Shower Head Cooling Using a Vortex Tube Under Reactor Heat
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Solution Overview
Problem
In substrate processing apparatuses, the temperature control of gas supply devices like shower heads is inadequate due to heat radiation from the heating block, leading to unreliable process gas control and safety risks, with existing cooling methods being inefficient and requiring high-temperature fans for effective cooling.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device utilizing a vortex tube to separate compressed gas into cold and hot air, with a gas compressor, flow rate controller, and control valve to maintain the temperature of the gas supply device within a preset range by adjusting pressure and flow rates, and a fan to control the circulation of cooling gas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If ambient air cooling method is used to cool the shower head, then the structure is simple, but the cooling efficiency decreases as the apparatus temperature increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling device is segmented into multiple independent components: vortex tube, gas compressor, flow rate controller, control valve, and fan. Each component performs a specific function, allowing the system to maintain reliable temperature control through coordinated operation of discrete elements rather than a monolithic design.
Solution Approach 2:
A cooling gas (intermediary substance) is introduced as a mediator between the heat source (shower head) and the cooling mechanism. The gas compressor compresses this intermediary gas, and the vortex tube separates it into cold and hot streams, with the cold stream serving as the actual cooling medium applied to the shower head through the fluid channel.
2Reliability
If fan power is increased to improve cooling efficiency at high temperatures, then the cooling effect improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameters of the cooling gas through the gas compressor (pressure, temperature) and the vortex tube (flow separation, temperature differential). By controlling the pressure and flow rate of the compressed gas, the system achieves effective cooling without requiring excessive fan power, as the cold gas stream is generated through thermodynamic parameter changes rather than mechanical forcing alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The vortex tube replaces part of the mechanical cooling system with a thermodynamic system. Instead of relying solely on mechanical fan-driven air circulation, the patent uses the vortex tube to separate compressed gas into cold and hot streams, substituting mechanical work with thermodynamic processes to generate the cooling effect.
3Device complexity
If cartridge type heater and thermocouple are used for temperature control, then the control mechanism is simple, but the temperature control fails under strong heat radiation
Solution Approach 1:
A cooling gas serves as an intermediary medium between the heat radiation environment and the shower head. This intermediary gas absorbs and carries heat away from the shower head through the fluid channel, providing active thermal management that overcomes the passive limitations of simple heater-thermocouple control under strong heat radiation conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling gas circulation system operates continuously through the gas compressor, vortex tube, and fan, maintaining constant cooling action on the shower head. This continuous useful action ensures stable temperature control regardless of the strength of heat radiation from the heating block, unlike intermittent or passive control methods.
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 vortex tube-based cooling device provides efficient and stable temperature control for gas supply devices, enhancing process reliability and safety by maintaining the temperature within a set range, reducing the need for high-temperature fans, and improving energy efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a vortex tube having a compressed gas injection hole connected to the gas compressor via a first line, a hot air discharge hole, and a cold air discharge hole
Implementation Method 2
a gas compressor configured to supply a compressed gas
Implementation Method 3
a fluid channel, in which a cooling gas introduced through the at least one inlet circulates
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a cooling device capable of controlling the temperature of an upper portion of a reactor, particularly, a gas supply device, for example, a shower head, by using a vortex tube. The cooling device may supply a cooling gas of a temperature lower than the temperature of the gas supply device heated to a high temperature, thereby easily controlling the temperature of the gas supply device.