# US 10,866,017 B2 · Condensation suppressing method and processing apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,866,017 B2 - Document ID: US10866017B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/377,359 - Filed: 2019-04-08 - Published: 2019-10-10 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2018-04-09 - Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited - Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited - Inventors: Shin Matsuura; Takuya Nishijima - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10866017B2 ## CPC - F25B 47/006: {for preventing frost} - H10P 72/0402: {Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence)} - C23C 16/4586: {Elements in the interior of the support, e.g. electrodes, heating or cooling devices} - H10P 72/0434: {mainly by convection} - H10P 72/0462: {characterised by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers} - H10P 72/0602: {Temperature monitoring} - H10P 72/0604: {Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring} - F25B 2700/02: Humidity - F25B 2700/13: Mass flow of refrigerants - F25B 2700/2104: of an indoor room or compartment - H10W 40/00: Arrangements for thermal protection or thermal control (integrated devices comprising arrangements for thermal protection H10D89/60) - F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A processing apparatus includes a first temperature measuring unit configured to measure a surface temperature of a first member exposed in a first closed space, a supply line configured to supply a low-dew point gas into the first closed space and a control unit configured to control a flow rate of the low-dew point gas. The control unit performs a first process to a third process. In the first process, an absolute humidity of a gas within the first closed space at a position of a surface of the first member is specified for the flow rate of the low-dew point gas. In the second process, a saturated absolute humidity at the surface temperature of the first member is specified. In the third process, the flow rate of the low-dew point gas is controlled based on the absolute humidity of the gas and the saturated absolute humidity. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A condensation suppressing method in a processing apparatus configured to process a processing target object, wherein the processing apparatus comprises: a first temperature measuring unit configured to measure a surface temperature of a first member exposed in a first closed space provided in the processing apparatus; a supply line through which a low-dew point gas having a dew point temperature lower than that of air outside the processing apparatus is supplied into the first closed space; and a control unit configured to control a flow rate of the low-dew point gas supplied into the first closed space, and wherein the control unit performs: a first process of specifying an absolute humidity of a gas within the first closed space at a position of a surface of the first member for the flow rate of the low-dew point gas; a second process of specifying a saturated absolute humidity at the surface temperature of the first member measured by the first temperature measuring unit; and a third process of controlling the flow rate of the low-dew point gas based on the absolute humidity of the gas within the first closed space at the position of the surface of the first member and the saturated absolute humidity at the surface temperature of the first member. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The condensation suppressing method of claim 1, wherein, in the third process, the flow rate of the low-dew point gas is controlled to be larger than a first flow rate at which the absolute humidity of the gas within the first closed space at the position of the surface of the first member becomes equal to the saturated absolute humidity at the surface temperature of the first member, and the flow rate of the low-dew point gas is also controlled such that a difference between the flow rate of the low-dew point gas and the first flow rate is equal to or less than a preset value. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The condensation suppressing method of claim 1, wherein the first member is a member, which becomes to have the lowest temperature, of members exposed within the first closed space. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The condensation suppressing method of claim 1, wherein the processing apparatus further comprises a second temperature measuring unit configured to measure a surface temperature of a second member exposed within a second closed space provided in the processing apparatus, the first closed space and the second closed space communicate with each other, the low-dew point gas supplied into the first closed space from the supply line is exhausted through the second closed space, and wherein the control unit further performs: a fourth process of specifying an absolute humidity of a gas within the second closed space at a position of a surface of the second member for the flow rate of the low-dew point gas; and a fifth process of specifying a saturated absolute humidity at the surface temperature of the second member measured by the second temperature measuring unit, and wherein, in the third process, the flow rate of the low-dew point gas is controlled based on the absolute humidity of the gas within the first closed space at the position of the surface of the first member, the saturated absolute humidity at the surface temperature of the first member, the absolute humidity of the gas within the second closed space at the position of the surface of the second member and the saturated absolute humidity at the surface temperature of the second member. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The condensation suppressing method of claim 4, wherein, in the third process, the flow rate of the low-dew point gas is controlled to be larger than the first flow rate at which the absolute humidity of the gas within the first closed space at the position of the surface of the first member becomes equal to the saturated absolute humidity at the surface temperature of the first member or a second flow rate at which the absolute humidity of the gas within the second closed space at the position of the surface of the second member becomes equal to the saturated absolute humidity at the surface temperature of the second member, whichever is larger, and the flow rate of the low-dew point gas is also controlled such that a difference between the flow rate of the low-dew point gas and the first flow rate or the second flow rate, whichever is larger, is equal to or less than a preset value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The condensation suppressing method of claim 4, wherein the second member is a member, which becomes to have the lowest temperature, of members exposed within the second closed space. ### Claim 7 A processing apparatus configured to process a processing target object, comprising: a first temperature measuring unit configured to measure a surface temperature of a first member exposed in a first closed space provided in the processing apparatus; a supply line through which a low-dew point gas having a dew point temperature lower than that of air outside the processing apparatus is supplied into the first closed space; and a control unit configured to control a flow rate of the low-dew point gas supplied into the first closed space, wherein the control unit performs: specifying an absolute humidity of a gas within the first closed space at a position of a surface of the first member for the flow rate of the low-dew point gas; specifying a saturated absolute humidity at the surface temperature of the first member measured by the first temperature measuring unit; and controlling the flow rate of the low-dew point gas based on the absolute humidity of the gas within the first closed space at the position of the surface of the first member and the saturated absolute humidity at the surface temperature of the first member.