Furnace body structure and processing apparatus

Abstract

A furnace body structure and a processing apparatus. The furnace body structure comprises a square thermal field and a furnace tube, wherein the square thermal field comprises a plurality of assembled sheet-type thermal fields, the plurality of sheet-type thermal fields form an accommodating cavity by means of enclosure, and two ends of the accommodating cavity are open; and the furnace tube is mounted in the accommodating cavity, and two ends of the furnace tube separately extend out of the accommodating cavity. The furnace body structure has a relatively high space utilization rate and is simple, which facilitates the implementation of superposition of a plurality of furnace body structures, and a superposed multi-furnace body structure occupies a relatively small space.

Description

Furnace structure and processing equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on September 19, 2023, with application number 2023225383638, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, for example, to a furnace structure and processing equipment. Background Art

[0003] In the thermal process equipment and coating equipment of the photovoltaic industry, the furnace structure basically adopts a circular structure, and the thermal field on the outside of the furnace body is also set to a circular structure, and the thermal field is an integrated structure. Since the carriers for loading sheets and the sheets are mostly square, this results in a large amount of space being wasted in the circular cavity after the carrier enters the circular cavity, reducing the space utilization rate of the furnace structure. At the same time, in order to increase production capacity, the coating equipment in the related technology adopts a multi-furnace structure, that is, a plurality of furnace structures distributed in the vertical direction. The circular furnace structure and the thermal field structure require an external support frame to achieve vertical distribution, which not only increases the complexity of the equipment and increases the installation space, but also because the thermal field is integrated, it is very inconvenient during the assembly process.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application proposes a furnace body structure, which has a high space utilization rate and a simple structure, and is convenient for stacking multiple furnace body structures. The stacked multiple furnace body structures occupy a small space.

[0006] This application also proposes a processing device, which has high space utilization, simple structure and easy assembly.

[0007] One embodiment provides a furnace body structure, including: a square heat field, the square heat field including a plurality of spliced ​​sheet-type heat fields, the plurality of sheet-type heat fields enclosing a receiving cavity, the two ends of the receiving cavity being open; and a furnace tube, the furnace tube being installed in the receiving cavity, the two ends of the furnace tube respectively extending out of the receiving cavity.

[0008] In some embodiments, a plurality of heating elements are provided in the sheet-type thermal field.

[0009] In some embodiments, there are four sheet-type heat fields, which are respectively arranged corresponding to the four side walls of the furnace tube, and two adjacent sheet-type heat fields are connected by a connecting component.

[0010] In some specific embodiments, the connecting member includes a connecting plate and a fastener; wherein: the sheet-type thermal field has a first mounting hole, the connecting member is provided with a second mounting hole corresponding to the first mounting hole, and the fastener passes through the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole to connect two adjacent sheet-type thermal fields.

[0011] In some embodiments, the furnace tube is a square tube, and the side walls of the furnace tube are arranged in parallel with the side walls of the square heat field in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0012] In some embodiments, the two ends of the furnace tube are open, and the furnace structure further includes a furnace door and a tail cover, and the furnace door and the tail cover are respectively connected to the two ends of the furnace tube.

[0013] In some specific embodiments, the furnace body structure also includes an air intake equalizer plate, which is connected to the furnace door and spaced apart from the furnace door. The air intake equalizer plate, the furnace door and the furnace tube enclose a gas buffer cavity. An air inlet is provided along one end of the furnace tube along its own radial direction. The air inlet is located between the air intake equalizer plate and the furnace door and faces the gas buffer cavity.

[0014] In some specific embodiments, a stop protrusion is provided on the inner side wall of the furnace tube, and when the furnace door stops at the end of the furnace tube, the air intake uniform flow plate stops at the stop protrusion.

[0015] In some specific embodiments, the furnace structure further includes an exhaust flow equalizer plate, which is connected to the tail cover and spaced apart from the tail cover.

[0016] In some embodiments, the furnace structure further includes a furnace tail heat insulation plate disposed between the exhaust flow equalizer plate and the tail cover.

[0017] One embodiment further provides a processing device, comprising the above-mentioned furnace structure, wherein the furnace structure is configured to process sheet materials. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a furnace structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] FIG2 is a cross-sectional view of a furnace structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] FIG3 is an enlarged schematic diagram of circle A in FIG2 ;

[0021] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a furnace tube according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a furnace door end of a furnace structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the furnace tail end of a furnace structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Reference numerals:

[0025] 100, square thermal field; 110, sheet thermal field; 120, accommodation cavity;

[0026] 200, furnace tube; 210, air inlet; 220, stop protrusion; 230, reinforcing rib; 240, support block; 300, furnace door; 310, first mounting post; 400, tail cover; 410, exhaust port; 420, second mounting post; 500, air inlet uniformizer; 600, furnace port insulation board; 700, exhaust uniformizer; 800, furnace tail insulation board;

[0027] 900. Connecting assembly; 1000. Electrode rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0029] In addition, features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features, and are used to distinguish and describe features, without distinction of order or importance. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0030] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal connections between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0031] The specific structure of the furnace body structure of the embodiment of the present application is described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6.

[0032] The present application discloses a furnace body structure, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The furnace body structure of this embodiment includes a square heat field 100 and a furnace tube 200. The square heat field 100 includes a plurality of spliced ​​sheet-type heat fields 110. The plurality of sheet-type heat fields 110 enclose an accommodating cavity 120. Both ends of the accommodating cavity 120 are open. The furnace tube 200 is installed in the accommodating cavity 120, and both ends of the furnace tube 200 extend out of the accommodating cavity 120 respectively.

[0033] In one embodiment, since the heat field arranged outside the furnace tube 200 is a square heat field 100, when multiple furnace structures are stacked, no external bracket is required for support. The square heat fields 100 of the two furnace structures can be directly stacked together. This not only facilitates assembly, but also reduces the space occupied by the stacked multiple furnace structures. In addition, since the square heat field 100 includes multiple spliced ​​sheet-type heat fields 110, the multiple sheet-type heat fields 110 enclose a receiving cavity 120, and the two ends of the receiving cavity 120 are open, there is no need to first overlap the external bracket as in the related art, and then after the heat field and furnace tube 200 of each furnace structure are assembled, the multiple furnace structures are placed in the external bracket in sequence. Instead, the multiple heat fields 110 are first installed to form multiple receiving cavities 120, and then the multiple furnace tubes 200 are placed in the multiple receiving cavities 120 in sequence. This further simplifies the assembly steps and improves assembly efficiency.

[0034] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG1 , there are four sheet-type heat fields 110 , each corresponding to the four sidewalls of the furnace tube 200 , and two adjacent sheet-type heat fields 110 are connected by a connecting assembly 900 . There are four sheet-type heat fields 110 , each of which is a plate-like structure. This facilitates assembly of the sheet-type heat fields 110 , thereby improving the assembly efficiency of the furnace structure. Furthermore, the connection of two adjacent sheet-type heat fields 110 by the connecting assembly 900 not only improves the connection stability of the two sheet-type heat fields 110 , but also facilitates installation and removal of the two sheet-type heat fields 110 .

[0035] In some embodiments, the sheet-type thermal field 110 is provided with multiple heating elements. The multiple heating elements enable independent temperature control of each section of the sheet-type thermal field 110 and facilitate replacement and installation of damaged heating elements.

[0036] In some specific embodiments, the connection assembly 900 includes a connector and a fastener. The sheet-type thermal field 110 has a first mounting hole, and the connector is provided with a second mounting hole corresponding to the first mounting hole. The fastener passes through the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole to connect two adjacent sheet-type thermal fields 110. In actual operation, it is only necessary to place the two sheet-type thermal fields 110 and the connector in a designated position so that the first mounting hole on the connector is aligned with the second mounting holes on the two sheet-type thermal fields 110, and then install the fastener. This simplifies the connection operation of the sheet-type thermal field 110 and improves the connection stability of the sheet-type thermal field 110. In the embodiments of the present application, the connector can be selected from a connecting plate or a connecting block according to actual needs, and the fastener can be selected from a screw or a pin according to actual needs.

[0037] In other specific embodiments, the connection assembly 900 may only include the fasteners in the above-mentioned embodiments. In two adjacent sheet-type thermal fields 110, the edge of one sheet-type thermal field 110 is provided with a first fixing hole along the thickness direction, and the edge of the other sheet-type thermal field 110 is provided with a second fixing hole perpendicular to the thickness direction, and the second fixing hole is arranged corresponding to the first fixing hole. The fastener passes through the first fixing hole and the second fixing hole to connect the two adjacent sheet-type thermal fields 110. In the actual working process, the two sheet-type thermal fields 110 are partially overlapped so that the first fixing hole and the second fixing hole are arranged correspondingly, and then the fastener is inserted into the first fixing hole and the second fixing hole. In the embodiment of the present application, the fastener can be selected as a screw or a pin according to actual needs.

[0038] In some specific embodiments, there are multiple connection assemblies 900, and the multiple connection assemblies 900 are spaced apart along the length direction of the sheet-type thermal field 110. In this way, the connection stability of the sheet-type thermal field 110 can be improved.

[0039] In other embodiments of the present application, the connection component 900 can also be a snap-on structure. For example, one sheet-type thermal field 110 is provided with a snap-on protrusion, and the other sheet-type thermal field 110 is provided with a snap-on hole. When connecting, the two sheet-type thermal fields 110 are partially overlapped so that the snap-on protrusion can be snapped into the snap-on hole.

[0040] In some embodiments, the furnace tube 200 is a square tube, and the sidewalls of the furnace tube 200 correspond one-to-one and are arranged parallel to the sidewalls of the square thermal field 100. Because the furnace tube 200 is a square tube, when a carrier loaded with sheets enters the furnace tube 200, the dead space within the furnace tube 200 is reduced, thereby improving the space utilization of the entire furnace structure.

[0041] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2 , both ends of the furnace tube 200 are open, and the furnace structure further includes a furnace door 300 and a tail cover 400, which are respectively connected to both ends of the furnace tube 200. This ensures that the interior of the furnace tube 200 is sealed during the actual process, thereby improving product yield.

[0042] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4 , the outer wall of the furnace tube 200 is provided with reinforcing ribs 230 . The reinforcing ribs 230 can, on the one hand, enhance the strength of the furnace tube 200 , and on the other hand, can ensure a certain distance between the outer wall of the furnace tube 200 and the inner wall of the square thermal field 100 , thereby facilitating the installation and disassembly of the furnace tube 200 .

[0043] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4 , support blocks 240 are provided at both ends of the furnace tube 200, and the support blocks 240 are disposed on the bottom walls of both ends of the furnace tube 200. The bottom walls of the support blocks 240, i.e., the side of the support blocks 240 facing away from the furnace tube 200, are coplanar with the bottom wall of the square thermal field 100. Thus, when the furnace tube 200 is placed within the square thermal field 100, and both are positioned on a flat surface, the stability of the furnace tube 200 within the square thermal field 100 is better ensured.

[0044] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 and 5, the furnace tube 200 further includes an air inlet flow plate 500. The air inlet flow plate 500 is connected to the furnace door 300 and is spaced apart from the furnace door 300. The air inlet flow plate 500, the furnace door 300, and the furnace tube 200 enclose a gas buffer chamber. An air inlet 210 extending radially along the furnace tube 200 is provided at one end. The air inlet 210 is located between the air inlet flow plate 500 and the furnace door 300 and faces the gas buffer chamber. In one embodiment, after the furnace door 300 is closed, gas entering through the air inlet 210 can only enter the gas buffer chamber through the air inlet flow plate 500, making the gas in the gas buffer chamber more uniform. This uniform gas makes it easier to control the coating quality. In addition, the air inlet flow plate 500 connected to the furnace door 300 can fully utilize the space at the furnace opening, making the structure of the furnace tube 200 more compact.

[0045] In one embodiment, the inner wall of the furnace tube 200 is provided with a high-temperature insulating coating to prevent the gas from corroding the inner wall of the furnace tube 200 and increase the life of the cavity.

[0046] In some specific embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, a stop protrusion 220 is provided on the inner side wall of the furnace tube 200. When the furnace door 300 abuts against the end of the furnace tube 200, the air intake flow plate 500 abuts against the stop protrusion 220. In one embodiment, during the actual closing process of the furnace door 300, when the furnace door 300 abuts against the end of the furnace tube 200, the air intake flow plate 500 abuts against the stop protrusion 220. This ensures the stability of the air intake flow plate 500 and prevents the air intake flow plate 500 from moving along the length of the furnace tube 200 due to airflow.

[0047] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG3 , the distance H1 between the sidewall of the stop protrusion 220 proximate to the furnace door 300 and the sidewall where the furnace door 300 and the furnace tube 200 meet is equal to the distance H2 between the sidewall of the air inlet flow equalizer 500 proximate to the furnace door 300 and the sidewall where the furnace door 300 and the furnace tube 200 meet. This ensures that when the furnace door 300 abuts against the end of the furnace tube 200, the air inlet flow equalizer 500 also abuts against the stop protrusion 220.

[0048] In some specific embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 and 5 , a furnace opening heat shield 600 is disposed between the furnace door 300 and the air inlet flow plate 500. The furnace opening heat shield 600 can reduce the rate of heat diffusion from the furnace tube 200, thereby facilitating heat preservation of the furnace tube 200. In the embodiments of the present application, the material and dimensions of the furnace opening heat shield 600 can be selected based on actual needs, and the detailed parameters of the furnace opening heat shield 600 are not limited herein.

[0049] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG5 , a first mounting post 310 is provided on the furnace door 300, and the air intake flow equalizer plate 500 and the furnace opening heat insulation plate 600 are installed on the first mounting post 310. This facilitates the installation of the air intake flow equalizer plate 500 and the furnace opening heat insulation plate 600.

[0050] In one embodiment, the length H3 of the first mounting post 310 is greater than or equal to the distance H2 between the sidewall of the air inlet flow equalizer 500 adjacent to the furnace door 300 and the sidewall of the furnace door 300 in contact with the furnace tube 200. This ensures that when the furnace door 300 abuts against the end of the furnace tube 200, the air inlet flow equalizer 500 abuts against the stop protrusion 220.

[0051] In some specific embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, the furnace tube 200 further includes a gas extraction flow plate 700, which is connected to the tail cover 400 and spaced apart from the tail cover 400. During the actual gas extraction process, the gas inside the furnace tube 200 passes through the gas extraction flow plate 700 before being extracted from the gas extraction port 410 on the tail cover 400, thereby improving gas extraction uniformity and facilitating improved process yield.

[0052] In some more specific embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 and 6 , the furnace tube 200 further includes a furnace tail heat insulation board 800 disposed between the exhaust flow plate 700 and the tail cover 400. The furnace tail heat insulation board 800 can reduce the rate of heat diffusion from the interior of the furnace tube 200, thereby facilitating heat preservation of the furnace tube 200. In the embodiments of the present application, the material and dimensions of the furnace tail heat insulation board 800 can be selected based on actual needs, and the detailed parameters of the furnace tail heat insulation board 800 are not limited herein.

[0053] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG6 , the tail cover 400 is provided with a second mounting post 420 , to which the exhaust flow equalizer plate 700 and the furnace tail heat insulation plate 800 are connected. This facilitates the installation of the exhaust flow equalizer plate 700 and the furnace tail heat insulation plate 800 .

[0054] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG6 , the tail cover 400 is further provided with electrode rods 1000 . The electrode rods 1000 can be arranged in two layers, or in multiple layers depending on the size of the furnace tube 200 , to achieve a more uniform electric field. In one embodiment, the tail cover 400 is provided with an electrode mounting flange, and the electrode rods 1000 are connected to the motor mounting flange. It should be noted that the specific structure of the electrode mounting flange and the specific connection between the electrode rods 1000 and the electrode mounting flange can be referenced in related art and will not be further described.

[0055] The present application also discloses a processing device, comprising the furnace structure described above.

[0056] The processing equipment of the present application has the furnace structure described above and is used for processing sheet materials. The processing equipment has high space utilization, simple structure and easy assembly.

[0057] The processing equipment of the present application may also include a transport device for transporting the boat structure, a boat pushing device for transporting the boat structure to the furnace tube 200 and other structures. The transport device and the boat pushing device and other devices can be selected according to relevant technologies and will not be described in detail here.

[0058] Throughout this specification, references to "some embodiments," "other embodiments," and the like indicate that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with that embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

Claims

1. Furnace structure, including: A square heat field, wherein the square heat field comprises a plurality of spliced ​​sheet heat fields, wherein the plurality of sheet heat fields surround an accommodation cavity, and both ends of the accommodation cavity are open; and A furnace tube is installed in the accommodating cavity, and two ends of the furnace tube extend out of the accommodating cavity respectively.

2. The furnace structure according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of heating elements are arranged in the sheet-type thermal field.

3. The furnace structure according to claim 1, wherein: There are four sheet-type heat fields, which are respectively arranged corresponding to the four side walls of the furnace tube, and two adjacent sheet-type heat fields are connected via a connecting component.

4. The furnace structure according to claim 3, wherein: The connecting assembly comprises a connecting piece and a fastener; wherein: The sheet-type heat field has a first mounting hole, the connecting member is provided with a second mounting hole corresponding to the first mounting hole, and the fastener passes through the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole to connect two adjacent sheet-type heat fields.

5. The furnace structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The furnace tube is a square tube, and the side walls of the furnace tube correspond to the side walls of the square heat field one by one and are arranged in parallel.

6. The furnace structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The two ends of the furnace tube are open, and the furnace body structure further comprises a furnace door and a tail cover, and the furnace door and the tail cover are respectively connected to the two ends of the furnace tube.

7. The furnace structure according to claim 6, wherein: The furnace body structure also includes an air inlet flow equalizer plate, which is connected to the furnace door and spaced apart from the furnace door. The air inlet flow equalizer plate, the furnace door and the furnace tube enclose a gas buffer cavity. One end of the furnace tube is provided with an air inlet extending along its own radial direction, and the air inlet is located between the air inlet flow equalizer plate and the furnace door and is arranged toward the gas buffer cavity.

8. The furnace structure according to claim 7, wherein: A stop protrusion is provided on the inner side wall of the furnace tube. When the furnace door stops at the end of the furnace tube, the air intake uniform flow plate stops at the stop protrusion.

9. The furnace structure according to claim 6, wherein: The furnace tube further comprises an exhaust flow equalizing plate, which is connected to the tail cover and spaced apart from the tail cover. 10 . The furnace structure according to claim 9 , further comprising a furnace tail heat insulation plate arranged between the exhaust flow equalizer plate and the tail cover.

11. Processing equipment comprising a furnace structure according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the furnace structure is configured to process sheet material.

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