Quartz tube spray cleaning machine

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a quartz tube spray cleaning machine which comprises a bearing platform used for receiving and bearing a horizontally placed quartz tube; the driving device is in transmission connection with the bearing platform and is used for driving the bearing platform to rotate so as to rotate the horizontally placed quartz tube into a vertical state; and the spraying device is used for spraying cleaning liquid to the quartz tube in the vertical state so as to clean the quartz tube. The spraying cleaning machine for the quartz tube can prevent the quartz tube from being broken in the cleaning process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a quartz tube spray cleaning machine. Background Technology

[0002] Quartz tubes are key consumables in semiconductor fabrication processes (such as CVD, PVD, diffusion, and film formation) and optical fiber preform manufacturing. After use, particles, metal impurities, and organic residues are easily deposited on the inner wall. Therefore, it is necessary to achieve reusability while ensuring cleanliness.

[0003] Current cleaning methods employ horizontal cleaning machines, where the quartz tube is horizontally inserted, positioned, and clamped within the machine's cleaning station, then cleaned with a spray cleaning solution. However, for long-axis quartz tubes, gravity causes them to deflect off their axial direction, placing the tube under continuous, off-axis bending tensile stress. The temperature difference introduced by the spray during cleaning introduces thermal shock, which, combined with the self-weight deflection, easily causes the stress peak to exceed the quartz's strength limit, leading to breakage. In semiconductor manufacturing processes, frequent quartz tube damage and replacement does not meet industry cost control requirements and hinders the development of efficient and low-damage quartz tube cleaning. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a quartz tube spray cleaning machine to prevent quartz tubes from breaking during the cleaning process.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a quartz tube spray cleaning machine, comprising: A support platform for receiving and supporting horizontally placed quartz tubes; A driving device, which is connected to the support platform, is used to drive the support platform to rotate so as to rotate the horizontally placed quartz tube to a vertical position; A spraying device is used to spray cleaning fluid onto a vertically positioned quartz tube to clean it.

[0006] Preferably, the support platform includes a horizontal frame and a vertical platform, and the driving device includes a servo motor. The horizontal frame is horizontally arranged and used to support the sidewall of a horizontally placed quartz tube from below. The vertical platform is located at the end of the horizontal frame and has a vertically arranged bearing plane for fitting the open end of the quartz tube. The servo motor is driven by the horizontal frame and is used to drive the horizontal frame to rotate to a vertical state, so that the quartz tube placed horizontally on the horizontal frame rotates to a vertical state. The bearing plane of the vertical platform rotates to a horizontal state under the rotation of the horizontal frame to support the open end of the vertically placed quartz tube from below.

[0007] Preferably, the bearing platform includes guide positioning columns extending horizontally from the bearing plane of the vertical platform.

[0008] Preferably, the outer contour dimension of the guide positioning post in the direction perpendicular to the horizontal gradually decreases along the direction away from the vertical platform.

[0009] Preferably, the support platform includes an annular outer protective frame disposed on the horizontal frame and surrounding the horizontal direction.

[0010] Preferably, there are multiple annular outer protective frames, and the multiple annular outer protective frames are arranged sequentially at intervals along the horizontal direction.

[0011] Preferably, the bearing platform includes a conveying device disposed on the horizontal carrier, the conveying device being used to convey a horizontal quartz tube from the head end of the horizontal carrier to the end end of the horizontal carrier along the horizontal direction, so that the open end of the quartz tube is aligned with the bearing plane of the vertical carrier.

[0012] Preferably, the conveying device includes a plurality of drive rollers arranged at intervals along the horizontal direction, each drive roller being used to conform to the outer wall of the quartz tube and rotate to convey the horizontally placed quartz tube from the head end of the horizontal carrier to the end end of the horizontal carrier.

[0013] Preferably, it also includes an auxiliary roller assembly, which has a plurality of auxiliary rollers arranged sequentially at intervals along the horizontal direction. The auxiliary rollers are used to fit against the outer wall of the quartz tube to provide auxiliary guidance when conveying the quartz tube.

[0014] Preferably, there are multiple auxiliary roller groups, which are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the conveying device.

[0015] Compared with existing technologies, the quartz tube spray cleaning machine provided by this invention drives the support platform to rotate through a drive device, thereby rotating the quartz tube placed horizontally on the support platform to a vertical position. Then, the spray device sprays cleaning liquid onto the vertically positioned quartz tube to clean it. Compared with the quartz tube placed horizontally during the cleaning process, the gravity of the quartz tube, which originally caused the horizontally placed quartz tube to deflect off the axis due to its own weight, no longer causes the axial deflection due to its own weight when the quartz tube is placed vertically. Instead, it is converted into axial compression of the quartz tube. This overcomes the problem of quartz tube breakage caused by the superposition of self-weight deflection and spray temperature difference, avoids frequent quartz tube damage and replacement, and is more in line with the industry's requirements for cost control, making quartz tube cleaning develop towards high efficiency and low damage. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort, wherein: Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the quartz tube spray cleaning machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 The quartz tube spray cleaning machine provided in the embodiments of the present invention is along Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of line AA shown. Figure 3 The quartz tube spray cleaning machine provided in the embodiments of the present invention is along Figure 1 The BB line shown is... and... Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a cross-sectional structure with opposite viewing directions; Figure 4 for Figure 3 The diagram shows a quartz tube spray cleaning machine rotating a quartz tube to a vertical position. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the supporting platform of the quartz tube spray cleaning machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 for Figure 5 The diagram shows a structural schematic of a platform supporting a horizontally placed quartz tube. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0018] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 This invention provides a quartz tube spray cleaning machine, which includes a main frame 10, a support platform 11, a drive device 12, and a spray device 13. The quartz tube spray cleaning machine is used to clean quartz tubes 20.

[0019] The main frame 10 is used to accommodate and support the support platform 11, the drive device 12, and the spray device 13. In this embodiment, the main frame 10 forms a generally cubic space 100 to accommodate the support platform 11 for carrying the quartz tube 20 to be cleaned, to provide movement space for the support platform 11 to operate under the drive device 12, and to allow the spray device 13 to spray and clean the quartz tube 20 within this space.

[0020] In this embodiment, the main frame 10 is provided with a feeding door 14 that connects to the space 100. The staff can open or close the space 100 through the feeding door 14 so that the quartz tube 20 to be cleaned can be placed into the support platform 11 in the space 100 through the feeding door 14, and the quartz tube 20 after cleaning can be taken out through the feeding door 14.

[0021] Preferably, the feed door 14 includes a door panel 141, a door lock latch 142, and a hinge 143. The lower part of the door panel 141 is pivotally connected to the side wall of the main frame 10 via the hinge 143, and can be flipped vertically to switch between closed and open states. After the door panel 141 is flipped downward to the open state, the operator can place or remove the quartz tube 20 from the space 100. The door lock latch 142 can fix the door panel 141 in the closed state after it is flipped upward to the closed state, so as to prevent the door panel 141 from flipping downward and falling due to gravity when not operated by the operator, thus preventing the space 100 from being reopened. It is easy to understand that since the door panel 141 is designed to flip up and down, it can remain open under its own weight after the door panel 141 is opened, thereby avoiding the potential risk of the quartz tube 20 breaking due to collision with the door panel 141 during the process of taking out and putting in the horizontal opening method.

[0022] The support platform 11 is set in the space 100 to receive and support the horizontally placed quartz tube 20. The drive device 12 is connected to the support platform 11 for driving the support platform 11 to rotate so as to rotate the horizontally placed quartz tube 20 to a vertical state.

[0023] In this embodiment, the supporting platform 11 includes a horizontal support frame 111 and a vertical support platform 112. The horizontal support frame 111 is horizontally arranged and used to support the side wall of the horizontally placed quartz tube 20 from below. The vertical support platform 112 is located at the end of the horizontal support frame 111. Figure 2 The left end of the horizontal carrier 111 shown in the diagram, Figure 3 The horizontal support 111 (as shown in the figure, at its right end) has a vertically arranged bearing plane 1120 for fitting the open end of the quartz tube 20. The drive unit 12 includes a servo motor that is driveably connected to the horizontal support 111, and the servo motor is used to drive the horizontal support 111 to rotate to a vertical position (e.g., as shown in the figure, at its right end). Figure 4 As shown), the quartz tube 20, which is placed horizontally on the horizontal carrier 111, is rotated to a vertical position. The bearing plane 1120 of the vertical platform 112 is rotated to a horizontal position under the rotation of the horizontal carrier 111, so as to support the open end of the vertical quartz tube 20 from below.

[0024] Preferably, the support platform 11 may further include guide positioning posts 114 extending horizontally (in the X-axis direction shown in the figure) from the support plane 1120 of the vertical platform 112. The guide positioning posts 114 provide a positional reference and guide the quartz tube 20 when the operator opens the feed door 14 and places it into the space 100. More preferably, the outer contour dimension of the guide positioning posts 114 in the direction perpendicular to the horizontal gradually decreases along the direction away from the vertical platform 112. For example, as... Figure 5 As shown, the guide positioning post 114 includes four triangular plates that are approximately right-angled. The shorter right-angled side of each triangular plate is connected to the bearing plane 1120, and the longer right-angled sides of each triangular plate are close to each other and are evenly distributed around the central vertical line OO' of the bearing plane 1120. In this way, the hypotenuses of each triangular plate form a gradually converging / contracting outer contour in the direction away from the vertical platform 112. As the quartz tube 20 moves in the opposite direction of the X-axis direction shown in the figure toward the vertical platform 112 to be placed on the horizontal frame 111, it gradually penetrates into the interior of the quartz tube 20 and plays a guiding role.

[0025] It is not difficult to understand that the guide positioning post 114 is not limited to Figure 5 The preferred configuration, as shown, is to have the guide positioning post 114 form a gradually narrowing / contracting outer contour in the direction away from the vertical platform 112, thus providing guidance when the quartz tube 20 is placed on the horizontal support 111. For example, in some other feasible embodiments, the guide positioning post 114 may also be a cone, frustum of a cone, pyramid, or truncated pyramid structure protruding from the bearing plane 1120 of the vertical platform 112, forming a gradually narrowing / contracting outer contour in the direction away from the vertical platform 112, similarly providing guidance when the quartz tube 20 is placed on the horizontal support 111.

[0026] See Figure 5 More preferably, the support platform 11 further includes an annular outer guard 115 disposed on the horizontal frame 111 and surrounding the horizontal direction (i.e., the direction shown by the central vertical line OO' of the support plane 1120). The annular outer guard 115 is distributed around the central vertical line OO' of the support plane 1120 and the guide positioning posts 114.

[0027] Please see also Figure 6After the quartz tube 20 is placed on the horizontal carrier 111 under the guidance of the guide positioning post 114, the annular outer protective frame 115 is located around the outer wall of the quartz tube 20, thereby limiting and protecting the quartz tube 20 during the rotation of the horizontal carrier 111 driven by the drive device 12 and during the cleaning process. In addition, it is preferable to provide multiple annular outer protective frames 115, which are arranged sequentially and spaced apart in the horizontal direction, so that they can limit and protect the quartz tube 20 at different positions in the axial direction (coinciding with OO' after horizontal placement), which is suitable for quartz tubes 20 with longer axial lengths.

[0028] It should be noted that, in order to improve the protective effect of the annular outer protective frame 115, in some preferred embodiments, the annular outer protective frame 115 can be made of flexible or elastic buffer material, or a flexible or elastic buffer liner can be provided on the annular outer protective frame 115 to play a buffering role when it comes into contact with the quartz tube 20, so as to avoid the risk of the quartz tube 20 breaking due to collision.

[0029] See also Figure 5 Preferably, the horizontal carrier 111 is further provided with a conveying device 116, which is used to move the horizontal quartz tube 20 from the head end of the horizontal carrier 111 (i.e., Figure 5 The lower right end (as shown in the diagram) is conveyed to the end of the horizontal carrier 111 (that is... Figure 5 (As shown in the upper left corner of the figure), so that the open end of the quartz tube 20 is aligned with the bearing plane 1120 of the vertical platform 112. The conveying device 116 can automatically convey the quartz tube 20 to the predetermined position. During the process of moving the quartz tube 20 to the end of the horizontal frame 111, it avoids the instability of manual operation that could cause the quartz tube 20 to interfere or collide with other components, thereby preventing damage or breakage of the quartz tube 20. It should be noted that the conveying device 116 can be a slide table equipped with slide rails, or other conveying forms such as drive rollers driven by a power mechanism.

[0030] In one specific embodiment, the conveying device 116 includes a plurality of drive rollers 1160 arranged sequentially at intervals along a horizontal direction. Each drive roller 1160 is used to conform to and rotate against the outer wall of the quartz tube 20 to convey the horizontally placed quartz tube 20 from the head end of the horizontal carrier 111 to the end end of the horizontal carrier 111. It is understood that the conveying device 116 may include a single drive roller 1160 or a plurality of drive rollers 1160, and the drive rollers 1160 may be disposed below or to the side of the horizontal quartz tube 20. As an example, in this embodiment, the conveying device 116 includes as follows: Figure 5As shown, multiple drive rollers 1160 are located below the horizontal quartz tube 20, allowing them to both transmit power and support the quartz tube 20. Similarly, to prevent damage or breakage of the quartz tube 20 due to contact between the drive rollers 1160 and the quartz tube 20, a flexible or elastic buffer layer can be provided on the surface of the drive rollers 1160 that contact the outer wall of the quartz tube 20 (i.e., the surface of the drive rollers 1160 that contact the outer wall of the quartz tube 20). This buffer layer will cushion the impact when contact occurs with the quartz tube 20, thus preventing the risk of breakage.

[0031] Preferably, the carrying platform 11 further includes an auxiliary roller assembly 117, which has a plurality of auxiliary rollers 1170 arranged sequentially and spaced apart in a horizontal direction. The auxiliary rollers 1170 are used to conform to the outer wall of the quartz tube 20 to provide auxiliary guidance during the conveying of the quartz tube 20. It is understood that there may be one, two, or more auxiliary roller assemblies 117. For example, in a feasible embodiment, there are two auxiliary roller assemblies 117, and the two auxiliary roller assemblies 117 are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the conveying device 116. Similarly, a flexible or elastic buffer layer may be provided on the surface of the auxiliary rollers 1170 that contacts the outer wall of the quartz tube 20 to provide a buffering effect when in contact with the quartz tube 20, thereby avoiding the risk of breakage of the quartz tube 20.

[0032] See also Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The space 100 of the main frame 10 is also equipped with a spray device 13 for spraying cleaning fluid onto the vertically positioned quartz tube 20 to clean it. Specifically, in this embodiment, the spray device 13 includes an outer spray head 131 disposed at the top of the space 100 for spraying cleaning fluid from top to bottom when the quartz tube 20 is rotated to a vertical position to clean the outer wall of the quartz tube 20; and an inner spray head 132 disposed on the vertical platform 112 and extending along the X-axis direction for spraying cleaning fluid from the inside of the quartz tube from bottom to top when the quartz tube 20 is rotated to a vertical position to clean the outer wall of the quartz tube 20. Specifically, in this embodiment, the inner spray head 132 protrudes from the vertical platform 112 along the X-axis direction and has a spray nozzle at its end away from the vertical platform 112.

[0033] See Figure 5Preferably, the geometric center axis of the inner spray head 132 coincides with OO', meaning the inner spray head 132 protrudes from the geometric center of the vertical platform 112. This ensures that after the quartz tube 20 is placed on the support platform 11, the inner spray head 132 is located on the geometric center axis of the quartz tube 20. Thus, when the quartz tube 20 is rotated to a vertical position, the inner spray head 132 can evenly spray cleaning fluid from the center onto the inner wall of the quartz tube 20, ensuring uniform distribution of the cleaning fluid and guaranteeing the cleaning effect. More preferably, in some feasible embodiments, the four triangular plates of the guide positioning post 114 are arranged around the spray head 132, and the longer right-angled side of each triangular plate connects to the triangular plate. This eliminates narrow gaps between the four triangular plates of the guide positioning post 114 and the inner spray head 132, thereby preventing dirt from accumulating in gaps and contaminating the cleanliness of the space 100. Here, it is preferable to set the vertical platform 112, the guide positioning column 114 and the inner spray head 132 as an integrated structure to further avoid the accumulation of dirt in the tiny gaps between the components and ensure environmental cleanliness.

[0034] It is easy to understand that, in order to provide cleaning fluid to the spray device, in this embodiment, the main frame 10 is also equipped with a water tank 15, which contains cleaning fluid to supply cleaning fluid to the outer spray head 131 and inner spray head 132 of the spray device 13. The water tank 15 can be located at the bottom of the space 100 for easy replenishment of cleaning fluid by personnel. It is recommended that the water tank 15 be located at a position offset from directly below the quartz tube 20 in its vertical state, thereby preventing the dirty liquid after cleaning from falling from the quartz tube 20 from contaminating the unused cleaning fluid in the water tank 15. Of course, when considering the scenario of avoiding cleaning fluid contamination, the water tank 15 can also be arranged at the top of the space 100, which can better prevent the dirty liquid after cleaning from falling into the water tank 15 and contaminating the cleaning fluid. It is understood that the water tank 15 can also be located outside the main frame 10, which can both avoid contamination by dirty liquid after cleaning and place it at a lower height for easy replenishment of cleaning fluid by personnel.

[0035] In addition, the main frame 10 can also be equipped with an operating system 16. After the operator places the quartz tube 20 on the horizontal carrier 111, the operating system 16 can control the conveying device 116 to transfer the quartz tube 20 to a predetermined position. After closing the feed door 14, the operating system 16 controls the drive device 12 to rotate the quartz tube 20 and controls the spraying action of the spraying device 13 to perform the spraying cleaning action. Of course, after cleaning the quartz tube 20, the operator can also control the conveying device 116 to transfer the quartz tube 20 from the predetermined position to the feed door 14 side through the operating system 16, thereby facilitating the removal of the cleaned quartz tube 20.

[0036] In addition, the main frame 10 may also be equipped with an exhaust system 17, which is located at the top of the main frame 10 and communicates with the space 100 for gas exchange.

[0037] Compared with the prior art, the quartz tube spray cleaning machine provided in this embodiment of the invention drives the support platform 11 to rotate through the drive device 12, thereby rotating the quartz tube 20 placed horizontally on the support platform 11 to a vertical state. Then, the spray device 13 sprays cleaning liquid onto the vertical quartz tube 20 to clean it. Compared with the quartz tube in a horizontal position during the cleaning process, the gravity of the quartz tube, which originally caused the horizontally placed quartz tube to deflect off the axis, no longer causes the axial deflection when the quartz tube is placed vertically. Instead, it is converted into axial compression of the quartz tube. This overcomes the problem of quartz tube breakage caused by the superposition of self-weight deflection and spray temperature difference, avoids frequent quartz tube damage and replacement, and is more in line with the industry's requirements for cost control, making quartz tube cleaning develop towards high efficiency and low damage.

[0038] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make improvements without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention, but these improvements all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A quartz tube spray cleaning machine, characterized in that, include: A support platform for receiving and supporting horizontally placed quartz tubes; A driving device, which is connected to the support platform, is used to drive the support platform to rotate so as to rotate the horizontally placed quartz tube to a vertical position; A spraying device is used to spray cleaning fluid onto a vertically positioned quartz tube to clean it.

2. The quartz tube spray cleaning machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The support platform includes a horizontal frame and a vertical platform, and the drive device includes a servo motor. The horizontal support frame is horizontally arranged and used to support the sidewalls of the horizontally placed quartz tube from below; The vertical platform is located at the end of the horizontal frame and has a vertically positioned bearing plane for fitting the open end of the quartz tube. The servo motor is connected to the horizontal carrier and is used to drive the horizontal carrier to rotate to a vertical position, so that the quartz tube placed horizontally on the horizontal carrier rotates to a vertical position. The bearing plane of the vertical platform rotates to a horizontal position under the rotation of the horizontal carrier to support the open end of the vertical quartz tube from below.

3. The quartz tube spray cleaning machine as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The bearing platform includes guide positioning columns extending horizontally from the bearing plane of the vertical platform.

4. The quartz tube spray cleaning machine as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The outer contour dimension of the guide positioning post in the direction perpendicular to the horizontal gradually decreases along the direction away from the vertical platform.

5. The quartz tube spray cleaning machine as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The support platform includes an annular outer protective frame disposed on the horizontal frame and surrounding the horizontal direction.

6. The quartz tube spray cleaning machine as described in claim 5, characterized in that, There are multiple annular outer protective frames, and the multiple annular outer protective frames are arranged sequentially at intervals along the horizontal direction.

7. The quartz tube spray cleaning machine as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The support platform includes a conveying device disposed on the horizontal carrier, which is used to convey a horizontal quartz tube from the head end of the horizontal carrier to the end end of the horizontal carrier in a horizontal direction, so that the open end of the quartz tube is aligned with the support plane of the vertical carrier.

8. The quartz tube spray cleaning machine as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The conveying device includes a plurality of drive rollers arranged at intervals along the horizontal direction. Each drive roller is used to conform to the outer wall of the quartz tube and rotate to convey the horizontally placed quartz tube from the head end of the horizontal carrier to the end end of the horizontal carrier.

9. The quartz tube spray cleaning machine as described in claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes an auxiliary roller assembly, which has a plurality of auxiliary rollers arranged at intervals in a horizontal direction. The auxiliary rollers are used to fit against the outer wall of the quartz tube to provide auxiliary guidance when conveying the quartz tube.

10. The quartz tube spray cleaning machine as described in claim 9, characterized in that, There are multiple auxiliary roller groups, which are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the conveying device.

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