Subfab area installation apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increase in the number of devices in the sub-fab area of semiconductor manufacturing facilities leads to increased power consumption due to individual operation without optimized heat transfer between devices.
Innovation Solution
A sub-fab area installation apparatus that integrates a vacuum pump, cooling unit, heating unit, and abatement device, utilizing a cooling-liquid line with heat pumps to circulate and reuse exhaust heat for heating, reducing the need for electric heaters and chillers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If devices in the sub-fab area are operated individually without heat transfer optimization, then each device can function independently, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple devices (etching equipment, abatement device, vacuum pump, cooling unit, heating unit) into an integrated system where cooling liquid circulates through all components. The cooling-liquid line connects all devices, allowing thermal energy to be transferred between them, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining individual device functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling liquid system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it cools the etching equipment, cools the abatement device, cools the vacuum pump, and provides heating through the heating unit. This multi-functional approach allows a single thermal management system to replace multiple independent cooling and heating systems, reducing total power consumption.
2Loss of energy
If exhaust heat is not utilized, then device operation is simpler, but energy waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful exhaust heat that would normally be wasted into a useful resource. The heating unit utilizes exhaust heat from other devices to provide heating functionality, transforming thermal energy that would be lost into beneficial heat for the circulation liquid, thereby reducing energy waste without requiring external heating sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers thermal energy from devices that would otherwise discard it as waste heat. The cooling liquid absorbs exhaust heat from the abatement device and vacuum pump, recovering this energy for use in the heating unit, thus preventing energy loss and improving overall system efficiency.
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
Reduces power consumption by utilizing exhaust heat for heating and cooling, minimizing the need for electric equipment and optimizing energy use across devices.
Implementation Method 1
the heating unit includes a second heat pump through which a refrigerant circulates
Implementation Method 2
the cooling unit includes a first heat pump through which a refrigerant circulates
Implementation Method 3
a cooling-liquid line configured to pass a cooling liquid therethrough, the cooling liquid being supplied from a cooling source
Data Source
AI summary
A sub-fab area installation apparatus capable of reducing a power consumption used in manufacturing of semiconductors is disclosed. The 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; an abatement device configured to detoxify the processing gas discharged from the vacuum pump; 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 first downstream line, a second downstream line, and a third downstream line configured to supply the cooling liquid that has passed through the abatement device, the vacuum pump, and the cooling unit to the heating unit.