Support of high-intensity lamp for rapid thermal annealing furnace
By using aluminum alloy or copper alloy support components and stainless steel and plastic covering and low thermal conductivity support materials, the problems of corrosion and high cost of rapid thermal annealing furnace support are solved, and the effect of reducing maintenance and manufacturing costs is achieved. .
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380044788.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-06-10
- Filing Date
- 2023-05-25
- Publication Date
- 2024-12-31
AI Technical Summary
The high-intensity lamp holders of existing rapid thermal annealing furnaces are prone to corrosion during water circulation cooling, and have high maintenance and manufacturing costs, and require frequent replacement of components.
Aluminum alloy or copper alloy is used as supporting parts, covering stainless steel and temperature-resistant plastic materials, intervening low-thermal conductivity stainless steel sheets to form a cooling cavity, avoiding direct contact between water and aluminum, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing costs.
It effectively prevents bearing corrosion, reduces maintenance and manufacturing costs, improves the durability and heat conduction efficiency of bearings, and simplifies the manufacturing process.
Smart Images
Figure CN119234117A_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] This patent application claims priority from French patent application FR 22 / 05604, which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field
[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to a holder for a high intensity lamp for a rapid thermal annealing furnace and a rapid thermal annealing furnace including such a holder. Prior art
[0003] A rapid thermal annealing furnace is a furnace that is capable of heating an object, particularly a silicon substrate, to a high temperature (e.g., up to 1200°C or more) in a very short time (usually a few seconds).
[0004] This temperature increase is obtained by heating with high-intensity lamps or by laser heating. In the case of high-intensity lamps, in particular infrared lamps, the furnace comprises a support. The support comprises a wall facing the lamp, the wall being adapted to reflect the radiation emitted by the lamp towards the heated object. It is usually also necessary to provide a system for cooling the support, for example a system for circulating water through pipes inside the support.
[0005] It is known to make a holder for a high-intensity lamp for a rapid thermal annealing furnace from aluminum parts assembled by screwing and cooled with water. A disadvantage is that the water circulation may cause corrosion of the aluminum and maintenance work is required to replace the parts of the holder. Summary of the invention
[0006] An object of an embodiment is to provide a holder for a high intensity lamp for a rapid thermal annealing furnace which overcomes all or part of the disadvantages of existing holders for high intensity lamps.
[0007] Another object of an embodiment is to simplify the method of manufacturing a holder for a high intensity lamp.
[0008] Another object of an embodiment is to reduce the manufacturing cost of a holder for a high intensity lamp.
[0009] Another object of an embodiment is to reduce the maintenance cost of a mount for a high intensity lamp.
[0010] It is another object of an embodiment for the support to comprise a wall adapted to reflect radiation emitted by the lamp.
[0011] Another object of an embodiment is for the support to contain ducts for the circulation of a coolant.
[0012] An embodiment provides a support for a high intensity lamp, the support comprising: - a first component made of a first material for supporting the high intensity lamp and comprising a surface for facing the high intensity lamp; a second component made of a second material different from the first material, covering the first component and connected to the first component; and a sheet made of a third material different from the first material, said sheet being inserted between the first component and the second component and delimiting with the second component at least one cavity designed to contain a coolant.
[0013] According to an embodiment, the second material and the third material are stainless steel.
[0014] According to an embodiment, the second material and the third material are thermal conductors with a lower thermal conductivity than the first material.
[0015] According to an embodiment, the first material is included in the group consisting of aluminum, an aluminum alloy having good mechanical mirror polishing ability, copper, and a copper alloy such as brass.
[0016] According to an embodiment, the second material is included in the group consisting of stainless steel, plastic with a temperature resistance exceeding 100°C, and a composite material with a temperature resistance exceeding 100°C.
[0017] According to an embodiment, the third material is included in the group consisting of stainless steel, copper, and copper alloys such as brass.
[0018] According to an embodiment, the thickness of the sheet is 0.03 mm to 0.3 mm.
[0019] An embodiment also provides a rapid thermal annealing furnace comprising a high intensity lamp and a support for the high intensity lamp as defined above.
[0020] According to an embodiment, the high intensity lamp is an infrared lamp.
[0021] According to an embodiment, the furnace comprises a system for circulating a coolant in the cavity.
[0022] According to an embodiment, the coolant comprises water. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] The above features and advantages and others will be apparent from the following description of non-limiting specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partial and greatly simplified cross-sectional view of an example of a rapid thermal annealing furnace; Figure 2 is a partial and simplified cross-sectional view of an example of a support for a high intensity lamp for a rapid thermal annealing furnace; Figure 3 is a partial and simplified cross-sectional view of a support for a high intensity lamp for a rapid thermal annealing furnace; and Figure 4 yes Figure 3An exploded view of an embodiment of a support. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] In different figures, the same elements are represented by the same reference numerals. In particular, common structural and / or functional features in different embodiments may have the same reference numerals and may have the same structure, size and material properties. For clarity, only those steps and elements that are useful for understanding the described embodiments are shown and described in detail.
[0025] Unless otherwise specified, the expressions "about," "approximately," "substantially," and "approximately" mean plus or minus 10%, preferably plus or minus 5%. Unless otherwise specified, ordinal adjectives, such as "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish elements from one another. In particular, these adjectives do not limit the described embodiments to a specific order of these elements.
[0026] Figure 1 is a partial and simplified cross-sectional view of an example of a rapid thermal annealing furnace 10 .
[0027] The furnace 10 comprises a housing 12, also referred to as a reactor, having an object 14 to be processed, which is arranged on a support base 16 placed in the housing 12. The object 14 to be processed is, for example, a silicon substrate. An inert gas can be injected into the inner volume 18 of the reactor 12 by an injection system 20. The inner volume 18 of the reactor 12 can be maintained at a low pressure by a pumping system 22. The object 14 to be processed is heated by radiation emitted by a high-intensity lamp 24, which is supported by a support 30. The high-intensity lamp 24 is, for example, an infrared lamp.
[0028] The quartz porthole 26 ensures the tightness of the inner volume 18 of the reactor 12 while giving way to the infrared radiation emitted by the lamp 24. The support 30 is also adapted to reflect the infrared radiation emitted by the lamp 24 back toward the porthole 26. The walls of the reactor 12 are particularly cooled to avoid contamination of the substrate 14 and to protect the control and / or measuring equipment that equips the reactor 12. The temperature of the substrate 14 can be controlled by a regulator coupled to the pyrometer 28.
[0029] Figure 2 is a partial and simplified cross-sectional view of an example of a holder 30 for a lamp 24, Figure 2 Only a single lamp 24 is shown. Figure 2 The cross-sectional plane is perpendicular to Figure 1 The support 30 is formed by a first part 32 and a second part 34, which are connected to each other by means of screws 36. Preferably, there is no seal between the first part 32 and the second part 34.
[0030] The lamps 24 are connected to the first part 32. For example, for each lamp 24, the first part 32 comprises two open ends 38 in which the two ends of the lamp 24 are housed. The first part 32 comprises a wall 40 facing the lamp 24, which forms a mirror surface and reflects the radiation emitted by the lamp 24.
[0031] When the components 32 and 34 are assembled, they define an internal cavity 42 in which a coolant, such as water, circulates within the cavity 42. The internal cavity 42 may be defined by a recess 44 provided in the first component 32, which is closed by a flat surface of the second component 34 after the second component 34 is assembled to the first component 32.
[0032] The first component 32 may include a groove 48 on the side of the second component 34. The internal cavity 42 may be sealed by an O-ring 50 disposed in the groove 48.
[0033] In the case where lamp 24 is an infrared lamp, parts 32 and 34 may be made of aluminum, which is a low-cost material that is a good conductor of heat and a good reflector of the infrared radiation emitted by lamp 24 .
[0034] A disadvantage is that, when the coolant circulating in the cavity 42 contains water, the components 32 and 34 may be corroded during contact with the coolant circulating in the cavity 42. One possibility is to provide an anti-corrosion treatment for the wall of the cavity 42. However, this would complicate the manufacturing method of the support 30 and increase its manufacturing cost.
[0035] Figure 3 is a partial and simplified cross-sectional view of a holder 60 for a lamp 24 which can be used Figure 1 The support of the furnace 1 is shown in FIG. Figure 4 yes Figure 3 An exploded view of a cross section of the support 60 . Figure 3 and Figure 4 The cross-sectional plane is perpendicular to Figure 1 cross-sectional plane. Figure 3 and Figure 4 Only a single lamp 24 is shown.
[0036] The support 60 comprises a stack of a first part 62, a sheet 90 and a second part 64, which are connected to each other by means of screws 66, Figure 3 and Figure 4 Three screws are shown as an example. The sheet 90 is sandwiched between the first component 62 and the second component 64. Preferably, there is no seal between the first component 62, the second component 90 and the sheet 90.
[0037] The first part 62 comprises a portion 63 having a generally square or rectangular cross section, with a central axis D, which is extended by a peripheral edge 65 extending on the side opposite to the second part 64. The lamps 24 are connected to the peripheral edge 65 of the first part 62. For example, for each lamp 24, the edge 65 of the first part 62 comprises two openings 68 in which the two ends of the lamp 24 are housed. The first part 62 comprises a wall 70 facing the lamp 24 and forming a mirror surface that reflects the radiation emitted by the lamp 24. According to an embodiment, the wall 70 comprises a flat, square or rectangular area at the central portion 63 of the first part 62 and a square or rectangular area at the edge 65. The first part 62 comprises a surface 71 located on the side of the sheet 90 and against which the sheet 90 abuts when the first part 62, the sheet 90 and the second part 64 are connected to each other by means of screws 66. According to an embodiment, the surface 71 is planar and the sheet 90 is faceted. According to an embodiment, the surface 71 is square or rectangular in shape.
[0038] After the components 62, 64 and the sheet 90 are assembled, they define an internal cavity 72, in which a coolant (for example water, possibly containing additives) circulates in operation in this cavity 42. The internal cavity 72 is defined by a recess 74 provided in the second component 64, which is closed by the sheet 90 after the second component 64 is assembled to the first component 62 (with the sheet 90 inserted in between). The second component 64 comprises a groove 78 on the side of the first component 62. The sealing of the internal cavity 72 can be obtained by an O-ring 80 arranged in the groove 78.
[0039] The first component 62 is made of a first material. According to an embodiment, the first material is included in the group consisting of aluminum, an aluminum alloy with good mechanical mirror polishing ability, copper, and a copper alloy such as brass. The surface 70 forming a mirror that reflects the radiation of the lamp 24 can be obtained simply by mechanical polishing, without having to deposit a reflective coating on the surface 70. According to an embodiment, the roughness Ra of the surface 70 is less than 0.2. According to an embodiment, the surface 70 reflects more than 90% of the radiation emitted by the lamp 24. According to an embodiment, the wavelength of the radiation emitted by the lamp 24 ranges from 0.5µm to 4µm, preferably with an emission peak of 1µm at a 2500-k filament temperature.
[0040] The average thickness of the portion of the first part 62 facing the cavity 72 is 4 to 8 mm. According to an embodiment, the thickness of the peripheral edge 65 of the first part 62 is 10 to 20 mm, measured along the axis D. Since the first material is a good thermal conductor, it enables the heat transmitted from the lamp 24 to the first part 62 to be effectively dissipated to the coolant without the need to directly provide a cavity for the circulation of the coolant in the edge 65 of the first part 62.
[0041] The second part 64 is made of a second material different from the first material. The second material is stainless steel. The second material may be a thermal conductor with a poorer thermal conductivity than the first material. According to an embodiment, the second material is included in the group comprising stainless steel, a plastic with a temperature resistance greater than 100° C., in particular a polyoxyethylene thermoplastic, and a composite material with a temperature resistance greater than 100° C. Measured along the axis D, the depth of each recess 74 may be 5 mm to 10 mm.
[0042] The sheet 90 is made of a material different from the first material and possibly the same as the second material. The third material is stainless steel. The thermal conductivity of the third material may be lower than that of the first material, but is preferably a metal to ensure sufficient thermal conductivity. According to an embodiment, the third material is included in the group comprising stainless steel, copper, and a copper alloy such as brass. According to an embodiment, the thickness of the sheet 90 is less than 0.5 mm, preferably 0.03 mm to 0.3 mm. The low thickness of the sheet 90 makes it easy to deform.
[0043] According to an embodiment, the sheet 90 completely covers the surface 71 of the first part 62. In the case where the surface 71 is square or rectangular, the sheet 90 corresponds to a square or rectangle having the same surface area.
[0044] In operation, the coolant comes into contact only with the stainless steel material. This advantageously makes it possible to prevent corrosion of the support 60, especially in the case where the coolant is a water-based coolant. In addition, it is not necessary to provide an anti-corrosion treatment to the walls of the cavity 72. Therefore, the manufacturing method of the support 60 remains simple.
[0045] In operation, the coolant in the cavity 72 is under pressure and holds the sheet 90 in close contact with the first component 62. Thereby, direct contact is obtained between the sheet 90 and the first component 62, with substantially no air film intervening therebetween. Thereby, good heat transfer is obtained between the first component 62 and the sheet 90. According to an embodiment, the pressure of the coolant in the cavity 72 is 0.1 MPa to 0.5 MPa, preferably 0.3 MPa to 0.4 MPa. In addition, due to the small thickness of the sheet 90, although the sheet 90 is made of a third material, which is a poorer thermal conductor than the first material of which the first component 62 is made, the third material is still preferably a metal, and the heat conduction between the first component 62 and the coolant passing through the very small thickness of the sheet 90 is sufficiently efficient so that the first component 62 is properly cooled in operation.
[0046] Various embodiments and variations have been described. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that certain features of these various embodiments and variations may be combined, and those skilled in the art will devise other variations.
[0047] Finally, based on the functional indications given above, the practical implementation of the described embodiments and variants is within the capabilities of a person skilled in the art.
Claims
1. A support for a high intensity lamp (24), comprising: - a first component (62) made of a first material, for supporting the high-intensity lamp and comprising a surface (70) for facing the high-intensity lamp; - a second component (64) made of a second material different from the first material, covering the first component and connected to the first component; and - a sheet (90) made of a third material different from the first material, inserted between the first component and the second component and delimiting with the second component at least one cavity (72) intended to contain a coolant.
2. The mount of claim 1, wherein the second material and the third material are stainless steel.
3. The support according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second material and the third material have a lower thermal conductivity than the first material.
4. The support according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first material is included in the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum alloys having good mechanical mirror polishing capability, copper and copper alloys, such as brass.
5. The support according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second material is included in the group consisting of stainless steel, plastic with a temperature resistance greater than 100°C and composite material with a temperature resistance greater than 100°C.
6. The support according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the third material is comprised in the group consisting of stainless steel, copper and a copper alloy, such as brass.
7. The support according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the thickness of the sheet (90) is 0.03 mm to 0.3 mm.
8. A rapid thermal annealing furnace comprising a high intensity lamp (24) and a support (60) for a high intensity lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
9. The rapid thermal annealing furnace of claim 8, wherein the high intensity lamps (24) are infrared lamps.
10. The rapid thermal annealing furnace according to claim 8 or 9, comprising a system for circulating a coolant within the cavity (72).
11. The rapid thermal annealing furnace of claim 8, wherein the coolant comprises water.