Air curtain device and ventilation components

Abstract

An air curtain device and a ventilated assembly are disclosed, comprising a body and a ventilated assembly. The body has at least one air inlet, and the ventilated assembly is housed within the body and includes a first ventilated plate and a second ventilated plate. The first ventilated plate has multiple through holes, and the second ventilated plate is made of a material with multiple micropores. Gas entering the body through the air inlet passes through the through holes of the first ventilated plate and is then released through the second ventilated plate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an air curtain device and a breathable component that can be used in the air curtain device. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing, a highly clean process environment is required, and the transport environment, such as the wafer cassette, must be kept clean and dry. To maintain a high level of cleanliness in all transition spaces (e.g., process gate spaces) during process changeovers, an air curtain device design that forms an airflow wall exists. This airflow wall blocks particles and contaminants from the external environment from entering the wafer cassette, preventing wafer contamination. However, it is known that the vent plate in the air curtain device is prone to damage due to prolonged exposure to high air pressure. Furthermore, in some process environments, the overall space occupied by the air curtain device is significantly limited. Reducing the size of the air curtain device can lead to insufficient space between the air inlet and the vent plate, resulting in uneven flow rates of the clean gas blown out by the air curtain device. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Other objects and advantages of the present invention can be further understood from the technical features disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0004] One embodiment of the present invention provides an air curtain device, comprising a body and a ventilation component. The body has at least one air inlet, and the ventilation component is housed within the body and includes a first ventilation plate and a second ventilation plate. The first ventilation plate has a plurality of through holes, and the second ventilation plate is made of a material having a plurality of micropores. Gas entering the body through the air inlet passes through the through holes of the first ventilation plate and is then released through the second ventilation plate.

[0005] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a breathable assembly comprising a first breathable plate and a second breathable plate. The first breathable plate has an air inlet surface and a plurality of through holes, and the second breathable plate has an air outlet surface and is made of a material having a plurality of micropores. Clean gas enters the breathable assembly through the air inlet surface and is released through the air outlet surface. The thickness of the second breathable plate is greater than the thickness of the first breathable plate, and the pore size of the micropores is smaller than the pore size of the through holes.

[0006] Another embodiment of the present invention provides an air curtain device comprising a body and a single vent plate. The body includes opposing first and second surfaces, and at least one side surface connected to the first and second surfaces, and the body is provided with at least one air inlet. The single vent plate is disposed within the body and adjacent to the second surface. The single vent plate is made of a material with micropores and satisfies the following condition: 0.05 ≤ T / H ≤ 0.3, where T is the thickness of the single vent plate, and H is the distance between the first and second surfaces along the direction perpendicular to the vent plate. Gas entering the body through the air inlet is released through the single vent plate at a flow rate in the range of 0.1 m / s to 2 m / s.

[0007] The air curtain device and ventilation assembly of the present invention have at least one of the following advantages. Through the design of the embodiments of the present invention, since the gas first passes through multiple through holes in the first ventilation plate before reaching the second ventilation plate, the multiple through holes provide a preliminary rectification effect, which is conducive to generating stable laminar flow. This makes the flow velocity of the gas released through the second ventilation plate more uniform and reduces the wind pressure borne by the second ventilation plate with micropores, thereby reducing the probability of the second ventilation plate being damaged due to long-term exposure to high wind pressure. Furthermore, in some process environments, the overall space occupied by the air curtain device is significantly limited, reducing the internal space. However, the ventilation plate with micropores needs sufficient thickness to achieve a uniform airflow effect. Therefore, if two ventilation plates with micropores are used as in the known design, the overall thickness will be too high, resulting in insufficient space between the air inlet and the ventilation plate, leading to uneven flow velocity of the clean gas blown out by the air curtain device. By means of the design of this embodiment of the invention, the permeable plate with through holes can have a smaller thickness than the permeable plate with micropores, thus reducing the overall space occupied by the permeable component. Therefore, even if the air curtain device needs to be used in environments where volume reduction is required, sufficient space can still be maintained between the air inlet and the permeable plate to ensure a stable flow field and obtain a uniform outlet air velocity. On the other hand, by changing the arrangement, diameter, spacing, and other adjustable design parameters of the multiple through holes, the flow field pattern and velocity through the first permeable plate can be optimized, further improving the wind pressure resistance and outlet air velocity uniformity of the second permeable plate. Furthermore, another embodiment of the invention uses a single permeable plate design. When the aforementioned condition of 0.05≦T / H≦0.3 is met, a balance can be achieved between providing sufficient space to develop a stable flow field and providing sufficient permeable plate thickness to uniformize the outlet air velocity.

[0008] To make the above features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0009] The accompanying drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Furthermore, the shapes and proportions of the components in the drawings are merely illustrative to aid in understanding the invention and do not specifically limit the shapes and proportions of the components. Those skilled in the art, guided by the teachings of this invention, can select various possible shapes and proportions to implement the invention according to specific circumstances.

[0010] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an air curtain device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 2 This is a plan view of the first breathable plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 3A This is a plan view of the second breathable plate according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3B for Figure 3A A magnified schematic diagram of the local structure of P.

[0013] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an air curtain device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the first breathable plate and the second breathable plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 6 This is a plan view of the first breathable plate according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 7A This is a schematic diagram of an air curtain device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 7B This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the body component according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing an air curtain device applied to a wafer transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0020] 10, 10a, 10b Air curtain devices

[0021] 20 body

[0022] 20a First page

[0023] 20b Second page

[0024] 20c side view

[0025] 22 Air Inlet

[0026] 30 Breathable components

[0027] 32, 34, 36 breathable panels

[0028] Through holes 321 and 322

[0029] 32a air intake

[0030] 341 Micropores

[0031] 34a Air outlet

[0032] 100 Wafer Transport Device

[0033] 102 Bearing Unit

[0034] 104-door assembly

[0035] 110 wafer box

[0036] 112 Contact plate

[0037] 114 Movable Door

[0038] D and H distance

[0039] G gap

[0040] GS Gas

[0041] Gt gap thickness

[0042] T-type breathable plate thickness Detailed Implementation

[0043] The details of the present invention can be more clearly understood by referring to the accompanying drawings and the description of specific embodiments. However, the specific embodiments of the present invention described herein are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the invention in any way. Under the teachings of this invention, those skilled in the art can conceive of any possible modifications based on the invention, and these should all be considered to fall within the scope of the invention.

[0044] The terms "first" and "second" used in the following embodiments are for the purpose of identifying the same or similar technical content, features, and effects described above, as well as other technical contents, features, and effects of the present invention. These will be clearly presented in the detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as "up," "down," "left," "right," "front," or "back," are only for reference to the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are for illustrative purposes and not for limiting the present invention. To illustrate the features of this embodiment, only structures relevant to this embodiment are shown; other structures are omitted.

[0045] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an air curtain device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1As shown, the air curtain device 10 includes a body 20 and a ventilation component 30. The body 20 includes a first surface 20a and a second surface 20b opposite to each other, and at least one side surface 20c connected to the first surface 20a and the second surface 20b. The body 20 is provided with at least one air inlet 22. In this embodiment, two air inlets 22 are provided at different positions on the side surface 20c of the body 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. The ventilation component 30 is housed within the body 20 and includes a first ventilation plate 32 and a second ventilation plate 34. The first ventilation plate 32 is located downstream of the flow channel of the air inlet 22 and is provided with a plurality of through holes 321. The second ventilation plate 34 is located downstream of the flow channel of the first ventilation plate 32 and is made of a material with micropores. Gas GS supplied by a gas supply device (not shown) can enter the body 20 through the air inlet 22, and then the gas GS can be released through the through holes 321 of the first ventilation plate 32 and then through the second ventilation plate 34. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first ventilated plate 32 is provided with an air inlet surface 32a of the ventilated component 30, and the second ventilated plate 34 is provided with an air outlet surface 34a of the ventilated component 30. In this embodiment, the first ventilated plate 32 is stacked on the second ventilated plate 34 so that there is no gap between them, but the present invention is not limited to this. Furthermore, the body 20 may be, for example, a shell, an outer frame, or a box, and its shape and structure are not limited.

[0046] Figure 2 This is a plan view of the first breathable plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2As shown, in one embodiment, the first ventilated plate 32 has a plurality of regularly arranged through holes 321. Each through hole 321 is a hole that penetrates the entire first ventilated plate 32 along its thickness direction, allowing gas to pass through the first ventilated plate 32 via each through hole 321. The method of forming the through holes 321 is not limited. For example, the first ventilated plate 32 can be a stainless steel plate, and multiple through holes 321 can be formed in the stainless steel plate using laser drilling or mechanical drilling. The first ventilated plate 32 only needs to provide sufficient structural strength to form the through holes 321; its material is not limited. For example, the first ventilated plate 32 can be made of metallic materials (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, titanium alloy), fibrous materials (e.g., glass fiber), or composite materials (e.g., epoxy resin glass fiber), etc., without limitation. In embodiments of the present invention, it is preferable that the first ventilated plate 32 is made of an inorganic material that does not produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In embodiments of the present invention, the diameter of the through hole 321 can range from 0.1mm to 10mm, preferably from 1mm to 6mm, and the plurality of through holes 321 can also be arranged irregularly as needed without limitation. In embodiments of the present invention, the thickness of the first ventilated plate 32 can range from 0.1mm to 2mm, preferably from 0.8mm to 1.6mm. In this embodiment, the thickness of the first ventilated plate 32 is 1.2mm, and the diameter of the through hole 321 is 5mm.

[0047] Figure 3A This is a plan view of the second breathable plate according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3B for Figure 3A A magnified schematic diagram of the local structure of P. (See attached diagram.) Figure 3A and Figure 3B As shown, the second ventilated plate 34 can be made of materials with micropores 341, such as sintered metal, porous ceramics, resin, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UPE), or Teflon (PTFE), and the pore size of the micropores 341 can range from 0.01 mm to 1 mm. In embodiments of the present invention, the thickness of the second ventilated plate 34 can be 2 mm to 10 mm, and preferably 4 mm to 9 mm. In this embodiment, the thickness of the second ventilated plate 34 is 5 mm. In one embodiment, the pore size of the micropores 341 of the first ventilated plate 34 is smaller than the pore size of the through hole 321 of the first ventilated plate 32.

[0048] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an air curtain device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 In the air curtain device 10a, two air inlets 22 are provided on the first surface 20a of the main body 20, and there is a gap G between the first vent plate 32 and the second vent plate 34. Figure 5As shown, when there is a gap G between the first vent plate 32 and the second vent plate 34, the air curtain device 10a can be designed to meet the condition 0.5≦Gt / D≦1, where Gt is the gap thickness between the first vent plate 32 and the second vent plate 34, and D is the distance between the first vent plate 32 and the first surface 20a of the body (relatively far from the surface of the body of the second vent plate 34). Satisfying the above condition allows the gap G to act as a buffer layer to assist in the stable development of the flow field, which is beneficial to improving the uniformity of the flow velocity of the gas GS released from the second vent plate 34.

[0049] With the design of the above embodiment, since the gas first passes through multiple through holes in the first vent plate before reaching the second vent plate, the multiple through holes can provide a preliminary rectification effect, which is conducive to generating stable laminar flow. This makes the flow rate of the gas released through the second vent plate more uniform and can reduce the wind pressure borne by the second vent plate with micropores, thereby reducing the probability of the second vent plate being damaged due to long-term exposure to high wind pressure. Furthermore, in some process environments, the overall space occupied by the air curtain device is significantly limited, reducing the internal space. However, the vent plate with micropores needs to be thick enough to achieve a uniform airflow effect. Therefore, if two vent plates with micropores are used as in the known design, the overall thickness of the vent plates will be too high, resulting in insufficient space between the air inlet and the vent plate, leading to uneven flow rate of the clean gas blown out by the air curtain device. By means of the design of this embodiment of the invention, the ventilated plate with through holes can have a smaller thickness than the ventilated plate with micro-pores, thus reducing the overall space occupied by the ventilated component. Therefore, even if the air curtain device needs to be used in an environment where volume reduction is required, sufficient space can still be maintained between the air inlet and the ventilated plate to ensure a stable flow field and obtain a uniform outlet air velocity. On the other hand, by changing the adjustable design parameters such as the arrangement, diameter, and spacing of the multiple through holes, the flow field pattern and velocity through the first ventilated plate can be optimized, further improving the wind pressure resistance and outlet air velocity uniformity of the second ventilated plate. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the diameter of the through hole 321 is larger than the diameter of the micro-pore 341, which can create a fine adjustment effect for the flow velocity, first coarsely and then finely.

[0050] In embodiments of the present invention, the shape, size, and arrangement of the through holes in the first ventilated plate 32 are not limited and can be changed or adjusted according to actual needs to optimize the flow field pattern and velocity through the first ventilated plate 32. For example, the through holes in the first ventilated plate 34 may include at least two different apertures or sizes, such as... Figure 6As shown, the first vent plate 34 can be provided with through holes 321 with larger diameters and through holes 322 with smaller diameters. Since the airflow is stronger near the air inlet 22, through holes 322 with smaller diameters can be distributed in the area closer to the air inlet 22, while through holes 321 with larger diameters can be distributed in other areas farther away from the air inlet 22, so that the fluid velocity and air volume passing through different areas of the first vent plate 34 are more uniform.

[0051] Figure 7A This is a schematic diagram of an air curtain device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7A As shown, the air curtain device 10b includes a body 20 and a single vent plate 36. The body 20 has opposing first surfaces 20a and second surfaces 20b, and the vent plate 36 is located adjacent to the second surface 20b of the body 20. Gas GS supplied by an external air supply device (not shown) can enter the body 20 and be evenly discharged outward after passing through the single vent plate 36. Figure 7B This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the body component according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7B The display body 20 can be, for example, a hollow frame with an opening, and the second surface 20b is the end face of the frame near the opening (or the vent plate 36). In this embodiment, the vent plate 36 is made of a material with micropores and satisfies the following condition: 0.05 ≤ T / H ≤ 0.3, where T is the thickness of the vent plate 36 and H is the distance between the first surface 20a and the second surface 20b along the direction perpendicular to the vent plate 36. Satisfying the above condition achieves a balance between providing sufficient space to develop a stable flow field and providing sufficient vent plate thickness to homogenize the outflow velocity. Furthermore, in embodiments of the present invention, the gas GS entering the body 20 through the air inlet 22 can be released through the vent plate 36 at a flow rate in the range of 0.1 m / s to 2 m / s.

[0052] In an embodiment of the present invention, the breathable component 30 is fixed within the body 20 by adhesive or mechanical engagement, forming a closed space within the body 20 that connects to the air inlet 22. When the pressure of the clean gas introduced through the air inlet 22 exceeds a default value, the clean gas will flow out evenly from the breathable plate near the opening of the body, forming an airflow wall.

[0053] In embodiments of the present invention, the gas GS released by the air curtain device through the ventilating component can be a clean gas, which can be clean dry air (CDA), ultra-clean dry air (X-CDA), or an inert gas. The flow rate of the clean gas can range from 0.1 m / s to 2 m / s, and the flow rate can range from 0 to 800 liters per minute. Furthermore, in embodiments of the present invention, the ventilating plate is not limited to a single plate. In other embodiments, for example, multiple through holes can be formed in a component of the main body to form a component with the function of the first ventilating plate 34.

[0054] Figure 8 This diagram illustrates an application of an air curtain device in a wafer transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the wafer transfer device 100 may include a support unit 102 and a door assembly 104. The support unit 102 may be used, for example, to support the contact surface 112 of a front-opening wafer cassette 110 (FOUP), and the door assembly 104 may be used to open the movable door 114 of the wafer cassette 110 and remove the movable door 114 from the wafer cassette 110, thereby communicating the interior of the wafer cassette 110 with the external environment. The air curtain device 10 may be fixedly disposed on one side of the wafer transfer device 100, for example, above the door assembly 104. When the door assembly 104 opens the movable door 114, the air curtain device 10 may continuously and uniformly discharge clean gas GS towards the door assembly 104 to form an airflow wall, preferably a laminar airflow wall, to reduce the probability of external dirt directly entering the interior of the wafer cassette 110. It should be noted that the above application of the air curtain device to the wafer transfer device is only an example. The air curtain device of the present invention can be applied to different machines, devices and workpieces in different semiconductor process environments without limitation.

[0055] Although the present invention has been disclosed above by way of embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A gas curtain device for a wafer transfer device, characterized by, The air curtain device is positioned above a door assembly of the wafer transfer device and releases a clean gas toward the door assembly to form an airflow wall. The air curtain device includes: A body having at least one air inlet, the body comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, and at least one side surface connected to the first surface and the second surface; and A breathable component is housed within the body, and the breathable component comprises: A first vent plate is disposed downstream of the flow channel of the at least one air inlet, and has a plurality of through holes extending through the entire first vent plate along its thickness direction. The plurality of through holes includes at least two different apertures, and the aperture of the through hole closer to the at least one air inlet is smaller than the aperture of the through hole farther from the at least one air inlet; and A second vent plate is disposed downstream of the flow channel of the first vent plate and adjacent to the second surface. The first and second vent plates have a gap. The second vent plate is made of a material with multiple micropores and has an outlet surface. The second vent plate is made of a sintered metal material, a porous ceramic material, a resin material, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, or Teflon. The clean gas entering the body through the at least one air inlet sequentially passes through multiple through holes in the first vent plate, enters the gap, and then passes through multiple micropores in the second vent plate. The clean gas is then evenly released from the outlet surface toward the door assembly to form the airflow wall. The flow velocity of the clean gas released from the outlet surface is in the range of 0.1m / s-2m / s. The at least two different apertures of the multiple through holes are all larger than the apertures of the multiple micro-pores. The thickness of the first breathable plate is less than the thickness of the second breathable plate. The air curtain device satisfies the following condition: 0.5≤Gt / D≤1, where Gt is the thickness of the gap between the first breathable plate and the second breathable plate, and D is the distance between the first breathable plate and the first surface of the body.

2. The gas curtain apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The thickness of the first breathable plate ranges from 0.1mm to 2mm, the thickness of the second breathable plate ranges from 2mm to 10mm, the diameter of the plurality of through holes ranges from 0.1mm to 10mm, and the diameter of the plurality of micro-pores ranges from 0.01mm to 1mm.

3. The gas curtain apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The clean gas is a pure dry gas, an ultra-pure dry gas, or an inert gas, and the flow rate of the clean gas released from the outlet surface of the second vent plate ranges from 0 to 800 L per minute.

4. The gas curtain apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The first breathable panel is made of metal, fiber, or composite materials.

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