Vertical batch furnace assembly comprising a cooling gas supply

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11530876-B2
Application number	US-202117236065-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2021
Priority date	Apr 24, 2020
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

A vertical batch furnace assembly, comprising a core tube, an outer casing, a cooling chamber bounded and enclosed by the outer casing and the core tube, and at least one cooling gas supply emanating in the cooling chamber. The core tube has an elongated circumferential wall extending in a longitudinal direction, and is configured to accommodate wafers for processing in the vertical batch furnace. The outer casing extends around the core tube and comprises a heating element for applying a thermal treatment to wafers accommodated in the core tube. The at least one cooling gas supply comprises at least one cooling gas supply opening which is arranged such that the cooling gas enters the cooling chamber with a flow direction which is substantially tangent to the circumferential wall.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vertical batch furnace assembly, comprising:
a core tube having an elongated circumferential wall extending in a longitudinal direction, wherein the core tube is configured to accommodate wafers for processing in the vertical batch furnace assembly;
an outer casing extending around the core tube and comprising a heating element for applying a thermal treatment to wafers accommodated in the core tube;
a cooling chamber bounded on a radial outer side by the outer casing and on a radial inner side by the core tube;
at least one cooling gas supply emanating in the cooling chamber, wherein the cooling gas supply comprises at least one cooling gas supply opening which is configured such that the cooling gas enters the cooling chamber with a flow direction which is substantially tangent to the circumferential wall;
at least one cooling gas discharge comprising at least one discharge opening to discharge the cooling gas from the cooling chamber, wherein, in operation, the emanated cooling gas flows from the at least one cooling gas supply along the elongated circumferential wall of the core tube to the at least one cooling gas discharge; and
a cooling gas recirculation channel extending from the at least one cooling gas discharge to the at least one cooling gas supply, the cooling gas recirculation channel comprising:
a pressure increasing device, such as a fan or blower; and
a heat exchanger configured to cool the cooling gas in the recirculation channel,

wherein the configuration of the at least one cooling gas discharge is similar to the configuration of the at least one cooling gas supply, wherein the flow direction of the cooling gas within the cooling chamber is reversible, wherein the at least one cooling gas discharge opening is configured such that, when the flow direction of the cooling gas within the cooling chamber is reversed and the cooling gas discharge opening serves as a cooling gas supply opening, the cooling gas enters the cooling chamber with a flow direction which is substantially tangent to the circumferential wall.

2. The vertical batch furnace according to claim 1 , wherein the substantially tangent flow direction includes an angle with the longitudinal direction of the elongated circumferential wall in the range of 90°±15°.

3. The vertical batch furnace according to claim 1 , wherein the substantially tangent flow direction includes an angle in the range of 0′±10° with a plane through a point of the circumferential wall that is closest to said respective cooling gas supply opening and that is tangential to the circumferential wall.

4. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 1 , wherein each cooling gas supply comprises a cooling gas inlet tube of which an end part extends into the cooling chamber, wherein said end part is provided with the at least one cooling gas supply opening.

5. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 4 , wherein each cooling gas inlet tube is embodied as one integral part.

6. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 4 , wherein each cooling gas inlet tube is made of a ceramic material.

7. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 4 , wherein an axial end of the cooling gas inlet tube extending into the cooling chamber is closed off.

8. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one cooling gas supply comprises a plurality of cooling gas supplies which are evenly spaced around the core tube.

9. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one cooling gas discharge comprises a plurality of cooling gas discharges which are evenly spaced around the core tube.

10. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one cooling gas supply is arranged at or near a first longitudinal end of the cooling chamber, and the at least one cooling gas discharge is arranged at or near a second longitudinal end of the cooling chamber.

11. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure increasing device is arranged downstream of the heat exchanger.

12. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling gas recirculation channel comprises diverter valves and/or discharge valves to direct the cooling gas either to the at last one cooling gas supply, and subsequently via the cooling chamber to the at least one cooling gas discharge or, alternatively, to the at least one cooling gas discharge, and subsequently via the cooling chamber to the at least one cooling gas supply.

13. A method for cooling a vertical batch furnace, comprising:
providing a vertical batch furnace according to claim 1 ; and
supplying a cooling gas in the cooling chamber with a flow direction which is substantially tangent to the circumferential wall.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the substantially tangent flow direction includes an angle with the longitudinal direction of the elongated circumferential wall in the range of 90′±15′.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the substantially tangent flow direction includes an angle in the range of 0′±10° with a plane through a point of the circumferential wall that is closest to a said respective cooling gas supply opening and that is tangential to the circumferential wall.

Assignees

• Asm Ip Holding Bv

Inventors

• VERBAAS Melvin
• De Ridder Christianus G M

Classifications

• H10P72/3312

  Vertical transfer of a batch of workpieces · CPC title

• H10P72/0434 Primary

  mainly by convection · CPC title

• F27D3/0084 Primary

  Charging; Manipulation of SC or SC wafers · CPC title

• F27B2014/0837

  Cooling arrangements · CPC title

• F27D2003/166

  the fluid being a treatment gas · CPC title