Drying device and system

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of photovoltaic manufacturing, further relates to processing and preparation of silicon wafers, and particularly relates to a drying device and system. A drying device comprises a plurality of drying units, the multiple drying units are arranged in a stacked mode in the height direction, and each drying unit comprises a drying oven structure and a drying assembly; the oven structure comprises an oven body and a door plate, a door opening is formed in the oven body in the direction perpendicular to the height direction, and the door plate is movably connected to the oven body so as to close or open the door opening; the multiple drying units are arranged in a stacked mode in the height direction, the space utilization rate is increased, the occupied area of the device is reduced, and overall layout optimization of a production line is facilitated; and the multiple drying units can synchronously work at the same time, so that the productivity in unit time and unit space is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of photovoltaic manufacturing, and further to the processing and preparation of silicon wafers, and in particular to a drying device and system. Background Art

[0002] In the process of preparing various solar cells from silicon wafers, the texturing and cleaning process is an indispensable part. Its core purpose is to remove the damaged layer on the surface of the silicon wafer and build a pyramid structure on its surface, thereby effectively reducing the reflectivity and ensuring the cleanliness of the substrate surface. The detailed process of this process includes pre-cleaning, damage removal, SC1 alkali solution pre-cleaning, texturing, SC1 alkali solution post-cleaning, chemical polishing, hydrofluoric acid cleaning, slow pulling and the final drying steps.

[0003] During the texturing and cleaning process, the silicon wafer will be placed in the cleaning tank through the slow pulling tank, and a trace amount of moisture will remain on its surface. After cleaning, the silicon wafer needs to be accurately placed in the drying tank of the drying equipment for subsequent drying operations. It should be noted that the silicon wafer will be placed in a dedicated load-bearing rack during the cleaning or drying process. To simplify the explanation, the following will only explain the silicon wafer as the object of entry and exit.

[0004] At present, silicon wafer drying equipment generally adopts a trough design, with a top cover on the top, and drying components such as fans and heating pipes on the sides or bottom of the drying equipment. Through the internal circulation of hot air, efficient drying of silicon wafers is achieved. When silicon wafers need to be dried, the operator only needs to open the top cover, put the silicon wafers into the drying trough from the top, and then close the top cover and start the drying components.

[0005] However, with the rapid development of the photovoltaic industry, the production capacity of wet process equipment such as texturing and alkali polishing has continued to rise, and the number of silicon wafers in a single drying tank has increased from two baskets in the early days to six baskets now. Despite this, the production capacity bottleneck of the drying process is still prominent. If the production capacity is increased simply by increasing the number of drying tanks, the space occupied by the drying process will increase significantly, which is not conducive to the overall layout and optimization of the production line. Summary of the invention

[0006] In response to the above-mentioned technical problems, the purpose of this application is to realize a drying device and system with high space utilization, high scalability, and high efficiency to meet the current requirements of continuously increasing production capacity.

[0007] In a first aspect of the present application, a drying device is provided, comprising a plurality of drying units, wherein the plurality of drying units are stacked and arranged in a height direction, and each drying unit comprises an oven structure and a drying assembly; the oven structure comprises a box body and a door panel, the box body is provided with a door opening in a direction perpendicular to the height direction, and the door panel is movably connected to the box body to close or open the door opening.

[0008] In a further solution of the present application, there is one door opening and it is arranged on any side of the box body; or there are multiple door openings, the multiple door openings include a first door opening and a second door opening, and the first door opening and the second door opening are respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the box body.

[0009] Correspondingly, when there is only one door opening, it means less material and simpler production process, which helps to reduce production costs; especially when the design space of the drying process is limited, a single door opening can maximize its space utilization.

[0010] When there are multiple door openings, the design of multiple door openings allows silicon wafers to enter and exit the box from multiple directions, which is particularly suitable for scenarios that require rapid mass production and can improve work efficiency.

[0011] In a further scheme of the present application, the box body includes an outer shell and an inner shell, the inner shell is arranged in the outer shell and together with the outer shell forms a cavity, and the inner shell forms a drying space; the cavity and the drying space are connected, the drying component is arranged in the cavity, and the drying component is configured to generate a hot air flow and input the hot air flow from the cavity into the drying space.

[0012] Correspondingly, by placing the drying component in the cavity between the double-layer shells, the structure of the entire drying unit is made more compact. By placing the drying component in the cavity between the double-layer shells, the structure of a single drying unit can be designed to be more compact, and no additional holes are required, thereby improving the sealing of the drying unit. In addition, the cavity realizes the separation of the generation and transmission of hot air flow, avoiding the direct influence of the heat source on the drying space, and facilitating the precise control of the drying temperature.

[0013] In a further scheme of the present application, a first through hole and a second through hole are provided on the inner shell body, and the first through hole and the second through hole are respectively provided on different surfaces of the inner shell body, and the cavity is connected with the drying space through the first through hole and the second through hole; the drying component is configured to enable the hot air flow to be input from the first through hole to the drying space and output from the second through hole to the cavity.

[0014] In a preferred solution of the present application, the first through hole and the second through hole are respectively arranged on two opposite surfaces of the inner shell.

[0015] In a further solution of the present application, the first through hole and the second through hole are respectively arranged on two opposite surfaces of the inner shell in the height direction.

[0016] In a further scheme of the present application, the inner shell includes an inner top plate, an inner bottom plate, and an inner side plate connected to the inner top plate and the inner bottom plate, the inner top plate and the inner bottom plate are arranged opposite to each other in the height direction, one end of the inner top plate and the inner bottom plate is connected to the outer shell, and the other end is connected to the inner side plate; the first through hole is arranged on the inner top plate, and the second through hole is arranged on the inner bottom plate.

[0017] In an optional solution of the present application, the first through hole and the second through hole are respectively arranged on two opposite surfaces of the inner shell in a direction perpendicular to the height direction.

[0018] In a further solution of the present application, the inner shell includes an inner top plate or an inner bottom plate and an inner side plate connected to both ends of the inner top plate or the inner bottom plate, and the other end of the inner side plate is connected to the outer shell; the first through hole and the second through hole are respectively arranged on the two inner side plates.

[0019] In a further scheme of the present application, the drying component includes a fan and a heating tube; the heating tube is used to heat the gas in the cavity to generate a hot air flow, and the fan is configured to extract the gas in the drying space through the second through hole and send the hot air flow in the cavity into the drying space through the first through hole.

[0020] In a further embodiment of the present application, the drying unit further includes a support rod, which is located in the drying space; wherein, the silicon wafer is placed on a carrier rack to be placed in or out of the drying space, and the support rod is configured to support the silicon wafer in the drying space so as to maintain a gap between the silicon wafer and the carrier rack in the height direction.

[0021] Correspondingly, the support rods will lift the silicon wafers to a preset height in the carrier. This setting ensures that the appropriate distance between the silicon wafers and the carrier is maintained during the drying process, so that the bottom of the silicon wafers is fully exposed. The support rods are heated by themselves. While providing additional heat to the drying space, the support of the support rods also allows the hot air flow to better penetrate the silicon wafers. Because the silicon wafers are lifted, the hot air flow can flow more smoothly through the gap between the silicon wafers and the carrier, thereby ensuring that the bottom of the silicon wafers can be fully contacted and improving the drying efficiency.

[0022] In a further embodiment of the present application, the drying unit further includes a heat insulating pad, which is disposed between the support rod and the box body.

[0023] In the second aspect of the present application, a drying system is also provided, comprising: a drying device as described above; and a moving device, the moving device comprising at least one clamping mechanism, the clamping mechanism being configured to be able to pick up at least one carrier loaded with silicon wafers and place the carrier into and / or move it out of the drying device.

[0024] In a further embodiment of the present application, the drying system further includes a feeding device, which is used to transport a carrier rack loaded with silicon wafers, and the moving device is configured to clamp the carrier rack from the feeding device and place it into the drying device; and / or the drying system further includes a discharging device, which is used to transport a carrier rack loaded with silicon wafers, and the moving device is configured to move the carrier rack after drying the silicon wafers from the drying device to the discharging device.

[0025] In a further embodiment of the present application, the moving device includes a first moving device and a second moving device; the first moving device is configured to place the carrier rack into the drying device through the first door opening, and the second moving device is configured to move the carrier rack out of the drying device through the second door opening.

[0026] In summary, the present application provides a drying device for silicon wafers, each drying device comprising a plurality of drying units, the plurality of drying units being stacked and arranged in a height direction, each drying unit comprising an oven structure and a drying assembly; wherein the oven structure comprises a box body and a door panel, the box body being provided with a door opening in a direction perpendicular to the height direction, the door panel being movably connected to the box body to close or open the door opening; and having at least the following beneficial effects:

[0027] 1. By stacking multiple drying units in the height direction, the number of silicon wafers placed can be increased within a limited layout space, reducing the floor space occupied by the drying device. This not only improves space utilization, but also makes the entire production line layout more compact, reducing the length of the process line; at the same time, multiple drying units can work synchronously at the same time, which means that more silicon wafers can be processed in the same amount of time, thereby significantly improving the drying capacity per unit time and per unit space;

[0028] 2. By setting door openings on the sides of the drying units, silicon wafers can be placed and taken out only from the side door openings, which can ensure that the stacked drying units will not interfere with each other in the height direction. The drying units can be simply and conveniently stacked with other units, and the feeding and unloading of silicon wafers do not require complex motion trajectories.

[0029] 3. The drying equipment can be flexibly adjusted according to the actual production demand of silicon wafers. By adopting the stacked drying unit design, the number and configuration of drying units can be easily increased or decreased. Whether it is necessary to expand production capacity or reduce scale, it can be achieved through simple stacking or unstacking operations. This high degree of scalability enables the drying system to better adapt to the scale changes of silicon wafers and improve the scalability and flexibility of the equipment.

[0030] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0032] Figure 1A structural schematic diagram of a drying device provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0033] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a drying unit in a drying device provided in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0034] Figure 3 The drying unit provided in the embodiment of the utility model corresponds to Figure 2 A first cross-sectional view in the xz plane;

[0035] Figure 4 The drying unit provided in one embodiment of the utility model corresponds to Figure 2 A second cross-sectional view in the yz plane;

[0036] Figure 5 The drying unit provided in another embodiment of the utility model corresponds to Figure 2 A second cross-sectional view in the yz plane;

[0037] Figure 6 The drying unit provided in a modified example of the utility model corresponds to Figure 2 A third cross-sectional view in the yz plane;

[0038] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a drying system provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0039] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of the moving device in the drying system provided by an embodiment of the utility model in another form;

[0040] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of the drying system provided by an embodiment of the utility model in a second state;

[0041] Fig.10 This is a schematic structural diagram of the drying system provided by an embodiment of the utility model in the third form.

[0042] Description of reference numerals:

[0043] 100. Drying unit;

[0044] 10. Oven structure;

[0045] 11, box body; 111, outer shell; 112, inner shell; 1121, inner top plate; 1122, inner bottom plate; 1123, inner side plate; 113, first through hole; 114, second through hole;

[0046] 12. Door panels;

[0047] 13. Doorway; 131. First doorway; 132. Second doorway.

[0048] 20. Drying component; 21. Fan; 22. Heating tube;

[0049] 30. Support rod;

[0050] 40. Insulation pad;

[0051] 200. Drying device;

[0052] 210, carrier frame;

[0053] 300, moving device; 300a, first moving device; 300b, second moving device; 310, first clamping mechanism; 320, driving mechanism;

[0054] 400, feeding device;

[0055] 500, discharging device;

[0056] 1000. Drying system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] The terms "center", "lateral", "upper", "lower", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "peripheral", etc. that appear below to indicate orientation or positional relationships, unless otherwise specified, are understood to be based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be understood as limitations on the present application.

[0058] In addition, if there is a feature defined as "first" or "second", it is only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the defined features. If there is a description of "plurality", the general meaning is to include at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0059] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms such as "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and so on should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integrated connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection, it can be a direct connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0060] In the description of this specification, if the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" appear, it means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, unless they are contradictory.

[0061] See attached Figures 1 to 4 , Figure 1 A drying device 200 provided in an embodiment of the utility model is shown, and the drying device 200 includes a plurality of drying units 100 stacked and arranged in a height direction, thereby reducing the floor space occupied by the entire drying device 200 in a horizontal direction, making it more adaptable to the compact layout of the production line.

[0062] Specifically, each independent drying unit 100 includes an oven structure 10 and a drying assembly 20. The oven structure 10 is the main structural part of the drying unit 100, which includes a box body 11 and a door panel 12. In order to realize the stacking of the drying units 100 in the height direction, connection surfaces must be reserved on the upper and lower sides of the box body 11. The general inventive concept provided in this application is: a door opening 13 is provided on at least one side of the box body 11 in the horizontal direction (i.e., the direction perpendicular to the height direction), and the door opening 13 is used to place and remove silicon wafers (the silicon wafers in this application are not limited to the type, and can be single crystal, polycrystalline, amorphous silicon or other forms), and the door panel 12 is connected to the box body 11 and is configured to be able to close or open the door opening 13.

[0063] It should also be noted that the drying equipment proposed in the embodiment of the utility model is not limited to use in the process after the slow pulling proposed in the above text, and it is not limited to the process scenario of drying. With the improvement of the process, the drying equipment can be used in any process that can be adapted to the drying equipment during the preparation process.

[0064] For a clearer understanding, the "side surfaces" in the present application refer to the surfaces in the length direction and the width direction of the box 11. For example, when the box 11 is a rectangular parallelepiped, the side surfaces are the four surfaces of the box 11 except the top surface and the ground surface, specifically, two surfaces in the length direction and two surfaces in the width direction.

[0065] The number and position of the door openings 13 are usually adaptively configured according to factors such as the current scenario, installation convenience, operation and maintenance convenience, etc. At the same time, the door panels 12 need to match the positions of the door openings 13 to ensure that the sealing of the box body 11 can be effectively maintained.

[0066] In an optional embodiment, there is only one door opening 13 disposed on either side, and the silicon wafer is placed into the box body 11 or removed from the box body 11 through the door opening 13 .

[0067] Or in another optional embodiment, there are at least two door openings on the box body 11, specifically including a first door opening 131 and a second door opening 132, and the first door opening 131 and the second door opening 132 are respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the box body 11. Figure 2 The two sides of the y direction), or the two sides of the box 11 (reference Figure 2 The door opening design of the box body 11 can be flexibly adjusted according to specific operation requirements, space layout and on-site hardware configuration, and details can be found in the following text.

[0068] Taking into account the need for stacking, by setting a door opening 13 on the side, it can be ensured that the stacked drying units will not interfere with each other in the height direction. Such a design allows the oven structure 10 to be easily combined with other units, thereby significantly reducing the footprint of the entire drying device 200. Especially in an environment with limited space, multiple drying units 100 can work synchronously at the same time to improve the production capacity per unit time and per unit space. And this design can also allow the number and configuration of drying units to be adjusted according to actual needs. Whether adding or reducing drying units, it can be achieved by simple stacking or unstacking, which has high scalability.

[0069] Furthermore, the door panels 12 of each drying unit 100 can be moved independently, that is, it allows each drying unit 100 to be individually controlled to be opened or closed according to its actual state and needs. When some drying units 100 are performing drying operations, their corresponding door panels 12 remain closed to ensure the sealing and stability of the drying environment. At the same time, the door panels 12 of other drying units 100 can be opened as needed to carry out the operation of placing or removing silicon wafers. The drying operation is carried out synchronously with the material loading and unloading operation, thereby improving the utilization rate and production efficiency of the equipment. By flexibly arranging the working state of each drying unit 100 according to the production plan and needs.

[0070] like Figure 3 and Figure 4In the embodiment of the utility model, the box body 11 includes an outer shell 111 and an inner shell 112; the inner shell 112 is connected to the inside of the outer shell 111, and together with the outer shell 111 and the door panel 12, encloses a sealable drying space A, and the drying space A is used to accommodate silicon wafers and perform drying operations.

[0071] Specifically, the inner shell 112 is connected to the outer shell 111 and uses the outer shell 111 as a structural support. The inner shell 112, the outer shell 111 and the door panel 12 together enclose a drying space A.

[0072] Furthermore, the outer shell 111 and the inner shell 112 are spaced apart to form an independent cavity B between the outer shell 111 and the inner shell 112 to serve as an installation space for the drying assembly 20 .

[0073] It can be understood that by placing the drying assembly 20 in the cavity B between the double-layer shell, the structure of a single drying unit 100 can be designed to be more compact without the need for additional openings, thereby improving the sealing of the drying unit 100.

[0074] Furthermore, the drying component 20 has the function of generating hot air flow, and the cavity B also serves as a channel for the transmission of hot air flow. When the drying component 20 starts to generate hot air flow and transports the hot air flow from the cavity B to the drying space A, the silicon wafers in the drying space A are evenly and efficiently heated; and the cavity B realizes the separation of hot air flow generation and transmission, avoiding the direct influence of the heat source on the drying space A, thereby facilitating the precise control of the drying temperature.

[0075] In an embodiment of the utility model, through holes are provided on the inner shell 112, specifically, a first through hole 113 and a second through hole 114, and the cavity B and the drying space A are connected through the through hole 113; wherein, the first through hole 113 and the second through hole 114 are respectively provided on different surfaces of the inner shell 112, and the cavity B is connected with the drying space A through the first through hole 113 and the second through hole 114; the drying component 20 is configured to enable the hot air flow to be input from the first through hole 113 to the drying space A, and output from the second through hole 114 to the cavity B.

[0076] It can be understood that the hot air flow is input into the drying space A from at least one side of the inner shell 113 from the cavity B, and output to the cavity B from at least another adjacent and / or opposite side, so as to circulate in the cavity B and the drying space A.

[0077] Simply put, the inner shell 112 may be provided with through holes on two adjacent surfaces, such as the top surface and the side surface. The hot air flow enters the drying space A from the top surface, flows out from the left side to the cavity B, and then returns to the top surface from the cavity B for circulation. Or the through holes may be provided on two opposite surfaces of the inner shell 112, such as the top surface and the bottom surface. The hot air flow enters the drying space A from the bottom surface, then flows out from the top surface to the cavity B, and then returns to the bottom surface from the cavity B to form a circulation path. Alternatively, in a more complex design, through holes may be provided on more than one surface of the inner shell 112, for example, the top surface, the side surface, and the bottom surface may all have through holes. In this way, the hot air flow can enter the drying space A from multiple directions and flow out to the cavity B from multiple directions, forming a more complex circulation path.

[0078] The hot air flow is input into the drying space A from at least one side of the inner shell 112, and then output from at least another side adjacent and / or opposite to the cavity B after the silicon wafer is heated and dried. This circulation flow not only improves the efficiency of heat transfer, but also helps to remove moisture on the surface of the silicon wafer in time, thereby accelerating the drying process; and the circulation of the hot air flow in the nearly sealed drying space A and cavity B reduces heat loss and improves the efficiency of heat energy utilization.

[0079] In a preferred embodiment, the first through hole 113 and the second through hole 114 are arranged on two opposite surfaces of the inner shell 112, and the hot air flow can flow into one of the through holes and flow out from the other through hole to form a clear heat transfer path; specifically, at this time, the hot air flow maintains a stable and orderly unidirectional flow in the drying space A, reducing the turbulence and vortex when the hot air flow contacts the silicon wafer in the drying space A, thereby forming an orderly airflow dynamic to avoid local overheating or insufficient drying of the silicon wafer.

[0080] like Figure 4 In a specific solution shown, the inner shell 112 includes an inner top plate 1121, an inner bottom plate 1122, and an inner side plate 1123 connecting the two; one end of the inner top plate 1121 and the inner bottom plate 1122 are connected to the outer shell 111, and the other end is connected to the inner side plate 1123; that is, the inner shell 112 is connected to the inside of the outer shell 111 in the horizontal direction. That is, one end of the inner shell 112 is closed by a part of the outer shell 111, and the other end is closed by the inner side plate 1123.

[0081] Furthermore, the first through hole 113 and the second through hole 114 are respectively provided on the inner top plate 1121 and the inner bottom plate 1122 , and the hot air flow is input from the inner bottom plate 1122 and output from the inner top plate 1121 to circulate in the cavity B and the drying space A.

[0082] Specifically, the hot air flows into the drying space A from the through hole on the inner bottom plate 1122. As the hot air flows upward in the drying space A, it evenly heats the silicon wafer, thereby promoting the evaporation of moisture. Subsequently, when the hot air reaches the inner top plate 1121, the hot air flows out through the through hole set on the inner top plate 1121 and enters the cavity B. The hot air then passes through the drying assembly 20 in the cavity B for continuous heat exchange to maintain, reduce or increase its temperature; and then re-enters the drying space A through the through hole on the inner bottom plate 1122, thereby forming an airflow cycle (refer to Figure 4 This circulation mechanism not only ensures the temperature uniformity in the drying space A, but also improves the drying efficiency. The hot air flow can continuously transfer heat to the silicon wafer in the case of continuous circulation until the moisture on the silicon wafer is completely evaporated.

[0083] In addition, the drying component 20 introduces the hot air flow from the through holes on the inner bottom plate 1122, so that it flows through the drying space A from bottom to top, and keeps the flow direction consistent with the natural rise of the hot air flow in the drying space A (due to the low density of hot air, it will naturally rise), which helps to reduce energy consumption and improve the utilization efficiency of thermal energy.

[0084] Secondly, since the silicon wafers in the drying space A are usually stacked vertically and at intervals, the flow of hot air from bottom to top can ensure more uniform contact with the silicon wafers. During the rising process, the hot air flow can fully penetrate into all levels and gaps of the silicon wafers, so that the heat can be evenly distributed to all parts of the silicon wafers. This helps to avoid local overheating or insufficient drying of the silicon wafers during the drying process, and improves the consistency and quality of drying.

[0085] like Figure 5 As shown, in another specific scheme, the first through hole 113 and the second through hole are respectively arranged on two opposite surfaces of the inner shell 112 in a direction perpendicular to the height direction; specifically, the inner shell 112 includes an inner top plate 1121, and an inner side plate 1123 connected to both ends of the inner top plate 1121, and the other end of the inner side plate 1123 is connected to the outer shell 111; the first through hole 113 and the second through hole 114 are respectively arranged on the two inner side plates 1123; the hot air flow is input from one of the inner side plates 1123 and output from the other inner side plate 1123 to circulate in the cavity B and the drying space A.

[0086] It can be understood that the first through hole 113 and the second through hole 114 are provided on the inner plate 1123 to change the path of the hot air flow entering and leaving the drying space A. Specifically, the hot air flow enters the drying space A from the through hole 113 of one of the inner plates 1123, thereby contacting and heating the silicon wafer, thereby promoting the evaporation of moisture. As the hot air flow flows in the drying space A, it eventually flows out through the through hole 113 of another inner plate 1123 and enters the cavity B. In the cavity B, the hot air flow undergoes heat exchange through the drying assembly 20 to maintain, increase or reduce its temperature, and then re-enters the drying space A through the through hole of the inner plate 1123, thereby forming a hot air flow cycle (refer to Figure 5 The cycle of B1, B2, A to B3 in the process).

[0087] Correspondingly, the first through hole 113 and the second through hole 114 can be disposed on the inner side plates 1123 opposite to each other at the front and rear sides, or on two inner side plates 1123 opposite to each other at the left and right sides.

[0088] In a modified embodiment, the inner shell 112 may also include an inner bottom plate 1122 and an inner side plate 1123 connected to two ends of the inner bottom plate 1122 , wherein the other end of the inner side plate 1123 is connected to the outer shell 111 .

[0089] like Figure 6 In another variant embodiment shown, the hot air flow can further change the transmission path, that is, the circulating flow is not adopted. Specifically, the inner shell 112 is provided with first through holes 113, which connect the cavity B and the drying space A. When the hot air flow is generated in the cavity B, the hot air flow will flow into the drying space A through these first through holes 113 in the horizontal direction to heat and dry the items to be dried. At the same time, the outer shell 111 is provided with second through holes 114 in the same direction as the first through holes 113. The second through holes 114 connect the drying space A and the external environment. Therefore, after the hot air flow heats and dries the silicon wafer in the drying space A, it is directly discharged into the external environment through these second through holes 114. Such a design simplifies the flow path of the hot air flow, reduces the possible heat accumulation and overheating risks, and improves the life of the equipment.

[0090] Furthermore, the position of the drying component 20 in the device can be arranged in a variety of ways according to different hot air flow paths. It is ensured that the hot air flow can effectively enter the drying space A and flow out to the cavity B to achieve an efficient drying effect. For example, the drying component 20 can be arranged between the inner top plate 1121 and the outer shell 111 (such as Figure 4 ); or it may be disposed between the inner bottom plate 1122 and the outer shell 111; or it may be disposed between the inner side plate 1123 and the outer shell 111 (such as Figure 5 ).

[0091] Furthermore, the drying assembly 20 includes a fan 21 and a heating tube 22, which work together to generate and control a hot air flow. Specifically, the heating tube 22 is used to heat the gas in the cavity B to generate a hot air flow, and the fan 21 is configured to extract the gas in the drying space A through the second through hole 114, and send the hot air flow in the cavity B into the drying space A through the first through hole 113.

[0092] It can be understood that the fan 21 extracts air from the cavity A to generate airflow, so that the cavity A forms a negative pressure environment in the entire circulation path. The negative pressure environment can reduce the relative humidity of the hot air flow, so that its ability to accept moisture is greatly improved. In this way, without changing the air supply temperature, the precipitation rate of the dried items can be greatly increased, thereby accelerating the drying speed. The heating tube 22 is responsible for heat exchange of the airflow generated by the fan. When the airflow passes through the heating tube, the heat is effectively transferred to the airflow, turning it into a hot airflow. The arrangement of the fan 21 and the heating tube 22 is not limited. The heating tube 22 can be set on the side where the fan 21 discharges air, or on the side where the fan 21 extracts air. The combination ensures that the drying component 20 can provide a continuous and stable hot airflow; the fan 21 can adjust the air volume of the hot air circulation, and the heating tube 22 can adjust the temperature of the hot airflow. This combination allows the drying component to be adjusted as needed to meet the drying requirements required by the silicon wafer.

[0093] Please continue reading Figure 3 The drying unit 100 further includes a support rod 30, which is connected to the outer shell 111 or the inner shell 112 and is located at the bottom of the drying space A. For example, when the cabinet 10 adopts the corresponding Figure 4 When the structure is as follows, the support rod 30 is located on the inner shell 112. When the box body 10 adopts the corresponding Figure 5 When the structure is as follows, the support rod 30 is located on the outer shell 111.

[0094] Furthermore, when the silicon wafer is placed on the carrier 210 (a carrying structure for transporting silicon wafers, also called a basket, which can be a single-layer or multi-layer basket) and enters the drying space A, the support rod 30 will play a supporting role and lift the silicon wafer to a preset height in the carrier 210.

[0095] It is understandable that moisture easily accumulates at the bottom contact position between the silicon wafer and the carrier 210, and it is difficult for the hot air flow to effectively penetrate there. The silicon wafer is supported by the support rod 30, that is, when the silicon wafer is placed on the carrier 210 and enters the drying space A, the support rod 30 will lift the silicon wafer in the carrier 210 to a preset height (for example, 0.5 to 5 mm). This setting ensures that the appropriate spacing is maintained between the silicon wafer and the carrier 210 during the drying process, so that the bottom of the silicon wafer is fully exposed.

[0096] As a preferred solution, the support rods 30 are evenly arranged at the bottom of the drying space A to ensure that the silicon wafers can be heated evenly.

[0097] In a further embodiment of the utility model, the support rod 30 can generate heat by itself to achieve heating of the bottom of the silicon wafer. That is, the support rod 30 can directly heat the bottom of the silicon wafer by heating itself, accelerate the evaporation of moisture at the bottom of the silicon wafer, and make the drying process more efficient by locally heating the bottom. In addition, since the silicon wafer is lifted up, the supporting effect of the support rod 30 also allows the hot air flow to better penetrate into the silicon wafer, that is, the hot air flow can flow more smoothly through the gap between the silicon wafer and the carrier 210, thereby ensuring that the bottom of the silicon wafer can be fully contacted and the drying efficiency is improved.

[0098] In an optional solution, the support rod 30 can be any one of an electric heating tube, an infrared heat pipe, a thermal medium heating tube, etc., and can be adaptively configured according to the specifications of the silicon wafer, the required drying conditions, the installation environment of the drying space A, etc.

[0099] Further, the self-heating temperature of the support rod 30 can be independently controlled. In an optional manner, a variable temperature control can be provided during a drying cycle when the silicon wafer is placed in and removed from the drying space A; for example, when the silicon wafer is placed in the drying space A, the support rod 30 begins to gradually heat up from a lower starting temperature. The heating rate is faster in the initial stage, so as to quickly increase the temperature in the drying space A, accelerate the start of the drying process, and improve the drying efficiency; once the preset constant temperature drying temperature is reached, the support rod 30 will maintain this temperature for drying. The selection of the constant temperature drying temperature should be based on the characteristics of the silicon wafer, the drying efficiency and the energy consumption, to ensure that the silicon wafer can be dried evenly and effectively at this temperature. In the second half of the drying cycle, the support rod 30 begins to gradually reduce the temperature. The decreasing temperature helps to prevent the silicon wafer from being damaged by overheating at the end of the drying period, while reducing energy consumption; before the silicon wafer is about to be removed from the drying space A, the support rod 30 can be further reduced in temperature or completely closed, so that the silicon wafer can be naturally cooled and kept within a reasonable temperature range before being removed. This helps to prevent thermal stress or deformation of the silicon wafer caused by sudden temperature change after it is moved out of the drying space A.

[0100] based on Figure 3 In a modified example, the support rod 30 is connected to the bottom of the drying space A and is configured to be rotatable and / or liftable.

[0101] In a feasible implementation of the corresponding variation, the support rod 30 is rotatably connected to the drying space A, and at least part of the support rod 30 is connected to a rotating mechanism (not shown in the figure), which can drive the corresponding support rod 30 to rotate continuously or intermittently, and the rotation refers to the rotation of the support rod 30 along its own central axis.

[0102] It can be understood that when the silicon wafer is supported on the support rod 30, at least part of the support rod 30 supporting the silicon wafer rotates under the driving action of the rotating mechanism, thereby driving the silicon wafer to move horizontally on the support rod 30; the rotation can be clockwise and counterclockwise periodic, and at this time the silicon wafer corresponds to the reciprocating horizontal movement A in the drying space, which effectively avoids the support rod 30 from being continuously supported at a fixed position of the silicon wafer, thereby reducing the overheating phenomenon that may occur at this position due to long-term heating. It effectively extends the service life of the support rod and avoids overheating and damage to the silicon wafer. The reciprocating movement of the silicon wafer helps to promote the contact between some areas of the silicon wafer and the hot air, avoiding the existence of undried missing areas of the silicon wafer.

[0103] In another feasible implementation of the corresponding variation, the support rod 30 is connected to a lifting mechanism (not shown), such as a screw lifting mechanism, a spiral lifting mechanism, etc. The lifting mechanism can drive the support rod to perform lifting and lowering movements along the height direction, thereby adapting to different silicon wafer specifications and lifting the silicon wafer to the required height, thereby improving the versatility and flexibility of the drying equipment and reducing production costs and equipment investment.

[0104] The drying assembly 20 further includes a heat insulation pad 40, which is disposed between the support rod 30 and the box 11. It is understood that since the support rod 30 generates a large amount of heat (e.g., 70-150°C) when working, the heat insulation pad 40 helps to protect the box 11 from heat damage. This avoids long-term high temperature that may cause deformation or aging of the material of the box 11, thereby affecting the stability and service life of the entire box 10.

[0105] like Figure 7 The embodiment of the utility model also provides a drying system 1000, such as the above-mentioned drying device 200 and at least one moving device 300; the moving device 300 includes at least one clamping mechanism 310 and a driving mechanism 320, the clamping mechanism 310 is connected to the driving mechanism 320, and is configured to clamp a carrier 210 loaded with silicon wafers, and place the carrier 210 into or move it out of the drying space A under the coordinated movement of the driving mechanism 320.

[0106] It is understandable that the clamping mechanism 310 may adopt a mechanical gripper, a vacuum suction cup or other suitable picking method, depending on the material, shape and size of the carrier 210, and the layout and characteristics of the silicon wafer, and is configured to pick up at least one carrier 210 loaded with silicon wafers; the driving mechanism 320 provides power to enable the clamping mechanism 310 to move along a predetermined path. The driving mechanism 320 can be a motor, a cylinder or other types of driving devices. Under the coordinated movement of the driving mechanism 320, the clamping mechanism 310 can smoothly place the carrier 210 into the drying space A, or remove it after drying is completed.

[0107] like Figure 8 In the mobile device 300, the driving mechanism 320 may be connected to a plurality of clamping mechanisms 310. For example, the clamping mechanisms 310 may be arranged in parallel along the arrangement direction of the silicon wafers, that is, the plurality of clamping mechanisms 310 are arranged in a row, and each clamping mechanism 310 corresponds to a carrier 210. Alternatively, the clamping mechanisms 310 may also be arranged in parallel along a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction, that is, the plurality of clamping mechanisms 310 may be arranged in multiple rows or columns.

[0108] Continue to refer to Figure 7 In one form of the silicon wafer drying system 1000, the silicon wafer drying system 1000 also includes a feeding device 400 and a discharging device 500; in this form, the feeding device 400 is a slow-lifting pull trough (its purpose has been explained above), and the slow-lifting pull trough is loaded with a carrier 210 of silicon wafers, and the moving device 30 is configured to: take the carrier 210 out of the slow-lifting pull trough and place it into the drying device 200, and move the carrier 210 after the silicon wafer is dried from the drying device 200 to the discharging device 500.

[0109] It can be understood that when the silicon wafers are cleaned, the slow pull tank is moved to a preset area, and the moving device 300 takes the carrier 210 out of the slow pull tank and places the carrier 210 into the drying device 200; when the silicon wafers are dried in the drying device, the moving device 300 takes the carrier 210 where the dried silicon wafers are located out of the drying device and transfers it to the unloading device 500. The unloading device 500 automatically sends the dried silicon wafers to the next production link or storage area by moving the carrier 210.

[0110] Optionally, the discharging device 500 may be a conveyor belt, an elevator, a conveyor roller, etc.

[0111] like Fig. 9 In another form of the silicon wafer drying system 1000, the feeding device 400 is a conveyor belt, the carrier 210 is first slowly pulled out of the pulling groove and set on the conveyor belt, and then transported to the drying device 200 through the conveyor belt.

[0112] It can be understood that by transporting the carrier 210 via a conveyor belt to improve the continuity of the entire production, the mobile device 300 can clamp and transfer the silicon wafer without affecting the operation of the slow pull tank. That is, the slow pull tank does not need to be stagnant, and the silicon wafer can be continuously cleaned and placed on the conveyor belt, while the mobile device continuously picks up the carrier 210 from the conveyor belt, thereby achieving continuity and high efficiency of production.

[0113] Continue reading Fig. 9In one embodiment, when the drying unit 100 is provided with a first door opening 131 and a second door opening 132, the moving device 300 includes a first moving device 300a and a second moving device 300b respectively located on both sides of the drying device 200, the first moving device 300a is configured to place the carrier 210 into the drying device 200 through the first door opening 131, and the second moving device 300b is configured to move the carrier 210 out of the drying device 200 through the second door opening 132.

[0114] It can be understood that by setting the door openings on both sides of the drying device 200 and configuring two mobile devices (the first mobile device 300a and the second mobile device 300b), the entry and exit operations of the silicon wafers can be performed simultaneously. When one mobile device 300 is putting the carrier 210 loaded with silicon wafers into the drying device 200 for drying, the other mobile device 300 can take out the dried silicon wafers from the drying device 200, thereby reducing the waiting time and improving the overall production efficiency.

[0115] like Fig.10 In another embodiment, the door opening 13 of each drying unit 100 is disposed on one side, and the moving device 300 is placed in or moved out of the carrier 210 from the door opening 13 on the same side.

[0116] Specifically, the feeding and discharging of the carrier 210 are both at the door opening 13 on the same side. The mobile device 300 does not need to move the carrier 210 to the other side of the device for discharging, but can directly transport it to the position where the discharging device 500 is located. This layout reduces the number of mobile devices 300; at the same time, the discharging device 500 is also set within the movable range of the mobile device 300; when the feeding operation is required, the mobile device 300 rotates to an appropriate angle and places the carrier 210 into the drying device 200 from the door opening on one side. Conversely, when the carrier 210 in a drying unit 100 completes the drying task, the mobile device 300 responds and takes out the corresponding carrier 210 from the drying unit 100, and then rotates to the position of the discharging device 500, and places the carrier 210 on the discharging device 500.

[0117] It can be understood that, since the door opening 13 is arranged on one side, this layout reduces the space occupied by the entire silicon wafer drying system 1000; this is particularly suitable for production environments with limited space, helps to more effectively utilize existing space resources, and improves the overall layout efficiency of the production line; and can reduce the number of layouts of the mobile device 300, directly reducing the purchase and maintenance costs of the equipment. Under the premise of ensuring production efficiency, the equipment configuration is simplified and the operation travel of the mobile device 300 is optimized at the same time.

[0118] At the same time, the drying system 1000 is based on the drying device 200 stacked with the above-mentioned drying units 100, and the drying device 200 can realize multi-layer drying in a limited space, which can greatly improve the space utilization rate. This design enables the silicon wafer drying system 1000 to increase the drying capacity without increasing the floor space, meeting the needs of large-scale production. At the same time, the mobile device 300 can choose to place or remove the carrier 210 according to the real-time status of the drying unit 100. That is, the silicon wafer drying system 1000 can dynamically adjust the drying sequence and process of the silicon wafer according to actual production needs. For example, when a drying unit 100 is full, the first mobile device 300a can automatically select other idle or suitable drying units 100 for operation, or when a drying unit has completed the drying task, the second mobile device 300b can be automatically taken out, thereby ensuring the continuity and efficiency of the production line. This design enables the silicon wafer drying system 1000 to have intelligent and efficient production capabilities, and the system can collect and analyze production data in real time to achieve automation and intelligent management of the production process. At the same time, the number of drying units 100 can be increased or decreased according to the actual production requirements, and the scale and capacity of the drying device 200 can be adjusted to adapt to different production scenarios and needs.

[0119] Furthermore, according to the installation conditions of the on-site environment, the mobile device 300 can be connected to a platform, the ground or a truss. For example, by installing the mobile device 300 on a platform or a truss so that it is at a certain height from the ground, it is particularly suitable for a working environment where the ground space is limited or the bottom space needs to be reserved for other equipment or operations. By raising the installation position of the mobile device 300, it is possible to effectively avoid occupying too much space at the bottom, thereby providing sufficient space for other equipment or operations.

[0120] Furthermore, those skilled in the art should understand that if all or part of the sub-modules involved in the various products of the drying device 100 provided in the embodiment of the utility model are combined and replaced by fusion, simple change, mutual conversion, etc., such as the components are placed and moved, or a cutting liquid circulation system, cutting equipment is designed; or a detachable design; or the products constituted by them are set as one, such as an integrated design; all the combined components can form equipment / devices / systems with specific functions, and using such equipment / devices / systems to replace the corresponding components of the utility model also falls within the protection scope of the utility model.

[0121] The various technical features described above can be combined arbitrarily. Although all possible combinations of these technical features are not described, any combination of these technical features should be considered to be covered by this specification as long as there is no contradiction in such combination.

[0122] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit it. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still adjust the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these adjustments or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A drying device, characterized in that: The drying device is used to dry silicon wafers, and includes a plurality of drying units, wherein the plurality of drying units are stacked and arranged in a height direction, and each of the drying units includes an oven structure and a drying assembly; The oven structure comprises a box body and a door panel. The box body is provided with a door opening in a direction perpendicular to the height direction. The door panel is movably connected to the box body to close or open the door opening.

2. The drying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: There is one door opening and it is arranged on any side of the box; or There are multiple door openings, including a first door opening and a second door opening, and the first door opening and the second door opening are respectively arranged at two opposite sides of the box body.

3. The drying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box body comprises an outer shell and an inner shell, wherein the inner shell is arranged in the outer shell and encloses a cavity together with the outer shell, and the inner shell forms a drying space; The cavity is communicated with the drying space, the drying component is disposed in the cavity, and the drying component is configured to generate a hot air flow and input the hot air flow from the cavity into the drying space.

4. The drying device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inner shell is provided with a first through hole and a second through hole, the first through hole and the second through hole are respectively provided on different surfaces of the inner shell, and the cavity is connected with the drying space through the first through hole and the second through hole; The drying assembly is configured to enable the hot air flow to be input into the drying space from the first through hole and output to the cavity from the second through hole.

5. The drying device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first through hole and the second through hole are respectively arranged on two opposite surfaces of the inner shell.

6. The drying device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first through hole and the second through hole are respectively disposed on two opposite surfaces of the inner shell in the height direction.

7. The drying device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The inner shell comprises an inner top plate, an inner bottom plate and an inner side plate connected to the inner top plate and the inner bottom plate, the inner top plate and the inner bottom plate are arranged opposite to each other in the height direction, one end of the inner top plate and the inner bottom plate are connected to the outer shell, and the other end is connected to the inner side plate; The first through hole is arranged on the inner top plate, and the second through hole is arranged on the inner bottom plate.

8. The drying device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first through hole and the second through hole are respectively disposed on two opposite surfaces of the inner shell in a direction perpendicular to the height direction.

9. The drying device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The inner shell comprises an inner top plate or an inner bottom plate and an inner side plate connected to both ends of the inner top plate or the inner bottom plate, and the other end of the inner side plate is connected to the outer shell; The first through hole and the second through hole are respectively arranged on the two inner side plates.

10. The drying device according to any one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that: The drying component includes a fan and a heating tube; The heating tube is used to heat the gas in the cavity to generate the hot air flow, and the fan is configured to extract the gas in the drying space through the second through hole and send the hot air flow in the cavity into the drying space through the first through hole.

11. The drying device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The drying unit further comprises a support rod, wherein the support rod is located in the drying space; The silicon wafer is placed on a carrier to be placed into or out of the drying space, and the support rod is configured to be able to hold up the silicon wafer in the drying space so that a gap is maintained between the silicon wafer and the carrier in the height direction.

12. The drying device according to claim 11, characterized in that: The drying unit further comprises a heat insulating pad, and the heat insulating pad is arranged between the support rod and the box body.

13. A drying system, characterized in that: include: A drying device as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 12; as well as The mobile device comprises at least one clamping mechanism, wherein the clamping mechanism is configured to pick up at least one carrier loaded with silicon wafers and place the carrier into and / or move the carrier out of the drying device.

14. The drying system according to claim 13, characterized in that: The drying system further comprises a feeding device, wherein the feeding device is used to convey a carrier rack loaded with silicon wafers, and the moving device is configured to be able to clamp the carrier rack from the feeding device and place it into the drying device; and / or The drying system also includes a discharging device, the feeding device is used to transport the carrier rack loaded with silicon wafers, and the moving device is configured to move the carrier rack loaded with silicon wafers from the drying device to the discharging device.

15. The drying system according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that: The mobile device includes a first mobile device and a second mobile device; The first moving device is configured to place the carrier rack into the drying device through the first door opening, and the second moving device is configured to move the carrier rack out of the drying device through the second door opening.

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