ions from each other is laid downstream of the ion generator 15 in the duct 11. In other words, when the magnetic field B is generated along a direction orthogonal with an air flow, positive ions are separated to come to the side of the positive ion duct 11b and negative ions are separated to come to the side of the negative ion duct 11c. Then, the positive and negative ions so separated are blown in the vicinity of a semiconductor substrate or the like via the ducts 11b and 11c.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for moving ionized air for moving the ionized air to a predetermined position.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate, a wafer carrier, etc. produced in a semiconductor factory or the like has a small electrostatic capacity C of, for example, 10 pF. However, the potential V (= Q / C) easily reaches several thousands to tens of thousands of volts, and there is a possibility that the fine pattern may be destroyed by the discharge due to the electrostatic force.

Therefore, conventionally, air is ionized to generate cations and anions to prevent charging. Conventionally, as a method of ionizing air, a method using an ionizer, a method of irradiating air with X-rays or ultraviolet rays, and the like are known.

[0004]

However, in the method using the ionizer, fine dust may be generated, and in the method of irradiating air with X-rays or ultraviolet rays, when these are irradiated to the human body. There is a problem that it may cause skin cancer or the like.

Therefore, in the method of irradiating air with X-rays or ultraviolet rays, the place to be irradiated with X-rays or ultraviolet rays is
It is possible to provide a method in which the ionized air is moved sufficiently to a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate, a wafer carrier, etc. to prevent charging, provided in a place sufficiently distant from the human body. However, in the conventional technology, the movement of the ionized air is considered. The possible distance is, for example, within 30 cm.

As a result of intensive studies conducted by the present inventors to solve such a conventional problem, the ionized air has a short movable distance because the ionized air contains a mixture of cations and anions. Therefore, it was found that these are combined relatively quickly.

The present invention has been made on the basis of such findings, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for moving ionized air that can reliably move ionized air to a long distance.

[0008]

According to the method of moving ionized air of the present invention, the ionized air is mixed in a state where cations and anions are mixed, and the ionized air is flowed at a predetermined flow velocity in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction. A magnetic field is applied to the cations to separate the cations and anions, and the separated cations and anions are moved separately.

The ionized air moving apparatus of the present invention has a duct having an air inlet on one side and a bifurcated branch on the other side, and air flowing through the duct to be positive and negative. An ion generator that ionizes ions in a mixed state, and a magnetic field acts in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of air ionized by the ion generator to cause the cations and anions to be present on the upstream side of the branch portion. And a magnetic field generating means for separating.

[0010]

In the present invention, the separated cations and anions are moved separately, so that the ions can be reliably separated for a relatively long time.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The details of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the ionized air moving device of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes an air inlet 11a formed on one side and a bifurcated branch portion formed on the other side. The duct shown is shown.

One of the branch portions is a cation duct 11b and the other is an anion duct 11c. On one side of the duct 11, a fan 13 for supplying a gas that is easily ionized, for example, air that is rich in nitrogen and that is easily ionized, is arranged.

The air supplied by the fan 13 into the duct 11 flows through the duct 11 at a predetermined speed v. The duct 11 is provided on the downstream side of the air inlet 11a of the duct 11.
An ion generator 15 is arranged to ionize the air flowing through the air into a state in which cations and anions are mixed.

The ion generator 15 irradiates the air flowing through the duct 11 with X-rays or ultraviolet rays to ionize the air flowing through the duct 11 into a state in which positive ions and negative ions are mixed. Has been done.

In the case of ionizing air with X-rays, it is known that air molecules can be efficiently ionized by irradiating the air with soft X-rays of about 1 Å to 10 Å.

On the downstream side of the ion generator 15 of the duct 11, a magnetic field B is applied in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the air ionized by the ion generator 15 to separate positive and negative ions. A coil 17, which is a generating means, is arranged.

That is, when a magnetic field B is applied in a direction perpendicular to the direction of air flow, the thumb shows force, the index finger shows a magnetic field, and the middle finger shows a current according to Fleming's left-hand rule, as shown in FIG. Become a relationship, cation duct 11
The cations are separated on the side b and the anions are separated on the side of the anion duct 11c.

The separated cations and anions are moved to the vicinity of the semiconductor substrate, the glass substrate, the wafer carrier, etc. through the cation duct 11b and the anion duct 11c, and the semiconductor substrate, the glass substrate, the wafer carrier, etc. are moved. Ejected in the vicinity.

However, in the above-described method of moving ionized air, the magnetic field B is applied in the direction perpendicular to the flow direction while flowing the ionized air in a state in which cations and anions are mixed together at a predetermined flow velocity. The cations and anions are separated by the action, and the separated cations and anions are moved separately, so that the ions can be reliably separated for a relatively long time, so that they are ionized. It is possible to reliably move the air that has been released to a long distance.

Further, in the above-mentioned ionized air moving device, the device comprises a duct 11 in which an air inlet 11a is formed on one side and a bifurcated branch portion is formed on the other side.
An ion generator 15 that ionizes the air flowing through the duct 11 into a state in which cations and anions are mixed, and a magnetic field B acts on the ion generator 15 in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the ionized air. Since it is composed of the coil 17 for separating ions and anions, it is possible to reliably move ionized air to a long distance.

In the embodiment described above, the coil 17
Although the example in which the magnetic field is generated by the above is described, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and it goes without saying that the magnetic field may be generated by using, for example, a permanent magnet or the like.

[0022]

As described above, according to the method and apparatus for moving ionized air of the present invention, the separated cations and anions are moved separately, so that they can be carried out over a relatively long time. Since the ions can be reliably separated, there is an advantage that the ionized air can be reliably moved to a long distance.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a device for moving ionized air according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing Fleming's left-hand rule.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 duct 11b cation ion duct 11c anion ion duct 13 fan 15 ion generator 17 coil B magnetic field (magnetic flux density T)

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Takeshi Ishiguro 2-5-14 Minamisuna, Koto-ku, Tokyo Inside the Takenaka Corporation Technical Research Institute

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A magnetic field is applied in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction while flowing ionized air in a state where cations and anions coexist at a predetermined flow rate to separate the cations and anions. A method for moving ionized air, characterized in that the separated cations and anions are moved separately. 2. A duct having an air inlet on one side and a bifurcated branch on the other side; and air flowing through the duct is ionized into a state in which cations and anions are mixed. An ion generator, and a magnetic field generating means for acting a magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the air ionized by the ion generator to separate the positive ions and the negative ions at the upstream side of the branch portion. An ionized air moving device characterized by the above.