Sealing flange structure and semiconductor processing device

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of semiconductor processing, and discloses a sealing flange structure and a semiconductor processing device.An installation plate assembly of the sealing flange structure comprises a flange installation plate and a bearing piece, a flange assembly is connected to the flange installation plate, and a first installation groove where the bearing piece is embedded is formed in the side, attached to the flange assembly, of the flange installation plate; the quartz tube sequentially penetrates through the flange mounting plate and the flange assembly, the bearing part abuts against and supports the quartz tube, a first cooling channel is formed in a first flange of the flange assembly, a first communication opening of the first cooling channel is formed in the end face of the first flange, a second cooling channel is formed in a second flange, and a second communication opening of the second cooling channel is formed in the end face of the second flange. The end faces of the first flange and the second flange are attached and connected, and the first communicating port correspondingly communicates with the second communicating port so that the first cooling channel communicates with the second cooling channel. According to the sealing flange structure, the flange structure can be simplified, the processing difficulty and the installation precision requirement are reduced, and the assembling efficiency of a semiconductor processing device is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor processing, in particular to a sealing flange structure and a semiconductor processing device. Background Art

[0002] The sealing of the tube furnace, as the core equipment of the solar cell process, will directly affect the process quality of the silicon wafer surface. The flanges are the main structures at both ends of the tube furnace body. The working environment is harsh. In order to meet the requirements of bearing the quartz tube and sealing, the existing tube furnace is generally a three-flange structure. The three flanges are arranged in parallel and have two sets of sealing rings, one set of which is used to support the quartz furnace tube, and the other set is used for sealing, thereby isolating the reaction chambers on both sides from the external environment. In the above structure, there are many flanges, the structure is complex, the volume is large, and the excess space of the equipment is occupied, which increases the processing cost and equipment weight.

[0003] At the same time, in order to cool the sealing ring, a coolant channel is set inside the flange. In order to achieve water flow between the cooling channels of the flanges, two sets of coolant joints are required. The coolant joints are installed on the outer peripheral surface in the thickness direction of the flange to connect the coolant channels of adjacent flanges. As a hard connector, the coolant joint has high requirements for the flatness and parallelism of the two mounting planes. During the processing and installation process, the two mounting planes of the adjacent flanges need to be constantly adjusted to ensure flushness, or by adding high-precision positioning pin holes between the two flanges to meet the installation requirements; moreover, if one of the flanges fails, the new flange needs to be reprocessed with the remaining old flange to ensure installation accuracy, which makes processing difficult and assembly efficiency low. Utility Model Content

[0004] The first purpose of the utility model is to provide a sealing flange structure, which is used to solve the problems that the existing tube furnace flanges are large in number and volume, occupying excess space in the equipment, increasing processing costs and equipment weight, and using coolant joints to connect the coolant channels, causing processing difficulties and low assembly efficiency.

[0005] The second object of the utility model is to provide a semiconductor processing device, which uses the above-mentioned sealing flange structure to solve the problems of the existing semi-tube furnace having a large number of flanges, a large volume, occupying excess equipment space, increasing processing costs and equipment weight, and using a coolant joint to connect the coolant channel, causing processing difficulties and low assembly efficiency.

[0006] To achieve this purpose, the utility model adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a sealing flange structure is provided for supporting and sealing one end of a quartz tube, the sealing flange structure comprising a mounting plate assembly and a flange assembly, the mounting plate assembly comprising a flange mounting plate and a bearing member, the flange assembly being connected to the flange mounting plate, a first mounting groove being provided on a side of the flange mounting plate which is in contact with the flange assembly, the bearing member being embedded in the first mounting groove, the quartz tube being sequentially passed through the flange mounting plate and the flange assembly, and the bearing member abuttingly supporting the quartz tube; the flange assembly comprising a first flange and a second flange, a first cooling channel being provided inside the first flange, a first connecting port of the first cooling channel being provided on an end face of the first flange, a second cooling channel being provided inside the second flange, a second connecting port of the second cooling channel being provided on an end face of the second flange, the end faces of the first flange and the second flange being in contact with each other, the first connecting port correspondingly connecting to the second connecting port, so that the first cooling channel is connected to the second cooling channel.

[0008] In one embodiment, the support member is disposed around the outer circumference of the quartz tube, and the cross-section of the support member is rectangular.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first port of the first cooling channel is arranged on the outer side of the first flange, and the second port of the second cooling channel is arranged on the outer side of the second flange. The first port and the second port are both connected to an external cooling system, and either the first port or the second port is a water inlet, and the other is a water outlet.

[0010] In one embodiment, a first partition is disposed inside the first flange, and the first partition is used to partition the first cooling channel so as to allow one-way conduction between the first communication port and the first port;

[0011] A second partition is disposed inside the second flange, and the second partition is used to separate the second cooling channel so as to allow one-way conduction between the second communication port and the second port.

[0012] In one embodiment, the sealing flange structure also includes an end face sealing ring, the first flange is arranged between the second flange and the flange mounting plate, an end face sealing groove is opened on the side of the second flange away from the first flange, and the end face sealing ring is embedded in the end face sealing groove.

[0013] In one of the embodiments, the second flange is further provided with a third cooling channel, the third cooling channel is connected to the second cooling channel, and the third cooling channel is used to cool the end face sealing ring.

[0014] In one embodiment, a second installation groove is formed on the inner side surface of the first flange or the inner side surface of the second flange, and the sealing flange structure further includes a first sealing ring, which is embedded in the second installation groove and can be sleeved on the outer periphery of the quartz tube.

[0015] In one of the embodiments, the first flange is arranged between the second flange and the flange mounting plate, the second flange has a stepped groove, the bottom of the stepped groove faces the flange mounting plate, a third mounting groove is opened at the bottom of the stepped groove, the sealing flange structure also includes a buffer ring, the buffer ring is embedded in the third mounting groove, the quartz tube is sequentially inserted through the first flange and the second flange and extends into the stepped groove, and the buffer ring is used to abut and buffer the end face of the quartz tube.

[0016] In one embodiment, the sealing flange structure further includes a second sealing ring, which is disposed between the first flange and the second flange, and the second sealing ring surrounds and seals a connection point between the first connecting port and the second connecting port.

[0017] In a second aspect, a semiconductor processing device is provided, comprising the sealing flange structure as described above, wherein the semiconductor processing device further comprises a quartz tube, and the sealing flange structure is used to support one end of the quartz tube.

[0018] Beneficial effects of the utility model:

[0019] The sealing flange structure provided by the utility model uses a flange mounting plate to open a first mounting groove for mounting a bearing member, and the quartz tube is sequentially inserted into the flange mounting plate and the flange assembly, and the bearing member abuts against the supporting quartz tube, thereby reducing the use of one flange. The bearing member plays a role of supporting the quartz tube under the joint fixation of the flange mounting plate and the flange assembly; therefore, compared with the three-flange structure in the prior art, the sealing flange structure of this embodiment reduces the number of flanges to two while achieving the effect of supporting the quartz tube, simplifies the structure to reduce the deadweight, and reduces the occupied space. At the same time, a first cooling channel is opened inside the first flange, and the first connecting port of the first cooling channel is arranged on the end face of the first flange, and a second cooling channel is opened inside the second flange, and the second connecting port of the second cooling channel is arranged on the end face of the second flange, and the first flange and the second flange end faces are fitted and connected, and the first connecting port corresponds to the second connecting port, so that the first cooling channel is connected to the second cooling channel. The connection between the first cooling channel and the second cooling channel is realized inside the flange assembly, and no external joint is required, which simplifies the structure. The connection between the first connection port and the second connection port can be achieved by fitting the first flange end face and the second flange end face. The end face processing is relatively simple, and there is no need for repeated matching and adjustment between the first flange and the second flange, thereby reducing the processing difficulty and installation accuracy requirements and improving assembly efficiency. If one of the first flange or the second flange fails, a new flange can be directly used for replacement and assembly, and there is no need for matching and reprocessing between the new and old flanges.

[0020] The semiconductor processing device provided by the utility model has the above-mentioned relatively simplified sealing flange structure. The connection between the first cooling channel and the second cooling channel does not require the use of an external joint, which reduces the processing difficulty and installation precision requirements and improves the assembly efficiency of the semiconductor processing device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a sealing flange structure provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a structural cross-sectional view of the sealing flange structure provided by the embodiment of the utility model Figure 1 ;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a structural cross-sectional view of the sealing flange structure provided by the embodiment of the utility model Figure 2 ;

[0024] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the flow of coolant in a flange assembly provided by an embodiment of the utility model.

[0025] In the figure:

[0026] 1. Mounting plate assembly; 11. Flange mounting plate; 111. First mounting groove; 12. Bearing member;

[0027] 2. Flange assembly; 21. First flange; 211. First cooling channel; 2111. First communication port; 2112. First port; 212. First partition piece; 213. Second mounting groove; 22. Second flange; 221. Second cooling channel; 2211. Second communication port; 2212. Second port; 222. Second partition piece; 223. End face sealing groove; 224. Third cooling channel; 225. Step groove; 2251. Third mounting groove; 23. Sealing plug;

[0028] 3. End face sealing ring; 4. First sealing ring; 5. Buffer ring; 6. Second sealing ring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts related to the present invention, rather than all structures, are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0030] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0031] In the present utility model, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0032] In the description of this embodiment, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and other directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplified operation, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish in the description and have no special meaning.

[0033] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, this embodiment first provides a sealing flange structure, which is used to support one end of a quartz tube. The sealing flange structure includes a mounting plate assembly 1 and a flange assembly 2. The mounting plate assembly 1 includes a flange mounting plate 11 and a bearing member 12. The flange assembly 2 is connected to the flange mounting plate 11. The flange mounting plate 11 is usually a square plate, and the sealing flange structure is installed on a semiconductor processing device through the flange mounting plate 11. A first mounting groove 111 is provided on one side of the flange mounting plate 11 that is attached to the flange assembly 2. The bearing member 12 is embedded in the first mounting groove 111. The quartz tube is sequentially inserted into the flange mounting plate 11 and the flange assembly 2, and the bearing member 12 abuts against the supporting quartz tube (not shown in the figure). The flange assembly 2 includes a first flange 21 and a second flange 22. A first cooling channel 211 is opened inside the first flange 21. A first connecting port 2111 of the first cooling channel 211 is arranged on the end face of the first flange 21. A second cooling channel 221 is opened inside the second flange 22. A second connecting port 2211 of the second cooling channel 221 is arranged on the end face of the second flange 22. The end faces of the first flange 21 and the second flange 22 are fitted and connected. The first connecting port 2111 corresponds to and connects to the second connecting port 2211, so that the first cooling channel 211 connects to the second cooling channel 221.

[0034] The first mounting groove 111 for mounting the bearing member 12 is opened by the flange mounting plate 11, which reduces the use of one flange. The bearing member 12 plays a role of supporting the quartz tube under the joint fixation of the flange mounting plate 11 and the flange assembly 2; therefore, compared with the three-flange structure in the prior art, the sealing flange structure of this embodiment reduces the number of flanges to two while achieving the effect of supporting the quartz tube, simplifies the structure to reduce the dead weight and reduce the occupied space. At the same time, the communication between the first cooling channel 211 and the second cooling channel 221 is realized inside the flange assembly 2, and no external joint is required, which simplifies the structure. The communication between the first connecting port 2111 and the second connecting port 2211 can be achieved by fitting the end face of the first flange 21 and the end face of the second flange 22. The end face processing is relatively simple, and there is no need for repeated matching and adjustment between the first flange 21 and the second flange 22, thereby reducing the processing difficulty and installation precision requirements and improving the assembly efficiency. If one of the first flange 21 or the second flange 22 fails, a new flange can be directly used to replace and assemble, and there is no need to match and reprocess the new and old flanges.

[0035] The support member 12 is arranged around the outer circumference of the quartz tube, and the quartz tube is supported in a wrapping manner, and the support member 12 is subjected to a relatively uniform force. In order to improve the bearing capacity, the cross section of the support member 12 is rectangular to increase the contact area with the quartz tube. The support member 12 is preferably made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which has good high temperature resistance and good chemical inertness, and is suitable for the working environment of the reaction chamber.

[0036] The first port 2112 of the first cooling channel 211 is disposed on the outer side of the first flange 21, and the second port 2212 of the second cooling channel 221 is disposed on the outer side of the second flange 22. The first port 2112 and the second port 2212 are both connected to the external cooling system, and either the first port 2112 or the second port 2212 is a water inlet, and the other is a water outlet. The external cooling system provides coolant, which enters the flange assembly 2 from the water inlet, flows in the first cooling channel 211 and the second cooling channel 221 for cooling, and then flows back to the external cooling system from the water outlet.

[0037] In order to achieve unidirectional fluidity of the water circulation, avoid turbulence of the coolant, ensure the smooth flow of the coolant to improve the cooling effect, a first partition member 212 is provided inside the first flange 21. Figure 4 As shown, the first partition 212 is used to partition the first cooling channel 211, so that the first communication port 2111 and the first port 2112 are unidirectionally connected. Similarly, a second partition 222 is provided inside the second flange 22, and the second partition 222 is used to partition the second cooling channel 221, so that the second communication port 2211 and the second port 2212 are unidirectionally connected.

[0038] like Figure 4 As shown, the first flange 21 is arranged between the second flange 22 and the flange mounting plate 11, and the second port 2212 of the second flange 22 is used as the water inlet for illustration, and the arrow in the figure indicates the flow direction of the coolant. The coolant of the external cooling system enters the second cooling channel 221 from the second port 2212. Due to the positional relationship between the second partition 222 and the second connecting port 2211, the coolant flows clockwise in the second cooling channel 221, and enters the first cooling channel 211 through the second connecting port 2211 and the first connecting port 2111. Due to the positional relationship between the first partition 212 and the first port 2112, the coolant flows counterclockwise in the first cooling channel 211, and finally flows back to the external cooling system from the first port 2112, realizing the circulation of the coolant and achieving a continuous cooling effect.

[0039] In order to increase the sealing performance between the door body of the reaction chamber (not shown in the figure), the sealing flange structure also includes an end face sealing ring 3. The first flange 21 is arranged between the second flange 22 and the flange mounting plate 11. The side of the second flange 22 away from the first flange 21 is provided with an end face sealing groove 223. The end face sealing ring 3 is embedded in the end face sealing groove 223. When the door body abuts against the second flange 22 to close the reaction chamber, the end face sealing ring 3 provides a buffer seal.

[0040] In order to cool the end face sealing ring 3, the second flange 22 is further provided with a third cooling channel 224, the third cooling channel 224 is connected to the second cooling channel 221, and the third cooling channel 224 is used to cool the end face sealing ring 3. The third cooling channel 224 and the second cooling channel 221 are arranged in parallel along the axial direction of the second flange 22, and are connected through the intermediate connecting channel arranged in the axial direction.

[0041] In one embodiment, a second mounting groove 213 is provided on the inner side surface of the first flange 21 or the inner side surface of the second flange 22, and the sealing flange structure also includes a first sealing ring 4, which is embedded in the second mounting groove 213. The first sealing ring 4 can be sleeved on the outer periphery of the quartz tube to isolate the external environment on both sides of the first sealing ring 4 from the reaction chamber, thereby ensuring the stability of the reaction environment in the reaction chamber.

[0042] Taking the example of the first flange 21 being arranged between the second flange 22 and the flange mounting plate 11 , the first sealing ring 4 is arranged on the second flange 22 , the second cooling channel 221 can better cool the first sealing ring 4 , and the first cooling channel 211 on the first flange 21 can better cool the carrier 12 .

[0043] In order to protect the end of the quartz tube, the second flange 22 has a stepped groove 225, the bottom of the stepped groove 225 faces the flange mounting plate 11, and a third mounting groove 2251 is opened at the bottom of the stepped groove 225. The sealing flange structure also includes a buffer ring 5, which is embedded in the third mounting groove 2251. The quartz tube is sequentially inserted into the first flange 21 and the second flange 22 and extends into the stepped groove 225. The buffer ring 5 is used to abut the end face of the buffer quartz tube to prevent the end of the quartz tube from directly contacting the metal flange assembly 2, thereby achieving a buffering and shock absorbing effect.

[0044] In order to reduce water leakage at the connection point between the first cooling channel 211 and the second cooling channel 221, the sealing flange structure also includes a second sealing ring 6, which is arranged between the first flange 21 and the second flange 22. The second sealing ring 6 surrounds and seals the connection point between the first connecting port 2111 and the second connecting port 2211, thereby improving the connection sealing performance of the first cooling channel 211 and the second cooling channel 221.

[0045] In one embodiment, in order to facilitate the processing of the first cooling channel 211 and the second cooling channel 221, processing water outlets are provided on the outer sides of the first flange 21 and the second flange 22, so that the first cooling channel 211 and the second cooling channel 221 can be processed from the processing water outlets. After the sealing flange structure is assembled, the sealing plug 23 is welded at the processing water outlet to prevent water leakage.

[0046] Finally, this embodiment also provides a semiconductor processing device, which includes the above-mentioned sealing flange structure, and the semiconductor processing device also includes a quartz tube, and the sealing flange structure is used to support one end of the quartz tube. The sealing flange structure uses the flange mounting plate 11 to open the first mounting groove 111 for mounting the carrier 12, reducing the use of one flange, simplifying the structure to reduce the dead weight and reduce the space occupied by the semiconductor processing device; at the same time, the connection between the first cooling channel 211 and the second cooling channel 221 is realized inside the flange assembly 2, and no external joint is required, which simplifies the structure, reduces the processing difficulty and installation precision requirements, and improves the assembly efficiency of the semiconductor processing device.

[0047] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the implementation methods of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, various obvious changes, readjustments and substitutions can be made without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. It is not necessary and impossible to list all implementation methods here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included in the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sealing flange structure, used to support one end of a quartz tube, characterized in that: The sealing flange structure comprises a mounting plate assembly (1) and a flange assembly (2); the mounting plate assembly (1) comprises a flange mounting plate (11) and a bearing member (12); the flange assembly (2) is connected to the flange mounting plate (11); a first mounting groove (111) is formed on a side of the flange mounting plate (11) that is in contact with the flange assembly (2); the bearing member (12) is embedded in the first mounting groove (111); the quartz tube is sequentially inserted through the flange mounting plate (11) and the flange assembly (2), and the bearing member (12) abuts against and supports the quartz tube; the flange assembly (2) comprises a first flange (21) and a second flange (22); A first cooling channel (211) is provided inside the first flange (21), and a first connecting port (2111) of the first cooling channel (211) is arranged on an end surface of the first flange (21); a second cooling channel (221) is provided inside the second flange (22), and a second connecting port (2211) of the second cooling channel (221) is arranged on an end surface of the second flange (22); the end surfaces of the first flange (21) and the second flange (22) are fitted and connected, and the first connecting port (2111) is correspondingly connected to the second connecting port (2211), so that the first cooling channel (211) is connected to the second cooling channel (221).

2. The sealing flange structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The supporting member (12) is arranged around the outer circumference of the quartz tube, and the cross section of the supporting member (12) is rectangular.

3. The sealing flange structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first port (2112) of the first cooling channel (211) is arranged on the outer side of the first flange (21), and the second port (2212) of the second cooling channel (221) is arranged on the outer side of the second flange (22), the first port (2112) and the second port (2212) are both connected to an external cooling system, and either the first port (2112) or the second port (2212) is a water inlet, and the other is a water outlet.

4. The sealing flange structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: A first partition member (212) is provided inside the first flange (21), and the first partition member (212) is used to separate the first cooling channel (211) so as to allow one-way communication between the first communication port (2111) and the first port (2112); A second partition piece (222) is arranged inside the second flange (22), and the second partition piece (222) is used to separate the second cooling channel (221) so as to allow one-way conduction between the second communication port (2211) and the second port (2212).

5. The sealing flange structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing flange structure further comprises an end face sealing ring (3); the first flange (21) is arranged between the second flange (22) and the flange mounting plate (11); an end face sealing groove (223) is provided on a side of the second flange (22) away from the first flange (21); and the end face sealing ring (3) is embedded in the end face sealing groove (223).

6. The sealing flange structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The second flange (22) is further provided with a third cooling channel (224), the third cooling channel (224) being connected to the second cooling channel (221), and the third cooling channel (224) being used to cool the end face sealing ring (3).

7. The sealing flange structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: A second mounting groove (213) is provided on the inner side surface of the first flange (21) or the inner side surface of the second flange (22), and the sealing flange structure further comprises a first sealing ring (4), the first sealing ring (4) being embedded in the second mounting groove (213), and the first sealing ring (4) being capable of being sleeved on the outer circumference of the quartz tube.

8. The sealing flange structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The first flange (21) is arranged between the second flange (22) and the flange mounting plate (11), the second flange (22) has a stepped groove (225), the bottom of the stepped groove (225) faces the flange mounting plate (11), and a third mounting groove (2251) is provided at the bottom of the stepped groove (225). The sealing flange structure also includes a buffer ring (5), the buffer ring (5) is embedded in the third mounting groove (2251), the quartz tube is sequentially inserted through the first flange (21) and the second flange (22) and extends into the stepped groove (225), and the buffer ring (5) is used to abut against and buffer the end face of the quartz tube.

9. The sealing flange structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The sealing flange structure further comprises a second sealing ring (6), wherein the second sealing ring (6) is arranged between the first flange (21) and the second flange (22), and the second sealing ring (6) surrounds and seals a connection point between the first communication port (2111) and the second communication port (2211).

10. A semiconductor processing device, characterized in that: Comprising the sealing flange structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, the semiconductor processing device also includes a quartz tube, and the sealing flange structure is used to support one end of the quartz tube.

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