Patent ID: 7105037

Claim:
A semiconductor manufacturing process facility requiring use therein of air exhaust for its operation, said facility including clean room and gray room components, with said clean room having at least one semiconductor manufacturing tool therein, and wherein air exhaust is flowed through a discrete volumetric region of said clean room, said discrete volumetric region containing said at least one semiconductor manufacturing tool, whereby heat and other contaminants emanating from said at least one semiconductor manufacturing tool are captured by said air exhaust flow, said facility comprising at least one discharge duct positioned so as to provide effective hydrodynamic flow-through of the contaminated air exhaust into the discharge duct and an air exhaust treatment apparatus arranged to (i) receive said contaminated air exhaust from the discharge duct, (ii) produce a treated air exhaust suitable for discharge into the ambient air of the facility, and (iii) recirculate the treated air exhaust to an ambient air environment of the facility.