Heat exchanger and wafer holding member

Abstract

To provide a heat exchanger and a wafer holder capable of more efficiently exchanging heat.SOLUTION: A heat exchanger includes a housing in which an object is placed, and a plurality of heat conducting members. The housing includes an internal space filled with the plurality of heat conducting members, a coolant inlet communicating with the internal space. and a coolant outlet leading to the internal space, and further includes a first heat transfer path provided between the inner surface of the housing that constitute the internal space and at least some of the plurality of heat transfer members, a second heat transfer path composed of contact points between adjacent heat transfer members, and a gap serving as a flow path for a coolant in the internal space.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a heat exchanger and a wafer holding member. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a prober equipped with a substrate mounting stage. The prober is an inspection device that controls the temperature of a semiconductor wafer on which circuits are formed to a predetermined temperature and measures the electrical performance of each chip before cutting the wafer into individual chips. This measurement of electrical performance detects defective chips. During inspection, the wafer is heated by a heater to reproduce the chip mounting environment, and is cooled using a heat exchanger. After heating, the wafer is quickly cooled using the heat exchanger.

[0003] The substrate mounting table disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a chuck top supported by a cylindrical support on a disk-shaped base. An inlet and an outlet for a coolant are provided on the outer periphery of the chuck top. An outgoing coolant path connected to the inlet and a return coolant path connected to the outlet are provided inside the chuck top. The outgoing coolant path is a spiral flow path extending from the outer periphery to the inner periphery of the chuck top. The return coolant path is a spiral flow path extending from the inner periphery to the outer periphery of the chuck top. Such a chuck top functions as a heat exchanger. That is, a wafer mounted on the chuck top is cooled by circulating a coolant through the flow path. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-212775 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There is a demand for a heat exchanger capable of exchanging heat more efficiently.

[0006] In the heat exchanger described in Patent Document 1, the contact area between the coolant and the chuck top is secured by circulating the coolant through a spiral flow path, and the wafer can be cooled. However, considering the shortening of the inspection time, more efficient heat exchange is desired. On the other hand, in order to increase the contact area between the coolant and the inner surface of the flow path, it is necessary to lengthen the flow path and complicate the flow path shape, which requires fine and high-precision processing. Therefore, a heat exchanger that is easy to process and assemble is desired.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a heat exchanger capable of more efficiently exchanging heat, and another object of the present disclosure is to provide a wafer holding member including the heat exchanger. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The heat exchanger of the present disclosure comprises a housing on which an object is placed and a plurality of heat conductive members, the housing having an internal space filled with the plurality of heat conductive members, a refrigerant inlet connecting to the internal space, and a refrigerant outlet connecting to the internal space, and further comprising a first heat transfer path provided between an inner surface of the housing constituting the internal space and at least a portion of the plurality of heat conductive members, a second heat transfer path formed by the contact points between adjacent heat conductive members, and a gap that serves as a flow path for the refrigerant within the internal space.

[0009] The wafer holding member of the present disclosure includes the above heat exchanger. Effect of the Invention

[0010] The heat exchanger enables more efficient heat exchange, and the wafer holding member is provided with the heat exchanger, thereby enabling more efficient cooling of the wafer. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a wafer holding member according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the heat exchanger according to the second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing the internal structure of the heat exchanger according to the second embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the orientation of the heat exchanger according to the second embodiment during assembly. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a heat exchanger according to Modification 2-1. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic explanatory view showing the arrangement of heat conductive members in the heat exchanger according to the third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing the internal structure of the heat exchanger according to the third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic explanatory view showing the arrangement of heat conductive members in the heat exchanger according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a wafer holding member according to the fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] The embodiments of the present disclosure are listed and described below.

[0013] (1) A heat exchanger according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a housing on which an object is placed and a plurality of heat conductive members, the housing having an internal space filled with the plurality of heat conductive members, a refrigerant inlet connecting to the internal space, and a refrigerant outlet connecting to the internal space, and further comprising a first heat transfer path provided between an inner surface of the housing constituting the internal space and at least a portion of the plurality of heat conductive members, a second heat transfer path formed by contact points between adjacent heat conductive members, and a gap serving as a flow path for the refrigerant within the internal space.

[0014] The heat exchanger of the above embodiment has a first heat transfer path, and thus the heat from the object can be efficiently transferred to at least a part of the plurality of heat conductive members through the housing. Furthermore, the plurality of heat conductive members have a second heat transfer path, and thus the heat transfer path between the heat conductive members is not interrupted. Therefore, a specific heat conductive member to which heat is transferred from the inner surface of the housing can effectively transfer heat to the adjacent heat conductive members. In other words, the heat from the object can be reliably transferred to the plurality of heat conductive members through the housing. Furthermore, by having a gap in the internal space, the gap can be used as a flow path for the refrigerant. Therefore, compared to the comparative embodiment in which the heat conductive member is not present in the internal space, the contact area between the refrigerant and the components of the heat exchanger can be made larger in the internal space. In this way, by ensuring the heat transfer between the housing and the heat conductive member, ensuring the heat transfer between the heat conductive members, and realizing the increase in the contact area between the heat conductive member and the refrigerant, more efficient heat exchange is possible compared to the comparative embodiment.

[0015] In addition, the heat exchanger of the above embodiment can be easily constructed by simply filling the internal space with a plurality of thermally conductive members, so there is no need to provide a long flow passage, a narrow flow passage that is difficult to process, or a flow passage with a complex shape inside the housing.

[0016] (2) In one embodiment of the heat exchanger, the second heat transfer path is configured by joining at least a portion of the plurality of heat conductive members to one another.

[0017] The multiple heat transfer members constituting the second heat transfer path are joined together and therefore do not move. Therefore, the heat transfer path between the heat transfer members is prevented from being disconnected due to the movement of the heat transfer members. As a result, heat from the object of heat exchange can be transferred to the adjacent heat transfer members via the joints between the heat transfer members, and the heat can be dissipated to the refrigerant.

[0018] (3) In one embodiment of the heat exchanger, the first heat transfer path is configured by joining at least a portion of the plurality of heat conductive members to an inner surface of the housing.

[0019] The heat transfer member bonded to the inner surface of the housing does not move relative to the housing, so heat from an object of heat exchange is reliably transferred in the order of the housing, the joint between the inner surface of the housing and the heat transfer member, and the heat transfer member, and then the heat can be dissipated into the refrigerant.

[0020] (4) In one embodiment of the heat exchanger, the internal space is a tubular space connecting the inlet and the outlet.

[0021] In the heat exchanger of the above-mentioned form, the tubular internal space can be easily formed. For example, two plate-like members are prepared. A groove having an appropriate shape, such as a spiral shape, is provided on one surface of one of the plate-like members. By joining these two plate-like members, the tubular internal space can be easily formed. In particular, by filling the above-mentioned heat conductive member in a tubular flow path as shown in Patent Document 1, a heat exchanger capable of efficient heat exchange can be easily obtained.

[0022] (5) In one embodiment of the above heat exchanger, the housing has a lid on which the object is placed, a bottom, and a side connecting the lid and the bottom, the internal space is a single space surrounded by the lid, the bottom, and the side, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the internal space is larger than the cross-sectional areas of the inlet and the outlet.

[0023] The heat exchanger of the above-mentioned form has a container-shaped internal space having a cross-sectional area larger than that of the inlet or outlet. This configuration makes it easy to fill the internal space with multiple heat conductive members. In addition, since the cross-sectional area of ​​the internal space is larger than that of the inlet or outlet, a larger number of heat conductive members can be filled compared to a case having an internal space with the same cross-sectional area as that of the inlet or outlet. The cross-sectional areas of the inlet and outlet are the smallest areas among the cross sections perpendicular to the axial direction of the inlet and outlet, respectively. The cross-sectional area of ​​the internal space is the smallest area among the cross sections obtained by cutting the internal space with a cutting plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the inlet or outlet.

[0024] (6) In one embodiment of the heat exchanger, the housing has a lid on which the object is placed, a bottom, and a side connecting the lid and the bottom, and is provided with cushioning material disposed at least either between the lid and the multiple thermally conductive members or between the bottom and the multiple thermally conductive members.

[0025] The heat exchanger of the above-mentioned form can hold the thermally conductive member in the internal space by having the cushioning material. The thermally conductive member is held down by the cushioning material, so that the movement of the thermally conductive member is suppressed. In addition, the cushioning material can easily configure a heat transfer path between the inner surface of the housing and the thermally conductive member. Therefore, efficient heat exchange is possible by maintaining contact between the multiple thermally conductive members.

[0026] (7) In one embodiment of the heat exchanger having the lid, bottom and side portions, a plurality of supports are provided between the lid and bottom portions.

[0027] In the heat exchanger of the above embodiment, the rigidity of the housing can be ensured by providing a plurality of supports between the lid and the bottom.

[0028] (8) In one embodiment of the heat exchanger, the inlet and the outlet are provided with a mesh material having an opening size that does not allow the plurality of heat conductive members to pass through.

[0029] The heat exchanger of the above embodiment is provided with mesh materials at the inlet and outlet of the housing, so that when the refrigerant flows through the internal space, the heat conductive members are prevented from flowing out of the internal space, thereby preventing a decrease in the number of heat conductive members and maintaining efficient heat exchange over time.

[0030] (9) In one embodiment of the heat exchanger, the thermal conduction members have a thermal conductivity of 100 W / m·K or more.

[0031] The heat exchanger of the above configuration is capable of efficient heat exchange since the thermal conductivity of the heat conducting member is high.

[0032] (10) In one aspect of the heat exchanger, the plurality of thermally conductive members are made of any one of copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, silver, silver alloy, silicon carbide, and aluminum nitride.

[0033] The materials of the heat conducting members listed above are all highly heat conductive materials, so that the heat exchanger of the above configuration can efficiently exchange heat.

[0034] (11) In one embodiment of the heat exchanger, each of the plurality of heat conducting members is a sphere.

[0035] If each of the multiple heat conducting members is a sphere, they can be easily filled into the internal space. In addition, the heat conducting members filled in the internal space can easily form contact points and gaps that serve as second heat transfer paths. Therefore, in the internal space, heat from the object of heat exchange can be sufficiently conducted to the spheres by contact between the spheres, and a sufficient contact area between the refrigerant and the spheres can be secured. This thermal conduction between the spheres and securing the contact area with the refrigerant enables efficient heat exchange.

[0036] (12) In one form of heat exchanger in which each of the heat conduction members is a sphere, the plurality of heat conduction members include a first sphere having a relatively large diameter and a second sphere having a relatively small diameter, and the second sphere is filled in the gap formed by the contact between the first spheres.

[0037] By using not only the first spheres but also second spheres of a size that fills the gaps between the first spheres, a larger number of spheres can be filled into the internal space than when only the first spheres are used, and therefore the contact area between the refrigerant and the multiple spheres can be made larger than when only the first spheres are used, enabling more efficient heat exchange.

[0038] (13) A wafer holding member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes the heat exchanger according to any one of items (1) to (12) above.

[0039] According to the above-mentioned wafer holding member, by including the above-mentioned heat exchanger, the wafer placed on the housing can be efficiently cooled.

[0040] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] A heat exchanger and a wafer holding member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same objects. The sizes and positional relationships of the members shown in the drawings are expressed for the purpose of clarifying the description, and do not necessarily represent the actual dimensional relationships. The following description will be given using a prober equipped with a wafer holding member according to an embodiment as an example. First, an overview of the prober will be described, and then a wafer holding member including a heat exchanger will be described.

[0041] [Embodiment 1] <Prober Overview> A prober is an inspection device that places a wafer on which a circuit is formed on a chuck top and performs a continuity test of the circuit by pressing a probe card against the wafer. The wafer is the object to be cooled during the inspection. This wafer has multiple chips, and the above-mentioned circuits are formed on each chip. The prober includes a stage, a loader, a probe card, and a test head.

[0042] The stage includes a wafer holding member 1 and a moving mechanism. As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer holding member 1 includes a chuck top constituting a part of the heat exchanger 10, a temperature adjustment unit 20, a support member 30, a warpage prevention plate 40, and a base plate 50. The chuck top has a wafer mounting surface 11s. The temperature adjustment unit 20 heats or cools the wafer mounted on the chuck top to a predetermined temperature. The support member 30 supports the heat exchanger 10 and the temperature adjustment unit 20 relative to the base plate 50. The warpage prevention plate 40 supports the heat exchanger 10 from below as necessary. The base plate 50 forms a base for the heat exchanger 10, the temperature adjustment unit 20, and the support member 30. Details of each of these components of the wafer holding member 1 will be described later.

[0043] The moving mechanism supports the base plate 50 and moves the wafer holding member 1 in three orthogonal directions, the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction. For example, it includes an X stage, a Y stage, and a Z stage that move the base plate in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction, respectively. Driving these stages moves the wafer holding member 1 so that the probe needles of the probe card come into contact with predetermined positions on the wafer.

[0044] The loader takes out a wafer housed in a transport container and places it on a chuck top of the stage. The loader also takes out a wafer, which has completed the inspection of the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor device, from the stage and places it in the transport container.

[0045] The probe card is a device for electrically connecting a test head (described later) to a chip formed on a wafer to be tested. A large number of probe needles are arranged on the underside of the probe card in correspondence with the electrode pads and solder bumps of the chip formed on the wafer. The stage adjusts the relative positions of the probe card and the wafer to bring the electrode pads of the chip into contact with each probe needle.

[0046] The test head is a device that outputs electrical signals for testing the chips to the chips and judges pass / fail based on an output response from the chips. The test head is electrically connected to the probe card. The test head has a memory unit and a judgment unit. The memory unit stores the electrical signals indicating the electrical characteristics of the chips transmitted from the probe card as measurement data. The judgment unit judges the presence or absence of electrical defects in each chip formed on the wafer based on the measurement data.

[0047] <Wafer holding member> As described above, the wafer holding member 1 includes the heat exchanger 10 including the chuck top, the temperature adjustment unit 20, the support member 30, the warp prevention plate 40, and the base plate 50. The temperature adjustment unit 20, the support member 30, the warp prevention plate 40, and the base plate 50 are a support structure for the heat exchanger 10 including the chuck top. One of the features of the heat exchanger 10 of this embodiment is that it has a housing 11 having a refrigerant inlet 11i, a refrigerant outlet 11o, and an internal space 11a, and a plurality of heat conductive members 12 filled in the internal space 11a. First, the heat exchanger 10 will be described, and then the temperature adjustment unit 20, the support member 30, and the base plate 50 will be described.

[0048] ≪Heat exchanger≫ (Housing) As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the housing 11 is a member through which a coolant for cooling the wafer flows. The housing 11 in this example has a function of a chuck top that adsorbs the placed wafer. The overall shape of the housing 11 is shaped to match the shape of the wafer, and is usually configured in a disk shape. The size of the housing 11 is such that there is some space around the wafer when it is placed on it. Examples of the size of the wafer include a diameter of 200 mm, a diameter of 300 mm, and a diameter of 450 mm.

[0049] The material of the housing 11 may be a metal, a nonmetal, or a composite of a metal and a nonmetal, which have excellent thermal conductivity. Examples of metals include copper, copper alloys, silver, silver alloys, aluminum, and aluminum alloys. Examples of nonmetals include silicon and ceramics. Examples of ceramics include aluminum nitride and silicon carbide. Examples of composites include a composite of silicon and silicon carbide, a composite of aluminum and silicon carbide, and a composite of aluminum, silicon, and silicon carbide. The material of the housing 11 in this example is copper.

[0050] The thermal conductivity of the housing 11 is preferably 100 W / m·K or more. This thermal conductivity is more preferably 200 W / m·K or more, 300 W / m·K or more, and particularly preferably 400 W / m·K or more. The thermal conductivity of aluminum is approximately 230 W / m·K, that of copper is approximately 400 W / m·K, and that of silver is approximately 420 W / m·K. The thermal conductivity of silicon carbide is approximately 200 W / m·K, and that of aluminum nitride is approximately 150 W / m·K.

[0051] The housing 11 comprises a lid portion 11T, a bottom portion 11B, and a side portion 11S. The space surrounded by the lid portion 11T, the bottom portion 11B, and the side portion 11S constitutes the internal space 11a of the housing 11. The lid portion 11T is a portion that constitutes the chuck top. That is, one surface of the lid portion 11T constitutes the wafer mounting surface 11s, and the opposite surface constitutes the inner surface of the internal space 11a. The bottom portion 11B is a portion that faces the lid portion 11T. The shape of the bottom portion 11B corresponds to the shape of the lid portion 11T. The side portion 11S is a portion that connects the lid portion 11T and the bottom portion 11B.

[0052] It is preferable to use a member in which the lid portion 11T and the side portion 11S are integrally formed. In this example, the housing 11 is formed by joining two members, a disk-shaped first member 10A in which the lid portion 11T and the side portion 11S are integrally formed, and a disk-shaped second member 10B constituting the bottom portion 11B. The first member 10A has an internal space 11a formed by providing a spiral groove, which will be described later, on the surface that is joined to the second member 10B. Although not shown in the drawings, the lid portion 11T, the bottom portion 11B, and the side portion 11S may each be formed as separate members and combined with each other to form the housing 11.

[0053] Furthermore, as described in the second embodiment below, it is also preferable to use a container-like member in which the lid portion 11T and the cylindrical side portion 11S are integrally formed. By combining this container-like member with the bottom portion 11B, it is easy to assemble the heat exchanger 10 in which the thermal conductive member 12 is filled in the internal space 11a. The assembly procedure of the heat exchanger 10 will be described later.

[0054] The inlet 11i of the refrigerant and the outlet 11o of the refrigerant are preferably provided on the side portion 11S. The inlet 11i and the outlet 11o are pipes that communicate between the internal space 11a and the outside of the housing 11. In this example, the inlet 11i and the outlet 11o are provided at positions facing each other on the side portion 11S.

[0055] The lid 11T is provided with a wafer suction mechanism. A specific example of the suction mechanism is a configuration including a groove provided on the wafer mounting surface 11s and an exhaust path 11c for exhausting from the groove. A specific example of the groove is a plurality of annular grooves 11r provided on the wafer mounting surface 11s as shown in FIG. 1. These annular grooves 11r are provided concentrically. An exhaust port 11e is formed on the bottom surface of each annular groove 11r. This exhaust port 11e extends in the thickness direction of the lid 11T and is connected to the exhaust path 11c. The exhaust path 11c is, for example, a linear flow path extending along the radial direction inside the lid 11T. One end of the exhaust path 11c is a closed end, and the other end is opened on the side surface of the lid 11T. An exhaust pipe (not shown) is connected to this opening, and the exhaust pipe is further connected to an exhaust pump (not shown). By driving the exhaust pump, air is exhausted from the annular groove 11r through the exhaust path 11c and the exhaust pipe, and the wafer can be adsorbed onto the mounting surface 11s. Note that the mechanism for holding the wafer on the mounting surface 11s is not limited to the above-mentioned vacuum chuck, and may be an electrostatic chuck or a mechanical clamp.

[0056] The shape of the internal space 11a is not particularly limited as long as it is connected to the inlet 11i and the outlet 11o. Specific examples of this shape include an elongated tubular three-dimensional space and a cylindrical three-dimensional space. This example includes a tubular internal space 11a. The cross-sectional shape of this internal space 11a is rectangular. It is preferable that the tubular internal space 11a is provided evenly throughout the entire chuck top so that almost the entire surface of the mounting surface 11s can be uniformly cooled. For example, a serpentine or spiral tubular internal space 11a can be included. This example includes a spiral internal space 11a as shown in FIG. 2. More specifically, the spiral internal space 11a has a straight portion that extends radially from the inlet 11i to near the center of the lid portion 11T. The end of the straight portion opposite the inlet 11i is connected to a first C-shaped portion that is concentric with the center of the lid portion 11T. The tip of the first C-shaped portion is connected to a second C-shaped portion on the outer periphery side via a U-shaped folded portion. Further, the internal space 11a is formed from the second C-shaped portion to the n-th C-shaped portion through the folded portion in the same manner. n is an integer of 2 or more. The bending diameter of the first C-shaped portion located at the innermost circumference is the smallest, and the bending diameter of the n-th C-shaped portion located at the outermost circumference is the largest. The tip of the n-th C-shaped portion is connected to the outlet 11o. The tubular internal space 11a may be shaped so that it branches on the side closer to the inlet 11i and is connected on the side closer to the outlet 11o. The tubular internal space 11a can be easily formed, for example, by cutting a groove on the back surface of the lid portion 11T, that is, the surface opposite to the mounting surface 11s. The heat exchanger 10 having the cylindrical internal space 11a will be described in the second embodiment.

[0057] A coolant is introduced into this internal space 11a. The coolant is not particularly limited as long as it is a material that does not substantially react with the housing 11 or the heat conductive member 12. For example, a gas such as nitrogen or dry air, or a liquid such as water, oil, an ethylene glycol aqueous solution, or a fluorine-based liquid can be used as the coolant.

[0058] (Heat conductive material) The heat conducting member 12 is a member for efficiently transferring the heat transferred through the lid portion 11T to the refrigerant. The heat conducting member 12 is composed of a plurality of unit members independent of each other. These unit members are filled in the above-mentioned internal space 11a so that each of them has a second heat transfer path and a gap 12g. The second heat transfer path in this example is formed by contact points 12c between the unit members. However, at least a part of the contact points 12c of the unit members may be joined to each other. In other words, the unit members constituting the heat conducting member 12 are members that are independent of each other and fall apart unless they are subjected to a joining process described later, unlike a porous body that is molded to have a large number of holes from the beginning.

[0059] The shape of the unit members is not particularly limited as long as they have contact points 12c with each other and gaps 12g are formed between them when filled in the internal space 11a. Examples of the shape of the unit members include granular and fibrous shapes. Various shapes such as polyhedrons, spheres, and ellipsoids can be selected for the granular unit members. Examples of the fibrous unit members include long fibers and short fibers, as well as mesh materials and woven fabrics formed by combining at least one of long fibers and short fibers. The type of shape of the unit members may be a single type, or multiple types may be combined. In particular, spheres can be easily filled into the internal space 11a by flowing them. The shape of the unit members in this example is spherical.

[0060] The size of the unit members is not particularly limited as long as they can fill the internal space 11a. However, if there are a large number of unit members, the contact area with the refrigerant can be increased, resulting in more efficient heat exchange. For spherical unit members, a size of about 0.5 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less in diameter is preferably used. In particular, spheres with a diameter of 1.0 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less are preferably used. For fibrous unit members, short fibers are more likely to form contact points and gaps than long fibers.

[0061] The number of unit members is not particularly limited as long as it can fill the internal space 11a. A larger number of unit members can increase the contact area between the refrigerant and the unit members, allowing for more efficient heat exchange. However, if there are too many unit members, it becomes difficult to ensure sufficient gap 12g. Since gap 12g serves as a flow path for the refrigerant, if gap 12g is too small, the pressure loss of the refrigerant increases.

[0062] It is preferable to select the size and number of unit members so that Sa+Sp≧1.5Sa. Sa is the total area of ​​the inner surface of the internal space 11a. Sp is the total surface area of ​​the multiple heat conductive members 12. Sp is calculated by multiplying the surface area of ​​each unit member by the number of unit members. If the above formula is satisfied, the contact area with the refrigerant can be made 1.5 times or more larger than in a comparative embodiment in which the housing 11 is not filled with heat conductive members 12, enabling more efficient heat exchange. In particular, it is more preferable to satisfy Sa+Sp≧2.0Sa.

[0063] The heat conducting members 12 are preferably packed in the internal space 11a so that the individual unit members are in contact with each other and do not substantially move within the internal space 11a. The unit members do not substantially move when the unit members do not move with each other due to vibrations acting under normal use conditions of the heat exchanger 10 or the movement of the heat exchanger 10. Ideally, the heat conducting members 12 are preferably packed in the internal space 11a in a close-packed state. This close-packed state can be hexagonal close-packed in space. However, the heat conducting members 12 may be packed in a face-centered cubic lattice or body-centered cubic lattice. Alternatively, the heat conducting members 12 may be arranged in parallel in a planar contact state. In this example, the heat conducting members 12 are packed in the internal space 11a so that the heat conducting members 12 are arranged in the longitudinal direction and width direction of the tubular internal space 11a and are stacked in the height direction of the internal space 11a. The longitudinal direction of the tubular internal space 11a is the direction along the internal space 11a from the inlet 11i to the outlet 11o. The width direction of the tubular internal space 11a is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the placement surface 11s. The height direction of the tubular internal space 11a is a direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the width direction. This height direction corresponds to the up-down direction in FIG. 1 and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2.

[0064] The above-mentioned filling state is such that a first heat transfer path 17 is formed between the inner surface of the housing 11 constituting the internal space 11a and at least a part of the plurality of unit members. For example, the first heat transfer path 17 is formed between the inner surface of the housing 11 and at least a part of the plurality of unit members by contact between solids. This first heat transfer path 17 may be formed by the inner surface of the housing 11 being in direct contact with the unit members, or may be formed by the inner surface of the housing 11 being in indirect contact with the unit members via another solid member. Examples of the other solid member include a cushioning material 14 and a wax material 15, which will be described later. By having this first heat transfer path 17, the heat of the object placed on the housing 11 is efficiently transferred to at least a part of the unit members via the inner surface of the housing.

[0065] The inner surface of the housing 11 constituting the first heat transfer path 17 may include at least one of the multiple inner surfaces other than the surface located far from the object serving as a heat source. For example, when the inner surface of the housing 11 has an upper surface, a side surface, and a bottom surface, and an object is placed on the upper surface side, the bottom surface is the surface located far from the object. Therefore, the heat transfer member 12 may be filled so that a heat transfer path is formed on at least one of the upper surface and the side surface. In particular, it is preferable that the first heat transfer path 17 is formed on the upper surface closest to the object. The first heat transfer path 17 may be formed on a surface located far from the object. In this example, the first heat transfer path 17 is provided between the upper surface and the side surface of the inner surface of the housing 11 and the heat transfer member 12 by solid-solid contact. In this first heat transfer path 17, there are a portion where the upper surface and the side surface are in direct contact with the heat transfer member 12, and a portion where the upper surface and the side surface are in indirect contact with the heat transfer member 12 via the brazing material 15 described later.

[0066] Furthermore, the above-mentioned filling state is such that the unit members have a second heat transfer path, and gaps 12g that serve as a flow path for the refrigerant are formed in the internal space 11a. The second heat transfer path is formed, for example, by contact points 12c between the unit members. The contact points 12c are the locations where the unit members contact each other. The gaps 12g include spaces provided between the unit members and spaces provided between the inner surface of the housing 11 and the unit members. By filling the internal space 11a with a plurality of heat conductive members 12, the gaps 12g are formed as three-dimensional mesh-like spaces.

[0067] At least some of the heat conductive members 12 filled in the internal space 11a may be joined to each other. That is, at least some of the contact points 12c may be joint points 12j at which the heat conductive members do not separate from each other. The heat conductive members 12 having the joint points 12j are prevented from moving to each other. For example, by heating the housing 11 in which the heat conductive members 12 are filled in the internal space 11a, the heat conductive members 12 can be diffused and joined to each other. The heating temperature is preferably close to the melting point of the material constituting the heat conductive members 12. The longer the time for which the heating temperature is maintained, the easier it is to cause diffusion and form the joint points 12j. In the joint using the diffusion between the heat conductive members 12, all of the heat conductive members 12 can be joined. In that case, all of the contact points 12c between the heat conductive members 12 become the joint points 12j.

[0068] Another method for suppressing at least a part of the movement of the heat conductive member 12 in the internal space 11a is to join the heat conductive member 12 to the inner surface of the housing 11 that constitutes the internal space 11a. For example, brazing material 15 can be used for this joining. If the brazing material 15 is placed on the inner surface of the housing 11 that constitutes the internal space 11a and the brazing material 15 is melted by heating it to a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the brazing material 15, the heat conductive member 12 that contacts the inner surface of the housing 11 can be joined to the inner surface. The brazing material 15 may be a sheet or foil-shaped brazing material 15 placed on the inner surface of the housing 11, or may be applied to the inner surface of the housing 11 in advance. If the amount of the brazing material 15 is large, the molten brazing material 15 can penetrate the gaps 12g between the heat conductive members 12 by capillary action, and the heat conductive members 12 can be joined together. However, the entry of the brazing material 15 into the gaps 12g between the heat conductive members 12 narrows the gaps 12g that serve as a flow path for the refrigerant. For this reason, it is preferable to bond only the heat conductive member 12 that contacts the inner surface of the housing 11 to the inner surface of the housing 11. Of course, if a sufficient flow path for the refrigerant is ensured, the heat conductive member 12 located inside the heat conductive member 12 that contacts the inner surface of the housing 11 may be bonded with the brazing material 15. When the heating temperature for bonding the above-mentioned heat conductive members 12 together by diffusion is equal to or higher than the melting point of the brazing material 15, the bonding of the heat conductive members 12 together by diffusion and the bonding of the inner surface of the housing 11 and the heat conductive member 12 with the brazing material 15 can be performed in a single heat treatment.

[0069] The heat conductive member 12 may be made of a metal or ceramics having excellent thermal conductivity. Examples of the metal include copper, copper alloy, silver, silver alloy, aluminum, and aluminum alloy. Examples of the ceramic include aluminum nitride and silicon carbide. In this embodiment, the heat conductive member 12 is made of copper.

[0070] The thermal conductivity of the heat conductive member 12 is preferably 100 W / m·K or more, more preferably 200 W / m·K or more, 300 W / m·K or more, and particularly preferably 400 W / m·K or more.

[0071] (Mesh material) A mesh material 13 is disposed at the inlet 11i and the outlet 11o provided in the housing 11. The mesh material 13 is a member for preventing the heat conductive member 12 from flowing out from the refrigerant inlet 11i and the refrigerant outlet 11o. The mesh size of the mesh material 13 is smaller than the size of each heat conductive member 12. The size of the heat conductive member 12 refers to the length of the shortest straight line among the straight lines that cross the projected image of each heat conductive member 12. As the form of the mesh material 13, a member formed of metal wires in a mesh shape can be suitably used. Alternatively, the mesh material 13 may be a known porous body. The mesh material 13 is disposed at least inside the inlet 11i and the outlet 11o. The inlet 11i and the outlet 11o are pipes that communicate between the internal space 11a and the outside of the housing 11, and are provided in a range corresponding to the thickness of the side portion 11S of the housing 11. The mesh material 13 does not have to be provided over the entire length of the pipe as long as it is provided to block the pipe. In this example, mesh material 13 made of mesh-like metal wires is disposed at the inlet 11i and the outlet 11o as shown in Fig. 2. The mesh material 13 disposed at the inlet 11i may extend into the internal space 11a as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in the second embodiment described later.

[0072] (Cushioning material) Furthermore, a cushioning material 14 may be disposed between the heat conducting member 12 and the inner surface of the housing 11, if necessary. The cushioning material 14 is a material for filling a gap between the heat conducting member 12 and the housing 11. When the heat conducting member 12 is filled into the internal space 11a, a small gap is usually formed between the housing 11 and the heat conducting member 12. This gap allows the heat conducting members 12 to move relative to each other. The movement of the heat conducting members 12 changes the contact state between them, which affects the performance of the heat exchanger 10. Therefore, the use of the cushioning material 14 can suppress the movement of the heat conducting member 12.

[0073] The cushioning material 14 may be a mesh member, a braided member, a porous body, or the like. A metal porous body may be suitably used as the porous body. An example of a metal porous body is Celmet. Celmet is a registered trademark of Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. In this example, a mesh member made of metal wires is used as the cushioning material 14. A material with high thermal conductivity is suitable for the cushioning material 14. For example, a material with a thermal conductivity equivalent to that of the housing 11 or the heat conducting member 12 may be used.

[0074] The cushion material 14 is preferably in the form of a sheet. The cushion material 14 has elasticity. The cushion material 14 has elasticity, so that it can be arranged so as to follow the unevenness of the multiple heat conductive members 12 and can appropriately press these heat conductive members 12. The heat conductive members 12 pressed against the cushion material 14 are restricted in movement and can maintain a heat transfer path with the housing 11 via the cushion material 14.

[0075] The cushion material 14 is disposed between the inner surface of the housing 11 that constitutes the internal space 11a and the thermally conductive member 12. In particular, it is preferable to dispose the cushion material 14 at least one of between the lid portion 11T and the thermally conductive member 12 and between the bottom portion 11B and the thermally conductive member 12. In this example, the cushion material 14 is disposed only between the bottom portion 11B and the thermally conductive member 12.

[0076] <Heat exchanger manufacturing method> Next, a description will be given of a method for manufacturing the heat exchanger 10. The heat exchanger 10 is manufactured by the following procedure. A first member 10A which is an integral body of a lid portion 11T and a side portion 11S, and a second member 10B which is a bottom portion 11B are prepared. A groove which forms a tubular internal space 11a shown in FIG. 2 is formed on the back surface of the lid portion 11T of the first member 10A. The brazing material 15 is placed in the groove with the front surface of the lid portion 11T, i.e., the wafer mounting surface 11s, facing downward and the back surface of the lid portion 11T facing upward. For example, a sheet-like brazing material 15 is placed on the back surface of the lid portion 11T. If necessary, the brazing material 15 may also be placed between the cushion material 14 and the bottom portion 11B, which will be described later. A mesh material 13 is disposed at the inlet 11i and the outlet 11o. The internal space 11a is filled with the thermally conductive member 12. At this time, the internal space 11a is filled with the thermally conductive member 12 as much as possible. If necessary, a cushioning material 14 is placed in the internal space 11a. In this example, the cushioning material 14 is also placed on the filled heat conductive member 12. The opening of the first member 10A is closed by the bottom portion 11B, and the bottom portion 11B is fixed to the first member 10A. At this time, the cushion material 14 is compressed between the bottom portion 11B and the heat conductive member 12. Due to this compression, the cushion material 14 presses the heat conductive member 12. The assembled housing 11 is subjected to a heat treatment. The brazing material 15 is melted by this heat treatment. The melted brazing material 15 flows downward due to gravity and is positioned so as to contact the back surface of the lid portion 11T. By cooling the housing 11, the brazing material 15 solidifies and bonds the back surface of the lid portion 11T and the heat conductive member 12 in contact with the back surface. By turning the obtained housing 11 upside down, the lid 11T is on top and the bottom 11B is on the bottom. Then, the heat exchanger 10 is obtained in which the heat conductive member 12 is joined with the brazing material 15 to the back surface of the lid 11T.

[0077] Alternatively, the brazing material 15, the heat conductive member 12, and, if necessary, the cushioning material 14 may be arranged on the integrated body of the bottom portion 11B and the side portion 11S with the bottom portion 11B facing downward and the opening facing upward.

[0078] ≪Support structure≫ The above-mentioned heat exchanger 10 is supported by a support structure to constitute the wafer holding member 1. The support structure includes a base plate 50, a support member 30, and a temperature adjustment unit 20, and also includes a warp prevention plate 40 as necessary.

[0079] (Base plate) The base plate 50 is a member that serves as a base for supporting the heat exchanger 10, the support member 30, the temperature adjustment unit 20, and the warp prevention plate 40. The material of this base plate 50 may be any of aluminum nitride, silicon carbide, a composite of silicon and silicon carbide, a composite of aluminum and silicon carbide, and a composite of aluminum, silicon, and silicon carbide.

[0080] (Support member) The support member 30 is a member that supports the housing 11 of the heat exchanger 10 on the base plate 50. When the warp prevention plate 40 is present, the support member 30 supports the warp prevention plate 40 on the base plate 50. The shape of the support member 30 can be columnar, cylindrical, or the like. The columnar or cylindrical support member 30 passes through a hole provided in the temperature adjustment unit 20 to support the warp prevention plate 40 or the housing 11. The outer diameter of the columnar or cylindrical support member 30 is sufficiently smaller than the outer diameter of the cover portion 11T or the bottom portion 11B. By using the columnar or cylindrical support member 30, the contact area between the support member 30 and the warp prevention plate 40 or the contact area between the support member 30 and the housing 11 of the heat exchanger 10 can be reduced. This suppresses heat conduction to the base plate 50 via the support member 30, thereby maintaining the thermal uniformity of the chuck top. Furthermore, by using the columnar or cylindrical support member 30, a space can be formed between the temperature adjustment unit 20 and the base plate 50, which will be described below. This space contributes to thermal insulation between the base plate 50 and the heat exchanger 10. The support member 30 in this example is a cylindrical body. Support members 30 with other configurations will be described in embodiment 4 below. It is preferable that a plurality of support members 30 are provided so as to support the housing 11 of the heat exchanger 10 or the warp prevention plate 40 in a well-balanced manner. The material of the support member 30 may be any of alumina, mullite alumina, mullite, cordierite, steatite, and silicon nitride.

[0081] (Temperature control unit) The temperature adjustment unit 20 is a unit for heating or cooling the wafer to a predetermined temperature. In this example, the temperature adjustment unit 20 is provided on the lower surface of the warp prevention plate 40. The temperature adjustment unit 20 includes a cooling section 21 and a heating section 22. A flow path for a refrigerant is configured in the cooling section 21. The refrigerant is the same as the refrigerant circulating in the internal space 11a of the housing 11. A heater such as a resistance heating element is disposed in the heating section 22. In this example, the cooling section 21 is disposed on the lower surface of the warp prevention plate 40, and the heating section 22 is disposed on the lower surface of the cooling section 21. Conversely, the heating section 22 may be disposed on the lower surface of the warp prevention plate 40, and the cooling section 21 may be disposed on the lower surface of the heating section 22. The heat exchanger 10 of the chuck top is mainly used to efficiently cool the heated wafer. In contrast, the cooling section 21 is used to adjust the temperature of the wafer to a predetermined temperature by operating together with the heating section 22, or to control the temperature of the wafer below freezing without operating the heating section 22.

[0082] (Warp prevention plate) The warp prevention plate 40 is a member for suppressing the occurrence of warping in the heat exchanger 10 due to heat during wafer inspection. The warp prevention plate 40 may be provided as necessary and is not an essential member. In the absence of the warp prevention plate 40, the support member 30 supports the housing 11 of the heat exchanger 10. Examples of materials for the warp prevention plate 40 include alumina, mullite alumina, mullite, cordierite, steatite, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, or composites of these ceramics and metals.

[0083] <Effects of this embodiment> The above heat exchanger 10 provides the following advantages. - More efficient heat exchange is possible compared to the comparative embodiment. The comparative embodiment is a heat exchanger 10 in which the heat conductive member 12 is not present in the internal space 11a of the housing 11 and only the refrigerant is circulated. A first heat transfer path 17 is formed between the inner surface constituting the internal space 11a of the housing 11 and at least some of the heat conductive members 12. Through this first heat transfer path 17, heat from the wafer placed on the housing 11 can be effectively transferred to the multiple heat conductive members 12 in the housing 11. The heat conductive members 12 that receive heat from the inner surface of the housing 11 that constitutes the internal space 11a can transfer heat to the adjacent heat conductive members 12 via the contact points 12c. In addition, since the multiple heat conductive members 12 are filled in the internal space 11a so as to have gaps 12g that serve as the flow path of the refrigerant, the contact area between the solid constituting the heat exchanger 10 and the refrigerant can be increased compared to the comparative embodiment. In this way, sufficient heat transfer can be performed from the wafer to the multiple heat conductive members 12 via the housing 11, and efficient heat exchange can be expected. The heat exchanger 10 can be easily assembled. This is because the heat exchanger 10 can be assembled by a simple operation of filling the internal space 11a of the housing 11 with a plurality of heat conductive members 12. The heat conduction members 12 are at least partially joined to each other, which suppresses movement between the joined heat conduction members 12. This suppression of movement makes it difficult for the efficiency of heat exchange to change, and stable heat exchange can be achieved. By providing the cushioning material 14 in the internal space 11a, it is possible to fill the gap between the inner surface of the housing 11 and the heat conducting member 12. In addition, the cushioning material 14 can press the heat conducting member 12, thereby suppressing the movement of the heat conducting member 12 within the internal space 11a. The wafer holding member 1 has the heat exchanger 10, and thus can efficiently exchange heat.

[0084] [Embodiment 2] <Configuration> In the first embodiment, a heat exchanger 10 having a long and thin tubular internal space 11a has been described, but in the second embodiment, a heat exchanger 10 having a cylindrical internal space 11a will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 5. The following description will mainly focus on the differences from the first embodiment, and the commonalities will be omitted.

[0085] In the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, a container-shaped housing 11 is used. More specifically, the housing 11 has a disk-shaped lid portion 11T and a bottom portion 11B connected by a cylindrical side portion 11S. The space surrounded by the lid portion 11T, the bottom portion 11B, and the side portion 11S is a cylindrical internal space 11a. The heat exchanger 10 of this example includes a first member 10A in which the lid portion 11T and the side portion 11S are integrated, and a second member 10B which becomes the bottom portion 11B. The first member 10A and the second member 10B are separate bodies.

[0086] Further, the housing 11 used in this example includes a support 16 that connects the lid portion 11T and the bottom portion 11B. The support 16 is not particularly limited as long as it is interposed between the lid portion 11T and the bottom portion 11B. The support 16 in this example is integrated with the first member 10A. The shape of the support 16 can be a columnar body, a cylindrical body, a wall material, or the like. In this example, a columnar support 16 is used. By having the support 16, the housing 11 of the heat exchanger 10 can have high rigidity even if the wafer on the chuck top is pressed by a probe card during inspection. Figures 4 and 5 are vertical cross-sectional views of the heat exchanger 10 of this example cut along a virtual cutting plane. This cutting plane is a cutting plane along a path that extends radially from the inlet 11i in Figure 3, passes through two supports 16 arranged on the center side of the lid portion 11T and the bottom portion 11B on the way, and then extends again along the radial direction to the outlet 11o. It is preferable that the number of supports 16 is more than one. By providing a plurality of supports 16, each support 16 can be made smaller, and the presence of the supports 16 can reduce the area not filled with the thermal conductive member 12. The supports 16 are preferably arranged in a generally uniform distribution relative to the lid 11T and the bottom 11B so that the lid 11T can be supported relative to the bottom 11B in a well-balanced manner. The supports 16 may be provided according to the required rigidity of the housing 11, and the supports 16 may not be necessary depending on the material and thickness of the lid 11T.

[0087] A plurality of heat conductive members 12 are filled in the cylindrical internal space 11a described above. That is, a plurality of heat conductive members 12 are filled in the area of ​​the space surrounded by the lid portion 11T, the bottom portion 11B, and the side portion 11S, except for the portion where the support 16 is arranged. That is, the internal space 11a is a single space surrounded by the lid portion 11T, the bottom portion 11B, and the side portion 11S, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the internal space 11a is larger than the cross-sectional areas of the inlet 11i and the outlet 11o. The material and size of the heat conductive member 12 are the same as those of the first embodiment. By making the internal space 11a cylindrical, the volume in which the heat conductive member 12 can be filled can be made larger than the tubular internal space 11a of the first embodiment. Therefore, more heat conductive members 12 can be filled in the internal space 11a than in the first embodiment.

[0088] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the configuration of the mesh material 13 is different from that of the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the mesh material 13 is provided only at the inlet 11i of the refrigerant and the outlet 11o of the refrigerant, but in this embodiment, the mesh material 13 extends into the internal space 11a. Specifically, a cylindrical mesh material 13 with a closed tip is arranged not only at the inlet 11i but also in the internal space 11a. In this embodiment, the mesh material 13 extends linearly from the inlet 11i along the radial direction of the housing 11 to a position beyond the center of the lid portion 11T and the bottom portion 11B. According to this configuration, the number of heat conductive members 12 is reduced by the volume inside the mesh material 13 extending from the inlet 11i into the internal space, but the refrigerant can be quickly introduced to a location far from the inlet 11i. A stopper 13s is provided at the tip of the cylindrical mesh material 13. The stopper 13s is a member that closes the opening of the mesh at the tip of the mesh material 13. By providing stopper 13s, the flow of the refrigerant is blocked at the tip of mesh material 13, and the refrigerant is allowed to flow out from the side surface of cylindrical mesh material 13. This outflow of the refrigerant from the side surface allows the refrigerant to be diffused in a direction intersecting the axial direction of cylindrical mesh material 13. Furthermore, although not shown, by connecting multiple cylindrical mesh materials via branch connections such as cross-shaped, T-shaped, or Y-shaped, cylindrical mesh materials 13 extending in multiple different directions can be disposed in internal space 11a.

[0089] Additionally, in the heat exchanger 10 of this example, the cushioning material 14 is omitted. However, the cushioning material 14 may be disposed at least either between the lid portion 11T and the heat conducting member 12 or between the bottom portion 11B and the heat conducting member 12. The cushioning material 14 may have through holes formed in advance at locations corresponding to the support body 16. In this example as well, a first heat transfer path 17 is provided between the heat conducting member 12 and the upper and side surfaces of the inner surface of the housing 11, by contact between solids. This first heat transfer path 17 has locations where the heat conducting member 12 is in direct contact with the upper and side surfaces, and locations where the heat conducting member 12 is in indirect contact with the brazing material 15.

[0090] <Heat exchanger manufacturing method> The heat exchanger 10 can be manufactured in the same manner as in the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, the heat exchanger 10 of this example is also obtained by placing a first member 10A, which is an integral part of a lid portion 11T and a side portion 11S, with the lid portion 11T facing downward, and filling the heat conductive member 12 from the opening above. Since the opening of the internal space 11a is wider than that of the first embodiment, it is easy to fill the heat conductive member 12. After filling the internal space 11a with the heat conductive member 12, the second member 10B, which is the bottom portion 11B, is joined to the first member 10A to obtain the heat exchanger 10.

[0091] <Effects of this embodiment> The above heat exchanger 10 can provide the following effects. The cylindrical internal space 11a formed by the lid portion 11T and the side portion 11S allows a larger number of heat conductive members 12 to be filled than in the embodiment 1. Therefore, the total contact area between the heat conductive members 12 and the refrigerant can be made larger than in the embodiment 1. As a result, more efficient heat exchange is possible.

[0092] By using mesh material 13 that extends into internal space 11a, the refrigerant can be quickly introduced to a location far from inlet 11i. By providing stopper 13s at the tip of mesh material 13, the refrigerant can be easily diffused over a wide range within cylindrical internal space 11a.

[0093] By providing the support 16 between the lid portion 11T and the bottom portion 11B, it is possible to configure a heat exchanger 10 having higher rigidity than when the support 16 is not provided.

[0094] [Variation 2-1] <Configuration> 6, the modified example 2-1 is a heat exchanger 10 in which the mesh material 13 in the second embodiment does not extend into the internal space 11a, but is provided only at the refrigerant inlet 11i and the refrigerant outlet 11o. The configuration of the modified example 2-1 other than the mesh material 13 is the same as that of the second embodiment.

[0095] <Effects of this embodiment> Since the area in which the mesh material 13 is arranged is shorter than that in the first embodiment, the internal space 11a can be filled with more heat conductive members 12 by the volume surrounded by the mesh material 13 arranged in the internal space 11a in the first embodiment. Therefore, it is expected that heat exchange can be performed with the same or higher efficiency as that in the second embodiment.

[0096] [Embodiment 3] <Configuration> As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the third embodiment is a heat exchanger 10 in which heat conductive members 12 are arranged in only one stage in a tubular internal space 11a. The overall shape of the tubular internal space 11a may be considered to be the same as the arc-shaped internal space 11a in Fig. 1. However, Figs. 7 and 8 show only a part of the arc-shaped internal space 11a. The tubular internal space 11a has a rectangular cross section. Only one heat conductive member 12 is arranged in the height direction of the internal space 11a. In other words, the outer diameter of each heat conductive member 12 and the height of the tubular internal space 11a generally correspond to each other. A plurality of heat conductive members 12 are arranged in the width direction and the length direction of the internal space 11a. The other configuration of the heat exchanger 10 is generally the same as that of the first embodiment. In the example of Fig. 7, the heat conductive members 12 are arranged in a square lattice pattern, but they may be arranged in a triangular lattice pattern.

[0097] Such a heat exchanger 10 is obtained as follows. The integrated body of the lid portion 11T and the side portion 11S is arranged so that the lid portion 11T is on the bottom and the opening is on the top. A groove with a rectangular cross section is formed on the back surface of the lid portion 11T. The brazing material 15 and the cushioning material 14 are arranged on the back surface of the lid portion 11T. The brazing material 15 and the cushioning material 14 may be stacked in any order. The heat conductive member 12 is arranged in a single layer in the groove formed on the back surface of the lid portion 11T. The cushioning material 14 is also arranged on the heat conductive member 12. The opening of the integrated body is closed with the bottom portion 11B, and the housing 11 is heated. The brazing material 15 is melted to bond the heat conductive member 12 to the cushioning material 14 and the lid portion 11T. After cooling, the heat exchanger 10 is turned upside down.

[0098] In this example, cushioning material 14 is disposed both between lid portion 11T and heat conductive member 12 and between bottom portion 11B and heat conductive member 12. Note that in Fig. 8, heat conductive member 12 is depicted as being in contact with the upper surface of cushioning material 14 of bottom portion 11B, and heat conductive member 12 is depicted as being in contact with the lower surface of cushioning material 14 of lid portion 11T, but in reality, the cushioning material 14 is compressed at the portion of cushioning material 14 that is in contact with heat conductive member 12, and is thinner than other portions. In other words, in reality, heat conductive member 12 is closer to lid portion 11T and bottom portion 11B than depicted in the figure.

[0099] In the heat exchanger 10 of this example, a heat transfer path is also formed between the inner surface of the housing 11 constituting the internal space 11a and the heat conductive member 12. As shown in Fig. 8, among the inner surfaces of the housing 11 constituting the internal space 11a, a first heat transfer path 17 is formed between the inner surface of the cover portion 11T and the heat conductive member 12 via a cushion material 14 and a brazing material 15. Furthermore, among the inner surfaces of the housing 11, the inner surface of the side portion 11S and the heat conductive member 12 are in direct contact with each other, thereby forming the first heat transfer path 17.

[0100] <Effects of this embodiment> In the heat exchanger 10 of this embodiment, the heat conductive members 12 are arranged in a single layer in the tubular internal space 11a, so that the heat conductive members 12 can be easily filled. In particular, compared to a case where the heat conductive members 12 are stacked in the height direction of the internal space 11a, the amount of heat conductive members 12 filled does not depend on the skill of the worker. In particular, a heat exchanger 10 with superior heat exchange efficiency can be obtained by simply filling the heat conductive members 12 in a single layer, as compared to a comparative heat exchanger in which the internal space 11a is not filled with the heat conductive members 12.

[0101] [Variation 3-1] As a modification of the third embodiment, a heat exchanger 10 according to modification 3-1 will be described. In this heat exchanger 10, the cushioning material 14 is provided only between the lid portion 11T and the heat conductive member 12, and there is no cushioning material 14 between the bottom portion 11B and the heat conductive member 12. The other configurations are the same as those of the third embodiment.

[0102] An example of specific specifications of the heat exchanger 10 is as follows. Housing 11 material: Copper Tubular internal space 11a: width 6.0 mm, height 2.3 mm Heat conducting material 12: Copper ball Diameter of heat conductive member 12: 2.0 mm Cushion material 14: 0.3 mm thick copper mesh (#100) Brazing material 15: Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo Co., Ltd. BAg-8, melting point 780℃

[0103] [Embodiment 4] In the fourth embodiment, a heat exchanger 10 including heat conduction members 12 of different sizes will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 shows only the arrangement of the heat conduction members 12, and other configurations are omitted. Configurations other than the heat conduction members 12 are similar to those of the other embodiments described above. This heat conduction member 12 can be used in any of the heat exchangers 10 of the first to third embodiments, modified examples 2-1 and 3-1 already described, and the fifth embodiment described below.

[0104] <Configuration> The heat conducting member 12 of this example includes first spheres 12f having a relatively large size and second spheres 12s having a relatively small size. The diameter of the second spheres 12s is filled into the gaps 12g provided between the first spheres 12f. In FIG. 9, three second spheres 12s are filled into one gap formed by the first spheres 12f, but the number of the second spheres 12s is not limited to three. The number of the second spheres 12s may be one or two, or may be four or more.

[0105] <Effects of this embodiment> According to the heat exchanger 10, more spheres can be packed into the internal space 11a than when the individual heat conductive members 12 have a uniform outer diameter. Therefore, the total surface area of ​​the heat conductive members 12 can be increased compared to when the spheres are of a uniform size, enabling more efficient heat exchange.

[0106] [Embodiment 5] <Configuration> Next, a wafer holding member 1 having a support structure different from that shown in Fig. 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. This wafer holding member 1 can be used with any of the heat exchangers 10 of the above-described embodiments 1 to 4, modified example 2-1, and modified example 3-1.

[0107] In this support structure, a ring-shaped support member 30 is used as the support member 30. In addition, the temperature adjustment unit 20 of this example is separated into a cooling section 21 and a heating section 22. The cooling section 21 is provided on the lower surface of the bottom 11B. A warp prevention plate 40 is provided on the lower surface of this cooling section 21. Furthermore, a heating section 22 is provided on the lower surface of the warp prevention plate 40. The configuration of the wafer holding member 1 of this example, other than the configuration and arrangement of the support member 30 and the temperature adjustment unit 20, is generally the same as that of the wafer holding member 1 shown in FIG. 2. The outer diameter of this support member 30 corresponds approximately to the outer diameters of the cooling section 21 and the warp prevention plate 40. In other words, the outer diameter of the support member 30 is slightly smaller than the outer diameters of the cooling section 21 and the warp prevention plate 40.

[0108] The material of the support member 30 is a heat insulating material. As the heat insulating material, ceramics with low thermal conductivity can be suitably used. The thickness of the support member 30 is sufficiently thicker than the thickness of the heating section 22. In addition, in the temperature adjustment unit 20, the heating section 22 located below has a smaller outer diameter than the cooling section 21 located above. The tubular support member 30 is disposed between the base plate 50 and the warp prevention plate 40. The heating section 22 is disposed inside the support member 30. With this configuration, a space is formed between the heating section 22 and the base plate 50. This space can also suppress the transfer of heat from the heat exchanger 10 and the temperature adjustment unit 20 to the base plate 50.

[0109] <Effects of this embodiment> The above-mentioned wafer holding member 1 can support the heat exchanger 10 with high rigidity by using the ring-shaped support member 30. Furthermore, by providing a space between the heating part 22 and the base plate 50, the temperature adjustment unit 20 can be insulated from the base plate 50. The heating part 22 can be disposed inside the support member 30, and there is no need to provide a hole in the temperature adjustment unit 20 for passing the columnar or cylindrical support member 30 through.

[0110] By providing the cooling unit 21 on the underside of the bottom 11B of the housing 11, the cooling capacity of the heat exchanger 10 including the housing 11 can be supplemented by the cooling unit 21. By filling the internal space 11a of the housing 11 with the heat conductive member 12, the flow resistance of the refrigerant increases compared to when the heat conductive member 12 is not present. In particular, when the viscosity of the refrigerant increases at low temperatures, the cooling capacity of the heat exchanger 10 may decrease. Even in such a case, if the cooling unit 21 is provided on the underside of the bottom 11B of the housing 11, the cooling capacity of the heat exchanger 10 can be maintained by supplementing it.

[0111] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered as limiting. The present invention is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope of the claims and the meaning equivalent thereto. [Explanation of symbols]

[0112] 1 Wafer holding member 10 Heat exchanger 10A First member 10B Second member 11. Cabinet 11T Lid 11s Placement surface 11r Annular groove 11e Exhaust port 11c Exhaust duct 11B Bottom 11S Side 11i entrance 11o exit 11a Interior space 12 Thermal Conductive Materials 12c Contact point (second heat transfer path) 12j Junction (second heat transfer path) 12g gap 12f First Sphere 12s Second Sphere 13 Mesh material 13s stopper 14 Cushioning material 15 Brazing material 16 Support 17 First heat transfer path 20 Temperature Control Unit 21 Cooling section 22 Heating section 30 Support member 40 Anti-warping board 50 Base plate

Claims

1. The device includes a housing on which an object is placed and a plurality of heat conductive members, The housing includes: an internal space filled with the plurality of thermally conductive members; a refrigerant inlet communicating with the interior space; an outlet for the refrigerant communicating with the internal space; moreover, a first heat transfer path provided between an inner surface of the housing constituting the internal space and at least a part of the plurality of heat conductive members; a second heat transfer path formed by contact points between adjacent heat conductive members; A gap serving as a flow path for the refrigerant within the internal space is provided, The inlet and the outlet are provided with a mesh material having an opening size that does not allow the plurality of thermally conductive members to pass through. heat exchanger.

2. The device includes a housing on which an object is placed and a plurality of heat conductive members, The housing includes: A lid portion on which the object is placed; and The bottom and A side portion connecting the lid portion and the bottom portion; an internal space filled with the plurality of thermally conductive members; a refrigerant inlet communicating with the interior space; an outlet for the refrigerant communicating with the internal space; moreover, a first heat transfer path provided between an inner surface of the housing constituting the internal space and at least a part of the plurality of heat conductive members; a second heat transfer path formed by contact points between adjacent heat conductive members; A gap serving as a flow path for the refrigerant within the internal space is provided, a cushioning material disposed between the lid and the plurality of heat conductive members and / or between the bottom and the plurality of heat conductive members; heat exchanger.

3. The device includes a housing on which an object is placed and a plurality of heat conductive members, The housing includes: an internal space filled with the plurality of thermally conductive members; a refrigerant inlet communicating with the interior space; an outlet for the refrigerant communicating with the internal space; moreover, a first heat transfer path provided between an inner surface of the housing constituting the internal space and at least a part of the plurality of heat conductive members; a second heat transfer path formed by contact points between adjacent heat conductive members; A gap serving as a flow path for the refrigerant within the internal space is provided, each of the plurality of heat conducting members is a sphere; the plurality of thermally conductive members include first spheres having a relatively large diameter and second spheres having a relatively small diameter; The second spheres are filled in the gaps formed by the contact between the first spheres. heat exchanger.

4. A heat exchanger as described in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the inlet and the outlet are provided with a mesh material having an opening size that does not allow the multiple thermally conductive members to pass through.

5. Each of the plurality of heat conductive members is a sphere, the plurality of thermally conductive members include first spheres having a relatively large diameter and second spheres having a relatively small diameter; 3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the second spheres are filled in the gaps defined by the contact between the first spheres.

6. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the second heat transfer path is formed by joining at least a portion of the plurality of heat conductive members to each other.

7. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the first heat transfer path is configured by joining at least a part of the plurality of heat conductive members to an inner surface of the housing.

8. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the internal space is a tubular space connecting the inlet and the outlet.

9. The housing includes: A lid portion on which the object is placed; and The bottom and a side portion connecting the lid portion and the bottom portion, the internal space is a single space surrounded by the lid portion, the bottom portion, and the side portion, 9. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional area of ​​the internal space is larger than cross-sectional areas of the inlet and the outlet.

10. 10. The heat exchanger of claim 2 or claim 9, comprising a plurality of supports disposed between the lid and the base.

11. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the thermal conductivity of the plurality of thermally conductive members is 100 W / m·K or more.

12. 12. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive members are made of any one of copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, silver, silver alloy, silicon carbide, and aluminum nitride.

13. A heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 12, Wafer holding member.

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