Euv process off-gas treatment apparatus and method

Abstract

The application relates to an EUV process waste gas treatment device and method, wherein the EUV process waste gas treatment device comprises a water tank assembly, a reaction tower assembly and a washing tower assembly are connected to the water tank assembly; the reaction tower assembly comprises a gas inlet top cover, a reaction cavity tower section and a cooling spray tower section which are sequentially arranged; a plurality of process waste gas inlets and a plurality of first combustion-supporting gas inlets are connected to the gas inlet top cover and used for respectively introducing process waste gas and combustion-supporting gas into the gas inlet top cover; the plurality of process waste gas inlets are inclined and centered with respect to the axis of the gas inlet top cover and cross each other; the reaction cavity tower section is connected with at least two second combustion-supporting gas inlets which are used for externally supplementing combustion-supporting gas into the reaction cavity tower section and are used for forming multi-stage layered combustion in the gas inlet top cover and the reaction cavity tower section. The application can be applied to waste gas treatment with hydrogen flow varying in a large range of 0-500 SLM, and the treatment efficiency is effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing process waste gas treatment technology, and more specifically, to an EUV process waste gas treatment device and method. Background Technology

[0002] EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) lithography machines are used to manufacture chips with processes of 7nm, 5nm, 3nm and below. They use high-energy lasers to bombard tin droplets to generate extreme ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 13.5nm, which is then projected onto the wafer through a reflector to expose the circuit pattern.

[0003] The photolithography process requires a high-speed hydrogen gas flow (each machine can consume over 400 liters of hydrogen per minute) as a protective atmosphere and cleaning gas. This prevents the tin droplets used to generate EUV light from oxidizing. Simultaneously, the reactive free radicals generated by hydrogen continuously clean the reflective mirror surface, preventing carbon contamination and ensuring optical path stability. After completing its mission, the hydrogen gas is extracted by a vacuum pump. For safety reasons, it is usually mixed with approximately 50% nitrogen to form hydrogen-containing waste gas. Existing methods for treating hydrogen-containing waste gas mainly suffer from the following technical shortcomings:

[0004] (1) It is flammable and explosive, with a wide explosive concentration range (4.0% - 75.6%). Within the explosive concentration range, a tiny electrostatic spark or a high-temperature surface is enough to trigger a catastrophic explosion.

[0005] (2) The risk of backfire is high and it can easily lead to catastrophic accidents;

[0006] (3) Due to the small size requirement of the equipment, the uniformity of hydrogen and air mixing, combustion stability and the ability to withstand sudden temperature drops are all huge challenges.

[0007] (4) The process is complex. The hydrogen flow rate varies widely from 0 to 500 SLM, while the process N2 flow rate remains constant at 500 SLM. The waste gas concentration and flow rate change drastically in an instant, requiring the treatment system to have an ultra-fast response speed and extremely high control precision to prevent unstable combustion or incomplete treatment. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this application is to provide an EUV process waste gas treatment device and method that is applicable to waste gas treatment with a wide range of hydrogen flow rates from 0 to 500 SLM, and effectively improves treatment efficiency.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, the present invention provides an EUV process exhaust gas treatment device, comprising: a water tank assembly, wherein a reaction tower assembly and a scrubbing tower assembly are connected to the water tank assembly;

[0010] The reaction tower assembly includes an air inlet top cover, a reaction chamber tower section, and a cooling spray tower section arranged sequentially.

[0011] The air intake top cover is connected to multiple process waste gas inlet ports and multiple first combustion-supporting gas inlet ports, which are used to respectively introduce process waste gas and combustion-supporting gas into the air intake top cover.

[0012] The multiple process waste gas inlet ports are inclined and centered and intersecting relative to the axis of the inlet top cover;

[0013] The reaction chamber tower section is connected to at least two second combustion-supporting gas inlet ports, which are used to supply combustion-supporting gas to the interior of the reaction chamber tower section to form a multi-stage stratified combustion in the inlet top cover and the reaction chamber tower section.

[0014] Both the reaction chamber tower section and the cooling spray tower section are connected to multiple spray pipes for spraying and cooling the high-temperature flue gas inside the reaction tower components.

[0015] The reaction chamber tower section is a sandwich structure, including an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder. The second combustion-supporting gas inlet is connected to the outer cylinder of the reaction chamber tower section and communicates with the sandwich space. The inner cylinder of the reaction chamber tower section is provided with multiple combustion-supporting gas inlet holes.

[0016] The inner cylinder of the reaction chamber tower section is divided into a dense-pore zone and a sparse-pore zone. The diameter of the combustion-supporting gas inlet in the dense-pore zone is smaller than that of the combustion-supporting gas inlet in the sparse-pore zone.

[0017] The second combustion-supporting gas inlet is positioned opposite to the dense-pore area and the sparse-pore area, respectively.

[0018] In an optional embodiment, the diameter of the reaction chamber tower section is the same as the diameter of the air inlet top cover, and the air inlet top cover is vertically connected to the reaction chamber tower section.

[0019] In an optional embodiment, the cooling spray tower section includes a transition section and a straight section that are integrally connected vertically. The diameter of the reaction chamber tower section is larger than the diameter of the straight section. The diameter of the transition section is the same as the diameter of the reaction chamber tower section. The reaction chamber tower section and the transition section are vertically connected.

[0020] The length of the reaction chamber tower section is less than the length of the cooling spray tower section.

[0021] In an optional embodiment, the water tank assembly is connected to a circulating water pump, the outlet of the circulating water pump is connected to a plate heat exchanger, and the plate heat exchanger is connected to the spray pipe.

[0022] In an optional embodiment, the first combustion-supporting gas inlet and the second combustion-supporting gas inlet are arranged in pairs, respectively located on both sides of the same radial direction on the gas inlet top cover and the reaction chamber tower section.

[0023] The connection point of the first combustion-supporting gas on the air inlet top cover corresponds vertically to the connection point of the second combustion-supporting gas inlet on the reaction chamber tower section;

[0024] The two second combustion-supporting gas inlets are staggered along the height of the reaction chamber tower section.

[0025] In an optional embodiment, the first combustion-supporting gas inlet and the second combustion-supporting gas inlet are respectively connected to combustion-supporting air pipes, and combustion-supporting air regulating valves and combustion-supporting air flow meters are respectively installed on the combustion-supporting air pipes.

[0026] In an optional embodiment, the spray nozzles include a reaction spray nozzle and a cooling spray nozzle. The reaction spray nozzles include two nozzles, which are tangentially connected to the outer cylinder of the reaction chamber tower section and correspond to the dense-pore area and the sparse-pore area, respectively.

[0027] The cooling spray nozzle includes a transition section cooling spray nozzle and a straight section cooling spray nozzle. The transition section cooling spray nozzle includes two nozzles, which are tangentially connected to the transition section and respectively located on both sides of the same radial direction of the transition section.

[0028] The straight section cooling spray nozzles include multiple pairs, which are evenly distributed around the circumference of the straight section, with each pair of straight section cooling spray nozzles having a high-low interval on the straight section.

[0029] In an optional embodiment, the spray pipe is equipped with a spray water regulating valve and a spray water flow meter, the process waste gas inlet is connected to a process waste gas duct, and the process waste gas duct is equipped with a hydrogen concentration sensor, a process waste gas regulating valve and a process waste gas flow meter respectively.

[0030] The EUV process exhaust gas treatment device also includes a control unit, and the hydrogen concentration sensor, the process exhaust gas regulating valve, the process exhaust gas flow meter, the combustion air regulating valve, and the combustion air flow meter are all electrically connected to the control unit.

[0031] Secondly, the present invention provides a method for treating EUV process waste gas, which is carried out using the EUV process waste gas treatment device described in any of the foregoing embodiments, and includes the following steps:

[0032] EUV process exhaust gas is introduced into the air inlet top cover and mixed with combustion-supporting gas introduced into the air inlet top cover. The hydrogen in the mixed gas is burned through the flame ejected from the burner.

[0033] High-temperature flue gas and mixed gas are introduced into the reaction chamber tower section through the inlet top cover. Secondary stratified combustion can be selectively carried out through the combustion-supporting gas introduced into the reaction chamber tower section. At the same time, the high-temperature flue gas is sprayed and cooled in the reaction chamber tower section and the cooling spray tower section.

[0034] The exhaust gas is introduced into the scrubbing tower assembly through the reaction tower assembly, and then discharged after being scrubbed.

[0035] The EUV process exhaust gas treatment device in this application enables the process exhaust gas introduced into the reaction tower assembly to undergo multi-stage stratified combustion in the inlet top cover and reaction chamber tower section, so that the exhaust gas with a hydrogen flow rate varying across a wide range of 0~500 SLM can be uniformly mixed and stably combusted.

[0036] By combining multiple process waste gas inlets with their axes tilted and aligned relative to the top cover, the flame can directly treat the process waste gas at high temperatures, thereby improving treatment efficiency.

[0037] Other features and advantages of this application will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description

[0038] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0039] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the EUV process exhaust gas treatment device of this application;

[0040] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the reaction tower assembly of this application;

[0041] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the reaction chamber tower section of this application;

[0042] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the cooling spray tower section of this application.

[0043] icon:

[0044] 1-Water tank assembly; 11-Circulating water pump; 12-Plate heat exchanger;

[0045] 2-Reaction tower assembly; 21-Inlet cover; 22-Reaction chamber section; 221-Inner cylinder of reaction chamber section; 222-Outer cylinder of reaction chamber section; 223-Combustion-supporting gas inlet; 224-Dense-pore zone; 225-Sparse-pore zone;

[0046] 23-Cooling spray tower section; 231-Transition section; 232-Straight cylinder section;

[0047] 3-Scrubber tower assembly;

[0048] 4-Process waste gas inlet pipe;

[0049] 5- First combustion-supporting gas inlet;

[0050] 6-Second combustion-supporting gas inlet;

[0051] 7-Spray nozzle; 71-Reaction spray nozzle; 721-Transition section cooling spray nozzle; 722-Straight section cooling spray nozzle;

[0052] 8-Process waste gas duct; 81-Hydrogen concentration sensor; 82-Process waste gas regulating valve; 83-Process waste gas flow meter. Detailed Implementation

[0053] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of this application described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0054] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "inner" and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product is in use. They are used only for the convenience of describing this application and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0055] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "setup" and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0056] The EUV process waste gas treatment device and method in this application are mainly for waste gas treatment with hydrogen flow rates varying over a wide range from 0 to 500 SLM, and meet the requirements of fluctuating waste gas flow rates during the treatment process.

[0057] See Figure 1 and combined Figures 2-4 The EUV process exhaust gas treatment device in this application has a main structure including a water tank assembly 1, a reaction tower assembly 2, and a scrubbing tower assembly 3. The reaction tower assembly 2 and the scrubbing tower assembly 3 are directly connected to the water tank assembly 1. The water tank assembly 1 is used to receive the cooling and scrubbing circulating water inside the reaction tower assembly 2 and the scrubbing tower assembly 3, and circulate it back to the reaction tower assembly 2 and the scrubbing tower assembly 3 for spraying via a circulating pump.

[0058] The reaction tower assembly 2 includes an air inlet top cover 21, a reaction chamber tower section 22, and a cooling spray tower section 23 arranged sequentially from top to bottom. The three are sealed and connected in sequence to form the tower cavity inside the reaction tower assembly 2 for exhaust gas combustion and cooling spray.

[0059] From the perspective of the air intake structure, the air intake top cover 21 is connected to multiple process waste gas inlet ports 4 and multiple first combustion-supporting gas inlet ports 5.

[0060] The process waste gas inlet 4 is used to introduce hydrogen-containing waste gas from the EUV lithography machine, and the first combustion-supporting gas inlet 5 is used to introduce combustion-supporting gas. Specifically, multiple process waste gas inlets 4 are arranged at an inclined angle relative to the vertical axis of the inlet top cover 21, and their extension directions all point to the center of the top cover, forming an inclined, centered, and intersecting jet layout.

[0061] Meanwhile, the air intake top cover 21 is provided with a combustion-supporting gas interlayer. The first combustion-supporting gas inlet 5 is connected to the combustion-supporting gas interlayer space. Before the process waste gas inlet 4 is discharged to the combustion zone, it can be forcibly mixed with the combustion-supporting gas in the combustion-supporting gas interlayer.

[0062] This configuration allows multiple forced-mixing jets to form a uniform combustible mixture in the central area of ​​the top cover, effectively avoiding excessively high local concentrations. At the same time, it enables combustion treatment immediately after injection, allowing the combustible mixture to undergo stable and reliable combustion in the central area of ​​the top cover, making the inner cavity of the intake top cover 21 the main combustion zone.

[0063] The reaction chamber tower section 22 is located below the air inlet top cover 21, forming a secondary combustion zone, which can selectively combust according to the fluctuating flow rate of the process waste gas.

[0064] Specifically, at least two second combustion-supporting gas inlet pipes 6 are connected to the reaction chamber tower section 22 to supplement additional combustion-supporting gas into the reaction chamber tower section 22.

[0065] The above configuration enables the multi-stage stratified combustion mechanism described in this application. The first stage of combustion occurs within the inlet top cover 21, supported by the first combustion-supporting gas; the second stage of combustion occurs within the reaction chamber tower section 22, supported by the second combustion-supporting gas. This multi-stage stratified combustion configuration can adapt to drastic fluctuations in hydrogen flow rate from 0 to 500 SLM: when the hydrogen flow rate is low, stable combustion can be maintained solely by the first-stage combustion-supporting air; when the hydrogen flow rate increases sharply, the second combustion-supporting gas automatically activates to supplement the combustion-supporting air, ensuring complete combustion, preventing unburned hydrogen from accumulating downstream, and thus guaranteeing the safe operation of the system.

[0066] The cooling spray tower section 23 is located below the reaction chamber tower section 22. To cope with the high temperature generated by combustion, both the reaction chamber tower section 22 and the cooling spray tower section 23 are connected to multiple spray nozzles 7. The spray nozzles 7 are used to connect spray pipes and spray circulating water into the reaction tower assembly 2 to directly contact and cool the high-temperature flue gas, ensuring that the flue gas is reduced to a safe temperature before entering the subsequent scrubbing tower assembly 3, protecting the scrubbing tower and inhibiting the formation of thermal NOx.

[0067] Through the synergistic effect of the three-stage structure of the air inlet top cover 21, the reaction chamber tower section 22, and the cooling spray tower section 23 in this application, hydrogen-containing waste gas with drastic flow fluctuations can be stably treated, and the combustion cooling process can be completed efficiently.

[0068] The EUV process exhaust gas treatment device in this application optimizes the diameter relationship of each stage of the reaction tower component 2 to balance the combustion residence time and cooling efficiency.

[0069] Specifically, the diameter of the reaction chamber tower section 22 is the same as the diameter of the inlet top cover 21. The two are directly connected by flanges, which ensures that the airflow of the inlet top cover 21 will not change its cross-section when entering the reaction chamber tower section 22, thus avoiding turbulent flow and local eddies, and thus enabling stable secondary combustion under high flow rates.

[0070] In the multi-stage combustion stratification process of this application, the first combustion-supporting gas inlet 5 of the air inlet cover 21 can be introduced into the working condition combustion-supporting gas. When the hydrogen flow rate is less than 80 SLM, the reaction combustion is mainly carried out by the working condition compressed air or O2, which reduces the dilution of hydrogen concentration by the blower air volume and prevents it from affecting the treatment efficiency of low concentration H2.

[0071] Based on the treatment of hydrogen-containing process waste gas, H2 reacts particularly easily and releases a huge amount of heat. Therefore, within the limited space, the length of the reaction chamber tower section 22 is shortened. In this application, the length of the reaction chamber tower section 22 is less than the length of the cooling spray tower section 23. By extending the cooling spray tower section 23, the cooling path is extended, effectively ensuring the cooling effect.

[0072] In this application, H2 reacts with the combustion-supporting gas to generate water vapor, which is then cooled to become water, thereby reducing the internal pressure of the system.

[0073] To fully consider the balance between floor space and cooling effect, and for the sake of connection and assembly, the cooling spray tower section 23 includes a transition section 231 and a straight section 232 that are distributed vertically and integrally connected. At the same time, in order to achieve efficient rapid cooling within the limited equipment height, the diameter of the reaction chamber tower section 22 is larger than the diameter of the straight section 232.

[0074] Meanwhile, the diameter of the transition section 231 is the same as the diameter of the reaction chamber tower section 22, forming a variable diameter transition structure with a larger top and a smaller bottom, and the reaction chamber tower section 22 and the transition section 231 are connected vertically.

[0075] In this structural configuration, the large diameter of the reaction chamber tower section 22 provides sufficient volume, extending the residence time of the flue gas in the high-temperature zone and ensuring complete and thorough combustion of hydrogen.

[0076] The reduced diameter of the downstream straight section 232 increases the flue gas velocity, enhances the turbulent contact between the spray water and the flue gas, and improves heat and mass transfer efficiency. Furthermore, the length of the reaction chamber tower section 22 is shorter than that of the cooling spray tower section 23, allowing the reaction tower assembly 2 to focus more on rapid cooling after combustion, thus protecting downstream equipment and meeting environmental emission requirements.

[0077] The water tank assembly 1 is connected to a circulating water pump 11, which is used to extract the cooling water received by the water tank assembly 1 and cool it through the connected plate heat exchanger 12.

[0078] Water from the circulating water pump 11 is cooled after exchanging heat with operating cooling water (such as chilled water) in the plate heat exchanger 12. The cooled circulating water is then transported to the spray pipes connected to each spray pipe port 7 and used as a cooling medium to cool and wash the flue gas.

[0079] The water that has absorbed the heat from the flue gas and exhaust gas falls back into the water tank to form a cycle. The circulation system greatly saves water resources and effectively removes the heat generated by combustion.

[0080] The large temperature difference of the sprayed fine water mist and the high temperature flue gas can fully exchange heat, which can achieve a rapid temperature drop. The large flow of circulating water is cooled twice by the plate heat exchanger 12, and the stepped cooling coupling reduces the system temperature.

[0081] In order to achieve more uniform staged combustion, the first combustion-supporting gas inlet 5 and the second combustion-supporting gas inlet 6 are both set in pairs, respectively on both sides of the same radial direction on the inlet top cover 21 and the reaction chamber tower section 22, that is, symmetrically arranged, so as to ensure the symmetrical distribution of combustion-supporting gas in cross-section.

[0082] Furthermore, the connection point of the first combustion-supporting gas inlet on the inlet top cover 21 corresponds vertically to the connection point of the second combustion-supporting gas inlet 6 on the reaction chamber tower section 22, and they are located on the same vertical projection line. This vertical alignment layout facilitates the orderly replenishment of combustion-supporting gas in layers along the tower height direction, avoiding airflow short-circuiting.

[0083] Furthermore, the two second combustion-supporting gas inlet ports 6 are staggered in the height direction of the reaction chamber tower section 22 to form a staggered air intake relationship, thereby forming two different combustion-supporting gas replenishment layers in the upper and lower parts of the reaction chamber tower section 22, which further enhances the uniformity of air intake and can better match the combustion requirements under different flow rates.

[0084] In order to further improve the uniformity of the distribution of combustion-supporting gas in the reaction chamber tower section 22, the reaction chamber tower section 22 in this embodiment is constructed as a sandwich structure, including the inner cylinder 221 and the outer cylinder 222 of the reaction chamber tower section.

[0085] The second combustion-supporting gas inlet 6 is connected to the outer cylinder 222 of the reaction chamber tower section, and the cavity of the second combustion-supporting gas inlet 6 is connected to the interlayer space between the inner and outer cylinders. At the same time, multiple combustion-supporting gas inlet holes 223 are opened on the inner cylinder 221 of the reaction chamber tower section. Combined with the above-mentioned staggered air intake, the air in the interlayer can be evenly introduced into the combustion zone of the inner cylinder through the combustion-supporting gas inlet holes 223.

[0086] Furthermore, the inner wall of the inner cylinder 221 of the reaction chamber tower section is divided into a densely perforated region 224 and a sparsely perforated region 225. The diameter of the combustion-supporting gas inlet 223 in the densely perforated region 224 is smaller than that in the sparsely perforated region 225. The second combustion-supporting gas inlet 6 is positioned opposite to the densely perforated region 224 and the sparsely perforated region 225, respectively.

[0087] The aforementioned partitioning, height misalignment, and aperture differentiation work together to allow air entering from the second combustion gas inlet 6 at different heights to enter the combustion zone at different flow rates and through orifice zones with different apertures / densities. This precisely controls the distribution of combustion gas concentration along the tower height, achieving optimal uniformity and ensuring uniform combustion to the greatest extent possible.

[0088] From the perspective of controlling the combustion state by means of process waste gas flow rate and hydrogen concentration, the first combustion gas inlet 5 and the second combustion gas inlet 6 are respectively connected to combustion air pipes. Preferably, the first combustion gas inlet 5 is connected to the working condition compressed air pipeline or the working condition oxygen pipeline.

[0089] Each combustion air duct is independently equipped with a combustion air regulating valve and a combustion air flow meter. The control unit can independently adjust the flow rate of each stage of combustion air based on the real-time feedback of the upstream hydrogen flow rate and concentration, so as to achieve precise air-fuel ratio control, ensure complete combustion under various operating conditions, and avoid the impact of excessive air dilution on small-flow process exhaust gas.

[0090] To achieve efficient cooling, the spray nozzles 7 are divided into reaction spray nozzles 71 and cooling spray nozzles according to their installation positions. There are two reaction spray nozzles 71, tangentially connected to the outer cylinder 222 of the reaction chamber tower section, corresponding to the dense-pore area 224 and the sparse-pore area 225 respectively. Specifically, the spray nozzles 7 are connected tangentially to the outer wall of the tower, causing the sprayed water to rotate and fall within the tower, increasing the coverage area and reducing disturbance.

[0091] The two reaction spray nozzles 71 correspond to the dense-pore area 224 and the sparse-pore area 225 of the inner cylinder, respectively. Their function is to directly spray a small amount of water into the combustion zone to control the combustion temperature and prevent the equipment from being damaged by excessive temperature or producing too much NOx.

[0092] The cooling spray nozzle includes a transition section cooling spray nozzle 721 and a straight section cooling spray nozzle 722. The transition section cooling spray nozzle 721 includes two nozzles, which are tangentially connected to the transition section 231 and are respectively located on both sides of the same radial direction of the transition section 231.

[0093] The straight section cooling spray nozzle 722 includes multiple pairs, and the multiple pairs of straight section cooling spray nozzles 722 are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction of the straight section 232, with each pair of straight section cooling spray nozzles 722 having a high-low interval on the straight section 232.

[0094] The above-mentioned multi-layered, multi-angled, tangential / radial spray layout forms a dense water curtain area in the cooling spray tower section 23, ensuring that the high-temperature flue gas is rapidly cooled in a very short time.

[0095] Based on the above-mentioned control of combustion state through process waste gas flow rate and hydrogen concentration, a spray water regulating valve and a spray water flow meter are also installed on the spray pipe to coordinate with the cooling control. A process waste gas duct 8 is connected to the process waste gas inlet 4, and a hydrogen concentration sensor 81, a process waste gas regulating valve 82, and a process waste gas flow meter 83 are respectively installed on the process waste gas duct 8.

[0096] The EUV process exhaust gas treatment device also includes a control unit of PLC or DCS controller, and hydrogen concentration sensor 81, process exhaust gas regulating valve 82, process exhaust gas flow meter 83, combustion air regulating valve, combustion air flow meter, spray water regulating valve and spray water flow meter are all electrically connected to the control unit.

[0097] The control unit reads hydrogen concentration and flow signals in real time. Based on built-in algorithms, including but not limited to air-fuel ratio control models and temperature control models, it automatically calculates the required flow rates of combustion air at each stage. This includes controlling the combustion air (including operating compressed air, operating oxygen, or a large flow rate introduced via a blower) in the first combustion air inlet 5 and / or the second combustion air inlet 6. It also controls the flow rate of spray water introduced into different tower sections and adjusts the opening of each regulating valve accordingly.

[0098] When a sudden increase in hydrogen flow is detected, the control unit can respond quickly by increasing the flow rates of the second combustion-supporting gas and spray water in advance or simultaneously to ensure stable combustion and controllable outlet temperature.

[0099] Meanwhile, by selectively opening the combustion-supporting gas supply corresponding to the reaction chamber tower section 22, the combustion-supporting air volume and water volume can be precisely adjusted according to the flow rate of process waste gas (corresponding to hydrogen), controlling the H2 concentration to 8%~15% for safe and stable combustion, with zero hydrogen emission at the tail end and acid discharge temperature <50℃.

[0100] This application also provides a method for treating EUV process waste gas using the above-mentioned EUV process waste gas treatment device, which mainly includes the following steps:

[0101] S1, the first-stage premixing and combustion step, EUV process exhaust gas is injected at high speed into the intake cover 21 through multiple process exhaust gas inlets 4 in an inclined, centered, and cross manner. At the same time, the first combustion-supporting gas (operating condition compressed air or operating condition oxygen) in the intake cover 21 is introduced into the combustion-supporting gas interlayer inside the intake cover 21 through the first combustion-supporting gas inlet 5.

[0102] The first combustion-supporting gas and the process waste gas are premixed inside each process waste gas inlet 4 to form a uniform combustible mixture. Multiple streams of combustible mixture are injected into the cavity of the inlet top cover 21 in an inclined, centered, and cross-shaped manner, and are immediately combusted under the action of the burner flame, resulting in the first stage of combustion. At this stage, most of the hydrogen is oxidized and burned into water vapor.

[0103] S2, the secondary staged combustion and spray cooling step, involves the incomplete combustion of high-temperature flue gas and mixed gas being introduced downwards from the inlet top cover 21 into the reaction chamber tower section 22. Based on real-time feedback of upstream hydrogen flow rate and concentration, a second combustion-supporting gas is supplied into the reaction chamber tower section 22 through the second combustion-supporting gas inlet 6, selectively initiating secondary stratified combustion.

[0104] When the process waste gas flow rate is high, the second combustion-supporting gas is activated to ensure complete combustion of residual hydrogen. Simultaneously, cooling water is sprayed into the combustion zone through the reaction spray nozzles 71 on the reaction chamber tower section 22, keeping the temperature within a safe range to prevent the excessive generation of NOx. Furthermore, the rapid cooling process instantly converts the generated water vapor into liquid water, reducing internal system pressure and enhancing operational safety.

[0105] S3, rapid cooling and scrubbing emission step: the high-temperature flue gas continues to enter the cooling spray tower section 23. In the transition section 231 and straight section 232 of this tower section, a large amount of cooling water is sprayed in through multiple sets of tangential and radially arranged spray nozzles 7 to force rapid cooling of the flue gas, thereby rapidly cooling the flue gas in a very short time.

[0106] After rapid cooling, the exhaust gas leaves reaction tower assembly 2 and enters scrubbing tower assembly 3 from above the liquid surface of water tank assembly 1. Inside scrubbing tower assembly 3, the exhaust gas and scrubbing water come into countercurrent contact. Finally, clean gas that meets environmental standards (hydrogen volume concentration less than 1%) is discharged from the exhaust pipe at the top of the scrubbing tower.

[0107] The EUV process waste gas treatment device and method in this application, through multi-stage stratified combustion with top cover premixing and staged gas replenishment in the reaction chamber, can stably handle the drastic fluctuation of hydrogen flow from 0 to 500 SLM, without the need for frequent shutdowns or manual intervention, thus significantly improving production continuity.

[0108] Staged combustion ensures complete combustion of hydrogen throughout the reaction tower, resulting in high processing efficiency and no risk of explosion or backfire.

[0109] By using zoned spraying—temperature-controlled spraying in the reaction zone and rapid cooling spraying in the cooling zone—combined with a variable-diameter tower section, precise control of combustion temperature and rapid cooling of high-temperature flue gas are achieved, effectively suppressing the formation of thermal NOx.

[0110] By integrating different sensors, flow meters, regulating valves, and control units, real-time closed-loop control of air-fuel ratio and spray water volume is achieved. The system has a fast response speed and high control accuracy, meeting the stringent requirements of semiconductor manufacturing for equipment reliability and stability.

[0111] It should be noted that, where there is no conflict, the features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

[0112] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An EUV process waste gas treatment device, characterized in that, include: A water tank assembly, on which a reaction tower assembly and a washing tower assembly are connected; The reaction tower assembly includes an air inlet top cover, a reaction chamber tower section, and a cooling spray tower section arranged sequentially. The air intake top cover is connected to multiple process waste gas inlet ports and multiple first combustion-supporting gas inlet ports, which are used to respectively introduce process waste gas and combustion-supporting gas into the air intake top cover. The multiple process waste gas inlet ports are inclined and centered and intersecting relative to the axis of the inlet top cover; The reaction chamber tower section is connected to at least two second combustion-supporting gas inlet ports, which are used to supply combustion-supporting gas to the interior of the reaction chamber tower section to form a multi-stage stratified combustion in the inlet top cover and the reaction chamber tower section. Both the reaction chamber tower section and the cooling spray tower section are connected to multiple spray pipes for spraying and cooling the high-temperature flue gas inside the reaction tower components. The reaction chamber tower section is a sandwich structure, including an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder. The second combustion-supporting gas inlet is connected to the outer cylinder of the reaction chamber tower section and communicates with the sandwich space. The inner cylinder of the reaction chamber tower section is provided with multiple combustion-supporting gas inlet holes. The inner cylinder of the reaction chamber tower section is divided into a dense-pore zone and a sparse-pore zone. The diameter of the combustion-supporting gas inlet in the dense-pore zone is smaller than that of the combustion-supporting gas inlet in the sparse-pore zone. The second combustion-supporting gas inlet is positioned opposite to the dense-pore area and the sparse-pore area, respectively.

2. The EUV process waste gas treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of the reaction chamber tower section is the same as the diameter of the air inlet top cover, and the air inlet top cover is vertically connected to the reaction chamber tower section.

3. The EUV process waste gas treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cooling spray tower section includes a transition section and a straight section that are integrally connected vertically. The diameter of the reaction chamber tower section is larger than the diameter of the straight section. The diameter of the transition section is the same as the diameter of the reaction chamber tower section. The reaction chamber tower section and the transition section are connected vertically. The length of the reaction chamber tower section is less than the length of the cooling spray tower section.

4. The EUV process waste gas treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water tank assembly is connected to a circulating water pump, and the outlet of the circulating water pump is connected to a plate heat exchanger, which is connected to the spray pipe.

5. The EUV process waste gas treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first combustion-supporting gas inlet and the second combustion-supporting gas inlet are both arranged in pairs, respectively located on both sides of the same radial direction on the gas inlet top cover and the reaction chamber tower section; The connection point of the first combustion-supporting gas on the air inlet top cover corresponds vertically to the connection point of the second combustion-supporting gas inlet on the reaction chamber tower section; The two second combustion-supporting gas inlets are staggered along the height of the reaction chamber tower section.

6. The EUV process waste gas treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first and second combustion-supporting gas inlets are respectively connected to combustion-supporting air pipes, and combustion-supporting air regulating valves and combustion-supporting air flow meters are respectively installed on the combustion-supporting air pipes.

7. The EUV process waste gas treatment device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The spray nozzles include a reaction spray nozzle and a cooling spray nozzle. There are two reaction spray nozzles, which are tangentially connected to the outer cylinder of the reaction chamber tower section and correspond to the dense pore area and the sparse pore area, respectively. The cooling spray nozzle includes a transition section cooling spray nozzle and a straight section cooling spray nozzle. The transition section cooling spray nozzle includes two nozzles, which are tangentially connected to the transition section and respectively located on both sides of the same radial direction of the transition section. The straight section cooling spray nozzles include multiple pairs, which are evenly distributed around the circumference of the straight section, with each pair of straight section cooling spray nozzles having a high-low interval on the straight section.

8. The EUV process waste gas treatment device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The spray pipe is equipped with a spray water regulating valve and a spray water flow meter. The process waste gas inlet is connected to a process waste gas duct. The process waste gas duct is equipped with a hydrogen concentration sensor, a process waste gas regulating valve and a process waste gas flow meter. The EUV process exhaust gas treatment device also includes a control unit, and the hydrogen concentration sensor, the process exhaust gas regulating valve, the process exhaust gas flow meter, the combustion air regulating valve, and the combustion air flow meter are all electrically connected to the control unit.

9. A method for treating EUV process waste gas, comprising using the EUV process waste gas treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: EUV process exhaust gas is introduced into the air inlet top cover and mixed with combustion-supporting gas introduced into the air inlet top cover. The hydrogen in the mixed gas is burned through the flame ejected from the burner. High-temperature flue gas and mixed gas are introduced into the reaction chamber tower section through the inlet top cover. Secondary stratified combustion can be selectively carried out through the combustion-supporting gas introduced into the reaction chamber tower section. At the same time, the high-temperature flue gas is sprayed and cooled in the reaction chamber tower section and the cooling spray tower section. The exhaust gas is introduced into the scrubbing tower assembly through the reaction tower assembly, and then discharged after being scrubbed.

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