An air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace

Abstract

The present invention discloses an air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace, which includes an air inlet mechanism, a primary dispersion mechanism, and an orifice plate assembly; a first ventilation hole is opened at the air outlet end of the air inlet mechanism; the primary dispersion mechanism is fixedly installed at the air outlet end of the air inlet mechanism; a plurality of air guide hole assemblies communicated with the first ventilation hole are opened in the primary dispersion mechanism; the orifice plate assembly is fixedly installed at one end of the primary dispersion mechanism away from the first ventilation hole; the orifice plate assembly is used for dispersing and discharging the air flow in the air guide hole assembly; wherein, the flow guiding directions of the first ventilation hole, the air guide hole assembly, and the orifice plate assembly are all perpendicular to the air flow direction in the air inlet mechanism. The present invention can convert the horizontal air flow into a uniform vertical air flow, solve the defect of uneven flow field caused by the horizontal air flow of the existing horizontal epitaxial furnace, and improve the forming quality of the silicon carbide epitaxial wafer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor material growth equipment, and particularly to an air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace. Background Art

[0002] Compared with traditional silicon materials, silicon carbide materials have higher critical avalanche breakdown field strength, larger thermal conductivity, and wider bandgap, making silicon carbide power devices have the characteristics of high voltage, low loss, and high efficiency, and gradually replacing traditional silicon-based power devices in the fields of smart grid and power transmission, rail transit and locomotive traction, electric / hybrid vehicles, photovoltaic inversion and wind energy conversion. In the entire preparation process of silicon carbide power devices, the quality of silicon carbide epitaxial wafers greatly affects the performance of the final devices.

[0003] Currently, the mainstream method for silicon carbide epitaxy is chemical vapor deposition, and the equipment used is a horizontal epitaxial furnace, such as the PE1O6 of LPE Company. The air flow of the silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace enters the interior of the equipment in the horizontal direction, flows through the surface of the silicon carbide substrate, and chemical reactions occur on the substrate surface for deposition. The resulting consumption causes changes in the concentrations of reaction gases and doping gases. The gas concentration is high at the place where the silicon carbide substrate wafer first contacts the air flow, and low at the place where it then contacts the air flow, resulting in unstable film thickness and doping concentration. The quality of the silicon carbide epitaxial wafer directly affects the performance of the device.

[0004] Therefore, an air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace, aiming to solve or improve at least one of the above technical problems.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following solution: The present invention provides an air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace, including:

[0007] An air inlet mechanism, the air outlet end of which is provided with a first ventilation hole;

[0008] A primary dispersion mechanism, which is fixedly installed at the air outlet end of the air inlet mechanism; a plurality of air guide hole assemblies communicating with the first ventilation hole are provided in the primary dispersion mechanism;

[0009] An orifice plate assembly, which is fixedly installed at one end of the primary dispersion mechanism away from the first ventilation hole; the orifice plate assembly is used to disperse and discharge the air flow in the air guide hole assemblies;

[0010] Among them, the flow guiding directions of the first ventilation hole, the air guiding hole assembly, and the orifice plate assembly are all perpendicular to the air flow direction in the air intake mechanism.

[0011] Preferably, the primary dispersion mechanism includes:

[0012] A connecting plate fixedly connected to the air outlet end of the air intake mechanism; a second ventilation hole is opened on the connecting plate;

[0013] A flow deflector fixedly connected to one end of the connecting plate away from the second ventilation hole; a plurality of the air guiding hole assemblies are opened in the flow deflector, and the air guiding hole assemblies are communicated with the first ventilation hole through the second ventilation hole;

[0014] Among them, the orifice plate assembly is fixedly installed at one end of the flow deflector away from the connecting plate; the flow guiding directions of the second ventilation hole and the first ventilation hole are the same.

[0015] Preferably, the flow deflector includes a flow deflector body fixedly connected to one end of the connecting plate away from the first ventilation hole; a central through hole communicated with the second ventilation hole is opened at the top of the flow deflector body;

[0016] A plurality of the air guiding hole assemblies are opened in the flow deflector body, and the air guiding hole assemblies are communicated with the central through hole; the central through hole and the first ventilation hole have the same flow guiding direction; the orifice plate assembly is fixedly installed at the bottom of the flow deflector body.

[0017] Preferably, the air guiding hole assembly includes a main air guiding hole opened in the flow deflector body; a plurality of the main air guiding holes are all communicated with the central through hole; an auxiliary air guiding hole is communicated with the main air guiding hole; the bottoms of a plurality of the main air guiding holes and a plurality of the auxiliary air guiding holes all extend to the bottom surface of the flow deflector body and are all communicated with the orifice plate assembly;

[0018] The connection part between the main air guiding hole and the auxiliary air guiding hole is set as a bifurcation point, and the length from the bottom of the main air guiding hole to the bifurcation point is the same as the length from the auxiliary air guiding hole to the bifurcation point.

[0019] Preferably, the air intake mechanism includes:

[0020] An air intake plate body, and a first air intake channel is horizontally opened inside the air intake plate body;

[0021] An arc-shaped connecting plate fixedly connected to the air outlet end of the air intake plate body; the first ventilation hole is vertically opened in the arc-shaped connecting plate;

[0022] Among them, the first vent hole communicates with the outlet end of the first intake passage, and the flow guiding direction of the first vent hole is perpendicular to the flow guiding direction of the first intake passage; the connecting plate is fixedly connected to the bottoms of the intake plate body and the arc-shaped connecting plate.

[0023] Preferably, the orifice plate assembly includes an orifice plate body fixedly connected to the bottom of the deflector body, and a plurality of evenly spaced orifice holes are vertically penetrated through the orifice plate body; the main orifice hole and the auxiliary orifice holes are both communicated with the orifice holes; the orifice holes have the same flow guiding direction as the first vent hole.

[0024] Preferably, a sealing gasket is fixedly connected between the connecting plate and the deflector body.

[0025] Preferably, a plurality of the main orifice holes are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the deflector body; a plurality of the auxiliary orifice holes are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the deflector body.

[0026] Preferably, a plurality of the auxiliary orifice holes are located inside a plurality of the main orifice holes.

[0027] Preferably, the inner diameter ratio of the main orifice hole to the auxiliary orifice hole is 1:1 to 5:1.

[0028] The present invention discloses the following technical effects:

[0029] In the present invention, after the horizontal air flow enters the intake mechanism, the air flow direction is changed downward from the first vent hole at the outlet end of the intake mechanism, and after being pre-dispersed by a plurality of orifice hole assemblies in the primary dispersion mechanism, it continues to conduct downward, and then is secondarily dispersed by the orifice plate assembly to obtain a uniform vertical air flow; the horizontal air flow is converted into a uniform vertical air flow, thereby effectively solving the defect of uneven flow field caused by the horizontal air flow of the existing horizontal epitaxial furnace and improving the forming quality of the silicon carbide epitaxial wafer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required to be used in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0031] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the air flow guiding of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the intake mechanism in the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the flow deflector and the air guide hole assembly in the present invention;

[0035] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the orifice plate assembly in the present invention;

[0036] Among them, 1 is the air intake mechanism; 101 is the first ventilation hole; 102 is the air intake plate body; 103 is the arc-shaped connecting plate; 2 is the connecting plate; 3 is the flow deflector body; 4 is the second ventilation hole; 5 is the central through hole; 6 is the main air guide hole; 7 is the auxiliary air guide hole; 8 is the bifurcation point; 9 is the orifice plate body; 10 is the uniform air hole. Detailed implementation manners

[0037] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0038] To make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation manners.

[0039] Referring to Figures 1-5 , the present invention provides an air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace, including:

[0040] The air intake mechanism 1, and a first ventilation hole 101 is opened at the air outlet end of the air intake mechanism 1;

[0041] The primary dispersion mechanism is fixedly installed at the air outlet end of the air intake mechanism 1; a plurality of air guide hole assemblies communicating with the first ventilation hole 101 are opened in the primary dispersion mechanism;

[0042] The orifice plate assembly is fixedly installed at one end of the primary dispersion mechanism away from the first ventilation hole 101; the orifice plate assembly is used to disperse and discharge the air flow in the air guide hole assembly;

[0043] Among them, the flow directions of the first ventilation hole 101, the air guide hole assembly, and the orifice plate assembly are all perpendicular to the air flow direction in the air intake mechanism 1;

[0044] With such a setting, after the horizontal air flow enters the intake mechanism 1 in the present invention, the air flow direction is changed from the first ventilation holes 101 at the air outlet end of the intake mechanism 1, so that the horizontal air flow is converted into a vertical air flow and then conducted downward. After being pre-dispersed by a number of air guide hole components in the primary dispersion mechanism, it continues to be conducted downward, and then undergoes secondary dispersion through the orifice plate assembly to obtain a uniform vertical air flow; the horizontal air flow is converted into a uniform vertical air flow, thereby effectively solving the defect of uneven flow field caused by the horizontal air flow of the existing horizontal epitaxial furnace and improving the forming quality of the silicon carbide epitaxial wafer.

[0045] A further optimized solution is that the primary dispersion mechanism includes:

[0046] A connecting plate 2, which is fixedly connected to the air outlet end of the intake mechanism 1; a second ventilation hole 4 is opened on the connecting plate 2;

[0047] A deflector, which is fixedly connected to one end of the connecting plate 2 away from the second ventilation hole 4; a number of air guide hole components are opened in the deflector, and the air guide hole components are communicated with the first ventilation holes 101 through the second ventilation hole 4;

[0048] Among them, the orifice plate assembly is fixedly installed at one end of the deflector away from the connecting plate 2; the flow direction of the second ventilation hole 4 is the same as that of the first ventilation hole 101.

[0049] A further optimized solution is that the deflector includes a deflector body 3, and the deflector body 3 is fixedly connected to one end of the connecting plate 2 away from the first ventilation hole 101; a central through hole 5 communicated with the second ventilation hole 4 is opened at the top of the deflector body 3;

[0050] A number of air guide hole components are opened in the deflector body 3, and the air guide hole components are communicated with the central through hole 5; the flow direction of the central through hole 5 is the same as that of the first ventilation hole 101; the orifice plate assembly is fixedly installed at the bottom of the deflector body 3; in this embodiment, the deflector body 3 is a metal plate;

[0051] The air guide hole components include main air guide holes 6 opened in the deflector body 3; a number of main air guide holes 6 are all communicated with the central through hole 5; auxiliary air guide holes 7 are communicated with the main air guide holes 6; the bottoms of a number of main air guide holes 6 and a number of auxiliary air guide holes 7 all extend to the bottom surface of the deflector body 3 and are all communicated with the orifice plate assembly;

[0052] The connection part between the main air guide hole 6 and the auxiliary air guide hole 7 is set as a bifurcation point 8, and the length from the bottom of the main air guide hole 6 to the bifurcation point 8 is the same as the length from the auxiliary air guide hole 7 to the bifurcation point 8;

[0053] With such a setting, after the horizontal air flow is converted into a vertical air flow by the air intake mechanism 1, it is discharged into the central through hole 5 through the second ventilation holes 4 on the connecting plate 2, and is shunted along a number of main air holes 6 and a number of auxiliary air guiding holes 7 and then discharged into the orifice plate assembly for further air equalization processing; since the length from the bottom of the main air hole 6 to the bifurcation point 8 is the same as the length from the auxiliary air guiding hole 7 to the bifurcation point 8, the air flow paths in the main air hole 6 and the auxiliary air guiding hole 7 are the same, realizing synchronous shunting and air equalization operations; the combination of the connecting plate 2 and the deflector body 3 is used to initially disperse the vertical air flow in a relatively small space.

[0054] For a further optimized solution, the air intake mechanism 1 includes:

[0055] An air intake plate body 102, inside which a first air intake channel (not shown in the figure) is horizontally opened;

[0056] An arc-shaped connecting plate 103, which is fixedly connected to the air outlet end of the air intake plate body 102; a first ventilation hole 101 is vertically opened inside the arc-shaped connecting plate 103; in this embodiment, the cross-section of the arc-shaped connecting plate 103 is semi-circular, and the diameter of the arc-shaped connecting plate 103 is the same as the length of the air outlet end face of the air intake plate body 102;

[0057] Wherein, the first ventilation hole 101 is communicated with the air outlet end of the first air intake channel, and the air guiding direction of the first ventilation hole 101 is perpendicular to the air guiding direction of the first air intake channel; the connecting plate 2 is fixedly connected to the bottoms of the air intake plate body 102 and the arc-shaped connecting plate 103;

[0058] With such a setting, the air flow enters the first air intake channel in the horizontal direction, is converted into a vertical air flow through the first ventilation hole 101, realizes the conversion of the air flow direction, and at the same time introduces the air flow into the initial dispersion mechanism for subsequent air flow dispersion processing.

[0059] For a further optimized solution, the orifice plate assembly includes an orifice plate body 9 fixedly connected to the bottom of the deflector body 3. The orifice plate body 9 is a hollow cylinder with an open top, and a number of evenly spaced and sequentially arranged air equalization holes 10 are vertically penetrated through the bottom end face of the orifice plate body 9; the main air holes 6 and the auxiliary air guiding holes 7 are both communicated with the air equalization holes 10; the air equalization holes 10 have the same air guiding direction as the first ventilation hole 101; the fixing method of the orifice plate body 9 to the bottom of the deflector body 3 can be set according to the specific use environment, such as screw connection, glue bonding, etc., which is not specifically limited in this embodiment;

[0060] With such a setting, when the present invention is in use, the silicon carbide substrate is arranged below the orifice plate body 9; through a plurality of air distribution holes 10, the air flow after being divided by a plurality of main air holes 6 and a plurality of auxiliary air guide holes 7 is further evenly distributed, and then a vertical air flow with a stable flow field is output. The vertical air flow further diffuses to the surface of the silicon carbide substrate, and the gas reacts and deposits while contacting the substrate at the same time, realizing the uniform distribution of the gas, avoiding the inconsistency of the gas density caused by the reaction consumption of the horizontal air flow, and improving the forming quality of the silicon carbide epitaxial wafer.

[0061] In a further optimized solution, a sealing gasket (not shown in the figure) is fixedly connected between the connecting plate 2 and the deflector body 3; the connecting plate 2 is a thin plate, the sealing gasket is made of rubber material, and the sealing gasket is fixedly connected to the bottom end face of the connecting plate 2. An avoidance hole is provided on the sealing gasket to avoid affecting the air flow conduction; with such a setting, the sealing performance after the connection between the connecting plate 2 and the deflector body 3 is improved through the sealing gasket, reducing the air flow leakage and improving the overall sealing performance of the device.

[0062] In a further optimized solution, a plurality of main air holes 6 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the deflector body 3; a plurality of auxiliary air guide holes 7 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the deflector body 3; a plurality of auxiliary air guide holes 7 are located inside a plurality of main air holes 6; the main air hole 6 is a main channel opened in the deflector body 3; the auxiliary air guide hole 7 is a semi-circular channel opened in the deflector body 3, and the circumference of the semi-circular channel of the auxiliary air guide hole 7 is equal to the length from the bottom of the main air hole 6 to the bifurcation point 8, so that the paths of the air flow from the central through hole 5 to the outlet ends of the auxiliary air guide holes 7 and the main air holes 6 are equal, realizing synchronous diversion and air distribution operations;

[0063] With such a setting, the air flow enters a plurality of main air holes 6 along the central through hole 5, and is divided and flows into the auxiliary air guide holes 7 through the bifurcation point 8. After the air flow is divided by a plurality of main air holes 6 and a plurality of auxiliary air guide holes 7, a uniform air flow is formed and discharged into the orifice plate body 9 along the bottom of the deflector body 3, realizing an effective operation of initially uniform air flow.

[0064] In a further optimized solution, the inner diameter ratio of the main air hole 6 to the auxiliary air guide hole 7 is 1:1 to 5:1; in this embodiment, the inner diameter ratio of the main air hole 6 to the auxiliary air guide hole 7 is preferably 2:1; further diversion and air distribution operations are realized through the main air hole 6 and the auxiliary air guide hole 7.

[0065] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "longitudinal", "transverse", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0066] The above-described embodiments are only descriptions of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not limit the scope of the present invention. Without departing from the design spirit of the present invention, various deformations and improvements made by those of ordinary skill in the art to the technical solutions of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope determined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace, characterized in that, Comprising: An intake mechanism (1), a first ventilation hole (101) being provided at the air outlet end of the intake mechanism (1); A primary dispersion mechanism fixedly installed at the air outlet end of the intake mechanism (1); a number of gas guide hole assemblies communicating with the first ventilation hole (101) are provided in the primary dispersion mechanism; An orifice plate assembly fixedly installed at one end of the primary dispersion mechanism away from the first ventilation hole (101); the orifice plate assembly is used for dispersing and discharging the air flow in the gas guide hole assemblies; Wherein, the flow guiding directions of the first ventilation hole (101), the gas guide hole assemblies, and the orifice plate assembly are all perpendicular to the air flow direction in the intake mechanism (1); The primary dispersion mechanism includes: A connecting plate (2) fixedly connected to the air outlet end of the intake mechanism (1); a second ventilation hole (4) is provided on the connecting plate (2); A flow deflector fixedly connected to one end of the connecting plate (2) away from the second ventilation hole (4); a number of the gas guide hole assemblies are provided in the flow deflector, and the gas guide hole assemblies communicate with the first ventilation hole (101) through the second ventilation hole (4); Wherein, the orifice plate assembly is fixedly installed at one end of the flow deflector away from the connecting plate (2); the flow guiding direction of the second ventilation hole (4) is the same as that of the first ventilation hole (101); The flow deflector includes a flow deflector body (3) fixedly connected to one end of the connecting plate (2) away from the first ventilation hole (101); a central through hole (5) communicating with the second ventilation hole (4) is provided at the top of the flow deflector body (3); A number of the gas guide hole assemblies are provided in the flow deflector body (3), and the gas guide hole assemblies communicate with the central through hole (5); the central through hole (5) has the same flow guiding direction as the first ventilation hole (101); the orifice plate assembly is fixedly installed at the bottom of the flow deflector body (3).

2. The air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas guide hole assembly includes a main gas guide hole (6) provided in the flow deflector body (3); a number of the main gas guide holes (6) all communicate with the central through hole (5); an auxiliary gas guide hole (7) is communicated with the main gas guide hole (6); the bottoms of a number of the main gas guide holes (6) and a number of the auxiliary gas guide holes (7) all extend to the bottom surface of the flow deflector body (3) and are all communicated with the orifice plate assembly; The connection point between the main gas guide hole (6) and the auxiliary gas guide hole (7) is set as a bifurcation point (8), and the length from the bottom of the main gas guide hole (6) to the bifurcation point (8) is the same as the length from the auxiliary gas guide hole (7) to the bifurcation point (8).

3. The air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The intake mechanism (1) includes: An intake plate body (102), a first intake channel being horizontally provided inside the intake plate body (102); An arc-shaped connecting plate (103) fixedly connected to the air outlet end of the intake plate body (102); the first ventilation hole (101) is vertically provided inside the arc-shaped connecting plate (103); Among them, the first vent hole (101) is communicated with the outlet end of the first air inlet channel, and the flow guiding direction of the first vent hole (101) is perpendicular to the flow guiding direction of the first air inlet channel; the connecting plate (2) is fixedly connected to the bottoms of the air inlet plate body (102) and the arc-shaped connecting plate (103).

4. The air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace according to claim 2, characterized in that: The orifice plate assembly includes an orifice plate body (9) fixedly connected to the bottom of the deflector body (3), and a plurality of uniformly distributed holes (10) are vertically and sequentially arranged through the orifice plate body (9); the main air guiding holes (6) and the auxiliary air guiding holes (7) are both communicated with the uniformly distributed holes (10); the uniformly distributed holes (10) have the same flow guiding direction as the first vent hole (101).

5. The air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sealing gasket is fixedly connected between the connecting plate (2) and the deflector body (3).

6. The air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace according to claim 2, characterized in that: A plurality of the main air guiding holes (6) are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the deflector body (3); a plurality of the auxiliary air guiding holes (7) are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the deflector body (3).

7. The air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace according to claim 2, characterized in that: A plurality of the auxiliary air guiding holes (7) are located inside a plurality of the main air guiding holes (6).

8. The air flow conversion device for a silicon carbide horizontal epitaxial furnace according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inner diameter ratio of the main air guiding holes (6) to the auxiliary air guiding holes (7) is 1:1 to 5:1.

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