UV curing furnace and silicon wafer sintering equipment

Abstract

The application relates to a UV curing furnace and a silicon wafer sintering device, and belongs to the technical field of solar cells. The UV curing furnace comprises a furnace body, a conveying belt for conveying silicon wafers through the furnace body in a first direction, upper and lower ultraviolet lamps arranged on the two sides of the conveying belt in a vertical direction, and an airflow cleaning device arranged on the lower side of the conveying belt and used for cleaning the surface of the lower ultraviolet lamp through airflow. The UV curing furnace can maintain the surface of the lower ultraviolet lamp clean after long-time use, ensure the ultraviolet irradiation effect of the lower surface of the silicon wafer, and ensure the sintering quality and yield of the silicon wafer. The application further provides a silicon wafer sintering device comprising the UV curing furnace.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of solar cell technology, and more specifically, to a UV curing oven and silicon wafer sintering equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In silicon wafer manufacturing, after the printed silver paste electrodes undergo secondary sintering, the glass phase in the silver paste has formed an ohmic contact with the silicon. However, during cooling, stress contraction may generate micron-sized voids, resulting in microscopic defects. One current approach to improve this is ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Irradiating the silicon wafer surface with UV light causes the monomers and oligomers in the paste to crosslink within 0.5–2 seconds, forming a dense polymer network. This increases electrode tensile strength by 20–30% and improves sintering defects.

[0003] A UV curing oven is a device that uses ultraviolet (UV) light sources to rapidly cure photosensitive materials. A conveyor belt carries silicon wafers through the oven, and the UV light source activates the chemical reaction of the silicon wafer electrode materials by emitting ultraviolet light of a specific wavelength. Localized and precise curing further optimizes electrode performance, thereby improving battery efficiency and thus enhancing the photoelectric conversion efficiency of solar cells.

[0004] However, after prolonged use, dust and other impurities tend to accumulate on the lower lamp surface of the UV curing oven, resulting in poor UV irradiation on the lower surface of the silicon wafer, which in turn affects the sintering quality and yield of the silicon wafer. Utility Model Content

[0005] Therefore, this application proposes a UV curing oven and silicon wafer sintering equipment that can maintain the surface cleanliness of the lower ultraviolet lamp after long-term use, ensure the ultraviolet irradiation effect on the lower surface of the silicon wafer, and ensure the sintering quality and yield of the silicon wafer.

[0006] The UV curing oven of the first aspect of this application includes: an oven body; a conveyor belt for conveying silicon wafers through the oven body in a first direction; an upper ultraviolet lamp and a lower ultraviolet lamp disposed on both sides of the conveyor belt in a vertical direction; and an airflow cleaning device disposed on the lower side of the conveyor belt for cleaning the surface of the lower ultraviolet lamp by airflow.

[0007] Optionally, the airflow cleaning device includes an air blowing pipe that extends into the furnace body. The portion of the air blowing pipe located inside the furnace body is provided with an air blowing port, which is used to blow clean the surface of the lower ultraviolet lamp.

[0008] Optionally, the air inlet is disposed on one side of the lower ultraviolet lamp along the second direction, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0009] Optionally, the UV curing oven further includes an exhaust pipe that extends into the oven body and has an exhaust port for exhausting air from the oven body to the outside.

[0010] Optionally, the air extraction port is located on the upper side of the conveyor belt and faces the conveyor belt.

[0011] Optionally, the air extraction port is spaced apart from the upper ultraviolet lamp along the first direction.

[0012] Optionally, the UV curing oven further includes: an upper cooling water circulation device disposed on the back of the upper UV lamp for cooling the upper UV lamp; and / or a lower cooling water circulation device disposed on the back of the lower UV lamp for cooling the lower UV lamp.

[0013] Optionally, the UV curing oven further includes: an upper glass plate disposed on the surface of the upper ultraviolet lamp for protecting the upper ultraviolet lamp; and / or a lower glass plate disposed on the surface of the lower ultraviolet lamp for protecting the lower ultraviolet lamp.

[0014] Optionally, the furnace body includes: a base and a cover plate; a hydraulic opening and closing mechanism for driving the cover plate to close with the base.

[0015] The silicon wafer sintering equipment of the second aspect of this application includes the UV curing oven described in the first aspect of this application.

[0016] Compared with existing technologies, this solution has the following advantages:

[0017] The UV curing oven in this embodiment is equipped with an airflow cleaning device, which can clean the surface of the lower UV lamp with airflow, removing dust and other impurities from the surface of the lower UV lamp. This can maintain the cleanliness of the surface of the lower UV lamp after long-term use, ensuring the UV irradiation effect on the lower surface of the silicon wafer, and ensuring the sintering quality and yield of the silicon wafer.

[0018] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1Schematic diagram of the structure of the UV curing oven provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 ;

[0021] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the UV curing oven provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 ;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a silicon wafer sintering apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0023] Icons: 100-UV curing oven; 110-Oven body; 111-Base; 112-Cover plate; 113-Hydraulic opening and closing mechanism; 114-Oven inlet; 115-Oven outlet; 120-Conveyor belt; 130-Upper UV lamp; 131-First surface; 132-First back surface; 133-Upper cooling water circulation device; 1331-Cooling water pipe; 1332-Circulating water tank; 1333-Circulating water pump; 134-Upper glass plate; 140 - Lower UV lamp; 141 - Second surface; 142 - Second back surface; 143 - Lower cooling water circulation device; 144 - Lower glass plate; 150 - Airflow cleaning device; 151 - Air blowing pipe; 1511 - Air blowing port; 152 - Fan; 160 - Extraction device; 161 - Extraction pipe; 1611 - Extraction port; 162 - Negative pressure supply device; 200 - Silicon wafer sintering equipment; 210 - Sintering device; 220 - Sorting device; 300 - Silicon wafer. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of this application described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0025] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of this application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0026] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0027] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, some embodiments of the UV curing oven 100 of this application include an oven body 110, a conveyor belt 120, an upper UV lamp 130, a lower UV lamp 140, and an airflow cleaning device 150. The conveyor belt 120 conveys the silicon wafer 300 through the oven body 110 along a first direction X. The upper UV lamp 130 and the lower UV lamp 140 are arranged on both sides of the conveyor belt 120 along a vertical direction Z. The airflow cleaning device 150 is arranged on the lower side of the conveyor belt 120 and is used to clean the surface of the lower UV lamp 140 by airflow.

[0028] The conveyor belt 120 transports the silicon wafer 300 along the first direction X. The silicon wafer 300 passes through the furnace body 110 and is irradiated by the upper ultraviolet lamp 130 and the lower ultraviolet lamp 140, causing the electrode material on the surface to undergo a chemical reaction.

[0029] The upper ultraviolet lamp 130 has a first surface 131 on its lower side along the vertical direction Z and a first back surface 132 on its upper side; the lower ultraviolet lamp 140 has a second surface 141 on its upper side along the vertical direction Z and a second back surface 142 on its lower side. An airflow cleaning device 150 is positioned corresponding to the second surface 141 to blow away dust and other impurities from the second surface 141.

[0030] The UV curing oven 100 of this application embodiment is provided with an airflow cleaning device 150, which can perform airflow cleaning on the surface of the lower UV lamp 140, remove dust and other impurities from the surface of the lower UV lamp 140, maintain the surface cleanliness of the lower UV lamp 140 after long-term use, ensure the UV irradiation effect on the lower surface of the silicon wafer 300, and ensure the sintering quality and yield of the silicon wafer 300.

[0031] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the specific structure of the UV curing oven 100 according to an embodiment of this application will be described below.

[0032] In some embodiments of this application, the airflow cleaning device 150 includes an air blowing pipe 151 that extends into the furnace body 110. The portion of the air blowing pipe 151 located inside the furnace body 110 is provided with an air blowing port 1511, which is used to blow clean the surface of the lower ultraviolet lamp 140.

[0033] For example, the end of the air blowing pipe 151 may be provided with multiple air blowing branches, all of which are connected to the air blowing pipe 151. The end of the air blowing pipe 151 forms an air blowing port 1511, and the multiple air blowing ports 1511 are arranged side by side along the second direction Y to blow air onto the second surface 141. As another example, the end of the air blowing pipe 151 forms a rectangular opening, the length of which extends along the first direction X and covers the area of ​​the lower ultraviolet lamp 140.

[0034] The airflow cleaning device 150 also includes a fan 152, which is located outside the furnace body 110 and connected to the air blowing pipe 151 to provide air pressure to the air blowing pipe 151.

[0035] This configuration allows for efficient and reliable removal of dust and other impurities from the surface of the lower UV lamp 140, maintaining a clean lamp surface and enabling the UV light to effectively irradiate the lower surface of the silicon wafer 300.

[0036] In other embodiments, dust on the surface of the lower ultraviolet lamp 140 can also be extracted by vacuuming.

[0037] In some embodiments of this application, the air outlet 1511 is disposed on one side of the lower ultraviolet lamp 140 along the second direction Y, and the first direction X and the second direction Y are perpendicular to each other.

[0038] In other words, the projections of the air blowing pipe 151 and the lower ultraviolet lamp 140 on the XY plane do not coincide.

[0039] This arrangement avoids the light source path of the lower ultraviolet lamp 140, ensuring that the lower surface of the silicon wafer 300 is fully irradiated.

[0040] In some embodiments of this application, the opening range of the air outlet 1511 in the vertical direction Z covers the height range of the second surface 141 of the lower ultraviolet lamp 140, and the air blowing direction of the air outlet 1511 is arranged parallel to the second surface 141.

[0041] With this configuration, the airflow direction is parallel to the second surface 141, and the second surface 141 can be effectively cleaned, resulting in a high dust removal effect.

[0042] In other embodiments, the air outlet 1511 may also be disposed on the upper side of the second surface 141, and blow air onto the second surface 141 at a downward angle.

[0043] In some embodiments of this application, the UV curing oven 100 further includes an exhaust pipe 161, which extends into the oven body 110 and is provided with an exhaust port 1611 for exhausting air from the oven body 110 to the outside.

[0044] One end of the exhaust pipe 161 extends into the furnace body 110 to form an exhaust port 1611, and the other end is connected to the negative pressure supply device 162 outside the furnace body 110. The exhaust port 1611 has a flared structure to increase the exhaust range.

[0045] This configuration promotes airflow circulation inside the furnace body 110, facilitates timely exhaust of hot gases, improves the cooling effect of the furnace body 110, and mitigates the problem of the conveyor belt 120 becoming brittle due to prolonged heating.

[0046] In some embodiments of this application, the air extraction port 1611 is disposed on the upper side of the conveyor belt 120 and is disposed toward the conveyor belt 120.

[0047] Since hot air mainly gathers on the upper side of the furnace body 110, the reasonable setting of the position of the exhaust port 1611 can increase the proportion of hot gas in the exhaust flow, improve the heat exhaust effect, reduce the temperature near the conveyor belt 120, and slow down the aging speed of the conveyor belt 120.

[0048] In other embodiments, the exhaust port 1611 may also be horizontally arranged and located at both ends of the furnace body 110 along the first direction X.

[0049] In some embodiments of this application, the air extraction port 1611 is spaced apart from the upper ultraviolet lamp 130 along the first direction X.

[0050] For example, multiple sets of upper ultraviolet lamps 130 are provided, and the multiple sets of upper ultraviolet lamps 130 are arranged at intervals along the first direction X. The air extraction port 1611 is arranged in front of or behind the multiple sets of upper ultraviolet lamps 130 along the conveying direction.

[0051] This configuration allows for a reasonable arrangement of the air extraction port 1611, ensuring it is close to the conveyor belt 120 without obstructing the ultraviolet radiation effect.

[0052] In other embodiments, the air extraction port 1611 may also be located on one side of the upper ultraviolet lamp 130 along the second direction Y.

[0053] In some embodiments of this application, the UV curing oven 100 further includes an upper cooling water circulation device 133, which is disposed on the back of the upper ultraviolet lamp 130 and is used to cool the upper ultraviolet lamp 130.

[0054] In some other embodiments of this application, the UV curing oven 100 further includes a lower cooling water circulation device 143, which is disposed on the back of the lower ultraviolet lamp 140 and is used to cool the lower ultraviolet lamp 140.

[0055] The upper cooling water circulation device 133 and the lower cooling water circulation device 143 have basically the same structure and principle. Taking the upper cooling water circulation device 133 as an example, the upper cooling water circulation device 133 includes a cooling water pipe 1331, a circulating water tank 1332, and a circulating water pump 1333. The cooling water pipe 1331 is set against the first back side 132 of the upper ultraviolet lamp 130 to remove the heat generated by the upper ultraviolet lamp 130 during the luminescence process. The inlet and outlet pipes of the cooling water pipe 1331 are connected to the circulating water tank 1332 outside the furnace body 110. The circulating water pump 1333 is installed on the inlet pipe. The circulating water tank 1332 circulates cooling water through a cooling tower or other devices, which will not be further described here.

[0056] In the embodiment where multiple sets of upper ultraviolet lamps 130 are spaced apart along the first direction X, each set of upper ultraviolet lamps 130 is equipped with a cooling water pipe 1331. The multiple sets of cooling water pipes 1331 are connected in parallel and connected to an external circulating water tank 1332 through a main inlet pipe and a main outlet pipe.

[0057] This configuration allows for cooling of the light sources of the upper ultraviolet lamp 130 and the lower ultraviolet lamp 140, reducing the internal temperature of the furnace body 110 and slowing down the aging rate of the conveyor belt 120.

[0058] In some embodiments of this application, the UV curing oven 100 further includes an upper glass plate 134 disposed on the surface of the upper ultraviolet lamp 130 for protecting the upper ultraviolet lamp 130; in other embodiments of this application, the UV curing oven 100 further includes a lower glass plate 144 disposed on the surface of the lower ultraviolet lamp 140 for protecting the lower ultraviolet lamp 140.

[0059] The upper glass plate 134 is attached to the first surface 131 of the upper ultraviolet lamp 130, and the lower glass plate 144 is attached to the second surface 141 of the lower ultraviolet lamp 140. Both the upper glass plate 134 and the lower glass plate 144 are made of transparent tempered glass.

[0060] This design improves the wear resistance of the lamp surface, preventing scratches caused by foreign objects, ensuring the effectiveness of ultraviolet irradiation, and reducing the frequency of maintenance for the ultraviolet lamp.

[0061] It is understood that, based on the embodiment where "the lower glass plate 144 is attached to the second surface 141 of the lower ultraviolet lamp 140", the air outlet 1511 is used to blow the upper surface of the lower glass plate 144.

[0062] In some embodiments of this application, the UV curing oven 100 also includes a control device that is signal-connected to both the upper UV lamp 130 and the lower UV lamp 140, and is capable of adjusting the output power of the upper UV lamp 130 and the lower UV lamp 140.

[0063] For example, the power P of each LED UV lamp is 50 to 700W, and the output power of each LED UV lamp is fully adjustable.

[0064] This setup allows for adjustment of the brightness of the UV lamps according to design requirements, ensuring optimal UV irradiation of the silicon wafer 300.

[0065] In some embodiments of this application, the furnace body 110 includes a base 111, a cover plate 112, and a hydraulic opening and closing mechanism 113, which is used to drive the cover plate 112 to close with the base 111.

[0066] The base 111 and the cover plate 112 are made of opaque material. The cover plate 112 covers the base 111, forming a relatively sealed furnace space to prevent light leakage. The hydraulic opening and closing mechanism 113 is a common hydraulic lever. Multiple hydraulic opening and closing mechanisms 113 are arranged circumferentially around the base 111 to evenly bear the weight of the cover plate 112.

[0067] In a preferred embodiment, the base 111 and the cover plate 112 form an opening at the closing point, and the conveyor belt 120 carries the silicon wafer 300 from the furnace inlet 114 into the furnace body 110 and from the furnace outlet 115 out of the furnace body 110, thereby simplifying the structure of the base 111.

[0068] This configuration improves the sealing and light-blocking properties of the furnace body 110, and enhances the ultraviolet irradiation effect of the silicon wafer 300.

[0069] Some embodiments of the silicon wafer sintering apparatus 200 of this application include a UV curing oven 100.

[0070] like Figure 3 As shown, the silicon wafer sintering equipment 200 includes a sintering device 210, a UV curing oven 100, and a sorting device 220 arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 120. After the surface of the silicon wafer 300 is printed with grid lines, it enters the sintering device 210 for laser sintering, then enters the UV curing oven 100 for ultraviolet irradiation, and then enters the sorting device 220. According to the test results, qualified products are discharged and NG products are discharged.

[0071] Due to the characteristics of the UV curing oven 100 in this embodiment, the silicon wafer sintering equipment 200 in this embodiment also improves the sintering quality and yield of the silicon wafer 300.

[0072] It should be noted that, where there is no conflict, the features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

[0073] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A UV curing oven (100), characterized in that, include: Furnace body (110); A conveyor belt (120) transports silicon wafers through the furnace body (110) in a first direction; Upper ultraviolet lamp (130) and lower ultraviolet lamp (140) are arranged vertically on both sides of the conveyor belt (120); An airflow cleaning device (150) is disposed on the underside of the conveyor belt (120) for cleaning the surface of the underside ultraviolet lamp (140) by airflow.

2. The UV curing oven (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The airflow cleaning device (150) includes an air blowing pipe (151) that extends into the furnace body (110). The portion of the air blowing pipe (151) located inside the furnace body (110) is provided with an air blowing port (1511) for blowing the surface of the lower ultraviolet lamp (140).

3. The UV curing oven (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that, The air inlet (1511) is disposed on one side of the lower ultraviolet lamp (140) along the second direction, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

4. The UV curing oven (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The UV curing oven (100) also includes an exhaust pipe (161), which extends into the oven body (110) and is provided with an exhaust port (1611) for exhausting air from the oven body (110) to the outside.

5. The UV curing oven (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that, The air extraction port (1611) is located on the upper side of the conveyor belt (120) and faces the conveyor belt (120).

6. The UV curing oven (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that, The air extraction port (1611) is spaced apart from the upper ultraviolet lamp (130) along the first direction.

7. The UV curing oven (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The UV curing oven (100) also includes: An upper cooling water circulation device (133) is disposed on the back of the upper ultraviolet lamp (130) for cooling the upper ultraviolet lamp (130); and / or A lower cooling water circulation device (143) is provided on the back of the lower ultraviolet lamp (140) for cooling the lower ultraviolet lamp (140).

8. The UV curing oven (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The UV curing oven (100) also includes: An upper glass plate (134) is disposed on the surface of the upper ultraviolet lamp (130) for protecting the upper ultraviolet lamp (130); and / or A lower glass plate (144) is disposed on the surface of the lower ultraviolet lamp (140) to protect the lower ultraviolet lamp (140).

9. The UV curing oven (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The furnace body (110) includes: Base (111) and cover plate (112); A hydraulic opening and closing mechanism (113) is used to drive the cover plate (112) to close with the base (111).

10. A silicon wafer sintering device, characterized in that, Includes the UV curing oven (100) as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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