An air treatment method and a system arranged for treating air in a clean room

An air treatment method arranged for treating an air flow (3) to be entered into a semiconductor clean room, said air flow comprises at least one vapour phase compound, and wherein the air flow 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 the first treatment process comprises the steps of:

• passing the air flow (3) through at least one catalytic zone (2), and
• subjecting the air flow to at least one photooxidation step, and wherein the air flow (3) is passed through the at least one catalytic zone (2) before entering the at least one photooxidation step.

The air treatment method according to 28, wherein decomposition of the at least one vapour phase compound provides one or more decomposition compounds, and wherein the treatment process comprises several consecutively arranged photooxidation steps, such that decomposition products generated in a first photooxidation steps 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.

The air treatment method according to any of the 28, wherein the treatment process comprises one or more second treatment processes arranged for removing one or more decomposition compounds, e.g. water, from the air flow before said air flow enters into the semiconductor clean room.

The air treatment method according 28, wherein the at least one first vapour phase compound is an organic compound selected from VOC's, amines, silanes, phospates, siloxanes, halocarbons and organometallic compounds.

The air treatment method according to 28, wherein the least one vapour phase compound is an amine and the catalytic zone (2) comprises a deNOx-catalyst and an oxidation catalyst.

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

A semiconductor clean room air treatment system (1a-1f), said system comprises at least one photooxidation zone (6) and at least one catalytic zone (2), whereby the air treatment system is arranged such that the concentration of the at least one vapour phase compound in an air flow is reduced below a predefined threshold, and wherein the at least one catalytic zone (2) is arranged before the at least one photooxidation zone (6), seen in the flow direction.

The system (1c-1f) according to 35, wherein the catalytic zone (2) comprises a deNOx-catalyst and an oxidation catalyst and wherein the air flow to be treated comprises at least one amine.

The system (1c-1f) according to 35, wherein the catalytic zone (2) is operated at a temperature between 80° C. and 225° C.