Temperature control device

Abstract

The utility model provides a temperature control device. The temperature control device comprises a circulating system, heating and refrigerating equipment and a refrigerating system, the circulating system comprises a first circulating section, a water tank, a third circulating section and a second circulating section which are connected in sequence and form circulation, and a first temperature sensor is arranged between the second circulating section and the third circulating section; circulating liquid of the second circulating section is used for exchanging heat with a load device; the heating and refrigerating equipment exchanges heat with the circulating liquid in at least part of the third circulating section; the refrigerating system comprises a heat absorption side of a heat exchanger, and the heat absorption side of the heat exchanger communicates with a refrigerant flow path of the refrigerating system. And at least part of the first circulation section forms a heat release side of the heat exchanger. According to the temperature control device provided by the utility model, the temperature of the circulating liquid in the circulating system is regulated and controlled through the heating and refrigerating equipment, so that accurate temperature control and rapid heating or rapid cooling are realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductors, in particular to a temperature control device. Background Art

[0002] In the integrated circuit process, semiconductor-specific temperature control devices provide constant temperature fluids of different temperatures for load devices. With the development of the process, the requirements for the outlet temperature of the temperature control device (the temperature of the circulating fluid that exchanges heat with the load device) are getting lower and lower, and the requirements for the response speed of the outlet temperature are getting faster and faster. At the same time, the requirements for the refrigeration capacity of the temperature control device are also getting higher and higher.

[0003] During the production process, the refrigeration system of the temperature control device supplies cold air through the refrigerant circulation. Due to the characteristics of the refrigerant, when the refrigerant works at the limit temperature, the refrigeration system works at the limit state. The limit temperature of the refrigerant will limit the minimum operating temperature of the temperature control device. The suction pressure of the compressor is low, exceeding the temperature required by the compressor, which will affect the service life of the compressor. To improve the refrigeration capacity, a larger compressor and a larger evaporator are required, which will increase the floor space of the refrigeration system and increase energy consumption. The refrigeration and cooling speed of the refrigeration system is slow, which makes it difficult to meet the requirements of the load device for the cooling time. Utility Model Content

[0004] The utility model provides a temperature control device to solve the defect that the temperature control capability in the prior art is difficult to meet the requirements, and controls the temperature of the circulating fluid in the circulation system by heating the refrigeration equipment to achieve precise temperature control and rapid heating or cooling.

[0005] The utility model provides a temperature control device, comprising:

[0006] A circulation system, comprising a first circulation section, a water tank, a third circulation section, and a second circulation section which are sequentially connected to form a circulation, a first temperature sensor being arranged between the second circulation section and the third circulation section, and a circulating fluid of the second circulation section being used for heat exchange with a load device;

[0007] heating the refrigeration equipment to exchange heat with at least a portion of the circulating fluid in the third circulation section;

[0008] A refrigeration system, comprising a heat absorption side of a heat exchanger, wherein the heat absorption side of the heat exchanger is connected to a refrigerant flow path of the refrigeration system;

[0009] At least part of the first cycle section forms the heat release side of the heat exchanger.

[0010] According to a temperature control device provided by the utility model, a bypass pipeline is connected between the inlet end of the third circulation section and the outlet end of the second circulation section, and the bypass pipeline is connected to a bypass valve.

[0011] According to a temperature control device provided by the utility model, the outlet end of the second circulation section is connected to the second temperature sensor, the inlet end of the water tank is connected to the third temperature sensor, and the outlet end of the water tank is connected to the fourth temperature sensor.

[0012] According to a temperature control device provided by the utility model, the inlet end of the second circulation section is connected with a flow meter and a pressure sensor.

[0013] According to a temperature control device provided by the utility model, the circulation system is not provided with a heater.

[0014] According to a temperature control device provided by the utility model, a heater is arranged between the outlet end of the heating and cooling equipment and the second circulation section, and a fifth temperature sensor is arranged between the heater and the heating and cooling equipment.

[0015] According to a temperature control device provided by the utility model, the heating and cooling equipment is a thermoelectric cooling equipment.

[0016] The temperature control device provided by the utility model combines a refrigeration system with a heating and refrigeration device to regulate the temperature of the circulating fluid in the circulation system, which can reduce the minimum operating temperature of the temperature control device and improve the low-temperature load capacity, heating rate, cooling rate and load accuracy of the temperature control device; at the same time, by utilizing the characteristics of the thermoelectric refrigeration device that can both heat and cool, a heater is not used in the circulation system, thereby achieving the purpose of energy saving. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present invention or the prior art, a brief introduction will be given below to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a temperature control device provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0019] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a temperature control device provided by another embodiment of the utility model; Figure 2 and Figure 1 The difference is that Figure 2 A heater is provided;

[0020] Figure 3 It is a schematic flow chart of a temperature control method provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0021] Figure 4It is a flow chart of a temperature control method provided by another embodiment of the utility model;

[0022] Reference numerals:

[0023] 110, second circulation section; 120, third circulation section; 130, bypass pipeline; 200, heating and cooling equipment; 201, cooling pipeline;

[0024] TANK1, water tank; LG, liquid level gauge; V1, bypass valve; PUMP1, first pump body; T1, first temperature sensor; FS1, flow meter; P1, pressure sensor; Loading, loading device; T2, second temperature sensor; T3, third temperature sensor; HE1, heat exchanger; HE1-1, heat absorption side of heat exchanger; HE1-2, heat release side of heat exchanger; T4, fourth temperature sensor; HT1, heater; T5 fifth temperature sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the utility model clearer, the technical solution of the utility model will be described clearly and completely in conjunction with the drawings in the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0026] Combine the following Figure 1 A temperature control device according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used for temperature control in the semiconductor field.

[0027] The temperature control device includes: a circulation system, a refrigeration system and a heating and refrigeration device 200. The refrigeration system is used to adjust the temperature of the circulating fluid in the circulation system. The circulating fluid is used to exchange heat with the loading device Loading. The heating and refrigeration device 200 is used to adjust the temperature of the circulating fluid before heat exchange with the loading device Loading, such as heating the circulating fluid or cooling the circulating fluid. Figure 1 The dotted box on the left indicates the refrigeration system. Figure 1 The circulation system and the heating and cooling equipment 200 are indicated in the dotted box on the right side.

[0028] The circulation system includes a first circulation section, a water tank TANK1, a third circulation section 120 and a second circulation section 110 which are connected in sequence to form a circulation. The circulating fluid of the second circulation section 110 is used for heat exchange with the loading device Loading. At least part of the first circulation section forms the heat release side HE1-2 of the heat exchanger, and the heat release side HE1-2 of the heat exchanger exchanges heat with the heat absorption side HE1-1 of the heat exchanger.

[0029] The first circulation section can be understood as all or part of the pipelines between the inlet end of the water tank TANK1 and the outlet end of the second circulation section 110, and the second circulation section 110 can also be understood as all or part of the pipelines between the outlet end of the third circulation section 120 and the inlet end of the first circulation section. The loading device Loading can absorb heat from the circulating fluid of the second circulation section 110, or release heat to the circulating fluid of the second circulation section 110.

[0030] The heating and cooling equipment 200 exchanges heat with at least part of the circulating fluid in the third circulation section 120 to adjust the temperature of the circulating fluid in the third circulation section 120 so that the temperature of the circulating fluid entering the second circulation section 110 meets the requirements, thereby ensuring the temperature control accuracy of the circulating fluid.

[0031] A first temperature sensor T1 is arranged between the second circulation section 110 and the third circulation section 120. It can be understood that the first temperature sensor T1 is used to measure the first measured temperature of the circulating fluid at the outlet end of the third circulation section 120, which is the measured temperature of the circulating fluid after heat exchange with the heating and refrigeration equipment 200. It can also be understood that the first temperature sensor T1 is used to measure the first measured temperature of the circulating fluid at the inlet end of the second circulation section 110, which is the temperature of the circulating fluid for heat exchange with the load device Loading.

[0032] The refrigeration system includes a heat absorption side HE1-1 of the heat exchanger, and the heat absorption side HE1-1 of the heat exchanger is connected to the refrigerant flow path of the refrigeration system; at least part of the first circulation section forms the heat release side HE1-2 of the heat exchanger. The circulating fluid of the heat release side HE1-2 of the heat exchanger exchanges heat with the refrigerant of the heat absorption side HE1-1 of the heat exchanger to adjust the temperature of the circulating fluid flowing back to the water tank TANK1. The structural form of the heat exchanger HE1 is not limited, such as a plate heat exchanger, a tube heat exchanger, etc.

[0033] The temperature control device of the embodiment of the utility model uses a heating and cooling device 200 to replace the original heater at the outlet of the water tank TANK1, making full use of the heating and cooling device 200's characteristics of heating and cooling, so that when the outlet temperature of the circulation system needs to be lower, the heating and cooling device 200 works in the cooling mode to reduce the outlet temperature of the circulation system; when the temperature needs to be increased, the heating and cooling device 200 works in the heating mode to increase the outlet temperature of the circulation system. Among them, the outlet temperature of the circulation system can be understood as the temperature of the inlet end of the second circulation section 110, and can also be understood as the first measured temperature measured by the first temperature sensor T1.

[0034] In some embodiments, a bypass line 130 is connected between the inlet end of the third circulation section 120 and the outlet end of the second circulation section 110, and the bypass line 130 is connected to a bypass valve V1. When the bypass valve V1 is opened, the outlet end of the second circulation section 110 and the inlet end of the third circulation section 120 are connected, that is, the outlet end of the water tank TANK1 is connected to the inlet end of the first circulation section, and the circulating liquid flowing out of the water tank TANK1 may not enter the second circulation section 110, and the circulating liquid does not exchange heat with the load device Loading. The circulating liquid flowing out of the water tank TANK1 directly flows back to the water tank TANK1 after passing through the first circulation section.

[0035] In some embodiments, the outlet of the second circulation section 110 is connected to a second temperature sensor T2, which is located between the outlet of the second circulation section 110 and the inlet of the first circulation section. The second temperature sensor T2 is used to detect the second measured temperature of the circulating fluid after heat exchange with the loading device Loading.

[0036] The inlet end of the water tank TANK1 is connected to the third temperature sensor T3, which is located between the inlet end of the water tank TANK1 and the outlet end of the first circulation section. The third temperature sensor T3 is used to detect the third measured temperature of the circulating fluid flowing back into the water tank TANK1.

[0037] The outlet of the water tank TANK1 is connected to a fourth temperature sensor T4 , which is located between the outlet of the water tank TANK1 and the inlet of the third circulation section 120 , and is used to detect a fourth measured temperature of the circulating fluid flowing out of the water tank TANK1 .

[0038] The pipeline of the circulation system is provided with a first pump body PUMP1, which is used to drive the circulating fluid to circulate between the water tank TANK1 and each section of the pipeline. Figure 1 As shown, the first pump body PUMP1 is located at the inlet end of the third circulation section 120 and also at the inlet end of the bypass pipeline 130 , ensuring that the first pump body PUMP1 can drive the circulating fluid into the third circulation section 120 and / or the bypass pipeline 130 .

[0039] In some embodiments, the inlet end of the second circulation section 110 is connected to a flow meter FS1, and the flow meter FS1 is used to detect the flow rate of the circulating liquid entering the endothermic circulation section.

[0040] The inlet end of the second circulation section 110 is connected to a pressure sensor P, and the pressure sensor P is used to detect the pressure of the inlet end of the second circulation section 110 .

[0041] In some embodiments, the circulation system is not equipped with a heater, and the heating and cooling device 200 has heating and cooling functions. The heating and cooling device 200 can both heat up and cool down the circulating fluid, thereby eliminating the need for a heater, simplifying the structure, and ensuring the temperature control accuracy of the circulating fluid.

[0042] The water tank TANK1 is connected to a liquid level meter LG for measuring the liquid level of the circulating fluid in the water tank TANK1.

[0043] In some embodiments, the heating and cooling device 200 is a thermoelectric cooling device, and the thermoelectric heating device can be understood as a semiconductor heating and cooling device 200. Thermoelectric cooling devices have the advantages of small size, fast temperature adjustment, and low noise.

[0044] Based on the above content, combined with Figure 1 As shown, the left side is a refrigeration system, which generally includes a compressor, a condenser, an electronic expansion valve, and a heat exchanger HE1. The refrigeration system can be a single-stage refrigeration system, a cascade refrigeration system, a multi-stage refrigeration system, etc.; the right side is a circulation system, which generally includes a water tank TANK1, a fourth temperature sensor T4, a first pump body PUMP1, a heating and cooling device 200, a bypass valve V1, a first temperature sensor T1, a flow meter FS1, a pressure sensor P1, a second temperature sensor T2, and a third temperature sensor T3.

[0045] refer to Figure 2 As shown, Figure 1 The difference between the illustrated embodiments is that the temperature control device includes a heater HT1, and the heater HT1 is located between the heating and cooling device 200 and the second circulation section 110. A fifth temperature sensor T5 is provided between the outlet of the heating and cooling device 200 and the heater HT1, and T5 is used to detect the fifth measured temperature of the outlet of the heating and cooling device 200, which can also be understood as T5 being used to detect the fifth measured temperature of the inlet of the heater HT1.

[0046] The embodiment of another aspect of the present invention is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, a temperature control method applied to any one of the temperature control devices above is also provided, comprising:

[0047] Obtaining a first set temperature and a first measured temperature at the inlet end of the second circulation section 110, and determining a fourth set temperature at the outlet end of the water tank TANK1 according to the first set temperature;

[0048] Obtain the fourth measured temperature of the outlet end of the water tank TANK1, and control the cooling or heating amount provided by the heating and cooling equipment 200 according to the difference between the first measured temperature and the first set temperature and the fourth measured temperature until the difference between the first measured temperature and the first set temperature is less than or equal to the preset threshold.

[0049] The final control target temperature of the temperature control method is the first measured temperature, which ensures that the first measured temperature is close to or equal to the first set temperature, so as to achieve accurate control of the temperature of the circulating fluid at the inlet end of the second circulation section 110. The first set temperature can be understood as the target temperature that the circulation system needs the circulating fluid to reach, and the target temperature of the circulating fluid at the inlet end of the second circulation section 110. The first measured temperature is the actual temperature of the circulating fluid at the inlet end of the second circulation section 110. The preset threshold can characterize the temperature control accuracy of the circulating fluid. The smaller the preset threshold, the higher the temperature control accuracy. The larger the preset threshold, the lower the temperature control accuracy. For example, the preset threshold can be set to -1°C to 1°C.

[0050] The heating and cooling device 200 adjusts its control mode (heating / cooling) and output power according to the first set temperature, the first measured temperature and the fourth measured temperature to ensure that the outlet temperature is stable within a required range.

[0051] The fourth set temperature is the set temperature of the circulating liquid at the outlet of the water tank, and the fourth measured temperature is the actual temperature at the outlet of the water tank. The cooling or heat supplied by the refrigeration system and the heating and refrigeration equipment is regulated according to the fourth set temperature so that the fourth measured temperature is as close to the fourth set temperature as possible.

[0052] When there is a heat load (the load device Loading releases heat to the circulating fluid in the second circulation section 110), the refrigeration system cannot fully cool the circulating fluid. At this time, the heating and cooling equipment 200 works in the refrigeration mode to fully cool the circulating fluid to ensure the temperature stability of the circulating fluid at the inlet end of the second circulation section 110.

[0053] When there is a cold load (the load device Loading absorbs heat from the circulating fluid of the second circulation section 110), the refrigeration system cannot heat the circulating fluid in real time. The heating and refrigeration equipment 200 works in the heating mode to heat the circulating fluid to ensure the temperature stability of the circulating fluid at the inlet end of the second circulation section 110.

[0054] The temperature control method of the embodiment of the utility model can lower the minimum operating temperature of the temperature control device by regulating the cooling capacity supplied by the heating refrigeration device 200, thereby increasing the refrigeration capacity of the temperature device and reducing the loss rate of the compressor. It can also increase the cooling and heating speeds by heating the refrigeration device 200 to improve efficiency.

[0055] In some embodiments, the temperature control method further includes: based on the first set temperature being higher than the first measured temperature, controlling a fifth set temperature of a fifth temperature sensor at the outlet of the heating and refrigeration device to increase.

[0056] The first set temperature is higher than the first measured temperature, which can be understood as the circulation system is in the heating mode, and the circulating fluid needs to be heated. At this time, the fifth set temperature at the outlet of the heating and cooling equipment increases with the increase of the first set temperature, and the fifth set temperature is positively correlated with the first set temperature. At this time, the heating and cooling equipment works in the heating mode, and heats the circulating fluid coming out of the water tank in advance, so that the first measured temperature quickly reaches the first set temperature, reducing the heating time and improving the heating efficiency.

[0057] In some embodiments, the temperature control method further includes: based on the first set temperature being lower than the first measured temperature, controlling the fifth set temperature to decrease.

[0058] The first set temperature is lower than the first measured temperature, which can be understood as the circulation system is in the cooling mode and the circulating fluid needs to be cooled. At this time, the fifth set temperature at the outlet of the heating and refrigeration equipment decreases as the first set temperature decreases. The heating and refrigeration equipment works in the cooling mode and cools the circulating fluid coming out of the water tank in advance, so that the first measured temperature quickly reaches the first set temperature, thereby reducing the cooling time and improving the cooling efficiency.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the fifth set temperature is adjusted according to the relationship between the first set temperature and the first measured temperature, and the fifth set temperature is lower than the first set temperature by a certain value. The heating and cooling device adjusts its control mode (heating / cooling) and output power according to the fifth set temperature to ensure that the fifth measured temperature remains stable, thereby ensuring that the first measured temperature is stable within the required range.

[0060] In some embodiments, the temperature control method further includes: controlling the refrigeration side of the heating refrigeration device to open based on the first set temperature being lower than the lowest refrigeration temperature of the refrigeration system;

[0061] The first set temperature is lower than the lowest refrigeration temperature of the refrigeration system, which can be understood as an ultra-low temperature mode, that is, the first set temperature is lower than the lowest temperature that the refrigeration system can provide. At this time, the heating and refrigeration equipment works in the refrigeration mode, and the circulating fluid of the refrigeration system is cooled again after being cooled, so that the first measured temperature reaches a lower temperature to meet the requirements of lower process steps.

[0062] In some embodiments, the temperature control method also includes: based on the second measured temperature being higher than the first measured temperature, controlling the refrigeration side of the heating and refrigeration equipment to open so that the temperature difference between the fifth measured temperature of the fifth temperature sensor at the outlet end of the heating and refrigeration equipment and the fifth set temperature is within a set threshold.

[0063] The second measured temperature is higher than the first measured temperature, which can be understood as a load mode. The load device releases heat to the circulating fluid, causing the circulating fluid to heat up. At this time, the first set temperature remains unchanged, but the second measured temperature increases. The heating and cooling equipment is turned on in advance according to the change of the second measured temperature, that is, the fifth measured temperature at the outlet of the heating and cooling equipment is controlled in advance through the change of the second measured temperature to ensure that the first measured temperature remains stable.

[0064] refer to Figure 4 As shown, the temperature control method includes: controlling the working state (cooling capacity, heating capacity or operating power) of the heating and cooling equipment through the controller 1 according to the first measured temperature and the fifth set temperature. The temperature control method also includes: controlling the working state (cooling capacity, heating capacity or operating power) of the heating and cooling equipment through the controller 2 according to the second set temperature and the second measured temperature. It can also be understood that the working state of the heating and cooling equipment is controlled according to the first measured temperature, the fifth set temperature, the second set temperature and the second measured temperature.

[0065] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the utility model, rather than to limit it. Although the utility model has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the utility model.

Claims

1. A temperature control device, characterized in that: include: A circulation system, comprising a first circulation section, a water tank, a third circulation section, and a second circulation section which are sequentially connected to form a circulation, a first temperature sensor being arranged between the second circulation section and the third circulation section, and a circulating fluid of the second circulation section being used for heat exchange with a load device; heating the refrigeration equipment to exchange heat with at least a portion of the circulating fluid in the third circulation section; A refrigeration system, comprising a heat absorption side of a heat exchanger, wherein the heat absorption side of the heat exchanger is connected to a refrigerant flow path of the refrigeration system; At least part of the first cycle section forms the heat release side of the heat exchanger.

2. The temperature control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A bypass pipeline is connected between the inlet end of the third circulation section and the outlet end of the second circulation section, and the bypass pipeline is connected to a bypass valve.

3. The temperature control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outlet end of the second circulation section is connected to a second temperature sensor, the inlet end of the water tank is connected to a third temperature sensor, and the outlet end of the water tank is connected to a fourth temperature sensor.

4. The temperature control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inlet end of the second circulation section is connected with a flow meter and a pressure sensor.

5. The temperature control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The circulation system is not provided with a heater.

6. The temperature control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A heater is provided between the outlet end of the heating and cooling device and the second circulation section, and a fifth temperature sensor is provided between the heater and the heating and cooling device.

7. The temperature control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating and cooling device is a thermoelectric cooling device.

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