Mini environment apparatus, inspection apparatus, manufacturing apparatus and cleaning method of space

• US 7,925,390 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jingu, Takahiro, Zama, Kazuhiro, Miyazaki, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Von Buhr; M. N.
• Application Number:
  US11/882,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 700275-277, 700/282, 700/301, 963/97, 964/00, 964/02, 964/03, 964/17, 964/21, 95/1, 95/19, 95/20, 438/905, 438/909, 454187-193, 454237-239, 454254-256, 454339-341
• US Class Current: 700/301
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/40 Pressure, e.g. wind pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 3/167 Clean rooms, i.e. enclosed spaces in which a uniform flow of filtered air is distributed air distribution by perforated walls F24F7/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

An outer dust collecting filter covers a casing an intake port and an outer fan flows air from an external environment into the casing via the outer dust collecting filter. A clean chamber has an intake port within the casing, an inner dust collecting filter for covering the intake port, and an inner fan for flowing the air within the casing. A control unit controls fan rotating speeds so that a measured pressure within the casing becomes higher at a set value than a measured pressure in the external environment, and a measured pressure within the clean chamber becomes higher at a set value than the measured pressure within the casing.

Claims

1. An inspection apparatus for detecting a defect on a substrate, comprising:

a first casing having a first fan-filter-unit;

a second casing having a second fan-filter-unit, the second casing is smaller than the first casing and being adjacent to the first casing;

a clean chamber which is defined by a part of wall of the first casing and the second casing;

a shutter arranged on the wall of the first casing to communicate with the clean chamber;

a third casing having a third fan-filter-unit and surrounding the second casing;

a pod for accommodating the substrate;

a carrier apparatus for carrying the substrate from the pod to the clean chamber and being arranged in the first casing;

an optical type inspection apparatus for inspecting a defect on the substrate and being arranged in the clean chamber;

a first pressure measuring unit for measuring a first pressure in an external environment;

a second pressure measuring unit for measuring a second pressure within the first casing;

a third pressure measuring unit for measuring a third pressure within the clean chamber;

a fourth pressure measuring unit for measuring a fourth pressure within the third casing; and

a control unit for controlling the first, second and third fan-filter-units based on the first, second and third pressures.