Piping Unit

Abstract

To provide a piping unit which materializes more reliable suppression of adhesion of a reaction by-product to the inside of an exhaust path.SOLUTION: A piping unit 1 comprise: an outer pipe 10 connected to an exhaust path exhausting exhaust gas: a gas introduction portion 20 which is provided in the side surface of the outer pipe 10 and which introduces the heated gas into the outer pipe 10; an inner pipe 30 which is provided inside the outer tube 10 while the center axis is shared by the inner pipe 30 and the outer tube 10, and guides, between the inner pipe 30 and the inner wall of the outer pipe 10, the heated gas introduced from an opening of the gas introducing portion 20 to the downstream side end portion and the upstream side end portion with respect to an opening and joins the introduced heated gas with the exhaust gas; and a swirl flow generation portion which swirls the heated gas between the inner wall of the outer tube 10 and the outer wall of the inner tube 30 to thereby generate the swirling flow from the downstream side end portion of the inner tube 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a piping unit. [Background technology]

[0002] Some semiconductor manufacturing equipment, such as CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) equipment and CDE (Chemical Dry Etching) equipment, perform processes using reactive gases. After processing, the reactive gas is exhausted from the semiconductor manufacturing equipment as exhaust gas. This exhaust gas contains reaction by-products. The reaction by-products adhere to the inside of the exhaust path through which the exhaust gas is exhausted, for example, inside the piping, and can cause the piping to become clogged.

[0003] In order to prevent the reaction by-products from adhering to the inside of the pipe, it is possible to consider methods such as diluting the concentration of the reaction by-products or raising the temperature inside the pipe to prevent the reaction by-products from precipitating. For this reason, in the conventional technology, measures such as introducing N2 gas into the pipe, heating the pipe itself, or introducing heated N2 gas into the pipe have been taken. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-126990 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, these measures alone may not be sufficient to sufficiently prevent reaction by-products from adhering to the inside of the exhaust path.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a piping unit that more reliably prevents reaction by-products from adhering to the inside of an exhaust path. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The piping unit of the present invention includes an outer pipe connected to an exhaust path that exhausts exhaust gas, a gas inlet section provided on a side surface of the outer pipe and configured to introduce heated gas into the interior of the outer pipe, an inner pipe shared with the outer pipe and configured to guide the heated gas introduced from an opening of the gas inlet section between an inner wall of the outer pipe to a downstream end and an upstream end with respect to the opening and merge with the exhaust gas, and a swirling flow generating section that swirls the heated gas between the inner wall of the outer pipe and the outer wall of the inner pipe and generates a swirling flow from the downstream end of the inner pipe. The gas inlet portion is provided such that its central axis is in a twisted position with respect to the central axis of the outer tube, and further includes a receiving portion that is recessed in the circumferential direction of the inner tube at a position facing the opening of the gas inlet portion. do. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The piping unit of the present invention can more reliably prevent reaction by-products from adhering to the inside of the exhaust path. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the piping unit according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the piping unit according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing the piping unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a piping unit according to an embodiment is applied to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] (composition) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the piping unit 1 includes an outer pipe 10, a gas introduction section 20 provided on the side surface of the outer pipe 10 and communicating with the inside, an inner pipe 30 provided inside the outer pipe 10, and a return section 40 provided opposite to the end of the inner pipe 30. As shown in Fig. 4, the piping unit 1 is connected to an exhaust path that guides exhaust gas G exhausted from a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 100 to a detoxification apparatus 200. The exhaust path is, for example, a pipe P.

[0011] The outer pipe 10 is a cylindrical pipe, and includes flange portions 11 provided on both ends of the outer pipe 10. The flange portions 11 include a plurality of bolt holes 11a, and are connected to the piping P with bolts through the bolt holes 11a.

[0012] The gas introduction part 20 is a cylindrical tube, and introduces gas into the inside of the outer tube 10. The gas introduction part 20 has an opening communicating with the inside of the outer tube 10, and is connected to a gas supply device (not shown) on the side opposite to the opening. The gas supply device is, for example, a heat beam cylinder, and heats and supplies the gas. The gas is, for example, N2 gas, and hereinafter, the heated N2 gas is referred to as hot N2 gas H. The temperature of the hot N2 gas H is, for example, about 120° C., which is higher than the exhaust gas G exhausted from the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 100.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the gas inlet 20 is provided on the side of the outer tube 10 so that its central axis is in a twisted position with respect to the central axis of the outer tube 10. Hereinafter, the fact that the central axes are provided in a twisted position is also referred to as being provided offset. Since the inner tube 30 described later is provided inside the outer tube 10, the hot N2 gas H introduced from the gas inlet 20 provided offset with respect to the outer tube 10 flows so as to rotate along the outer wall of the inner tube 30. That is, the outer wall of the inner tube 30 is a swirling flow generating part that swirls the hot N2 gas H at a position facing the opening of the gas inlet 20 provided offset with respect to the outer tube 10 and generates a swirling flow from the downstream end of the inner tube 30 described later. It is considered that the moment is larger than the distance between the central axis of the outer tube 10 and the central axis of the gas inlet 20, so that the flow rate of the hot N2 gas H increases as this distance increases.

[0014] The inner pipe 30 is a cylindrical pipe, and is provided inside the outer pipe 10 with a common central axis with the outer pipe 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the inner wall of the inner pipe 30 extends so that the diameter of the inner wall of the inner pipe 30 is approximately constant in the middle, but inclines toward the outer pipe 10 toward both ends, and the inner diameter of the inner pipe 30 expands. The outer wall of the inner pipe 30 is close to the inner wall of the outer pipe 10 with a gap. Hot N2 gas H flows from the gas introduction part 20 into the gap between the inner wall of the outer pipe 10 and the outer wall of the inner pipe 30. This hot N2 gas H is guided to the downstream end and the upstream end of the inner pipe 30 between the inner wall of the outer pipe 10 and the inner wall of the outer pipe 10, and merges with the exhaust gas G. The inner pipe 30 includes a receiving portion 31, a spiral groove 32 extending from the receiving portion 31 to the downstream side in the exhaust direction of the exhaust gas G, and a flow passage 33 extending from the receiving portion 31 to the upstream side in the exhaust direction of the exhaust gas G. The inner pipe 30 is supported by a support portion (not shown) so that the outer wall of the inner pipe 30 does not come into contact with the inner wall of the outer pipe 10 over the entire surface, that is, so that a gap through which the hot N2 gas H flows is formed between the two.

[0015] The receiving portion 31 is a portion in which the middle portion in the exhaust direction of the exhaust gas G is recessed over the entire circumference of the outer wall of the inner pipe 30. That is, in the receiving portion 31, the gap between the inner wall of the outer pipe 10 and the outer wall of the inner pipe 30 expands toward the inner pipe 30. The receiving portion 31 is provided at a position facing the opening of the gas introduction portion 20, and receives the hot N2 gas H introduced from the gas introduction portion 20. The hot N2 gas H flows through the receiving portion 31 along the circumferential direction of the inner pipe 30 and spreads over the entire circumference of the outer wall of the inner pipe 30 (see FIG. 2). When flowing through the receiving portion 31, the hot N2 gas H flows into the spiral groove 32 and the flow path 33 extending from the receiving portion 31.

[0016] The spiral groove 32 is a groove that is engraved in a spiral shape from the receiving portion 31 toward the downstream side in the exhaust direction of the exhaust gas G on the outer wall of the inner pipe 30. The number of threads of the spiral groove 32 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 12. The spiral groove 32 communicates with the receiving portion 31 and guides the hot N2 gas H flowing through the receiving portion 31 to the downstream end of the inner pipe 30. As a result, the hot N2 gas H is blown out as a spiral swirling flow from the downstream end of the inner pipe 30. That is, the spiral groove 32 is a swirling flow generating portion that swirls the hot N2 gas H downstream of the gas introduction portion 20 and generates a swirling flow from the downstream end of the inner pipe 30. The swirled hot N2 gas H merges with the exhaust gas G flowing through the pipe P. As a result, the exhaust gas G flowing downstream of the pipe unit 1 is exhausted while being pushed out by the swirling flow of the hot N2 gas H near the inner wall of the pipe P.

[0017] The flow passage 33 is a groove provided in a straight line from the receiving portion 31 toward the upstream side in the exhaust direction of the exhaust gas G on the outer wall of the inner pipe 30. The number of the flow passages 33 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, eight. The flow passage 33 communicates with the receiving portion 31 and guides the hot N2 gas H flowing through the receiving portion 31 to the upstream end of the inner pipe 30. Here, a return portion 40 described later is provided at a position facing the upstream end of the inner pipe 30. As a result, the hot N2 gas H blown out from the upstream end of the inner pipe 30 collides with the return portion 40, changes direction, and flows inside the inner pipe 30 in a direction along the exhaust direction of the exhaust gas G. This hot N2 gas H dilutes the exhaust gas G flowing inside the inner pipe 30, and merges with the hot N2 gas H blown out as a swirling flow at the downstream end of the inner pipe 30 described above, and propels the hot N2 gas H.

[0018] The return part 40 is a ring-shaped member provided in contact with the inner wall of the outer pipe 10. The return part 40 is provided at a position facing the upstream end of the inner pipe 30, receives the hot N2 gas H blown out from the upstream end of the inner pipe 30 through the flow path 33, and guides the hot N2 gas H along the inner wall of the inner pipe 30 in the exhaust direction of the exhaust gas G. That is, the return part 40 has a protruding part 41 that extends so as to wrap around the edge of the upstream end of the inner pipe 30, and the protruding part 41 protrudes into the inner pipe 30 so as to follow the inner wall of the inner pipe 30, thereby forming a flow path that guides the hot N2 gas H downstream in the exhaust direction of the exhaust gas G. It also plays a role in preventing the exhaust gas G from flowing into the gap between the outer pipe 10 and the inner pipe 30.

[0019] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 100 is an apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor elements, for example, a CDE (Chemical Dry Etching) apparatus. That is, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment performs a process using a reaction gas. At this time, the gas after the reaction is exhausted as an exhaust gas G containing reaction by-products from a pipe P provided in a housing C that houses the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 4, the pipe P is provided, for example, in the lower part of the housing C that houses the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 100, and leads the exhaust gas G to a detoxification apparatus 200. The detoxification apparatus 200 processes and detoxifies the reaction by-products contained in the exhaust gas G sent from the pipe P. The above-mentioned pipe unit 1 is provided in the middle part of the pipe P that connects the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 100 and the detoxification apparatus 200. The number of pipe units 1 provided between the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 100 and the detoxification apparatus 200 is not particularly limited, but is one in FIG. 4.

[0020] (action) The operation of the piping unit 1 configured as above will be described. As a premise, exhaust gas G generated in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 100 is exhausted from the piping P. The piping unit 1 is connected at both ends to the piping P, and acts on the exhaust gas G exhausted from inside the piping P by blowing hot N2 gas H from both ends into the piping P.

[0021] First, the gas inlet 20 provided on the side of the outer tube 10 introduces the hot N2 gas H supplied by a gas supply device (not shown) into the outer tube 10. The hot N2 gas H flows through the gas inlet 20 and through the receiver 31 provided in the circumferential direction on the outer wall of the inner tube 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the gas inlet 20 is provided offset with respect to the outer tube 10. That is, the gas inlet 20 is also provided offset with respect to the inner tube 30, which shares a central axis with the outer tube 10. As a result, the hot N2 gas H introduced from the gas inlet 20 flows in one direction along the receiver 31 provided in the circumferential direction of the inner tube 30. That is, the hot N2 gas H swirls in the circumferential direction of the inner tube 30, forming a swirling flow.

[0022] Next, the hot N2 gas H flowing through the receiving portion 31 flows into the spiral groove 32 and the flow passage 33 that communicate with the receiving portion 31. The spiral groove 32 guides the flow of the hot N2 gas H to the downstream end of the inner pipe 30 so that the flow of the hot N2 gas H draws a spiral, and causes it to be blown out from the downstream end of the inner pipe 30 as a swirling flow. As a result, the exhaust gas G flowing inside the pipe P connected to the downstream end of the piping unit 1 is pushed out by the swirling flow near the inner wall of the pipe P and exhausted. At the same time, the flow passage 33 guides the hot N2 gas H to the upstream end of the inner pipe 30, and causes it to be blown out from the upstream end of the inner pipe 30. The hot N2 gas H blown out from the upstream end of the inner pipe 30 collides with the return portion 40, and then flows through the gap between the edge of the upstream end of the inner pipe 30 and the protruding portion 41. The hot N2 gas H flowing out from the protrusion 41 joins with the exhaust gas G flowing into the inner pipe 30 from inside the piping P connected to the upstream end of the piping unit 1, diluting the exhaust gas G and pushing the exhaust gas G downstream, thereby increasing the flow rate of the exhaust gas G.

[0023] The exhaust gas G that has passed through the inside of the exhaust unit 1 is guided to a pipe P and sent to a detoxification device 200, where it is detoxified.

[0024] (effect) (1) The piping unit 1 of this embodiment includes an outer pipe 10 connected to a pipe P that exhausts exhaust gas G, a gas inlet 20 provided on the side of the outer pipe 10 and introducing hot N2 gas H into the outer pipe 10, an inner pipe 30 provided inside the outer pipe 10 with a common central axis with the outer pipe 10, and directing the hot N2 gas H introduced from the opening of the gas inlet 20 between the inner wall of the outer pipe 10 to the downstream end and the upstream end with respect to the opening and merging with the exhaust gas G, and a swirling flow generating section that swirls the hot N2 gas between the inner wall of the outer pipe 10 and the outer wall of the inner pipe 30 and generates a swirling flow from the downstream end of the inner pipe 30. As a result, the hot N2 gas H becomes a spiral swirling flow when it is blown out from the gap between the outer pipe 10 and the inner pipe 30 on the downstream side of the inner pipe 30. When the hot N2 gas H, which has become a swirling flow, joins the exhaust gas G, the exhaust gas G is pushed out by the swirling flow of the hot N2 gas near the inner wall of the pipe P downstream of the piping unit 1. This increases the flow rate near the inner wall of the pipe P, where the exhaust gas G has been apt to stagnate in the past, so that reaction by-products are less likely to adhere to the inside of the pipe P. In addition, the hot N2 gas H is also blown out from the upstream side of the inner pipe 30 and dilutes the exhaust gas G flowing inside the inner pipe 30, so that reaction by-products are less likely to adhere to the inside of the inner pipe 30 of the piping unit 1. Even if reaction by-products adhere to the inside of the inner pipe 30 of the piping unit 1, only the inner pipe 30 can be replaced or cleaned. In addition, the entire piping unit 1 may be removed for replacement or cleaning.

[0025] (2) The gas inlet 20 of this embodiment is provided so that its central axis is twisted relative to the central axis of the outer pipe 10. As a result, the outer wall of the inner pipe 30 facing the opening of the gas inlet 20 swirls the hot N2 gas H along the circumferential direction of the inner pipe 30. The swirling hot N2 gas H gradually moves toward the end of the inner pipe 30, and becomes a spiral airflow when it is blown out from the gap between the outer pipe 10 and the inner pipe 30 at the downstream end of the inner pipe 30. In this embodiment, the piping unit 1 does not have a complex structure, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0026] (3) The piping unit 1 of this embodiment further includes a receiving portion 31 that is recessed over the entire circumference of the inner pipe 30 at a position facing the opening of the gas inlet portion 20. As a result, the hot N2 gas H first circulates through the receiving portion 31 along the circumferential direction of the inner pipe 30, so that a swirling flow can be more reliably generated. This further reduces the risk of reaction by-products adhering to the inside of the piping P.

[0027] (4) The piping unit 1 of this embodiment further includes a spiral groove 32 provided on the outer wall of the inner pipe 30 downstream of the gas inlet 20. The spiral groove 32 can promote the swirling flow by swirling the hot N2 gas H. Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the strength of the swirling flow can be adjusted by changing the number of threads and the angle of the spiral groove 32, and thus the degree to which the flow rate of the exhaust gas G flowing inside the piping P is increased can be adjusted. For example, in accordance with changing the reaction gas used in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 100, the degree to which the flow rate of the exhaust gas G flowing inside the piping P is increased can be adjusted by replacing the entire piping unit 1 with the inner pipe 30 provided with the spiral groove 32 of a different pattern.

[0028] (5) The piping unit 1 of this embodiment further includes a flow path 33 provided on the outer wall of the inner pipe 30 upstream of the gas introduction section 20, and a return section 40 provided at a position facing the upstream end of the inner pipe 30, which guides the hot N2 gas H flowing upstream through the flow path 33 to the downstream side along the inner wall of the inner pipe 30. As a result, the hot N2 gas H flows upstream through the flow path 33 and collides with the return section 40. The return section 40 guides the hot N2 gas H downstream, dilutes the exhaust gas G flowing inside the inner pipe 30, and increases the flow rate of the exhaust gas G, making it even more difficult for reaction by-products to adhere to the inner wall of the inner pipe 30. In addition, the hot N2 gas H guided downstream by the return section 40 also increases the flow rate of the exhaust gas G flowing inside the pipe P, so that the risk of reaction by-products adhering to the inside of the pipe P can be further reduced. Furthermore, due to the presence of the return portion 40, the exhaust gas G flowing from the upstream side is less likely to enter the gap between the outer pipe 10 and the inner pipe 30, so that reaction by-products are less likely to adhere to the gap between the outer pipe 10 and the inner pipe 30.

[0029] (Modification) This embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the following modified examples are also possible. For example, the gas inlet 20 is provided offset from the outer tube 10, but it may be provided inclined to the axial direction of the outer tube 10, not limited to the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the outer tube 10 as shown in FIG. 2. In particular, by providing the gas inlet 20 inclined toward the downstream side, the flow velocity of the heated gas blowing out from the gap between the outer tube 10 and the inner tube 30 can be increased, and the risk of reaction by-products adhering to the inside of the pipe P can be further reduced.

[0030] In addition, the gas introduction section 20 of the above embodiment may be provided in a plurality of units. For example, one unit may be provided at each predetermined angle, such as 180° or 90°.

[0031] In the above embodiment, the inner wall of the outer pipe 10 and the outer wall of the inner pipe 30 are adjacent to each other with a gap therebetween as shown in FIG. 3, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the outer wall of the inner pipe 30 may be in close contact with the inner wall of the outer pipe 10. Even in this case, the hot N2 gas H introduced from the gas inlet 20 flows through the receiver 31 and into the spiral groove 32 and the flow passage 33, and can be blown out from the downstream end and the upstream end of the inner pipe 30. That is, the receiver 31, the spiral groove 32, and the flow passage 33 form the gap between the outer pipe 10 and the inner pipe 30.

[0032] In addition, by changing the size of the gap between the inner wall of the outer tube 10 and the outer wall of the inner tube 30 on the downstream and upstream sides of the gas introduction section 20, the flow rate of the hot N2 gas H flowing on the downstream and upstream sides can be adjusted.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the hot N2 gas H is swirled by both the gas introduction part 20 and the spiral groove 32, which are offset from the outer tube 10, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the hot N2 gas H may be swirled by either one of them. In the above embodiment, the spiral groove 32 is provided on the outer wall of the inner tube 30, but the hot N2 gas H may be swirled by providing a similar spiral groove on the inner wall of the outer tube 10, or by providing similar spiral grooves on both the outer wall of the inner tube 30 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10. Similarly, the function of the flow path 33 may be realized by providing a similar flow path on the inner wall of the outer tube 10, or by providing a similar flow path on both the outer wall of the inner tube 30 and the inner wall of the outer tube 10.

[0034] In addition, the flow path 33 in the above embodiment is a straight groove, but is not limited thereto. For example, it may be a spiral groove like the spiral groove 32, which can swirl the hot N2 gas H that is guided to the return portion 40 and flows downstream, thereby reducing the risk of reaction by-products adhering not only to the pipe P but also to the inside of the inner pipe 30.

[0035] [Other embodiments] Although the embodiment of the present invention and the modified examples of each part have been described above, these embodiments and the modified examples of each part are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments described above can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1 Piping unit 10 outer tube 11 Flange 11a Bolt hole 20 Gas inlet 30 Inner tube 31 Receiving part 32 Spiral groove 33 Flow Path 40 Return part 41 Protrusion 100 Semiconductor manufacturing equipment 200 Abatement equipment C-Case G. Exhaust gas H Hot N2 gas P piping

Claims

1. An outer pipe connected to an exhaust path for exhausting exhaust gas; a gas inlet portion provided on a side surface of the outer tube and configured to introduce heated gas into the outer tube; an inner tube that is provided inside the outer tube and has a common central axis with the outer tube, and that guides the heated gas introduced from an opening of the gas inlet part between an inner wall of the outer tube and a downstream end and an upstream end of the opening, and merges the heated gas with the exhaust gas; a swirling flow generating section that swirls the heated gas between an inner wall of the outer tube and an outer wall of the inner tube to generate a swirling flow from a downstream end of the inner tube; Equipped with the gas inlet portion is provided such that a central axis of the gas inlet portion is in a twisted position with respect to a central axis of the outer tube, The piping unit further includes a receiving portion that is recessed in a circumferential direction of the inner pipe at a position facing the opening of the gas inlet portion.

2. The swirl flow generating section includes a spiral groove provided on at least one of an outer wall of the inner tube or an inner wall of the outer tube downstream of the gas inlet section. The piping unit according to claim 1 .

3. a flow path provided on at least one of an outer wall of the inner tube and an inner wall of the outer tube upstream of the gas inlet portion; a return portion provided at a position facing an upstream end portion of the inner pipe, the return portion directing the heated gas flowing upstream through the flow passage to a downstream side along an inner wall of the inner pipe; The piping unit according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

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