Abstract: A distillation column is constituted by a cylindrical shell which contains mass and heat transfer elements and which is closed at one end by a cap and at the other end by a domed bottom and a cylindrical skirt that has the same diameter as the cylindrical shell, is aligned coaxially with the cylindrical shell and is fixed to one end of the cylindrical shell so as to surround the domed bottom, forming a space between the bottom, the walls of the skirt and a base, the skirt comprising at least one opening to allow the passage of a flushing gas.

Abstract: Protective barrier for an item of industrial equipment that is traversed by and/or processes a combustible fluid or oxygen, having four vertical walls forming four sides of a parallelepiped, these walls being attached to a base so as to define a rectangular-section space that is intended to contain the industrial equipment arranged on the base, the four vertical walls having a height of at least 2.4 m and having at least one partial roof attached to at least one of the vertical walls, having a surface parallel to the base and extending over the space, the surface area of the partial roof or the surface area of each of the partial roofs being equal to at most 50% of the surface area corresponding to the rectangular section.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a station for measuring particle contamination of a transport carrier for conveying and storing semiconductor substrates at atmospheric pressure, said transport carrier comprising a rigid casing (2) containing an aperture and a removable door (3) allowing the aperture to be closed, the measuring station comprising: a controlled environment chamber (4) comprising at least one load port (8) capable of coupling, on the one hand, to the rigid casing (2), and on the other hand, to the door (3) of the transport carrier, in order to move the door (3) into the controlled environment chamber (4) and bring the interior of the rigid casing (2) into communication with the interior of the controlled environment chamber (4); and a measuring module (5) comprising a particle measuring unit (14) and a casing-measuring interface (16) configured to couple to the rigid transport carrier casing (2) coupled to the controlled environment chamber (4) in the place of the door (3), characterized in

Abstract: A device for handling substrates within a semiconductor manufacturing plant having substrate processing equipments, substrate storage means, substrate transport means, and a manufacturing execution system (MES) functionally related with the substrate processing equipments, the substrate storage means and the substrate transport means, including at least one substrate storage and transport box that is transported by the transport means and stored in the storage means; at least one gas analysis device of the gases forming the internal atmosphere of the substrate storage and transport box, which produces analysis signals representative of the quantity of the critical gas that is likely to generate molecular contamination, which is present in the storage and transport box; and an execution device which pilots the transport means and the storage means, with the execution device comprising instructions for detecting a molecular decontamination need as a function of analysis signals emitted by the gas analysis devic

Abstract: A device for pumping and treating gases is disclosed. The device features a stator having a plurality of pumping stages connected in series one after another between a suction side and a delivery side by the inter-stage ducts. The device also includes an inner tube and a blind outer tube, the tubes inserted one inside the other and made of ceramic material, the inner tube connected to the delivery side of the rotor housing of a pumping stage and the outer tube connected to the stator and communicating with at least one inter-stage duct formed in the stator, the tubes defining a path for the pumped gases. The device also includes a plasma source located outside the stator to generate a plasma in the path of the pumped gases.

Abstract: A treatment device for transport and storage boxes according to the invention comprises a plurality of decontamination modules (24-27) supported by a common chassis (100) and arranged in a row of at least one column (23c) of modules superposed one on top of the other. Each decontamination module (24-27) comprises its own pumping means (6) having at least a primary pump (8a) housed in a primary pumping compartment (8c) that is longitudinally offset from the decontamination chamber (5). Access to the decontamination modules (24-27) is had via side access doors which are all oriented on one and the same access side and which are acted upon by actuating means that automatically close and open them. A lateral transfer zone is provided on the access side, and comprises a robot (29) capable of moving the transport and storage boxes between a frontal loading-unloading station (23a) and the decontamination chambers (5) of each of the decontamination modules (24-27).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a station for measuring particle contamination of a transport carrier for conveying and storing semiconductor substrates at atmospheric pressure, said transport carrier comprising a rigid casing (2) containing an aperture and a removable door (3) allowing the aperture to be closed, the measuring station comprising: a controlled environment chamber (4) comprising at least one load port (8) capable of coupling, on the one hand, to the rigid casing (2), and on the other hand, to the door (3) of the transport carrier, in order to move the door (3) into the controlled environment chamber (4) and bring the interior of the rigid casing (2) into communication with the interior of the controlled environment chamber (4); and a measuring module (5) comprising a particle measuring unit (14) and a casing-measuring interface (16) configured to couple to the rigid transport carrier casing (2) coupled to the controlled environment chamber (4) in the place of the door (3), characterized in

Abstract: A device for pumping and treating gases is disclosed. The device features a stator having a plurality of pumping stages connected in series one after another between a suction side and a delivery side by the inter-stage ducts. The device also includes an inner tube and a blind outer tube, the tubes inserted one inside the other and made of ceramic material, the inner tube connected to the delivery side of the rotor housing of a pumping stage and the outer tube connected to the stator and communicating with at least one inter-stage duct formed in the stator, the tubes defining a path for the pumped gases. The device also includes a plasma source located outside the stator to generate a plasma in the path of the pumped gases.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is a device for depolluting a non-sealed, confined environment (1) having a natural leakage (6) and including an interior space (9) bounded by a wall (7), comprising a depollution enclosure (11, 30) means (32, 42) for pumping gas and means (33, 43) for introducing gas. The depollution enclosure (11, 30) has at least two chambers (12, 13; 31, 41) separated by a sealing wall (14, 49). A first chamber (12, 31) is constituted by the part of the enclosure that is situated is contact with the wall (7) of the non-sealed, confined environment (1) and cooperates with first means for pumping (42) and first means for introducing gas (43), and a second chamber (13, 41) is constituted by the part of the enclosure which is situated in contact wife the natural leakage (6) from the non-sealed, confined environment (1) and cooperates with second means for pumping (42) and second means for introducing gas (43).

Abstract: A treatment device for transport and storage boxes according to the invention comprises a plurality of decontamination modules (24-27) supported by a common chassis (100) and arranged in a row of at least one column (23c) of modules superposed one on top of the other. Each decontamination module (24-27) comprises its own pumping means (6) having at least a primary pump (8a) housed in a primary pumping compartment (8c) that is longitudinally offset from the decontamination chamber (5). Access to the decontamination modules (24-27) is had via side access doors which are all oriented on one and the same access side and which are acted upon by actuating means that automatically close and open them. A lateral transfer zone is provided on the access side, and comprises a robot (29) capable of moving the transport and storage boxes between a frontal loading-unloading station (23a) and the decontamination chambers (5) of each of the decontamination modules (24-27).

Abstract: The photomask manufacturing method comprises at least one step of cleaning the photomask and at least one step of placing a protective pellicle onto the photomask at the end of manufacturing. The inventive method further comprises at least one step of removing ammonia and sulfate residue between the cleaning step and the pellicle placement step. This step comprises the following operations: placing the photomask into a sealed chamber, creating a low pressure within the sealed chamber by pumping out the gases that it contains, exposing the photomask to infrared radiation, stopping the infrared radiation, checking that the temperature of the photomask does not exceed 50° C., restoring the atmospheric pressure within the chamber, and removing the photomask from the chamber.

Abstract: The invention concerns a measurement station for the measurement of particle contamination of a transport pod for the conveyance and atmospheric storage of semiconductor substrates, such pod comprising a casing capable of being closed by means of a removable access door, such station comprising: an interface (5) capable of coupling to a casing of a transport pod (3) instead of the said door, the interface (5) comprising at least one injection nozzle (9) arranged at one mobile end of a pipe protruding from the said interface to direct a jet of gas in a perpendicular direction towards a portion of the wall (13) on the inside (10) of the said casing coupled to the said measurement station, so as to detach particles (11) from the said casing (3) by the impact of the gas jet on the said wall (13), and a measurement device (7) comprising a vacuum pump (17), a particle counter (19), and a measurement conduit (21) of which an inlet (23) leads to the inside (10) of the said casing (3), and of which an outlet (25) i

Abstract: A device for handling substrates within a semiconductor manufacturing plant having substrate processing equipments, substrate storage means, substrate transport means, and a manufacturing execution system (MES) functionally related with the substrate processing equipments, the substrate storage means and the substrate transport means, including at least one substrate storage and transport box that is transported by the transport means and stored in the storage means; at least one gas analysis device of the gases forming the internal atmosphere of the substrate storage and transport box, which produces analysis signals representative of the quantity of the critical gas that is likely to generate molecular contamination, which is present in the storage and transport box; and an execution device which pilots the transport means and the storage means, with the execution device comprising instructions for detecting a molecular decontamination need as a function of analysis signals emitted by the gas analysis devic

Abstract: The invention relates to a station for measuring gaseous pollution in a transport enclosure of semiconductor substrates comprising a gas analysis device for determining the concentration of the gas to be analysed, said analysis device including: a diluting unit (3) configured to dilute a flow of gas to be analysed (Q) according to a dilution coefficient (D), and an analysis unit (5) communicating with the diluting unit (3) via a sampling pipe (7) in order to sample a flow of diluted gas (Qa) by pumping, and comprising at least one processing means for: analysing the sampled flow of diluted gas (Qa), and determining the concentration (C) of the gas flow to be analysed (Q) according to said analysed flow of diluted gas (Qa) and the dilution coefficient (D). The invention further relates to an associated gas analysis method.

Abstract: The subject of the present invention is a method for removing pollution from a confined environment containing an interior space bounded by a wall, involving the following steps: the confined environment which has a leak is placed in a sealed chamber having for example an inlet for introducing a gas and a pump for pumping a gas and the gas contained in the chamber and the gas contained inside the space are simultaneously pumped through the leak so that the pressure difference across the wall is always below a wall damaging threshold. Another subject of the invention is a related device for removing pollution from a confined environment.

Abstract: The invention concerns a measurement station for the measurement of particle contamination of a transport pod for the conveyance and atmospheric storage of semiconductor substrates, such pod comprising a casing capable of being closed by means of a removable access door, such station comprising: an interface (5) capable of coupling to a casing of a transport pod (3) instead of the said door, the interface (5) comprising at least one injection nozzle (9) arranged at one mobile end of a pipe protruding from the said interface to direct a jet of gas in a perpendicular direction towards a portion of the wall (13) on the inside (10) of the said casing coupled to the said measurement station, so as to detach particles (11) from the said casing (3) by the impact of the gas jet on the said wall (13), and a measurement device (7) comprising a vacuum pump (17), a particle counter (19), and a measurement conduit (21) of which an inlet (23) leads to the inside (10) of the said casing (3), and of which an outlet (25) i

Abstract: A device is used to measure contamination directly in transport enclosures of FOUP or SMIF type, for example. The transport enclosure is placed on an adapter that sets up direct communication between it and an external gas analyzer. The gas analyzer ionizes the sampled gases and performs the analysis by measuring a parameter of the ions resulting from this ionization. This measures very low levels of gaseous contamination in real time.

Abstract: The present invention provides a drain device for a transporting box with an input/output opening which can be blocked by a box door and which contains substrate wafers stacked according to parallel planes. The drain device comprises a volume limited by a sealed wall divided into at least an upper part with a purging gas inlet orifice and a lower part with a purging gas outlet orifice, with the two parts being separated by a sealed partition, and a range of guides defining the openings arranged parallel to those of the wafers and connecting with the volume of the drain device to direct the purging gas towards the transporting box.

Abstract: The subject of the present invention is a method for removing pollution from a confined environment containing an interior space bounded by a wall, involving the following steps: the confined environment which has a leak is placed in a sealed chamber comprising means of introducing a gas and means of pumping a gas the gas contained in the chamber and the gas contained inside the space are simultaneously pumped through the leak so that the pressure difference across the wall is always below a wall-damaging threshold. Another subject of the invention is a device for removing pollution from a confined environment comprising: a pollution removal chamber able to contain the confined environment, means of introducing a purging gas, means of pumping a gas with variable pumping capacity, means for controlling the pumping rate, means for monitoring the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the environment. mechanical warping that would damage the wall of the unsealed enclosed environment.

Abstract: The photomask manufacturing method comprises at least one step of cleaning the photomask and at least one step of placing a protective pellicle onto the photomask at the end of manufacturing. The inventive method further comprises at least one step of removing ammonia and sulfate residue between the cleaning step and the pellicle placement step. This step comprises the following operations: placing the photomask into a sealed chamber, creating a low pressure within the sealed chamber by pumping out the gases that it contains, exposing the photomask to infrared radiation, stopping the infrared radiation, checking that the temperature of the photomask does not exceed 50° C., restoring the atmospheric pressure within the chamber, and removing the photomask from the chamber.