Purification apparatus and method of purifying hot zone parts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12006589-B2
Application number	US-202217679576-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2022
Priority date	Feb 25, 2021
Publication date	Jun 11, 2024
Grant date	Jun 11, 2024

Abstract

A purification apparatus and a method of purifying hot zone parts are provided. The purification apparatus is configured to remove impurities attached on at least one hot zone part. The purification apparatus includes a crystal high temperature furnace, an enclosed box disposed in the crystal high temperature furnace, an outer tube connected to the crystal high temperature furnace and the enclosed box, an inner tube disposed in the outer tube, and a gas inlet cover connected to the outer tube. The crystal high temperature furnace includes a furnace body, a furnace cover, and a thermal field module disposed in the furnace body. The gas inlet cover is configured to input a noble gas into the enclosed box through the inner tube, and the thermal field module is configured to heat the noble gas so that the impurities are heated and vaporized through the noble gas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A purification apparatus, which is configured to remove impurities attached on at least one hot zone part, the purification apparatus comprising:
a crystal high temperature furnace including a furnace body, a furnace cover mounted on the furnace body, and a thermal field module disposed in the furnace body;
an enclosed box disposed in the thermal field module and including a box body and a box cover detachably mounted on the box body, wherein the box body is configured to accommodate the at least one hot zone part;
an outer tube passing through the furnace cover and including a first outer tube opening, a second outer tube opening, and a third outer tube opening, wherein the first outer tube opening and the second outer tube opening are spaced apart from a side of the furnace cover, the side of the furnace cover is distant from the furnace body, and the third outer tube opening is connected to the box cover;
an inner tube disposed within the outer tube and spaced apart from an inner side of the outer tube, wherein the inner tube includes a first inner tube opening and a second inner tube opening; and
a gas inlet cover connected to the first outer tube opening and configured to input a noble gas into the enclosed box through the inner tube, wherein the thermal field module is configured to heat the noble gas in the enclosed box so that the impurities are heated and vaporized through the noble gas.

2. The purification apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a first sealing part and a second sealing part, wherein the first sealing part is disposed at a connection defined between the gas inlet cover and the first outer tube opening, and the second sealing part is surroundingly disposed on the inner tube.

3. The purification apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the second sealing part corresponds in position to the connection defined between the gas inlet cover and the first outer tube opening.

4. The purification apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a gas extraction device connected to the second outer tube opening, wherein the gas extraction device is configured to extract the noble gas and the vaporized impurities through the second outer tube opening.

5. The purification apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second inner tube opening is disposed adjacent to a bottom of the enclosed box, and the inner tube further includes a gas outlet tube, wherein the gas outlet tube is connected to the second inner tube opening, and the gas outlet tube is configured to evenly distribute the noble gas in the enclosed box.

6. The purification apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the gas outlet tube is in a shape of the letter “X”, and the gas outlet tube has a plurality of gas outlet holes that are configured to exhaust the noble gas.

7. The purification apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas inlet cover is in spatial communication with the inner tube to form an airtight space.

8. The purification apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the box cover has a top surface and a plurality of side surfaces connected to the top surface, and a height of each of the side surfaces is greater than a height of the box body.

9. A method of purifying hot zone parts, which is configured to be implemented with the purification apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , the method of purifying the hot zone parts comprising:
performing a gas input step including inputting the noble gas from the first inner tube opening through the inner tube that is disposed within the outer tube and spaced apart from the inner side of the outer tube into the enclosed box that has the at least one hot zone part disposed therein so that the noble gas fills the enclosed box;
performing a heating step including using a plurality of heaters to heat the noble gas in the enclosed box so that a temperature of the noble gas is between 1400° C. to 1500° C. and the impurities are heated and vaporized through the noble gas; and
performing a gas extraction step including using a gas extraction device connected to the second outer tube opening of the outer tube to create a negative pressure in the enclosed box so that the noble gas and the gaseous impurities in the enclosed box are extracted.

10. The method of purifying the hot zone parts according to claim 9 , wherein the negative pressure is not greater than 5 Pa.

11. The method of purifying the hot zone parts according to claim 9 , wherein the second inner tube opening is disposed adjacent to the bottom of the enclosed box, and the inner tube further includes the gas outlet tube, wherein the gas outlet tube is connected to the second inner tube opening, and the gas outlet tube is configured to evenly distribute the noble gas in the enclosed box.

Assignees

• Globalwafers Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chang Chung-Sheng
• Nakanishi Masami
• Su Yu-Sheng
• Chu Yen-Hsun
• Wu Yung-Chi
• Fan Yi-Hua

Classifications

• C30B13/14

  Crucibles or vessels · CPC title

• C30B35/007

  Apparatus for preparing, pre-treating the source material to be used for crystal growth · CPC title

• C30B29/06

  Silicon · CPC title

• C30B15/00

  Single-crystal growth by pulling from a melt, e.g. Czochralski method (under a protective fluid C30B27/00) · CPC title

• C01B32/215

  Purification; Recovery or purification of graphite formed in iron making, e.g. kish graphite · CPC title