Temperature regulating apparatus for semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment, and semiconductor-device manufacturing system
View Patent ↗A temperature regulating apparatus includes: a heating section configured to produce a heating liquid; a cooling section configured to produce a cooling liquid; a heating-liquid delivery pipe for delivering the heating liquid to the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment; a cooling-liquid delivery pipe for delivering the cooling liquid to the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment; a heating-side return pipe for returning a liquid mixture of the heating liquid and the cooling liquid that have passed through the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment to the heating section; a cooling-side return pipe for returning the liquid mixture that has passed through the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment to the cooling section; and at least one of a heating-side heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the heating liquid and the liquid mixture and a cooling-side heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the cooling liquid and the liquid mixture.
1 . A temperature regulating apparatus for regulating a temperature of semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment, comprising:
a heating section configured to produce a heating liquid;
a cooling section configured to produce a cooling liquid;
a heating-liquid delivery pipe coupled to the heating section, the heating-liquid delivery pipe being configured to deliver the heating liquid to the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment;
a cooling-liquid delivery pipe coupled to the cooling section, the cooling-liquid delivery pipe being configured to deliver the cooling liquid to the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment;
a heating-side return pipe coupled to the heating section, the heating-side return pipe being configured to return a liquid mixture of the heating liquid and the cooling liquid that have passed through the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment to the heating section;
a cooling-side return pipe coupled to the cooling section, the cooling-side return pipe being configured to return the liquid mixture that has passed through the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment to the cooling section; and
at least one of a heating-side heat exchanger arranged to preheat the liquid mixture before returning to the heating section with heat of the heating liquid by exchanging heat between the heating liquid flowing through the heating-liquid delivery pipe and the liquid mixture flowing through the heating-side return pipe, and a cooling-side heat exchanger arranged to precool the liquid mixture before returning to the cooling section with cold of the cooling liquid by exchanging heat between the cooling liquid flowing through the cooling-liquid delivery pipe and the liquid mixture flowing through the cooling-side return pipe.
2 . The temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a heating-side flow-rate regulating valve attached to the heating-liquid delivery pipe; and
a heating-side branch pipe extending from the heating-side flow-rate regulating valve to the heating-side return pipe.
3 . The temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cooling-side flow-rate regulating valve attached to the cooling-liquid delivery pipe; and
a cooling-side branch pipe extending from the cooling-side flow-rate regulating valve to the cooling-side return pipe.
4 . The temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the temperature regulating apparatus comprises the heating-side heat exchanger,
the heating-side heat exchanger is coupled to the heating-liquid delivery pipe and the heating-side return pipe, and
the temperature regulating apparatus further comprises:
a heating-side bypass pipe coupled to the heating-liquid delivery pipe and configured to bypass the heating-side heat exchanger;
a heating-side bypass valve configured to regulate a flow rate of the heating liquid delivered to the heating-side bypass pipe and a flow rate of the heating liquid delivered to the heating-side heat exchanger; and
a valve controller configured to operate the heating-side bypass valve based on a temperature index of the liquid mixture.
5 . The temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the temperature index comprises a temperature of the liquid mixture that has passed through the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment.
6 . The temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the temperature index comprises a target temperature set in the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment.
7 . The temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the valve controller is configured to instruct the heating-side bypass valve to provide a fluid communication between the heating section and the heating-side bypass pipe when the temperature index is above a heating-side threshold value.
8 . A semiconductor-device manufacturing system comprising:
semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment for manufacturing semiconductor devices; and
the temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 4 for regulating a temperature of the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment.
9 . The temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the temperature regulating apparatus comprises the cooling-side heat exchanger,
the cooling-side heat exchanger is coupled to the cooling-liquid delivery pipe and the cooling-side return pipe, and
the temperature regulating apparatus further comprises:
a cooling-side bypass pipe coupled to the cooling-liquid delivery pipe and configured to bypass the cooling-side heat exchanger;
a cooling-side bypass valve configured to regulate a flow rate of the cooling liquid delivered to the cooling-side bypass pipe and a flow rate of the cooling liquid delivered to the cooling-side heat exchanger; and
a valve controller configured to operate the cooling-side bypass valve based on a temperature index of the liquid mixture.
10 . The temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the temperature index comprises a temperature of the liquid mixture that has passed through the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment.
11 . The temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the temperature index comprises a target temperature set in the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment.
12 . The temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the valve controller is configured to instruct the cooling-side bypass valve to provide a fluid communication between the cooling section and the cooling-side bypass pipe when the temperature index is below a cooling-side threshold value.
13 . A semiconductor-device manufacturing system comprising:
semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment for manufacturing semiconductor devices; and
the temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 9 for regulating a temperature of the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment.
14 . The temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature regulating apparatus comprises both the heating-side heat exchanger and the cooling-side heat exchanger.
15 . The temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a liquid junction coupled to the heating-liquid delivery pipe and the cooling-liquid delivery pipe and configured to mix the heating liquid and the cooling liquid to produce the liquid mixture.
16 . The temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a distribution valve configured to distribute the liquid mixture that has passed through the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment to the heating-side return pipe and the cooling-side return pipe.
17 . A semiconductor-device manufacturing system comprising:
semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment for manufacturing semiconductor devices; and
the temperature regulating apparatus according to claim 1 for regulating a temperature of the semiconductor-device manufacturing equipment.