Gas supply device, gas supply system, and gas supply method

Abstract

Provided is a gas supply device, gas supply system, and gas supply method that can efficiently produce and supply an industrial gas at a site using the industrial gas. The gas supply device includes a processing section (1) that obtains a product gas and a residue gas from a raw material gas containing a raw material gas component, a residue monitoring section that acquires residue information including information related to a state of the residue gas, and a recovery section that recovers the raw material gas component from the residue gas, the recovery section (4) having a separation recovery machine that recovers the raw material gas component from the residue gas, and a distribution section that distributes the residue gas to the separation recovery machine, the distribution section switching the recovery unit to be in series, parallel, or separate to distribute the residue gas based on the residue information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a gas supply device, a gas supply system, and a gas supply method. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a gas supply device for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. This gas supply device supplies gas to a process chamber, such as a batch processing reactor that simultaneously processes multiple wafers. The gas supply device includes a gas supply source, a gas inlet pipe, a gas manifold, and multiple branch pipes. Pressure-type flow controllers are installed in the gas manifold and the branch pipes. The pressure-type flow controllers have a pressure detector installed in the gas manifold, and control valves and throttling orifices installed in the branch pipes. Based on the detected pressure from the pressure detector, the flow rate is calculated in a flow calculation circuit, and the control valves are controlled using a calculation control circuit based on a flow setting signal from a flow setting circuit and the flow rate from the flow calculation circuit. Examples of gas supply sources include inactive gas supply sources and process gas supply sources.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a method and apparatus for consistently supplying hydride gas used in semiconductor processing steps with a constant composition. In this method, a first gas containing hydride is generated electrochemically; the first gas is mixed with a second gas containing a diluent gas to form a gas stream containing both the diluent gas and the hydride gas; the concentrations of the diluent gas and the hydride gas in the gas stream are monitored; and a control program is executed to maintain the ratio of hydride gas to diluent gas at a preset value throughout the entire process.

[0004] Patent document 3 discloses a gas recovery method that uses zeolite to adsorb and recover xenon.

[0005] Patent document 4 discloses a microchannel chip reaction control system, etc. This microchannel chip reaction control system has at least two microchannels for introducing reagent solutions and a microreaction flow path formed by combining the at least two microchannels. Furthermore, the microchannel chip reaction control system includes an analytical mechanism for analyzing products generated from the reaction between reagent solutions converging within the microreaction flow path, and a control mechanism for controlling conditions related to the reaction within the microreaction flow path based on the analytical results obtained by the analytical mechanism. In this microchannel chip reaction control system, the control mechanism continuously or at fixed intervals monitors the temperature of the microchannel chip and the component ratio or amount in the products generated within the microreaction flow path, and provides feedback on the monitoring results at any time, thereby enabling control of the microchannel chip temperature, the flow rate of each reagent solution, and its concentration.

[0006] (Existing technical documents)

[0007] (Patent Documents)

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-233841

[0009] Patent Document 2: US Patent No. 6080297

[0010] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-057491

[0011] Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-145516 Summary of the Invention

[0012] (The problem that the invention aims to solve)

[0013] Considering environmental burdens such as warming potential, safety requirements such as toxicity to humans and corrosiveness to equipment and pipelines, functionality in industrial applications, and cost, it is necessary to replace industrial gases with better ones. However, even gases that have advantages in specific requirements are sometimes not replaceable for the sake of balancing other requirements. For example, there are gases with extremely low warming potential compared to conventionally used industrial gases, but with extremely high costs; or gases with good properties in specific functions (e.g., etching performance of semiconductor wafers) compared to conventionally used industrial gases, but with low chemical stability, making them difficult to use in terms of concentration management. Some of these problems can be solved by synthesizing, separating, and extracting the industrial gas on-site, making it usable in the equipment using it. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a gas supply device, gas supply system, and gas supply method that can generate the industrial gas on-site and supply it to the next process.

[0014] In equipment using industrial gases, the operating conditions are typically optimized while maintaining a constant concentration and composition of the supplied industrial gas. For example, unstable concentration and composition of the industrial gas can lead to reduced yield or quality fluctuations in the manufactured products. Therefore, a stable supply of industrial gas is desirable in the gas supply equipment, gas supply system, and gas supply method used to generate the industrial gas on-site.

[0015] When supplying industrial gases, it is generally required to improve the utilization efficiency of raw gas and reduce waste gas in order to reduce costs and environmental burden.

[0016] As described above, it is desirable to provide a gas supply device, gas supply system, and gas supply method capable of generating the industrial gas on-site and supplying it to the next process. Furthermore, in the gas supply device, gas supply system, and gas supply method for generating the industrial gas on-site, it is desirable to achieve a stable supply of the industrial gas, efficient generation, and reduced waste gas.

[0017] This disclosure is made in view of this situation and aims to provide a gas supply device, gas supply system and gas supply method that can efficiently generate and supply industrial gases at the site where they are used.

[0018] (The measures taken to solve the problem)

[0019] The gas supply device disclosed herein for achieving the above objectives includes:

[0020] The processing unit obtains product gas and residue gas from the raw material gas containing the raw material gas components;

[0021] The residue monitoring unit acquires residue information, including information related to the state of the residue gas; and

[0022] The recovery unit recovers the raw material gas components from the residual gas.

[0023] The recycling unit has:

[0024] Two or more recovery units that recover the raw material gas components from the residual gas; and

[0025] The distribution unit distributes the residual gas to the recovery unit.

[0026] The distribution unit switches two or more of the recovery units in series, parallel, or individually based on the residue information to distribute the residue gas.

[0027] The gas supply system disclosed herein for achieving the above objectives includes:

[0028] Gas supply device; and

[0029] The processing chamber consumes gas supplied from the gas supply device.

[0030] The gas supply device has:

[0031] The processing unit obtains product gas and residue gas from the raw material gas containing the raw material gas components;

[0032] The residue monitoring unit acquires residue information, including information related to the state of the residue gas; and

[0033] The recovery unit recovers the raw material gas components from the residual gas.

[0034] The recycling unit has:

[0035] Two or more recovery units that recover the raw material gas components from the residual gas; and

[0036] The distribution unit distributes the residual gas to the recovery unit.

[0037] The distribution unit switches two or more of the recovery units in series, parallel, or individually based on the residue information to distribute the residue gas.

[0038] The gas supply method disclosed herein for achieving the above objectives includes:

[0039] A product gasification process that reacts a raw material gas containing raw material gas components to obtain product gas and residue gas;

[0040] The process of obtaining residue information, including information related to the state of the residue gas; and

[0041] The recovery process for retrieving the raw material gas components from the residual gas.

[0042] In the recycling process, based on the residue information, two or more recycling units that recover the raw material gas components from the residue gas are switched to series, parallel, or individual connections to distribute the residue gas.

[0043] (The effect of the invention)

[0044] It can provide a gas supply device, gas supply system and gas supply method that can efficiently generate and supply industrial gases at the site where they are used. Attached Figure Description

[0045] [ Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the gas supply device and the gas supply system including the gas supply device according to this embodiment.

[0046] [ Figure 2 [This is a block diagram showing the configuration involved in the control of the gas supply device according to this embodiment.]

[0047] [ Figure 3 [This is an explanatory diagram of the separation section.]

[0048] [ Figure 4 [This is an explanatory diagram of the recycling department.]

[0049] [ Figure 5[This is an explanatory diagram of the first separation and recovery machine.]

[0050] [ Figure 6 [A diagram showing the configuration of another processing unit.] Detailed Implementation

[0051] The gas supply apparatus, gas supply system, and gas supply method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] Figure 1 An example flowchart of the gas supply device 100 and the gas supply system 200 including the gas supply device 100 according to this embodiment is shown. First, an outline of the gas supply device 100 and the gas supply system 200 including the gas supply device 100 will be described.

[0053] The gas supply device 100 is a device that obtains product gas (an example of a product gasification process) from a raw material gas containing raw material gas components and directly sends (supplyes) the product gas to the next process.

[0054] The gas supply system 200 includes a gas supply device 100 and a processing chamber 9 that consumes product gas supplied from the gas supply device 100. That is, the gas supply device 100 directly delivers the product gas obtained through the gas supply device 100 to the processing chamber 9 (an example of a delivery process). In this embodiment, all the product gas obtained through the gas supply device 100 can be supplied to the processing chamber 9. The product gas can be supplied from the gas supply device 100 to the processing chamber 9 in a plug flow manner.

[0055] An example of the processing chamber 9 is a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, such as an etching apparatus for semiconductor wafers. The processing chamber 9 is connected to the gas supply device 100, for example, via a conduit 73 through which product gas flows. In this embodiment, the processing chamber 9 is directly connected to the gas supply device 100 via the conduit 73 and is supplied with all the product gas produced by the gas supply device 100. The product gas produced by the gas supply device 100 can flow in the conduit 73 in a plug flow manner, thereby being supplied from the gas supply device 100 to the processing chamber 9. The product gas used in the processing chamber 9 can be exhausted to an external waste gas treatment device or the like via a conduit 74 connected to the downstream side of the processing chamber 9.

[0056] The following describes in detail the gas supply device 100 and the gas supply method using the gas supply device 100.

[0057] like Figure 1As shown, the gas supply device 100 may include a supply source S for raw material gas components, a processing unit 1 for processing the raw material gas containing raw material gas components to obtain product gas and residue gas (product gasification processing), a monitoring unit 3 for monitoring the status of product gasification processing in the processing unit 1, and a recovery unit 4 for recovering raw material gas components from the residue gas. The gas supply device 100 can supply raw material gas components from cylinder units S1 and S2, which serve as the supply source S for raw material gas components. The raw material gas components recovered by the recovery unit 4 can be reused in the processing unit 1.

[0058] A feedstock gas is a gas used as a raw material to obtain a product gas. The feedstock gas contains the feedstock gas components used to obtain the product gas. The feedstock gas may contain more than one feedstock gas component. In addition, the feedstock gas may contain a carrier gas, such as an inert gas like nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or argon. The feedstock gas components will be explained later.

[0059] The raw material gas components can be supplied by a supply source S with a gas storage tank, such as a gas cylinder, a tank, or a container.

[0060] In this embodiment, the case where the raw material gas components and the raw material gas are supplied from the supply source S to the processing unit 1 in the gas supply device 100 as described below is shown. The supply source S discharges gas containing the raw material gas components from cylinder units S1 and S2 to a supply pipeline group 79 such as pipelines 79a and 79b at a predetermined supply amount. The cylinder units S1 and S2 include cylinders that serve as storage tanks for the raw material gas components and regulating devices, such as regulators that regulate the pressure and flow rate of the gas containing the raw material gas components discharged from the cylinders, or flow control devices. The gas discharged to the supply pipeline group 79 is mixed by, for example, a mixer 89 to become raw material gas and is supplied to pipeline 71. Then, the raw material gas is supplied to the processing unit 1 from pipeline 71.

[0061] Product gas is a gas containing components (hereinafter sometimes referred to as product gas components) that are consumed or used in processing chamber 9. Product gas may contain a carrier gas, such as an inert gas like nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or argon. The product gas components will be explained later.

[0062] like Figure 2As shown, the gas supply device 100 may further include a control unit C that controls the operation of the supply source S, the processing unit 1, the monitoring unit 3, and the recovery unit 4, and a storage unit M that stores programs, parameters, and information related to the status of various operations for controlling the processing unit 1, the monitoring unit 3, and the recovery unit 4. In the following description, the operations of the supply source S, the processing unit 1, the monitoring unit 3, and the recovery unit 4 can be executed through control and operation commands from the control unit C. In the description of the operations of the supply source S, the processing unit 1, the monitoring unit 3, and the recovery unit 4, the description of the control performed by the control unit C is appropriately omitted. The control unit C will be described later.

[0063] like Figure 1 As shown, the processing unit 1 may include a reaction chamber 10 and a separation unit 2. The reaction chamber 10 reacts the raw material gas (an example of product gasification processing) to obtain product gas or a precursor gas containing components of product gas. The separation unit 2 separates the product gas from the raw material gas or precursor gas (an example of product gasification processing). The processing unit 1 has at least one of the reaction chamber 10 and the separation unit 2. In this embodiment, it is not necessary for the processing unit 1 to have both the reaction chamber 10 and the separation unit 2, but in the following description, the case where the processing unit 1 has both the reaction chamber 10 and the separation unit 2 will be used as the main example.

[0064] Processing unit 1 can be supplied with raw material gas containing raw material gas components through pipe 71, which serves as an inlet for supplying raw material gas to processing unit 1. Processing unit 1 supplies product gas to processing chamber 9 via pipe 73, which serves as a delivery unit for product gas. As described above, pipe 73, which serves as the delivery unit, is directly connected to processing chamber 9, thereby directly delivering the product gas obtained in processing unit 1 to processing chamber 9. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the product gas obtained in processing unit 1 due to decomposition and side reactions, and to deliver the product gas obtained in processing unit 1 to processing chamber 9 with a stable concentration and composition. That is, the product gas can be generated on-site in the gas supply device 100 where the product gas is used, and the product gas can be stably supplied to processing chamber 9.

[0065] The reaction chamber 10 is, for example, a gas reaction apparatus (reaction section), which may have a reaction zone in which the raw material gas reacts (chemically) to generate product gas components, and an energy supply source for promoting the reaction. An example of the reaction chamber 10 is a plasma reaction apparatus, an electrochemical reaction apparatus, a high-temperature reaction apparatus, and a photoreaction apparatus.

[0066] The reaction chamber 10 can be, for example, a plug flow reaction device, and the container that divides the space serving as the reaction area can be pipe-shaped or trough-shaped. The size (device scale) of the reaction chamber 10 is not limited and can be a device known as a microreactor, such as a microfluidic chip, microreactor, or microelectromechanical system (MEMS).

[0067] In reaction chamber 10, product gas or precursor gas is produced from raw material gas. Raw material gas can be supplied to reaction chamber 10 from pipe 71. Precursor gas is supplied to separation unit 2 via pipe 72 connecting reaction chamber 10 and separation unit 2. Furthermore, when product gas is produced in reaction chamber 10, product gas can be supplied from reaction chamber 10 to pipe 73.

[0068] In reaction chamber 10, preferably, for every 1 mol of product gas component generated through the reaction, a reaction with an energy input and output of more than 1 kJ occurs, that is, a reaction with an absolute value of enthalpy (ΔH) of more than 1 kJ / mol occurs.

[0069] Separation unit 2 is a separation device for separating product gas and residue gas from precursor gas, or separating product gas and residue gas from feed gas. In the following text, precursor gas and feed gas may be collectively referred to as precursor, etc.

[0070] As an example, separation unit 2 may have a separation membrane for separating product gas and residue gas from precursors, etc. Examples of separation membranes include organic silica membranes, zeolite membranes, polyimide membranes, and silicone membranes. The separation membrane can be selected based on the components contained in the precursors, the product gas, and the residue gas, and is not limited to the examples described above.

[0071] Separation section 2, for example, Figure 3 The device may have a first separator 21 and a second separator 22. Each of the first separator 21 and the second separator 22 may have a separation membrane corresponding to the composition of the gas to be separated. As an example, the first separator 21 and the second separator 22 may be arranged in series.

[0072] exist Figure 3 The diagram shows a first separator 21 comprising a membrane portion 211 having a cylindrical separation membrane and a cylindrical container 219 for housing the membrane portion 211. In the first separator 21, for example, a precursor supplied from pipe 72 is introduced into the cylinder of the membrane portion 211, and residual gas permeating the separation membrane is exhausted to pipe 81. A pump 81a, such as a dry pump, may be installed in pipe 81. The precursor, from which some or all of the residual gas has been removed, is supplied to pipe 29 connecting the first separator 21 and the second separator 22.

[0073] Similar to the first separator 21, the second separator 22 may include a membrane section 221 and a container 229. In the second separator 22, for example, a precursor supplied from the pipe 29 is introduced into the cylinder of the membrane section 221, and the residual gas that has passed through the separation membrane is exhausted to the pipe 82. A pump 82a, such as a dry pump, may be provided in the pipe 82. The product gas obtained by removing the residual gas from the precursor is supplied to the pipe 73.

[0074] The separation membrane of membrane section 211 and the separation membrane of membrane section 221 can be the same membrane or different types of separation membranes. In this embodiment, the following description will take the case where the separation membrane of membrane section 211 and the separation membrane of membrane section 221 are different types of separation membranes and have different permeable components as an example.

[0075] The monitoring unit 3 performs a monitoring process that monitors the status of the product gasification process in the processing unit 1 and obtains related information. The monitoring unit 3 can be one or more measuring devices, analytical devices, detection devices, or combinations thereof. The monitoring unit 3 can obtain information related to the reaction status in the reaction chamber 10 (reaction information) and information related to the separation status in the separation unit 2 as the status of the product gasification process in the processing unit 1 (hereinafter, information related to the status of the product gasification process in the processing unit 1 will be referred to as status information). The status information is stored in the storage unit M as needed (see reference). Figure 2 ).

[0076] The status information may include the status of product gas, precursor gas and residue gas, such as concentration, mass, composition and related or corresponding composition information, temperature, pressure and other status and related or corresponding material status information, as well as flow rate (through-flow velocity) and related or corresponding flow rate information.

[0077] In the following text, the composition information, physical state information, and flow rate information of the product gas in the status information are sometimes collectively referred to as product information. Furthermore, the composition information, physical state information, and flow rate information of the residue gas in the status information are sometimes collectively referred to as residue information. Additionally, the information in the status information related to the separation state in separation section 2 is sometimes specifically referred to as separation information.

[0078] As an example, the monitoring unit 3 includes a product monitoring unit 30 that performs a product information acquisition process for obtaining product information, and residue monitoring units 31 and 32 that perform a residue information acquisition process for obtaining residue information. In one configuration of the monitoring processing unit 1, the monitoring unit 3 can monitor the product gas flowing through the pipe 73, which serves as the delivery unit. In another configuration of the monitoring processing unit 1, the monitoring unit 3 can also monitor the residue gas flowing through pipes 81 and 82.

[0079] Product monitoring unit 30, residue monitoring units 31, and 32 can be one or more measuring devices, analyzing devices, detecting devices, or combinations thereof. An example of product monitoring unit 30, residue monitoring units 31, and 32 is an ultrasonic gas concentration meter, a gas analysis device utilizing non-dispersive infrared absorption (NDIR), or a gas analysis device utilizing vacuum deep ultraviolet spectroscopy, capable of acquiring at least one of the information related to the concentration and composition of the product gas and residue gas. For example, in an ultrasonic gas concentration meter, information related to the concentration and composition of the product gas and residue gas can be acquired. In a gas analysis device utilizing NDIR or vacuum deep ultraviolet spectroscopy, information related to the absorbance of the product gas and residue gas can be acquired. Other examples of product monitoring units 30, residue monitoring units 31, and 32 are measuring instruments such as mass flow meters and flow rate meters used to acquire information related to the mass of the product gas and residue gas. Product monitoring units 30, residue monitoring units 31, and 32 are not limited to these and can be appropriately selected according to the state of the product gas and residue gas.

[0080] The product monitoring unit 30 can be installed on the pipe 73 either online or inline.

[0081] The residue monitoring units 31 and 32 can be installed on the pipes 81 and 82 in an online or inline manner.

[0082] Recovery unit 4 is a recovery device that recovers components of the feed gas from the target gas (residue gas) by treating the residue gas as the target gas for treatment. As an example, recovery unit 4 may have a separation membrane that separates the feed gas components from other components in the target gas and recovers the feed gas components. Examples of separation membranes include organosilica membranes, zeolite membranes, polyimide membranes, organosilicon membranes, carbon membranes, ionic liquid membranes, graphene oxide membranes, MXene membranes, and metal-organic frameworks (MOF) membranes. The separation membrane can be selected based on the components contained in the precursors, the product gas, and the residue gas, and is not limited to the examples described above.

[0083] like Figure 1 As shown, the recovery unit 4 includes a first recovery unit 4A and a second recovery unit 4B. The first recovery unit 4A receives the residual gas supplied from pipe 81 and sends concentrated gas obtained by recovering the raw material gas components from the residual gas to pipe 83. The second recovery unit 4B receives the residual gas supplied from pipe 82 and sends concentrated gas obtained by recovering the raw material gas components from the residual gas to pipe 84. The first recovery unit 4A and the second recovery unit 4B can have essentially the same structure. An example is shown where a gas pump device such as a dry pump is installed in pipes 81 and 82, which draws residual gas from the separation unit 2 and sends it to the recovery unit 4. In the following description, the first recovery unit 4A will be used as an example and will be described as the recovery unit 4. In this embodiment, the first recovery unit 4A and the second recovery unit 4B have the same basic structure, so a separate description of the second recovery unit 4B is omitted in principle, but may be supplemented as needed.

[0084] For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, the recovery unit 4 (first recovery unit 4A) may include: one or more recovery units having separation membranes and a distribution unit 5 for distributing the gas to be processed to these recovery units. Figure 4 The example illustrates a case where the recycling unit 4 has two or more recycling units. Specifically, the example illustrates a case where the recycling unit 4 has a first separating recycling machine 41 (first recycling unit), a second separating recycling machine 42 (second recycling unit), and a third separating recycling machine 43 (third recycling unit) as recycling units. In the following text, the first separating recycling machine 41, the second separating recycling machine 42, and the third separating recycling machine 43 are sometimes collectively referred to as recycling units.

[0085] like Figure 5As shown, the first separation and recovery machine 41 includes: a membrane section 410 having a separation membrane (e.g., cylindrical shape), a cylindrical container 419 for housing the membrane section 410, an inlet pipe 411 for introducing the gas to be processed into the container 419, an outlet pipe 412 for sending the concentrated gas after the raw material gas composition is concentrated to the next process, and an exhaust pipe 413 for exhausting the residue of the gas to be processed after recovering the concentrated gas, i.e., waste gas, to the outside of the system.

[0086] exist Figure 5 In the example shown, in the gas to be processed introduced from the inlet pipe 411 into the first separation and recovery machine 41 (within the container 419), some or all of the components other than the raw material gas components will pass through the membrane section 410 and be sent out as waste gas through the exhaust pipe 413 to the exhaust pipe 85 (see reference). Figure 4 The exhaust gas is then discharged outside the system. Furthermore, in the case of the second recovery unit 4B, the exhaust gas is sent to the exhaust pipe 86 (see reference). Figure 4 The gas is then vented outside the system. The gas that has not passed through the membrane section 410, i.e., the raw material gas components, is introduced into the treatment gas in container 419, and the concentrated gas is sent to the delivery pipe 412. Nitrogen (N2) supplied to the dry pump or similar device used for conveying the treatment gas can be supplied to the first separation and recovery machine 41. It is preferable that the nitrogen supplied to the first separation and recovery machine 41 be disposed of together with the waste gas.

[0087] Figure 4 The second separation and recycling machine 42 and the third separation and recycling machine 43 shown may have the same structure as the first separation and recycling machine 41.

[0088] In the gas to be processed introduced into the second separation and recovery machine 42 from the inlet pipe 421, part or all of the components other than the raw material gas components will pass through the membrane section 420 and be sent out as waste gas through the exhaust pipe 423 to the exhaust pipe 85 (or exhaust pipe 86 in the case of the second recovery section 4B) and exhausted outside the system. At the same time, the concentrated gas is sent out to the delivery pipe 422.

[0089] In the gas to be processed introduced into the third separation and recovery machine 43 from the inlet pipe 431, part or all of the components other than the raw material gas components will pass through the membrane section 430 and be sent out as waste gas through the exhaust pipe 433 to the exhaust pipe 85 (or exhaust pipe 86 in the case of the second recovery section 4B) and exhausted outside the system. At the same time, the concentrated gas is sent out to the delivery pipe 432.

[0090] It should be noted that the size, structure, and type of the separation membranes in each recovery unit can be the same or different from each other. For example, membrane sections 410, 420, and 430 can use the same separation membrane or different separation membranes.

[0091] The inlet pipes 411, 421, and 431 can be configured with valve devices 41a, 42a, and 43a to switch between allowing and prohibiting the flow of the target gas. Similarly, the outlet pipes 412, 422, and 432 can be configured with valve devices 41b, 42b, and 43b to switch between allowing and prohibiting the flow of concentrated gas. Valve devices 41a, 42a, 43a, 41b, 42b, and 43b can be set to a closed state when gas flow through the inlet pipes 411, 421, 431, and outlet pipes 412, 422, and 432 is not required or desired, and set to an open state when gas flow is desired.

[0092] like Figure 4 As shown, the distribution unit 5 is a flow path switching device capable of controlling the supply of gas, changes in the supply destination, and the cessation of supply. For example, it may be a valve device or a flow control device that distributes the gas to be processed to the recovery units. The distribution unit 5 switches two or more recovery units in series, parallel, or individually based on status information to distribute the gas to be processed to them. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the concept of distribution includes the case where the gas to be processed is not supplied.

[0093] In this embodiment, as an example, the distribution unit 5 includes three-way valves 51, 52, and 53, a pipe 510 connecting three-way valves 51 and 52, a pipe 520 connecting three-way valves 52 and 53, and a pipe 530 connecting three-way valve 53 and pipe 83 or pipe 84.

[0094] Pipe 510 is connected to outlet pipe 412 from the first separator / recovery machine 41, so that it receives the supply of concentrated gas from the first separator / recovery machine 41 via outlet pipe 412. Similarly, pipe 520 is connected to outlet pipe 422, so that it receives the supply of concentrated gas from the second separator / recovery machine 42. Furthermore, pipe 530 is connected to outlet pipe 432, so that it receives the supply of concentrated gas from the third separator / recovery machine 43.

[0095] The three-way valve 51 is connected to pipe 81, inlet pipe 411 and pipe 510, and can switch between a first state in which the gas to be processed supplied from pipe 81 is supplied to the first separator and recovery machine 41 via inlet pipe 411 instead of pipe 510, and a second state in which the gas to be processed supplied from pipe 81 is supplied to pipe 510 instead of inlet pipe 411 and the first separator and recovery machine 41.

[0096] The three-way valve 52 is connected to pipe 510, inlet pipe 421 and pipe 520, and can switch between a first state in which the gas to be processed supplied from pipe 510 is supplied to the second separator and recovery machine 42 via inlet pipe 421 instead of to pipe 520, and a second state in which the gas to be processed supplied from pipe 510 is supplied to pipe 520 instead of to inlet pipe 421 and the second separator and recovery machine 42.

[0097] The three-way valve 53 is connected to pipe 520, inlet pipe 431 and pipe 530, and can switch between a first state in which the gas to be processed supplied from pipe 520 is supplied to the third separator and recovery machine 43 via inlet pipe 431 instead of pipe 530, and a second state in which the gas to be processed supplied from pipe 520 is supplied to pipe 530 instead of inlet pipe 431 and third separator and recovery machine 43.

[0098] The distribution unit 5 connects two or more recovery units in series or switches them individually by switching the state of each of the three-way valves 51, 52, and 53, so as to supply the gas to be processed to these recovery units and obtain concentrated gas.

[0099] like Figure 1 As shown, the concentrated gas sent to pipes 83 and 84 returns to cylinder units S1 and S2, is mixed again in mixer 89, and is used again as raw material gas. It should be noted that in... Figure 1 The example shown illustrates the case where the concentrated gas supplied to pipes 83 and 84 is returned to cylinder units S1 and S2. However, the concentrated gas supplied to pipes 83 and 84 is not limited to returning to cylinder units S1 and S2; it can return to pipes 79a and 79b, or it can return to mixer 89. The configuration of the pipes when the concentrated gas is reused as a feed gas is not limited to the example of this embodiment and can be appropriately modified.

[0100] By obtaining concentrated gas from the residual gas as described above and reusing the concentrated gas on-site as raw material gas, the amount of raw material gas used in the gas supply device 100 can be reduced. Thus, the product gas can be efficiently generated and supplied on-site by the gas supply device 100 when the product gas is used.

[0101] While referring Figure 2 The operation control of the control unit C and the gas supply device 100 will be explained. As described above, the operation control of the gas supply device 100 can be performed by the control unit C. That is, the operation and control of the processing unit 1, the monitoring unit 3, and the recovery unit 4 can be performed based on the instructions of the control unit C.

[0102] The control unit C is the central control device of the gas supply device 100 that controls the supply source S, processing unit 1, monitoring unit 3, and recovery unit 4. The control unit C includes one or more processors. In one embodiment, a "processor" can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor for a specific process, but is not limited thereto. The processor can be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The control unit C can control the gas supply device 100 as a whole, including the processing unit 1, monitoring unit 3, and recovery unit 4.

[0103] The storage unit M can store programs and parameters used to control the gas supply device 100 from the supply source S, processing unit 1, monitoring unit 3, and recovery unit 4, as well as status information related to the status of various operations. The storage unit M can include any storage module, including hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROMs), read-only memory (ROMs), and random access memory (RAMs). The storage unit M can function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit M is not limited to a device built into the gas supply device 100; it can be an external database or external storage module connected via a digital input / output port such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port.

[0104] The supply source S, processing unit 1, monitoring unit 3, recycling unit 4, storage unit M, and control unit C can be configured as follows: Figure 2 The diagram shows an electrical connection that allows communication between the devices via a bus or other transmission path. Figure 2The example shown includes a setting value input unit 18 for inputting setting information of the gas supply device 100, and a notification unit 19 for notifying status information, operation information of other gas supply devices 100, etc. The setting information of the gas supply device 100 is, for example, the reaction chamber 10 of the processing unit 1 (see reference). Figure 1 The reaction and separation section 2 (refer to) Figure 1 The notification unit 19 can be configured to handle settings such as separation parameters. An example of a notification unit 19 is a speaker or monitor that notifies users of status information stored in the storage unit M, or the operation information of other gas supply devices 100, via sound (e.g., an alarm tone) or image display. If the notification unit 19 includes a monitor, the monitor can be configured as a touch panel and also serve as a setting input unit 18.

[0105] like Figure 1 As shown, the control unit C can control the state of the processing unit 1 based on the set parameters and the status information (especially product information) obtained by the monitoring unit 3. In other words, the processing unit 1 can control its processing state based on the set parameters and status information. The control unit C can control the reaction of the raw material gas in the reaction chamber 10 of the processing unit 1 based on the set parameters and status information. The control unit C can control the separation state in the separation unit 2 based on the set parameters and status information.

[0106] For example, the control unit C can control the reaction in the reaction chamber 10 and the separation in the separation unit 2 so that at least one of the concentration and composition of the product gas remains constant.

[0107] Specifically, for example, when the concentration of a specified component in the product gas and the composition of the product gas differ from the target value (an example of the above-mentioned set parameters, which is the target quality of the product gas supplied to the processing chamber 9), the following control can be performed: according to the degree of difference, the amount of energy supplied to the reaction zone in the reaction chamber 10 is increased or decreased, thereby promoting or inhibiting the reaction in the reaction chamber 10 so that the concentration of the specified component in the product gas and the composition of the product gas are close to the target value.

[0108] Furthermore, for example, when the concentration of a specified component in the product gas, the composition of the product gas, and the target value (an example of the above-mentioned setting parameters, the target quality of the product gas supplied to the processing chamber 9) differ from the target value, the following control can be performed: according to the degree of difference, at least one of the supply rate, supply pressure, and supply ratio of the raw material gas supplied from the supply source S (cylinder units S1, S2) is changed, thereby changing the supply rate, supply pressure, and supply ratio of the gas supplied to the reaction chamber 10 and the separation section 2, thereby promoting or inhibiting the reaction in the reaction chamber 10, or adjusting the separation state in the separation section 2 (e.g., the gas separation performance such as the permeability coefficient) so that the concentration of a specified component in the product gas and the composition of the product gas are close to the target value.

[0109] Through these controls, the product gas can be efficiently generated at the site where it is used via the gas supply device 100. Furthermore, when generating the product gas at the site using the gas supply device 100, a stable supply of the product gas can be achieved.

[0110] It should be noted that an example of the amount of energy supplied to the reaction zone in reaction chamber 10 is the output of plasma in a plasma reaction device, the output of current in an electrochemical reaction device, the supply of heat in a high-temperature reaction device, and the amount of light in a photoreaction device.

[0111] Based on set parameters and status information obtained by monitoring unit 3, particularly residue information, control unit C controls distribution unit 5 of recovery unit 4 to switch two or more recovery units in series, parallel, or individually to distribute the target gas to them. Furthermore, in conjunction with the first separation and recovery unit 41, the second separation and recovery unit 42, and the third separation and recovery unit 43 (see reference...), Figure 4 The information regarding the performance and characteristics of the separation membrane is another example of the above-mentioned setting parameters.

[0112] The following describes an example of the allocation of the distribution unit 5 in the recovery unit 4, which is based on the control of the control unit C. The following description uses the distribution unit 5 of the first recovery unit 4A as an example, but the same applies to the distribution unit 5 of the second recovery unit 4B.

[0113] First, an example Figure 4 The first separation and recovery unit 41, the second separation and recovery unit 42, and the third separation and recovery unit 43 shown have separation membranes with the same characteristics. In the distribution unit 5, if the three-way valves 51, 52, and 53 are in the first state, the first separation and recovery unit 41, the second separation and recovery unit 42, and the third separation and recovery unit 43 will be connected in series in this order, so that the gas to be processed flows through in this order.

[0114] For example, when the amount of raw material gas components in the residue gas supplied from pipeline 81 as the target gas is large (e.g., when the concentration of the raw material gas components is high and the flow rate of the residue gas is large), two or more recovery units can sometimes be connected in series to allow the target gas to contact a larger area of ​​the separation membrane, thereby improving the recovery rate of the raw material gas components in the concentrated gas.

[0115] For example, in the distribution unit 5, if the three-way valves 51 and 53 are in the first state and the three-way valve 52 is in the second state, then the first separation and recovery unit 41 and the third separation and recovery unit 43 are connected in series in this order, the target gas flows through in this order, and the target gas does not flow through the second separation and recovery unit 42. For example, when the amount of raw material gas components in the residue gas supplied from the pipeline 81 as the target gas is not large, sometimes one or two recovery units (the first separation and recovery unit 41 and the third separation and recovery unit 43 in this example) can be used for recovery processing, and the remaining recovery unit (the second separation and recovery unit 42 in this example) can be stopped.

[0116] In other examples, in the distribution unit 5, if the three-way valve 51 is in the first state and the three-way valves 52 and 53 are in the second state, then it becomes a state in which only the first separation and recycling machine 41 is used for recycling processing.

[0117] By changing the combination of the states of the three-way valves 51, 52, and 53 in the distribution unit 5, two or more recycling units can be connected in series, or the recycling units can be used individually. In the following text, the combination of the states of the three-way valves 51, 52, and 53 in the distribution unit 5 is sometimes referred to as the distribution state of the distribution unit 5. Furthermore, in the following text, changing (switching) the combination of the states of the three-way valves 51, 52, and 53 is sometimes referred to as changing the distribution state of the distribution unit 5.

[0118] That is, control unit C (refer to) Figure 1 , 2 Sometimes the distribution state of the distribution unit 5 is changed to a state in which two or more recovery units are connected in series according to the arrangement corresponding to the concentration of the raw material gas component (residue information) in the residue gas, or the distribution state of the distribution unit 5 is switched to a state of individual recovery units, so as to distribute (supply) the residue gas in series to these recovery units, or distribute (supply) the residue gas to individual recovery units.

[0119] It should be noted that in the case of a recycling unit that stops due to the distribution state of the distribution unit 5, maintenance operations such as replacing the separation membrane can be performed in the stopped recycling unit during the stoppage period.

[0120] In the example above, such as Figure 1 As shown, the control unit C changes the distribution state of the distribution unit 5 based on the concentration of the raw material gas components in the residue gas (residue information), switching the combination and connection state (series or individual) of the recovery units to be used. However, changing the distribution state of the distribution unit 5 is not limited to the case where it is based on the concentration of the raw material gas components in the residue gas.

[0121] For example, the distribution state of the distribution unit 5, performed by the control unit C, can be changed based on the composition of the gas in the residue gas (other examples of residue information). Specifically, the distribution state of the distribution unit 5, performed by the control unit C, can be changed by selecting a recovery unit that matches the type of raw material gas composition and the gaseous byproducts (e.g., substances generated in the reaction chamber 10 and contained in the residue gas) in the residue gas. That is, the control unit C can select at least one recovery unit that matches the composition in the residue gas and change the distribution state of the distribution unit 5 to supply the residue gas, which is the gas to be processed, to the selected recovery unit. For example, if the recovery unit 4 has a recovery unit (first recovery unit) using a first separation membrane and another recovery unit (second recovery unit) having a different type of separation membrane than the first recovery unit, the control unit C can change the distribution state of the distribution unit 5 based on the residue information and information related to the type of separation membrane of each recovery unit to supply the residue gas to a more suitable recovery unit.

[0122] When the control unit C selects at least one recovery unit that matches the composition of the residual gas and changes the distribution state of the distribution unit 5 to supply the residual gas, which is the gas to be processed, to the selected recovery unit, the control unit C can change the distribution state of the distribution unit 5 in such a way that two or more recovery units are connected in series according to the arrangement corresponding to the composition of the residual gas, and supply the residual gas to the recovery unit.

[0123] Here are some specific examples. In Figure 4 In the case where the separation membranes of the first separation and recovery machine 41 and the second separation and recovery machine 42 are matched with gas type A (an example of the raw material gas composition) (e.g., gas type A is not allowed to permeate), and the separation membrane of the third separation and recovery machine 43 is not matched with gas type A (e.g., gas type A permeates), the control unit C (see reference) Figure 1 , 2 The distribution state of the distribution unit 5 can be changed by connecting the first separation and recycling machine 41 and the second separation and recycling machine 42 in series or by using them individually for recycling processing.

[0124] Furthermore, if the separation membrane of the first separation and recovery machine 41 is mismatched with gas type B (an example of a byproduct) (e.g., it is prone to deterioration due to gas type B), while the separation membranes of the second separation and recovery machine 42 and the third separation and recovery machine 43 are matched with gas type B, the control unit C (refer to...) Figure 1 , 2 The distribution state of the distribution unit 5 can be changed by connecting the second separation and recycling machine 42 and the third separation and recycling machine 43 in series or by using them individually for recycling processing.

[0125] The example above illustrates... Figure 1 The control unit C shown changes the distribution state of the distribution unit 5 based on the residue information, switching the combination and connection state of the recycling units to be used to either series or individual. However, the changes in the distribution state of the distribution unit 5 corresponding to the residue information, as well as the changes in the combination and connection state of the recycling units to be used, are not limited to the examples described above. By simply changing the layout of the valves and pipes in the recycling unit 4 and the distribution unit 5, it is possible to configure the distribution state of the distribution unit 5 to be changed based on the residue information, switching the combination and connection state of the recycling units to be used to any one of series, parallel, or individual.

[0126] It should be noted that, as described above, the basic configurations of the first recovery unit 4A and the second recovery unit 4B are the same, but the combination of the recovery units in each of the first recovery unit 4A and the second recovery unit 4B, and the separation membranes used in each recovery unit, can differ depending on the composition of the gas to be recovered. Furthermore, the operation control and distribution state of the distribution unit 5 in the first recovery unit 4A and the distribution state of the distribution unit 5 in the second recovery unit 4B can also differ depending on the composition of the gas to be recovered.

[0127] The following describes the raw material gas, product gas, and residue gas that can be used in the gas supply device 100 according to this embodiment.

[0128] The feed gas may contain at least one component selected from CF-based gases, CHF-based gases, chlorine-based gases, bromine-based gases, iodine-based gases, and hydride-based gases. The feed gas may be a mixture of these example gases, and may contain at least one component selected from these example gases.

[0129] Examples of CF series gases are CF4, C2F6, and C4F8.

[0130] Examples of CHF-based gases include CH3F, CHF3, and C3H2F4.

[0131] Examples of chlorine-based gases include ClF3, HCl, and Cl2.

[0132] Examples of bromine-based gases include BrF, BrCl, and Br2.

[0133] Examples of iodine-based gases include IF, IBr, and ICl, I2.

[0134] Examples of hydride-based gases include AsH3, GeH4, and SiH4.

[0135] It should be noted that the raw material gas may contain components not limited to the gases exemplified above. For example, depending on the desired product gas, it may contain components that serve as a source of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen. Specifically, sources of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen may include, for example, CO2, CO, hydrocarbon gases, H2O, H2, N2, and ammonia.

[0136] An example of the product gas composition is CF4, COF2, AsH3, GeH4, Ge2H6, SiH4, SiH3, and GeH3. The product gas may be a mixture of these example gases, and may contain at least one component selected from these example gases.

[0137] The specific examples of the combination of raw material gas, precursor gas and product gas in the gas supply device 100 are as follows.

[0138] A feed gas containing CF4 and CO2 is reacted to obtain a precursor gas, a product gas, a product gas composed of CF4, or a product gas composed of COF2 containing CF4, CO2, and COF2. The product gas composed of CF4 can be obtained by separating CF4 from the precursor gas containing CF4, CO2, and COF2 using separation unit 2. The product gas composed of COF2 can be obtained by separating COF2 from the precursor gas containing CF4, CO2, and COF2 using separation unit 2. If the residue gas contains CF4 and CO2, they can be recovered and reused as feed gas components.

[0139] Using a feed gas containing H2 as a carrier gas and AsH3 as a raw material gas component, a product gas can be obtained with H2 as the carrier gas and an AsH3 concentration higher than that of the feed gas (e.g., twice the concentration). In this case, as long as the reaction does not occur in the reaction chamber 10 in the processing unit 1, or the feed gas is guided to the separation unit 2 bypassing the reaction chamber 10, H2 is separated from the feed gas as a residue gas in the separation unit 2, and the remaining part is obtained as the product gas. If the residue gas contains AsH3, it can be recovered and reused as a component of the feed gas.

[0140] By reacting a feed gas containing H2 as a carrier gas and GeH4 as a raw material gas, a precursor gas or product gas containing GeH4 and Ge2H6 can be obtained, using H2 as the carrier gas. If it is desired to adjust the ratio of GeH4, Ge2H6, and H2, the amount of Ge2H6 produced can be increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the amount of energy supplied to the reaction zone in reaction chamber 10, or GeH4 and H2 can be separated from the precursor gas as residue gas via separation section 2, and the remainder can be obtained as product gas. If the residue gas contains GeH4, it can be recovered and reused as a raw material gas component.

[0141] By reacting a feed gas containing H2 as a carrier gas and SiH4 and GeH4 as raw material gas components, a precursor gas or product gas containing SiH4, GeH4, and SiH3GeH3 can be obtained, using H2 as the carrier gas. To adjust the ratio of SiH4, GeH4, SiH3GeH3, and H2, the amount of energy supplied to the reaction zone in reaction chamber 10 can be increased or decreased, or the amount of the components separated from the precursor as residue gas can be increased or decreased in separation section 2. If the residue gas contains SiH4 and GeH4, they can be recovered and reused as raw material gas components.

[0142] As described above, a gas supply device, gas supply system, and gas supply method can be provided that can efficiently generate and supply industrial gases at the site where they are used.

[0143] (Alternative implementation methods)

[0144] (1) In the above embodiments, it is explained that Figure 1 The processing unit 1 shown includes a reaction chamber 10 and a separation unit 2. However, in the processing unit 1, the reaction chamber 10 is not necessary, and there are also cases where the processing unit 1 does not have a reaction chamber 10.

[0145] In the absence of a reaction chamber 10 in the processing unit 1, the composition of the raw material gas can be the same as that of the product gas. Furthermore, the separation unit 2 can concentrate the raw material gas composition (i.e., the product gas composition) to obtain the product gas. For example, the concentration described below corresponds to this situation. When the raw material gas contains 5% by volume of B₂H₆ and 95% by volume of N₂, and the product gas composition is B₂H₆, the product gas obtained is a gas with concentrated B₂H₆ (e.g., a gas containing 20% ​​by volume of B₂H₆ and 80% by volume of N₂).

[0146] When processing unit 1 does not have reaction chamber 10, the status information does not include information related to the status of the reaction in reaction chamber 10, but only includes information related to the status of separation in separation unit 2 (separation information). When processing unit 1 does not have reaction chamber 10, the status information may be separation information. That is, separation information includes at least one of product information and residue information.

[0147] In the absence of a reaction chamber 10 in the processing unit 1, the control unit C can control the separation state in the separation unit 2 to keep at least one of the concentration and composition of the product gas constant. For example, if the concentration of a specified component in the product gas and the composition of the product gas differ from the target value, control can be performed by changing at least one of the supply rate, supply pressure, and supply ratio of the raw material gas supplied from the supply source S according to the degree of difference. This changes the supply rate, supply pressure, and supply ratio of the raw material gas supplied to the separation unit 2, thereby adjusting the separation state in the separation unit 2 (e.g., the gas separation performance such as the permeability coefficient) to bring the concentration of the specified component in the product gas and the composition of the product gas closer to the target value.

[0148] (2) In the above embodiment, the case where the separation unit 2 has a first separator 21 and a second separator 22 is described. However, depending on the composition of the raw material gas and the product gas and the required specifications, there are cases where the separation unit 2 has only a first separator 21, and there are also cases where, in addition to the first separator 21 and the second separator 22, the separation unit 2 has one or more other separators with separation membranes corresponding to the composition of the gas to be separated.

[0149] (3) In the above embodiment, it was described that the recovery unit 4 has a first recovery unit 4A and a second recovery unit 4B. However, depending on the composition of the raw material gas and the product gas and the required specifications, there are cases where the recovery unit 4 has only a first recovery unit 4A, and there are also cases where the recovery unit 4 has more than one other recovery unit in addition to the first recovery unit 4A and the second recovery unit 4B.

[0150] (4) In the above embodiment, the case where the processing unit 1 has a reaction chamber 10 and a separation unit 2 has been described. Furthermore, the case where the precursor gas generated in the reaction chamber 10 is supplied from the reaction chamber 10 to the separation unit 2 via the pipe 72 connecting the reaction chamber 10 and the separation unit 2 has been described. However, the processing unit 1 is not limited to having a reaction chamber 10 and a separation unit 2, and may include other devices or equipment.

[0151] For example, such as Figure 6 As shown, the processing unit 1 may have a storage unit 12, which may be, for example, a storage container for storing precursor gases. Figure 6 The diagram shows a configuration where the storage unit 12 is connected to the reaction chamber 10 and the separation unit 2 via a pipe 72a connected to a pipe 72. The storage unit 12 can store a portion of the precursor gas generated in the reaction chamber 10. Furthermore, the precursor gas can be supplied from the storage unit 12 to the separation unit 2.

[0152] For example, if the supply of precursor gas from reaction chamber 10 to separation unit 2 increases or decreases, excess precursor gas can be temporarily stored in storage unit 12, and if precursor gas is insufficient, it can be supplied from storage unit 12 to separation unit 2 to compensate for the deficiency. This allows separation unit 2 to separate product gas from the precursor gas stored in storage unit 12. Therefore, there is a situation where product gas can be stably supplied when it is generated on-site.

[0153] (5) In the above embodiment, the case where the processing unit 1 has a reaction chamber 10 and a separation unit 2 has been described. However, in the processing unit 1, the separation unit 2 is not necessary, and there are also cases where the processing unit 1 does not have a separation unit 2.

[0154] In the absence of a separation unit 2 in the processing unit 1, the precursor gas described in the above embodiment becomes the product gas. In the absence of a separation unit 2 in the processing unit 1, the gas supply device 100 may not include a recovery unit 4.

[0155] Furthermore, unless there is a contradiction, the configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same below) can be combined with the configurations disclosed in other embodiments. Moreover, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are examples, and the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto; appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the purpose of this disclosure.

[0156] (Industry availability)

[0157] This disclosure is applicable to gas supply devices, gas supply systems, and gas supply methods.

[0158] (Explanation of the labels in the attached diagram)

[0159] 1: Processing unit; 10: Reaction chamber; 100: Gas supply device; 12: Storage unit; 18: Setpoint input unit;

[0160] 19: Notification Department; 2: Separation Department; 200: Gas Supply System; 21: First Separator; 22: Second Separator;

[0161] 211: Membrane section; 219: Container; 221: Membrane section; 229: Container; 29: Pipeline; 3: Monitoring section;

[0162] 30: Product Monitoring Department; 31: Residue Monitoring Department; 32: Residue Monitoring Department; 4: Recycling Department;

[0163] 41: First separation and recovery unit (recovery unit); 410: Membrane section; 411: Inlet pipe; 412: Outlet pipe;

[0164] 413: Exhaust pipe; 419: Container; 41a: Valve device; 41b: Valve device;

[0165] 42: Second separation and recovery unit (recovery unit); 420: Membrane section; 421: Inlet pipe; 422: Outlet pipe;

[0166] 42a: Valve device; 42b: Valve device; 423: Exhaust pipe; 43: Third separation and recovery machine (recovery unit);

[0167] 430: Membrane section; 431: Inlet pipe; 432: Outlet pipe; 433: Exhaust pipe; 43a: Valve device;

[0168] 43b: Valve device; 4A: First recovery section; 4B: Second recovery section; 5: Distribution section; 51: Three-way valve;

[0169] 510: Pipeline; 52: Three-way valve; 520: Pipeline; 53: Three-way valve; 530: Pipeline;

[0170] 71: Pipe (inlet section); 72: Pipe; 73: Pipe (outlet section); 74: Pipe;

[0171] 79: Supply pipeline assembly; 79a: Pipeline; 79b: Pipeline; 81: Pipeline; 81a: Pump; 82: Pipeline;

[0172] 82a: Pump; 83: Pipeline; 84: Pipeline; 85: Exhaust pipe; 86: Exhaust pipe; 89: Mixer;

[0173] 9: Processing chamber; C: Control unit; M: Storage unit; S: Supply source; S1: Cylinder unit; S2: Cylinder unit.

Claims

1. A gas supply device, comprising: The processing unit obtains product gas and residue gas from the raw material gas containing the raw material gas components; The residue monitoring unit acquires residue information including information related to the state of the residue gas; and The recovery unit recovers the raw material gas components from the residual gas. The recycling unit has: Two or more recovery units, wherein the recovery units recover the raw material gas components from the residual gas; and The distribution unit distributes the residual gas to the recovery unit. The distribution unit switches two or more of the recovery units in series, parallel, or individually to distribute the residual gas based on the residue information.

2. The gas supply device according to claim 1, wherein, The recovery unit has a gas separation membrane.

3. The gas supply device according to claim 1, wherein, The recovery unit has a gas separation membrane. The recycling section has a first recycling unit and a second recycling unit as two or more recycling units, and the second recycling unit has a separation membrane of a different type than the first recycling unit.

4. The gas supply device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The distribution unit selects at least one recovery unit that matches the composition of the residual gas and supplies the residual gas to the selected recovery unit.

5. The gas supply device according to claim 4, wherein, The distribution unit connects two or more recovery units in series according to an arrangement corresponding to the composition of the residual gas, and supplies the residual gas to the recovery units.

6. The gas supply device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The distribution unit connects two or more recovery units in series according to an arrangement corresponding to the concentration of the raw material gas components in the residual gas, and supplies the residual gas to the recovery units.

7. A gas supply system comprising: Gas supply device; as well as A processing chamber that consumes gas supplied from the gas supply device. The gas supply device has: The processing unit obtains product gas and residue gas from the raw material gas containing the raw material gas components; The residue monitoring unit acquires residue information including information related to the state of the residue gas; and The recovery unit recovers the raw material gas components from the residual gas. The recycling unit has: Two or more recovery units, wherein the recovery units recover the raw material gas components from the residual gas; and The distribution unit distributes the residual gas to the recovery unit. The distribution unit switches two or more of the recovery units in series, parallel, or individually based on the residue information to distribute the residue gas.

8. A gas supply method, comprising: A product gasification process that reacts a raw material gas containing raw material gas components to obtain product gas and residue gas; The process of obtaining residue information, including information related to the state of the residue gas; and The recovery process for retrieving the raw material gas components from the residual gas. In the recycling process, based on the residue information, two or more recycling units that recover the raw material gas components from the residue gas are switched to series, parallel, or individual connections to distribute the residue gas.

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