Environmental control chamber

Abstract

Disclosed is an environmental control chamber for sustaining a space for accommodating a main body of a device in an optimized environment for operating the main body of the device by filling fluid therein and circulating the fluid with an air conditioning device along a predetermined course of path in a controlled manner to control temperature and/or humidity and/or a degree of cleanliness of the fluid, having a heat-discharging space disposed in the environmental control chamber at least on the downstream side of the path from a heat source located in the main body of the device and arranged so as to be adiabatic from the space where the main body of the device is disposed; wherein the heat-discharging space is constructed so as to gather heat generated from the main body of the device and the heat gathered is discharged to the air conditioning device by the aid of a flow of the fluid circulating through the path. The environmental control chamber can avoid an occurrence of fluctuations of air to be caused by a difference of temperatures on account of the disposition of a source of heat.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An environmental control chamber for sustaining a space for accommodating a main body of a device in an optimized environment for operating the main body of the device by filling fluid therein and circulating the fluid with an air conditioning device along a predetermined course of path in a controlled manner to control temperature and/or humidity and/or a degree of cleanliness of said fluid, comprising: 
 a heat-discharging space disposed in said environmental control chamber at least on the downstream side of said path from a heat source located in said main body of the device and arranged so as to be adiabatic from the space where said main body of the device is disposed;    wherein said heat-discharging space is constructed so as to gather heat generated from said main body of the device and the heat gathered is discharged to said air conditioning device by the aid of a flow of said fluid circulating through said path.    
     
     
         2 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 1   , wherein an element structuring said main body of the device, acting as the heat source generating heat, is located in said heat-discharging space.  
     
     
         3 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 1   , wherein an element structuring said main body of the device, acting as the heat source generating heat, is connected to said heat discharging space through a heat exchange device.  
     
     
         4 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 1   , wherein said fluid is air.  
     
     
         5 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 1   , wherein said fluid is an inert gas selected from nitrogen, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon or radon.  
     
     
         6 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 1   , wherein: 
 said path is provided with an intake passage having an opening for taking said fluid therein from outside;    said heat-discharging space is provided at its one end with an opening communicated to the space in which said main body of the device is located;    said heat-discharging space is provided at its other end with an opening communicated to said intake passage; and    a fan is disposed for transferring said fluid within said heat discharging space to said intake passage.    
     
     
         7 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 1   , wherein: 
 said main body of the device is a semiconductor exposure apparatus; and    said heat source is a relay board of said semiconductor exposure apparatus and/or a laser head of an end measuring machine by a laser interferometer.    
     
     
         8 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 7   , wherein said relay board is disposed in said heat-discharging space.  
     
     
         9 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 3   , wherein: 
 said heat exchange device is a heat pipe having its one end connected to an element structuring said heat source and its other end located in said heat-discharging space; and    a fin for radiating heat is disposed at the other end of said heat pipe.    
     
     
         10 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 7   , wherein said laser head is connected to said heat-discharging space through a heat exchange device.  
     
     
         11 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 1   , wherein said heat-discharging space is of a box shape and is made of a heat insulating material.  
     
     
         12 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 11   , wherein said heat-discharging space of a box shape is provided with an openable door.  
     
     
         13 . An environmental control chamber so adapted as to maintain an optimized environment in a space with a main body of a device located therein for operating said main body of the device, comprising: 
 a heat-discharging space delimited from the space for locating said main body of the device and structured so as to be heat insulating from said space; and    a cooling device for cooling said heat-discharging space.    
     
     
         14 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 13   , wherein said heat-discharging space is closed from the space in which said main body of the device is located.  
     
     
         15 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 13    or    14   , wherein an element of said main body of the device structuring said heat source is disposed in said heat-discharging space.  
     
     
         16 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 13    or    14   , wherein an element of said main body of the device structuring said heat source is connected to said heat-discharging space through a heat exchange device.  
     
     
         17 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 13    or    14   , wherein said fluid is air.  
     
     
         18 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 13    or    14   , wherein said fluid is an inert gas selected from nitrogen, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon or radon.  
     
     
         19 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 13    or    14   , wherein: 
 said main body of the device is a semiconductor exposure apparatus; and  
 said heat source are or is a relay board of said semiconductor exposure apparatus and/or a laser head of an end measuring machine by a laser interfometer.  
 
     
     
         20 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 19   , wherein said relay board is disposed in said heat-discharging space.  
     
     
         21 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 16   , wherein: 
 said heat exchange device is a heat pipe having its one end connected to an element structuring said heat source and its other end located in said heat-discharging space; and    a fin for radiating heat is disposed at the other end of said heat pipe.    
     
     
         22 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 19   , wherein said laser head is connected to said heat-discharging space through a heat exchange device.  
     
     
         23 . An environmental control chamber as claimed in    claim 13    or    14   , wherein said heat-discharging space is of a box shape and is made of a heat insulating material.