JPH11173939A - Apparatus and sensor for sensing water leak of semiconductor device manufacturing facility - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a water leak accident by setting a water leak detection sensor and making the sensor react promptly to a water leak when it occurs. SOLUTION: At the occurrence of a water leak, a water leak detection sensor 22 reacts to it and is shortcircuited to be turned on, and an output voltage of a bridge rectifier 20 is fed to a comparator 24 via a diode D3. The comparator 24 compares a reference voltage impressed to a resistor Ra and the output voltage and feeds a high-level signal of a comparison result to a transistor Q1. The transistor Q1 receiving the high-level signal at a base is turned on and sends a driving voltage Vcc to a relay 26. Thereafter, switching terminals K1, K2 are changed over because of an induction action of the relay 26, a contact C1 is connected to a contact B1 thereby letting a red lamp L2 emit light, and a contact C2 is connected to a contact B2 thereby letting a buzzer BZ operate to alarm by sound. A worker judges it as the occurrence of the water leak, confirming immediately a position of the water leak and taking a sequence of countermeasures to prevent the water leak from continuing, etc.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for detecting water leakage and a sensor for detecting water leakage in equipment for manufacturing semiconductor devices, and more particularly to a fluid supply line and equipment for manufacturing semiconductor devices. Leakage detection device equipped with a sensor that detects a leaked water, detects an occurrence of the leaked water quickly, and issues an alarm to prevent an accident due to the leaked water, and a sensor that efficiently detects the leaked water, and used therefor. Related sensors.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Fluids are supplied to and used in a manufacturing factory or a general living space in which various facilities are provided, and the fluid supply paths are usually connected in predetermined length units. Piping is used. In addition, a joint, a valve, a pipe joint, or the like is used for such a pipe, and different pipes are connected to each other.

[0003] As factors to be considered in piping, the material, thickness, and strength of the piping should be determined in consideration of the expected flow rate and hydraulic pressure (pressure) of the fluid flowing through the piping. It is necessary to determine a proper connecting tool and perform the construction.

Normally, in a semiconductor manufacturing line, deionized water or cooling water, various chemicals, oils,
A fluid such as PA (Isopropyl Alcohol; hereinafter, referred to as IPA) is used. The piping for supplying the fluid usually has corrosion resistance, high airtightness, and has characteristics and materials for minimizing the influence of the external environment. However, water leakage has sometimes occurred due to improper installation, defects in pipes or couplers constituting pipes, or service life of pipe components.

[0005] As described above, when water leaks, the clean room may be contaminated, and the water leak may increase the humidity and temperature and affect the air conditioning system of the clean room, thereby deteriorating the process conditions. There is. In particular, when water leakage occurs in a part where the worker cannot easily determine whether or not water leakage has occurred, it is difficult to grasp whether or not the water leakage has occurred,
This has resulted in catastrophic failure of the equipment.

As a result, there is a problem that considerable restoration time is required for restoring the original state of the equipment, thereby reducing productivity.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a water leakage detecting device provided with a sensor for detecting water leakage at a site where water leakage is expected to occur, and to promptly react when water leakage occurs. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a water leakage detecting device for a semiconductor device manufacturing facility, which prevents an accident due to water leakage in advance.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a leak detecting sensor for a semiconductor device manufacturing facility which is sensitive to a leak of fluid and a humidity above a predetermined level.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water leak detecting apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention.
Sensing means for sensing fluid leakage, a comparing unit for comparing a voltage level of a signal obtained by sensing of the sensing means with a predetermined reference voltage, and switching for switching according to a level of a signal output from the comparing unit And an alarm unit that performs an alarm operation according to a switching signal of the switching unit.

[0010] The sensing means performs sensing by absorbing the leaked fluid and being energized, and can be installed at a predetermined position by a fixed type or a natural standing type.

Preferably, the sensing means includes a water leak detection sensor.

The switching unit is connected to the transistor that is turned on and off in response to an output signal of the comparison unit, and is connected to the transistor to be supplied with a driving voltage when the transistor is turned on to perform a switching operation. It is desirable to have a relay performed.

[0013] The alarm unit may include a lamp that performs an alarm operation by emitting light or a buzzer that performs an alarm operation by sounding.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water leak detecting sensor for manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein the leaked fluid is absorbed by an absorbent material surrounding a plurality of conductors to which power is supplied. It is configured such that when the conductor is energized, leakage of fluid is sensed.

The conductors may be composed of two or more conductors, and are desirably arranged so as to be parallel to each other.

The conductor may be formed of a material having excellent electrical conductivity including gold, silver, copper, aluminum, etc., and a plurality of rings are connected to each other in a structure to be connected to each other. It can be configured so that the shape can be freely changed.

The conductor may be constituted by three lines, but is connected to two lines connected to the same connection terminal and to another connection terminal between the two lines. It is desirable that one line be arranged in parallel with each other.

Preferably, predetermined paths are formed in the absorber so that the conductors are not short-circuited to each other.

The absorbing material is made of a material having an excellent absorbing power to absorb the fluid quickly, and may be made of a material containing a cellulose component or a woven fabric.

It is preferable that the plurality of conductors further include a connecting part connected to the same side of the plurality of conductors and connected detachably to a predetermined device.

The connecting portion may be configured as a plug having two terminals.

Further, it is assumed that the fluid contains, for example, water, oil, IPA, and chemicals.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, a description will be given of a water leak detecting device of a semiconductor device manufacturing facility according to an embodiment of the present invention, and specific characteristics and structure (first and second embodiments) of the water leak detecting sensor will be described later. I do.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, in a water leak detecting device of a semiconductor device manufacturing facility according to an embodiment of the present invention, a power supply unit 10 to which a driving power of the water leak detecting device is supplied is provided with a fluid such as water. A sensing unit 12 is provided for sensing a leak at a specific portion where a leak is expected from a pipe (not shown) for supplying water. The sensing unit 12 for sensing the leak is used to compare a predetermined signal. Are connected.

The comparing unit 14 is connected to a switching unit 16 that switches according to the comparison signal, and the switching unit 16 is connected to an alarm unit 18 for performing an alarm operation.

In the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, a sensing signal is supplied to the comparing unit 14 when a leak in the pipe is detected via the sensing unit 12 having a sensor for detecting the occurrence of a leak. However, the sensing signal is compared with the reference voltage, and the output signal is provided to the switching unit 16. In the switching unit 16, the comparison unit 14
Is switched in accordance with the output signal of, and power is supplied to the alarm unit 18 and an alarm operation is performed.

The embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, a bridge rectifier 20 is connected to a secondary side of a transformer T1 to which an AC power supply Vs is applied via a power switch S1 and a fuse F, and a bridge rectifier 20 is connected to the secondary side. A static voltage is supplied from the rectifier 20.

A variable resistor VR1 is connected to one output side of the bridge rectifier 20, and a resistor R1 to which a driving voltage Vcc is applied.
Are connected to each other through a resistor R2 and a diode D1, which are connected in series, and are grounded.

A diode D2 is connected in series with the diode D3 in the forward direction at the connection end between the resistors R1 and R2.
Each diode D is connected to the input of the comparator 24 and
2, a resistor R3 and a resistor R4 are connected to the cathode of D3 and grounded.

On the other output side of the bridge rectifier 20,
One terminal is connected to the water leak detection sensor 22 connected to the cathode of the diode D1.

The other input side of the comparator 24 is grounded via a resistor Ra, and the output side is connected to a resistor R5 in series with a resistor R6 connected in parallel with the transistor Q1. I have.

An inductive terminal of a relay 26 to which a drive voltage Vcc is applied and a diode D4 are connected in parallel to the collector of the transistor Q1.

The switching terminal K1 of the relay is switched so that the blue lamp L1 and the red lamp L2 are selectively turned on, and the other switching terminal K2 is operated so that the operation of the buzzer Bz can be switched. .

The manual switch S2 is connected to the switch S3 and the switching terminal K2 of the relay by the power supply 2.
8 is selectively connected to the switch S3, and a white lamp L3 is connected to the switch S3. The blue lamp L1, red lamp L2, white lamp L3, and buzzer Bz are connected in parallel with each other.

Switching terminal K1 in relay 26
The switch S2 and the switch S2 are connected in parallel with each other, but are separately connected to an independent power supply 28 so as to be supplied with a driving power supply.

Specifically, in the operation of the water leakage detecting device configured as described above, the water leakage detecting sensor 22 is in an off state in which no water leakage is detected from the water leakage detecting sensor 22, and the water leakage detecting sensor 22 is in an on state in which the water leakage detecting sensor 22 is activated by the water leakage. The description is as follows.

First, when the water leakage detection sensor 22 is in the off state, the operation is performed by the driving voltage Vcc and the diode D2.
Since the signal supplied to the comparator 24 via D3 keeps a low state, the level of the output signal of the comparator 24 becomes low.

When the level of the output signal goes low, the transistor Q1 remains off.

Since the transistor Q1 is off,
As shown in FIG. 2, the contact C1 of the relay 26 is connected to the contact A1, and the blue lamp L1 is turned on. This indicates a state in which no water leakage has occurred. At this time, the red lamp L2 and the white lamp L3 are kept off, and the buzzer Bz does not sound.

In the case where the water leakage detection sensor 22 reacts due to water leakage and is short-circuited (Short) and the sensor 22 is turned on by the operation of the water leakage detection sensor 22,
Is turned on, the output voltage of the bridge rectifier 20 is supplied to the comparator 24 via the diode D3. In the comparator 24, the reference voltage applied to the resistor Ra is compared with the output voltage, and as a result, a high level signal is applied to the transistor Q1.

When a high-level signal is applied to the base, transistor Q1 is turned on, and drive voltage Vcc is applied to relay 26. Thereafter, the respective switching terminals K1 and K2 are switched by the induction action of the relay 26, and the contact C1 is connected to the contact B1 to connect the red lamp L
2 emits light, the contact C2 is connected to the contact B2, the buzzer Bz is activated, and an alarm operation by sounding is performed.

That is, when the red lamp L2 emits light and the buzzer Bz operates to generate a water leak occurrence alarm,
The operator determines that a water leak has occurred at the site where the water leak detection sensor 22 is provided, takes a series of measures such as quickly confirming the site where the water leak has occurred and preventing continuous water leakage. At this time, during the operation, the worker
The switch 27 for stopping the sound can be operated, but when the contact of the switch S2 changes from the contact Y to the contact X, power is supplied to the white lamp L3.

The white lamp L3 is used for a test, and when the white lamp L3 is turned on, repair of the apparatus due to water leakage,
Or a test of the device can be performed.

If the equipment and the internal environment associated with the water leakage are prepared and the water leakage detection sensor 22 is restored or replaced with a new water leakage detection sensor 22 and re-installed, the water leakage detection sensor 22 returns to the open state, which is the initial state. keep.

In this case, the transistor Q1 keeps the OFF state as in the case where the water leakage detection sensor 22 is in the OFF state, and the relay 26 operates as the contact of the switching terminals K1 and K2 as in the case where the water leakage detection sensor 22 is in the OFF state. Maintain the state switched to the switching positions of A1 and A2, respectively.

As described above, the case in which only one leak detection sensor is connected is described. Although not shown, by connecting a number of sensors in parallel to one water leakage detection device, it becomes possible to grasp the state of the part where each sensor is provided. In addition, by connecting a plurality of leak detection devices and distributing them to each other and connecting them to one controller, it is possible to monitor the presence or absence of water leak at each part,
It can be said that this is included in the concept of the present invention.

Next, FIGS. 3A (plan view; first embodiment), FIG. 3B (side view of FIG. 3A), and FIG. 4A show the water leakage detection sensor of the semiconductor device manufacturing equipment according to the embodiment of the present invention.
With reference to (perspective view; second embodiment) and FIG. 4B (side view of FIG. 4A), its characteristics and structure will be examined.

In FIG. 3A (and FIG. 3B), two leak detecting wires 30a and 30b having excellent electric conductivity are inserted into a fabric 32 having excellent water absorption.
The central portion 34 is stitched so that the two conductive wires 30a and 30b do not contact each other. A connecting portion 36 is formed at one end of the fabric 32, and can be easily connected to and separated from a connecting terminal of a device using the connecting portion 36.

The conductors 30a and 30b are desirably made of a metallic material such as gold, silver, copper, or aluminum having excellent electric conductivity and low specific resistance. It can be used in a single conductor form, and can be used in various forms such as a twisted conductor form in which a single wire is entangled. In addition, it is easy to fix to a predetermined bottom or wall surface, the shape is freely deformable,
(spiral conductor) can be used.

The woven fabric 32 is made of a material having a property of absorbing water, oil, IPA, various chemicals, and the like used in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Cotton or a woven fabric having similar properties is used.

If the woven fabric 32 is too thick when covering the conductors 30a and 30b, the response time of sensing and response by the conductors 30a and 30b is delayed, so that the conductor 30a and the conductor 30b are short-circuited by the woven fabric 32. It is desirable to keep the minimum thickness possible.

The conductors 30a and 30b are separated from each other by suturing the central portion 34 so that the gap between the conductors 30a and 30b is kept short enough to prevent a short circuit in a normal state where fluid is not absorbed.

In FIG. 4A (and FIG. 4B), the sensing conductor 40 is inserted deep into the absorber 38 made of a material slightly different from that shown in FIG. 3A. An absorbent 38 containing a cellulose component can be used, and a connecting portion 42 is formed from a conductive wire 40 inserted deep into the absorbent 38 to the outside of the absorbent 38. Outside of absorber 38 and connecting portion 42
The conductors 40 between them are respectively covered and covered, so that they are not short-circuited to each other. And the connecting part 4
The length between 2 and the conductor 40 can be in an expanded or reduced configuration. Usually, connection and disconnection to the water leak detection device are facilitated.

In the above configuration, a common terminal is formed at the center in order to detect water leakage in a wider area, and conductors connected to the same terminal are separately provided on both sides of the common terminal. Be composed.

That is, if the conductor connected to one of the terminals on both sides of the common terminal is short-circuited due to water leakage, water leakage is detected, and the terminals on the other side of the both sides of the common terminal are detected. When the connected conductor is short-circuited due to water leakage, an effect of detecting water leakage can be obtained.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, in the portion where the semiconductor device manufacturing equipment is provided,
By detecting and issuing an alarm when a leak occurs in the part where fluid is supplied, an accident due to the leak can be prevented in advance, and a leak detection sensor having various forms and characteristics can be provided. By using this, there is an advantage that the occurrence of water leakage can be quickly grasped.

[0058]

As described above, according to the present invention, leakage of a fluid which can be generated in a line for supplying a fluid to a facility or various facilities is detected by a device provided with a leakage detection sensor to notify the occurrence of the leakage. By issuing an alarm for this purpose, it is possible to obtain an effect of protecting the equipment without prior detection of water leakage and spreading of the accident caused by the prior detection.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference only to the specific examples described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and alterations are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. It goes without saying that such variations and modifications belong to the scope of the claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a water leakage detection device of a semiconductor device manufacturing facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating an example for implementing FIG. 1;

3 is a plan view showing a first example of a water leakage detection sensor of a semiconductor device manufacturing facility according to an embodiment of the present invention (FIG. 3);
A) and a side view (FIG. 3B).

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a second example of the water leakage detection sensor of the semiconductor device manufacturing equipment according to the embodiment of the present invention (FIG. 4).
A) and a side view (FIG. 4B).

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Power supply part 11, 12 ... Sensing part 14 ... Comparison part 15, 16 ... Switching part 18 ... Warning part 19, 20 ... Bridge rectifier 22 ... Water leak detection sensor 23, 24 ... Comparator 26 ... Relay 27, 28 ... Independent power supply 30, 40 ... Conducting wire 30, 41, 32 ... Fabric 34 ... Central part 36, 42 ... Connecting part 38 ... Absorbent F ... Fuse Vs ... AC power supply Vcc ... Driving voltage T1 ... Transformer VR1 ... Variable resistors R1 to R6, Ra ... Resistance D1 to D4 Diode Q1 Transistor L1, L2, L3 Lamp Bz Buzzer S1, S2, S3 Switch

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Min-gyu Kim, Republic of Korea, Kunguido, Suong-City, Paldaluk, Maetan-1 Dong 153-182, Hana Villa A-402 (72) Inventor Do -Wan Choi Republic of Korea, Kunguido, Wasung-gun, Taean-Eu, Jinan-ri 506, Byungjung Wanan Apartment 102-509

Claims (21)

[Claims] A sensing unit that senses leakage of fluid; a comparing unit that compares a voltage level of a signal obtained by sensing of the sensing unit with a predetermined reference voltage; and a level of a signal output from the comparing unit. A water leak detection device for semiconductor device manufacturing equipment, comprising: a switching unit that switches according to a switching signal; and an alarm unit that performs an alarm operation according to a switching signal of the switching unit. 2. The leak detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensing unit senses by absorbing the leaked fluid and energizing the fluid. 3. The sensor according to claim 2, wherein the sensing means is performed by a water leak detection sensor.
6. A water leak detection device for a semiconductor device manufacturing facility according to claim 5. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensing means is fixed at a predetermined position or left naturally, and is configured to be freely installed. 5. The switching unit is connected to a transistor that is turned on and off in response to an output signal of the comparison unit, and is connected to the transistor. When the transistor is turned on, a driving voltage is applied to perform switching operation. And a relay to be performed.
6. A water leak detection device for a semiconductor device manufacturing facility according to claim 5. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alarm unit includes a lamp that performs an alarm operation by emitting light. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alarm unit includes a buzzer that performs an alarm operation by sounding. 8. A structure in which a leaked fluid is absorbed by an absorbing material surrounding a plurality of conductors to which power is supplied, and the plurality of conductors are energized to sense fluid leakage. A water leak detection sensor for semiconductor device manufacturing equipment, characterized in that: 9. The sensor according to claim 8, wherein the conductor comprises at least two conductors. 10. The sensor according to claim 8, wherein the conductors are arranged in parallel with each other. 11. The sensor according to claim 11, wherein a predetermined path is formed in the absorber so that the conductors are not short-circuited to each other. 12. The sensor according to claim 8, wherein the conductor is made of a material having excellent electrical conductivity, such as gold, silver, copper, and aluminum. 13. The semiconductor device manufacturing equipment according to claim 8, wherein the conductor is connected by a structure in which a plurality of rings are connected to each other, and a shape of the water leakage detection sensor can be freely changed. sensor. 14. The sensor according to claim 8, wherein the conductor comprises three lines. 15. The three lines are such that two lines connected to the same connection terminal and one line connected to another connection terminal between the two lines are parallel to each other. The sensor of claim 14, wherein the sensor is configured to be arranged in a row. 16. The sensor according to claim 8, wherein the absorbing material is made of a material having an excellent absorbing ability to absorb the fluid quickly. 17. The sensor according to claim 16, wherein the absorbing material is made of a material containing a cellulose component. 18. The sensor according to claim 16, wherein the absorbing material is made of a woven fabric. 19. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a connecting portion connected to each of the plurality of conductors on the same side and connected to a predetermined device in a detachable manner.
6. A water leak detection device for a semiconductor device manufacturing facility according to claim 5. 20. The sensor according to claim 19, wherein the connection unit has a plug shape having two terminals. 21. The sensor according to claim 8, wherein the fluid includes water, oil, IPA, chemical, and the like.