Air manager apparatus and method for exhausted equipment and systems, and exhaust and airflow management in a semiconductor manufacturing facility

A wet station assembly of a semiconductor manufacturing facility, said wet station assembly comprising:

• a deck having a liquid chemical tank positioned beneath the deck, with an opening in the deck over the liquid chemical tank for ingress and egress of semiconductor manufacturing workpieces;
• a laminar downflow air source;
• a below-deck exhaust for the wet station assembly;
• and
• a below-deck airflow source positioned in relation to the exhaust to flow an airstream over a surface of liquid in the liquid chemical tank at a sufficient rate and in a sufficient volumetric flow to achieve Critical Capture Velocity (CCV) of vapor released from the liquid during operation of the wet station assembly.

A method of containing fumes emanating from a surface of a liquid in a liquid chemical tank, comprising:

• providing a filtered airflow source and an airflow exhaust having an inlet constructed and arranged to receive said airflow;
• positioning the filtered airflow source and the airflow exhaust inlet in relation to one another and to the tank, so that airflow from the filtered airflow source flows over the surface of the liquid in the liquid chemical tank to the airflow exhaust inlet;
• and
• flowing an airflow from the filtered airflow source in a generally horizontal stream over the surface of the liquid chemical to the airflow exhaust inlet, whereby substantially all deleterious fumes emanating from the surface of the liquid are captured by and entrained in the airflow, and flow into the airflow exhaust.

A method of increasing the efficiency of the localized exhaust in exhausted equipment and systems within a semiconductor manufacturing clean room, comprising the steps of:

• retrofitting the clean room to comprise an air manager and chemical tank assembly comprising:
• a filtered airflow source that produces an airflow stream;
• a liquid chemical tank, wherein a liquid contained within said liquid chemical tank produces fumes at said liquid's surface, wherein said fumes are contained within said liquid chemical tank, and wherein said airflow stream is directed over said liquid's surface to entrain said fumes;
• and
• an airflow exhaust having an inlet for receiving said airflow stream with said entrained fumes, and wherein said airflow stream with said entrained fumes are transported to the exhaust.

A semiconductor fabrication facility clean room comprising:

• a ceiling-to-floor laminar airflow system;
• a set of exhaust equipment;
• and
• at least one system comprising:
• a liquid chemical tank for containing a liquid chemical composition producing fumes from a liquid surface thereof;
• and
• an air manager assembly including a filtered airflow source and an airflow exhaust inlet arranged in facing relationship to one another at opposing sides of the liquid chemical tank above the liquid surface with the filtered airflow source and airflow exhaust inlet being constructed and arranged to maintain airflow across the surface of the liquid chemical from the filtered airflow source to the airflow exhaust inlet at an airflow velocity above the Critical Capture Velocity of chemical liquid fumes from the liquid chemical in said liquid chemical tank.

An air manager and chemical tank assembly, comprising:

• a filtered airflow source that produces an airflow stream;
• a liquid chemical tank, wherein a liquid contained within said liquid chemical tank produces fumes at said liquid's surface, wherein said fumes are contained within said liquid chemical tank, and wherein said airflow stream is directed over said liquid's surface to entrain said fumes;
• and
• an airflow exhaust having an inlet for receiving said airflow stream with said entrained fumes, and wherein said airflow stream with said entrained fumes are transported to the exhaust.