Jet form and satellite droplet behavior size control device and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a jet form and satellite droplet behavior size control device and method. A nozzle of a liquid drop generator of the device generates jet flows in different forms, and main liquid drops and satellite liquid drops in the jet flows are different in motion state; the liquid drop control assembly is located under the liquid drop generator and used for adjusting the form of jet flow and controlling the behavior size of satellite liquid drops. And the liquid drop image acquisition assembly is positioned on the side of the liquid drop control assembly and is used for dynamically acquiring the form of the jet flow and the behavior size of the satellite liquid drop. The jet flow form and the generation process of the satellite liquid drops can be accurately controlled, stable separation and size adjustment of the satellite liquid drops are achieved, jet flow and liquid drop behaviors can be monitored in real time, it is ensured that the satellite liquid drops and main liquid drops are kept relatively stable before being separated from the main liquid drops, the sizes of the liquid drops can be secondarily regulated and controlled, and the stability of the liquid drops is improved. And a micron-sized electrode is used for accurately intervening in a jet local area, a breakthrough of smaller satellite droplet size is formed, and the method can be widely applied to high-precision droplet control requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a liquid jet morphology control device, relates to the field of ultra-high flux droplet generation, and specifically to a jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size control device and method. Background Art

[0002] Ultra-high flux droplets generated by Rayleigh instability jet breakage have the advantages of uniform and adjustable droplet size and droplet spacing, and are widely used in semiconductor fields such as wafer cleaning and extreme ultraviolet lithography light source generation. However, with the improvement of cleaning efficiency in wafer cleaning and plasma conversion efficiency of tin droplets after laser bombardment in extreme ultraviolet lithography light source generation, the demand for smaller micron-sized droplets is increasing.

[0003] At present, the size of tin droplets required in the generation of extreme ultraviolet lithography light sources is between 40 and 60 microns. According to the conservation of mass of the liquid column during the jet fracture process, to obtain tin droplets of the above size, the size of the orifice plate micropores required for processing is 20 to 30 microns. To ensure the performance indicators such as the roundness and dimensional accuracy of the micropores at this size, it is a great challenge for existing orifice plate laser processing equipment. In addition, small-aperture micropores also face a higher risk of crystallization and particle deposition blockage than large-aperture micropores, which will greatly reduce the effective utilization rate of the orifice plate; at the same time, small-aperture micropores also require a higher input back pressure than large-aperture micropores, which puts higher requirements on the sealing and safety of the gas path.

[0004] At present, there is a method that cleverly uses the byproducts produced during jet breakup—satellite droplets—as target droplets to achieve the effect of reducing the target droplet size, while avoiding a series of processing equipment limitations and working condition problems caused by small-diameter micropores. However, this method does not control the satellite droplets before they separate from the main droplets. In fact, there are many uncertainties in the generation of satellite droplets during jet breakup. Satellite droplets cannot be generated under all input parameters, and satellite droplets cannot exist stably when satellite droplets are generated. This is because the high-order harmonic development on the jet surface forms two breakpoints between the two adjacent expansion parts of the liquid column, and the slender liquid neck between the breakpoints shrinks to form satellite droplets. However, due to the combined influence of the jet parameters and the disturbance parameters, the formation of the breakpoints is not consistent in time, and the momentum difference causes most satellite droplets to quickly merge into the main droplet in the interval where satellite droplets can be generated. It is particularly difficult to keep the satellite droplets stable relative to the main droplet under long-distance working conditions, so as to obtain a stable and uniform satellite droplet flow through electric field separation. In addition, in engineering applications, the size of the satellite droplets formed is difficult to adjust again due to the fixed working parameters. To obtain the required satellite droplet size, one faces the dilemma of adjusting the original set parameters, which ultimately affects the operation of the equipment. Furthermore, the limit satellite droplet size is limited by the jet parameters and disturbance parameters. At present, there is still a certain degree of blank in the solution of how to break through the constraints of the original parameters for the satellite droplet size. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the problems existing in the background technology, the present invention provides a device and method for controlling jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior and size, so as to solve the problems of satellite droplet process window limitation, lack of stability, difficulty in secondary regulation and original parameter limitation. By using multiple electrodes, the behavior and size of satellite droplets can be controlled, the jet morphology can be controlled and the occurrence of satellite droplets can be induced before the satellite droplets are deflected by the deflection electrode.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0007] 1. A device for controlling jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size:

[0008] Ultra-high flux droplet generator, the nozzle of the droplet generator faces downward and is used to generate vertical jets of different shapes under the initially set flow parameters and piezoelectric excitation. The motion states of the main droplets and satellite droplets in each form of jet are different; the ultra-high flux is specifically 15k-1MHz.

[0009] The droplet control component, located directly below the ultra-high-throughput droplet generator, is used to adjust the jet morphology and control the behavior and size of satellite droplets.

[0010] The droplet image acquisition component is located on the side of the droplet control component and is used for the dynamic acquisition of the jet morphology and the behavior size of satellite droplets.

[0011] The droplet control assembly includes a droplet charging electrode, two jet local axial electrodes, two droplet deflection electrodes and an electrode controller. The droplet charging electrode is a circular ring structure and is coaxially threaded and mounted on the nozzle of the ultra-high flux droplet generator. The two jet local axial electrodes are horizontally spaced and arranged directly below the droplet charging electrode. The centers of the two jet local axial electrodes are each provided with a through hole and are coaxial with the droplet charging electrode. After the jet is generated, it passes through the droplet charging electrode and the central through hole of the two jet local axial electrodes in turn. The two droplet deflection electrodes are vertically and parallelly arranged on both sides of the symmetrical sides of the jet; the droplet charging electrode is connected to the positive pole of a high-voltage DC power supply, and the metal shell of the ultra-high flux droplet generator is connected to The grounding end of the high-voltage DC power supply, a jet local axial electrode located above is connected to the positive electrode of the high-voltage DC power supply, a jet local axial electrode located below is connected to the grounding end of the high-voltage DC power supply, and two droplet deflection electrodes are respectively connected to the positive electrode and the grounding end of the high-voltage DC power supply. The specific connection method is determined by the deflection direction of the droplet. The high voltage is specifically greater than 500 volts. A uniform electric field parallel to the jet direction is formed between the two jet local axial electrodes, and a uniform electric field perpendicular to the jet direction is formed between the two droplet deflection electrodes; the droplet charging electrode, the two jet local axial electrodes and the two droplet deflection electrodes are all electrically connected to an electrode controller that controls the voltage output, and the electrode controller is electrically connected to the computer end.

[0012] The nozzle is made of insulating material and is also installed to the bottom of the ultra-high flux droplet generator through a threaded structure and kept coaxial with the droplet generator to achieve insulation of the droplet charging electrode and the droplet generator to prevent the DC power supply from being short-circuited.

[0013] The inner diameter of the droplet charging electrode is larger than four times the jet diameter, and the through-hole diameter of the two jet local axial electrodes is larger than eight times the jet diameter, allowing the jet and generated droplets to pass through.

[0014] The droplet control component also includes two micron-scale axial electrodes, two micron-scale deflection electrodes and two micron-scale irregular distributed electrodes. When the satellite droplets are adjusted to the limit size, the two jet local axial electrodes are replaced with two micron-scale axial electrodes, and the two droplet deflection electrodes are replaced with two micron-scale deflection electrodes. Two micron-scale irregular distributed electrodes are horizontally arranged on both sides of the upper and lower symmetrical sides of the liquid toughness of the droplets in the jet. Each micron-scale irregular distributed electrode is located between a micron-scale axial electrode and two micron-scale deflection electrodes. The centers of the two micron-scale irregular distributed electrodes are both provided with through holes and connected with The droplet charging electrodes are coaxial; a micron-sized axial electrode located at the top is connected to the positive electrode of a high-voltage DC power supply, a micron-sized axial electrode located at the bottom is connected to the ground terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply, two micron-sized deflection electrodes are connected to the positive electrode and the ground terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply respectively, a micron-sized irregular distributed electrode located at the top is connected to the positive electrode of the high-voltage DC power supply, and a micron-sized irregular distributed electrode located at the bottom is connected to the ground terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply; the two micron-sized axial electrodes, the two micron-sized deflection electrodes and the two micron-sized irregular distributed electrodes are all electrically connected to an electrode controller that controls the voltage output. The influence of the micron-sized electrodes on the toughness of the slender liquid is much greater than that on the main droplet, and the influence of the electric field force on the main droplet can be ignored.

[0015] The droplet image acquisition component includes a high-speed camera, a camera displacement platform and a displacement platform controller. The high-speed camera is installed on the camera displacement platform. The camera displacement platform is electrically connected to the displacement platform controller. The high-speed camera and the displacement platform controller are electrically connected to a computer terminal. The computer terminal controls the displacement platform to move up and down through the displacement platform controller, so that the high-speed camera moves up and down. The high-speed camera faces the jet area, and the high-speed camera is controlled by the computer terminal to dynamically obtain the shape of the jet and the behavior size of the satellite droplets.

[0016] One of the application scenarios of the ultra-high throughput droplet generator of the present invention is the light source generation of an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine. A heating device must be provided on the side wall of the droplet generator to keep the tin inside the droplet generator cavity in a molten state; the insulating nozzle needs to be replaced with a high-temperature resistant material, such as quartz; and the droplet generation environment needs to be set to a vacuum.

[0017] 2. A control method for a device for controlling jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size:

[0018] 1) Setting the initial values ​​of the jet parameters and disturbance parameters of the droplet generator, generating a jet through the droplet generator, and continuously acquiring images of the droplets after the jet breaks through a high-speed camera.

[0019] 2) The motion state of the satellite droplets in the jet is judged based on the image of the droplets after the jet breaks whether it remains stable over long distances. If it does not remain stable over long distances, the motion state of the satellite droplets is adjusted through the droplet charging electrode and the two local axial electrodes of the jet until it remains stable over long distances.

[0020] 3) After the motion state of the satellite droplets remains stable over a long distance, determine whether the current size of the satellite droplets reaches the target size. If the current satellite droplets do not reach the target size, adjust the size of the satellite droplets through two jet local axial electrodes until the target size is reached, and then separate a stable satellite droplet flow of the target size through two droplet deflection electrodes.

[0021] 4) When the target size is smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplets, two micron-sized axial electrodes, two micron-sized deflection electrodes and two micron-sized irregularly distributed electrodes are arranged. The two micron-sized axial electrodes and the two micron-sized irregularly distributed electrodes adjust the size of the satellite droplets until the target size smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplets is reached, and a stable satellite droplet flow with a target size smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplets is separated by the two micron-sized deflection electrodes.

[0022] In the step 2), when the motion state of the satellite droplets in the jet remains stable over a long distance, that is, the jet becomes a second-form jet, each second-state satellite droplet of the second-form jet is always located between two adjacent second-state main droplets and maintains a long distance exceeding a preset distance threshold, the second-state main droplet is a main droplet that maintains relative stability with the satellite droplets in a charged state after charging, and the second-state satellite droplets are satellite droplets that maintain relative stability with the main droplets in a charged state after charging. If the current satellite droplets reach the target size, the droplet charging electrode is turned on and the voltages of the two droplet deflection electrodes are adjusted to separate the second-state satellite droplets in the horizontal direction to obtain a stable second-state satellite droplet flow; however, most of the obtained satellite droplet motion state images cannot be stably generated and remain stable over a long distance with the main droplets. According to the deformation process of the jet fracture liquid neck, the satellite droplets cannot maintain long-distance stability but The situations where the behavior can be controlled are divided into two types. When the motion state of the satellite droplets in the jet does not remain stable over a long distance, it is divided into two unstable states. The first unstable state is that the jet changes into a first-form jet. At this time, the liquid toughness of the first-form jet produces first-state satellite droplets. The first-state satellite droplets are located between two adjacent first-state main droplets and maintain a short distance less than a preset distance threshold before merging with a first-state main droplet located below themselves. The first-state main droplets are main droplets that are about to merge with satellite droplets in an uncharged state, and the first-state satellite droplets are satellite droplets that are about to merge with the main droplets in an uncharged state; the second unstable state is that the jet changes into a third-form jet. At this time, the liquid toughness of the third-state main droplets of the third-form jet has several liquid necks that have a tendency to break to form satellite droplets but have not completely broken. The third-state main droplets are main droplets whose liquid toughness has not broken and have multiple liquid necks.

[0023] When the jet is in the first unstable state, although the first-state satellite droplets of the first-state jet can be separated from the first-state main droplets, they will quickly merge with the first-state main droplets after flying a certain distance. If the droplets are charged at this time and the electrostatic force between the droplets is used, it is still not enough to offset the speed difference between the first-state satellite droplets and the first-state main droplets. The first-state satellite droplets will still gradually approach the first-state main droplets and finally merge with the first-state main droplets. By charging the droplets, the first-state main droplets and the first-state satellite droplets can be charged with different amounts of the same induced charge; using the principle of separation of satellite droplets and main droplets in the deflection electric field, it can be known that under the same field strength, the offset distances of the two are different; adding a jet local axial electrode between the droplet charging electrode and the droplet deflection electrode to form a local axial electric field, the first-state satellite droplets can be returned to the middle position of the first-state main droplet through the combined action of the axial electric field force and the electrostatic force, and maintain a relatively stable state with the first-state main droplet; turning on the droplet charging electrode and increasing the two through the electrode controller The voltage of the local axial electrode of the jet is adjusted until the first-form jet changes into the second-form jet. The satellite droplets in the second state can maintain a relatively equidistant relationship with the charged second-state main droplets in front and behind due to the electrostatic force, which makes it easier to separate the satellite droplets in the second state. If the current satellite droplets reach the target size, the two droplet deflection electrodes are located below a local axial electrode of the jet below. By adjusting the voltage of the two droplet deflection electrodes, the satellite droplets in the second state are separated in the horizontal direction after the second-form jet passes through the two local axial electrodes of the jet, thereby obtaining a stable satellite droplet flow in the second state.

[0024] When the jet is in the second unstable state, the third state jet has a tendency to break with the third state main droplet to form satellite droplets due to one end of the multiple liquid segments not being separated from the third state main droplet during the jet breakage process, and there are multiple liquid necks between the droplets when the jet has just left the nozzle and has not yet formed a stable state. The droplet charging electrode is always closed, and the voltage of the two local axial electrodes of the jet is increased by the electrode controller until the third state jet becomes a second form jet. At this time, each third state satellite droplet is always located between two adjacent fourth state main droplets and maintains a long distance exceeding a preset distance threshold. The fourth state main droplet is the main droplet separated under the action of the local axial electric field, and the third state satellite droplet is the satellite droplet that can maintain relative stability with the main droplet after separation under the action of the local axial electric field. The electric field acts on the droplet only by polarizing and charging the droplet through the local axial electrode of the jet. Use, so that under the influence of the local axial electric field of the jet, the liquid toughness that would not break originally can separate from the third-state main droplet and form a third-state satellite droplet, and transform into a second-state jet, and the third-state satellite droplets and the fourth-state main droplets can maintain a relatively stable state; if the current satellite droplets reach the target size, at this time the two droplet deflection electrodes are located between the two jet local axial electrodes, by adjusting the voltages of the two droplet deflection electrodes, when the second-form jet passes between the two jet local axial electrodes, the second-state satellite droplets are separated in the horizontal direction to obtain a stable second-state satellite droplet flow, and the third-state satellite droplets obtained based on the separation of the jet local axial electrodes can be deflected before leaving the range of the jet local axial electric field to obtain a stable second-state satellite droplet flow, thereby preventing the third-state satellite droplets from merging into the fourth-state main droplets after leaving the axial electric field interval.

[0025] By regulating the toughness of the jet and the stability of satellite droplets, satellite droplets can be stably generated and can maintain a stable separation state with the main droplets at a long working distance; at this time, the main droplets and satellite droplets of unequal sizes pass through a pair of droplet deflection electrodes in a droplet control component connected to a high-voltage DC power supply to form a uniform electric field perpendicular to the jet direction. By utilizing the difference in mass-to-charge ratio between satellite droplets and main droplets, the main droplets with larger diameters have a smaller radial offset, while the satellite droplets with smaller diameters will have a larger offset. This principle can be used to achieve separation of satellite droplets from main droplets.

[0026] In the step 3), if the current satellite droplets have not reached the target size, the two local axial electrodes of the jet are moved to the liquid toughness incompletely broken interval in the second form jet. When the jet is a fourth state jet, a slender liquid toughness is formed between every two adjacent fifth state main droplets, which eventually break to form fourth state satellite droplets. In the fourth state jet, the satellite droplets and the main droplets remain relatively stable and the liquid toughness volume satellite droplet size is adjustable. The fifth state main droplets are the main droplets before the secondary regulation of the satellite droplet size, and the fourth state satellite droplets are the satellite droplets before the secondary regulation of the satellite droplet size. By increasing the voltage of the two local axial electrodes of the jet or reducing the voltage of the two local axial electrodes of the jet, the target size of the satellite droplets is reduced. The spacing between the local axial electrodes is adjusted until the fourth-state jet becomes the fifth-state jet, the fifth-state jet is divided into the sixth-state main droplets and the fifth-state satellite droplets, the size of the fifth-state satellite droplets reaches the target size, the sixth-state main droplets are the main droplets after the satellite droplet size is secondary controlled, and the fifth-state satellite droplets are the satellite droplets after the satellite droplet size is secondary controlled; at this time, the two droplet deflection electrodes are located below a lower jet local axial electrode, and by adjusting the voltages of the two droplet deflection electrodes, after the fifth-state jet passes through the two jet local axial electrodes, the fifth-state satellite droplets are separated in the horizontal direction to obtain a stable fifth-state satellite droplet flow.

[0027] The electrode controller controls the local axial electrode of the jet to adjust the power supply voltage, and utilizes the compression effect of the dielectric interface in the electrostatic field on the perpendicular interface by the electrostatic field force to deform the overall jet, and observes the changes in the liquid toughness volume and the size of the satellite droplets. It can be clearly observed that the volumes of the fifth-state main droplets and the fourth-state satellite droplets are redistributed during the jet breakup process in the fifth-state jet, and the size of the obtained fifth-state satellite droplets decreases with the decrease in the liquid toughness volume; when the satellite droplet size is reduced to meet the target droplet size, the adjustment of the power supply voltage of the local axial electrode of the jet is stopped; the fifth-state satellite droplets that meet the size requirements pass through the local axial electrode of the jet and enter the droplet deflection electrode, and similarly due to the polarization charge, the fifth-state satellite droplets can be separated from the sixth-state main droplet flow, and finally a stable fifth-state satellite droplet flow that meets the size requirements is obtained.

[0028] The satellite droplet behavior control method can obtain a stable satellite droplet flow. However, the satellite droplet size obtained after determining the jet parameters and disturbance parameters cannot be adjusted again. In order to avoid the situation where the satellite droplet size cannot meet the requirements, the droplet control component can be used for secondary regulation of the satellite droplet size. Based on the situation that the satellite droplets can remain relatively stable with the main droplets, it is suitable for situations where the liquid volume is limited by the physical limit values ​​of the original parameters.

[0029] The local axial electrode of the satellite droplet behavior size control method mentioned above has a breakdown voltage. When the electrode plate is broken down, the jet will not be able to break and produce droplets, and the electrode should be prevented from being broken down. The satellite droplet size control method uses the fact that under the action of an external electric field, the movement of the fluid will cause the transfer and redistribution of the surface charge of the fluid. The electric stress is perpendicular to the interface, causing the change of the interface shape to be achieved by the interfacial tension balancing the electric stress. It changes the overall morphology of the jet, but it cannot change the physical law of jet development. According to the principle of jet instability, when the dimensionless wave number of the disturbance approaches 1 infinitely, the smallest droplet can be obtained. By changing the disturbance amplitude input by the droplet generator to adjust the jet morphology, the smallest satellite droplet can be obtained under the constraints of the original input parameters. On this basis, if the fine liquid toughness in the process of the main droplet being pinched off can be separated from the main droplet, the electric field adjustment at the macro level makes the overall force of the jet unable to meet the requirements, so a device that can intervene in the jet only in a local area is needed.

[0030] In the step 4), when the target size is smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplets, the jet is a sixth-state jet at this time, the sixth-state jet has a limit value for the liquid toughness volume of the seventh-state main droplet and the sixth-state jet breaks and cannot produce satellite droplets, and the seventh-state main droplet has a limit for the liquid toughness volume and cannot break to form a main droplet connected to the satellite droplets, then the voltage of the micron-scale axial electrode and the micron-scale irregularly distributed electrode is increased, so that the electric field strength at the liquid toughness between two adjacent main droplets of the jet increases until the liquid toughness breaks, and the sixth-state jet becomes the seventh-state jet, and the eighth state is obtained by separation. The main droplets and the sixth-state satellite droplets, the seventh-state jet is the jet morphology local control induced extremely small satellite droplets, the eighth-state main droplets are the main droplets separated from the fine liquid after morphology control, the sixth-state satellite droplets are satellite droplets formed after the fine liquid is separated from the main droplets, and the size of the sixth-state satellite droplets reaches a target size smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplets; by adjusting the voltage of the two micron-level deflection electrodes, when the second-state jet passes between the two jet local axial electrodes, the sixth-state satellite droplets are separated in the horizontal direction to obtain a stable sixth-state satellite droplet flow.

[0031] The micron-scale irregular distributed electrode is arranged between the micron-scale axial electrode and the micron-scale deflection electrode. When the liquid volume of the sixth-state jet is too small to generate satellite droplets, the local electric field distribution of the liquid between the main droplets in the seventh state is adjusted to increase the local electric field strength at the liquid, thereby increasing the surface electric stress near the liquid fracture point, promoting the formation of the fracture point, and achieving a breakthrough in the original satellite droplet size that cannot be further reduced due to the liquid volume limitation; after proper regulation by the electrode controller, the separation of the liquid from the eighth-state main droplets and the generation of extremely small sixth-state satellite droplets can be seen after the seventh-state jet develops, and its size is smaller than the minimum value that the original parameters can reach. At this time, the sixth-state satellite droplet flow with a size that exceeds the original parameter limitation can be obtained through the micron-scale deflection electrode.

[0032] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0033] The present invention can solve the problems of satellite droplet process window limitation, lack of stability, difficulty in secondary regulation and limitation by original parameters. The nozzle of the droplet generator is connected by multiple electrodes of the droplet control component to accurately control the jet morphology and the generation process of satellite droplets, thereby realizing stable separation and adjustable size of satellite droplets. In conjunction with the droplet image recognition component, according to the deformation process of different jet fracture liquid necks, the generation process of satellite droplets is monitored and adjusted in real time through closed-loop feedback control, so that the behavior of satellite droplets can be accurately controlled, ensuring that the main droplets and satellite droplets remain stable before entering the deflection electrode for separation, extending the life cycle of satellite droplets, and enabling satellite droplets to be stabilized at a longer distance between the main droplets before separation, thereby widening the satellite droplet process window. At the same time, the device can also be used for the case where the satellite droplets can remain relatively stable with the main droplets and the liquid toughness volume is adjustable. The size of the generated satellite droplets is secondary controlled based on the local axial electrode, avoiding the problem of modifying the original parameters in order to adjust the size in the traditional method, thus meeting the specific application requirements; in addition, the present invention designs a device for inducing the generation of micro-satellite droplets by local control of the jet morphology, and adopts irregular distributed electrodes at the micron level to precisely intervene in the jet only in the local interval, thereby promoting the generation of smaller satellite droplets when the jet cannot generate smaller satellite droplets under the original parameters limited by the liquid volume, so as to achieve a technological breakthrough in the generation of smaller droplets under the same large-aperture nozzle, promote the generation of extremely micro-satellite droplets, and meet higher demand applications. It can be widely used in high-precision droplet control needs, such as extreme ultraviolet lithography light sources and other fields, and provides a stable and adjustable solution for the generation of small droplets from large holes, which has important industrial application value and broad prospects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 It is a flow chart of the satellite droplet behavior control method of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of satellite droplet behavior control when satellite droplets merge with main droplets at a short distance after being generated;

[0037] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of satellite droplet behavior control when the liquid has multiple liquid necks that have a tendency to break and form satellite droplets but cannot break completely;

[0038] Figure 5 This is a flow chart of the satellite droplet size secondary control method of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of satellite droplet size control when the satellite droplets and the main droplets remain relatively stable;

[0040] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the control of inducing the generation of extremely small satellite droplets for local control of jet morphology;

[0041] In the figure: 1. jet, 2. main droplet, 3. satellite droplet, 4. droplet generator, 5. nozzle, 6. droplet charging electrode, 7. jet local axial electrode, 8. droplet deflection electrode, 9. high-speed camera, 10. camera displacement platform, 11. displacement platform controller, 12. electrode controller, 13. micron-scale axial electrode, 14. micron-scale deflection electrode, 15. micron-scale irregular distributed electrode, 101. first form jet, 102. second form jet, 103. third form jet, 104. fourth form jet, 105. fifth form jet, 106. 6. Sixth form jet, 107. Seventh form jet, 201. First state main droplet, 202. Second state main droplet, 203. Third state main droplet, 204. Fourth state main droplet, 205. Fifth state main droplet, 206. Sixth state main droplet, 207. Seventh state main droplet, 208. Eighth state main droplet, 301. First state satellite droplet, 302. Second state satellite droplet, 303. Third state satellite droplet, 304. Fourth state satellite droplet, 305. Fifth state satellite droplet, 306. Sixth state satellite droplet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0043] like Figure 1As shown, the jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size control device includes an ultra-high flux droplet generator 4, a droplet control component and a droplet image acquisition component. The nozzle 5 of the ultra-high flux droplet generator 4 is downward and is used to generate vertical jets 1 of different forms under the initially set flow parameters and piezoelectric excitation. The motion states of the main droplets 2 and satellite droplets 3 in each form of the jet 1 are different; the ultra-high flux is specifically 15k-1MHz. The droplet control component is located directly below the ultra-high flux droplet generator 4, and is used to adjust the morphology of the jet 1 and control the behavior size of the satellite droplets 3; the droplet image acquisition component is located on the side of the droplet control component, and is used to dynamically acquire the morphology of the jet 1 and the behavior size of the satellite droplets 3. The nozzle 5 is made of insulating material and is also installed at the bottom of the ultra-high flux droplet generator 4 through a threaded structure and keeps coaxial with the droplet generator 4 to achieve insulation of the droplet charging electrode 6 and the droplet generator 4 to prevent the DC power supply from being short-circuited.

[0044] The droplet control component includes a droplet charging electrode 6, two jet local axial electrodes 7, two droplet deflection electrodes 8 and an electrode controller 12. The droplet charging electrode 6 is a circular ring structure and is coaxially threaded and mounted on the nozzle 5 of the ultra-high flux droplet generator 4. The two jet local axial electrodes 7 are horizontally spaced and arranged directly below the droplet charging electrode 6. The centers of the two jet local axial electrodes 7 are each provided with a through hole and are coaxial with the droplet charging electrode 6. After the jet 1 is generated, it passes through the droplet charging electrode 6 and the central through holes of the two jet local axial electrodes 7 in turn. The two droplet deflection electrodes 8 are vertically and parallelly arranged on both sides of the symmetrical sides of the jet 1; the droplet charging electrode 6 is connected to the positive pole of the high-voltage DC power supply, and the metal shell of the ultra-high flux droplet generator 4 is connected to the positive pole of the high-voltage DC power supply. To the grounding terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply, a jet local axial electrode 7 located above is connected to the positive electrode of the high-voltage DC power supply, a jet local axial electrode 7 located below is connected to the grounding terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply, and two droplet deflection electrodes 8 are respectively connected to the positive electrode and the grounding terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply. The specific connection method is determined by the deflection direction of the droplet. The high voltage is specifically greater than 500 volts. A uniform electric field parallel to the direction of the jet 1 is formed between the two jet local axial electrodes 7, and a uniform electric field perpendicular to the direction of the jet 1 is formed between the two droplet deflection electrodes 8; the droplet charging electrode 6, the two jet local axial electrodes 7 and the two droplet deflection electrodes 8 are all electrically connected to the electrode controller 12 for controlling the voltage output, and the electrode controller 12 is electrically connected to the computer terminal. The inner diameter of the droplet charging electrode 6 is greater than four times the diameter of the jet 1, and the through-hole diameter of the two jet local axial electrodes 7 is greater than eight times the diameter of the jet 1, allowing the jet 1 and the generated droplets to pass through.

[0045] like Figure 7As shown, the droplet control component also includes two micron-scale axial electrodes 13, two micron-scale deflection electrodes 14 and two micron-scale irregular distributed electrodes 15. When the satellite droplet 3 is subjected to limit size adjustment, the two jet local axial electrodes 7 are replaced by two micron-scale axial electrodes 13, and the two droplet deflection electrodes 8 are replaced by two micron-scale deflection electrodes 14. Two micron-scale irregular distributed electrodes 15 are horizontally arranged on both sides of the upper and lower symmetrical sides of the liquid toughness of the droplet in the jet 1. Each micron-scale irregular distributed electrode 15 is located between a micron-scale axial electrode 13 and two micron-scale deflection electrodes 14. A through hole is opened in the center of the two micron-scale irregular distributed electrodes 15. The hole is coaxial with the droplet charging electrode 6; a micron-scale axial electrode 13 located at the top is connected to the positive electrode of the high-voltage DC power supply, a micron-scale axial electrode 13 located at the bottom is connected to the ground terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply, two micron-scale deflection electrodes 14 are respectively connected to the positive electrode and the ground terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply, a micron-scale irregular distributed electrode 15 located at the top is connected to the positive electrode of the high-voltage DC power supply, and a micron-scale irregular distributed electrode 15 located at the bottom is connected to the ground terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply; the two micron-scale axial electrodes 13, the two micron-scale deflection electrodes 14 and the two micron-scale irregular distributed electrodes 15 are all electrically connected to the electrode controller 12 for controlling the voltage output. The influence of the micron-scale electrodes 13, 14, and 15 on the slender liquid toughness is much greater than that on the main droplet 2, and the influence of the electric field force on the main droplet 2 can be ignored.

[0046] The droplet image acquisition component includes a high-speed camera 9, a camera displacement platform 10 and a displacement platform controller 11. The high-speed camera 9 is installed on the camera displacement platform 10. The camera displacement platform 10 is electrically connected to the displacement platform controller 11. The high-speed camera 9 and the displacement platform controller 11 are electrically connected to the computer terminal. The computer terminal controls the displacement platform 10 to move up and down through the displacement platform controller 11, so that the high-speed camera 9 moves up and down. The high-speed camera 9 faces the jet 1 area, and the computer terminal controls the high-speed camera 9 to dynamically obtain the shape of the jet 1 and the behavior size of the satellite droplets 3. The high-speed camera 9 focuses according to the lens of different focal lengths to keep the field of vision clearly able to observe the motion state of the jet 1 and the droplets. The high-speed camera 9 is connected to the computer terminal through a signal line. The computer terminal can control the high-speed camera 9 to capture images and perform real-time analysis and processing on the images captured by the high-speed camera 9; the camera displacement platform 10 is installed on the base of the high-speed camera 9, and can fine-tune the high-speed camera 9 in the three-dimensional axial direction of the Cartesian coordinate system; the displacement platform controller 11 adjusts the camera displacement platform 10 in real time by changing the position of the required observation interval in the computer terminal.

[0047] The droplet deflection electrode 8 and the jet local axial electrode 7 are both installed on a precision mobile platform. The information of the jet 1 and the satellite droplets 3 obtained by the droplet image acquisition component can be used to change the positions of the electrodes 7 and 8 in real time through the electrode controller 12, thereby achieving precise intervention in the morphology of the jet 1 and precise regulation within the range of the satellite droplet 3 generation position.

[0048] One of the application scenarios of the ultra-high flux droplet generator 4 of the present invention is the light source generation of an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine. A heating device must be provided on the side wall of the droplet generator 4 to keep the tin inside the cavity of the droplet generator 4 in a molten state; the insulating nozzle 5 needs to be replaced with a high temperature resistant material, such as quartz; and the droplet generation environment needs to be set to a vacuum.

[0049] The control method of the jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size control device of the present invention is specifically as follows:

[0050] 1) setting the initial values ​​of the jet parameters and disturbance parameters of the droplet generator 4, generating the jet 1 through the droplet generator 4, and continuously acquiring images of the droplets after the jet 1 breaks through the high-speed camera 9;

[0051] 2) Control the behavior of satellite droplets 3, such as Figure 2 As shown, the motion state of the satellite droplets 3 in the jet 1 is judged whether it remains stable over long distances based on the image of the droplets after the jet 1 breaks. When it does not remain stable over long distances, the motion state of the satellite droplets 3 is adjusted by the droplet charging electrode 6 and the two jet local axial electrodes 7 until it remains stable over long distances.

[0052] When the motion state of the satellite droplets 3 in the jet 1 remains stable over a long distance, that is, the jet 1 becomes a second-form jet 102, each second-state satellite droplet 302 of the second-form jet 102 is always located between two adjacent second-state main droplets 202 and maintains a long distance exceeding a preset distance threshold, the second-state main droplet 202 is a main droplet 2 that is relatively stable with the satellite droplet 3 in a charged state after charging, and the second-state satellite droplet 302 is a satellite droplet 3 that is relatively stable with the main droplet 2 in a charged state after charging. If the current satellite droplet 3 reaches the target size, the droplet charging electrode 6 is turned on at this time and the voltages of the two droplet deflection electrodes 8 are adjusted to separate the second-state satellite droplets 302 in the horizontal direction to obtain a stable second-state satellite droplet 302 flow; however, most of the obtained satellite droplet 3 motion state images cannot be stably generated and cannot maintain long-distance stability with the main droplet 2. According to the deformation process of the broken liquid neck of the jet 1, the situation where the satellite droplet 3 cannot maintain long-distance stability but the behavior is controllable is divided into There are two types. When the motion state of the satellite droplets 3 in the jet 1 does not remain stable over a long distance, it is divided into two unstable states. The first unstable state is that the jet 1 changes into the first-form jet 101. At this time, the liquid toughness of the first-form jet 101 produces a first-state satellite droplet 301. The first-state satellite droplet 301 is located between two adjacent first-state main droplets 201 and maintains a short distance less than a preset distance threshold before merging with a first-state main droplet 201 located below itself. The first-state main droplet 201 is a main droplet 2 that is about to merge with the satellite droplet 3 in an uncharged state. The first-state satellite droplet 301 is a satellite droplet 3 that is about to merge with the main droplet 2 in an uncharged state. The second unstable state is that the jet 1 changes into the third-form jet 103. At this time, the liquid toughness of the third-state main droplet 203 of the third-form jet 103 has several liquid necks that have a tendency to break and form satellite droplets 3 but have not completely broken. The third-state main droplet 203 is a main droplet 2 whose liquid toughness has not broken and has multiple liquid necks.

[0053] like Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the jet 1 is in the first unstable state, the first state satellite droplet 301 of the first state jet 101 can be separated from the first state main droplet 201, but after flying a certain distance, it will quickly merge with the first state main droplet 201. If the droplets are charged at this time to utilize the electrostatic force between the droplets, it is still not enough to offset the speed difference between the first state satellite droplet 301 and the first state main droplet 201. The first state satellite droplet 301 will still gradually approach the first state main droplet 201 and finally merge with the first state main droplet 201. At this time, the first state jet 101 is as shown in FIG. Figure 3As shown in the first column on the left. By charging the droplets, the first state main droplet 201 and the first state satellite droplet 301 can be charged with different amounts of the same type of induced charges; using the principle that the satellite droplet 3 and the main droplet 2 are separated in the deflection electric field, it can be known that under the electric field of the same field strength, the offset distances of the two are different; adding a jet local axial electrode 7 between the droplet charging electrode 6 and the droplet deflection electrode 8 to form a local axial electric field, the first state satellite droplet 301 can be returned to the middle position of the first state main droplet 201 through the combined action of the axial electric field force and the electrostatic force, and maintain a relatively stable state with the first state main droplet 201, as shown Figure 3 As shown in the second column in the middle; turn on the droplet charging electrode 6 and increase the voltage of the two jet local axial electrodes 7 through the electrode controller 12 until the first form jet 101 changes to the second form jet 102, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown in the third column on the right side, the second-state satellite droplets 302 can maintain a relatively equidistant relationship with the second-state main droplets 202 charged in front and behind due to the electrostatic force, making it easier to separate the second-state satellite droplets 302; if the current satellite droplets 3 reach the target size, the two droplet deflection electrodes 8 are located below a lower jet local axial electrode 7, and by adjusting the voltages of the two droplet deflection electrodes 8, after the second-form jet 102 passes through the two jet local axial electrodes 7, the second-state satellite droplets 302 are separated in the horizontal direction, thereby obtaining a stable second-state satellite droplet 302 flow.

[0054] like Figure 4 As shown, when the jet 1 is in the second unstable state, the third state jet 103 has a tendency to break with the third state main droplet 203 to form a satellite droplet 3 during the break of the jet 1, and there are multiple liquid necks between the droplets when the jet 1 just leaves the nozzle 5 and has not yet formed a stable state, as shown in FIG. Figure 4As shown in the first column on the left, the droplet charging electrode 6 is always closed, and the voltage of the two jet local axial electrodes 7 is increased through the electrode controller 12 until the third state jet 103 changes to the second state jet 102. At this time, each third state satellite droplet 303 is always located between two adjacent fourth state main droplets 204 and maintains a long distance exceeding the preset distance threshold. The fourth state main droplet 204 is the main droplet 2 separated under the action of the local axial electric field, and the third state satellite droplet 303 is the satellite droplet 3 that can maintain relative stability with the main droplet 2 after separation under the action of the local axial electric field. The electric field acts on the droplet only by polarizing and charging the droplet through the jet local axial electrode 7, so that the liquid that would not break originally under the influence of the jet local axial electric field 7 can separate from the third state main droplet 203 and form a third state satellite droplet 303, and change into the second state jet 102. The third state satellite droplet 303 and the fourth state main droplet 204 can maintain a relatively stable state, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown in the second column on the right; if the current satellite droplets 3 reach the target size, the two droplet deflection electrodes 8 are located between the two jet local axial electrodes 7. By adjusting the voltage of the two droplet deflection electrodes 8, when the second-form jet 102 passes through the two jet local axial electrodes 7, the second-state satellite droplets 302 are separated in the horizontal direction to obtain a stable second-state satellite droplet 302 flow. The third-state satellite droplets 303 separated based on the jet local axial electrode 7 can be deflected before leaving the range of the jet local axial electric field 7 to obtain a stable second-state satellite droplet 302 flow, thereby preventing the third-state satellite droplets 303 from merging into the fourth-state main droplet 204 after leaving the axial electric field interval.

[0055] By regulating the toughness of the jet 1 and the stability of the satellite droplets 3, the satellite droplets 3 can be stably generated and can maintain a stable separation state with the main droplet 2 at a long working distance; it is necessary to control the charging electrode 6 in the droplet control component to be powered on. After the jet 1 passes through the charging electrode 6, its surface induces a charge opposite to the electrode polarity. The cavity of the droplet generator 4 is grounded to introduce excess charge into the earth. After the droplets break, the broken droplets carry the charge. At this time, the main droplets 2 and satellite droplets 3 of unequal sizes pass through a pair of droplet deflection electrodes 8 in the droplet control component connected to a high-voltage DC power supply to form a uniform electric field perpendicular to the direction of the jet 1. By utilizing the difference in mass-to-charge ratio between the satellite droplets 3 and the main droplets 2, the main droplets 2 with a larger diameter have a smaller radial offset, while the satellite droplets 3 with a smaller diameter will have a larger offset. By utilizing this principle, the separation of the satellite droplets 3 and the main droplets 2 can be achieved.

[0056] The satellite droplet behavior control method can obtain a stable satellite droplet flow. However, the satellite droplet size obtained after determining the jet parameters and disturbance parameters cannot be adjusted again. In order to avoid the situation where the satellite droplet size cannot meet the requirements, the droplet control component can be used to perform secondary regulation of the satellite droplet size. The secondary regulation is based on the situation that the satellite droplet 3 can maintain relative stability with the main droplet 2, and is suitable for situations where the liquid volume is limited by the limit value of the original parameters.

[0057] 3) After the motion state of the satellite droplet 3 remains stable over a long distance, the size of the satellite droplet needs to be adjusted for a second time, such as Figure 5 As shown, it is determined whether the size of the current satellite droplets 3 reaches the target size. If the current satellite droplets 3 do not reach the target size, the size of the satellite droplets 3 is adjusted by two jet local axial electrodes 7 until the target size is reached, and then a stable stream of satellite droplets 3 of the target size is separated by two droplet deflection electrodes 8.

[0058] like Figure 6 As shown, if the current satellite droplet 3 does not reach the target size, the two jet local axial electrodes 7 are moved to the liquid-tough but not completely broken interval in the second-form jet 102, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown in the first column on the left, when the jet 1 is the fourth state jet 104, a thin liquid toughness is formed between every two adjacent fifth state main droplets 205, and finally breaks to form a fourth state satellite droplet 304. In the fourth state jet 104, the satellite droplet 3 and the main droplet 2 remain relatively stable and the liquid toughness volume of the satellite droplet 3 is adjustable. The fifth state main droplet 205 is the main droplet 2 before the secondary regulation of the satellite droplet 3 size, and the fourth state satellite droplet 304 is the satellite droplet 3 before the secondary regulation of the satellite droplet 3 size. By increasing the voltage of the two jet local axial electrodes 7 or reducing the distance between the two jet local axial electrodes 7,

[0059] Until the fourth state jet 104 becomes the fifth state jet 105, the fifth state jet 105 is divided into the sixth state main droplet 206 and the fifth state satellite droplet 305, the size of the fifth state satellite droplet 305 reaches the target size, the sixth state main droplet 206 is the main droplet 2 after the secondary regulation of the size of the satellite droplet 3, and the fifth state satellite droplet 305 is the satellite droplet 3 after the secondary regulation of the size of the satellite droplet 3; at this time, the two droplet deflection electrodes 8 are located below a lower jet local axial electrode 7, and by adjusting the voltage of the two droplet deflection electrodes 8, after the fifth state jet 105 passes through the two jet local axial electrodes 7, the fifth state satellite droplets 305 are separated in the horizontal direction to obtain a stable fifth state satellite droplet 305 flow.

[0060] The electrode controller 12 controls the local axial electrode 7 of the jet to adjust the power supply voltage, and utilizes the compression effect of the dielectric interface in the electrostatic field perpendicular to the interface caused by the electrostatic field force to deform the entire jet 1, and observes the changes in the liquid toughness volume and the size of the satellite droplets 3, such as Figure 6 As shown in the second column on the right, it can be clearly observed that the volumes of the fifth-state main droplet 205 and the fourth-state satellite droplet 304 are redistributed during the jet breakage process in the fifth-state jet 105, and along with the reduction of the liquid toughness volume, the size of the obtained fifth-state satellite droplet 305 is reduced immediately; when the size of the satellite droplet 3 is reduced to meet the target droplet size, the adjustment of the power supply voltage of the jet local axial electrode 7 is stopped; the fifth-state satellite droplets 305 that meet the size requirements pass through the jet local axial electrode 7 and then enter the droplet deflection electrode 8, and similarly due to the polarization charge, the fifth-state satellite droplets 305 can be separated from the sixth-state main droplet 206 flow, and finally a stable fifth-state satellite droplet 305 flow that meets the size requirements is obtained.

[0061] The satellite droplet 3 behavior control method can obtain a stable satellite droplet 3 flow. However, the satellite droplet 3 size obtained after determining the jet parameters and disturbance parameters cannot be adjusted again. In order to avoid the situation where the satellite droplet 3 size cannot meet the requirements, the droplet control component can be used to perform secondary regulation of the satellite droplet 3 size. Based on the situation that the satellite droplet 3 can maintain relative stability with the main droplet 2, it is suitable for situations where the liquid volume is limited by the physical limit value of the original parameters.

[0062] The local axial electrode 7 of the satellite droplet 3 behavior size control method has a breakdown voltage. When the electrode plate is broken down, the jet 1 will not be able to break and produce droplets, and the electrode should be avoided from being broken down. The satellite droplet 3 size control method uses the fact that under the action of an external electric field, the fluid movement will cause the transfer and redistribution of the surface charge of the fluid, and the electric stress is perpendicular to the interface, causing the change of the interface shape to be achieved by the interface tension balancing the electric stress. It changes the overall morphology of the jet 1, but cannot change the physical law of the development of the jet 1. According to the principle of jet instability, when the dimensionless wave number of the disturbance approaches 1 infinitely, the smallest droplet can be obtained. By changing the disturbance amplitude input by the droplet generator 4 to adjust the jet morphology 1, the smallest satellite droplet 3 can be obtained under the constraints of the original input parameters. On this basis, if the fine liquid toughness in the process of the main droplet 2 being pinched off can be separated from the main droplet 2, the electric field adjustment at the macro level makes the overall force of the jet unable to meet the requirements, so a device that can intervene in the jet 1 only in a local interval is needed.

[0063] 4) When the target size is smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplets 3, it is necessary to perform local control through the morphology of the jet 1 to induce the generation of extremely small satellite droplets 3. First, two micron-sized axial electrodes 13, two micron-sized deflection electrodes 14 and two micron-sized irregular distributed electrodes 15 are arranged. The two micron-sized axial electrodes 13 and the two micron-sized irregular distributed electrodes 15 adjust the size of the satellite droplets 3 until the target size smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplets 3 is reached. A stable satellite droplet 3 flow with a target size smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplets 3 is separated through the two micron-sized deflection electrodes 14.

[0064] like Figure 7 As shown, when the target size is smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplet 3, the jet 1 is the sixth state jet 106 at this time, the liquid toughness volume of the seventh state main droplet 207 of the sixth state jet 106 has a limit value and the sixth state jet 106 breaks and cannot produce satellite droplets 3, and the seventh state main droplet 207 has a limit in liquid toughness volume and cannot break to form a main droplet 2 connected to the satellite droplet 3, then the voltage of the micron-scale axial electrode 13 and the micron-scale irregular distributed electrode 15 is increased, so that the electric field strength at the liquid toughness between two adjacent main droplets 2 of the jet 1 increases until the liquid toughness breaks, and the sixth state jet 106 becomes the seventh state jet 107, and the eighth state main droplet 207 is separated to obtain. 8 and the sixth state satellite droplets 306, the seventh state jet 107 is the jet morphology local control induced extremely small satellite droplets 3 generated, the eighth state main droplet 208 is the main droplet 2 separated from the fine liquid toughness after morphology control, the sixth state satellite droplet 306 is the satellite droplet 3 formed after the fine liquid toughness is separated from the main droplet 2, and the size of the sixth state satellite droplet 306 reaches the target size that is smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplet 3; by adjusting the voltage of the two micron-level deflection electrodes 14, when the second form jet 102 passes through the two jet local axial electrodes 7, the sixth state satellite droplet 306 is separated in the horizontal direction to obtain a stable sixth state satellite droplet 306 flow.

[0065] The micron-scale irregular distributed electrode 15 is arranged between the micron-scale axial electrode 13 and the micron-scale deflection electrode 14. When the liquid toughness volume of the sixth-state jet 106 is too small to produce satellite droplets 3, the local electric field distribution of the liquid toughness between the main droplets 207 in the seventh state is adjusted to increase the local electric field strength at the liquid toughness, thereby increasing the surface electric stress near the liquid toughness fracture point, promoting the formation of the fracture point, and achieving a breakthrough in the original satellite droplet 3 size that cannot be further reduced due to the liquid toughness volume limitation; after proper regulation by the electrode controller 12, after the development of the seventh-state jet 107, the separation of the liquid toughness from the eighth-state main droplet 208 and the generation of extremely small sixth-state satellite droplets 306 can be seen, and the size is smaller than the minimum value that the original parameters can reach. At this time, through the micron-scale deflection electrode 14, a sixth-state satellite droplet 306 flow with a size that exceeds the original parameter limitation can be obtained.

[0066] The object of the above method is the situation that the liquid volume is limited by the original parameters and cannot be regulated due to the limit value of the original parameters in the secondary size control method of the satellite droplet 3, and the electric field force only acts on the local liquid of the jet 1. The way to achieve this is to add irregular distributed electrodes, and the electrodes are micron-level micro-electro-mechanical system MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) chips, which are used to increase the electric field strength at more subtle liquids, strengthen the electric field force at the liquid neck of the liquid to resist the surface tension, and promote the formation of liquid fracture points.

[0067] The above examples and descriptions are only for the purpose of illustrating the principles of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the present invention may be subject to various changes and modifications, which are all within the scope of the present invention to be protected. The scope of the present invention to be protected is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A device for controlling jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size, characterized in that: include: A droplet generator (4), wherein a nozzle (5) of the droplet generator (4) faces downward and is used to generate vertical jets (1) of different shapes, wherein the motion states of the main droplets (2) and the satellite droplets (3) in each shape of the jet (1) are different; A droplet control assembly, located directly below the droplet generator (4), is used to adjust the shape of the jet (1) and control the behavior and size of the satellite droplets (3); The droplet image acquisition component is located on the side of the droplet control component and is used for dynamically acquiring the shape of the jet (1) and the behavior size of the satellite droplets (3).

2. The device for controlling jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size according to claim 1, characterized in that: The droplet control component comprises a droplet charging electrode (6), two jet local axial electrodes (7), two droplet deflection electrodes (8) and an electrode controller (12). The droplet charging electrode (6) is a circular ring structure and is coaxially threadedly mounted on a nozzle (5) of a droplet generator (4). The two jet local axial electrodes (7) are horizontally spaced and arranged directly below the droplet charging electrode (6). The centers of the two jet local axial electrodes (7) are each provided with a through hole and are coaxial with the droplet charging electrode (6). After the jet (1) is generated, it passes through the center through holes of the droplet charging electrode (6) and the two jet local axial electrodes (7) in turn. The two droplet deflection electrodes (8) are vertically and parallelly arranged on both sides of the jet (1) that are symmetrical. The droplet charging electrode (6) is connected to a high voltage DC power supply. The positive electrode, the metal shell of the droplet generator (4) is connected to the ground terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply, a jet local axial electrode (7) located at the top is connected to the positive electrode of the high-voltage DC power supply, a jet local axial electrode (7) located at the bottom is connected to the ground terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply, two droplet deflection electrodes (8) are respectively connected to the positive electrode and the ground terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply, a uniform electric field parallel to the direction of the jet (1) is formed between the two jet local axial electrodes (7), and a uniform electric field perpendicular to the direction of the jet (1) is formed between the two droplet deflection electrodes (8); the droplet charging electrode (6), the two jet local axial electrodes (7) and the two droplet deflection electrodes (8) are all electrically connected to an electrode controller (12) for controlling voltage output, and the electrode controller (12) is electrically connected to a computer terminal.

3. The device for controlling the jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size according to claim 2, characterized in that: The droplet control component further comprises two micron-sized axial electrodes (13), two micron-sized deflection electrodes (14) and two micron-sized irregular distributed electrodes (15). When the satellite droplet (3) is subjected to limit size adjustment, the two jet local axial electrodes (7) are replaced by two micron-sized axial electrodes (13), and the two droplet deflection electrodes (8) are replaced by two micron-sized deflection electrodes (14). Two micron-sized irregular distributed electrodes (15) are horizontally arranged on both sides of the upper and lower symmetrical sides of the liquid toughness of the droplet in the jet (1). Each micron-sized irregular distributed electrode (15) is located between a micron-sized axial electrode (13) and two micron-sized deflection electrodes (14). The centers of the two micron-sized irregular distributed electrodes (15) are both A through hole is provided and the electrode is coaxial with the droplet charging electrode (6); a micron-sized axial electrode (13) located at the top is connected to the positive electrode of a high-voltage DC power supply, a micron-sized axial electrode (13) located at the bottom is connected to the ground terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply, two micron-sized deflection electrodes (14) are respectively connected to the positive electrode and the ground terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply, a micron-sized irregular distributed electrode (15) located at the top is connected to the positive electrode of the high-voltage DC power supply, and a micron-sized irregular distributed electrode (15) located at the bottom is connected to the ground terminal of the high-voltage DC power supply; the two micron-sized axial electrodes (13), the two micron-sized deflection electrodes (14) and the two micron-sized irregular distributed electrodes (15) are all electrically connected to an electrode controller (12) for controlling voltage output.

4. The device for controlling jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size according to claim 1, characterized in that: The droplet image acquisition component comprises a high-speed camera (9), a camera displacement platform (10) and a displacement platform controller (11); the high-speed camera (9) is mounted on the camera displacement platform (10); the camera displacement platform (10) is electrically connected to the displacement platform controller (11); the high-speed camera (9) and the displacement platform controller (11) are electrically connected to a computer terminal; the computer terminal controls the displacement platform (10) to move up and down through the displacement platform controller (11), so that the high-speed camera (9) moves up and down; the high-speed camera (9) faces the jet (1) area; and the computer terminal controls the high-speed camera (9) to dynamically obtain the shape of the jet (1) and the behavior size of the satellite droplets (3).

5. The control method of the jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: include: 1) setting initial values ​​of the jet parameters and disturbance parameters of the droplet generator (4), generating a jet (1) through the droplet generator (4), and continuously acquiring images of droplets after the jet (1) breaks through a high-speed camera (9); 2) judging whether the motion state of the satellite droplets (3) in the jet (1) is stable over a long distance according to the image of the droplets after the jet (1) breaks; if the motion state of the satellite droplets (3) is not stable over a long distance, adjusting the motion state of the satellite droplets (3) through the droplet charging electrode (6) and two jet local axial electrodes (7) until the motion state of the satellite droplets (3) is stable over a long distance; 3) after the motion state of the satellite droplets (3) remains stable over a long distance, it is determined whether the size of the current satellite droplets (3) reaches the target size; if the current satellite droplets (3) do not reach the target size, the size of the satellite droplets (3) is adjusted by two local axial electrodes (7) until the target size is reached, and then a stable stream of satellite droplets (3) of the target size is separated by two droplet deflection electrodes (8); 4) When the target size is smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplets (3), two micron-sized axial electrodes (13), two micron-sized deflection electrodes (14) and two micron-sized irregularly distributed electrodes (15) are arranged. The two micron-sized axial electrodes (13) and the two micron-sized irregularly distributed electrodes (15) adjust the size of the satellite droplets (3) until the target size smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplets (3) is reached. A stable satellite droplet (3) flow with a target size smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplets (3) is separated by the two micron-sized deflection electrodes (14).

6. The control method of the device for controlling the jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size according to claim 5, characterized in that: In the step 2), when the motion state of the satellite droplets (3) in the jet (1) remains stable over a long distance, that is, the jet (1) becomes a second-state jet (102), each second-state satellite droplet (302) of the second-state jet (102) is always located between two adjacent second-state main droplets (202) and maintains a long distance exceeding a preset distance threshold. If the current satellite droplets (3) reach a target size, the droplet charging electrode (6) is turned on and the voltages of the two droplet deflection electrodes (8) are adjusted to separate the second-state satellite droplets (302) in the horizontal direction, thereby obtaining a stable second-state satellite droplet (302) stream; when the motion state of the satellite droplets (3) in the jet (1) does not change, If the long-distance stability is maintained, there are two unstable states. The first unstable state is that the jet (1) changes into a first-form jet (101). At this time, the liquid toughness of the first-form jet (101) produces a first-form satellite droplet (301). The first-form satellite droplet (301) is located between two adjacent first-form main droplets (201) and maintains a short distance less than a preset distance threshold before merging with a first-form main droplet (201) located below itself. The second unstable state is that the jet (1) changes into a third-form jet (103). At this time, the liquid toughness of the third-form main droplet (203) of the third-form jet (103) has several liquid necks that have a tendency to break to form satellite droplets (3) but have not completely broken.

7. The control method of the device for controlling the jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the jet (1) is in the first unstable state, the droplet charging electrode (6) is turned on and the voltage of the two jet local axial electrodes (7) is increased through the electrode controller (12) until the first-form jet (101) changes into the second-form jet (102); if the current satellite droplets (3) reach the target size, the two droplet deflection electrodes (8) are located below a lower jet local axial electrode (7), and by adjusting the voltage of the two droplet deflection electrodes (8), after the second-form jet (102) passes through the two jet local axial electrodes (7), the second-state satellite droplets (302) are separated in the horizontal direction, thereby obtaining a stable second-state satellite droplet (302) flow.

8. The control method of the device for controlling the jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the jet (1) is in the second unstable state, the droplet charging electrode (6) is always closed, and the voltage of the two jet local axial electrodes (7) is increased by the electrode controller (12) until the third state jet (103) changes into the second form jet (102). At this time, each third state satellite droplet (303) is always located between two adjacent fourth state main droplets (204) and maintains a long distance exceeding a preset distance threshold; if the current satellite droplet (3) reaches the target size, at this time, the two droplet deflection electrodes (8) are located between the two jet local axial electrodes (7), and by adjusting the voltage of the two droplet deflection electrodes (8), when the second form jet (102) passes between the two jet local axial electrodes (7), the second state satellite droplets (302) are separated in the horizontal direction, thereby obtaining a stable second state satellite droplet (302) flow.

9. The control method of the device for controlling the jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size according to claim 5, characterized in that: In the step 3), if the current satellite droplet (3) has not reached the target size, the two jet local axial electrodes (7) are moved to the liquid toughness incompletely broken interval in the second-state jet (102). When the jet (1) is a fourth-state jet (104), a liquid toughness is formed between each two adjacent fifth-state main droplets (205), and finally breaks to form a fourth-state satellite droplet (304). By increasing the voltage of the two jet local axial electrodes (7) or reducing the distance between the two jet local axial electrodes (7), until the fourth-state jet (104) becomes a fifth-state jet. (105), the fifth state jet (105) is divided into the sixth state main droplet (206) and the fifth state satellite droplet (305), and the size of the fifth state satellite droplet (305) reaches the target size; at this time, the two droplet deflection electrodes (8) are located below a lower jet local axial electrode (7), and by adjusting the voltage of the two droplet deflection electrodes (8), after the fifth state jet (105) passes through the two jet local axial electrodes (7), the fifth state satellite droplet (305) is separated in the horizontal direction to obtain a stable fifth state satellite droplet (305) flow.

10. The control method of the device for controlling the jet morphology and satellite droplet behavior size according to claim 5, characterized in that: In the step 4), when the target size is smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplet (3), the jet (1) is a sixth-state jet (106), the liquid toughness volume of the seventh-state main droplet (207) of the sixth-state jet (106) has a limit value, and the sixth-state jet (106) is broken and cannot produce satellite droplets (3), then the voltage of the micron-scale axial electrode (13) and the micron-scale irregularly distributed electrode (15) is increased, so that the electric field intensity at the liquid toughness between two adjacent main droplets (2) of the jet (1) increases until the liquid toughness breaks, and the sixth state jet (106) is broken. The jet (106) changes into a seventh-state jet (107), and is separated to obtain an eighth-state main droplet (208) and a sixth-state satellite droplet (306), wherein the size of the sixth-state satellite droplet (306) reaches a target size that is smaller than the limit size of the satellite droplet (3); by adjusting the voltage of the two micron-level deflection electrodes (14), when the second-state jet (102) passes between the two jet local axial electrodes (7), the sixth-state satellite droplet (306) is separated in the horizontal direction, thereby obtaining a stable sixth-state satellite droplet (306) flow.

Images