Single crystal silicon wafer drying device

Abstract

This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and more particularly to a single-crystal silicon wafer drying device, including a drying chamber and an exhaust pipe. An air inlet pipe is connected to one side of the drying chamber, and a return chamber is connected to the other side of the drying chamber. The return chamber is bent and passes through the bottom of the drying chamber. One end of the exhaust pipe is connected to the return chamber, and the other end is connected to the air inlet pipe. An exhaust fan is installed on the inner wall of the drying chamber, connecting the drying chamber and the return chamber. Several water filter rods are installed inside the return chamber, and a drain plate is connected to the bottom of the return chamber. A mounting frame is connected to the bottom of the drying chamber, and a collection box is slidably connected to the middle of the mounting frame. A closed-loop circulation is formed by the exhaust pipe and the air inlet pipe, allowing the gas carrying residual heat to re-enter the drying chamber to participate in the circulation, reducing direct heat emission into the environment, thereby reducing overall energy consumption and improving thermal energy utilization.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and in particular to a single-crystal silicon wafer drying device. Background Technology

[0002] In the production process of monocrystalline silicon wafers, cleaning is a crucial step to ensure the cleanliness of the wafer surface and improve the quality of subsequent processes. After mechanical processing such as cutting, grinding, and polishing, monocrystalline silicon wafers retain contaminants such as metal ions, organic matter, and microparticles on their surface, requiring multiple processes including chemical cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning, and deionized water rinsing. After cleaning, the wafer surface must be dried quickly to avoid water residue or oxidation, otherwise it will affect the accuracy of subsequent processes such as coating and photolithography, and may even lead to wafer scrap. Therefore, the drying process is an indispensable and important step in the production of monocrystalline silicon wafers.

[0003] Existing drying equipment mostly employs hot air convection drying technology, which heats air to create a high-temperature airflow that directly blows across the wafer surface to accelerate moisture evaporation. This technology offers advantages such as high drying efficiency, wide applicability, and safe operation. It is compatible with single-crystal silicon wafers of different sizes and thicknesses, and the hot air temperature is controllable, effectively preventing wafer deformation or damage due to localized overheating. Furthermore, hot air drying equipment has a simple structure and low maintenance costs, thus it is widely used in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

[0004] However, existing hot air drying equipment still has significant drawbacks in actual operation. Because the hot air is directly discharged into the environment after heat exchange with the wafer, a large amount of heat-carrying airflow is not effectively recovered and utilized, resulting in severe heat loss and high overall energy consumption. Especially in large-scale production, the energy consumption of the drying process has become one of the key bottlenecks restricting energy conservation and cost reduction in monocrystalline silicon wafer manufacturing. Furthermore, the directly emitted high-temperature gas may cause fluctuations in the workshop ambient temperature, affecting the operational stability of other precision equipment. Utility Model Content

[0005] To overcome the drawbacks of high energy consumption due to heat loss, this invention provides a single-crystal silicon wafer drying device, which aims to solve the above-mentioned shortcomings.

[0006] A single-crystal silicon wafer drying device includes a drying chamber and an exhaust pipe. An air inlet pipe is connected to one side of the drying chamber, and a return box is connected to the other side of the drying chamber. The return box is bent through the bottom of the drying chamber. One end of the exhaust pipe is connected to the return box, and the other end is connected to the air inlet pipe. An exhaust fan is installed on the inner wall of the drying chamber, and the exhaust fan connects the drying chamber and the return box. Several water filter rods are installed inside the return box, and a drain plate is connected to the bottom of the return box. A mounting frame is connected to the bottom of the drying chamber, and a collection box is slidably connected to the middle of the mounting frame.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the drying box is connected to an insulation box on one side of the air inlet pipe. The insulation box encloses the exhaust pipe and the air inlet pipe. The insulation box is hinged with a maintenance plate, and the maintenance plate has a pressure relief port.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of this invention, the collection box is provided with a transparent observation window on its front side.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of this invention, the bottom of the collection box is equipped with casters.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, a drain pipe is provided at the lower end of the collection box.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, a humidity sensor is installed inside the exhaust pipe, and the humidity sensor is wired to the control panel of the drying oven.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0013] 1. By forming a closed loop through the exhaust pipe and the air inlet pipe, the gas with residual heat can re-enter the drying chamber to participate in the circulation, reducing the direct emission of heat into the environment, thereby reducing overall energy consumption and improving thermal energy utilization.

[0014] 2. By wrapping the connection section between the exhaust pipe and the intake pipe with an insulation box, heat loss during pipeline transmission is reduced by using insulation material. At the same time, the built-in pressure relief port balances the pressure of the gas under heat expansion, so as to maintain the temperature of the circulating gas and ensure the sealing stability of the equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the filter rod and return box of this utility model.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the installation structure of the drainage board and exhaust fan of this utility model.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the installation structure of the humidity sensor and exhaust pipe of this utility model.

[0019] The markings in the diagram are as follows: 1-Drying box, 101-Air inlet pipe, 2-Return box, 3-Exhaust fan, 4-Water filter rod, 5-Drain plate, 6-Mounting bracket, 7-Collection box, 8-Exhaust pipe, 9-Insulation box, 10-Inspection plate, 11-Pressure relief port, 12-Observation window, 13-Moving wheels, 14-Drain pipe, 15-Humidity sensor. Detailed Implementation

[0020] Although this invention may be described with respect to a particular application or industry, those skilled in the art will recognize its broader applicability. Those skilled in the art will understand that terms such as "above," "below," "upward," "downward," etc., are used to describe the drawings and not to indicate a limitation on the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Any numerical designations such as "first" or "second" are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

[0021] Example: Monocrystalline silicon wafer drying device, such as Figures 1-4 As shown, the system includes a drying chamber 1, an air inlet pipe 101, a return flow box 2, an exhaust fan 3, a water filter rod 4, a drain plate 5, a mounting bracket 6, a collection box 7, and an exhaust pipe 8. The air inlet pipe 101 is connected to one side of the drying chamber 1, and a purification box is installed on the air inlet pipe 101 to perform multi-stage filtration of the extracted external air. The return flow box 2 is connected to the other side of the drying chamber 1, and the return flow box 2 is bent to contact the bottom of the drying chamber 1. One end of the exhaust pipe 8 is connected to the return flow box 2, and the other end is connected to the air inlet pipe 101. The bend in the return flow box 2, combined with the exhaust pipe 8, forms a circulation channel, returning the waste heat gas to the air inlet end, using the high-temperature gas to envelop the drying chamber 1. The outer wall forms a thermal barrier. An exhaust fan 3 is installed on the inner wall of the drying chamber 1. The exhaust fan 3 connects the drying chamber 1 and the return chamber 2. Several water filter rods 4 are installed in the return chamber 2. The water filter rods 4 are arranged in an array in the return chamber 2 and are coated with a hydrophobic coating. They capture water vapor by using the principle of condensation adsorption. The hydrophobic coating promotes the aggregation of small water droplets into large droplets. It is also equipped with a vibration device. A drain plate 5 is connected to the bottom of the return chamber 2. The drain plate 5 adopts an inclined guide groove design. A mounting frame 6 is connected to the bottom of the drying chamber 1. A collection box 7 is slidably connected to the middle of the mounting frame 6. The sliding guide rail set in the middle of the mounting frame 6 makes it easy to quickly pull out the collection box 7.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, it also includes an insulation box 9 and a maintenance plate 10. An insulation box 9 is provided on one side of the drying box 1 connected to the air inlet pipe 101. The insulation box 9 encloses the exhaust pipe 8 and the air inlet pipe 101. The insulation box 9 reduces heat loss in the pipeline transmission through heat insulation material. The insulation box 9 is hinged to the maintenance plate 10, and the maintenance plate 10 has a pressure relief port 11.

[0023] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, it also includes an observation window 12. A transparent observation window 12 is provided on the front side of the collection tank 7. The observation window 12 can monitor the liquid level in real time.

[0024] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, it also includes casters 13. Casters 13 are installed at the bottom of the collection box 7. The casters 13, together with the guide rail structure, reduce the intensity of manual handling.

[0025] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, it also includes a drain pipe 14, and the lower end of the collection box 7 is provided with a drain pipe 14.

[0026] like Figure 4 As shown, it also includes a humidity sensor 15. The humidity sensor 15 is installed in the exhaust pipe 8. The humidity sensor 15 is wired to the control panel of the drying oven 1 to monitor the humidity of the circulating gas in real time. When the humidity exceeds the threshold, the vibration device of the filter rod 4 is triggered.

[0027] The monocrystalline silicon wafers to be dried are placed on the inner support of the drying chamber 1. After the operator closes the chamber door, the equipment is started through the control panel. At this time, the purification box built into the air inlet duct 101 starts working. The external air enters the drying chamber 1 after being filtered through multiple stages by the purification box. At the same time, the exhaust fan 3 starts to form a negative pressure, which accelerates the directional flow of air from the air inlet duct 101 into the drying chamber 1. The heating components on the inner wall of the drying chamber 1 start working, and the moisture on the wafer surface evaporates quickly through the dual effects of thermal radiation and thermal convection. The airflow carrying water vapor enters the return box 2 under the traction of the exhaust fan 3. The water filter rods 4 arranged in an array in the return box 2 adsorb water molecules through the hydrophobic coating on the surface. When the airflow passes through, the water vapor condenses on the surface of the water filter rods 4 to form droplets. The droplets slide down the axis of the water filter rods 4 under the action of gravity to the drain plate 5 below. The drain plate 5 adopts an inclined guide groove design to guide the collected liquid into the collection box 7.

[0028] After the residual heat airflow enters the return box 2, it re-enters the inlet pipe 101 through the exhaust pipe 8, forming a closed loop. During the flow, the high-temperature gas continuously coats the outer wall of the drying chamber 1, forming a thermal barrier to reduce heat loss from the chamber to the environment. As the airflow passes through the exhaust pipe 8, the built-in humidity sensor 15 monitors the moisture content in real time. If the detected value exceeds a preset threshold, the control system automatically triggers the vibration device of the water filter rod 4. Low-frequency vibration causes the tiny water droplets adhering to the surface to quickly fall off, ensuring that the water filter rod 4 maintains a continuously efficient adsorption state. A drain pipe 14 is located at the bottom of the collection box 7. When the accumulated water reaches a certain level, staff can drain the water through the drain pipe. Confirm the liquid level through the observation window 12, pull the collection box 7 to slide it out along the guide rail of the mounting frame 6, and use the bottom moving wheels 13 to move the collection box 7 to the drainage area. The accumulated water is discharged directly through the drain pipe 14 and the external hose, avoiding manual dumping. During equipment operation, the insulation box 9 covers the connection section between the air inlet pipe 101 and the air outlet pipe 8 to reduce heat loss in the pipeline. When the gas inside the insulation box 9 expands due to heat, the pressure relief port 11 on the inspection plate 10 automatically opens to balance the air pressure and ensure the stability of the door sealing structure. When the purification box needs to be replaced, the staff can quickly complete the filter replacement operation by opening the inspection plate 10.

[0029] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this utility model, but the protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A single crystal silicon wafer drying apparatus, characterized by: The equipment includes a drying box (1) and an exhaust pipe (8). One side of the drying box (1) is connected to an air inlet pipe (101), and the other side of the drying box (1) is connected to a return box (2). The return box (2) is bent through the bottom of the drying box (1). One end of the exhaust pipe (8) is connected to the return box (2), and the other end is connected to the air inlet pipe (101). An exhaust fan (3) is installed on the inner wall of the drying box (1). The exhaust fan (3) connects the drying box (1) and the return box (2). Several water filter rods (4) are installed in the return box (2). A drain plate (5) is connected to the bottom of the return box (2). A mounting frame (6) is connected to the bottom of the drying box (1). A collection box (7) is slidably connected to the middle of the mounting frame (6).

2. The single crystal silicon slice drying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein: The drying box (1) is connected to an insulation box (9) on one side of the air inlet pipe (101). The insulation box (9) encloses the exhaust pipe (8) and the air inlet pipe (101). The insulation box (9) is hinged to a maintenance plate (10). The maintenance plate (10) has a pressure relief port (11).

3. The single crystal silicon slice drying apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein: The collection box (7) is provided with a transparent observation window (12) on the front side.

4. The single crystal silicon slice drying apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein: The bottom of the collection box (7) is equipped with casters (13).

5. The single crystal silicon slice drying apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein: A drain pipe (14) is provided at the lower end of the collection box (7).

6. The single crystal silicon slice drying apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein: A humidity sensor (15) is installed inside the exhaust pipe (8), and the humidity sensor (15) is wired to the control panel of the drying oven (1).

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