Snap ring assembly, secondary feeding device and crystal pulling furnace

Abstract

The utility model relates to a clamping ring assembly, a secondary feeding device and a crystal pulling furnace. In one aspect, the snap ring assembly includes: a first snap ring for supporting a charging cartridge used in secondary charging, where the supported charging cartridge passes through a central hole of the first snap ring, and the first snap ring is provided with a plurality of first through holes; the second clamping ring is used for being fixed to the furnace wall of the crystal pulling furnace; the plurality of bolts respectively penetrate through the plurality of first through holes and are connected with the second clamping ring; and a plurality of first nuts, each of which cooperates with one of the plurality of bolts and is located on the lower side of the first snap ring. Therefore, the placing height of the feeding cylinder is adjusted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a retaining ring assembly, a secondary feeding device, and a crystal pulling furnace. Background Art

[0002] The Czochralski method is a common method for producing single crystal silicon. In this method, polycrystalline silicon raw material is placed in a quartz crucible in a crystal pulling furnace, heated and melted, and then fused to a seed crystal inserted into the crucible. Once the seed crystal and the polycrystalline silicon raw material are fused, the seed crystal is slowly rotated and pulled upward to produce a single crystal silicon rod.

[0003] If polysilicon raw material is loaded into a quartz crucible all at once, the maximum loading amount is limited by the crucible size. Therefore, existing crystal pulling furnaces typically use a built-in charging tube for secondary loading, thus avoiding the limitation of the crucible size on the maximum loading amount.

[0004] In secondary charging, the charging tube is suspended on a charging ring placed in the crystal pulling furnace. However, the charging ring is usually placed at a fixed height. In this case, if the charging ring is positioned too high, the charging tube is prone to collision with the guide tube in the crystal pulling furnace, and particles generated during charging may enter the gaps in the guide tube, thereby affecting the quality of crystal growth. If the charging ring is positioned too low, the charging tube will be too close to the liquid level of molten silicon in the quartz crucible. As the liquid level rises, the silicon liquid may stick to the charging tube, which may cause the charging tube to rupture. Utility Model Content

[0005] This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a clamping ring assembly capable of adjusting the placement height of a feeding cylinder.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a clamping ring assembly is provided for secondary charging of a crystal pulling furnace, comprising:

[0008] a first clamping ring for supporting a feeding cylinder used in secondary feeding, wherein the supported feeding cylinder passes through a central hole of the first clamping ring, and the first clamping ring is provided with a plurality of first through holes;

[0009] a second clamping ring, used for fixing to a furnace wall of the crystal pulling furnace;

[0010] a plurality of bolts, each of the plurality of bolts passing through the plurality of first through holes and connected to the second clamping ring; and

[0011] A plurality of first nuts are provided, each of the first nuts being engaged with one of the plurality of bolts and being located on a lower side of the first retaining ring.

[0012] In some embodiments, the snap ring assembly may further include a plurality of second nuts, each second nut being engaged with one of the plurality of bolts and being located on an upper side of the first snap ring.

[0013] In some embodiments, the second clamping ring may be provided with a plurality of second through holes, and the plurality of bolts pass through the plurality of second through holes respectively.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first through hole may be threadably engaged with a bolt.

[0015] In some embodiments, the outer diameter of the first retaining ring is smaller than the inner diameter of the second retaining ring, and the first retaining ring may be provided with a plurality of first protrusions protruding radially outward from its outer periphery, and the second retaining ring may be provided with a corresponding plurality of second protrusions protruding radially inward from its inner periphery, wherein the plurality of first through holes are respectively provided in the plurality of first protrusions, and the plurality of second through holes are respectively provided in the plurality of second protrusions.

[0016] In some embodiments, the plurality of first protruding portions and the plurality of second protruding portions may be evenly arranged in a circumferential direction of the first snap ring and in a circumferential direction of the second snap ring, respectively.

[0017] In some embodiments, the second clamping ring may be provided with a handle at an upper surface thereof.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a secondary feeding device is provided, comprising:

[0019] The clamping ring assembly according to any of the above embodiments; and

[0020] The feeding cylinder is suspended on the first clamping ring of the clamping ring assembly when performing secondary feeding.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a crystal pulling furnace is provided, comprising:

[0022] Main furnace chamber, including furnace cover;

[0023] an auxiliary furnace chamber, provided on the furnace cover and connected to the main furnace chamber; and

[0024] A clamping ring assembly according to any of the above embodiments, or a secondary feeding device according to the above embodiments.

[0025] In some embodiments, the furnace cover may be provided with a slot at its upper edge, and the second snap ring may be fixed in the slot, or the auxiliary furnace chamber may be provided with a plurality of protrusions at its inner wall, and the second snap ring may be fixed on the plurality of protrusions.

[0026] According to the above technical solution, by providing a double-layer retaining ring and allowing the position of one retaining ring to be adjusted in the vertical direction relative to the other fixed retaining ring by means of bolts and nuts, the retaining ring can be positioned at the desired position relative to the other retaining ring. As a result, the position of the feeding tube suspended on the one retaining ring will not be too high, thereby preventing the feeding tube from colliding with the guide tube in the crystal pulling furnace and reducing the possibility of particles generated during feeding entering the gap of the guide tube and thus affecting the quality of crystal growth. On the other hand, the position of the feeding tube can also be prevented from being too low, thereby preventing the feeding tube from being too close to the liquid level of the molten silicon in the quartz crucible, and thus reducing the possibility of the silicon liquid adhering to the feeding tube as the liquid level rises, thereby causing the feeding tube to rupture. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more readily understood through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not drawn to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular parts. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a snap ring assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic top view of the snap ring assembly shown in .

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram shows a clamping ring assembly installed in a crystal pulling furnace, wherein a charging barrel is suspended on the clamping ring assembly.

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic front view of a snap ring assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 5 Another installation method of the clamp ring assembly in the crystal pulling furnace is schematically shown.

[0033] Figure 6 FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of a clamping ring assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Schematic top view of the first snap ring of the snap ring assembly shown in .

[0035] Figure 8 for Figure 6 Schematic top view of the second snap ring of the snap ring assembly shown in .

[0036] Figure 9 is a schematic front view of a clamping ring assembly according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 10 Schematic structural diagram of a crystal pulling furnace according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 11 Another way of fixing the second clamping ring on the furnace wall is schematically shown.

[0039] Figure 12 Schematic top view of the second retaining ring fixed on the protrusion.

[0040] In the drawings, the same or corresponding technical features, parts or components are represented by the same or corresponding reference numerals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings by means of exemplary embodiments. It should be noted that the following detailed description of the present disclosure is only for illustrative purposes and is by no means limiting of the present disclosure.

[0042] It should be noted that, for the sake of clarity, not all features of a specific embodiment are described and shown in the specification and drawings. Moreover, in order to avoid unnecessary details that obscure the technical solutions focused on by the present disclosure, only the device structures and parts closely related to the technical solutions of the present disclosure are described and shown in the specification and drawings, while other details that are not closely related to the technical content of the present disclosure and are known to those skilled in the art are omitted.

[0043] Reference Figures 1 to 3 According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a clamping ring assembly 100 is provided for secondary charging of a crystal pulling furnace 1 .

[0044] The snap ring assembly 100 includes a first snap ring 110 , a second snap ring 120 , a plurality of bolts 130 , and a plurality of first nuts 140 .

[0045] The first clamping ring 110 is used to support the charging cylinder 200 used in the secondary charging, wherein the supported charging cylinder 200 passes through the central hole 110 a of the first clamping ring 110 , and the first clamping ring 110 is provided with a plurality of first through holes 110 b .

[0046] Usually, such as Figure 3 As shown in FIG, a flange 201 is provided at one end of the feeding barrel 200. The diameter of the flange 201 is larger than the diameter of the central hole 110a of the first retaining ring 110, and the outer diameter of the barrel 202 of the feeding barrel 200 is smaller than the diameter of the central hole 110a. Thus, the barrel 202 of the feeding barrel 200 can pass through the central hole 110a, and the feeding barrel 200 can be suspended on the first retaining ring 110 via the flange 201.

[0047] The second clamping ring 120 is used to be fixed to the furnace wall of the crystal pulling furnace 1. For example, the second clamping ring 120 can be fixed to the furnace wall of the crystal pulling furnace 1 by welding, screw connection, etc., so that the position of the second clamping ring 120 relative to the furnace wall is fixed.

[0048] The plurality of bolts 130 respectively pass through the plurality of first through holes 110 b on the first retaining ring 110 and are connected to the second retaining ring 120 .

[0049] That is, the number of the bolts 130 is equal to the number of the first through holes 110 b , and each bolt 130 passes through a corresponding first through hole 110 b . In this way, the first snap ring 110 can move on the bolts 130 relative to the fixed second snap ring 120 .

[0050] Each of the plurality of first nuts 140 is engaged with one of the plurality of bolts 130 , and the first nut 140 is located at a lower side of the first collar 110 .

[0051] That is, the number of the first nuts 140 is equal to the number of the bolts 130. The first nuts 140 can be moved on the bolts 130 by engaging with the threads of the bolts 130, and the first nuts 140 can limit the position of the lower surface of the first snap ring 110 on the bolts 130. Thus, the first snap ring 110 can be positioned at a desired position relative to the second snap ring 120 by the first nuts 140.

[0052] Specifically, if Figure 3 As shown in , when the first retaining ring 110 is expected to be in a lower position in the crystal pulling furnace 1, the first nut 140 can be screwed to move it downward on the bolt 130, thereby adjusting the first retaining ring 110 to a lower desired position on the bolt 130, so that the position of the feeding barrel 200 suspended on the first retaining ring 110 is also lower, thereby avoiding the feeding barrel 200 from colliding with the guide barrel in the crystal pulling furnace 1, and reducing the possibility of particles generated during feeding entering the gap of the guide barrel and affecting the quality of crystal growth.

[0053] On the other hand, when the first retaining ring 110 is expected to be in a higher position in the crystal pulling furnace 1, the first nut 140 can be screwed to move it upward on the bolt 130, thereby adjusting the first retaining ring 110 on the bolt 130 to a higher desired position, so that the position of the feeding barrel 200 suspended on the first retaining ring 110 is also higher, so that the feeding barrel will not be too close to the liquid level of the molten silicon in the quartz crucible, and thus the possibility of the silicon liquid sticking to the feeding barrel as the liquid level rises and causing the feeding barrel to break can be reduced.

[0054] In some embodiments, reference Figure 4The snap ring assembly 100 may further include a plurality of second nuts 150 , each of which is engaged with one of the plurality of bolts 130 and is located on an upper side of the first snap ring 110 .

[0055] That is, the number of the second nuts 150 is equal to the number of the bolts 130. The second bolts 150 can also move on the bolts 130 by engaging with the threads of the bolts 130. The second nuts 150 can also limit the position of the upper surface of the first retaining ring 110 on the bolts 130. Thus, each bolt 130 is equipped with a first nut 140 and a second nut 150.

[0056] By engaging the first nut 140 located on the lower side of the first retaining ring 110 with the second nut 150 located on the upper side of the first retaining ring 110, the first retaining ring 110 can be clamped by the first nut 140 and the second nut 150 to be securely positioned in a desired position. Since the feeding barrel 200 is suspended on the first retaining ring 110 during secondary charging, the secure position of the first retaining ring 110 can enhance the stability of the position of the feeding barrel 200 during secondary charging, thereby avoiding problems that may arise during secondary charging due to the shaking of the feeding barrel 200, such as collisions between the feeding barrel 200 and components within the crystal pulling furnace 1, increased mechanical impact of raw materials falling from the feeding barrel 200 on the molten silicon, etc.

[0057] It is contemplated that the number of bolts 130 may be three or more, and accordingly, the number of first nuts 140 and second nuts 150 may also be three or more, respectively, so that the first snap ring 110 can be more securely positioned at a desired position.

[0058] It will be understood that the vertical range of movement of the first retaining ring 110 is limited by the length of the bolt 130. To ensure that the first retaining ring 110 has an appropriate range of movement to achieve the purpose of adjusting the vertical position of the feeding barrel 200, the bolt 130 must be relatively long. For example, the length of the bolt 130 can be greater than or equal to 10 cm and less than or equal to 30 cm. When the length of the bolt 130 is less than 10 cm, the vertical range of movement of the first retaining ring 110 and, therefore, the feeding barrel 200 will be too small, resulting in limited adjustment effect. When the length of the bolt 130 is greater than 30 cm, the bolt 130 may bend or break due to the heavy load, resulting in increased production safety risks. It is conceivable that the vertical range of movement of the first retaining ring 110, and thereby the vertical range of movement of the feeding barrel 200, can be adjusted by using bolts 130 of different lengths.

[0059] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown in FIG, the second clamping ring 120 may be provided with a plurality of second through holes 120 a, and the plurality of bolts 130 pass through the plurality of second through holes 120 a, respectively.

[0060] That is, the number of the second through holes 120a is equal to the number of the bolts 130, and each bolt 130 passes through a corresponding second through hole 120a. Thus, the bolt 130 can pass through the second through hole 120a and extend from the upper surface of the second retaining ring 120 (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 4 ), or it may extend from the lower surface of the second clamping ring 120 through the second through hole 120a (as shown in Figure 5 ).

[0061] In this way, the first snap ring 110 can be Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown in FIG, it is arranged above the second retaining ring 120, and can also be arranged as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown in FIG, it is arranged below the second clamping ring 120. Thus, the adjustment range of the first clamping ring 110 in the vertical direction can be increased, and thus the adjustment range of the charging barrel 200 suspended on the first clamping ring 110 in the vertical direction can be increased.

[0062] exist Figure 5 In the embodiment, the first retaining ring 110 is sleeved on the bolt 130 that passes through the second through hole 120a and extends from the lower surface of the second retaining ring 120. In this case, the position of the lower surface of the first retaining ring 110 on the bolt 130 can also be restricted by the first nut 140 located on the lower side of the first retaining ring 110, and the position of the upper surface of the first retaining ring 110 on the bolt 130 can be restricted by the second nut 150 located on the upper side of the first retaining ring 110.

[0063] In some embodiments, the first through hole 110 b may be threadably engaged with the bolt 130 .

[0064] For example, the bolt 130 may pass through the second through hole 120 a and may rotate in the second through hole 120 a , whereby the first retaining ring 110 having the first through hole 110 b threadedly engaged with the bolt 130 may move on the bolt 130 by the rotation of the bolt 130 .

[0065] By threading the first through hole 110b into engagement with the bolt 130, the first retaining ring 110 can be more securely positioned at the desired position on the bolt 130, thereby enhancing the stability of the feeding barrel 200 suspended on the first retaining ring 110, thereby avoiding problems that may arise during secondary feeding due to shaking of the feeding barrel 200.

[0066] The second retaining ring 120 is fixed to the wall of the crystal pulling furnace 1, for example, to the upper edge of the cover 20 of the crystal pulling furnace 1. Therefore, the second retaining ring 120 is relatively large. The first retaining ring 110 is used to support the charging cylinder 200, whose outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the auxiliary furnace chamber 40 of the crystal pulling furnace 1. Therefore, the first retaining ring 110 is relatively small. For example, the outer diameter of the first retaining ring 110 is smaller than the inner diameter of the second retaining ring 120.

[0067] In order to better assemble the first and second snap rings 110 and 120 of different sizes, in some embodiments, referring to Figures 6 to 8 The first retaining ring 110 may be provided with a plurality of first protruding portions 1101 protruding radially outward from its outer periphery, and the second retaining ring 120 may be provided with a corresponding plurality of second protruding portions 1201 protruding radially inward from its inner periphery, that is, the number of second protruding portions 1201 is equal to the number of first protruding portions 1101, wherein the plurality of first through holes 110b are respectively provided in the plurality of first protruding portions 1101, and the plurality of second through holes 120a are respectively provided in the plurality of second protruding portions 1201.

[0068] In this way, in Figure 6 When viewed from above, the first protruding portion 1101 of the first retaining ring 110 can overlap with the second protruding portion 1201 of the second retaining ring 120, which allows the first retaining ring 110 and the second retaining ring 120 to be conveniently connected to each other by means of bolts 130 passing through the first through hole 110b in the first protruding portion 1101 and the second through hole 120a in the second protruding portion 1201, thereby enabling the assembly of first retaining rings 110 and second retaining rings 120 of different sizes to be well achieved.

[0069] It is conceivable that if Figures 6 to 8 As shown in FIG, the plurality of first protruding portions 1101 and the plurality of second protruding portions 1201 may be evenly arranged in the circumferential direction of the first snap ring 110 and the circumferential direction of the second snap ring 120, respectively.

[0070] That is, the plurality of first protruding portions 1101 may be evenly arranged in the circumferential direction of the first snap ring 110 , and the plurality of second protruding portions 1201 may be evenly arranged in the circumferential direction of the second snap ring 120 .

[0071] In this way, the first retaining ring 110 can be stably fixed on the bolt 130 without shaking due to uneven force. Therefore, the shaking of the feeding barrel 200 suspended on the first retaining ring 110 and the problems that may arise in the secondary feeding due to the shaking of the feeding barrel 200 can be avoided.

[0072] In some embodiments, reference Figure 9, the second clamping ring 120 may be provided with a handle 160 on its upper surface 1202 .

[0073] The handle 160 provided on the upper surface 1202 of the second snap ring 120 helps to more safely and conveniently move the second snap ring 120. For example, the second snap ring 120 can be moved to its fixed position or removed from the fixed position by the handle 160.

[0074] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, Figure 3 As shown in , a secondary feeding device 10 is also provided.

[0075] The secondary charging device 10 includes a clamping ring assembly 100 and a charging cylinder 200 .

[0076] The charging cylinder 200 is suspended on the first clamping ring 110 of the clamping ring assembly 100 when performing secondary charging.

[0077] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, referring to Figure 10 , a crystal pulling furnace 1 is also provided.

[0078] The crystal pulling furnace 1 includes:

[0079] The main furnace chamber 1a includes a furnace cover 20;

[0080] A secondary furnace chamber 1b, provided on the furnace cover 20 and communicating with the main furnace chamber 1a; and

[0081] The clamping ring assembly 100 and the second clamping ring 120 of the clamping ring assembly 100 are fixed to the furnace wall.

[0082] exist Figure 10 , the guide tube 30 , the quartz crucible 40 containing molten silicon 401 , the feeding tube 200 , and the seed rope 50 in the crystal pulling furnace 1 are also shown.

[0083] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a crystal pulling furnace 1 is provided, which includes, in addition to the main furnace chamber 1 a and the auxiliary furnace chamber 1 b , a secondary charging device 10 , wherein a second clamping ring 120 is fixed to the furnace wall.

[0084] In the crystal pulling furnace 1, as Figure 3 As shown in , the second clamping ring 120 can be fixed in the clamping groove 21 of the furnace cover 20 of the crystal pulling furnace 1. The clamping groove 21 is located at the upper edge 20 a of the furnace cover 20 and is annular in shape matching the contour of the second clamping ring 120.

[0085] In this way, the second clamping ring 120 can be conveniently fixed to the furnace wall of the crystal pulling furnace 1 and substantially does not occupy space in the furnace.

[0086] Other fixing methods for the second snap ring 120 can also be envisioned, for example, Figure 11 and Figure 12 The auxiliary furnace chamber 1b may be provided with a plurality of protrusions 60 on its inner wall, and the second clamping ring 120 may be fixed on the plurality of protrusions 60. These protrusions 60 may be stainless steel cards and may be evenly arranged on the circumference of the auxiliary furnace chamber 1b.

[0087] Since the protrusion 60 is arranged on the inner wall of the auxiliary furnace chamber 1b, it is located above the upper edge 20a of the furnace cover 20 in the vertical direction. Therefore, compared with the second clamping ring 120 fixed on the protrusion 60, the position of the second clamping ring 120 is higher, and therefore, when the first clamping ring 110 is located above the second clamping ring 120, the position of the first clamping ring 110 is also higher.

[0088] In this way, the charging cylinder 200 suspended on the first clamping ring 110 in the secondary charging can be configured to have a longer length and thus have a larger single charging volume, thereby saving the number of charging times and thus improving production efficiency.

[0089] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described and illustrated in detail herein. Those skilled in the art may make various changes to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope defined by the claims of the present disclosure.

[0090] The features mentioned and / or illustrated in the above description of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be incorporated into one or more other embodiments in the same or similar manner, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for corresponding features in other embodiments. The technical solutions obtained by such combination or substitution shall also be deemed to be included within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A clamping ring assembly for secondary charging of a crystal pulling furnace, characterized in that: include: a first clamping ring for supporting a feeding cylinder used in secondary feeding, wherein the supported feeding cylinder passes through a central hole of the first clamping ring, and the first clamping ring is provided with a plurality of first through holes; a second clamping ring, used for fixing to a furnace wall of the crystal pulling furnace; a plurality of bolts, each of which passes through the plurality of first through holes and is connected to the second retaining ring; and A plurality of first nuts are provided, each of the first nuts being engaged with one of the plurality of bolts and being located on a lower side of the first retaining ring.

2. The clamping ring assembly according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of second nuts are also included, each of the second nuts being matched with one of the plurality of bolts and being located on an upper side of the first retaining ring.

3. The clamping ring assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The second clamping ring is provided with a plurality of second through holes, and the plurality of bolts pass through the plurality of second through holes respectively.

4. The clamping ring assembly according to claim 3, wherein: The first through hole is threadably engaged with the bolt.

5. The clamping ring assembly according to claim 3, wherein: The outer diameter of the first retaining ring is smaller than the inner diameter of the second retaining ring, and the first retaining ring is provided with a plurality of first protruding portions protruding radially outward from its outer periphery, and the second retaining ring is provided with a corresponding plurality of second protruding portions protruding radially inward from its inner periphery, wherein the plurality of first through holes are respectively provided in the plurality of first protruding portions, and the plurality of second through holes are respectively provided in the plurality of second protruding portions.

6. The snap ring assembly according to claim 5, wherein: The plurality of first protruding portions and the plurality of second protruding portions are evenly arranged in a circumferential direction of the first snap ring and in a circumferential direction of the second snap ring, respectively.

7. The clamping ring assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The second clamping ring is provided with a handle on an upper surface thereof.

8. A secondary feeding device, characterized in that: include: The clamping ring assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7; as well as A feeding cylinder is suspended on the first clamping ring of the clamping ring assembly when performing secondary feeding.

9. A crystal pulling furnace, characterized in that: include: Main furnace chamber, including furnace cover; A secondary furnace chamber, provided on the furnace cover and communicated with the main furnace chamber; as well as A clamping ring assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or a secondary charging device according to claim 8.

10. The crystal pulling furnace according to claim 9, characterized in that: The furnace cover is provided with a slot at its upper edge, and the second clip is fixed in the slot, or the auxiliary furnace chamber is provided with a plurality of protrusions on its inner wall, and the second clip is fixed on the plurality of protrusions.

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