Apparatus and method for producing powders and granules

Abstract

To provide a particulate object manufacturing device and a particulate object manufacturing method that have no possibility of contamination due to impurities and container breakage when mixing or pulverizing particulates, and can reduce cost without reduction of productivity.SOLUTION: A particulate manufacturing device 100 for mixing or pulverizing particulates comprises a mixing container 1 for accommodating the particulates, and drive mechanisms 2, 3, 4, 6 for rotating or oscillating the mixing container. The mixing container has: a plurality of particulate accommodation chambers 13 in which a top plate, a bottom plate and a side wall part are formed from quartz glass, and which accommodate the particulates; and an outer container 11 which accommodates the plurality of particulate accommodation chambers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a powder manufacturing apparatus and a powder manufacturing method, and more particularly to a powder manufacturing apparatus for producing quartz glass powder, which is a raw material for quartz glass crucibles, and a powder manufacturing method using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] In the case of quartz glass crucibles used for melting semiconductor raw materials, as shown in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-94232), for example, they are formed in multiple layers, with aluminum (Al) added to the outer layer to increase high-temperature viscosity. Each layer of the quartz glass crucible is formed by arc melting a layer of quartz raw material powder deposited on the inner surface of a rotating mold. For example, to adjust the Al concentration in the outer layer of a quartz glass crucible, it is necessary to uniformly mix the quartz raw material powder with an aqueous solution prepared by dissolving a small amount of either aluminum nitrate, aluminum carbonate, or aluminum chloride in pure water or alcohol.

[0003] Generally, well-known devices for agitating and mixing powders include those that rotate a container holding the powder to agitate and mix it, mechanical agitation systems that use agitating blades or the like inside the container, and airflow systems. Of these, the mechanical stirring method is said to be suitable for mixing powders with strong adhesion and cohesiveness, such as fine powders, and powders with large differences in physical properties. Forced stirring with stirring blades and methods that combine stirring blades with container rotation are commonly used. However, when the powder being mixed is quartz glass raw material powder, the hardness of the quartz is greater than that of the mixing blades, such as stainless steel, which easily wears down the stainless steel and causes contamination. Therefore, mixing quartz glass raw material powder is not suitable for this purpose.

[0004] Furthermore, in the mixing of fine powders, there is a problem in that the fine powders aggregate and increase in diameter due to the shear stress caused by the rotating blades. For example, according to the fine powder mixing method disclosed in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-149231), a state is created in which the fine powders are adsorbed onto the surface of other powders by high-speed stirring and mixing using a Henschel mixer or ribbon blender. For this reason, the mixing of raw material powders for quartz glass was unsuitable because the high content of Al fine powders would aggregate and granulate, increasing in diameter, which could be a cause of abnormal devitrification of the quartz glass.

[0005] Furthermore, in methods that create an airflow within a container for stirring and mixing, the mixing process is strongly affected by the fluidity of the powder. If there is a large difference in particle size, separation can occur, resulting in poor mixing. Also, if particle size changes occur due to collisions between powder particles, a separation device for the powder and gas becomes necessary, leading to increased complexity and cost. In addition, when quartz particles move at high speed within the equipment, significant wear occurs on the inner walls of the equipment, potentially leading to contamination. Therefore, this method was unsuitable for mixing raw material powders for quartz glass.

[0006] Another mixing and stirring method is the ball mill method, in which powder and hard balls made of ceramic or the like are placed in a drum-shaped (cylindrical) container, and the container is rotated to cause the balls to collide with each other, thereby grinding the powder. However, even in that case, contamination occurs due to the wear of the hard balls, which presented a problem as it made it unsuitable for mixing with quartz glass raw material powder. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-94232 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 61-149231 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] In order to avoid such contamination, a method may be adopted in which, inside a container for containing powder, a stirring blade or hard balls are not used, and the container is rotated and rocked to perform stirring and mixing. However, when mixing quartz glass powder inside a container, there were the following technical problems. That is, when the container for containing quartz glass powder is a resin container, the inside of the container is worn due to the friction between the quartz raw material powder and the resin container, and there is a concern about the mixing of impurities. In order to avoid the mixing of impurities, a quartz container may be used. However, in that case, since the powder in the container has a weight of several tens of kg, there is a risk that the quartz glass container may be damaged by the impact of the falling powder during mixing.

[0009] Also, in order to avoid breakage of the quartz glass container, it is necessary to significantly reduce the amount of quartz raw material powder per batch or to make the wall thickness of the container sufficiently thick. However, when reducing the amount per batch, the productivity decreases. Also, when increasing the wall thickness of the container, the container itself becomes heavy, resulting in problems such as poor handling and an increase in the load on the rotation mechanism, and there is also the problem that the cost of the container itself increases.

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and when mixing or crushing powder particles, there is no risk of contamination by impurities or container breakage, and it is an object to provide a powder particle manufacturing apparatus and a powder particle manufacturing method that can reduce costs without reducing productivity.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] The powder particle manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention made to solve the above problems is a powder particle manufacturing apparatus for mixing or crushing powder particles, comprising a mixing container for containing the powder particles, and a drive mechanism for rotating or rocking the mixing container, wherein the mixing container has a top plate, a bottom plate, and side wall portions formed of quartz glass, and a plurality of powder particle accommodation chambers for containing the powder particles, and an outer container for containing the plurality of powder particle accommodation chambers. Furthermore, it is desirable that the powder and granular material storage chamber be a hollow cylindrical quartz glass container. Also, it is desirable that the plurality of hollow cylindrical quartz glass containers be housed in the exterior container in a state of being covered with a buffer material. Further, the outer diameter of the quartz glass container in a state of being covered with the buffer material is 1 / 3 of the inner diameter of the exterior container, and it is desirable that one quartz glass container be arranged at the center of the exterior container and six quartz glass containers be arranged around it. Also, when accommodating a maximum of seven quartz glass containers in the exterior container, if the inner height of the quartz glass container is H, the inner diameter is r, and the filling rate of the powder is a, then 0.000672 < a(1 - a) 0.5 ·r 2 ·H 1.5 < 0.00605 is desirable.

[0012] By accommodating a plurality of small-diameter quartz glass containers in the exterior container in this way, the amount of quartz raw material powder input per quartz glass container can be reduced, and the impact during dropping can be decreased. Also, by using a quartz glass container as the powder and granular material storage container, contamination by impurities can be prevented. Also, since a quartz glass container with a smaller diameter than before is used, the cost can be reduced.

[0013] Moreover, the powder and granular material production method according to the present invention made to solve the above problems is a powder and granular material production method for mixing or crushing powder and granular materials, and in a mixing container having a plurality of powder and granular material storage chambers formed of quartz glass with a top plate, a bottom plate, and side wall portions, and an exterior container for housing the plurality of powder and granular material storage chambers, it includes a step of housing powder and granular materials in the powder and granular material storage chambers, and a step of rotating or oscillating the mixing container.

[0014] By forming multiple powder / granular material storage chambers within the outer container in this manner, the amount of quartz raw material powder placed in each chamber can be reduced, thereby decreasing the impact when the container is dropped. Furthermore, by making the walls of the powder / granular material storage chambers out of quartz glass, contamination by impurities can be prevented. Furthermore, in the aforementioned powder and granular material manufacturing method, using any of the above-mentioned powder and granular material manufacturing apparatuses results in a more effective manufacturing method that takes advantage of the characteristics of each manufacturing apparatus. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a powder and granular material manufacturing apparatus and a powder and granular material manufacturing method that eliminate the risk of contamination by impurities or container damage when mixing or crushing powders and granular materials, without reducing productivity, and with reduced costs. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic side view showing the overall configuration of the powder and granular material manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view showing the overall configuration of the powder and granular material manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the top of the mixing container, cut radially. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a plan view showing the top of the mixing container in radial cross-section. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the powder container. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the opening and closing mechanism of the mixing container. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating preferred dimensions of a quartz glass container housed in a mixing vessel according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic side view showing the overall configuration of the powder and granular material manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, and Figure 2 is a plan view thereof. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the powder and granular material manufacturing apparatus 100 comprises a mixing container 1 with a cylindrical outer shape, a rotating shaft 2 that holds the mixing container 1 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and a drive unit 6 that rotates the rotating shaft 2 in one direction or rotates it repeatedly within a predetermined angular range.

[0018] Furthermore, the powder and granular material manufacturing apparatus 100 is equipped with a bifurcated holding member 3 that rotatably holds both the left and right ends of the rotating shaft 2. As shown in Figure 2, the holding member 3 is composed of a shaft portion 3a and a bifurcated portion 3b, and the shaft portion 3a is perpendicular to the rotating shaft 2 and is rotatable around the axis by a drive unit 4. In this powder and granular material manufacturing apparatus 100, the powder and granular material is contained in the mixing container 1, and the rotating shaft 2 and shaft portion 3a are rotated by the drive units 4 and 6 around their respective axes, causing the mixing container 1 to rotate or oscillate, thereby mixing the powder and granular material inside.

[0019] Next, the configuration of the mixing container 1 will be explained in detail. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the upper part of the mixing container 1 in a radial cross-section, and Figure 4 is a plan view thereof. The mixing container 1 consists of a hollow cylindrical outer container 11 made of, for example, SUS (stainless steel), and a plurality (seven in the figure) of hollow cylindrical powder containers 12 housed inside the outer container 11. As shown in the figure, one powder container 12 is placed in the center of the outer container 11, and six other powder containers 12 are arranged around it.

[0020] Each powder container 12 consists of a hollow cylindrical quartz glass container 13 (powder container) and a nitrile rubber layer 14, for example, 17 mm thick, which covers its entire outer surface (top, bottom, and side surfaces) as a buffer. As shown in Figure 5, the internal height H of each quartz glass container 13 is formed to be, for example, 804 mm, and the internal diameter r is formed to be, for example, 120 mm. The thickness of the side wall portion 13a of the quartz glass container 13 is formed to be, for example, 10 mm, and the thickness of the end faces, the top plate 13b and bottom plate 13c, is formed to be, for example, 25 mm. As shown in Figure 6, the top plate 13b of the quartz glass container 13 is detachably provided so that powder or granular material can be placed inside, and an annular cushioning material (such as nitrile rubber) 15 and an O-ring 16 are interposed at the joint with the upper end of the side wall portion 13a to prevent damage and improve airtightness.

[0021] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the seven quartz glass containers 13 are in contact with adjacent quartz glass containers 13 and the inner surface of the outer container 11 via the nitrile rubber layer 14. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6 (cross-section of the top plate side), the top plate 13b and bottom plate 13c of the quartz glass containers 13 are also in close contact with the inner surfaces of the top plate 11A and bottom plate (not shown) of the outer container 11 via the nitrile rubber layer 14. As a result, each quartz glass container 13 is housed inside the outer container 11 without rattling.

[0022] The outer container 11 is, for example, a bottomed cylindrical shape with an open top, and is configured to close the upper opening with a disc-shaped top plate 11A, as shown in Figure 6. To seal the inside by covering it with this top plate 11A, for example, the flange 11b on the periphery of the top plate and the flange 11a on the periphery of the upper end of the outer container 11 can be aligned as shown in the figure and fixed with a clamping member such as a bolt 17. This presses the nitrile rubber layer 14 that is in contact with its lower surface, and the top plate 13b of the quartz glass container 13 can be fixed in place.

[0023] In this way, the mixing container 1 contains multiple small-diameter quartz glass containers 13 housed within a SUS outer container 11, thereby reducing the amount of quartz raw material powder that can be placed in each quartz glass container 13 and reducing the impact when dropped. In this case, compared to the conventional method of mixing and crushing powder in a single container with a large diameter, the weight per container decreases, but the area of ​​the end surfaces that receive impact from dropping is also smaller, so the maximum pressure on the end surfaces (top plate, bottom plate) when the powder falls does not change significantly.

[0024] Here, the connection between the end face and the cylindrical part is most strongly affected by the force, but because the length of the connection per unit weight increases, the resistance to impact is enhanced. To explain in more detail, if the ratio of powder volume to container volume is constant, the weight of the powder is proportional to the cross-sectional area of ​​the container. Since the container has a circular cross-section, the weight of the powder is proportional to the square of the radius R. Also, the length of the connection part is the circumference of the circle, so it is proportional to the radius R. That is, the length of the connection part per unit weight is R / R 2 It is proportional to 1 / R. Therefore, the smaller the diameter of the container, the longer the connection length per unit weight, and the greater its resistance to impact. This reduces the risk of the quartz glass container 13 breaking.

[0025] Furthermore, in the case of a hollow cylindrical container, the maximum stress S generated in the bottom plate when pressure is applied to the bottom plate is r 2 S is proportional to P (where r is the inner diameter of the container, P is the pressure on the bottom, and S∝r). 2 Therefore, a significant reduction in stress can be expected due to the reduction in diameter. In other words, although the quartz glass container 13 is hollow cylindrical, as described above, the smaller the diameter r of the container, the longer the length per unit weight of the connection between the bottom and the side, and the greater the resistance to impact. Therefore, the maximum stress S generated at the connection due to impact to the bottom can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, small-diameter quartz cylinders are inexpensive, making them cost-effective.

[0026] On the one hand, in this embodiment, in order to accommodate a plurality of powder storage containers 12 in the hollow cylindrical outer container 11 made of SUS, a volume loss occurs. The smaller the diameter of the container 13 made of quartz glass and the larger the number thereof, the smaller this volume loss becomes. However, the loss due to the volume occupied by the side wall thickness of the container 13 made of quartz glass and the nitrile rubber layer 14 (buffer material) increases.

[0027] Also, if the diameter of the container 13 made of quartz glass becomes too small, there is a concern about deterioration in the efficiency of powder mixing. Therefore, as the container 13 made of quartz glass, it is required that the diameter is not too small and the volume loss due to filling is small. Since the closest packing in the case of arranging circles of the same diameter two-dimensionally is a triangular lattice, it is desirable to reduce waste by accommodating three or seven in the cylindrical metal outer package.

[0028] In addition, when seven containers 13 made of quartz glass are accommodated in the outer container 11 as in this embodiment (one container 13 made of quartz glass is arranged at the center of the outer container 11 and six containers 13 made of quartz glass are arranged around it), the outer diameter of the container 13 made of quartz glass including the nitrile rubber layer 14 (buffer material) is 1 / 3 of the inner diameter of the outer container 11. Considering that the diameter of a general drum shaker is several hundred mm, it does not cause an obstacle to powder mixing. However, when accommodating seven or more containers 13 made of quartz glass, it is necessary to further reduce the diameter of each container 13 made of quartz glass, and the mixing efficiency deteriorates rapidly, which is not preferable.

[0029] Since the pressure P at the time of powder collision is proportional to the momentum of the powder at the time of collision, if the powder mass is M and the inner diameter of the container 13 made of quartz glass is r, then P ∝ (Mv / r 2 ) Also, when the velocity v at the time of powder collision is set as the gravitational acceleration g, then v = √(2gh) 0.5 (initial velocity 0, drop h). Therefore, if the height (inner dimension) of the container 13 made of quartz glass is H and the filling rate of the powder in the container is a, then P ∝ (Mv / r 2 ) ∝ (H - h)·h 0.5Therefore (as shown in Figure 7, the mass M of the powder W occupying the container 13 is proportional to its height and width (Hh)), and if the filling rate of the powder W in the container 13 is a, then P∝aH·((1-a)H) 0.5 This is the result. Furthermore, if S is the maximum stress generated in the bottom plate of the container as described above, then S∝r 2 Since P, S∝a(1-a) 0.5 ·r 2 ·H 1.5 That is the case. In the present invention, the a(1-a) is proportional to the maximum stress S. 0.5 ·r 2 ·H 1.5 It defines the range. Specifically, 0.000672 <a(1-a) 0.5 ·r 2 ·H 1.5 It is desirable that the value be <0.00605. This ensures the necessary safety factor in the quartz glass container 13 (ensuring the necessary safety factor of 20 or more when using glass products in dynamic processes).

[0030] The powder and granular material manufacturing apparatus 100 configured in this way can be used, for example, as a mixer or crusher for forming the Al concentration of natural quartz raw material powder that forms the outer layer of a crucible within a predetermined range. When used as a mixer, specifically, the Al concentration of the natural quartz raw material powder that forms the outer layer is measured in each quartz glass container 13, and a predetermined amount of aluminum (Al) is added to the natural quartz raw material powder so that the Al concentration of the outer layer is within a predetermined range. The Al concentration can be adjusted by dissolving a small amount of aluminum nitrate, aluminum carbonate, or aluminum chloride in pure water or alcohol to make an aqueous solution, and adding this to the natural quartz raw material powder.

[0031] Next, a predetermined amount of natural quartz raw material powder with aluminum (Al) added as described above is placed in each of the seven quartz glass containers 13 (for example, 54% of the container's volume), and after being covered with a nitrile rubber layer 14, it is placed in the outer container 11 and sealed (forming the mixing container 1). Next, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the mixing container 1 is set in the powder manufacturing apparatus 100, and the drive unit 6 rotates the mixing container 1 vertically in a predetermined direction at a predetermined speed together with the rotating shaft 2, while the other drive unit 4 rotates the shaft 3a around its axis. As a result, the powder is mixed without uneven distribution within each of the quartz glass containers 13 inside the mixing container 1. After this mixing process continues for a predetermined time, the operation of the drive units 4 and 6 is stopped, and the mixing process ends.

[0032] In the above mixing process, by housing multiple small-diameter quartz glass containers 13 inside a SUS outer container 11, the amount of quartz raw material powder put into each quartz glass container 13 can be reduced, thereby reducing the impact when dropped. Furthermore, by using quartz glass containers 13 as containers for the powder and granular material, contamination by impurities can be prevented. Furthermore, by using smaller diameter quartz glass containers than conventional ones, costs can be reduced. [Examples]

[0033] The powder and granular material manufacturing apparatus and the method for manufacturing powder and granular material using the same according to the present invention will be further described based on examples.

[0034] (Experiment 1) In Example 1 of Experiment 1, a mixing container was formed in the simulation by housing seven quartz glass containers 13 inside a drum-shaped stainless steel outer container 11 (inner diameter 506 mm) as shown in Figure 3. Each quartz glass container 13 was covered with a nitrile rubber layer 14 with a thickness of 17 mm. More specifically, as shown in Figure 4, three quartz glass containers 13 were packed into the outer container 11 in the diametrical direction. The diameter of the three packed containers 13, including the nitrile rubber layer 14, was 522 mm ((outer diameter of quartz glass container 13 140 mm + total thickness of nitrile rubber layer 14 34 mm) × 3 containers), and the nitrile rubber layer 14 was compressed in the thickness direction and packed into the outer container with an inner diameter of 506 mm. The internal dimensions of the quartz glass container 13 were 804 mm in height, 120 mm in diameter, 10 mm in thickness for the side walls, and 10 mm in thickness for the top and bottom plates. Furthermore, in each quartz glass container 13, quartz raw material powder at a volume ratio of 54% (filling rate a=0.54) was allowed to free-fall from the top of the container, and the stress generated in response to the maximum pressure applied to the end face of the container was simulated.

[0035] Furthermore, the simulation analysis was conducted using a simplified model in which the quartz glass container 13 is a single, closed cylinder (Young's modulus 73.1 GPa, Poisson's ratio 0.17). Furthermore, the initial compression of nitrile rubber 14 is not considered, and the same applies to a normal elastic body (Young's modulus 8.15 × 10⁻⁶). ―4 The GPa and Poisson's ratio were set to 0.499. The outer container 11 was made of stainless steel (Young's modulus 206.3 GPa, Poisson's ratio 0.3). Furthermore, as an analytical model for powders, we modified a non-Newtonian viscosity model to create a pseudo-powder model that exhibits behavior similar to that of powder. The basic model is the Bingham viscosity model (a fluid with yield shear stress). This was modified so that shear stress acts only when pressure is applied, and this was verified by collapse analysis of a columnar model. As a simulation of powder falling inside a quartz glass container 13, a two-dimensional axisymmetric model was used to analyze the process from when the pseudo-powder placed at the top collides with the bottom surface, and the pressure distribution at which the bottom pressure is maximum during the collision was analyzed using stress analysis.

[0036] As a result of this Example 1, a maximum tensile stress of 0.36 MPa was generated at the intersection of the end face inside the container 13 and the cylindrical end. When calculating the safety factor based on a tensile strength of 48 MPa for quartz glass, a safety factor of 133 was obtained. Since a safety factor of 20 or higher is desirable when using glass products in dynamic processes, a sufficient safety factor was obtained in this embodiment 1.

[0037] (Comparative Example 1) In Comparative Example 1, the simulation used a drum-shaped resin container with an internal height of 804 mm and an internal diameter of 415 mm, in which the quartz raw material powder was contained. Furthermore, a quartz raw material powder with a volume of 54% (filling rate a=0.54) was allowed to free-fall from the top of the container, and the stress generated in response to the maximum pressure applied to the bottom of the container was simulated. The simulation analysis conditions were the same as in Example 1.

[0038] As a result, a maximum tensile stress of 4.34 MPa was generated at the intersection of the end face inside the container and the end of the cylinder. When calculating the safety factor based on a tensile strength of 48 MPa for quartz glass, the safety factor was 11. Since a safety factor of 20 or higher is desirable when using glass products in dynamic processes, this comparative example 1 was insufficient, and it was confirmed that there is a risk of breakage in the case of quartz glass containers.

[0039] (Experiment 2) In Experiment 2, when the filling rate of the quartz glass container 13 is a, the inner diameter is r, and the inner height is H, the preferred a(1-a) 0.5 ·r 2 ·H 1.5 The range was investigated using the same simulation analysis conditions as in Experiment 1. First, when a powder drop simulation was performed on a quartz glass container 13 with dimensions r=207.5mm and H=804mm, with a filling rate a=0.54, the safety factor was 11. Also, in this case, a(1-a) 0.5 ·r 2 ·H 1.5 The result was 0.011. A safety factor of 20 or higher is recommended for quartz glass products under dynamic loading. Therefore, the design must ensure that the maximum stress S is 11 / 20 times or less. Therefore, a(1-a) 0.5 ·r 2 ·H 1.5 The condition must satisfy <0.011 × (11 / 20) = 0.00605. In the embodiment described above, the outer container 11 houses seven quartz glass containers 13, so the diameter becomes 1 / 3. Therefore, 0.00605 × (1 / 3) 2 =0.000672 <a(1-a) 0.5 ·r 2 ·H1.5 It's enough to satisfy the requirements. Therefore, when accommodating a maximum of 7 quartz glass containers 13 inside the outer container 11, 0.000672 <a(1-a) 0.5 ·r 2 ·H 1.5 It is desirable that the value be <0.00605.

[0040] Based on the results of the above embodiments, it was confirmed that the present invention provides a powder and granular material manufacturing apparatus that eliminates the risk of container damage. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 1 mixing container 2. Rotating shaft (drive mechanism) 3. Holding member (drive mechanism) 3a Shaft section (drive mechanism) 3b. Bifurcated section (drive mechanism) 4. Drive Unit (Drive Mechanism) 6. Drive Unit (Drive Mechanism) 11. Outer container 12 Powder container 13 Quartz glass container 14. Nitrile rubber layer (cushioning material) 100 Semiconductor manufacturing components

Claims

1. A powder and granular material manufacturing apparatus for mixing or crushing powders and granular materials, A cylindrical mixing container, The mixing container is equipped with a drive mechanism for rotating or oscillating it. The mixing container has a top plate, a bottom plate, and side walls made of quartz glass, and includes a plurality of hollow cylindrical quartz glass containers for containing the powder and granules, and a hollow cylindrical outer container for containing the plurality of hollow cylindrical quartz glass containers. A powder and granular material manufacturing apparatus, wherein the plurality of hollow cylindrical quartz glass containers are housed in the hollow cylindrical outer container, with each of the hollow cylindrical quartz glass containers having its entire outer surface covered with a cushioning material.

2. The outer diameter of each hollow cylindrical quartz glass container, when the entire outer surface of each hollow cylindrical quartz glass container is covered with the cushioning material, is 1 / 3 the inner diameter of the hollow cylindrical outer container. The powder and granular material manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one hollow cylindrical quartz glass container is placed in the center of the hollow cylindrical outer container, and six hollow cylindrical quartz glass containers are placed around it.

3. The powder manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drive mechanism includes a rotating shaft that extends perpendicular to the central axis of the cylindrical mixing container and holds the cylindrical mixing container, and a first drive unit for rotating the rotating shaft so as to rotate or oscillate the cylindrical mixing container in the vertical direction.

4. The powder manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the drive mechanism further includes a holding member having a shaft portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis and a bifurcated portion that rotatably holds the rotation axis, and a second drive unit for rotating the shaft portion around its axis.

5. When a maximum of seven hollow cylindrical quartz glass containers are housed within the aforementioned hollow cylindrical outer container, if the inner height of the hollow cylindrical quartz glass container is H, the inner diameter is r, and the powder filling rate is a, then 0.000672 < a (1-a) ０．５ r ２ ・H １．５ A powder and granular material manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the value is <0.00605.

6. A method for producing powders and granules in a powder and granules production apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the powders and granules are mixed or crushed. The process of placing the powdered material into the aforementioned hollow cylindrical quartz glass container, A method for producing powder or granular material, comprising the step of rotating or oscillating the mixing container.

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