Dust removing apparatus and dust removing method

• US 5,895,521 A
• Filed: 06/23/1997
• Issued: 04/20/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Japan Pionics Co., Ltd. (Air Water Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Japan Pionics Co., Ltd. (Air Water Incorporated)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Yoshio, Hatakeyama, Toshiya, Arakawa, Satoshi, Otsuka, Kenji, Waki, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Spitzer, Robert
• Application Number:
  US08/880,363
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 55/302, 55/341.1, 55/523, 95/279, 95/280
• US Class Current: 95/280
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0001 Making filtering elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/2411 Filter cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/521 using folded, pleated material
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/58 connected in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/71 with pressurised gas, e.g. pulsed air
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/90 Devices for taking out of action one or more units of multi-unit filters, e.g. for regeneration or maintenance

Abstract

A dust removing apparatus equipped with a back washing mechanism and a dust removing method for removing solid silica fine powder contained in a gas discharged from a semiconductor producing step of a single-wafer processing atmospheric pressure CVD apparatus without causing problems caused by the increase of a pressure loss and by a pressure fluctuation, wherein filter elements each having a ratio of a surface area of a primary side of a filter membrane to an apparent external surface area of the filter element of from 1 to 5 is used, gas jetting nozzle(s) for back washing is formed in the secondary side of the filter element, back washing is not carried out during filtration in the filter element and at or after changing the processing of a wafer in the CVD apparatus, back washing is carried out to blow down the silica fine powder accumulated on the primary side of the filter membrane.

Claims

1. A dust removing method for removing fine powder contained in an exhaust gas discharged from a semiconductor production step using a single wafer processing atmospheric pressure CVD apparatus, which comprises continuously carrying out a filtration using filters each equipped with a filter element wherein a ratio (S₂ /S₁) of a surface area (S₂) at a primary side of a filter membrane to an apparent external surface area (S₁) of said filter element is from 1 to 5, and said filters are also each equipped with a pulse jet mechanism for a gas for back washing disposed in an air chamber at a secondary side of said filter element, without carrying out back washing until processing of a wafer fed in the CVD apparatus is completed, and carrying out back washing after completion of the processing of the wafer, wherein a jetting amount of the gas for said back washing is such that a value of a volume of gas per one pulse divided by a jetting time and an area of the filter membrane at a portion to be jetted is from 0.03 to 0.3 m³ /m² ·

sec.

2. The dust removing method of claim 1, wherein the filters are two or more lines of filters formed in parallel per one line of the single wafer processing atmospheric pressure CVD apparatus via change-over valves, and while the filtration is carried out in one line of the filters, in another line of the filters the gas for the back washing is jetted and the exhaust gas from said filters flows to another line or to downstream of the blower.

3. The dust removing method of claim 1, wherein a cleaning column for removing a silane series gas is connected to an outlet side of each filter so as to receive filtered gas from each filter.

4. A dust removing apparatus for removing fine powder contained in an exhaust gas discharged from a semiconductor production step using a single wafer processing atmospheric pressure CVD apparatus, said dust removing apparatus comprising filters each equipped with a filter element and a pulse jet nozzle of a gas for back washing disposed at a secondary side of the filter element, a gas suction blower, and a gas tank connected to each pulse jet nozzle, wherein a ratio (S₂ /S₁) of a surface area (S₂) at a primary side of a filter membrane to an apparent external surface area (S₁) of said filter element is from 1 to 5, and a gas jetting amount for back washing is such that a value of a volume of gas per one pulse divided by a jetting time and an area of the filter membrane of a portion to be jetted is from 0.03 to 0.3 m³ /m² ·

sec.

5. The dust removing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the filters are two or more lines of filters formed in parallel per one line of the single wafer processing atmospheric pressure CVD apparatus via change-over valves, and said dust removing apparatus is constituted in such a manner that while the filtration is conducted in one line of the filters, in another line of the filters the gas for the back washing is jetted and the exhaust gas from said filters flows to another line or to downstream of the blower.

6. The dust removing apparatus of claim 4, wherein a cleaning column for removing a silane series gas is connected to an outlet side of each filter so as to receive filtered gas from each filter.