Graphite boat and tubular coating equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of tubular coating equipment, and provides a graphite boat and tubular coating equipment, the graphite boat comprises a boat body, a graphite connecting block, a reinforcing structure and a ceramic rod, the boat body comprises a slide glass boat page, an upper boat page and a lower boat page; the graphite connecting blocks are arranged at two ends of the boat body in the length direction; the reinforcing structure comprises ceramic supporting blocks and silicon carbide reinforcing rods, the ceramic supporting blocks are arranged at the two ends of the boat body in the length direction and oppositely located below the lower boat page, and the silicon carbide reinforcing rods are connected with the ceramic supporting blocks at the two ends of the boat body in the length direction. The ceramic rod is suitable for penetrating and connecting the upper boat page, the graphite connecting block, the lower boat page and the ceramic supporting block. The ceramic supporting blocks and the silicon carbide reinforcing rods are fixed to the bottom of the lower boat page through the ceramic rods, the bending strength of the lower boat page can be enhanced, the bending deformation amount is reduced, and it is ensured that the graphite boat is of an equal-interval plate capacitance type inner electrode structure; the ceramic supporting block and the graphite connecting block are consistent in installation position, installation steps and the number of parts are reduced, cost is low, and implementation is easy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of tubular coating equipment, and further relates to a graphite boat and the tubular coating equipment. Background Art

[0002] Tubular coating equipment is a widely used process in the manufacture of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells. Graphite boats are used with tubular coating equipment to hold silicon wafers. Currently, horizontal graphite boats used in production often exhibit a common problem: each layer of the boat bows and sags (particularly in the center, where deformation is particularly severe, with a maximum deformation of 5mm). This is because while adopting horizontal graphite boats, while eliminating the issue of wafer breakage caused by collisions with wafer holders during the coating and wafer insertion process, the boats are positioned horizontally instead of vertically. Due to the inherent weight of the boats and wafers, and the fact that the boats are only 1.5-2.5mm thick, the boats are only 1.5-2.5mm thick. If the boat sheet is too thin, the bending caused by its own gravity can be reduced, but it will lead to: 1. The punching processing accuracy of each layer of boat sheet is required to be very high. When a small processing error occurs in the punching of a certain boat sheet, the boat sheet is squeezed and easily bent and deformed due to the existence of lateral force during the stacking and assembly; 2. The boat sheet is too thin, and the pre-tightening force is too large during the assembly process (especially when the ceramic rod is fixed with a graphite nut), which will cause the boat sheet to deform; If the boat sheet is too thick, the strength and rigidity of the single boat sheet can be increased to reduce the bending deformation, but it will lead to: 1. Increased material cost and laborious transportation; 2. The graphite structure is a layered structure, and the deformation when placed flat is greatly affected by gravity. The benefits of increasing the boat sheet thickness to increase strength and rigidity are not even as good as the disadvantages of the boat sheet bending and deformation due to increased dead weight; 3. The boat sheet is too thick, and the chamber diameter of the tubular coating equipment is limited, resulting in a reduction in the amount of film loaded in a single boat; at the same time, it affects the glow discharge effect between the plates in the chamber, and the film thickness and refractive index will be abnormal;

[0003] Current graphite boats all utilize a uniformly spaced, flat-plate capacitor-like internal electrode structure, ensuring uniform electric field distribution and consistent deposition rates on the boat's inner walls and on the wafer surface. However, when loading wafers horizontally, the individual layers of the graphite boat sag due to gravity, disrupting the uniform spacing between the anode and cathode plates and affecting the electric field distribution. Areas with large plate spacing exhibit weak electric fields, resulting in poor charged plasma activity and concentration, slowing deposition rates on the substrate, and resulting in thinner films with lower refractive indices. Consequently, using previously validated RF power, frequency, SiH4 / NH3 flow ratio, process pressure, deposition temperature, and time can lead to increased intra-wafer variation in film thickness and refractive index, as well as increased uniformity. Utility Model Content

[0004] In response to the above technical problems, the purpose of the utility model is to provide a graphite boat, in which a ceramic support block and a silicon carbide reinforcement rod are fixed to the bottom of the lower boat page through the ceramic rod, which can enhance the bending strength of the lower boat page, reduce the bending deformation, ensure that the graphite boat has an evenly spaced flat capacitor internal electrode structure, make the electric field distribution uniform, the deposition rate of the passivation film on the surface of the graphite boat silicon wafer consistent, and improve the uniformity of the film thickness and refractive index; and the installation position of the ceramic support block and the graphite connecting block are consistent, reducing the installation steps and the number of parts, low cost, and easy to implement.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the utility model provides a graphite boat, comprising a boat body, a graphite connecting block, a reinforcing structure and a ceramic rod, wherein the boat body comprises a wafer boat page, an upper boat page and a lower boat page, wherein the upper boat page is arranged at the top of the boat body, the lower boat page is arranged at the bottom of the boat body, and the wafer boat page is arranged between the upper boat page and the lower boat page;

[0006] The graphite connecting blocks are arranged at both ends of the boat in the length direction;

[0007] The reinforcement structure includes ceramic support blocks and silicon carbide reinforcement rods. The ceramic support blocks are arranged at both ends of the boat body in the length direction and are relatively located below the lower boat page. The silicon carbide reinforcement rods connect the ceramic support blocks at both ends of the boat body in the length direction and are closely attached to the lower boat page.

[0008] The ceramic rod is suitable for penetrating and connecting the upper boat page, the graphite connecting block, the lower boat page and the ceramic supporting block and is locked by a graphite nut.

[0009] In some embodiments, adjacent ends of the ceramic support block are provided with a plurality of mounting grooves, and the mounting grooves have a first slot and a second slot, the first slot is located on an adjacent side of the ceramic support block, and the second slot is located on the top surface of the ceramic support block, and the two end portions of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod are suitable for matching and mounting in the mounting slots and the top surface of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod is suitable for tightly fitting with the bottom surface of the lower boat page.

[0010] In some embodiments, the mounting groove further has a second groove bottom corresponding to the second groove opening, and a distance between the second groove opening and the second groove bottom is equal to a thickness of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod.

[0011] In some embodiments, the mounting groove further has a first groove bottom corresponding to the first groove opening, and a distance is left between the first groove bottom and two ends of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod.

[0012] In some embodiments, the silicon carbide reinforcing rod is hollow inside, the longitudinal section of the silicon carbide reinforcing rod is in the shape of a Chinese umbilical cord, and the mounting groove is also in the shape of a rectangle.

[0013] In some embodiments, the ceramic support block is provided with mounting holes, the mounting holes are arranged at both ends in the width direction of the boat body, and the ceramic rod is suitable for passing through the mounting holes of the ceramic support block.

[0014] In some embodiments, a locking groove is further provided at the bottom of the ceramic support block, and the locking groove is located at both ends of the boat body in the width direction, and the graphite nut is suitable for being arranged in the locking groove.

[0015] In some embodiments, edges of the locking grooves are chamfered to provide a transitional curvature of the bottom surface of the ceramic support block.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present application, a tubular coating device is further provided, comprising any one of the graphite boats of the above preferred embodiments.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the graphite boat provided by the present invention has at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0018] 1. The ceramic support block and silicon carbide reinforcement rod are fixed to the bottom of the lower boat page through the ceramic rod, which can enhance the bending strength of the lower boat page, reduce the bending deformation, and ensure that the graphite boat has a flat-plate capacitor-type internal electrode structure with equal spacing, so that the electric field distribution is uniform, the deposition rate of the passivation film on the surface of the graphite boat silicon wafer is consistent, and the uniformity of the film thickness and refractive index is improved; and the installation position of the ceramic support block and the graphite connection block is consistent, which reduces the number of installation steps and parts, low cost, and easy to implement.

[0019] 2. The distance between the second notch and the second groove bottom is equal to the thickness of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod. After the silicon carbide reinforcement rod is placed in the installation groove, the top surface of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod is tightly fitted with the bottom surface of the lower boat leaf, giving full play to the rigidity advantage of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod.

[0020] 3. The silicon carbide reinforcement rod is hollow inside to reduce its weight and cost; the mounting groove matches the silicon carbide reinforcement rod to prevent it from shaking and increase its stability.

[0021] 4. Locking grooves are provided at the bottom of both ends of the ceramic support block, and the graphite nuts are suitable for being set in the locking grooves, which reduces the overall height of the graphite boat and also reduces the risk of contact between the graphite nut and the tube wall of the tubular coating equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The preferred embodiments will be described below in a clear and understandable manner with reference to the accompanying drawings to further illustrate the above-mentioned characteristics, technical features, advantages and implementation methods of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 1 It is an overall picture of a graphite boat;

[0024] Figure 2 It is a location diagram of the reinforcement structure;

[0025] Figure 3 It is an exploded view of the reinforcement structure;

[0026] Figure 4 It is a structural diagram of the graphite connecting block;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the graphite connecting block from another angle;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of a silicon carbide reinforcement rod.

[0029] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0030] Boat body 1, wafer boat page 11, upper boat page 12, lower boat page 13, graphite connecting block 2, ceramic support block 3, mounting groove 31, first slot 311, second slot 312, first slot bottom 313, second slot bottom 314, mounting hole 32, locking slot 33, chamfer 331, silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4, ceramic rod 5, graphite nut 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the specific implementation methods of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings and other implementation methods can be obtained based on these drawings without inventive work.

[0032] To simplify the drawings, only the parts relevant to the utility model are schematically shown in each figure; they do not represent the actual structure of the product. Furthermore, to simplify the drawings and facilitate understanding, in some figures, only one of the components with the same structure or function is schematically depicted or labeled. In this document, "one" not only means "only one" but also "more than one."

[0033] It should be further understood that the term "and / or" used in this specification and the appended claims refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0034] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediary; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0035] In addition, in the description of this application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish the description and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. It should be noted that the above embodiments can be freely combined as needed. The above are only preferred implementations of the present utility model. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principles of the present utility model, several improvements and modifications can be made, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered as the scope of protection of the present utility model.

[0036] refer to Figures 1 to 3 The utility model provides a graphite boat, including a boat body 1, a graphite connecting block 2, a reinforcing structure and a ceramic rod 5. The boat body 1 includes a carrier boat page 11, an upper boat page 12 and a lower boat page 13. The upper boat page 12 is arranged at the top of the boat body 1, and the lower boat page 13 is arranged at the bottom of the boat body 1. The carrier boat page 11 is arranged between the upper boat page 12 and the lower boat page 13; the graphite connecting block 2 is arranged at both ends of the boat body 1 in the length direction; the reinforcing structure includes a ceramic support block 3 and a silicon carbide reinforcing rod 4. The ceramic support blocks 3 are arranged at both ends of the length direction of the boat body 1 and are relatively located below the lower boat page 13. The silicon carbide reinforcing rod 4 connects the ceramic support blocks 3 at both ends of the length direction of the boat body 1 and the silicon carbide reinforcing rod 4 is close to the lower boat page 13; the ceramic rod 5 is suitable for penetrating and connecting the upper boat page 12, the graphite connecting block 2, the lower boat page 13 and the ceramic support block 3 and locking them through the graphite nut 6.

[0037] In this embodiment, the ceramic support block 3 and the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 are fixed to the bottom of the lower boat page 13 through the ceramic rod 5, which can enhance the bending strength of the lower boat page 13, reduce the bending deformation, ensure that the graphite boat has an evenly spaced flat-plate capacitor-type internal electrode structure, make the electric field distribution uniform, and the deposition rate of the passivation film on the surface of the graphite boat silicon wafer consistent, and improve the uniformity of the film thickness and refractive index; and the installation position of the ceramic support block 3 is consistent with that of the graphite connecting block 2, which reduces the number of installation steps and parts, is low in cost, and is easy to implement.

[0038] Specifically, the ceramic rod 5 is also suitable for vertically penetrating the middle section connecting the wafer boat pages 11, the upper boat page 12, and the lower boat page 13. A ceramic ring is also sleeved on the ceramic rod 5 between adjacent wafer boat pages 11. The ceramic ring matches the height of the graphite connecting block 2 and is used to separate adjacent wafer boat pages 11. The wafer boat pages 11 are suitable for placing silicon wafers. The ends of the ceramic rod 5 that pass through the middle section of the wafer boat pages 11 are also locked by graphite nuts 6. Figure 4 The ceramic support block 3 is provided with a plurality of mounting slots 31 at adjacent ends. The mounting slots 31 include a first slot 311 and a second slot 312. The first slot 311 is located on an adjacent side of the ceramic support block 3, and the second slot 312 is located on the top surface of the ceramic support block 3. The two ends of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 are adapted to be mounted in the mounting slots 31, and the top surface of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 is adapted to be tightly fitted with the bottom surface of the lower boat leaf 13. The ceramic support block 3 is provided with mounting holes 32, which are arranged at both ends in the width direction of the boat body 1. The ceramic rod 5 is adapted to pass through the mounting holes 32 of the ceramic support block 3. The ceramic support block 3 connects to the graphite connection blocks 2 at both ends in the width direction of the boat body 1, thereby strengthening the bending strength of the lower boat leaf 13 in the width direction of the boat body 1. This also reduces the number of parts in the ceramic support block 3 and reduces costs.

[0039] During installation, first fix the ceramic support block 3 on one side of the boat body 1 in the length direction to the bottom surface of the lower boat page 13 with a ceramic rod 5 and a graphite nut 6, then place one end of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 into the installation groove 31 of the ceramic support block 3, and then place the other end of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 into the installation groove 31 of the ceramic support block 3 on the other side of the boat body 1 in the length direction, and finally fix the ceramic support block 3 on the other side of the boat body 1 in the length direction with a ceramic rod 5 and a graphite nut 6.

[0040] It is worth noting that in the present application, there are two ceramic support blocks 3 and two silicon carbide reinforcement rods 4. A pair of ceramic support blocks 3 are arranged below the lower boat page 13 along the length direction of the boat body 1 and are relatively located below the graphite connecting block 2. The silicon carbide reinforcement rods 4 are arranged below the lower boat page 13 along the width direction of the boat body 1. The number of silicon carbide reinforcement rods 4 is not further limited in this application.

[0041] Furthermore, the mounting groove 31 further has a second groove bottom 314 corresponding to the second groove opening 312 , and the distance between the second groove opening 312 and the second groove bottom 314 is equal to the thickness of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 .

[0042] In this embodiment, the distance between the second notch 312 and the second groove bottom 314 is equal to the thickness of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4. After the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 is placed in the mounting groove 31, the top surface of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 is tightly fitted with the bottom surface of the lower boat page 13, giving full play to the rigidity advantage of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4.

[0043] Specifically, the ceramic support block 3 is secured to the bottom surface of the lower boat leaf 13 using ceramic rods 5 and graphite nuts 6. The silicon carbide reinforcement rods 4 are pressed between the second groove bottom 314 and the bottom surface of the lower boat leaf 13. The key is to ensure that the levelness and straightness of the silicon carbide reinforcement rods 4 meet design requirements. After the two silicon carbide reinforcement rods 4 are secured, the top surfaces of the silicon carbide reinforcement rods 4 must fit tightly against the bottom surface of the lower boat leaf 13, leaving no gaps. This is because only a tight fit can maximize the rigidity of the silicon carbide reinforcement rods 4 and prevent deformation of the lower boat leaf 13. Furthermore, through the support of the ceramic rings between the graphite boat layers, each layer of the boat leaf is protected from bending and deformation. Furthermore, to account for thermal deformation of the silicon carbide reinforcement rods 4, the mounting groove 31 of the ceramic support block 3 has a certain margin in size. The mounting groove 31 also includes a first groove bottom 313 corresponding to the first notch 311, and a distance is left between the first groove bottom 313 and the two ends of the silicon carbide reinforcement rods 4. Furthermore, the distance between the first groove bottoms 313 of the silicon carbide reinforcement rods 4 at both ends of the boat body 1 in the length direction is greater than the length of the silicon carbide reinforcement rods 4 to accommodate thermal deformation of the silicon carbide reinforcement rods 4 .

[0044] Further, refer to Figure 6 The interior of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 is hollow, the outer surface of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 is consistent with the inner surface of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 in shape, and the outer surface of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 matches the mounting groove 31.

[0045] In this embodiment, the interior of the silicon carbide reinforcing rod 4 is hollow, which reduces the weight of the silicon carbide reinforcing rod 4 and reduces the cost; the installation groove 31 matches the silicon carbide reinforcing rod 4 to prevent the silicon carbide reinforcing rod 4 from shaking and increase its stability.

[0046] Specifically, the outer and inner surfaces of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 are both rectangular, so the longitudinal cross-section of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 is in the shape of a Chinese character "U." The mounting groove 31 is also rectangular. The longitudinal cross-section of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 is in the shape of a Chinese character "U." The four corners of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 are all provided with radians. The mounting groove 31 is also rectangular. A certain distance is also left between the four corners of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 and the groove wall of the mounting groove 31. This distance can also cope with the thermal deformation of the silicon carbide reinforcement. It is worth noting that the Chinese character "U" shape of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 is the preferred embodiment of this application, and the contact area between the top surface of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 and the bottom surface of the lower boat leaf 13 is the largest. In a modified embodiment, the longitudinal cross-section of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 can also be other shapes, such as a waisted circle, as long as the top surface of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 is flat and contacts the bottom surface of the lower boat leaf 13. Even the longitudinal cross-section of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 can be D-shaped. Moreover, the outer surface and inner surface of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 may also be different. The outer surface of the silicon carbide reinforcement rod 4 is rectangular, and the inner surface can be elliptical, circular, square, trapezoidal, etc. These are all modified embodiments of the present application. Simple modifications that can be easily thought of by those skilled in the art based on the present application are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0047] Further, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 The bottom of the ceramic support block 3 is further provided with a locking groove 33 , which is located at both ends of the boat body 1 in the width direction, and the graphite nut 6 is suitable for being arranged in the locking groove 33 .

[0048] In this embodiment, locking grooves 33 are further provided at the bottom of both ends of the ceramic support block 3, and the graphite nut 6 is suitable for being set in the locking groove 33, thereby reducing the overall height of the graphite boat and reducing the risk of the graphite nut 6 contacting the tube wall of the tubular coating equipment.

[0049] Specifically, locking grooves 33 are located at both ends of the boat 1 in the width direction. A pair of mounting holes 32 are provided within the locking grooves 33. After the graphite nut 6 is tightened, it is positioned within the locking grooves 33, ensuring that the graphite nut 6 does not protrude beyond the bottom surface of the ceramic support block 3, enhancing the safety of the graphite nut 6. Furthermore, chamfers 331 are provided at the edges of the locking grooves 33, creating a smooth curvature of the bottom surface of the ceramic support block 3 and preventing the bottom surface of the ceramic support block 3 from striking the wall of the tubular coating equipment, potentially damaging the wall.

[0050] Furthermore, the present application provides a tubular coating device, comprising the graphite boat in any of the above embodiments.

[0051] It should be noted that the above embodiments can be freely combined as needed. The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several improvements and modifications without departing from the principles of the present invention, and such improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A graphite boat, characterized in that: Comprising: A boat body, the boat body includes wafer-carrying boat pages, an upper boat page and a lower boat page, the upper boat page is arranged at the top of the boat body, the lower boat page is arranged at the bottom of the boat body, and the wafer-carrying boat pages are arranged between the spaced upper boat page and the lower boat page; Graphite connection blocks, the graphite connection blocks are arranged at both ends in the length direction of the boat body; A strengthening structure, the strengthening structure includes ceramic support blocks and silicon carbide strengthening rods, the ceramic support blocks are arranged at both ends in the length direction of the boat body and are relatively located below the lower boat page, and the silicon carbide strengthening rods connect the ceramic support blocks at both ends in the length direction of the boat body and the silicon carbide strengthening rods are closely attached to the lower boat page; Ceramic rods, the ceramic rods are adapted to penetrate and connect the upper boat page, the graphite connection blocks, the lower boat page and the ceramic support blocks and are locked by graphite nuts.

2. A graphite boat according to claim 1, wherein A plurality of installation grooves are provided at adjacent ends of the ceramic support blocks, the installation grooves have a first groove opening and a second groove opening, the first groove opening is located on the adjacent side of the ceramic support blocks, the second groove opening is located on the top surface of the ceramic support blocks, and both ends of the silicon carbide strengthening rods are adapted to be fitted and installed in the installation grooves and the top surface of the silicon carbide strengthening rods is adapted to be closely fitted with the bottom surface of the lower boat page.

3. A graphite boat according to claim 2, wherein The installation groove further has a second groove bottom corresponding to the second groove opening, and the distance between the second groove opening and the second groove bottom is equal to the thickness of the silicon carbide strengthening rod.

4. A graphite boat according to claim 2, wherein The installation groove further has a first groove bottom corresponding to the first groove opening, and a distance is left between the first groove bottom and both ends of the silicon carbide strengthening rod.

5. A graphite boat according to claim 2, wherein The silicon carbide strengthening rod is hollow inside, the outer surface and the inner surface of the silicon carbide strengthening rod have the same shape and the outer surface of the silicon carbide strengthening rod is matched with the installation groove.

6. A graphite boat according to claim 2, wherein Both the outer surface and the inner surface of the silicon carbide strengthening rod are rectangular, then the longitudinal section of the silicon carbide strengthening rod is a hollow square shape, and the installation groove is also rectangular.

7. A graphite boat according to claim 1, wherein Installation holes are provided through the ceramic support blocks, the installation holes are arranged at both ends in the width direction of the boat body, and the ceramic rods are adapted to penetrate the installation holes of the ceramic support blocks.

8. A graphite boat according to claim 1, wherein Locking grooves are further provided at the bottom of the ceramic support blocks, the locking grooves are located at both ends in the width direction of the boat body, and the graphite nuts are adapted to be arranged in the locking grooves.

9. A graphite boat according to claim 8, wherein Chamfers are provided at the edges of the locking grooves, so that the bottom surface of the ceramic support block has an arc transition.

10. A tubular coating device, characterized in that: Including a graphite boat according to any one of claims 1-9.

Images