KR-20260066606-A - DEHUMIDIFICATION DEVICE WITH FILTER MODULE FOR AIR CONTROL

KR20260066606AKR 20260066606 AKR20260066606 AKR 20260066606AKR-20260066606-A

Abstract

The present embodiment may provide a dehumidification device comprising: a Front-Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) on which a substrate is loaded; a main body having a first space formed therein that is in communication with the FOUP through a door and in which the transported substrate can stay; and a dehumidification module disposed to be in communication with the first space and dehumidifying gas, wherein the dehumidification module includes a filter module that filters the dehumidified gas, and the filter module includes a filter media that collects fine particles to filter the dehumidified gas, and a discharge unit disposed on the lower surface of the filter media to discharge the filtered dehumidified gas, wherein the filter media includes a plurality of folding parts that are folded in a longitudinal direction and a plurality of gas openings arranged parallel in a longitudinal direction, and the discharge unit uniformly discharges the dehumidified gas through a plurality of pores having the same shape.

Inventors

박진호
임영진

Assignees

주식회사 저스템

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20250602
Priority Date: 20241104

Claims (12)

Front-Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) where circuit boards are loaded; A main body communicating with the above-mentioned pod through a door and having a first space formed inside in which the transported substrate can stay; and A dehumidification module arranged to communicate with the first space and dehumidifying gas; comprising The above dehumidification module includes a filter module that filters the dehumidified gas, and The filter module includes a filter media that captures fine particles to filter the dehumidified gas, and a discharge unit disposed on the lower surface of the filter media to discharge the filtered dehumidified gas. The filter media comprises a plurality of folded portions that are folded in a longitudinal direction and a plurality of gas openings arranged parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction, and A dehumidification device in which the above discharge portion uniformly discharges the dehumidified gas through a plurality of pores having the same shape.
In paragraph 1, A dehumidification device in which a plurality of the above-mentioned folding portions are arranged at equal intervals in the center of the plurality of gas openings.
In paragraph 1, The above filter media is a dehumidification device comprising an Ultra Low Penetration Air (ULPA) filter.
In paragraph 1, A dehumidification device in which the plurality of gas openings are formed in a rectangular direction without separated regions.
In paragraph 1, A dehumidifying device in which the shape of the plurality of the above-mentioned voids includes at least one of a circular, elliptical, and honeycomb shape in cross-section.
In paragraph 1, A dehumidification device in which the plurality of the above-mentioned voids have a square cross-section.
In paragraph 1, The above discharge section is divided into multiple regions, and A dehumidification device in which a plurality of the above-mentioned voids are arranged parallel to each other in the plurality of divided regions.
In Paragraph 7, A dehumidification device in which the number of the aforementioned divided plurality of regions is 3 or 5.
In paragraph 6, A dehumidification device in which a plurality of the above-mentioned air gaps are angle-adjustable with respect to a rotation axis.
In paragraph 1, A dehumidification device in which a plurality of the above-mentioned gaps can be opened and closed by a plurality of sliding covers.
In Paragraph 10, A dehumidification device capable of adjusting the degree of opening of the air gap through the above sliding cover.
In Paragraph 7, It further includes a gap control unit that controls the opening and closing of a plurality of the above gaps, and The above-described air gap control unit is a dehumidification device that independently controls a plurality of the air gaps for each of the plurality of regions.

Description

Dehumidification device including a filter module for air control The present embodiment relates to a dehumidification device including a filter module for air control. With the recent acceleration of the transition to an information society, the demand for highly integrated electronic devices is surging. Representative examples of these devices include high-resolution display devices and high-density, high-performance semiconductor devices, which are manufactured by integrating multiple electronic structures onto a single surface area through high-precision surface treatment processes. Processes used in the manufacture of highly integrated electronic devices include thin film deposition, photolithography, and etching processes, and highly integrated electronic devices are manufactured by a composite process in which these different processes are applied one or more times. A process system may have process processing devices such as an Equipment Front End Module (EFEM), a transfer robot, and a process chamber to apply multiple processes to a highly integrated electronic device. A substrate to be processed—for example, a semiconductor wafer—waits in the EFEM among these process processing devices, is moved to an appropriate process chamber by a transfer robot, and then undergoes the necessary processes. The EFEM may have a Load Port Module (LPM), a Front-Opening Unified Pod (FOUP), an EFEM chamber, etc. A load port module is a device to which a semiconductor wafer storage device called a pod is combined. Multiple semiconductor wafers can be loaded in the pod, and a transfer device including a transfer robot sequentially transfers the semiconductor wafers loaded in the pod to a process chamber. Although the processing of semiconductor wafers takes place in a cleanroom with a high level of cleanliness, semiconductor wafers can be loaded in the pod to provide an even higher level of cleanliness. Meanwhile, moisture can react with fumes generated from process equipment to oxidize or etch the device. Additionally, moisture can react with fine reaction particles to form foreign substances. Such oxidation of the device, etching of the device, and/or formation of foreign substances can be factors that reduce the device yield. Since the substrate to be processed—e.g., a semiconductor wafer—resides in the EFEM for a significant amount of time, humidity control within process equipment such as the EFEM is recognized in the industrial field as an important factor for improving yield. In particular, if contaminants such as moisture, oxygen, and particles from the outside air enter the pod where the wafer is loaded during the process standby state, surface oxidation or contamination of the wafer may occur, which can lead directly to a decrease in yield and an increase in the defect rate. However, conventional technology made it difficult to supply an appropriate flow rate of dehumidifying air to areas requiring dehumidification. In particular, even when a constant airflow was supplied, dead zones occurred depending on factors such as fan placement, leading to a reduction in the air curtain effect. Furthermore, conventional technology has structural limitations in that it fails to straighten the airflow and generates turbulence. In particular, if the discharge structure downstream of the filter has a simple opening shape or is not uniformly distributed, the airflow hits the wall or structure and reflects or forms swirling vortices; this turbulence reduces the straightness of the airflow and prevents the entire space inside the FOUP from being uniformly covered. In addition, existing filter structures have limited means to control the flow rate or distribution of air discharged after filtering, which makes it difficult to respond flexibly to process conditions. In particular, despite the fact that the required airflow characteristics differ depending on the type of wafer, the loading method, and the process environment, conventional technology attempted to cover all conditions with a single fixed flow path design, thereby revealing limitations in securing actual dehumidification efficiency and process stability. Therefore, there is a need for a new type of dehumidification device that can precisely control airflow, effectively regulate the flow rate and path of gas, and provide dehumidified air with uniform and straight-line flow throughout the entire area inside the FOUP, thereby preventing the inflow of contaminants and local moisture retention problems that cause a decrease in yield. FIG. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of a process system according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view showing the configuration of a process system according to one embodiment. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a general technique for lowering the humidity of an EFEM chamber. FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating a first exemplary technique for lowering the humidity of an EFEM chamber. FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating a firs