Ozone reduction device

Abstract

The utility model relates to an ozone reduction device which is used for reducing ozone provided by an ozone source into oxygen. The ozone reduction device comprises a gas inlet guide pipe, a gas conveying pipe, a heating assembly and a gas outlet guide pipe. The intake duct communicates to an ozone source. The gas conveying pipe introduces ozone provided by an ozone source through the gas inlet guide pipe, and the gas conveying pipe conveys the ozone along a spiral conveying path. The heating assembly is used for providing heat energy to heat the ozone transmitted by the gas conveying pipe, so that the ozone is heated by the heat energy to be reduced into oxygen when flowing along the spiral conveying path. The gas outlet guide pipe is communicated with the gas conveying pipe and is used for discharging oxygen obtained by reducing the ozone.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of ozone treatment, and in particular to an ozone reduction device which can quickly reduce ozone to oxygen by heating. Background Art

[0002] Ozone is effective for cleaning the surfaces of semiconductor wafers, such as those containing photoresist residue. Besides cleaning, ozone has also been found to grow an oxide layer, which can serve as a passivation layer or interface layer for semiconductor components. Because ozone is extremely unstable and decomposes into oxygen at room temperature, it cannot be stored. It is typically produced on-site using an ozone generator for immediate use.

[0003] However, ozone is a gas that is harmful to both the human body and the environment. Although it can be decomposed into oxygen in a natural environment, this natural decomposition is very slow, so the ozone exhaust needs further treatment before it can be discharged.

[0004] While ozone reduction technology currently exists to decompose ozone into oxygen, its half-life is approximately three days at 20°C, decreasing with increasing temperature. At 250°C, the half-life is approximately 1.5 seconds. Conventional ozone generator exhaust ozone decomposition devices typically utilize thermal decomposition. This process typically involves two steps: first, installing a heating element within the ozone reduction chamber; second, introducing ozone into the chamber, where the heating element heats and reduces the ozone into oxygen. However, conventional ozone reduction chambers are cylindrical, resulting in a very short passage time for ozone gas. Furthermore, conventional technologies require a very high temperature (approximately 420°C) to achieve complete ozone reduction to oxygen. Furthermore, conventional ozone reduction technology places ozone in direct contact with the heating element, which can lead to corrosion. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, one purpose of the present invention is to provide an ozone reduction device to solve the problems of the above-mentioned traditional ozone reduction technology.

[0006] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention provides an ozone reduction device for reducing ozone provided by an ozone source into oxygen, comprising: an air inlet conduit connected to the ozone source; a gas delivery pipe for introducing the ozone provided by the ozone source through the air inlet conduit, the gas delivery pipe transporting the ozone along a spiral delivery path; a heating element for providing thermal energy to heat the ozone transported by the gas delivery pipe, thereby causing the ozone to be heated by the thermal energy while flowing along the spiral delivery path and reduced to oxygen; and an air outlet conduit connected to the gas delivery pipe for discharging the oxygen obtained by the reduction of the ozone.

[0007] The gas delivery tube is a spiral tube, and the gas delivery tube is spirally arranged on the heating component.

[0008] The gas delivery tube is a spiral quartz tube, which is sleeved on the outside of the heating component.

[0009] The heating element directly heats only the ozone in the gas delivery tube, heats the gas delivery tube and the ozone in the gas delivery tube simultaneously, and / or indirectly heats the ozone in the gas delivery tube by heating the gas delivery tube.

[0010] The ozone reduction device further includes a heat insulation component, which covers one or more of the gas delivery pipe, the heating component, the air inlet conduit and / or the air outlet conduit to maintain a heating temperature of the ozone.

[0011] Among them, the thermal insulation component is ceramic fiber thermal insulation cotton.

[0012] The ozone reduction device further includes a thermometer for measuring a heating temperature of the ozone in the gas delivery pipe caused by the heat energy provided by the heating component.

[0013] The ozone reduction device further includes a temperature control component for controlling the heating component to provide the heat energy according to the heating temperature measured by the thermometer, so as to heat the ozone to the preset temperature.

[0014] The ozone reduction device further includes an air inlet adapter and an air outlet adapter, wherein the air inlet adapter is connected between the air inlet conduit and the gas delivery pipe, and the air outlet adapter is connected between the gas delivery pipe and the air outlet conduit.

[0015] The air inlet adapter and / or the air outlet adapter are made of Teflon coated stainless steel.

[0016] The ozone reduction device further includes a cooling device, which is arranged on the gas outlet conduit or between the gas delivery pipe and the gas outlet conduit to reduce the temperature of the oxygen discharged from the gas delivery pipe.

[0017] Wherein, the heating component is a ceramic heating tube.

[0018] As described above, the ozone reduction device of the present invention may have one or more of the following advantages:

[0019] (1) Using a spiral gas delivery tube, such as a spiral quartz tube, as the ozone reduction chamber, the space occupied is smaller than that of the traditional straight ozone reduction chamber and the heat transfer area is increased, which can ensure that the ozone molecules flowing into the spiral gas delivery tube have sufficient heating time.

[0020] (2) By spirally wrapping the gas delivery tube around the outside of the heating element, the heating element is located inside the spiral gas delivery tube, which can provide better heating efficiency than traditional technology, thereby achieving the effect of reducing costs.

[0021] (3) The use of thermal insulation components can further ensure uniform heating temperature and avoid rapid cooling.

[0022] (4) Using a spiral gas delivery tube as the ozone reduction chamber can avoid the problem of corrosion of the heating components caused by direct contact of traditional ozone with the heating components.

[0023] (5) Ozone gas can be quickly reduced to oxygen, so it is very suitable for large-flow ozone gas reduction.

[0024] In order to enable you to have a further understanding and recognition of the technical features and technical effects of the present invention, a preferred embodiment and a detailed description are provided below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the ozone reduction device of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the combination of the gas delivery pipe and the heating component of the ozone reduction device of the present invention, wherein Figure (I) is a schematic diagram before the combination, and Figure (II) is a schematic diagram after the combination.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the ozone reduction experimental equipment used in the ozone reduction device of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a 10-second measurement chart of an ozone reduction experiment of the ozone reduction device of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a 30-second measurement chart of an ozone reduction experiment of the ozone reduction device of the present invention.

[0030] Description of reference numerals:

[0031] 10: Intake duct

[0032] 12: Exhaust duct

[0033] 20: Gas delivery pipe

[0034] 30: Heating component

[0035] 40: Air inlet adapter

[0036] 42: Air outlet adapter

[0037] 50: Thermal insulation components

[0038] 60: Thermometer

[0039] 70: Temperature control components

[0040] 72: Cooling device

[0041] 82: Mass flow controller

[0042] 84: Ozone concentration detector

[0043] 100: Ozone source

[0044] 110: Ozone

[0045] 120: Oxygen

[0046] 200: Oxygen

[0047] 300: Ozone reduction device

[0048] 310: Workbench

[0049] P: Spiral conveying path

[0050] A, B; measuring points DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] To facilitate understanding of the technical features, content, advantages, and effects of the present invention, the present invention is described in detail below using the accompanying drawings and embodiments. The drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and to assist in the description. They do not necessarily reflect the actual proportions and precise configurations of the present invention after implementation. Therefore, the proportions and configurations of the accompanying drawings should not be interpreted to limit the scope of the present invention in actual implementation. Furthermore, to facilitate understanding, identical components in the following embodiments are labeled with the same reference numerals.

[0052] In addition, unless otherwise noted, the terms used throughout the specification and claims generally have their ordinary meanings in the art, within the context of this disclosure, and within the specific context. Certain terms used to describe the present invention are discussed below or elsewhere in this specification to provide additional guidance to those skilled in the art in describing the present invention.

[0053] The use of "first", "second", "third", etc. in this document does not specifically refer to the order or sequence, nor is it used to limit the present invention. It is only used to distinguish components or operations described with the same technical terms.

[0054] Secondly, the words "include", "including", "have", "contain", etc. used in this article are open terms, which mean including but not limited to.

[0055] See also Figures 1 to 5 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the ozone reduction device of the present invention. Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the combination of the gas delivery pipe and the heating component of the ozone reduction device of the present invention, wherein Figure (I) is a schematic diagram before the combination, and Figure (II) is a schematic diagram after the combination. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the ozone reduction experimental equipment used in the ozone reduction device of the present invention. Figure 4 This is a 10-second measurement chart of an ozone reduction experiment of the ozone reduction device of the present invention. Figure 5 This is a 30-second measurement chart of an ozone reduction experiment of the ozone reduction device of the present invention. The ozone reduction device 300 of the present invention is used to reduce ozone 110 provided by the ozone source 100 into oxygen 120. The ozone reduction device 300 of the present invention includes an air inlet duct 10, a gas delivery pipe 20, a heating element 30, and an air outlet duct 12. The air inlet duct 10 is connected to the ozone source 100 and is used to introduce the ozone 110 provided by the ozone source 100. The present invention does not limit the type or use of the ozone source 100. For example, the ozone 110 supplied by the ozone source 100 can be used to clean the surface of a semiconductor wafer. Therefore, the amount of ozone 110 introduced into the air inlet duct 10 only accounts for a portion of the ozone generated by the ozone source 100, and may even be excess ozone.

[0056] The gas delivery tube 20 introduces ozone provided by the ozone source 100 through the air inlet conduit 10. One of the features of the present invention is that the gas delivery tube 20 transports ozone 110 along a spiral delivery path P. The heating element 30 provides thermal energy to heat the ozone 110 transported by the gas delivery tube 20, so that as the ozone 110 flows along the spiral delivery path P (i.e., during the flow process), it is heated by the thermal energy provided by the heating element 30 and reduced to oxygen 120. In other words, the present invention uses the gas delivery tube 20 with a hollow spiral structure as an ozone reduction chamber. Not only can the ozone 110 flow along the spiral delivery path P inside the gas delivery tube 20 and undergo the reduction step, but it can also avoid contact with the heating element 30. The gas delivery tube 20 is, for example, a spiral tube, such as a spiral quartz tube, and the gas delivery tube 20 is spirally disposed on the heating element 30, for example, being sleeved on the outside of the heating element 30.

[0057] The heating element 30 of the present invention may be, for example, an electric heater such as a ceramic heating tube, but is not limited thereto. The heating element 30 may also be any conventional heater, such as a resistive heater or a heat exchange heater. The present invention utilizes a spiral quartz tube to transport ozone gas, which increases the contact area (i.e., heat transfer area) between ozone 110 and the tube wall of the spiral quartz tube. This ensures that the gas molecules of ozone 110 flowing into the spiral quartz tube have sufficient heating time to be fully heated. Therefore, while ozone 110 flows along the spiral transport path, i.e., before ozone 110 is discharged from the spiral quartz tube, ozone 110 is fully reduced to oxygen 120. The present invention can quickly reduce ozone 110 to oxygen 120, making it ideal for the reduction of large ozone flows. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to a specific method of heating the ozone 110. The heating element 30 of the present invention can selectively heat only the ozone 110 directly, heat the gas delivery tube 20 and the ozone 110 in the gas delivery tube 20 simultaneously, and / or indirectly heat the ozone 110 in the gas delivery tube 20 by heating the gas delivery tube 20. This can be determined based on the material of the gas delivery tube 20 and the heating type of the heating element 30.

[0058] The gas outlet conduit 12 of the ozone reduction device 300 of the present invention is connected to the gas delivery pipe 20 for discharging oxygen 120 obtained by reducing the ozone 110 .

[0059] In addition, the ozone reduction device 300 of the present invention further optionally includes an insulation component 50. The purpose of the insulation component 50 is to further ensure uniform heating temperature to avoid rapid cooling. Therefore, the insulation component 50 can be selectively covered on any appropriate location and component, such as covering one or more of the gas delivery pipe 20, the heating component 30, the air inlet duct 10, and / or the air outlet duct 12, so as to maintain the temperature of the heated ozone 110, for example, so that the interior of the gas delivery pipe 20 is maintained at a preset temperature, wherein the preset temperature is, for example, a temperature that can reduce the ozone 110 to oxygen 120. The insulation component 50 of the present invention is, for example, but not limited to, ceramic fiber insulation cotton, and the insulation component 50 is not limited to a specific size or specification. As long as it can provide thermal insulation and heat preservation effects, it falls within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention. The aforementioned preset temperature is, for example, 350 degrees Celsius, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Since the half-life of ozone 110 is inversely correlated with temperature, the preset temperature can be set, for example, to correspond to the length of the spiral transport path P and / or the flow rate of ozone 110. For example, if the length of the spiral transport path P is approximately 276 cm, the inner diameter of the gas delivery tube 20 is approximately 4 mm, and the diameter of the spiral structure is approximately 50 mm, when the flow rate of ozone 110 is approximately 27 L / min, the residence time of ozone 110 in the gas delivery tube 20 is approximately 77 milliseconds (ms). In other words, as long as ozone 110 is fully reduced to oxygen 120, or a predetermined proportion of ozone 110 is reduced to oxygen 120, before being discharged from the ozone reduction device 300 of the present invention, any gas delivery tube 20 specifications and corresponding preset temperatures fall within the scope of the present invention. The aforementioned predetermined proportion can be determined based on actual needs and the present invention is not limited to a specific value. Furthermore, the time that the ozone 110 stays in the gas delivery pipe 20 is calculated using a conventional equation representing the relationship between velocity, distance, and time, and thus is not further elaborated herein.

[0060] The ozone reduction device 300 of the present invention further optionally includes a thermometer 60 and / or a temperature control component 70. The thermometer 60 is used to measure the heating temperature of the ozone 110 in the gas delivery pipe 20 caused by the heat energy provided by the heating component 30. The temperature control component 70 is used to control the heating component 30 to provide heat energy to heat the ozone 110. For example, the temperature control component 70 is electrically connected to the thermometer 60 and the heating component 30, and is used to control the heating component 30 to provide heat energy based on the heating temperature measured by the thermometer 60, so as to heat the ozone 110 to the above-mentioned preset temperature. Among them, the thermometer 60 is, for example, placed above the middle section of the gas delivery pipe 20 to detect the heating temperature. The temperature control component 70 is, for example, located outside the thermal insulation component 50 to control the heating temperature of the ozone 110. The thermometer 60 and the temperature control component 70 of the present invention can, for example, adopt conventional temperature sensors and temperature controllers.

[0061] The ozone reduction device 300 of the present invention further optionally includes an air inlet adapter 40 and an air outlet adapter 42. The air inlet adapter 40 is connected between the air inlet conduit 10 and the gas delivery tube 20, and the air outlet adapter 42 is connected between the gas delivery tube 20 and the air outlet conduit 12. The air inlet adapter 40 and / or the air outlet adapter 42 may be constructed, for example but not limited to, of Teflon-coated stainless steel, such as a stainless steel layer coated on the outside of the Teflon layer.

[0062] The ozone reduction device 300 of the present invention further optionally includes a cooling device 72 for reducing the temperature of the oxygen 110 discharged from the gas delivery pipe 20. The cooling device 72 may be disposed, for example, on the outlet conduit 12 or between the gas delivery pipe 20 and the outlet conduit 12. The cooling device 72 may be disposed in any location, as long as it achieves a cooling effect, and is thus within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention. The cooling device 72 may be, for example, but not limited to, an air-cooled, liquid-cooled, phase-change, or hybrid cooler. Any type of cooling device 72, as long as it can reduce the temperature of the oxygen 110, is thus within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

[0063] See also Figures 3 to 5 As shown, Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the ozone reduction experimental equipment used by the ozone reduction device 300 of the present invention. Figure 4 This is a 10-second measurement chart of the ozone reduction experiment of the present invention. Figure 5This is a 30-second measurement chart of the ozone reduction experiment of the present invention. The present invention uses the ozone concentration detector 84 to measure the ozone concentration on both sides of the gas delivery pipe 20 (e.g., measurement point A and measurement point B) to determine the ozone reduction result of the ozone reduction device 300 of the present invention. For example, the present invention uses the ozone source 100 as an ozone generator, and the present invention uses a high-pressure liquid oxygen cylinder 80 to provide pure oxygen 200 to the ozone generator, thereby providing ozone 110. In addition, before allowing the ozone 110 to enter the gas delivery pipe 20 of the ozone reduction device 300, the present invention further uses the temperature control component 70 to allow the gas delivery pipe 20 to reach a high temperature in advance, such as the thermometer 60 showing approximately 350 degrees Celsius, and then allows the ozone 110 to enter the gas delivery pipe 20 of the ozone reduction device 300 through the air intake duct 10. In detail, ozone 110 enters the gas delivery pipe 20 through the air inlet adapter 40. The temperature of the gas delivery pipe 20 is about 350 degrees Celsius. After the ozone 110 flows through the gas delivery pipe 20 at 350 degrees Celsius, it enters the air outlet duct 12 through the air outlet adapter 42. The above-mentioned reduced gas passes through the cooling device 72 and then the ozone concentration is measured again by the ozone concentration detector 84 (measurement point B) before being discharged. The present invention, for example, uses a mass flow controller 82 (or called a mass flow controller, Mass Flow Controller) to control the flow rate of oxygen 200 to 27L / min, and uses a pressure controller 86 to control the back pressure to 30Psi (pounds per square inch). The ozone reduction device 300 of the present invention is, for example, placed on a workbench 310 to conduct ozone reduction experiments, but is not limited to this.

[0064] See also Figure 4 ,Depend on Figure 4 The displayed data shows that when the ozone concentration at measuring point A rapidly increases from 0.02wt% to 0.14wt%, the ozone reduction device 300 of the present invention can reduce the 0.14wt% ozone to 0.01wt% (measuring point B) in less than one second.

[0065] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 Displays data of continuously performing ozone reduction reaction with the ozone reduction device 300 of the present invention and measuring ozone concentration (measurement point A, measurement point B) for 30 minutes. Figure 5 It can be seen that even under long-term operation, the ozone reduction device 300 of the present invention can still maintain a good reaction.

[0066] In the ozone reduction experiment described above, ozone source 100 supplied ozone 110 at a flow rate of approximately 27 liters per minute, with an ozone concentration of approximately 15.3 wt% (at measurement point A). This translates to approximately 354 grams of ozone per hour, more than three times the ozone concentration used for typical space disinfection and sterilization. The present invention utilizes a gas delivery tube 20 (e.g., a spiral quartz tube) to allow sufficient time for ozone 110 to be heated and rapidly reduced to oxygen 120 (nearly no ozone 110 was detected at measurement point B). Furthermore, the present invention utilizes a thermal insulation component 50 (e.g., a layer of insulating material), enabling prolonged and stable ozone reduction.

[0067] In summary, the ozone reduction device of the present invention has the following advantages:

[0068] (1) Using a spiral gas delivery tube, such as a spiral quartz tube, as the ozone reduction chamber occupies less space than the traditional straight ozone reduction chamber and increases the heat transfer area, which can ensure that the ozone molecules flowing into the spiral gas delivery tube have sufficient heating time.

[0069] (2) By spirally wrapping the gas delivery tube around the outside of the heating element, the heating element is located inside the spiral gas delivery tube, which can provide better heating efficiency than traditional technology and achieve the effect of reducing costs.

[0070] (3) The use of thermal insulation components can further ensure uniform heating temperature and avoid rapid cooling.

[0071] (4) Using a spiral gas delivery tube as the ozone reduction chamber can avoid the problem of corrosion of the heating element caused by direct contact of traditional ozone with the heating element.

[0072] (5) Ozone gas can be quickly reduced to oxygen, so it is very suitable for large-flow ozone gas reduction.

[0073] The above description is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting. Any equivalent modifications or variations that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be included in the appended claims.

Claims

1. An ozone reduction device, characterized in that: For reducing ozone provided by an ozone source into oxygen, comprising: an air inlet conduit connected to the ozone source; a gas delivery pipe for introducing the ozone provided by the ozone source through the air inlet conduit, the gas delivery pipe delivering the ozone along a spiral delivery path; a heating element for providing heat energy to heat the ozone transmitted by the gas delivery pipe, so that the ozone is heated by the heat energy and reduced to oxygen when flowing along the spiral delivery path; and An air outlet conduit is connected to the gas delivery pipe and is used for discharging the oxygen obtained by reducing the ozone.

2. An ozone reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas delivery tube is a spiral tube, and the gas delivery tube is spirally arranged on the heating component.

3. An ozone reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas delivery tube is a spiral quartz tube, and the spiral quartz tube is sleeved on the outside of the heating component.

4. An ozone reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating element directly heats only the ozone in the gas delivery tube, heats the gas delivery tube and the ozone in the gas delivery tube simultaneously, and / or indirectly heats the ozone in the gas delivery tube by heating the gas delivery tube.

5. An ozone reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention also includes a heat insulation component, which covers one or more of the gas delivery pipe, the heating component, the air inlet conduit and / or the air outlet conduit to maintain a heating temperature of the ozone.

6. An ozone reduction device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The thermal insulation component is ceramic fiber thermal insulation cotton.

7. An ozone reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention also includes a thermometer for measuring a heating temperature of the ozone in the gas delivery pipe caused by the heat energy provided by the heating element.

8. An ozone reduction device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The invention also comprises a temperature control component for controlling the heating component to provide the heat energy according to the heating temperature measured by the thermometer, so as to heat the ozone to a preset temperature.

9. An ozone reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an air inlet adapter and an air outlet adapter. The air inlet adapter is connected between the air inlet conduit and the gas delivery pipe, and the air outlet adapter is connected between the gas delivery pipe and the air outlet conduit.

10. An ozone reduction device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The structure of the air inlet adapter and / or the air outlet adapter is Teflon coated stainless steel.

11. An ozone reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention also comprises a cooling device, which is arranged on the gas outlet conduit or between the gas delivery pipe and the gas outlet conduit, and is used for reducing the temperature of the oxygen discharged from the gas delivery pipe.

12. An ozone reduction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating component is a ceramic heating tube.

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