A drilling method for improving the drilling accuracy of a quartz tube
By filling the quartz tube with a wax medium to support the bottom of the hole and using a semi-circular graphite rod to block the laser, combined with a horizontal spiral machining path, the problems of hole bottom chipping and residue accumulation in quartz gas tube drilling were solved, improving drilling accuracy and product quality.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ZHEJIANG FULEDE QUARTZ TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-04-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-05
AI Technical Summary
In existing technologies, quartz gas guide tubes suffer from problems such as bottom hole chipping, insufficient roundness of side holes, and residue accumulation during drilling, which affect the uniformity of wafer film formation and product quality.
The bottom of the hole is supported by a wax medium and the laser is blocked by a semi-circular graphite rod. The hole is drilled by a horizontal spiral machining path from the inside to the outside, and gas is introduced to remove the residue.
It effectively avoids chipping at the bottom of the hole, improves the roundness and dimensional accuracy of the side holes, reduces residue accumulation, and enhances product cleanliness and wafer film uniformity.
Smart Images
Figure CN122142579A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing auxiliary component preparation technology, and more specifically, to a drilling method for improving the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes, particularly suitable for drilling quartz gas conduits used in advanced chip manufacturing processes. Background Technology
[0002] Quartz gas delivery tubes are key components in chip manufacturing processes, primarily used to deliver process gases to wafers. Their performance directly affects the gas flow rate and stability, thus determining the wafer yield. Quartz gas delivery tubes typically consist of a tube body and a flange. The tube body has side holes and end holes for gas delivery.
[0003] Quartz is a typical hard and brittle material, characterized by high hardness but poor toughness, making it highly susceptible to defects such as chipping and cracking during drilling. Currently, domestically produced quartz gas guides face the following prominent problems in advanced chip manufacturing processes: Firstly, uneven film deposition on the wafer is mainly due to insufficient machining precision of the side holes in the gas guide tube. The roundness, dimensional accuracy, and wall smoothness of the side holes directly affect the uniformity of gas outflow, which in turn affects the uniformity and thickness consistency of the film deposition on the wafer surface. Existing laser drilling processes mostly use traditional circular machining paths, with the laser entry point located at the edge of the hole. The instantaneous impact force can cause indentation at the entry point, affecting the roundness and dimensional accuracy of the side holes.
[0004] Secondly, chipping is prone to occur during the machining of end holes. The end holes of quartz gas guide tubes are usually through holes, and the bottom of the hole is suspended during drilling, lacking material support. When the tool reaches the bottom of the hole, the quartz material is prone to chipping under the axial force of the tool, resulting in chipping at the hole edge, which affects the product's appearance and performance.
[0005] Third, the fused silica residue and volatiles generated during laser drilling are prone to accumulate at the bottom of the hole, forming residues. These residues may fall off during subsequent use and become a source of particulate matter pollution, triggering particulate matter exceeding the standard alarm in the wafer process.
[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a drilling method that can improve the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes and solve the problems of chipping and residue accumulation. Summary of the Invention
[0007] The main objective of this invention is to propose a drilling method that improves the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes, thereby solving the technical problems in existing quartz tube drilling processes such as bottom chipping, insufficient roundness of side holes, and residue accumulation.
[0008] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention proposes a drilling method for improving the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes. The quartz tube includes a tube body, and the drilling method includes an end-face drilling step, which includes: Step 1: Add filling medium into the pipe body to support the bottom of the hole to be drilled. Step 2: Use a cutting tool to drill holes in the end face of the tube body to form end holes.
[0009] Further, in step 1, the filling medium is wax; solid wax is added into the tube body and heated to melt it, so that liquid wax fills the bottom of the tube body. After the liquid wax cools and solidifies to a solid state, the drilling operation in step 2 is performed; after the drilling is completed, the wax is melted and flowed out by heating to remove the wax medium.
[0010] Furthermore, the drilling method also includes a side drilling step, which includes: inserting a semi-circular graphite rod into the tube body, positioning the semi-circular graphite rod below the location where the side hole is to be drilled, and using the semi-circular graphite rod to block the laser from penetrating the lower half of the tube body, so that only the required side hole is formed on the tube body.
[0011] Furthermore, in the side drilling step, gas is introduced into the tube body to carry away the molten quartz residue and volatiles generated during the laser drilling process.
[0012] Furthermore, the gas is introduced from one end of the tube body and discharged from the other end or side hole of the tube body, and the gas is continuously introduced until the drilling is completed.
[0013] Furthermore, in the side drilling step, laser drilling is performed using a horizontal spiral processing path from the inside out. The laser entry point is located at the center of the hole to be drilled, and the laser gradually cuts outward from the center along the spiral path to form a circular hole.
[0014] Furthermore, in the side drilling step, when multiple side holes need to be processed on the tube body, the drilling is carried out sequentially from one end of the tube body to the other end.
[0015] Furthermore, in the side drilling step, the tube body is fixed on the working platform, and the arc-shaped surface of the semi-circular graphite rod is facing upward and attached to the inner wall of the tube body. The length of the semi-circular graphite rod covers at least the distribution area of all the side holes to be drilled.
[0016] Furthermore, in step 2, the particle size of the cutting tool is 200 to 400 mesh; during drilling, the tube body is clamped on a rotating device, the device drives the tube body to rotate, and the cutting tool performs rotary cutting and drilling on the end face of the tube body.
[0017] Beneficial effects: Compared with existing technologies, When drilling at the end face, a filling medium (such as wax) is added to the tube body to effectively support the bottom of the hole, solving the problem of hole bottom chipping caused by the hard and brittle nature of quartz material. After cooling and solidifying, the wax medium has a certain degree of hardness and toughness, which can withstand the axial impact force during drilling and protect the bottom edge of the hole from cracking. After drilling is completed, the wax can be melted and flowed out by heating, making it easy to remove without leaving any impurities.
[0018] During side drilling, a semi-circular graphite rod is inserted into the tube body to effectively prevent the laser from penetrating the lower half of the tube body, ensuring that only a single side hole is formed at a preset position, thus avoiding accidental damage to the opposite tube wall. In addition, gas is introduced into the tube body during laser drilling, and the airflow is used to promptly carry away molten quartz residue and volatiles, preventing residue from accumulating at the bottom of the hole, reducing particulate matter contamination sources, and improving product cleanliness.
[0019] Laser drilling is performed using a horizontal spiral processing path from the inside out. The laser entry point is located at the center of the hole rather than the edge, which avoids the instantaneous impact and edge depression problems caused by the traditional circular path at the entry point. This significantly improves the roundness and dimensional accuracy of the side holes, ensures uniform and stable gas delivery, and helps improve the uniformity of wafer film formation. Attached Figure Description
[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art 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.
[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the quartz tube structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of chipping during tool drilling; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention, in which wax is added to the tube body; Figure 4 This is a photograph of the wax solidified inside the tube body according to the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the end face of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the side hole structure of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the machining path for drilling side holes using the spiral machining method of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a traditional processing path diagram.
[0022] The annotations in the attached figures are explained as follows: 1. Pipe body; 11. End hole; 12. Side hole; 2. Flange. Detailed Implementation
[0023] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments according to this application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments of this application. It should be understood that this application is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.
[0024] It should be noted that, as shown in this application and claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the words "a," "an," "an," and / or "the" do not specifically refer to the singular and may also include the plural. Generally speaking, the terms "comprising" and "including" only indicate the inclusion of explicitly identified steps and elements, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list; the method or apparatus may also include other steps or elements.
[0025] If the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.
[0026] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connection," "fixed," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "fixed" can mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can mean a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can mean a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can mean the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise explicitly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.
[0027] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this invention involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the meaning of "and / or" throughout the text includes three parallel solutions; for example, "A and / or B" includes solution A, solution B, or a solution where both A and B are satisfied simultaneously. Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.
[0028] The drilling method of this application will be described in detail below through the following embodiments.
[0029] Example 1: This embodiment provides an end-face drilling process in a drilling method to improve the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the quartz tube includes a tube body 1 and a flange 2, and the sealing end of the tube body 1 is provided with an end hole 11.
[0030] Quartz is a hard and brittle material. Hole 11 at the end face is a through hole, and there is no material support at the bottom of the hole during drilling. If a drilling tool is used directly, the tool will exert an axial impact force on the quartz material when it reaches the bottom of the hole. Because the bottom is suspended, the quartz material cannot effectively distribute the stress, which easily leads to chipping at the bottom edge of the hole. A schematic diagram of chipping caused by drilling with a tool is shown below. Figure 2 As shown, chipping not only affects the product's appearance, but may also cause microcracks to expand during use, reducing the product's lifespan.
[0031] Therefore, the end face drilling steps in this embodiment are as follows: Step 1: Add filling medium into the tube body.
[0032] In this embodiment, wax is used as the filling medium. The specific operation is as follows: First, place the solid wax into the tube body 1, such as... Figure 3 As shown. Solid wax can be in flake, granular, or block form, and its amount is determined according to the inner diameter of the tube body 1 and the depth to be filled, ensuring that the wax can completely fill the area to be drilled after melting.
[0033] Secondly, the tube body 1 is heated using a torch, causing the solid wax inside the tube body 1 to melt into a liquid state, such as... Figure 3As shown. During heating, the torch should be moved evenly to avoid localized overheating and damage to the quartz tube wall. The liquid wax flows naturally to the bottom of the tube body 1 under gravity, filling the area to be drilled.
[0034] Next, stop heating and allow the tube body 1 to cool naturally, causing the liquid wax inside to solidify. The solidified wax adheres tightly to the inner wall of the tube body, providing effective support to the bottom of the hole. The actual state of the solid wax filling the tube body is as follows: Figure 4 As shown.
[0035] The reasons for choosing wax as the medium are as follows: wax has a low melting point (usually between 60°C and 80°C), making it easy to heat and melt and remove; wax has a certain hardness and toughness after cooling, which can withstand the impact force during drilling; wax does not react chemically with quartz materials and will not cause corrosion or contamination to the tube body; wax can be completely removed by heating without leaving any impurities.
[0036] Step 2: Use a cutting tool to drill holes on the end face of the product.
[0037] After the wax medium has completely cooled and solidified, the tube body 1 is clamped in the chuck of the rotating equipment. A diamond tool with a grit size of 200 to 400 mesh is used to drill holes in the end face of the tube body. During drilling, the equipment rotates the tube body 1, and the tool feeds axially for rotary cutting. A schematic diagram of the drilling process is shown below. Figure 5 As shown.
[0038] Because the tube body 1 is filled with solid wax for support, when the tool drills to the bottom of the hole, the cutting force is transmitted to the wax medium through the quartz material. The wax medium absorbs and disperses part of the impact energy, thereby avoiding the problem of chipping at the bottom edge of the hole.
[0039] Step 3: Remove the filler medium.
[0040] After drilling, the tube body 1 is heated again with a torch to melt the solid wax inside the tube back into a liquid state. The liquid wax flows out from the end hole 11 under gravity. To ensure complete wax removal, the tube body can be heated multiple times and the inside of the tube body can be purged with clean gas. After removing the wax medium, the tube body is cleaned routinely to ensure that there is no residue on the inner wall.
[0041] This embodiment solves the problem of hole bottom chipping caused by the hard and brittle nature of quartz material by injecting wax into the tube body before drilling, using the wax medium to form effective support for the bottom of the hole. The wax medium is inexpensive, easy to operate, and can be completely removed without affecting the subsequent performance of the product, significantly improving the processing pass rate and quality stability of the end face holes.
[0042] Example 2 This embodiment provides a side-drilling process in a drilling method to improve the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes. For example... Figure 1As shown, the quartz tube includes a tube body 1 and a flange 2. A side hole 12 is provided on the side of the tube body 1. The function of the side hole 12 is to deliver process gas to the wafer. The appearance and dimensional tolerance of the side hole 12 have a direct impact on the wafer yield, specifically affecting the uniformity and thickness of the wafer film.
[0043] Traditional laser drilling processes have the following problems: First, they use a circular machining path, and the laser entry point is located at the edge of the hole. The instantaneous impact force can cause a significant indentation at the entry point, affecting the roundness and dimensional accuracy of the side hole. Second, molten quartz residue and volatiles generated during laser drilling are prone to accumulate at the bottom of the hole, forming residues. Third, the laser may penetrate the opposite tube wall, causing the product to be scrapped.
[0044] Therefore, the side drilling steps in this embodiment are as follows: Step 1: Insert the semi-circular graphite rod.
[0045] like Figure 6 As shown, the tube body 1 is fixed on the work platform. A semi-circular graphite rod is inserted below the location where the side holes are to be drilled inside the tube body 1. The curved surface of the semi-circular graphite rod faces upward and fits against the inner wall of the tube body. The length of the semi-circular graphite rod should at least cover the distribution area of all the side holes to be drilled, so that multiple side holes can be processed in one clamping.
[0046] The function of the semi-circular graphite rod is to block the laser beam, preventing it from penetrating one side of the tube wall and continuing to irradiate the opposite side, thus avoiding direct laser penetration of the entire product and ensuring that the required side holes are formed only at the preset locations. Graphite has excellent high-temperature resistance and laser absorption capabilities, effectively blocking the laser beam.
[0047] Step 2: Introduce gas into the tube body.
[0048] like Figure 6 As shown, gas is introduced into the pipe from one end (usually the left end) of the pipe body 1. Clean compressed air or high-purity nitrogen can be used, and the gas pressure should be between 0.2 MPa and 0.8 MPa. Gas is continuously introduced until all side holes are drilled.
[0049] The purpose of the gas flow is to use airflow to promptly remove molten silica residue and volatiles generated during laser drilling from the tube, preventing residue accumulation at the bottom of the hole. Residue accumulation not only affects the dimensional accuracy and surface finish of the side holes but may also detach and become a source of particulate contamination during subsequent use, triggering particulate matter exceeding alarms in the wafer fabrication process. The gas flow rate is adjusted according to the inner diameter of the tube body 1 to ensure that residue is adequately removed without affecting the stability of laser processing.
[0050] Step 3: Laser drilling is performed using a horizontal spiral machining path from the inside out.
[0051] like Figure 7 As shown, this embodiment adopts a horizontal spiral processing path from the inside out. The characteristic of this processing path is that the laser entry point is located at the center of the hole to be drilled. The laser beam starts from the center and gradually cuts outward along the spiral trajectory from the inside out, eventually forming a complete circular hole.
[0052] In contrast, the traditional circular machining path, such as Figure 8 As shown, the laser entry point is located on the circumferential edge of the hole. The laser beam acts directly on the edge of the hole at the moment of startup, generating an instantaneous impact force, which causes a significant indentation at the entry point, affecting the roundness and dimensional accuracy of the side hole.
[0053] The advantages of the horizontal spiral machining path from the inside out are: the laser cuts in from the center, avoiding instantaneous impact at the edge of the hole; the spiral progressive cutting removes material layer by layer, resulting in a small heat-affected zone and high hole wall smoothness; and the final side hole has good roundness and high dimensional accuracy.
[0054] Step 4: Complete the machining of multiple side holes in sequence.
[0055] When multiple side holes 12 need to be machined on the tube body 1, the drilling should be carried out sequentially from one end of the tube body to the other (e.g., from right to left). Before each drilling, ensure that the semi-circular graphite rod is aligned below the position to be drilled. After drilling is completed, turn off the laser and gas supply, and remove the semi-circular graphite rod.
[0056] This embodiment effectively solves three major problems in side hole drilling—penetration of the opposite pipe wall, residue accumulation, and insufficient roundness of the side hole—through the coordinated use of three techniques: semi-circular graphite rod blocking the laser, air circulation inside the tube to remove residue, and processing via a horizontal spiral path from the inside out. This significantly improves the machining accuracy and product quality of the side hole. The various embodiments of this disclosure have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical application, or improvement of the technology in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A drilling method for improving the drilling accuracy of a quartz tube, wherein the quartz tube comprises: Pipe body (1); characterized in that it includes an end face drilling step, the end face drilling step including: Step 1: Add filling medium into the pipe body (1) so that the filling medium supports the bottom of the hole to be drilled in the pipe body; Step 2: Use a cutting tool to drill holes in the end face of the tube body (1) to form end holes (11).
2. The drilling method for improving the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step 1, the filling medium is wax; solid wax is added into the tube body and heated to melt it, so that liquid wax fills the bottom of the tube body. After the liquid wax cools and solidifies to a solid state, the drilling operation in step 2 is performed; after the drilling is completed, the wax is melted and flowed out by heating to remove the wax medium.
3. The drilling method for improving the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drilling method further includes a side drilling step, which includes: Insert a semi-circular graphite rod into the tube body (1) so that the semi-circular graphite rod is below the position where the side hole is to be drilled. The semi-circular graphite rod blocks the laser from penetrating the lower half of the tube body, so that only the required side hole (12) is formed on the tube body (1).
4. The drilling method for improving the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes as described in claim 3, characterized in that, In the side drilling step, gas is introduced into the tube body to carry away the molten quartz residue and volatiles generated during the laser drilling process.
5. The drilling method for improving the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The gas is introduced from one end of the pipe body and discharged from the other end or side hole of the pipe body. The gas is continuously introduced until the drilling is completed.
6. The drilling method for improving the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes as described in any one of claims 3-5, characterized in that, In the side drilling step, laser drilling is performed using a horizontal spiral processing path from the inside out. The laser entry point is located at the center of the hole to be drilled, and the laser gradually cuts outward from the center along the spiral path to form a circular hole.
7. The drilling method for improving the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes as described in claim 6, characterized in that, In the side drilling step, when multiple side holes need to be processed on the tube body, the drilling is carried out sequentially from one end of the tube body to the other.
8. The drilling method for improving the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes as described in claim 3, characterized in that, In the side drilling step, the tube body is fixed on the working platform, and the arc-shaped surface of the semi-circular graphite rod is facing upward and attached to the inner wall of the tube body. The length of the semi-circular graphite rod covers at least the distribution area of all the side holes to be drilled.
9. The drilling method for improving the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step 2, the particle size of the cutting tool is 200 to 400 mesh; during drilling, the tube body is clamped on a rotating device, the device drives the tube body to rotate, and the cutting tool performs rotary cutting and drilling on the end face of the tube body.
10. The drilling method for improving the drilling accuracy of quartz tubes as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The solid wax is melted into a liquid state by heating with a torch; after drilling is completed, the tube body is heated again with a torch to melt the solid wax inside the tube into a liquid and flow out to remove the wax medium.