JPS62147250A - clean room - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to a lean room, which is necessary in the field of manufacturing ultra-LSIs, ICs, etc., when it is desired to maintain an ultra-clean manufacturing environment.

"Prior Art" In general, there is a large amount of dust in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, especially in the pre-process of forming circuit elements on semiconductor wafers.
The cleanliness of the work atmosphere is directly linked to product yield. For this reason, clean rooms are used to purify the working atmosphere of this type of semiconductor device to a high degree of fJ. ), for example, a clean room shown in FIG. 5 is known.

In the figure, the reference numeral indicates a clean room, and the entire room is separated from the outside world by an outer partition wall l.

There is a worker area 2 in the center of this compartment, a high cleanliness area 3.3 on both sides of the area, and an equipment maintenance area 4 on both sides.
In particular, the high cleanliness areas 3 and 3 are divided into equipment maintenance areas 4.4 and 3 by an inner partition wall 5.5 placed on the outside and a screen 6.6 placed on the inside. It is divided into a worker area 2 and a worker area 2. Note that the inner partition walls 5, 5 and the screen 6.6 have their lower ends lower than the position where workpieces are processed on the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 8 installed on the floor 7 of the high cleanliness area 3.3. The structure is such that it is suspended in an extended state, and therefore a gap is formed between it and the floor 7 below.

High performance filters 9.9 are installed on the ceilings of the high cleanliness areas 3, 3, respectively, and are connected to the duct 10 at the top. On the other hand, a pre-filter 11 is provided on the ceiling of the worker area 2 and communicated with the duct IO,
There is also a pre-filter on the ceiling of the equipment maintenance area of 4°4! 2.
12 is provided and communicates with said high performance filter 9.9.

In the figure, reference numeral 13 is a working window provided on the screen 6, and the worker 14 in the working sound area 2 operates the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 8 through this working window 13.

According to this configuration, clean air flows downward from the high-performance filter 9.9 as shown by the arrow, filling the high-cleanliness area 3.3 and cleaning this area. The clean air further flows into the equipment maintenance area 4.4 and the operator area 2 through gaps between the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 8, the inner partition wall 5, and the screen 6, respectively. Further, a part of the sound flows into the working sound area 2 through the working window 13. and,
The air in the device maintenance area 4 flows upward and passes through the prefilter 12.
and directly returned to the high performance filter 9 and circulated as described above. On the other hand, the air in the worker area 2 flows upward through the prefilter 1. From I, it returns to the high performance filter 9 through the duct IO and is circulated as described above.

Therefore, in this clean room K, the high cleanliness area 3.3 is under positive pressure, while the operator area 2 and the equipment maintenance area 4.4 are under pressure proof, thereby keeping the high cleanliness area 3.3 at the desired level. In addition to achieving high cleanliness, it is possible to prevent air from being drawn in from the worker area 2 and to stably maintain a high cleanliness level.
3, the initial cost of the equipment can be reduced, and many effects can be obtained, such as reducing the amount of air supplied and reducing the running cost of electric power.

However, in a clean room with the above configuration, the screen is fixedly installed, so the screen becomes an obstruction during the frequent maintenance of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and when transporting items into and out of the high cleanliness area. Most of the air supplied to the high-purity zone is exhausted only from the bottom of the screen, so the velocity of the airflow toward the floor is high, causing This causes the airflow to rebound, causing dust accumulated on the floor to fly into the worker area, which is inconvenient for maintaining a high level of cleanliness in the worker area. In the shaded area S in Figure 5 above, an air vortex is generated, and if dust enters here, it is difficult to quickly expel it, and it becomes an obstacle to maintaining a high level of cleanliness in the worker's area. There were some problems.

However, the problem with these problems is that multiple ventilation holes are provided on the entire surface of the screen, and the screen has to be placed on the left and right sides.
This can be solved by configuring it to be movable in two directions.

``Problems to be Solved by the Invention'' However, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the screen was constructed to be movable, which resulted in a complicated structure near the movable part provided at the top of the screen, which caused dust to accumulate in the vicinity. A new problem has arisen in that dust has become stagnant and there is a risk that this dust may spread and infiltrate into highly clean areas.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it makes the high cleanliness area super clean, prevents air from being drawn in from the worker area, and stably maintains the super cleanliness.
In addition to reducing the amount of air supplied and running costs for electricity, it also reduces equipment inconvenience (Inino Yarkos) and maintains a high level of cleanliness in the worker area, making it ideal for maintenance of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and equipment area. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a clean room in which it is easy to carry in and out objects, and in which dust does not stagnate near the upper end of the screen.

``Means for Solving the Problems'' In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention divides the room into an equipment area where ultra-cleanliness is required and a passage area where high cleanliness is required. At the same time, an air supply unit for blowing out clean air is provided on the ceiling of the device area, and further, an air supply unit is provided above the passage area, adjacent to the air supply unit, and for returning the clean air blown from the air supply unit. In a clean room provided with an exhaust section, a partition member having a plurality of ventilation holes substantially uniformly over the entire surface between the device section area and the passage section area, and which is movable in the left and right or up and down directions, and The present invention is characterized in that a vent is provided to communicate the device area and the ceiling exhaust section, and the upper end of the partition member is disposed inside the vent.

``Function'' Since multiple ventilation holes are formed on the entire surface of the partition, air is blown out almost uniformly from the entire surface of the partition into the passage area, and near the surface of the partition member facing the passage area. No vortex is generated, and by adjusting the inner diameter and number of ventilation holes, the flow rate and flow velocity of air exhausted from other exhaust ports can be controlled. Furthermore, since the device area and the ceiling exhaust section are communicated through the vent, the purified air 'h' supplied to the device area directly flows out to the ceiling exhaust section, and at that time, the partition f31 ( Dust near the top edge of the material is discharged to the ceiling exhaust section.

"Example" Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail using FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 shows the main parts of a clean room, and in the figure, reference numerals indicate the clean room, 21 is a ceiling plate, and 22 is a floor slab.

A ceiling board 23 is provided in the ceiling part of the room between the ceiling board 21 and the floor slab 22, and air is blown from the main air conditioner (not shown) above the ceiling board 23. An air supply duct 24.24 is provided for this purpose.

In addition, a ceiling exhaust part 25 is provided at the center of the lower part of the ceiling board 23.
Air supply chambers 26.2, which are air supply units, are located adjacent to each other on both sides (left and right when facing the page).
6 is provided. This air supply chamber 26.26 is
ULs each communicating with the upper air supply duct 24.24 and provided at the bottom of the air supply chamber 26.26.
It communicates with the space below via a PA filter (or HEPA filter) 27.27.

On the other hand, a floor part 28 having an opening above the floor slab 22 is installed in the floor part of the room, and an underfloor free access floor 28a is formed between them. moreover,
The interior of the room is divided into a work room 30 and a utility room 31.31 by a back panel 29.29 erected between the outer circumference of the air supply chamber 26.26 and the floor 28.

Near the bottom of the bank panel 29.29, manufacturing equipment 32.32 for semiconductors etc. is arranged.
A back panel exhaust port 33.33 is formed at the lower end of the back panel. If the manufacturing equipment 32 protrudes into the utility room 31 for a long time, a louver with a damper is provided on the back panel 29 near the upper part of the manufacturing equipment 32 and the contact area, and if the manufacturing equipment 32 is accommodated in the work room 30, the floor part 28 A back panel exhaust port 33 is formed by providing a louver with a damper on the back panel 29 near the top of the back panel 29 .

The space of the work room 30 is divided into equipment areas A, A above the manufacturing equipment 32 32, and a passage area B where the worker 34 moves approximately in the center of the work room 30. ,
The air supply chambers 26, 26 are located above the device areas A, A, and the ceiling exhaust section 25 is located above the passage area B.

In addition, in the air supply chamber 26.26, there is an air conditioner 35.35 with a built-in fan installed on the utility room 31.31 side.
Ventilation holes 36 are provided on both sides of the lower part of the ceiling exhaust section 25 to communicate the device area A and the ceiling exhaust section 25.
．． 36 is provided on the side surface of the air supply chamber 26.26, and at the lower part of the vent 36.36 is a partition member that partitions the device area A and the passage area B,
A plurality of front panels 37, 37. ... is installed.

This front panel 37, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,
A plurality of ventilation holes 38, 38, . . . are arranged almost uniformly over the entire surface of a transparent rectangular plate. Two rails 3 fixed in the direction perpendicular to the page
Running wheels 39a, 39a are attached so that the panel 37 can move on the 9.39. Furthermore, the panel 37 is shaped to form a predetermined gap between its lower end and the upper surface of the floor 28, and this gap allows air in the device area A to flow into the passage area B. It serves as a vent 40 for outflow. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the ventilation holes 38 formed in the panel 37 are provided on both sides of the holes in order to reduce the resistance of the air passing through them and to prevent the generation of vortices in front and behind the ventilation holes 38. It is a bell-shaped opening with a curved end that gradually widens and continues with the surface of the panel 37, and by changing the inner diameter and number of the ventilation holes 38, the flow of air to the passage area B can be controlled. The configuration is such that it is possible to control the Furthermore, a working window (not shown) is provided at a predetermined location on the panel 37 for the operator 34 to operate the manufacturing device 32 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a louver 41 with a damper is installed near the bottom of the ceiling exhaust part 25 between the air supply chambers 26.26, and above the louver 41, the air supply chambers 26.26 are installed. Exhaust fan 42.4 attached to the side of.
2 is provided.

Furthermore, lighting fixtures 29a, 29a are provided on the upper rear surface of the back panel 29.29.

On the other hand, the floor portion 28 has perforated floors 43, 43. ... are installed, and concrete fixed floors 44, 44 are provided on the manufacturing equipment 32, 32 and the floor of the passage area B.

Next, the operation of the clean room having the above configuration will be explained.

First, air sent from the main air conditioner through the air supply ducts 24, 24 is sent to the left and right air supply chambers 26 installed in the ceiling.
．． 26. The air supplied to the air supply chamber 26.26 is passed through a ULPA (or ■1EPA) filter 27.
．． 27 to be cleaned and blown into the device area A. The blown clean air passes mainly through four types of flow paths and is returned to the air supply chamber 26, 26 again.

First, in the first flow path (2), clean air blown from the air supply chamber 26 hits the top surface of the manufacturing equipment 32, passes through the back panel exhaust port 33, reaches the utility room 31, and then passes through the air conditioner 35. A flow path for returning air to the air supply chamber 26 through the air. Next, the second flow path ■ is connected to the air supply chamber 26
After the clean air blown out from the manufacturing equipment 32 hits the top surface of the manufacturing equipment 32, it passes from the perforated floor 13 to the underfloor free access floor 2.
8a to reach the utility room 3I, and then return air to the air supply chamber 26 via the air conditioner 35. Furthermore, the third flow path {circle around (2)} prevents the clean air blown from the air supply chamber 26 from hitting the manufacturing apparatus 32, and the ventilation holes 38, 38, 38, 38, 38, 38, 38, 38, 38, 38, 38, 38, 38, 7 of the clean air blown from the air supply chamber 26 do not hit the manufacturing apparatus 32. ...and after passing through the ventilation hole 40 at the bottom and flowing out into the passage area, it rises and flows from the ceiling louver 4 provided at the upper part to the ceiling exhaust section 25,
The exhaust fan 42 then channels return air into the supply air chamber 26 . Finally, the fourth flow path ■ is connected to the air supply chamber 26
This is a flow path in which 'tft clean air blown out from the ceiling passes through the vent 36 and directly flows out to the ceiling exhaust part 25, and then is returned to the air supply chamber 26 by the exhaust fan 42.

When the air flowing through the flow path (3) flows out to the passage area (B), the air flows through the ventilation holes 38 and 38 that are formed in the front panel 37.
．． ... and flows out uniformly from the entire surface of the front panel, so air vortices are less likely to be generated on the surface of the face panel 37 on the passage area side. In addition, ventilation holes 3 on the face panel
8.38. ... By changing the size of the inner diameter and the size of the inner diameter, it is possible to control the amount of air flowing out from the front panel 37 surface, and also to control the flow rate of air from the vent hole 4o at the bottom of the front panel. It becomes possible. Therefore, by appropriately adjusting the flow rate of air from the vent 40, it is possible to reliably prevent the dust accumulated on the floor 28 from flying up due to the airflow flowing through the vent.

Furthermore, when the air flowing through the flow path (2) passes through the vent 36, it discharges dust that remains near the upper end of the face panel 37 to the ceiling exhaust section 25.

Note that if equipment (not shown) that requires exhaust to the outside is installed inside the clean room, the flow path
Any air flowing through the building is drawn into the device, passes through the device, and is then exhausted to the outside of the building through an exhaust duct (not shown).

Here, the required cleanliness of the clean room is class 10 (target particle size ≧
0.1 μm) Class 100 (target particle size ≧0°1 μm) is maintained in the passage area B where one worker 34 moves, and ultra cleanliness is maintained in the equipment area A and high cleanliness is maintained in the passage area B. It is necessary to

Further, the clean air in the device region A has a higher degree of cleanliness than the clean air in the passage region C, and the passage region B can be cleaned using the clean air flowing out from the device region A.

Therefore, in this clean room K, since the equipment area A is surrounded by the back panel 29 and the front panel 37, the equipment area A, which is an ultra-clean area, has positive pressure, while the equipment area A, which is an ultra-clean area, has positive pressure. The passage area B and the utility room 31 are depressurized, and by simply supplying a small amount of clean air (in this embodiment, the flow velocity of clean air in the device area can be reduced to 0.2 m/s or less). ) The apparatus region A can be kept at a desired level of cleanliness, and the diffusion and inflow of dust from the passage region B can be completely prevented, and ultra-cleanliness can be stably maintained.

In addition, the air supply chambers 26, 26, which are air supply units, are provided only at the top of the device areas A and A, and clean air is not blown out from the entire surface of the ceiling, reducing the absolute amount of air supplied. In addition to making it possible to
Since the A filter 27 only needs to be provided in the supply chamber 26, 26, the running cost of electric power such as driving power of the fan can be reduced, and the initial cost of the equipment can be reduced.

Further, since the front panel 37 can be moved left and right along the rails 39, it is possible to easily maintain the manufacturing equipment 32 and carry things in and out of the equipment area A. The upper end of the vent hole 36
Because it is located inside the front panel, dust does not accumulate near the top edge of the front panel.

Furthermore, since the air supplied to the device area A can be exhausted from four types of channels, there is no need to make the entire surface of the floor 28 a perforated floor 43, and the device area A and the passage area B By simply providing a small opening directly under the boundary surface of
It can be set to 4. As a result, when the worker 34 walks, by walking on the fixed floor 44 in the passage area B,
By separating the fixed bed 44 of the passage area B and the fixed bed 44 of the manufacturing device 32.32, vibrations generated during walking are suppressed and vibrations are prevented from being transmitted to the manufacturing device 32.32. In addition, the worker does not experience the discomfort felt when walking on a fully grating floor.

Next, a second embodiment will be described using FIG. 4.

In this second embodiment, the front panel 37 in the clean room K of the first embodiment is configured as follows. In FIG. 4, the same components as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are designated by the same reference numerals, and their explanations will be omitted.

In the figure, a screen 45 is provided at the interface between the device area A and the passage area B. There are many fine ventilation holes (not shown) on the entire surface of the screen 45.
The screen 45 is fixed to the lower part of the vent 36 in a vertically movable state by a take-up rod 46 having a rotation mechanism provided at its upper end.

Furthermore, a screen 45 is provided at the lower end of the screen 45.
A weight 47 is attached to prevent the floor from loosening or shaking, and a gap 40 is formed between the lower end of the weight 47 and the floor 2g. Further, the screen 45 is provided with a working window (not shown) for the operator 34 to operate the manufacturing apparatus 32, and a lighting fixture 49 is installed inside the vent 36. Note that a screen 45 is provided on the floor 28.
A foot switch 48 may be provided to automatically control the rotation mechanism at the top of the screen 45 to open and close the screen 45 up and down. In other respects, the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.

Therefore, in the clean room configured in this way, when the airflow flowing through the flow path (3) flows out to the passage area B, it passes through the many ventilation holes formed in the screen 45 and flows out uniformly from the entire surface of the screen 45. Therefore, air vortices are not generated near the surface of the screen 45 on the passage area side, and by changing the diameter and number of the ventilation holes formed in the screen 45, the air exhausted from the ventilation holes 40 can be reduced. It is possible to control the original shape and flow rate.

In addition, when the airflow flowing through the flow path (2) passes through the vent 36, it discharges dust stagnant near the upper ends of the lighting fixtures 49 and the screen 45 to the ceiling exhaust section.

Further, the screen 45 is easy to construct and can be opened and closed easily. The function and effect of the pond are the same as in the first embodiment.

As described in "Effects of the Invention J and Below" 2, the present invention has a plurality of ventilation holes almost uniformly distributed over the entire surface between the device region and the passage region,
In addition to providing a partition member that is movable horizontally or vertically, a vent is provided to communicate the inn device area with the ceiling exhaust section, and the upper end of the partition member is disposed inside the vent. Therefore, while the equipment area, which is an ultra-clean area, has a positive pressure, the passage area, which is a high-cleanliness area, has a positive pressure, and the equipment area can be cleaned to the desired level by simply supplying a small amount of clean air. In addition, the intrusion of dust from the passage area can be completely eliminated and ultra-cleanliness can be stably maintained, and the air supply unit is only provided in the upper part of the equipment area. Since clean air is not blown out from the entire surface of the ceiling, the absolute amount of air supplied can be reduced, and the ULPA filter only needs to be installed in the air supply section, so running costs such as fan drive power and other electric power can be reduced. In addition to being able to reduce the initial cost of equipment.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is possible to easily maintain the manufacturing equipment and carry things in and out of the equipment area, and there is less generation of air vortices near the surface of the partition member on the passage area side. In addition, by changing the inner diameter and number of vents, the flow rate of air flowing out from the vents at the bottom of the partition member is controlled, preventing dust accumulated on the floor from flying up, and ensuring high cleanliness in the passage area. degree can be maintained. Furthermore, since the upper end of the partition member is disposed inside the vent, dust does not stay at the upper end of the partition member.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 4 show embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the first embodiment and is a side sectional view of the clean room, and FIG. 2 shows a front panel of the clean room in FIG. 1. A partial perspective view, FIG. 3 shows the vicinity of the upper end of the front panel of FIG. 2, and a side view of the ventilation hole section, and FIG. 4 shows the second embodiment, showing the side of a part of the clean room. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a clean room showing a conventional technique. A: Equipment area, B: Passage area, 2
5... Ceiling exhaust section, 26... Air supply chamber (
air supply section), 36... vent, 37...
...Front wall (partition member), 38...Vent hole, 45...Screen (partition member) -,),'l,+,・ㅅ'

Claims (1)

[Claims] The room is divided into an equipment area that requires ultra-cleanliness and a passage area that requires high cleanliness, and an air supply unit that blows clean air is installed on the ceiling of the equipment area, and In a clean room in which a ceiling exhaust section is provided in the upper part of the section area adjacent to the air supply section and returns the clean air blown out from the air supply section, the entire surface area is provided between the equipment section area and the passage section area. A partition member having a plurality of ventilation holes substantially uniformly arranged thereon and movable in the horizontal or vertical direction is provided, and a ventilation hole is provided to communicate the device area and the ceiling exhaust section, and the interior of the ventilation hole is A clean room characterized in that an upper end portion of the partition member is arranged.