Gas heating apparatus

Abstract

A gas heating device according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a gas heating device coupled between main pipes to communicate with the main pipe, a tubular pipe portion formed to form a flow space communicating with the main pipe and coupled to the main pipe on one side and the other side of the gas heating device, a first housing formed to surround the pipe portion, a second housing formed to surround the first housing so as to form a heating space between the first housing and the second housing, a coil heater formed to surround the first housing in the heating space, and a gas supply unit that supplies a carrier gas to the heating space through the second housing. A gas heating device according to one embodiment of the present invention is coupled with a main pipe through which process gas flows, and by heating and supplying a carrier gas to the main pipe, it can prevent clogging of the main pipe.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for discharging process gases for semiconductor and display manufacturing, and more specifically, to a gas heating device that enables the smooth discharge of reaction byproduct gases without pipe blockage by heating and injecting a carrier gas into a pipe through which process gases used in semiconductor and display manufacturing processes flow. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, semiconductor manufacturing processes are largely composed of a front-end process (Fabrication process) and a back-end process (Assembly process). The front-end process refers to a process of manufacturing a so-called semiconductor chip by repeatedly performing a process of depositing a thin film on a wafer in various process chambers and selectively etching the deposited thin film to process a specific pattern. The back-end process refers to a process of assembling a finished product by separating the chips manufactured in the front-end process individually and combining them with a lead frame.

[0003] At this time, the process of depositing a thin film on the wafer or etching the thin film deposited on the wafer is performed at a high temperature using harmful gases such as silane, arsine, and boron chloride, and process gases such as hydrogen inside a process chamber, and during the process, a large amount of reaction byproduct gases containing various flammable gases, corrosive foreign substances, and toxic components are generated inside the process chamber.

[0004] Process gas is discharged by, for example, being exhausted from the chamber by a vacuum pump and then pumped to a scrubber (gas purification device) for treatment; meanwhile, since reaction byproducts of the process gas solidify into powder form at low temperatures, blocking piping and causing damage to the vacuum pump, various equipment was utilized to prevent the generation of powder.

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, the jacket heater method was commonly used as a conventional equipment to resolve the problem of blockages caused by reaction byproduct gases solidifying into powder form. This method involves wrapping an entire section of the piping with a heater to maintain a warm temperature inside the pipe. However, this jacket heater method had the problem of low efficiency relative to power consumption, despite high installation costs due to the need to wrap a large portion of the piping with a heater.

[0006] In addition, to solve the above problems, a gas heating device was used as one of the conventionally utilized pieces of equipment to prevent reaction byproduct gases from solidifying into powder form within the piping by heating the carrier gas and supplying it to the piping. However, due to the structural complexity of conventional gas heating devices, the thermal efficiency was low, resulting in a problem where the temperature discharged into the piping was excessively low compared to the temperature at which the carrier gas (typically nitrogen gas) was heated. For example, although the nitrogen gas was heated to 150°C or 200°C in the gas heating device, the temperature of the nitrogen gas actually discharged into the piping dropped to 80°C. Since the required temperature of the nitrogen gas actually discharged into the piping is about 80°C, the gas heating device had to heat it up to 200°C to meet the required temperature, resulting in a problem of low efficiency relative to the high power consumption. Prior art literature

[0007] Republic of Korea Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1206536 The problem to be solved

[0008] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems by effectively heating and supplying a carrier gas to the piping, thereby preventing pipe blockage caused by the powdering of reaction by-products of the process gas in the piping.

[0009] In addition, the present invention is intended to enable the carrier gas to be discharged into a pipeline through a structure that effectively heats the carrier gas and is advantageous in terms of energy efficiency. means of solving the problem

[0010] A gas heating device according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a gas heating device coupled between main pipes to communicate with the main pipe, a tubular pipe portion formed to form a flow space communicating with the main pipe and coupled to the main pipe on one side and the other side of the gas heating device, a first housing formed to surround the pipe portion, a second housing formed to surround the first housing so as to form a heating space between the first housing and the second housing, a coil heater formed to surround the first housing in the heating space, and a gas supply unit that supplies a carrier gas to the heating space through the second housing.

[0011] A gas heating device according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a transfer space formed to be in communication with the heating space, which is partitioned between the outer surface of the pipe portion and the inner surface of the first housing.

[0012] In a gas heating device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the pipe portion may include a discharge space that connects the transfer space and the flow space to discharge the carrier gas into the flow space.

[0013] In a gas heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the pipe section comprises a first pipe section formed in communication with the main pipe on one side of the gas heating device and a second pipe section formed in communication with the main pipe on the other side of the gas heating device and together with the first pipe section to form the flow space, and the discharge space may be formed as a spaced-apart space between the first pipe section and the second pipe section.

[0014] In a gas heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first pipe portion includes an annular first flange portion formed along the outer circumference of the first pipe portion, and the second pipe portion includes an annular second flange portion formed along the outer circumference of the second pipe portion; the first housing includes an annular third flange portion formed along the outer circumference of the other end of the first housing, and the second housing may include a pair of annular fourth flange portions formed along the outer circumferences of one end and the other end of the second housing.

[0015] In a gas heating device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the pair of fourth flange portions are each coupled to the first flange portion and the third flange portion, and the third flange portion is coupled to the second flange portion, and may include an intermediate communication space formed in the spaced-apart space between the first flange portion and one end of the first housing so as to allow the heating space and the transfer space to communicate with each other.

[0016] In a gas heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first tube portion has a plurality of protrusions formed along the outer surface of the other end of the first tube portion, and the second tube portion has a stepped portion formed on the outer surface of one end of the second tube portion such that the stepped portion is formed adjacent to the inner surface of the other end of the first tube portion, and the discharge space may be formed as a spaced-apart space between the stepped portion and the other end of the first tube portion.

[0017] In a gas heating device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the first tube portion has an inclined portion formed on the inner circumferential surface of the other side of the first tube portion such that the thickness of the first tube portion decreases from one side to the other, and the inclined portion and the stepped portion are adjacent, and the spaced-apart space between the inclined portion and the stepped portion may be formed as the discharge space.

[0018] In a gas heating device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the first pipe portion may include a groove portion formed on the outer surface of the first pipe portion and located adjacent to the other side of the first flange portion. Effects of the invention

[0019] A gas heating device according to one embodiment of the present invention is coupled with a main pipe through which process gas flows, and by heating and supplying a carrier gas to the main pipe, it can prevent clogging of the main pipe.

[0020] In addition, the gas heating device according to one embodiment of the present invention is formed such that a heating space for heating the carrier gas surrounds a pipe section connected to the main pipe, thereby allowing the carrier gas to enter the pipe section immediately after heating, and thus making the difference between the carrier gas heating temperature and the carrier gas discharged into the pipe extremely small, thereby maximizing energy efficiency. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0021] FIG. 1 is an example of use of a gas heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a gas heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a gas heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIGS. 4 to 6 are perspective views showing a gas heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention with some parts removed. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0022] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to specific embodiments and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments of the present invention. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar components.

[0023] In this document, expressions such as "have," "can have," "include," or "can include" refer to the existence of the relevant feature (e.g., numerical values, functions, actions, or components, etc.) and do not exclude the existence of additional features.

[0024] In this document, expressions such as “A or B,” “at least one of A or / and B,” or “one or more of A or / and B” may include all possible combinations of items listed together. For example, “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” or “at least one of A or B” may refer to cases including (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) both at least one A and at least one B.

[0025] As used in this document, the expression "configured to" may be replaced, depending on the context, with, for example, "suitable for," "having the capacity to," "designed to," "adapted to," "made to," or "capable of." The term "configured to" does not necessarily mean "specifically designed to."

[0026] The terms used in this document are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art described in this document. Terms used in this document that are defined in general dictionaries may be interpreted as having the same or similar meaning as they have in the context of the relevant technology, and are not to be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this document. In some cases, even terms defined in this document may not be interpreted to exclude the embodiments of this document.

[0027] Therefore, it should be understood that the configurations of the embodiments described in this specification are merely some of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, and that various equivalents and modifications that can replace them may exist at the time of filing this application.

[0028] Throughout the specification, when a part is described as “comprising” a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components.

[0029] The objects, specific advantages, and novel features of the invention described herein will become more apparent from the following detailed description and preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in assigning reference numbers to the components of each drawing in this specification, the same components are assigned the same number whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings. Furthermore, terms such as "one side," "other side," "first," and "second" are used to distinguish one component from another, and the components are not limited by these terms. In the following description of the invention, detailed descriptions of related prior art that may unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention are omitted.

[0030] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, and the same reference numerals indicate the same components.

[0032] Hereinafter, a gas heating device (1) according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0034] FIG. 1 is an example of use of a gas heating device (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a gas heating device (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view briefly illustrating the movement path of a carrier gas of the gas heating device (1) of the present invention.

[0036] A gas heating device (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a gas heating device (1) coupled between a main pipe (M) so as to be in communication with the main pipe (M), a tubular pipe section (100) that is coupled to the main pipe (M) on one side and the other side of the gas heating device (1) and forms a flow space (101) that is in communication with the main pipe (M), a first housing (200) formed to surround the pipe section (100), a second housing (300) formed to surround the first housing (200) so as to form a heating space (301) between the first housing (200), a coil heater (400) formed to surround the first housing (200) in the heating space (301), and a gas supply unit (500) that supplies carrier gas to the heating space (301) through the second housing (300).

[0038] A gas heating device (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized by being coupled between main pipes (M) so as to be connected to the main pipe (M). Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 1, process gas and byproduct gas, etc., coming from a chamber where a semiconductor or display process is performed, move to a scrubber through a vacuum pump. That is, the gas heating device (1) is coupled between the main pipe (M) through which the process gas and byproduct gas move, so that a carrier gas such as nitrogen gas can be effectively supplied to the main pipe (M). FIG. 1 is an example in which the gas heating device (1) can be applied, and it is obvious that the gas heating device (1) can be utilized in other cases where process gas passes.

[0039] A gas heating device (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a pipe section (100), a first housing (200), a second housing (300), a coil heater (400), and a gas supply section (500).

[0040] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the pipe section (100) is connected to the main pipe (M) on one side and the other side of the gas heating device (1), and the internal flow space (101) of the pipe section (100) is connected to the main pipe (M) so that process gas or byproduct gas flowing in the main pipe (M) can pass through.

[0041] Looking at FIG. 3, the first housing (200) is formed to surround the tube (100).

[0042] The second housing (300) is formed to surround the first housing (200), and a heating space (301) is formed between it and the first housing (200).

[0043] A coil heater (400) is formed in the heating space (301) to surround the first housing (200). Accordingly, the carrier gas entering the heating space (301) is heated by the coil heater (400).

[0044] The gas supply unit (500) supplies carrier gas to the heating space (301) and can be formed by being coupled to the second housing (300) so as to extend to the outside of the second housing (300).

[0045] The case (600) can be formed to surround and protect each part of the gas heating device (1).

[0047] A gas heating device (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a transfer space (201) formed to be connected to the heating space (301) and partitioned between the outer surface of the pipe portion (100) and the inner surface of the first housing (200).

[0049] Looking at FIG. 3, it can be seen that the carrier gas moves into the space between the outer surface of the pipe section (100) and the inner surface of the first housing (200) in order to move the carrier gas from the heating space (301) to the flow space (101), and the space is named the transfer space (201). In order to stably supply the carrier gas to the flow space (101) while maintaining a long heating time in the heating space (301), the transfer space (201) can be formed such that the flow cross-sectional area is smaller than that of the heating space (301), and accordingly, the transfer space (201) can be formed between the outer surface of the pipe section (100) and the inner surface of the first housing (200).

[0051] In a gas heating device (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the pipe portion (100) may include a discharge space (102) that connects the transfer space (201) and the flow space (101) to discharge the carrier gas into the flow space (101).

[0053] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the discharge space (102) is formed by penetrating the pipe section (100), and thus can communicate between the transfer space (201) formed on the outer surface of the pipe section (100) and the flow space (101) formed inside the pipe section (100).

[0055] In a gas heating device (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention, the pipe section (100) comprises a first pipe section (110) formed in communication with the main pipe (M) on one side of the gas heating device (1) and a second pipe section (120) formed in communication with the main pipe (M) on the other side of the gas heating device (1) and together with the first pipe section (110) to form the flow space (101), and the discharge space (102) may be formed as a spaced-apart space between the first pipe section (110) and the second pipe section (120).

[0057] Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the pipe section (100) may be composed of a first pipe section (110) and a second pipe section (120). The first pipe section (110) is connected to the main pipe (M) on one side of the gas heating device (1), and the second pipe section (120) is connected to the main pipe (M) on the other side of the gas heating device (1). At this time, the flow space (101) is naturally defined as the space formed by the first pipe section (110) and the second pipe section (120) together. The space between the first pipe section (110) and the second pipe section (120) is not completely blocked, and a spaced-out space through which carrier gas can pass may be formed, and the spaced-out space between the first pipe section (110) and the second pipe section (120) may be a discharge space (102).

[0059] In a gas heating device (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first pipe section (110) includes an annular first flange section (111) formed along the outer circumference of the first pipe section (110), the second pipe section (120) includes an annular second flange section (121) formed along the outer circumference of the second pipe section (120), the first housing (200) includes an annular third flange section (210) formed along the outer circumference of the other end of the first housing (200), and the second housing (300) may include a pair of annular fourth flange sections (310) formed along the outer circumferences of one end and the other end of the second housing (300).

[0060] In a gas heating device (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention, the pair of fourth flange portions (310) are each coupled to the first flange portion (111) and the third flange portion (210), and the third flange portion (210) is coupled to the second flange portion (121). The device may include an intermediate communication space (112) formed in a spaced-apart space between the first flange portion (111) and one end of the first housing (200) to allow the heating space (301) and the transfer space (201) to communicate with each other.

[0062] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, each component of the gas heating device (1) may have a flange portion formed therein to facilitate connection between the components. At this time, the flow of the carrier gas may be induced in a direction where the flange portion is not connected, because the flow of gas may not be smooth in the area connected by the flange portion.

[0063] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the first flange portion (111) is joined in close contact with the fourth flange portion (310), so that the carrier gas in the heating space (301) can be prevented from leaking. However, the first flange portion (111) is not joined to the third flange portion (210) of the first housing (200). Therefore, an intermediate communication space (112) can be formed in the gap between the first flange portion (111) and the first housing (200), and through this, the carrier gas can move from the heating space (301) to the transfer space (201).

[0064] In addition, the fourth flange portion (310) is combined with the first flange portion (111) and the third flange portion (210) so that the carrier gas of the heating space (301) does not leak out of the second housing (300).

[0065] In addition, by combining the third flange portion (210) and the second flange portion (121), the intermediate communication space (112) can be formed only between the first flange portion (111) and the first housing (200), and not between the second flange portion (121) and the first housing (200), thereby allowing the flow path of the carrier gas to be managed consistently.

[0067] In a gas heating device (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first pipe section (110) has a plurality of protrusions (113) formed along the outer surface of the other end of the first pipe section (110), and the second pipe section (120) has a stepped portion (122) formed on the outer surface of one end of the second pipe section (120) so that the stepped portion (122) is formed adjacent to the inner surface of the other end of the first pipe section (110), and the discharge space (102) can be formed as a spaced-apart space between the stepped portion (122) and the other end of the first pipe section (110).

[0069] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, a protrusion (113) may be formed on the outer surface of the other end of the first pipe section (110). The protrusion (113) is formed adjacent to the discharge space (102), and the protrusion (113) can suddenly reduce the flow cross-sectional area at the end of the transfer space (201), so that the flow velocity of the carrier gas increases rapidly at the end of the transfer space (201), thereby increasing the flow velocity when the carrier gas is discharged from the discharge space (102) to the flow space (101).

[0070] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, a stepped portion (122) is formed on the outer surface of one end of the second pipe section (120), and the stepped portion (122) may have a stepped shape. When the first pipe section (110) and the second pipe section (120) are formed to be adjacent, the stepped portion (122) may be formed so that one end of the second pipe section (120) can enter into the other end of the first pipe section (110) to be adjacent. Accordingly, a spaced-out space between the stepped portion (122) and the other end of the first pipe section (110) may be formed as a discharge space (102).

[0072] In a gas heating device (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first pipe section (110) has an inclined section (114) formed on the inner circumference of the other side of the first pipe section (110) such that the thickness of the first pipe section (110) decreases from one side to the other side, and the inclined section (114) and the stepped section (122) are adjacent, and the space between the inclined section (114) and the stepped section (122) can be formed as the discharge space (102).

[0074] As shown in FIG. 3, an inclined section (114) may be formed in the first pipe section (110) of the gas heating device (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention. The inclined section (114) may be formed so that the carrier gas discharged from the discharge space (102) can be ejected at a certain angle. As shown in FIG. 3, the carrier gas can be seen being sprayed diagonally from the discharge space (102), which is intended to allow the carrier gas to mix better with process gas and byproduct gas, etc., to facilitate heat exchange.

[0075] Looking at FIG. 3, the stepped portion (122) is formed to be in contact with the inner surface of the inclined portion (114), and thus a discharge space (102) is formed between the stepped portion (122) and the inclined portion (114) so ​​that the carrier gas can be discharged into the flow space (101).

[0077] In a gas heating device (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the first pipe portion (110) may include a groove portion (115) formed on the outer surface of the first pipe portion (110) and located adjacent to the other side of the first flange portion (111).

[0079] Referring to FIG. 6, a groove (115) may be formed on the outer surface of the first pipe section (110) according to one embodiment of the present invention so as to be adjacent to the other side of the first flange section (111). That is, the groove (115) is formed adjacent to the intermediate communication space (112), and the groove (115) may be formed to provide a space where the carrier gas passing through the intermediate communication space (112) is not blocked in the transfer space (201) and can secure a flow rate of at least a certain amount.

[0081] Although the present invention has been described in detail through specific embodiments, this is for the purpose of specifically explaining the invention, and the invention is not limited thereto. It will be apparent that modifications or improvements can be made by those skilled in the art within the technical scope of the invention.

[0082] All simple variations or modifications of the present invention fall within the scope of the present invention, and the specific scope of protection of the present invention will be clarified by the appended claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0083] M: Main pipe 1: Gas heating device. 100 : Official 101 : Fluid space 102 : Discharge space 110: 1st Office 111: 1st flange section 112 : Intermediate chimney space 113 : Protrusion 114 : Inclined section 115 : Homebu 120 : Second Office 121 : Second flange section 122 : Step section 200 : 1st Housing 201 : Transfer space 210: 3rd flange section 300 : 2nd Housing 301 : Heating space 310: 4th flange section 400 : Coil heater 500: Gas supply unit 600 : Case

Claims

Claim 1 A gas heating device coupled between main pipes to communicate with the main pipe, comprising: a tubular pipe portion formed to form a flow space communicating with the main pipe, coupled to the main pipe at one side and the other side of the gas heating device; a first housing formed to surround the pipe portion; a second housing formed to surround the first housing so as to form a heating space between the first housing and the second housing; a coil heater formed to surround the first housing in the heating space; and a gas supply portion that supplies a carrier gas to the heating space through the second housing. Claim 2 A gas heating device according to claim 1, comprising a transfer space formed to be partitioned between the outer surface of the tube portion and the inner surface of the first housing and to communicate with the heating space. Claim 3 A gas heating device according to claim 2, wherein the pipe portion comprises a discharge space that connects the transfer space and the flow space to discharge the carrier gas into the flow space. Claim 4 A gas heating device according to claim 3, wherein the pipe section comprises: a first pipe section formed in communication with the main pipe on one side of the gas heating device; and a second pipe section formed in communication with the main pipe on the other side of the gas heating device and together with the first pipe section to form the flow space; and the discharge space is formed as a spaced-apart space between the first pipe section and the second pipe section. Claim 5 A gas heating device according to claim 4, wherein the first pipe section comprises an annular first flange section formed along the outer circumference of the first pipe section; the second pipe section comprises an annular second flange section formed along the outer circumference of the second pipe section; the first housing comprises an annular third flange section formed along the outer circumference of the other end of the first housing; and the second housing comprises a pair of annular fourth flange sections formed along the outer circumferences of one end and the other end of the second housing. Claim 6 A gas heating device according to claim 5, wherein the pair of fourth flange portions are each coupled to the first flange portion and the third flange portion, the third flange portion is coupled to the second flange portion, and an intermediate communication space is formed in the spaced-apart space between the first flange portion and one end of the first housing to allow the heating space and the transfer space to communicate with each other. Claim 7 A gas heating device according to claim 6, wherein the first tube portion has a plurality of protrusions formed along the outer surface of the other end of the first tube portion, the second tube portion has a stepped portion formed on the outer surface of one end of the second tube portion such that the stepped portion is formed adjacent to the inner surface of the other end of the first tube portion, and the discharge space is formed as a spaced-apart space between the stepped portion and the other end of the first tube portion.

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