Mini Environment Apparatus, Inspection Apparatus, Manufacturing Apparatus and Cleaning Method of Space

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.

1 . A mini environment apparatus comprising:
 a casing having an intake port;   an outer dust collecting filter for covering the intake port of the casing;   an outer fan for flowing an air from an external environment into the casing via the outer dust collecting filter;   a clean chamber arranged within the casing and having an intake port facing to a space within the casing;   an inner dust collecting filter for covering the intake port of the clean chamber;   an inner fan for flowing the air within the casing into the clean chamber via the inner dust collecting filter;   an external pressure measuring unit for measuring a pressure in an external environment of the casing;   an internal pressure measuring unit for measuring a pressure within the casing;   a clean chamber pressure measuring unit for measuring a pressure within the clean chamber; and   a control unit for controlling rotating speeds of the outer fan and the inner fan in such a manner that a measured value of the pressure within the casing by the internal pressure measuring unit becomes higher at a set value than a measured value of the pressure in the external environment of the casing by the external pressure measuring unit, and a measured value of the pressure within the clean chamber by the clean chamber pressure measuring unit becomes higher at a set value than a measured value of the pressure within the casing by the internal pressure measuring unit.   
     
     
         2 . An inspection apparatus comprising:
 a casing having an intake port;   an outer dust collecting filter for covering the intake port of the casing;   an outer fan for flowing an air from an external environment into the casing via the outer dust collecting filter;   a clean chamber arranged within the casing and having an intake port facing to a space within the casing;   an inner dust collecting filter for covering the intake port of the clean chamber;   an inner fan for flowing the air within the casing into the clean chamber via the inner dust collecting filter;   a shutter provided in the clean chamber;   an optical type inspection apparatus arranged within the clean chamber;   a carrier apparatus arranged within the casing and for giving a sample to the optical type inspection apparatus and receiving a sample from the optical type inspection apparatus when the shutter is opened;   an external pressure measuring unit for measuring a pressure in an external environment of the casing;   an internal pressure measuring unit for measuring a pressure within the casing;   a clean chamber pressure measuring unit for measuring a pressure within the clean chamber; and   a control unit for controlling rotating speeds of the outer fan and the inner fan in such a manner that a measured value of the pressure within the casing by the internal pressure measuring unit becomes higher at a set value than a measured value of the pressure in the external environment of the casing by the external pressure measuring unit, and a measured value of the pressure within the clean chamber by the clean chamber pressure measuring unit becomes higher at a set value than a measured value of the pressure within the casing by the internal pressure measuring unit.   
     
     
         3 . A space cleaning method of cleaning air within a specific space, comprising the steps of:
 covering an intake port of a casing by one dust collecting filter and feeding an air from an external environment into the casing via the dust collecting filter so as to set an inner side of the casing to a positive pressure with respect to an external environment; and   feeding the air within the casing into the specific space via the other dust collecting filter and cleaning the specific space by setting the specific space to a more positive pressure with respect to the space within the casing.