Pressure Sensor Cooling in Plasma Etching Circulation Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-temperature circulating fluids in plasma-etching equipment pose thermal challenges to pressure sensors, leading to increased costs and reduced reliability, similar to high-temperature resistant flowmeters.
Innovation Solution
A circulating cooling/heating device design that includes a pressure detecting unit attached to a cooling water circulation block, an inclined pressure take-out pipe, and a cooling fan to maintain the pressure detecting unit at a low temperature, reducing thermal influence and ensuring reliability while minimizing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a pressure sensor is used instead of a flowmeter to reduce costs, then component costs are reduced, but the pressure sensor may be thermally affected by high-temperature circulating fluid
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate thermal zones: the pressure detecting unit is isolated from the high-temperature circulating fluid path and positioned in a low-temperature zone, while the circulating fluid flows through separate high-temperature zones. This spatial segmentation allows the pressure sensor to function reliably without direct thermal exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
A cooling fan is introduced as an intermediary element that actively removes heat from the pressure detecting unit. The fan creates forced convection cooling, acting as a thermal mediator between the high-temperature environment and the temperature-sensitive pressure sensor.
2Productivity
If the circulating fluid temperature is increased to improve processing efficiency, then productivity is improved, but thermal effects on the pressure sensor increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure detecting unit is extracted from the high-temperature circulating fluid path and positioned in a separate low-temperature zone. This extraction removes the harmful thermal factor from the pressure sensor's environment while allowing the circulating fluid to maintain its high temperature for improved processing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling fan serves as a thermal intermediary that protects the pressure detecting unit from high-temperature effects. It enables the system to maintain high circulating fluid temperatures for productivity while actively managing the thermal environment of the pressure sensor.
3Reliability
If a high-temperature resistant flowmeter is used to maintain reliability, then measurement reliability is improved, but component costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using an expensive high-temperature resistant flowmeter, the system employs a standard, inexpensive pressure sensor in a protected location. This approach uses a low-cost component that would normally be unsuitable for high-temperature environments but becomes viable through the cooling arrangement, achieving similar reliability at lower cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling fan acts as a protective intermediary that enables the use of standard, low-cost pressure sensors in an environment that would normally require expensive high-temperature resistant components. This mediator allows cost-effective components to function reliably.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively maintains the reliability of the pressure detecting unit at high temperatures, reducing component costs and ensuring responsive pressure detection, while preventing thermal affects on the pressure take-out pipe, thus enhancing the overall efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the circulating cooling/heating device.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger configured to perform heat exchange between the circulating fluid and a cooling water
Implementation Method 2
a cooling fan configured to allow a cooling air to flow along a predetermined direction
Implementation Method 3
the pressure take-out pipe is inclined between the pressure take-out portion and the pressure detecting unit, and an inclination angle of the pressure take-out pipe with respect to a horizontal plane is in a range from 10 degrees to 30 degrees
Data Source
AI summary
A circulating cooling/heating device configured to cool and heat a circulating fluid supplied to a chamber in plasma-etching equipment includes: a heat exchanger configured to perform heat exchange between the circulating fluid and a cooling water; a heater configured to heat the circulating fluid; a pump configured to circulate the circulating fluid between the circulating cooling/heating device and the chamber; a cooling water circulation block through which the cooling water passes; and a pressure sensor serving as a pressure detecting unit configured to detect a pressure of the cooled or heated circulating fluid, the pressure sensor being attached to the cooling water circulation block.