# US 12,215,888 B2 · Air treatment method and a system arranged for treating air in a clean room

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- Number: US 12,215,888 B2
- Document ID: US12215888B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/416,464
- Filed: 2019-12-16
- Published: 2022-03-03
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2018-12-19
- Assignees: Airlich IP ApS
- Applicants: AIRLICH IP ApS
- Inventors: Thomas Rosenørn; Jonas Ingemar; Andrew Butcher; Cecilie Litske Carstens
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12215888B2

## CPC

- 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)
- B01D 53/007: {by irradiation}
- B01D 53/8668: {Removing organic compounds not provided for in B01D53/8603 - B01D53/8665}
- F24F 8/22: using UV light
- B01D 2251/104: Ozone
- B01D 2255/802: Photocatalytic
- B01D 2257/206: Organic halogen compounds
- B01D 2257/40: Nitrogen compounds
- B01D 2257/708: Volatile organic compounds V.O.C.'s
- B01D 2257/93: Toxic compounds not provided for in groups B01D2257/00 - B01D2257/708
- B01D 2259/4508: for cleaning air in buildings
- B01D 2259/804: UV light
- F24F: AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING (removing dirt or fumes from areas where they are produced B08B15/00; vertical ducts for carrying away waste gases from buildings E04F17/02; tops for chimneys or ventilating shafts, terminals for flues F23L17/02)
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)

## Abstract

The present invention relates to an air treatment method and a system (1a-1f) arranged for treating an air flow (3) to be entered into a semiconductor clean room. Said air flow (3) comprises at least one vapour phase compound, and wherein the air flow (3) is subjected to at least one first treatment process arranged for reducing the concentration of the at least one vapour phase compound in the treated air flow below a predefined threshold, and wherein said first treatment process comprises subjecting the air flow to at least one photooxidation step.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An air treatment method arranged for treating an air flow to be entered into a semiconductor clean room, said air flow comprises at least one vapor phase compound, and wherein the air flow is subjected to at least one treatment process arranged for reducing the concentration of the at least one vapor phase compound in the treated air flow below a predefined threshold, and wherein a first treatment process of the treatment process comprises the steps of:
passing the air flow through at least one catalytic zone, and
subjecting the air flow to at least one photooxidation step, wherein said step comprises emitting, using at least one excimer lamp, a wavelength in the range between 126 nm and 240 nm, and
wherein the air flow is passed through the at least one catalytic zone before entering the at least one photooxidation step, and
wherein the least one vapor phase compound is an anime and the catalytic zone comprises a deNOx-catalyst and an oxidation catalyst, and wherein the air flow further comprises an organic compound selected from VOC's, silanes, phosphates, siloxanes, halocarbons and organometallic compounds.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The air treatment method according to claim 1, wherein the threshold for the at least one vapor phase compound in the air flow is below 500 ppt.

### Claim 3

The air treatment method according to 1, wherein decomposition of the at least one vapor phase compound provides one or more decomposition compounds, and wherein the first treatment process comprises several consecutively arranged photooxidation steps, such that decomposition products generated in a first photooxidation step is further decomposed in one or more subsequent photooxidation steps, until the only decomposition products remaining in the air flow is carbon dioxide and water.

### Claim 4

The air treatment method according to any of the 1, wherein the treatment process comprises one or more second treatment processes arranged for removing one or more decomposition compounds from the air flow before said air flow enters into the semiconductor clean room.

### Claim 5

The air treatment method according to 28, wherein the photooxidation step comprises an UV-O3 photooxidation process.

### Claim 6

A semiconductor clean room air treatment system, said semiconductor clean room air treatment system comprises at least one photooxidation zone and at least one catalytic zone, whereby the semiconductor clean room air treatment system is arranged such that the concentration of the at least one vapor phase compound in an air flow is reduced below a predefined threshold, wherein the at least one catalytic zone is arranged before the at least one photooxidation zone, seen in the flow direction, wherein the catalytic zone comprises a deNOx-catalyst and an oxidation catalyst and wherein the air flow to be treated comprises at least one amine, and wherein said photooxidation zone comprises at least one excimer lamp arranged for emitting a wavelength in the range between 126 nm and 240 nm.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The semiconductor clean room air treatment system according to claim 6, wherein the predefined threshold of the at least one vapor phase compound in the air flow is below 500 ppt.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The semiconductor clean room air treatment system according to claim 6, wherein said system comprises several consecutively arranged photooxidation zones.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The semiconductor clean room air treatment system according to claim 6, wherein said system comprises one or more additional treatment zones arranged for removing one or more by-products and/or particle contamination from the air flow, before said air flow enters the semiconductor clean room.

### Claim 10

The semiconductor clean room air treatment system according to 6, wherein the catalytic zone is operated at a temperature between 80° C. and 225° C.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The semiconductor clean room air treatment system according to claim 10, wherein the system further comprises a conditioning zone arranged before the catalytic zone, and wherein said conditioning zone comprises a heating unit arranged for heating the air flow to and/or maintaining the air flow at a temperature of between 80° C. and 225° C.

### Claim 12 (depends on 6)

The semiconductor clean room air treatment system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one photooxidation zone comprises at least one UV-lamp operating in an UV-spectrum arranged for generate ozone, and at least one UV-lamp operating in an UV-spectrum arranged generating hydroxyl radicals.

### Claim 13 (depends on 6)

The semiconductor clean room air treatment system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one excimer lamp is arranged for emitting a wavelength of about 172 nm.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The semiconductor clean room air treatment system according to claim 13, wherein the photooxidation zone is arranged such that at least 90% of the air flow will be exposed to irradiation in said photooxidation zone.

### Claim 15 (depends on 6)

An air filtering system for use in a semiconductor clean room, said air filtering system comprises a semiconductor clean room air treatment system of claim 6 and an additional treatment unit arranged for removing particle contamination from said air flow-and/or by-products from the air flow.

### Claim 16 (depends on 6)

A semiconductor clean room comprising the semiconductor clean room air treatment system of claim 6.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

A semiconductor clean room comprising the air filtering system of claim 15.