Annealing apparatus

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides an annealing equipment, relates to the technical field of annealing devices, and is used for solving the technical problem that a display module area corresponding to the edge position of a substrate is not uniform in a low gray scale picture when a display picture is displayed. The annealing equipment comprises an annealing cavity, at least two heating layers are arranged at intervals in the first direction in the annealing cavity, and an annealing chamber is formed by two adjacent heating layers and the side walls between the two adjacent heating layers. The side walls between the two adjacent heating layers comprise a first side wall and a second side wall, a first heater and an air inlet hole are arranged on the first side wall, and an air outlet hole is arranged on the second side wall. An air guide pipe is arranged at the air outlet end of the air inlet hole, and the air guide pipe extends into the annealing chamber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of annealing apparatus technology, and more particularly to an annealing device. Background Technology

[0002] The activation process in substrate processing is to activate the impurity atoms implanted into the substrate during the ion implantation process, that is, to "repair" the damaged lattice and allow the impurities to enter the electroactive sites.

[0003] In related technologies, the activation process of substrate processing employs an annealing apparatus to activate impurity atoms implanted into the substrate. The annealing apparatus includes an annealing chamber, within which a heater is disposed. The annealing chamber has a first sidewall and a second sidewall. An air inlet is disposed on the first sidewall, and an air outlet is disposed on the second sidewall. Part of the heater is disposed on the first sidewall. The substrate is placed in the annealing chamber for annealing treatment to activate the impurity atoms implanted into the substrate.

[0004] However, when the substrate processed by the above-mentioned annealing equipment is applied to the display module, the display module area corresponding to the edge of the substrate has a problem of uneven low grayscale display when displaying the image. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above problems, the purpose of this application is to provide an annealing apparatus to improve the problem of uneven low grayscale images in the display module area corresponding to the edge of the substrate when displaying images.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of this application provide the following technical solutions:

[0007] A first aspect of this application provides an annealing apparatus, including an annealing chamber, wherein at least two heating layers are spaced apart along a first direction in the annealing chamber, and adjacent two heating layers and the sidewall between adjacent two heating layers enclose an annealing chamber.

[0008] The sidewall between two adjacent heating layers includes a first sidewall and a second sidewall. The first sidewall is provided with a first heater and an air inlet, and the second sidewall is provided with an air outlet.

[0009] The air inlet is provided with a first air guide pipe at its outlet end, and the first air guide pipe extends into the annealing chamber.

[0010] The beneficial effects of the annealing equipment provided in the first aspect of the embodiments of this application are as follows: The annealing equipment provided in the embodiments of this application provides a first air guide pipe in the air inlet. When gas is introduced into the air inlet, the gas entering from the air inlet is guided by the first air guide pipe and blown into the annealing chamber, so that the temperature of the gas blown into the annealing chamber is closer to the temperature inside the annealing chamber, thereby reducing the heat difference between the heat blown into the annealing chamber and the heat inside the annealing chamber. When the annealing equipment is used to anneal the substrate, the edge area of ​​the substrate near the first sidewall is the first substrate edge area. When the gas introduced from the air inlet blows into the first substrate edge area, the heat difference between the heat blown into the first substrate edge area and the heat inside the first substrate edge area is small, which improves the situation of poor substrate quality caused by the large heat difference between the heat blown into the first substrate edge area and the heat inside the first substrate edge area. In addition, it improves the problem of uneven low grayscale images in the display module area corresponding to the substrate edge near the first sidewall when displaying the image.

[0011] In one possible implementation, a first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate is provided on the side of the annealing chamber near the first sidewall. The first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate divides the annealing chamber into a first space and a second space, and the annealed object is placed in the second space.

[0012] The first air duct passes through the first space and the first radiation-shielding heat equalization plate in sequence and then extends into the second space;

[0013] Preferably, the air inlet is provided with multiple air inlets, and at least two of the air inlets are provided with a first air guide pipe at their air outlet ends, and the first radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate is installed on the first air guide pipe.

[0014] Preferably, all the air inlets are provided with a first air guide pipe at their air outlet ends, and all the first air guide pipes pass through the first radiation shielding heat equalization plate and extend into the second space;

[0015] Preferably, two adjacent heating layers are arranged parallel to each other;

[0016] The object undergoing the annealing process is a substrate. A support structure for placing the substrate is provided in the second space. The substrate placed on the support structure is perpendicular to the first sidewall and parallel to the heating layer.

[0017] Preferably, there are multiple support structures, and the multiple support structures are spaced apart along the first direction.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the first radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate is installed at one end of the first air duct near the supporting structure.

[0019] When the substrate is placed on the support structure, along the direction perpendicular to the first sidewall, the distance between the side of the substrate closest to the first sidewall and the first heater is A, and the distance between the end of the first air duct closest to the support structure and the first heater is B, where B = 2 / 3A.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the first radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate is provided with mounting holes at positions corresponding to the first air duct.

[0021] The first air duct has an external thread at one end near the support structure, and two fixing nuts are installed on the external thread.

[0022] The first air guide tube passes through the first radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate from the mounting hole, and the two fixing nuts are located on both sides of the first radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate to fix the first radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate.

[0023] Preferably, the external thread includes a first external thread segment and a second external thread segment, with a smooth segment between the first external thread segment and the second external thread segment, and the first radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate is installed at the smooth segment.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the first radiation-shielding heat-dampening plate is inclined at both ends toward one side of the first sidewall in the first direction.

[0025] Preferably, the tilt angle of one end of the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate towards the first sidewall in the first direction is X, and the tilt angle of the other end of the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate towards the first sidewall in the first direction is Y, wherein 30°≤X≤50° and 30°≤Y≤50°.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the first heater includes a plurality of first heating rods spaced apart along the first direction, the first heating rods being arranged parallel to a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction and parallel to the first sidewall;

[0027] The plurality of air inlets are arranged in a row and are positioned between two adjacent first heating rods among the plurality of first heating rods;

[0028] Preferably, the orthographic projection of the substrate placed on any of the support structures onto the first sidewall lies between two adjacent first heating rods.

[0029] In one possible implementation, at least one fastener is provided in the annealing chamber;

[0030] One of the support structures is disposed on one of the two adjacent heating layers, and the remaining support structures correspond one-to-one with the fixing members, and the support structure corresponding to the fixing member is installed on the fixing member;

[0031] Preferably, the first sidewall and the second sidewall are disposed opposite to each other;

[0032] The fastener includes multiple fastening rods, one end of which is connected to the first side wall and the other end of which is connected to the second side wall;

[0033] Preferably, the two ends of the first sidewall in the second direction are a first end and a second end, respectively, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction and parallel to the first sidewall;

[0034] The fixing rod is a third heating rod. The multiple third heating rods are divided into two groups. The orthographic projection of one group of third heating rods on the first side wall is located on the first side wall and close to the first end. The orthographic projection of the other group of third heating rods on the first side wall is located on the first side wall and close to the second end.

[0035] In one possible implementation, a second heater is provided on the second sidewall, and a second air guide pipe is provided at the air inlet end of the air outlet, the second air guide pipe extending into the annealing chamber;

[0036] Preferably, a second radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate is provided on the side of the annealing chamber near the second sidewall, and the annealed object is placed in the space on the side of the second radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate away from the second sidewall, and the second air guide pipe passes through the second radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate.

[0037] Preferably, there are multiple air outlets, and at least two of the air outlets are provided with second air guide pipes at their air inlet ends, and the second radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate is installed on the second air guide pipes;

[0038] Preferably, all of the air outlets are provided with a second air guide pipe at their air inlet end.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the second heater includes a plurality of second heating rods spaced apart and arranged parallel to each other;

[0040] Preferably, the second heater and the first heater are mirror images of each other with the first plane as a mirror plane, and the air outlet and the air inlet are mirror images of each other with the first plane as a mirror plane, wherein the first plane is a plane parallel to the first sidewall and passes through the center of the annealing chamber.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the heating layer includes a plurality of fourth heating rods spaced apart;

[0042] The first sidewall and the second sidewall are disposed opposite to each other;

[0043] One end of the fourth heating rod is connected to the first side wall, and the other end is connected to the second side wall;

[0044] Preferably, the fourth heating rod is fitted with a radiation shielding sleeve. Attached Figure Description

[0045] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0046] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the annealing equipment provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 2 This is an internal structural diagram of the annealing equipment provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the annealing apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 4 for Figure 3 The main view.

[0050] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0051] 10. Annealing chamber; 11. First space; 12. Second space;

[0052] 100. First sidewall;

[0053] 110. First gas guide tube; 120. First heating rod;

[0054] 111. First fixing nut; 112. Second fixing nut;

[0055] 200. Second sidewall;

[0056] 210. Second air guide tube; 220. Second heating rod;

[0057] 300. First radiation-shielding heat-dissipating plate;

[0058] 400. Second radiation-shielding heat-dissipating plate;

[0059] 500, Heating layer;

[0060] 600. Supporting structure;

[0061] 700, Third heating rod;

[0062] 800. Substrate. Detailed Implementation

[0063] As described in the background art, in related technologies, when a substrate treated with an annealing apparatus is applied to a display module, the display module area corresponding to the edge of the substrate exhibits a problem of uneven low grayscale display when showing an image. The inventors discovered that this problem arises because the heat in the first sidewall region is higher than the heat in the center of the annealing chamber. When gas is introduced through the air inlet, the gas entering the annealing chamber blows the heat from the first sidewall region into the annealing chamber. This causes a higher-temperature airflow to flow onto the substrate within the annealing chamber, resulting in uneven heating of the substrate near the edge of the first sidewall. This affects the quality of the substrate near the first sidewall edge, leading to uneven low grayscale display in the display module area corresponding to that edge.

[0064] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the annealing equipment provided in this application embodiment includes a first air guide pipe installed at the outlet end of the air inlet. The first air guide pipe extends into the annealing chamber. When gas is introduced through the air inlet, the gas entering from the air inlet is guided by the first air guide pipe and blown into the annealing chamber. This makes the temperature of the gas blown into the annealing chamber closer to the temperature inside the annealing chamber, thereby reducing the heat difference between the heat blown into the annealing chamber and the heat inside the annealing chamber. This reduces the situation where poor substrate quality is caused by an excessively large heat difference between the heat blown into the annealing chamber and the heat inside the annealing chamber.

[0065] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of the embodiments of this application more apparent and understandable, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of the embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application.

[0066] Reference Figures 1-4 This application provides an annealing device, which includes an annealing chamber. At least two heating layers 500 are spaced apart in the annealing chamber along a first direction. The two adjacent heating layers 500 and the sidewall between the two adjacent heating layers 500 enclose an annealing chamber 10. The heating layers 500 are used to heat the annealing chamber 10 so that the temperature distribution inside the annealing chamber is relatively uniform.

[0067] In the embodiments of this application, the first direction can be horizontal, vertical, or other possible directions, which are not specifically limited here.

[0068] The sidewall between two adjacent heating layers 500 includes a first sidewall 100 and a second sidewall 200. The first sidewall 100 is provided with a first heater and an air inlet, and the second sidewall 200 is provided with a second heater and an air outlet. The first heater is used to heat the area of ​​the first sidewall 100 of the annealing chamber 10 to prevent the temperature of the first sidewall 100 from being lower than the temperature inside the annealing chamber 10, thereby affecting the quality of the annealed product. Similarly, the second heater is used to heat the area of ​​the second sidewall 200 of the annealing chamber 10 to prevent the temperature of the second sidewall 200 from being lower than the temperature inside the annealing chamber 10, thereby affecting the quality of the annealed product. The air inlet is the air intake channel of the annealing chamber 10, and the air outlet is the air outlet channel of the annealing chamber 10. When the annealing equipment of this embodiment is used for the annealing treatment of the substrate 800, nitrogen gas is introduced into the annealing chamber 10 through the air inlet, and the gas in the annealing chamber 10 is discharged through the air outlet. This keeps a certain gas environment in the annealing chamber 10, avoids the influence of oxygen on the annealing treatment of the substrate 800, and controls the pressure in the annealing chamber 10 by controlling the air intake and air outlet, which facilitates the annealing treatment of the substrate 800.

[0069] In related technologies, the air inlet is located on the first sidewall 100, and a first heater is also provided on the first sidewall 100. The heat generated by the first heater is concentrated in the area of ​​the first sidewall 100 and gradually transferred into the annealing chamber 10. That is, the heat in the area of ​​the first sidewall 100 is higher than the heat inside the annealing chamber 10. When gas enters the annealing chamber 10 through the air inlet, the gas entering through the air inlet will directly blow the heat from the first sidewall 100 into the annealing chamber 10. In other words, under the action of airflow, the gas with a higher temperature will be directly blown into the annealing chamber. Inside the annealing chamber 10, this can cause uneven heat distribution, which in turn affects the quality of products annealed in the annealing chamber 10. Furthermore, since the gas is blown into the annealing chamber 10 from the first side wall 100, it exchanges heat with the surrounding environment during the gas flow. Therefore, the high-temperature gas blown into the annealing chamber 10 will gradually decrease to match the temperature inside the annealing chamber 10. In other words, when the annealing equipment in the related technology is used to anneal the substrate 800, the high-temperature gas blown into the annealing chamber 10 has a significant impact on the edges of the substrate 800.

[0070] To address the aforementioned issues, in this embodiment, a first air guide pipe 110 is provided at the outlet end of the air inlet. The first air guide pipe 110 extends into the annealing chamber 10. In other words, the first air guide pipe 110 is installed inside the annealing chamber 10, positioned at the outlet end of the air inlet. Gas entering through the air inlet passes through the first air guide pipe 110 and is then discharged into the annealing chamber 10. In this embodiment, heating layers 500 are provided on opposite sides of the annealing chamber 10, resulting in a relatively uniform heat distribution in other areas of the annealing chamber 10, except for localized areas near the heat sources (first heater, second heater, and heating layers). This ensures that when gas entering through the air inlet is guided into the annealing chamber by the first air guide pipe 110, the temperature of the gas blowing into the interior of the annealing chamber is almost close to the temperature in the center of the annealing chamber, reducing the heat difference between the heat blowing into the interior of the annealing chamber and the heat in the center of the annealing chamber. When this annealing equipment is used for the annealing treatment of substrate 800... The edge region of the substrate 800 near the first sidewall 100 is the first substrate edge region. When the gas introduced from the first air duct 110 blows towards the first substrate edge region, the heat difference between the heat blown towards the first substrate edge region and the heat of the first substrate edge region is small. This improves the situation where the substrate 800 is of poor quality due to the large heat difference between the heat blown towards the first substrate edge region and the heat of the first substrate edge region. In turn, it improves the problem of uneven low grayscale images in the display module area corresponding to the edge of the substrate 800 near the first sidewall 100 when displaying images.

[0071] In some possible embodiments of this application, 14 heating layers 500 are provided from bottom to top in the annealing chamber, and the 14 heating layers 500 cooperate to form 13 annealing chambers 10 in the annealing chamber.

[0072] The annealing equipment provided in this application embodiment can be used to process glass substrates or other objects requiring annealing. In the following embodiments, processing a glass substrate is used as an example, that is, the object to be annealed is a substrate.

[0073] In some embodiments of this application, a first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 is provided on the side of the annealing chamber 10 near the first sidewall 100. The first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 divides the annealing chamber 10 into a first space 11 and a second space 12. The object to be annealed is placed in the second space 12. A first air guide pipe 110 passes through the first space 11 and the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 in sequence and then extends into the second space 12. That is, the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 divides the annealing chamber 10 into two regions: one region is the first space 11, which is the region near the first sidewall 100 and receives more heat due to its proximity to the first sidewall 100; the other region is the second space 12, which is the region where the object is annealed.

[0074] Since the light radiation generated by the first heater located on the first sidewall 100 is relatively high, it will also affect the quality of the edge of the substrate 800 near the first sidewall 100. Therefore, the first radiation-shielding heat-dampening plate 300 is provided to shield the first heater located on the first sidewall 100 and reduce the impact of light radiation on the edge of the substrate 800. On the other hand, the heat emitted by the first heater is diffused and mixed in the first space 11, and then transferred to the second space 12 through the first radiation-shielding heat-dampening plate 300. The heat in the first space 11 diffuses in the first space 11 and is then transferred to the first radiation-shielding heat-dampening plate 300, so that the first radiation-shielding heat-dampening plate 300 is effectively shielded. The heat on the uniform heat plate 300 is relatively uniform, which is a better way of heat transfer than the direct heat diffusion of the first heater, thus improving the annealing quality of the substrate 800. In addition, the first air guide pipe 110 passes through the radiation-shielding uniform heat plate. When gas is introduced through the air inlet, the gas entering from the air inlet is guided by the first air guide pipe 110 and blown out from the side of the first radiation-shielding uniform heat plate 300 away from the first sidewall 100. This makes the temperature of the gas blown into the annealing chamber 10 closer to the temperature inside the annealing chamber 10, thereby reducing the situation where the substrate 800 is of poor quality due to the large difference between the heat blown into the annealing chamber 10 and the heat inside the annealing chamber 10.

[0075] The first radiation-shielding heat-uniform plate 300, in conjunction with the first air duct 110, reduces the impact of light radiation and uneven heat distribution on the edge of the substrate 800, thereby improving the annealing quality of the substrate 800.

[0076] In some embodiments of this application, multiple air inlets are provided, and at least two air inlets have a first air guide pipe 110 at their outlet ends. The first radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate 300 is mounted on the first air guide pipe 110. That is, multiple air inlets are provided on the first sidewall 100, and multiple air inlets simultaneously introduce gas into the annealing chamber 10. The first air guide pipe 110 is provided at the outlet ends of at least two air inlets so that the first radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate 300 can be mounted on the first air guide pipe 110. This is because two or more first air guide pipes 110 can stably support the first radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate 300.

[0077] In some possible embodiments of this application, the outlet end of all air inlets is provided with a first air guide pipe 110. All first air guide pipes 110 pass through the first radiation shielding heat equalization plate 300 and extend into the second space 12. This arrangement allows the first radiation shielding heat equalization plate 300 to be stably set in the annealing chamber 10 under the support of multiple first air guide pipes 110. On the other hand, the gas introduced into the annealing chamber 10 is blown out from the side of the first radiation shielding heat equalization plate 300 away from the first sidewall 100, so that the temperature of the gas blown towards the middle of the annealing chamber 10 is closer to the temperature of the middle of the annealing chamber 10, thereby reducing the situation where the substrate 800 is of poor quality due to the large difference between the heat blown towards the inside of the annealing chamber 10 and the heat inside the annealing chamber 10.

[0078] In some other possible embodiments of this application, at least two air inlets are provided with first air guide pipes 110 at their outlet ends, and at least one air inlet is not provided with a first air guide pipe at its outlet end. Air inlets with first air guide pipes 110 allow the incoming gas to be introduced into the second space 12, maintaining a certain pressure within the second space 12. Since the second space 12 is larger than the first space 11, directly introducing gas into the second space 12 promotes the rapid expulsion of oxygen from the second space 12, ensuring a suitable gas environment. Air inlets without first air guide pipes allow the incoming gas to be introduced into the first space 11. This arrangement, on the one hand, promotes the diffusion of oxygen from the first space 11 into the second space 12, and... The gas is discharged through the exhaust vent in the second space 12. On the other hand, the airflow can promote the diffusion and mixing of heat in the first space 11, so that the temperature on the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 is more evenly distributed. The heat is greater near the first side wall 100 and less near the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 in the first space 11. The gas entering the first space 11 accelerates the uniformization of the heat distribution in the first space 11 and tends to be the same as the temperature in the middle of the annealing chamber 10. As a result, the temperature of the airflow driven by the gas blown out from the side of the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 away from the first side wall 100 is close to the temperature of the edge area of ​​the substrate 800, reducing the impact of the uneven temperature distribution caused by the airflow on the edge of the substrate 800.

[0079] Of course, it is worth noting that in the above embodiments, other air ducts can be provided at the air outlet of the air inlet without the first air duct. However, the air outlets of these air ducts are located in the first space 11, and they can also play the role of promoting the uniform mixing of heat in the first space 11.

[0080] Optionally, the first radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate 300 is provided with mounting holes at positions corresponding to the first air guide pipe 110. The end of the first air guide pipe 110 near the support structure 600 is provided with external threads, on which two fixing nuts are installed: a first fixing nut 111 and a second fixing nut 112. The first air guide pipe 110 passes through the first radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate 300 from the mounting holes. The two fixing nuts are located on both sides of the first radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate 300 to fix it. In other words, firstly... A first fixing nut 111 is installed on the first air duct 110, and then the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 is installed on the first air duct 110. Then, a second fixing nut 112 is installed on the first air duct 110. The first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 is clamped between the first fixing nut 111 and the second fixing nut 112, thereby fixing the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 and preventing it from falling off during the annealing process and causing damage to the substrate 800 and the components in the annealing chamber 10.

[0081] Optionally, the external thread includes a first external thread and a second external thread, with a smooth section between the first external thread and the second external thread. A first fixing nut 111 is installed on the first external thread, and a second fixing nut 112 is installed on the second external thread. A first radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate 300 is installed at the smooth section. This arrangement allows the first radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate 300 to be in close contact with the first air guide pipe 110.

[0082] In some embodiments of this application, a support structure 600 for placing a substrate 800 is provided in the second space 12. Two adjacent heating layers 500 are arranged parallel to each other. The substrate 800 placed on the support structure 600 is perpendicular to the first sidewall 100 and parallel to the heating layer 500. Optionally, multiple support structures 600 are provided, and the multiple support structures 600 are spaced apart along the first direction. Multiple support structures 600 are provided in the annealing chamber 10, so that multiple substrates 800 can be placed in the annealing chamber 10 at one time, thereby increasing the production capacity of the annealing chamber 10.

[0083] Optionally, the annealing chamber 10 is provided with at least one fixing member. When multiple support structures 600 are provided, one support structure 600 is provided on one of two adjacent heating layers 500, and the remaining support structures 600 correspond one-to-one with the fixing member. The support structure 600 corresponding to the fixing member is installed on the fixing member, and the fixing member provides the installation position for the support structure 600. For example, when the annealing chamber 10 is oriented from bottom to top, one support structure 600 is provided on the lower heating layer 500 in the annealing chamber 10, and the remaining support structures 600 are provided on the fixing member.

[0084] In some embodiments of this application, the first sidewall 100 and the second sidewall 200 are disposed opposite to each other. The fixing member includes a plurality of fixing rods, one end of which is connected to the first sidewall and the other end of which is connected to the second sidewall. The fixing rods provide mounting points for the installation of the support structure 600.

[0085] In some embodiments of this application, the two ends of the first sidewall 100 in the second direction are respectively the first end and the second end, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction and parallel to the first sidewall 100. The fixing rod is a third heating rod 700, and multiple third heating rods 700 are divided into two groups. One group of third heating rods has its orthographic projection on the first sidewall 100 located on the first sidewall 100 and close to the first end, while the other group of third heating rods has its orthographic projection on the first sidewall 100 located on the first sidewall 100 and close to the second end. Optionally, each group of third heating rods includes one third heating rod 700, which is located at both ends of the first sidewall 100 along the second direction and perpendicular to the first sidewall 100. The arrangement of the third heating rods 700 provides mounting points for the support structure 600 and, on the other hand, provides heat to the two sidewalls of the annealing chamber 10 in the second direction, ensuring that the temperature in the area of ​​the two sidewalls of the annealing chamber 10 in the second direction is not too low.

[0086] Optionally, there is one fastener, that is, there are two support structures 600, one of which is installed on the heating layer 500 and the other is installed on the fastener.

[0087] Optionally, a radiation shielding sleeve is provided on the third heating rod 700, which can reduce the light radiation emitted by the third heating rod to a certain extent.

[0088] In some possible embodiments of this application, the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 is installed at one end of the first air duct 110 near the support structure 600. When the substrate 800 is placed on the support structure 600, along the direction perpendicular to the first sidewall 100, the distance between the side of the substrate 800 near the first sidewall 100 and the first heater is A, and the distance between the end of the first air duct 110 near the support structure 600 and the first heater is B, where B = 2 / 3A. This arrangement makes the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 and the first sidewall 100 have a relatively large distance, which promotes the heat in the first space 11 to be fully mixed and closer to the temperature in the middle of the annealing chamber 10. This makes the temperature on the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 more uniformly distributed, and makes the temperature in the area on the side of the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 away from the first sidewall 100 closer to the temperature in the middle of the annealing chamber 10, reducing the impact of the gas flow into the second space 12 on the edge of the substrate 800.

[0089] Optionally, the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 is inclined at both ends toward one side of the first sidewall 100 in the first direction. This arrangement can further enclose the first space 11, further reduce the influence of the light radiation from the first heater on the edge of the substrate 800, and to a certain extent prevent heat in the first space 11 from diffusing from both ends of the first space 11 in the first direction into the second space 12. Optionally, the inclination angle of one end of the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 toward the first sidewall 100 in the first direction is X, and the inclination angle of the other end of the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 toward the first sidewall 100 in the first direction is Y, where 30°≤X≤50° and 30°≤Y≤50°.

[0090] In some embodiments of the application, the first heater includes a plurality of first heating rods 120 spaced apart along a first direction. The first heating rods 120 are arranged parallel to a second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction and parallel to the first sidewall 100. The arrangement of the first heating rods 120 extending in the second direction ensures that the distance between any position of the substrate 800 near the edge of the first sidewall 100 and any position of the first heating rod 120 is the same, thus guaranteeing the uniformity of the substrate 800's quality.

[0091] Multiple air inlets are arranged in a row and positioned between two adjacent first heating rods 120. Optionally, when multiple support structures 600 are provided, the orthographic projection of the substrate 800 placed on any support structure 600 onto the first sidewall 100 lies between two adjacent first heating rods 120; that is, the substrate 800 and the first heating rods 120 are not directly opposite each other. Optionally, the orthographic projection of the substrate 800 placed on any support structure 600 onto the first sidewall 100 does not lie between the two first heating rods 120 with air inlets. This arrangement can prevent gas entering from the air inlets from directly blowing onto the edge of the substrate 800, thus improving the quality of the substrate 800.

[0092] In some embodiments of this application, there are four first heating rods 120, and multiple air inlets are disposed between the middle two of the four first heating rods 120. That is, the multiple air inlets are arranged in a row along the second direction, with two first heating rods 120 on one side and two first heating rods 120 on the other side, and the direction of the first heating rods 120 is parallel to the direction in which the multiple air inlets are arranged. There are two support structures 600. When the substrate 800 is placed on the two support structures 600, the orthographic projection of the substrate 800 placed on one support structure 600 on the first sidewall 100 is located between the first two first heating rods 120 arranged along the first direction, and the orthographic projection of the substrate 800 placed on the other support structure 600 on the first sidewall 100 is located between the last two first heating rods 120 arranged along the first direction. This arrangement ensures that the substrate 800 is not directly facing the first heating rods 120. The axial direction of the first air guide tube 110 is the same as the axial direction of the air inlet. This arrangement allows the gas introduced into the second space 12 to be blown between the two substrates 800, avoiding the gas introduced into the second space 12 from being blown directly to the edge of the substrate 800, and reducing the impact of the gas introduced into the second space 12 on the quality of the substrate 800.

[0093] In some embodiments of this application, a second heater and an exhaust port are provided on the second sidewall 200. After the gas enters the annealing chamber 10 through the exhaust port, the gas in the annealing chamber 10 is discharged through the exhaust port. This arrangement realizes gas circulation in the annealing chamber 10 and ensures that a certain pressure can be maintained in the annealing chamber 10. However, since the second heater is provided on the second sidewall 200 where the exhaust port is located, the heat in the area of ​​the second sidewall 200 is greater than the heat in the middle of the annealing chamber 10. Under the action of airflow, the gas flowing out of the exhaust port will carry away some of the heat in the area of ​​the second sidewall 200. This means that the heat in the area of ​​the second sidewall 200 is carried away by the gas discharged from the annealing chamber 10 before it can diffuse into the annealing chamber 10, resulting in a large heat loss in the annealing chamber 10 and increasing the energy consumption of the annealing chamber 10. Therefore, in some embodiments of this application, a second air guide pipe 210 is provided at the air inlet end of the air outlet. The second air guide pipe 210 extends into the annealing chamber 10. That is, the second air guide pipe 210 is provided at one end of the air outlet located inside the annealing chamber 10, and the air inlet end of the second air guide pipe 210 is located inside the annealing chamber 10. This arrangement allows the gas with a temperature close to that of the middle of the annealing chamber 10 to be discharged from the annealing chamber 10 through the second air guide pipe 210 and the air outlet, thus avoiding the loss of heat in the area of ​​the second sidewall 200 with the gas discharged from the annealing chamber 10.

[0094] In some embodiments of this application, a second radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 400 is provided on the side of the annealing chamber 10 near the second sidewall 200. The object to be annealed is placed in the space of the second radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 400 away from the second sidewall 200, and a second air guide pipe 210 passes through the second radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 400. That is, a second radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 400 is provided between the support structure 600 and the second sidewall 200, and the air inlet end of the second air guide pipe 210 passes through the second radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 400. The second radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 400 can prevent the second heater on the second sidewall 200 from radiating light to the substrate 800, and also serves to separate the second space 12, so that the heat emitted by the second heater can be diffused and mixed in the area between the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 and the second sidewall 200 before being transferred to the interior of the annealing chamber 10 through the second radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate.

[0095] Optionally, multiple air outlets are provided, and at least two air outlets are provided with a second air guide pipe 210 at their air inlet ends. The second radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate 400 is installed on the second air guide pipe 210. This arrangement allows the second air guide pipe 210 to serve as an air guide while providing an installation position for the second radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate 400.

[0096] In this embodiment, the second radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 400 is installed on the second air duct 210 in the same way as the first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 is installed on the first air duct 110. That is, the second radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 400 is also fixedly installed on the second air duct 120 by a fixing nut, which will not be described in detail here.

[0097] Optionally, all air outlets are equipped with a second air guide pipe 210 at their air inlet ends, and all second air guide pipes 210 pass through the second radiation shielding heat equalization plate 400. This arrangement allows the second radiation shielding heat equalization plate 400 to be stably installed in the annealing chamber 10.

[0098] Optionally, the first radiation-shielding heat-uniform plate 300 and the second radiation-shielding heat-uniform plate 400 are arranged in a mirror image with the first plane as the mirror plane. The first plane is a plane parallel to the first side wall 100 and passing through the center of the annealing chamber 10. This arrangement facilitates the processing and installation of the first radiation-shielding heat-uniform plate 300 and the second radiation-shielding heat-uniform plate 400.

[0099] In some embodiments of this application, the first radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate 300 and the second radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate 400 are both stainless steel plates. Stainless steel plates have good thermal conductivity, which can promote the uniform distribution of heat transferred to the first radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate 300 and the second radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate 400.

[0100] In some embodiments of this application, the second heater includes a plurality of spaced-apart second heating rods 220 arranged parallel to each other. Optionally, the second heater and the first heater are mirror images of each other with a first plane as a mirror image, and the air outlet and the air inlet are mirror images of each other with the first plane as a mirror image. That is, when the first heater includes four first heating rods 120, the second heater includes four second heating rods 220, and the plurality of air outlets are arranged in a row and located between the two middle second heating rods 220 of the four second heating rods 220.

[0101] Since there are four first heating rods 120 on the first sidewall 100 and four second heating rods 220 on the second sidewall 200 in an annealing chamber 10, the light radiation is relatively strong due to the large number of heating rods. Therefore, a first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 300 is set in the area near the first sidewall 100 and a second radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate 400 is set in the area near the second sidewall 200 to further prevent the light radiation of the heating rods from affecting the edge of the substrate 800 and improve the annealing quality of the substrate 800.

[0102] In some embodiments of this application, each heating layer 500 includes a plurality of spaced fourth heating rods, and the fourth heating rods are fitted with radiation shielding sleeves. Of course, the heating layer 500 can also be other structures, such as heating plates.

[0103] Optionally, the first heating rod 120, the second heating rod 220, the third heating rod 700 and the fourth heating rod are all fitted with radiation shielding sleeves.

[0104] This embodiment provides a comparative experiment to verify that when the annealing apparatus provided in this application embodiment is used for substrate annealing, it can improve the problem of uneven low grayscale display in the display module area corresponding to the edge of the substrate.

[0105] Comparative example: The annealing equipment includes an annealing chamber, which has 14 heating layers spaced from bottom to top. The 14 heating layers are spaced to form 13 annealing chambers. Each annealing chamber has a first side wall and a second side wall. An air inlet is provided on the first side wall, and an air outlet is provided on the second side wall.

[0106] Experimental Example: Based on the comparative example, a first air guide pipe is provided at the air outlet end of the air inlet, and a second air guide pipe is provided at the air inlet end of the air outlet. A first radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate is provided on the first air guide pipe, and a second radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate is provided on the second air guide pipe. The arrangement of the first air guide pipe, the first radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate, the second air guide pipe, and the second radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate is the same as that provided in Example 1.

[0107] The same batch of substrates was divided into two parts. One part was placed in the annealing equipment provided in the comparative example for annealing, and the other part was placed in the annealing equipment provided in the experimental example for annealing. The annealing time for the two parts of substrates was the same, and the temperature controlled in the annealing chamber was the same.

[0108] The substrates annealed using the same annealing equipment as the comparative and experimental examples were further processed into display modules using the same procedures. Verification showed that the substrates annealed using the comparative annealing equipment significantly improved the issue of uneven low-grayscale display in the display module area corresponding to the substrate edge, resulting in inconsistent image quality.

[0109] The various embodiments or implementation methods described in this specification are presented in a progressive manner. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments, and the same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0110] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although the embodiments of this application have been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. An annealing apparatus, characterized in that, The annealing chamber includes an annealing chamber, in which at least two heating layers are spaced apart along a first direction, and two adjacent heating layers and the sidewall between the two adjacent heating layers enclose an annealing chamber. The sidewall between two adjacent heating layers includes a first sidewall and a second sidewall. The first sidewall is provided with a first heater and an air inlet, and the second sidewall is provided with an air outlet. The air inlet is provided with a first air guide pipe at its outlet end, and the first air guide pipe extends into the annealing chamber; a first radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate is provided on the side of the annealing chamber near the first side wall, and the first radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate divides the annealing chamber into a first space and a second space, and the annealed object is placed in the second space. The first air duct passes through the first space and the first radiation-shielding heat equalization plate in sequence and then extends into the second space; The air inlet is provided with multiple air inlets, and at least two of the air inlets are provided with a first air guide pipe at their air outlet ends, and the first radiation-proof heat equalization plate is installed on the first air guide pipe; the air inlet without a first air guide pipe is provided with a third air guide pipe at its air outlet end, and the air outlet of the third air guide pipe is located in the first space.

2. The annealing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two adjacent heating layers are arranged parallel to each other; The object undergoing the annealing process is a substrate. A support structure for placing the substrate is provided in the second space. The substrate placed on the support structure is perpendicular to the first sidewall and parallel to the heating layer. The support structure is provided in multiple ways, and the multiple support structures are spaced apart along the first direction.

3. The annealing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate is installed at one end of the first air duct near the supporting structure. When the substrate is placed on the support structure, along the direction perpendicular to the first sidewall, the distance between the side of the substrate closest to the first sidewall and the first heater is A, and the distance between the end of the first air duct closest to the support structure and the first heater is B, where B = 2 / 3A.

4. The annealing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate is provided with mounting holes at positions corresponding to the first air duct. The first air duct has an external thread at one end near the support structure, and two fixing nuts are installed on the external thread. The first air guide tube passes through the first radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate from the mounting hole, and the two fixing nuts are located on both sides of the first radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate to fix the first radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate.

5. The annealing equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The external thread includes a first external thread and a second external thread, with a smooth section between the first external thread and the second external thread, and the first radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate is installed at the smooth section.

6. The annealing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first radiation-shielding heat-dampening plate is inclined towards one side of the first sidewall at both ends in the first direction.

7. The annealing equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first radiation-shielding heat-uniforming plate has an inclination angle of X at one end in the first direction towards the first sidewall, and an inclination angle of Y at the other end in the first direction towards the first sidewall, wherein 30°≤X≤50° and 30°≤Y≤50°.

8. The annealing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first heater includes a plurality of first heating rods spaced apart along the first direction. The first heating rods are arranged parallel to a second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction and parallel to the first sidewall. The plurality of air inlets are arranged in a row and positioned between two adjacent first heating rods among the plurality of first heating rods.

9. The annealing equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The orthographic projection of the substrate placed on any of the support structures onto the first sidewall lies between two adjacent first heating rods.

10. The annealing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, At least one fastener is provided in the annealing chamber; One of the support structures is disposed on one of the two adjacent heating layers, and the remaining support structures correspond one-to-one with the fixing members, and the support structure corresponding to the fixing member is installed on the fixing member.

11. The annealing equipment according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first sidewall and the second sidewall are disposed opposite to each other; The fastener includes multiple fastening rods, one end of which is connected to the first side wall and the other end of which is connected to the second side wall; The first sidewall has a first end and a second end at its two ends in the second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction and parallel to the first sidewall. The fixing rod is a third heating rod. The multiple third heating rods are divided into two groups. The orthographic projection of one group of third heating rods on the first side wall is located on the first side wall and close to the first end. The orthographic projection of the other group of third heating rods on the first side wall is located on the first side wall and close to the second end.

12. The annealing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, A second heater is provided on the second side wall, and a second air guide pipe is provided at the air inlet end of the air outlet, the second air guide pipe extending into the annealing chamber; A second radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate is provided on the side of the annealing chamber closest to the second sidewall. The object to be annealed is placed in the space on the side of the second radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate away from the second sidewall, and the second air guide pipe passes through the second radiation-shielding heat-equalizing plate.

13. The annealing equipment according to claim 12, characterized in that, The air outlet is provided in multiple ways, and at least two of the air outlets are provided with a second air guide pipe at their air inlet ends. The second radiation-proof heat-equalizing plate is installed on the second air guide pipe.

14. The annealing equipment according to claim 13, characterized in that, All of the aforementioned air outlets are equipped with a second air guide pipe at their air inlet end.

15. The annealing apparatus according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The second heater includes a plurality of second heating rods spaced apart, the plurality of second heating rods being arranged parallel to each other; The second heater and the first heater are mirror images of each other with the first plane as a mirror plane, and the air outlet and the air inlet are mirror images of each other with the first plane as a mirror plane. The first plane is a plane parallel to the first sidewall and passes through the center of the annealing chamber.

16. The annealing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The heating layer includes a plurality of fourth heating rods spaced apart; The first sidewall and the second sidewall are disposed opposite to each other; One end of the fourth heating rod is connected to the first side wall, and the other end is connected to the second side wall; The fourth heating rod is fitted with a radiation shielding sleeve.

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