Film on-line heater and heating control system

Abstract

The invention discloses a thin film on-line heater and a heating control system, the thin film on-line heater comprises at least two partition plates, a heating element and a water pipe, the partition plates are arranged on the water pipe, and the heating element is a thin film electric heating element and is arranged between the two partition plates in a curled spiral shape. According to the thin film on-line heater, the coiled spiral thin film electric heating element is adopted, the heating area is large, temperature rise is fast, and the heating efficiency is improved; in addition, the film on-line heater uses the film electric heating element to replace a resistance wire wrapped by inert plastic for heating, resistance wire accumulation caused by liquid flowing is prevented, local high temperature is avoided, and the service life is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a heater, in particular to a thin film online heater and a heating control system used for semiconductor wet process equipment. Background Art

[0002] Semiconductor wet processing equipment refers to equipment that uses wet processing methods in the process of manufacturing semiconductor devices. Wet processing is a technology that performs chemical reactions in a liquid environment and is mainly used in processes such as cleaning, etching, and post-etching cleaning. Heating is a key influencing factor in the wet processing process and has many advantages:

[0003] (1) Improved removal of chemical residues and particles

[0004] When heated, the liquid is more corrosive and therefore more effective in rinse applications than ambient temperature liquids. Pre-diffused cleaning chemicals and photoresists in the wafer are more soluble in the liquid and therefore easier to remove. Heated liquid cleaning is a more efficient and economical method while reducing hazardous chemical use and emissions.

[0005] (2) Reduce fluid consumption by up to 70%

[0006] Heated liquid molecules have higher levels of energy than room temperature liquid molecules. When transferred to the wafer surface, the high translational energy of the liquid quickly dissolves and dilutes the process chemicals on the wafer. This can significantly reduce the amount of liquid required to effectively rinse the wafer.

[0007] (3) Reduce bacterial contamination

[0008] Wet processes provide a favorable environment for bacterial growth. Common causes are low or intermittent liquid flow, airborne bacteria and cross contamination of filters. Heating the liquid can reduce bacterial growth. For example, by heating the liquid to 90°C, internal pipes can be sterilized without disassembling system components or using potentially hazardous chemicals.

[0009] (4) Increase production capacity

[0010] By using heated liquids, wafer rinsing time can be reduced by as much as 60-80%.

[0011] Existing heaters suitable for wet processing generally use an inert plastic (PFA or PTFE) to wrap the resistance wire to prevent metal ions or other contaminants from being immersed in the liquid medium to ensure the ultra-high purity of the liquid in the process. When heating strong acids or corrosive liquids, the inert plastic packaging process can also ensure that the metal electric heating alloy is not damaged. However, the effective heating area of ​​the resistance wire is relatively small, the heating speed is slow, and the cross-section is large, resulting in large resistance to the fluid, which can easily push the resistance wire to shift, causing the resistance wire to accumulate and leading to local high temperature. Since the upper temperature limit of the inert plastic is only about 250°C, the inert plastic wrapping the resistance wire is damaged, exposing the resistance wire directly to the process fluid, polluting the fluid pipeline in the process, and causing huge losses. Summary of the invention

[0012] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a thin film online heater, which uses a thin film electric heating element instead of a resistance wire wrapped in inert plastic for heating, thereby preventing the accumulation of resistance wire caused by liquid flow, avoiding local high temperature, and overcoming the problem of small heating area, thereby improving the heating speed.

[0013] The present invention provides a thin film online heater, comprising: at least two partition plates, a heating element, and a water pipe. The partition plates are arranged on the water pipe. The heating element is a thin film electric heating element and is arranged between the two partition plates in a curled spiral shape.

[0014] Furthermore, the spiral central axis of the above-mentioned thin film electric heating element is set to an eccentric structure that is not the center of the circle.

[0015] Furthermore, the above-mentioned thin film electric heating element includes at least two insulating layers and a heating sheet or a heating film pressed between the two insulating layers.

[0016] Furthermore, the partition plate is circular or a quasi-circular polygon, a through hole is provided in the middle of the partition plate, and the water pipe passes through the through hole and is fixedly connected to the partition plate.

[0017] Furthermore, the partition plate is a cross-shaped, criss-cross-shaped or wheel-shaped frame structure with the through hole as the center point.

[0018] Furthermore, the frame structure is provided with a plurality of spiral grooves on the upper and lower sides, and the positions of the plurality of grooves on the upper and lower sides correspond to the same, and the film heating element is fixed between the partition plates in a spiral shape through the grooves.

[0019] Furthermore, the partition plate is provided with a plurality of notches on its periphery, and the plurality of support bars are accommodated in the plurality of notches.

[0020] Furthermore, the heating sheet or heating film has two layers, and the insulating layer has at least three layers. At least one insulating layer is arranged between the two layers of heating sheets or heating films, and insulating layers are arranged on the outside of the heating sheets or heating films.

[0021] Furthermore, the above-mentioned insulating layer is fluoroplastic, silicone rubber, polyimide or PET; the heating sheet or heating film is a metal heating film, heating sheet or heating wire.

[0022] Furthermore, the plurality of partition plates and the electric thin film heating element are in the shape of a multi-section long cylinder, and the thin film electric heating element is installed in sections on the partition plates in a spiral shape.

[0023] Preferably, there are multiple spiral thin-film electric heating elements.

[0024] Furthermore, the above-mentioned thin film online heater is a heater used in the online heating process of semiconductor wet process equipment.

[0025] In another aspect, the present invention provides a heating control system, comprising any one of the above-mentioned thin film in-line heaters.

[0026] Preferably, the above-mentioned heating control system also includes: a logic control module for realizing temperature control of the heater; a power safety module for providing power supply and overcurrent protection for the heating system; a status detection module for detecting the temperature of the heater; and a data monitoring module for receiving and displaying the temperature information reported by the logic control module.

[0027] Preferably, the above-mentioned heating control system is a control system for an online heating process of semiconductor wet process equipment.

[0028] It can be seen from the above scheme that the advantages of the present invention are:

[0029] The thin film online heater of the present invention adopts a thin film electric heating element in a curled spiral shape, which has a large heating area, fast temperature rise, and improved heating efficiency. In addition, the thin film online heater of the present invention uses a thin film electric heating element instead of an inert plastic wrapped resistance wire for heating, thereby preventing resistance wire accumulation caused by liquid flow, avoiding local high temperature, and extending service life.

[0030] The multi-section long cylindrical heater of the present invention can control heating at different gradients to prevent dry burning.

[0031] The heating control system of the present invention realizes heater temperature control through a logic control module, has high temperature control accuracy, fast response speed and reduces delay. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of a thin film in-line heater according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 It is a front view of a thin film in-line heater according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 A top view of a thin film in-line heater according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a heating element of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a heating control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a heating control system according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Among them, the reference numerals

[0039] 1-Thin film inline heater;

[0040] 10-separator;

[0041] 100-through hole;

[0042] 101-M-shaped frame structure;

[0043] 1010-card slot;

[0044] 102-Gap;

[0045] 11- Heating element;

[0046] 110-heat-generating film;

[0047] 111-Insulation layer

[0048] 12- Water pipe;

[0049] 13- support bar;

[0050] 2, 2'-heating control system;

[0051] 20'-Logic control module;

[0052] 21'-power safety module;

[0053] 22'-status detection module;

[0054] 23'-data monitoring module;

[0055] 20-PLC logic controller;

[0056] 200-water volume;

[0057] 201-water pressure;

[0058] 202-pressure relief valve;

[0059] 21-Bidirectional thyristor;

[0060] 22- Temperature switch;

[0061] 23- temperature detection device;

[0062] 24-AC power supply;

[0063] 25-AC / DC power supply;

[0064] 26-current detection device;

[0065] 27-Safety relay;

[0066] 28-HMI data monitoring;

[0067] 29-Contactor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] The technical solution of the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments to further understand the purpose, solution and effect of the present invention, but it is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the claims attached to the present invention.

[0069] References to "an embodiment", "another embodiment", "this embodiment", etc. in the specification refer to the embodiment being described which may include specific features, structures or characteristics, but not every embodiment must include these specific features, structures or characteristics. In addition, such expressions do not refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when describing specific features, structures or characteristics in conjunction with an embodiment, whether or not there is an explicit description, it is indicated that incorporating such features, structures or characteristics into other embodiments is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0070] Certain words are used in the specification and subsequent claims to refer to specific components or parts. It should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that technical users or manufacturers may refer to the same component or part by different nouns or terms. This specification and subsequent claims do not use differences in names as a way to distinguish components or parts, but rather use differences in the functions of components or parts as the criteria for distinction. The words "include" and "comprise" mentioned throughout the specification and subsequent claims are open-ended terms and should be interpreted as "including but not limited to". In addition, the word "connect" here includes any direct and indirect electrical connection means. Indirect electrical connection means include connection through other devices.

[0071] It should be noted that, in the description of the present invention, the terms "lateral", "longitudinal", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and "about", or "approximately", "substantially", "left and right" and the like indicating directions or positional relationships or parameters are all based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description content, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific direction, specific size, or be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0072] like Figures 1 to 3 FIG. 1 shows a thin film online heater 1 (hereinafter referred to as heater 1) according to an embodiment of the present invention, which can be used for online heating in semiconductor wet process equipment. The heater 1 comprises: a plurality of partition plates 10, a heating element 11, and a water pipe 12. The plurality of partition plates 10 are arranged on the water pipe 12. The heating element 11 is a thin film electric heating element and is arranged between two partition plates 10 in a curled spiral shape.

[0073] The heater 1 adopts a thin-film electric heating element in a curled spiral shape, which has a large heating area, a fast temperature rise, and improved heating efficiency.

[0074] In this embodiment, in order to better fix the heating element 11 on the partition plate 10, preferably, the spiral center axis of the thin film electric heating element is set to an eccentric structure that is not the center of the circle.

[0075] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned thin film electric heating element further comprises at least two insulating layers and a heating sheet or heating film pressed between the two insulating layers. Preferably, the insulating layer is fluoroplastic, silicone rubber, polyimide or PET, and the fluoroplastic can be, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene, tetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride or fluorinated ethylene propylene; the heating sheet or heating film is a metal heating film, a heating sheet or a heating wire.

[0076] Because each heating wire in the heater of the prior art is wrapped with inert plastic, under the same barrel volume, the existing heater occupies much more barrel space than the thin film online heater of the present invention, so the heater of the present invention is small in size and large in effective volume. And compared with the traditional heating method, the heating film can transfer heat to the heated object more quickly, thereby achieving rapid heating. At the same time, the heating effect of the heating film is very uniform, which can avoid the local overheating or overcooling phenomenon in the traditional heating method. In addition, the energy consumption of the heating film is very low, which can achieve the purpose of energy saving and environmental protection.

[0077] In this embodiment, the partition plate 10 is circular or other polygonal shapes similar to circles (not shown in the figure), a through hole 100 is provided in the middle of the partition plate 10, and the water pipe 12 passes through the through hole 100 and is connected to the partition plate 10. The connection between the water pipe 12 and the partition plate 10 can be, for example, welding, gluing, and screws. In order to correspond to the spiral center of the thin film electric heating element, the through hole 100 is provided at an eccentric position of the partition plate 10.

[0078] In this embodiment, the partition plate 10 is configured as a cross-shaped frame structure 101 with the through hole 100 as the center point, and may also be a cross-shaped or wheel-shaped frame structure (not shown).

[0079] In this embodiment, multiple spiral grooves 1010 are provided on the upper and lower sides of the M-shaped frame structure 101 of the partition plate 10, and the positions of the multiple grooves 1010 on the upper and lower sides correspond to the same, and the heating element 11 is spirally fixed between the partition plates 10 through the grooves 1010. The heating element 11 is arranged in a spiral structure, which can make the heating element 11 more stable on the one hand, and increase the heating area of ​​the heater 1 on the other hand.

[0080] In this embodiment, preferably, six notches 102 are arranged on the periphery of the partition plate 10, and six support bars 13 are accommodated in the six notches 102 and fixed to the partition plate 10 by fixing members such as screws and buckles. The number of notches 102 is not limited, and the number of support bars 13 should be the same as the number of notches 102. The support bars 13 and the notches 102 are used together to play the role of secondary fixing of the partition plate 10.

[0081] In this embodiment, the heater 1 is a cylindrical structure with multiple sections, each section of the cylinder corresponds to two partition plates 10, and the heating element 11 is spirally arranged between the two partition plates 10. Among them, the spiral heating element 11 is multi-section, and there are multiple partition plates 10, and the specific number can be selected according to actual needs. This embodiment takes four partition plates 10 and three sections of heating elements 11 as an example to illustrate that the upper, middle and lower three sections can achieve segmented heating, and then control different gradient heating to prevent dry burning.

[0082] In another embodiment, optionally, a plurality of heating elements 11 may be provided between the two partition plates 10, and the heating elements 11 are all in a curled spiral shape and are provided parallel to each other between the two partition plates 10. The number of heating elements 11 may be selected according to actual conditions.

[0083] Figure 4: is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another embodiment of the heating element 11. In this embodiment, the heating element 11 is composed of three layers of insulating layers 111 and two layers of heating films 110 or heating sheets (not shown), or other deformed structures, and meets the following conditions: at least one insulating layer 111 is arranged between the two layers of heating sheets or heating films 110, and insulating layers 111 are arranged on the outside of the heating sheets or heating films 110. Preferably, the insulating layer is fluoroplastic, silicone rubber, polyimide or PET, and the fluoroplastic can be, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene, tetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride or fluorinated ethylene propylene; the heating sheet or heating film is a metal heating film, a heating sheet or a heating wire.

[0084] The following is an embodiment of a heating control system corresponding to the above-mentioned thin film online heater embodiment. This embodiment can be implemented in conjunction with the above-mentioned embodiment. The relevant technical details mentioned in the above-mentioned embodiment are still valid in this embodiment. In order to reduce repetition, they are not repeated here. Accordingly, the relevant technical details mentioned in this embodiment can also be applied in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0085] During the heating process of semiconductor wet process equipment, the temperature of the liquid will vary greatly due to the influence of seasons and environment. If the temperature of the liquid is not well controlled, it is difficult to achieve a stable and repeated cleaning effect. Therefore, the present invention also discloses a heating control system.

[0086] like Figure 5 The figure shows a heating control system 2' (hereinafter referred to as system 2') of an embodiment of the present invention, which is used for heating control in semiconductor wet process equipment. The system 2' includes a heater 1, a logic control module 20', a power safety module 21', a state detection module 22' and a data monitoring module 23'. Among them, the logic control module 20' is used to realize the temperature control of the heater 1; the power safety module 21' is used to provide power and overcurrent protection for the system 2'; the state detection module 22' is used to detect the temperature of the heater 1; the data monitoring module 23' is used to receive and display the temperature information reported by the logic control module 20'.

[0087] Specifically, the logic control module 20' controls the actions of the heater 1, such as starting and disconnecting, through, for example, a contactor switch. The state detection module 22' detects the temperature information of the heater 1 and feeds it back to the logic control module 20'. If the set value of the state (such as temperature) information is met, the heater 1 is started for heating. If the set value is not met (for example, the temperature exceeds the set value), the heater 1 is disconnected for heating. In addition, the power safety module 21' provides power for the heating system 2' and is equipped with safety equipment, such as a relay, which automatically disconnects when the current in the heater 1 circuit is too large to protect the circuit safety. The data monitoring module 23' is bidirectionally connected to the logic control module 20' and can monitor the temperature information in the logic control module 20' in real time.

[0088] like Figure 6 The figure shows a heating control system 2 (hereinafter referred to as system 2) of another embodiment of the present invention, which is used for heating control in semiconductor wet process equipment. The system 2 includes a plurality of heaters 1, each heater 1 controls a contactor 29 and a bidirectional thyristor 21 through a controller (such as a PLC logic controller 20) to achieve constant temperature, and a temperature switch 22 is provided on the heater 1. When the temperature of the heater 1 exceeds the set temperature of the temperature switch 22, the heating will be automatically disconnected. The number of heaters 1 can be three or six, and is not limited thereto. This embodiment is described by taking three heaters 1 as an example.

[0089] Specifically, the system 2 uses the PLC logic controller 20 to control the switch of the contactor 29, realize the conduction of the bidirectional thyristor 21, and then control the heater 1 to heat. At the same time, the temperature detection device 23 detects the current temperature of the heater 1 in real time, and feeds the temperature back to the PLC logic controller 20, and adjusts the output signal to achieve the purpose of constant temperature control. The PLC logic controller 20 supports 3-way or 6-way control channel output, each of which is equipped with a heater 1, and each heater 1 is equipped with a temperature switch 22. When the temperature of the heater 1 exceeds the set value, the temperature switch 22 automatically disconnects and feeds back the disconnection signal to the PLC logic controller 20.

[0090] In this embodiment, the heater 1 will automatically stop heating when the liquid flow (for example, water volume 200) and pressure (for example, water pressure 201) in a specific usage scenario exceed the upper limit value, and the PLC logic controller 20 will open the pressure relief valve 202. After the water volume 200 and water pressure 201 return to normal, the heater 1 will automatically start heating.

[0091] Specifically, the PLC logic controller 20 is connected to an external water volume and water pressure sensor (not shown). When the water volume 200 or the water pressure 201 exceeds the set threshold, the PLC logic controller 20 automatically controls the pressure relief valve 202 to perform a pressure relief operation and stops heating. When the values ​​of the water volume 200 and the water pressure 201 return to the normal range, the PLC logic controller 20 automatically controls the heater 1 to start the heating operation.

[0092] In this embodiment, the system 2 has a safety circuit and an overcurrent protection function. Specifically, the main power supply (AC power supply 24) circuit includes a current detection device 26 and an AC / DC power supply 25. The current detection device 26 is connected to the PLC logic controller 20 and the safety relay 27. The safety relay 27 is connected to the bidirectional thyristor 21. When the heater 1 fails to heat or the current is abnormal, the safety relay 27 will automatically disconnect, thereby cutting off the main power supply, which plays a protective role.

[0093] In this embodiment, the system 2 also includes a data monitoring module connected to the PLC logic controller 20, such as an HMI data monitoring 28. Specifically, the HMI (human-machine interface) data monitoring 28 can display the current temperature, pressure, flow rate, current and other information in real time. At the same time, the HMI data monitoring 28 can be used to set the relevant threshold parameters in the system 2.

[0094] In summary, the beneficial effects of the thin film online heater disclosed by the present invention are as follows: a thin film electric heating element in the shape of a curled spiral is used, which has a large heating area, heats up quickly, and improves heating efficiency; a thin film electric heating element is used instead of a resistance wire wrapped in inert plastic for heating, thereby preventing resistance wire accumulation caused by liquid flow, avoiding local high temperature, and extending service life; a multi-section long cylindrical heater can control heating with different gradients to prevent dry burning; and the size is small and the effective volume is large.

[0095] The heating control system of the present invention controls the thyristor through the PLC controller to realize the automatic start and disconnection of the heater, has high temperature control accuracy, fast response speed and reduced delay.

[0096] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific embodiments, which are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of the present invention, ordinary technicians in this field can make many forms without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention and the claims, all of which belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A thin film in-line heater, comprising: At least two partition plates, a heating element, and a water pipe, wherein the partition plate is arranged on the water pipe, and the heating element is a thin film electric heating element and is arranged between the two partition plates in a curled spiral shape.

2. The heater according to claim 1, characterized in that The spiral center axis of the thin film electric heating element is arranged as an eccentric structure which is not the center of the circle.

3. The thin film in-line heater according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The thin film electric heating element further comprises at least two insulating layers and a heating sheet or a heating film pressed between the two insulating layers.

4. The thin film in-line heater according to claim 3, characterized in that: The partition plate is circular or a polygonal shape similar to a circle, a through hole is arranged in the middle of the partition plate, and the water pipe passes through the through hole and is connected to the partition plate.

5. The thin film in-line heater according to claim 4, characterized in that: The partition plate is a cross-shaped, mitre-shaped or wheel-shaped frame structure with the through hole as the center point; the center point is an eccentric point that is not the center of the circle.

6. The thin film in-line heater according to claim 5, characterized in that: A plurality of spiral grooves are provided on the upper and lower sides of the frame structure, and the positions of the plurality of grooves on the upper and lower sides correspond to the same. The film heating element is spirally fixed between the partition plates through the grooves.

7. The thin film in-line heater according to claim 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that: A plurality of notches are arranged on the periphery of the partition plate, and a plurality of support bars are accommodated in the plurality of notches.

8. The thin film in-line heater according to claim 3, characterized in that: The heating sheet or heating film has two layers, the insulating layer has at least three layers, at least one insulating layer is arranged between the two layers of heating sheets or heating films, and the insulating layers are respectively arranged on the outer sides of the heating sheets or heating films.

9. The thin film in-line heater according to claim 3, characterized in that: The insulating layer is made of fluoroplastic, silicone rubber, polyimide or PET; the heating sheet or heating film is made of metal heating film, heating sheet or heating wire.

10. The thin film in-line heater according to claim 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 or 9, characterized in that: The plurality of partition plates and the electric film heating element are in a multi-section long cylindrical shape, and the thin film electric heating element is spirally installed in sections on the partition plates.

11. The thin film in-line heater according to claim 10, characterized in that: There are multiple spiral thin-film electric heating elements.

12. The thin film in-line heater according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thin film online heater is a heater used in the online heating process of semiconductor wet process equipment.

13. A heating control system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a thin film in-line heater according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The heating control system according to claim 13, characterized in that: Also includes: A logic control module, used to realize the temperature control of the thin film online heater; A power safety module, used to provide power supply and overcurrent protection for the heating control system; A state detection module, used for detecting the temperature of the thin film online heater; The data monitoring module is used to receive and display the temperature information reported by the logic control module.

15. The heating control system according to claim 13, characterized in that: The heating control system is a control system used for the online heating process of semiconductor wet process equipment.

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