TWI745049B - Nitrogen circulation system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a nitrogen circulation system, which utilizes a nitrogen input device, a pump, a nitrogen purification device and a cavity for nitrogen circulation. The pump is connected to the nitrogen input device through the first pipeline, and the nitrogen purification device is through the second The pipeline is connected to the pump. The nitrogen purification device includes a shell, an intake filter module and a compression element, and the cavity system is sequentially arranged with a first porous member and a second porous member from top to bottom to divide the cavity into In the air inlet area, the clean area and the outlet area, the air inlet area is provided with a second air inlet, the second air inlet is connected to the first air outlet through a third pipeline, and the outlet area is provided with a second air outlet through the fourth pipeline Connect to the pump.

Description

Nitrogen circulation system

The present invention relates to a device, especially a nitrogen circulation system.

The modern precision electronics industry and the biotechnology industry rely on clean rooms to provide closed spaces with low dust and appropriate temperature and humidity to set up high-value precision electronics or biotechnology products production or storage equipment. As far as the design of the circulating gas purification system of the traditional clean room is concerned, it is usually similar to the air conditioning system of a general commercial office. Above the indoor ceiling, an intake filter area with blast equipment and filtering equipment and indoor lighting fixtures are set up. .

The difference between the above-mentioned clean room and the above-mentioned air-conditioning system is that, in addition to the use of a filter that is much finer than the general air-conditioning system, such as a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA, high-efficiency particulate air), in the air-intake filter area, it is also used in construction A raised floor is provided on the floor of the building to carry the above equipment. The raised floor will have as many holes as possible so that the dust will fall under the raised floor by gravity, and the airflow blown from the air intake filter area to the raised floor will be used to reduce The dust generated by the above production or storage activities is carried away from the clean room through the holes, and processing equipment such as electrostatic dust removal equipment, heaters or humidifiers are installed under the raised floor to purify and adjust the circulating gas discharged from the clean room. Until it meets the appropriate dust level, temperature and humidity requirements, then it is sent back to the above-mentioned intake filter area so that the above-mentioned circulating gas is recycled.

In addition, the cutting-edge semiconductor industry and the optoelectronic industry use a large number of plasma gas equipment to process products such as deposition, cleaning, ashing or etching, etc., which are collectively referred to as dry processes. The equipment used in these dry processes has a plasma chamber that is nearly vacuum and also recycles various specialized gases as working gas. Undoubtedly, the above-mentioned cleaning and dust removal equipment must be installed at the entrance and exit of the above-mentioned plasma chamber. Keep the composition, pressure, flow rate and dustiness of the above working gas in line with the requirements of the corresponding dry process.

Not only that, the above-mentioned cutting-edge semiconductor industry and the optoelectronic industry also have a large number of wet etching, photoresist development, and various cleaning processes. They also use various liquid chemicals and recycle them to save costs. They must also be used in the above wet process equipment. The inlet and outlet of the above-mentioned circulating medicine cleaning and dust removal equipment are provided to maintain the composition, temperature, flow rate and a dust removal degree of the above-mentioned medicine to meet the requirements of the corresponding wet process.

However, the above-mentioned various fluids mainly rely on the driving force provided by the blowing equipment or the pump in the liquid medicine circulation system to flow. In addition, the flow rate of the fluid is not further accurately controlled and utilized, so that the above-mentioned dust The removal efficiency is not high and requires regular manual super clean, or the composition, temperature, and flow of working fluids such as the working gas or chemical liquid of the dry and wet process equipment are unstable, resulting in poor control of the process conditions Produce defective products.

Therefore, how to accurately control the fluid flow rate of the fluid application device to improve the dust level inside the fluid application device or control the stability of the working fluid has always been a problem to be solved urgently in the industry market in this field.

An object of the present invention is to provide a nitrogen circulation system, which utilizes the first porous member and the second porous member to make the air flow pass through the first porous member and the second porous member at an even speed, and to pass through the first porous member And the porous characteristics of the second porous member, the flow rate of the air flow is controlled, which is beneficial to uniformly remove the dust in the cavity, and make the environment in the cavity clean and dust-free.

One purpose of the present invention is to provide a nitrogen circulation system. When the pressure in the cavity is too high, the compression element can drain nitrogen out of the cavity and store it, and reduce the pressure in the cavity. When the pressure in the cavity is insufficient , Drain the stored nitrogen into the cavity to effectively use the nitrogen to avoid energy waste.

In view of the above objective, the present invention provides a nitrogen circulation system, which includes: a nitrogen input device; a pump connected to the nitrogen input device through a first pipe; and a nitrogen purification device through a second Two pipelines are connected to the pump; and a cavity, the cavity is connected to the nitrogen purification device through a third pipeline, in which a first porous member and a second porous member are arranged in sequence, the The first porous member has a first pore diameter, and the second porous member has a second pore diameter, wherein the first pore diameter is larger than the second pore diameter; When the pump is used, the pump uses the second pipeline to input the nitrogen gas into the nitrogen purification device for purification, and then the third pipeline imports the nitrogen gas from the nitrogen purification device into the cavity, so that the When nitrogen flows through the first porous member and the second porous member, a pressure difference is generated due to the change of the flow rate, and the dust in the cavity is taken away.

The present invention provides an embodiment, wherein the nitrogen purification device includes a housing provided with a first air inlet and a first air outlet, and the first air inlet is arranged on a first side of the housing and penetrates The second pipeline is connected to the pump, and the first air outlet is arranged on a second side of the housing and penetrates The third pipeline is connected to the cavity; a gas filter module is arranged in the housing and located on a side close to the first air inlet; and a compression element is arranged in the housing , Located between the gas filter module and the first air outlet, for adjusting the gas pressure in the cavity.

The present invention provides an embodiment, wherein the gas filter module includes a filter element, a dehumidification element and an oxygen filter element, and the dehumidification element is disposed between the filter element and the oxygen filter element.

The present invention provides an embodiment, wherein the first porous member and the second porous member separate the cavity into an air inlet area, a clean area and an outlet area, and the air inlet area is provided with a second inlet The second air inlet is connected to the first air outlet through the third pipeline, and the outlet area is provided with a second air outlet and connected to the pump through a fourth pipeline.

The present invention provides an embodiment, wherein the filter element is HEPA or high efficiency filter cotton.

The present invention provides an embodiment, wherein the first porous member has a first pore size and the second porous member has a second pore size, wherein the first pore size is larger than the second pore size.

The present invention provides an embodiment, wherein the cavity is further provided with an air inlet filter module, and the air inlet filter module is arranged between the first porous member and the second porous member.

The present invention provides an embodiment, wherein the intake filter module is an air purifier or a fan filter unit.

The present invention provides an embodiment, which further includes a maintenance exhaust port, which is arranged on one side of a fifth pipeline, and the maintenance exhaust port is connected to the pump through a fifth pipeline.

The present invention provides an embodiment, wherein the nitrogen purification device further includes a gas buffer tank, which is disposed between the compression element and the first gas outlet.

The present invention provides an embodiment, wherein the compression element further includes a pressure relief valve, the pressure relief valve being used to relieve a pressure in the tank.

1: The first pipeline

10: Nitrogen input device

2: The second pipeline

20: pump

3: The third pipeline

30: Nitrogen purification device

32: shell

322: First Air Inlet

324: The First Outlet

34: Gas filter module

342: filter element

344: Dehumidification element

346: oxygen filter element

36: Compression element

38: Gas buffer tank

4: The fourth pipeline

40: Cavity

41: second air inlet

42: The first porous piece

422: first aperture

43: second outlet

44: second porous piece

442: second aperture

45: diffuser

46: The first buffer space

47: intake filter module

48: second buffer space

5: Fifth pipeline

6: The sixth pipeline

72: first side

74: second side

80: Maintenance exhaust port

92: intake area

94: clean area

96: Exit area

962: exit buffer space

Figure 1A: It is a schematic diagram of the device of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 1B: It is a schematic diagram of the first porous member of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 1C: It is one of the embodiments of the present invention Schematic diagram of the second porous member; Figure 2: It is a schematic diagram of the position of the buffer space and the diffuser of an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 3: It is a schematic diagram of the maintenance exhaust of an embodiment of the present invention.

In order to enable your reviewer to have a further understanding and understanding of the features of the present invention and the effects achieved, the preferred embodiments and detailed descriptions are provided here. The description is as follows:

Conventionally, various fluids mainly rely on the driving force provided by the blowing equipment or the pump in the chemical liquid circulation system to flow. In addition, there is no further precise control and utilization of the flow rate of the fluid, which leads to the inconsistent control of the process conditions. Good produces defective products, and when the cavity pressure is too high, the traditional system will directly discharge the gas out of the cavity by means of direct pressure relief. Although the cavity pressure can be controlled, it will cause a waste of energy.

The present invention utilizes the first porous member and the second porous member to make the air flow pass through the first porous member and the second porous member at a uniform speed, and to pass through the characteristics of the different pore diameters of the first porous member and the second porous member. The flow rate is controlled when the airflow passes, which is beneficial to evenly remove the dust in the cavity, and make the environment in the cavity clean and powder-free Dust improves the productivity of good products; in addition, when the pressure in the cavity is too high, the present invention can draw nitrogen out of the cavity and store it through the compression element, and reduce the pressure in the cavity. When the pressure in the cavity is insufficient, it will be stored. Nitrogen is drained into the cavity to effectively use the nitrogen to avoid energy waste.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail through the use of drawings. However, the concept of the present invention may be embodied in many different forms, and should not be construed as being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein.

First, please refer to Figure 1A, which is a schematic diagram of an apparatus of an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the nitrogen circulation system of the present invention includes a nitrogen input device 10, a pump 20, a nitrogen purification device 30, and a Cavity 40.

The above-mentioned nitrogen input device 10 is used to input a nitrogen gas into the cavity 40, the pump 20 is connected to the nitrogen input device 10 through a first pipeline 1, and the nitrogen purification device 30 is transmitted through a The second pipeline 2 is connected to the pump 20, and the cavity 40 is provided with a first porous member 42 and a second porous member 44 from top to bottom in order to divide the cavity 40 into An air inlet area 92, a clean area 94 and an outlet area 96. The air inlet area 92 is provided with a second air inlet 41. The second air inlet 41 is connected to the nitrogen through a third pipeline 3 A first air outlet 324 of the purification device 30 is provided with a second air outlet 43 in the outlet area 96 and is connected to the pump 10 through a fourth pipe 4 so that the nitrogen gas can flow back to the pump 10 through the pump 10 In the nitrogen purification device 30, the outlet area 96 includes an outlet buffer space 962, and the outlet buffer space 962 is used to buffer the nitrogen containing dust particles discharged from the clean area 92 through the outlet buffer space 962 , Can effectively make the dust in the nitrogen settle in the outlet area 96.

The above-mentioned nitrogen purification device 30 includes a housing 32, a gas filter module 34 and a compression element 36, and the housing 32 includes a first air inlet 322 and the first air outlet 324. The second pipeline 2 is connected to the first air inlet 322, the first air inlet 322 is provided on a first side 72 of the housing 32, and the first air outlet 324 is provided on the housing 32 A second side 74, and the gas filter module 34 is disposed in the housing 32, the gas filter module 34 is located on one side of the first air inlet 322, and the compression element 36 is disposed In the housing 32, the compression element 36 is disposed between the gas filter module 34 and the first air outlet 324, and the nitrogen purification device 30 is used to remove moisture, dust, and excess in the nitrogen gas. Oxygen is filtered so that when the nitrogen enters the cavity 40 through the third pipe 3, the nitrogen is pure nitrogen.

The gas filter module 34 includes a filter element 342, a dehumidification element 344, and an oxygen filter element 346. The filter element 342 is arranged in the housing 32 and is arranged at the first air inlet 322 and the compressor Between the elements 36, the dehumidifying element 344 is arranged between the filter element 342 and the compression element 36, and the dehumidifying element 344 is used to remove the moisture contained in the nitrogen passing through the gas filter module 34, The oxygen filter element 346 is arranged between the dehumidifying element 344 and the compression element 36, and the oxygen filter element 346 is used to remove the oxygen contained in the nitrogen passing through the gas filter module 34, and permeate the gas The filter module 34 can perform a process of filtering and purifying the nitrogen gas, so that the nitrogen gas entering the cavity 40 is pure nitrogen, which reduces the pollution of the cavity 40 by dust or moisture.

Furthermore, due to the past nitrogen circulating purification system, the temperature of the nitrogen in the cavity 40 follows changes due to changes in the external environment temperature. When the temperature of the nitrogen rises, the pressure of the cavity 40 rises accordingly. When the temperature of the nitrogen drops, the pressure of the cavity 40 drops accordingly. In order to control the appropriate pressure in the cavity 40, the traditional common method is that when the pressure of the cavity 40 drops, the nitrogen circulation purification system directly uses the pump 20 to increase the pressure. Press the nitrogen gas to increase the pressure of the cavity 40 to an appropriate range. When the pressure of the cavity 40 rises, the nitrogen gas is discharged out of the cavity 40 by a direct pressure relief method, so that the cavity 40 is compressed. When the force drops to an appropriate range, although the pressure of the cavity 40 can be controlled through this direct pressure relief method, the nitrogen energy will be wasted.

Therefore, the compression element 36 in the nitrogen purification device 30 includes a pressure relief valve (not shown). The pressure relief valve is used to relieve a pressure in the cavity 40, and the nitrogen gas is drawn out through the relief valve. In addition to the cavity 40, in addition to the compression element 36, the nitrogen purification device 30 further includes a gas buffer tank 38, and the gas buffer tank 38 is disposed between the compression element 36 and the first gas outlet 324 Different from the past nitrogen circulation purification system, the compression element 36 and the gas buffer tank 38 are used to control the pressure change of the cavity 40 caused by temperature changes; when the pressure of the cavity 40 increases, the cavity 40 The excess pressure in the body 40 is stored in the gas buffer tank 38 through the compression element 36, so that the pressure of the cavity 40 drops to an appropriate range. When the pressure of the cavity 40 drops, the gas is buffered by the compression element 36 The nitrogen in the tank 38 is pressurized and released into the cavity 40. The nitrogen circulation system of the present invention can not only effectively control the pressure of the cavity 40, but is also more energy-efficient than the general nitrogen circulation purification system, and avoids Nitrogen energy is wasted.

In addition, the cavity 40 further includes an intake filter module 47, the intake filter module 47 is disposed between the first porous member 42 and the second porous member 44, the intake filter module Series 47 is an air purifier or fan filter unit (Fan Filter Unit, FFU). The intake filter module 47 is a clean room clean equipment that combines air circulation and filtration with a blower and a high-efficiency filter (HEPA or ULPA). It is mainly used to filter dust particles from harmful air in the air of the workplace to provide clean air. The intake filter module 47 can be roughly divided into two categories: laminar and turbulent. The laminar flow is below Class 1000, while the turbulent clean room is mainly installed above Class 1000. Install this equipment on the ceiling of the clean room and above the machine, or in the grid floor, to provide the air circulation and air filtration required by the clean room and the machine. Most of the equipment is used in the air supply type.

Referring back to Fig. 1A, the nitrogen gas flows into the cavity 40 from the second gas inlet 41 at the gas inlet area 92 through the gas inlet filter module 47, and the nitrogen gas flows through the first porous member 42, After the clean area 94 and the second porous member 44 enter the outlet area 96, the nitrogen gas (such as the arrow in Figure 1A) is buffered in the outlet buffer space 962 of the outlet area 96 to make the nitrogen gas After the dust contained in it settles in the outlet area 96, it is connected to the third pipe 3 by a sixth pipe 6 on the side of the outlet area 96, and then the third pipe 3 is used to circulate back to the cavity. 40, and the above-mentioned way that the nitrogen gas circulates in the cavity 40 through the intake filter module 47 can be a single-side circulation or a two-side circulation. In this embodiment, a single-side circulation is used. Explain, but not limited to this.

Therefore, it can be understood from the above content that the present invention uses the internal circulation air duct formed by the intake filter module 47 to maintain the cleanliness of the cavity 40, and furthermore, the nitrogen purification device 30 removes the nitrogen from the air. Water and oxygen are used to maintain a low water and oxygen environment in the cavity 40.

Therefore, in the nitrogen circulation system of the present invention, when the nitrogen input device 10 inputs the nitrogen to the pump 20 through the first pipe 1, the pump 20 uses the second pipe 2 to input the nitrogen to the nitrogen purification Purification is performed in the device 30, and then the nitrogen gas is fed into the cavity 40 from the nitrogen purification device 30 through the third pipeline 3, so that the nitrogen gas flows through the first porous member 42 and the second porous member At 44 o'clock, the pressure difference is generated due to the change of the flow rate, and the dust in the cavity 40 is taken away.

In addition, please also refer to Fig. 1B, which is a schematic diagram of a first porous member according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 1C, which is a schematic diagram of a second porous member according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. As shown, the first porous member 42 in the cavity 40 has a first pore size 422, and the second porous member 44 has a second pore size 442. The intake filter module 47 of the present invention is Under the same air volume, the first aperture 422 of the first porous member 42 is calculated according to the cross-sectional area (Porous Plate) through which the air volume passes. Cross-sectional area, and on the other hand, the second The second pore size 442 of the porous member 44 is reduced by 70% to 80% of the circular pore size based on the open porosity calculated by the first porous member 42 (according to the cross-sectional area through which the air flow of the first porous member 42 passes, Then the opening ratio is 10.5% to 24% of the circular hole diameter), and is evenly distributed on the cross-sectional area through which the air flow passes. The effect of the second porous member 44 is to accelerate the gas flow rate of the nitrogen gas, and the second hole diameter The wind speed passing by the 442 can be increased by 4.2 to 9.5 times, and the dust of the cavity 40 can be quickly brought to the outlet area 96 at the bottom of the cavity 40 below the second porous member 44, thereby restraining the clean area 94 (Clean Area) The dust pollution inside is more different from the function of ordinary particle purification.

Next, please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of the position of the buffer space and the diffuser plate of an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the nitrogen circulation system of the present invention further includes a diffuser plate 45 which can make The gas flow of nitrogen flows into the clean area 94 evenly. Furthermore, a first buffer space 46 is provided between the first porous member 42 and the intake filter module 47, and the first buffer space 46 makes the nitrogen uniform Distributed and diffused flows through the intake filter module 47. Similarly, a second buffer space 48 is provided between the intake filter module 47 and the diffuser plate 45. The second buffer space 48 allows the nitrogen to be evenly distributed and diffused. Flow through the diffusion plate 45.

After the nitrogen gas flows into the intake zone 92 through the third pipe 3, it passes through the first porous member 42, and then flows through the first buffer space 46, the second buffer space 48 and the diffusion plate 45 to make the nitrogen gas When flowing into the clean zone 94. It can flow in uniformly without causing the excessive amount of nitrogen in the clean area 94 to cause air flow turbulence.

In addition, please refer to Fig. 3, which is a schematic diagram of maintenance exhaust of an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the nitrogen circulation system of the present invention is provided with a maintenance exhaust port 80 on one side of the pump 20. It is connected to the pump 20 through a fifth pipeline 5, through the maintenance exhaust port 80, when the nitrogen circulation system of the present invention needs maintenance, the cavity 40 and the first pipe are through the pump 20 Road 1, the The nitrogen in the second pipeline 2, the third pipeline 3 and the fourth pipeline 4 is extracted to facilitate subsequent maintenance or cleaning.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is a nitrogen circulation system, which can use a clean room of nitrogen or argon, or use a fluid flow rate adjustment circulation processing system of plasma gas dry process equipment, for circulating processing fluid applications The fluid flowing in the device passes through the first aperture of the first porous member and the second aperture of the second porous member in the cavity to control the gas flow rate, so that the gas flow passes through the first porous member and the second porous member at a uniform speed Because the second pore size is smaller than the first pore size, when the airflow passes through the second porous piece at a uniform speed, the flow rate will increase due to the change of the different pore sizes, which is beneficial to quickly take away the dust in the cavity and make the environment in the cavity Clean and dust-free, improve the productivity of good products.

Therefore, the present invention is truly novel, progressive, and available for industrial use. It should meet the patent application requirements of my country's patent law. Undoubtedly, I filed an invention patent application in accordance with the law. I pray that the Bureau will grant the patent as soon as possible.

However, the above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not used to limit the scope of implementation of the present invention. For example, the shapes, structures, features and spirits described in the scope of the patent application of the present invention are equally changed and modified. , Should be included in the scope of patent application of the present invention.

1: The first pipeline

10: Nitrogen input device

2: The second pipeline

20: pump

3: The third pipeline

30: Nitrogen purification device

32: shell

322: First Air Inlet

324: The First Outlet

34: Gas filter module

342: filter element

344: Dehumidification element

346: oxygen filter element

36: Compression element

38: Gas buffer tank

4: The fourth pipeline

40: Cavity

41: second air inlet

42: The first porous piece

43: second outlet

44: second porous piece

47: intake filter module

6: The sixth pipeline

72: first side

74: second side

92: intake area

94: clean area

96: Exit area

962: exit buffer space

Claims (9)

A nitrogen circulation system comprising: a nitrogen input device; a pump connected to the nitrogen input device through a first pipeline; a nitrogen purification device connected to the pump through a second pipeline , It comprises: a housing provided with a first air inlet and a first air outlet, the first air inlet being arranged on a first side of the housing and passing through the second pipeline and the pump Connected, the first air outlet is arranged on a second side of the housing, and is connected to the cavity through the third pipeline; a gas filter module is arranged in the housing and is located close to the first One side of an air inlet; and a compression element disposed in the housing between the gas filter module and the first air outlet for adjusting the gas pressure in the cavity; and a cavity , The cavity is connected to the nitrogen purification device through a third pipeline, and a first porous member and a second porous member are arranged in it in sequence. The first porous member has a first pore size, and the second porous member The two porous parts have a second pore size, wherein the first pore size is larger than the second pore size; when the nitrogen gas input device inputs a nitrogen gas to the pump through the first pipe, the pump uses the second pipe Input the nitrogen gas into the nitrogen purification device for purification, and then input the nitrogen gas from the nitrogen purification device through the third pipeline Into the cavity, when the nitrogen gas flows through the first porous member and the second porous member, a pressure difference is generated due to the change of the flow rate, and the dust in the cavity is taken away. The nitrogen circulation system according to claim 1, wherein the gas filter module includes a filter element, a dehumidification element and an oxygen filter element, and the dehumidification element is disposed between the filter element and the oxygen filter element. The nitrogen circulation system according to claim 1, wherein the first porous member and the second porous member separate the cavity into an inlet area, a clean area and an outlet area, and the inlet area is provided A second air inlet, the second air inlet is connected to the first air outlet through the third pipeline, and the outlet area is provided with a second air outlet and connected to the pump through a fourth pipeline. The nitrogen circulation system according to claim 2, wherein the filter element is HEPA or high efficiency filter cotton. The nitrogen circulation system according to claim 1, wherein the cavity is further provided with an air inlet filter module, and the air inlet filter module is arranged between the first porous member and the second porous member. The nitrogen circulation system according to claim 5, wherein the intake filter module is an air purifier or a fan filter unit. The nitrogen circulation system according to claim 1, further comprising a maintenance exhaust port, which is arranged on one side of a fifth pipeline, and the maintenance exhaust port is connected to the pump through a fifth pipeline. The nitrogen circulation system according to claim 1, wherein the nitrogen purification device further includes a gas buffer tank disposed between the compression element and the first gas outlet. The nitrogen circulation system according to claim 1, wherein the compression element includes a pressure relief valve, and the pressure relief valve is used to relieve the pressure in the tank.

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