Sub-Fab Cooling-Liquid Line Merging for Simplified Pipe Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor manufacturing, the increasing number of etching equipment in sub-fab areas leads to higher power consumption due to individual operation of devices without optimized heat transfer between them, complicating pipe connections during installation.
Innovation Solution
A sub-fab area installation apparatus that couples a vacuum pump and a cooling unit using a distribution line and merging return line, eliminating the need for separate supply and discharge lines for the cooling liquid, thereby simplifying pipe connections and reducing manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If separate supply and discharge lines are provided for each device (vacuum pump, cooling unit), then each device can be operated independently, but pipe connection becomes complicated and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the supply lines and discharge lines into common shared lines. Multiple devices (vacuum pump, cooling unit, heating unit) are connected to a common supply line and a common discharge line, eliminating the need for separate dedicated lines for each device. This reduces pipe connection complexity while maintaining independent device operation through individual flow control valves.
Solution Approach 2:
The common supply line and common discharge line serve multiple devices simultaneously, making the piping system universal rather than device-specific. The cooling liquid circulation system is designed to support multiple different devices through shared infrastructure, reducing overall system complexity.
2Ease of operation
If separate supply and discharge lines are provided for each device, then device independence is maintained, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By combining separate lines into common shared lines, the total amount of piping material, installation labor, and associated manufacturing costs are reduced. The patent demonstrates that multiple devices can share common supply and discharge lines, significantly lowering manufacturing and installation expenses.
3Productivity
If devices operate individually without heat transfer optimization, then installation is simpler, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes continuous cooling liquid circulation through common supply and discharge lines that enable heat transfer between multiple devices. The system allows cooling liquid to flow continuously from devices generating heat to devices requiring cooling, maintaining continuous useful thermal action rather than isolated individual device operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The common cooling liquid circulation system acts as an intermediary medium that facilitates heat transfer between devices. The cooling liquid serves as a thermal mediator, absorbing heat from devices like the vacuum pump and delivering it to devices like the heating unit that require thermal energy, thereby optimizing power consumption through inter-device heat exchange.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces pipe and manufacturing costs, improves cooling efficiency of the cooling unit, enhances temperature control of the second circulation liquid in the heating unit, and increases heating efficiency of the heating unit.
Implementation Method 1
the cooling unit includes a first heat pump through which a refrigerant circulates, the heating unit includes a second heat pump through which a refrigerant circulates
Data Source
AI summary
A sub-fab area installation apparatus includes: a vacuum pump configured to evacuate a processing gas from a processing chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment; a cooling unit configured to cool a first circulation liquid used in the processing chamber; a heating unit configured to heat a second circulation liquid used in the processing chamber; and a cooling-liquid line configured to pass a cooling liquid therethrough. The cooling liquid is supplied from a cooling source. The cooling-liquid line includes: a distribution line configured to supply the cooling liquid to the vacuum pump and the cooling unit; and a merging return line configured to merge the cooling liquid that has passed through the vacuum pump and the cooling unit and return the cooling liquid to the cooling source.