Positioning tool for thermal annealing apparatus

Abstract

The application relates to a positioning tool for a heat annealing device, which is used for assembling a bearing seat of a rotating unit, the bearing seat comprising a shaft shell, a plurality of rolling balls arranged in the shaft shell and on a step ring, and a ball cage for positioning the rolling balls; the positioning tool comprises a long handle and a positioning structure arranged at the end of the long handle, the positioning structure comprising a positioning column and a plurality of positioning portions uniformly distributed around the positioning column, a gap between adjacent positioning portions is used for accommodating one rolling ball, the number of the gaps is consistent with the number of the rolling balls, and the positioning portions are stopped on the step ring when the positioning tool is inserted into the shaft shell. According to the application, the problems of rolling ball sliding, position deviation and uneven distribution during placement can be avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of hot annealing equipment technology, and more specifically to a positioning tool used in hot annealing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] The rotating unit within the thermal annealing equipment chamber is a key component ensuring uniform heating of the wafer. Based on the typical chamber design of vertical thermal annealing equipment (especially RTP, rapid thermal annealing), the rotating unit mainly includes a rotating shaft mounted on a rotating tray, a bearing housing, and a power mechanism that drives the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is located within the bearing housing, which contains multiple sapphire balls and ball cages that position each sapphire ball. Thermal annealing equipment requires regular maintenance, and the sapphire balls within the rotating bearing housing also need to be replaced periodically over time. Currently, when replacing sapphire balls, maintenance personnel mainly use tweezers to place each sapphire ball into the bearing housing. Due to the small size of the sapphire balls, they are prone to slipping, shifting, and uneven distribution during placement.

[0003] Therefore, a positioning tool is needed to enable rapid assembly of bearing housings. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by this application is to provide a positioning tool for a hot annealing equipment, which can avoid problems such as slippage, positional shift, and uneven distribution of sapphire balls during placement.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this application, a positioning tool for a hot annealing apparatus is provided. The positioning tool is used to assemble a bearing housing of a rotating unit. The bearing housing includes a shaft housing, a plurality of rolling balls disposed within the shaft housing and on a stepped ring, and a ball cage for positioning each rolling ball. The positioning tool includes: The long handle and a positioning structure located at the end of the long handle, the positioning structure including a positioning post and a plurality of positioning parts evenly distributed around the positioning post, the gap between adjacent positioning parts being used to accommodate one of the rolling balls, the number of gaps being the same as the number of rolling balls, and when the positioning tool is inserted into the shaft housing, the positioning part is stopped on the stepped ring.

[0006] In one embodiment, all the surfaces of the positioning portions away from the outer peripheral surface of the positioning post are on the same cylindrical surface, the diameter of the cylindrical surface is smaller than the maximum inner diameter of the shaft housing, and the outer diameter of the positioning post is larger than the inner diameter of the inner stepped ring of the shaft housing.

[0007] In one embodiment, the diameter of the cylindrical surface differs from the maximum inner diameter of the housing by 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

[0008] In one embodiment, the positioning part is a prism, which has the same structure as the limiting part that limits the rolling ball in the ball cage.

[0009] In one embodiment, the long handle is cylindrical, and the outer diameter of the long handle is smaller than the inner diameter of the ball cage and the inner diameter of the stepped ring inside the shaft housing.

[0010] In one embodiment, the width of the gap gradually increases in the radial direction of the positioning post, and the maximum width of the gap is greater than the outer diameter of the ball.

[0011] In one embodiment, the long handle is detachably connected to the positioning post.

[0012] In one embodiment, the positioning tool is made of quartz.

[0013] In one embodiment, a clamping member is provided between adjacent positioning portions, the clamping member having a clamping cavity for accommodating the rolling ball.

[0014] In one embodiment, the clamping cavity is provided with a phase change material, which is used to adhere and position the ball within the clamping cavity or release it from the clamping cavity.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this application are as follows: The positioning tool achieves the positioning and installation of each ball. In use, simply hold the long handle and insert the positioning structure into the shaft housing. Since the positioning part can stop on the stepped ring inside the shaft housing, the ball can be placed in the gap between each positioning part and on the stepped ring of the shaft housing. The positioning post can prevent the ball from falling. After all the balls are placed, the positioning tool can be removed from the shaft housing. This application can quickly achieve the installation and positioning of these balls. Moreover, since each positioning part is evenly distributed around the positioning post, the balls can be evenly distributed, ensuring the assembly accuracy of the bearing housing and facilitating the stable rotation of the rotating unit. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a partial schematic diagram of the rotating unit in a hot annealing equipment; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the bearing housing in the rotating unit; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a positioning tool according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 4 This is a top view of a positioning tool according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0017] In the picture, 11. Rotating tray; 12. Quartz window; 13. Rolling ball; 14. Shaft housing; 141. Stepped ring; 15. Ball cage; 16, Rotating shaft; 21, Long handle; 22, Positioning part; 23, Positioning pin. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this specification and claims shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. Specific embodiments of this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, in order to provide a concise description, this specification cannot exhaustively describe all features of the actual embodiments. Without departing from the spirit and scope of this application, those skilled in the art can modify and substitute the embodiments of this application, and the resulting embodiments are also within the protection scope of this application.

[0019] Each rapid thermal annealing chamber is equipped with a rotating unit to support and rotate the wafer, a key component ensuring uniform heating of the wafer. See [link / reference] Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the rotating unit mainly includes a rotating shaft 16 mounted on a rotating tray 11, a bearing housing, and a power mechanism (not shown) that drives the rotating shaft 16 to rotate. The rotating shaft 16 is located inside the bearing housing, which is located on the quartz window 12 of the chamber. The bearing housing mainly includes a shaft housing 14, multiple rolling balls (i.e., sapphire balls) 13 placed inside the shaft housing 14, and a ball cage 15 that positions each rolling ball 13. During the assembly of this bearing housing, the rolling balls 13 are prone to falling off the stepped ring 141 inside the shaft housing 14. In addition, the rolling balls 13 are prone to misalignment and uneven distribution.

[0020] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a positioning tool for a heat annealing equipment, which can be used for rapid assembly. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The bearing housing shown includes a housing 14, a plurality of balls 13 placed inside the housing 14 and on a stepped ring 141, and a ball cage 15 for positioning each ball 13.

[0021] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, in one specific embodiment, the positioning tool includes: The long handle 21 and the positioning structure provided at the end of the long handle include a positioning post 23 and a plurality of positioning parts 22 evenly distributed around the positioning post. The gap A between adjacent positioning parts 22 is used to accommodate a ball 13. The number of gaps A is the same as the number of balls 13. When the positioning tool is inserted into the shaft housing 14, the positioning part 22 stops on the stepped ring 141.

[0022] In this embodiment, the positioning structure on the positioning tool is used to position and install each ball 13. During use, simply hold the long handle 21 to insert the positioning structure into the shaft housing 14, and the positioning part 22 can stop on the stepped ring 141 inside the shaft housing 14. That is, in the radial direction of the positioning tool, see... Figure 2 As shown, the length of the positioning part 22 is slightly smaller than the maximum inner diameter D1 of the shaft housing but much larger than the inner diameter D2 at the stepped ring. This allows the rolling ball 13 to be placed in the gap A between the positioning parts 22 and on the stepped ring 141 of the shaft housing. The positioning post 23 prevents the rolling ball 13 from falling; that is, the outer diameter of the positioning post 23 is slightly larger than or equal to the inner diameter D2 at the stepped ring. After all the rolling balls 13 are placed, the positioning tool can be removed from the shaft housing 24. This application can quickly achieve the installation and positioning of these rolling balls 13. Furthermore, by evenly distributing the positioning parts 22 around the circumference of the positioning post, the rolling balls 13 are evenly distributed, ensuring the assembly accuracy of the bearing housing, facilitating the stable rotation of the rotating unit, and improving the wafer's process quality.

[0023] See Figure 2 , Figure 4 As shown, the surfaces of all positioning parts 22 away from the outer periphery of the positioning post are on the same cylindrical surface S. The diameter of the cylindrical surface S is smaller than the maximum inner diameter D1 of the shaft housing 14, and the outer diameter of the positioning post 23 is larger than the inner diameter D2 of the inner stepped ring 141 of the shaft housing 14. This embodiment, through the setting of the dimensions and shape of the positioning structure, can achieve precise positioning of the positioning tool and the shaft housing 14, facilitating the precise placement of each rolling ball 13. Furthermore, the positioning post 23 can prevent the rolling balls 13 from falling off the stepped ring 141. Specifically, the diameter of the cylindrical surface S differs from the maximum inner diameter of the shaft housing by 0.1mm to 1mm, meaning that the cylindrical surface S is in near contact with the inner wall of the shaft housing. This achieves coaxiality between the positioning tool and the shaft housing, facilitating the precise placement of each rolling ball 13.

[0024] See Figure 3 As shown, the positioning part 23 is a prism, which has the same structure as the limiting part of the limiting ball 13 in the ball cage 15. In this embodiment, by making the positioning part 23 and the ball cage 15 have the same structure, the positioning accuracy of the ball is further improved, and a high-precision fit between the ball 13 and the ball cage 15 can be achieved. Understandably, the gap between adjacent positioning parts 23 is the same in shape and size as the gap between adjacent limiting parts on the ball cage 15.

[0025] In one embodiment, the aforementioned long handle 21 is cylindrical, and the outer diameter of the long handle 21 is smaller than the inner diameter of the ball cage 15 and the inner diameter D2 of the stepped ring 141 inside the shaft housing 14. In this embodiment, the long handle 21 can be used to accurately place the ball cage without colliding with the rolling balls and causing the rolling balls to shift in position. Specifically, after placing each rolling ball 13 on the stepped ring 141, the ball cage 15 is threaded onto the long handle 21 (i.e., inserted from the end of the long handle away from the positioning structure), so that the limiting part on the ball cage 15 is aligned with each positioning part 23. Then, the end of the long handle 21 away from the positioning structure is extended into the shaft housing until its end extends into the stepped ring 141, completing the positioning of the positioning tool. Then, the ball cage 15 is slid into the shaft housing along the long handle, thus completing the positioning and installation of the ball cage 15.

[0026] For details, see Figure 4 As shown, in the radial direction of the positioning post 23, the width of the aforementioned gap A gradually increases, and the maximum width of gap A is greater than the outer diameter of the rolling ball. The width of gap A can be designed according to the size of the rolling ball to more accurately position each rolling ball. The number of rolling balls can be 6, 8, or other, and the number of gaps A is the same as the number of rolling balls, evenly distributed along the circumference of the positioning post 23.

[0027] In one embodiment, the aforementioned long handle 21 is detachably connected to the positioning pin 23. There are multiple positioning pins 23, each with a different number of positioning parts. This allows for the assembly of bearing housings of different specifications; a suitable positioning pin can be selected based on the number of balls inside the bearing housing and assembled with the long handle. The long handle 21 and the positioning pin 23 can be detachably connected via threads or snap-fit ​​connections, etc., and are not limited thereto.

[0028] In one embodiment, the positioning tool is made of quartz to avoid friction particles being generated during use, which could contaminate the heat annealing chamber environment.

[0029] In one embodiment, a clamping member is provided between adjacent positioning parts 22. The clamping member has a clamping cavity for accommodating phase change material, and the clamping cavity is used to accommodate the rolling ball 13. In this embodiment, by providing a clamping cavity between the positioning parts, the rolling ball 13 can be clamped in the clamping cavity. The phase change material is heated to melt it, and then the phase change material is cooled to make the rolling ball adhere and be positioned in the clamping cavity. After positioning by inserting a positioning tool into the shaft housing, the phase change material in each clamping cavity is heated again to melt it, and the rolling ball is released. This completes the picking up, positioning and installation of the rolling ball, further improving assembly efficiency and accuracy.

[0030] The specific process of assembling the bearing housing using a positioning tool according to one embodiment is as follows: First, place the ball 13 onto the stepped ring 141 of the shaft housing 14. Specifically, the operator holds the long handle 21 of the positioning tool and places it vertically inside the shaft housing 14. At this time, the positioning part 22 is limited on the stepped ring 141. If there are 6 balls 13 (i.e., sapphire balls), the positioning structure will divide the stepped ring 141 into six gaps, with one ball 13 placed in each gap. Tweezers can be used to place the ball 13 into the gap between adjacent positioning parts 22. Then, holding the long handle 21, the positioning tool is slowly pulled out vertically. The positioning structure on the positioning tool and the shaft housing have basically the same size design, that is, the outer circumferential surface of the positioning part 22 is almost the same as the maximum inner diameter D1 of the shaft housing. The gap between them is small, only requiring the positioning tool to be inserted and withdrawn. In addition, the outer circumferential surface of the positioning post on the positioning structure can be close to the inner diameter D2 of the stepped ring, which can prevent the ball 13 from slipping off the stepped ring 141 during placement or when the positioning tool is withdrawn from the shaft housing.

[0031] Next, assemble the ball cage 15 (i.e., the quartz cage) into the shaft housing 14. Specifically, after placing the balls 1, invert the positioning tool so that the end of the long handle 21 facing away from the positioning structure is facing the shaft housing. Then, the operator inserts the long handle 21 into the ball cage 15. Then, the operator holds the long handle 21 or the positioning structure in one hand and the ball cage 15 in the other hand, inserting the end of the long handle facing away from the positioning structure into the shaft housing 14 until it reaches into the stepped ring 141. To ensure that the limiting parts of the ball cage 15 are positioned between adjacent balls 1 without misalignment, the limiting parts on the ball cage 15 can be aligned with the positioning parts on the positioning structure before placement. Then, slowly lower the ball cage 15 until it is installed in place. Finally, remove the positioning tool. The outer diameter of the end of the long handle away from the positioning structure can be similar to the inner diameter D2 of the stepped ring, that is, there is a radial gap between the two. This radial gap is small enough to allow the end of the long handle to extend into and out of the stepped ring, which facilitates the positioning of the ball cage 15 and avoids radial offset.

[0032] After the bearing housing is assembled, the rotating tray can be installed on it. This embodiment improves the placement efficiency of the balls and ball cages and also enhances positioning accuracy through the use of positioning tools, thus shortening the maintenance time of the hot annealing equipment.

[0033] The above description of the embodiments is intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand and apply this application. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be easily made to these embodiments, and the general principles described herein can be applied to other embodiments without creative effort. Therefore, this application is not limited to the embodiments described herein, and any improvements and modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the disclosure of this application without departing from the scope and spirit of this application are within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A positioning tool for a hot annealing apparatus, the positioning tool being used to assemble a bearing housing of a rotating unit, the bearing housing comprising a shaft housing, a plurality of rolling balls disposed within the shaft housing and positioned on a stepped ring, and a ball cage for positioning each rolling ball; the positioning tool comprising: The long handle and a positioning structure located at the end of the long handle, the positioning structure including a positioning post and a plurality of positioning parts evenly distributed around the positioning post, the gap between adjacent positioning parts being used to accommodate one of the rolling balls, the number of gaps being the same as the number of rolling balls, and when the positioning tool is inserted into the shaft housing, the positioning part is stopped on the stepped ring.

2. The positioning tool as described in claim 1, characterized in that, All the surfaces of the positioning parts that are away from the outer peripheral surface of the positioning post are on the same cylindrical surface, the diameter of the cylindrical surface is smaller than the maximum inner diameter of the shaft housing, and the outer diameter of the positioning post is larger than the inner diameter of the inner stepped ring of the shaft housing.

3. The positioning tool as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The diameter of the cylindrical surface differs from the maximum inner diameter of the housing by 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

4. The positioning tool as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning part is a prism, which has the same structure as the limiting part in the ball cage that limits the rolling ball.

5. The positioning tool as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The long handle is cylindrical, and the outer diameter of the long handle is smaller than the inner diameter of the ball cage and the inner diameter of the stepped ring inside the shaft housing.

6. The positioning tool as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, In the radial direction of the positioning post, the width of the gap gradually increases, and the maximum width of the gap is greater than the outer diameter of the ball.

7. The positioning tool as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The long handle is detachably connected to the positioning post.

8. The positioning tool as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning tool is made of quartz.

9. The positioning tool as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A clamping member is provided between adjacent positioning parts, and the clamping member has a clamping cavity for accommodating the rolling ball.

10. The positioning tool as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The clamping cavity is provided with a phase change material, which allows the rolling ball to adhere and be positioned within the clamping cavity or released from the clamping cavity.

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