This application claims the priority benefit of Chinese Application No. 202011178865.9, filed Oct. 29, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to a liquid heater with high cleanliness and under precise temperature control, and in particular to a heating film type liquid heater and a uniform heating method thereof.
Liquid with high cleanliness and precise temperature control is needed in many semiconductor industry applications. It is often necessary to provide pipeline heaters in the liquid pipeline system to precisely heat a liquid flow and control its temperature. Particularly, pipeline heaters suitable high-cleanliness applications are needed to adjust the temperature of liquid. For example, in an immersion lithography system, to realize better lithography effects and higher exposure quality, it is necessary to fill immersion liquid flowing stably between a projection lens and a wafer substrate. To ensure that the immersion liquid flow influences minimally on the laser beam that passes through the immersion liquid flow, it is required to precisely control the temperature of the immersion liquid flow and make its optical properties uniform. Usually, before the immersion liquid flows into an immersion hood, the temperature of the immersion liquid is required to be precisely controlled by using heaters, condensers, heat exchangers or the like. However, since the existing heaters have no specific design for the heating uniformity, there will be temperature difference for the immersion liquid flow in different positions after it flows through the existing heaters, due to the contact time difference of the interior immersion liquid with the heating element and the too short heat conduction time. The immersion liquid with the temperature difference will affect the precision of subsequent temperature measurement and feedback adjustment and thus affect the exposure quality of the lithography system.
Chinese Invention Patent Application CN201310013555.5 has disclosed an electric heater body structure for heating liquid and a manufacturing method thereof. In this invention patent, the main body is a heat acceptor. A pipeline is arranged inside the heat acceptor for the liquid to flow and be heated, and a resistance heating film is arranged outside the heat acceptor. The resistance heating film generates heat and exchanges heat through the heat acceptor with the liquid to be heated, and the liquid flows out from one side of the pipeline after it is heated. It is easily occurred that the resistance heating film generates heat unevenly, resulting in local temperature that is too high and reducing the service life or even leading to damage. The resistance heating film and the heat receptor will transfer heat outward while transferring heat inward, so that the devices beside the heating device will rise in temperature, resulting harm or even damage to the device. Therefore, it is not suitable for devices with high component integration.
Chinese Invention Patent Application CN201721225348.6 has disclosed a stable, durable and safe liquid heating tube. This invention patent provides a liquid heater with a ceramic tube. A heating film is arranged outside the ceramic tube, and heat generated by the heating film is transferred by the ceramic tube to liquid to be heated that flows in the in the ceramic tube, so that the temperature of the liquid in the ceramic tube is increased. Due to the difference in heat transfer rate between the liquid and the tube as well as between liquids, there is a temperature difference inside the heated liquid. Therefore, it is not suitable for devices having high requirements for liquid temperature control.
Chinese Invention Patent Application CN201310703225.9 has disclosed a non-metal inner nozzle electric heater. In this invention patent, a heating film is arranged on an inner side of the wall and directly contacts with liquid to be heated. Since the contact point of the heating film is immersed in the liquid, there is a risk of electric leakage. Although the wall is made of insulating material, the electricity will leak from the liquid outlet. In this invention patent, the liquid is fed from the lower side and discharged from the upper side, and the heated liquid is discharged from the upper side since hot liquid flows upward and cold liquid flows downward. However, it is difficult to avoid discharging cold liquid and hot liquid together, resulting in temperature difference inside the discharged liquid.
The present invention provides a film type liquid heater and a uniform heating method thereof, which solves the problems that there will be a temperature difference in space inside the liquid flow in the existing pipeline heaters due to too short contact time with the heating element and too short heat conduction time and the liquid with the temperature difference will affect the precision of subsequent temperature measurement and feedback adjustment.
To solve the technical problem, the present invention employs the following specific technical solutions. A film type liquid heater is provided, including a heating pipe, wherein a heating film layer is coated around outer surface of the heating pipe, and the heating film layer is electrically connected to an external power supply to realize an electric heating function; connecting pipes are arranged at two axial ends of the heating pipe; a flow splitting column is arranged in an internal space of the heating pipe, the flow splitting column extends in an axial direction of the heating pipe, and a heating chamber is formed between an inner side of the heating pipe and the flow splitting column; flow splitting grooves are formed at two axial ends of the flow splitting column; and, the flow splitting grooves communicates the heating chamber with the through space inside the connecting pipes. Since the liquid flow flows in the heating pipe, by using the heating film as a heating element, the time of heating liquid flow is long, the heating efficiency is high, and the degree of heating uniformity is high. The heating film is coated around the outer wall of the heating pipe, so the electrodes are avoided being arranged in the liquid flow. Due to the presence of the flow splitting column, the liquid flow flows annularly in the heating pipe, so that the contact area of the liquid with the wall of the heating pipe is increased. Therefore, the temperature difference in space of the liquid flow can be more reduced, and it is advantageous to improve the precision of subsequent temperature measurement and feedback adjustment of the liquid. The temperature uniformity of the immersion liquid is improved, and the exposure quality of the lithography machine is thus improved.
Preferably, the heating film layer contains a graphene material. Higher electro-thermal conversion efficiency can be realized, and the temperature on the heating surface becomes more uniform.
Preferably, sealing covers are arranged at two axial ends of the heating pipe, the sealing covers are fixedly connected to the connecting pipes, the sealing covers are pressed against axial end faces of the heating pipe, and sealing rings are arranged between the sealing covers and the axial end faces of the heating pipe. The heating pipe is compressed and fixed by the axial pre-tightening force exerted by the sealing covers, so that two ends of the heating pipe are prevented from suffering from a too large radial assembly force, and it is advantageous to protect the brittle heating pipe material.
Preferably, sealing connection components are arranged at two ends of the heating pipe; each of the sealing connection components includes a sealing cover, a compression baffle, a pre-tightening bolt, a fastening nut, a pre-tightening spring and a fastening connector; the fastening connectors are arranged on an outer side of the heating pipe and an inner side of the barrel; the two sealing covers are arranged on outer sides of inner ends of the left and right connecting pipes and fixedly connected to the connecting pipes, respectively; the two compression baffles are arranged on outer sides of the sealing covers at the respective ends; the heating pipe is connected between the inner sides of the two sealing covers on the left and right ends; the fastening connectors run through the left and right compression baffles; the fastening nuts are fixedly connected to right ends of the fastening connectors through threads and compressed onto out end faces of the right compression baffles; the pre-tightening nuts compress the pre-tightening springs sleeved on the fastening connectors onto outer end faces of the left compression baffles; and, the fastening nuts, the fastening connectors, the pre-tightening nuts and the pre-tightening springs are coordinated to exert a pre-tightening force on two axial ends of the heating pipe and the sealing covers so as to realize tight connection between the heating pipe and the sealing covers. The reliability and effectiveness of sealing connection are improved, two ends of the heating pipe are prevented from suffering from a too large radial assembly force, and it is advantageous to protect the heating pipe if it is made of brittle material; and, due to the use of the pre-tightening springs, it is convenient to adjust the magnitude of the exerted pre-tightening force, the fastening nuts can be prevented from loosening, and it is more advantageous to ensure the compression of the sealing covers onto the heating pipe and achieve higher sealing reliability.
Preferably, the fastening connectors are at least two rods uniformly distributed in a circumferential direction. A more uniform assembly force is exerted to the heating pipe, and the reliability and effective of sealing connection are improved.
Preferably, the fastening connectors are at least two rods uniformly distributed in a circumferential direction.
Preferably, the sealing covers are provided with protrusions surrounding the radial outer side of the heating pipe. It is convenient to mount and position the heating pipe and prevent the radial slip of the heating pipe.
Preferably, the heating pipe is of a quartz glass structure or a stainless steel structure or a fluorine-containing plastic structure. It is advantageous to reduce the discharge of pollutants into the liquid flow.
Preferably, the flow splitting column is of a stainless steel structure or a fluorine-containing plastic structure. It is advantageous to reduce the discharge of pollutants into the liquid flow, and it is ensured that the heat of the heating pipe is rapidly transferred to the flow splitting column.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a uniform heating method for a film type liquid heater, comprising the following steps:
Since the liquid flow flows in the heating pipe, by using the heating film as a heating element, the time of heating liquid flow is long, the heating efficiency is high, and the degree of heating uniformity is high. The heating film is coated around the outer surface of the heating pipe, so the electrodes are prevented from being arranged in the liquid flow. Due to the presence of the flow splitting column, the liquid flow flows annularly in the heating pipe, so that the contact area of the liquid with the wall of the heating pipe is increased. Moreover, the temperature difference in space of the liquid flow can be reduced, and it is advantageous to improve the precision of subsequent temperature measurement and feedback adjustment of the liquid.
Preferably, the following steps will be executed before the electrification in the step A1 is executed:
The present invention has the following beneficial effects. Since the liquid flows in the heating pipe, by using the heating film as a heating element, the time of heating liquid flow is long, the heating efficiency is high, and the degree of heating uniformity is high. The heating film is coated around the outer surface of the heating pipe, so the electrodes are prevented from being arranged in the liquid flow. Due to the presence of the flow splitting column, the liquid flow flows annularly in the heating pipe, and both the inner and outer sides of the annular liquid flow come into contact with the heat transfer wall, so that the contact area of the liquid with the heat transfer wall is increased. Moreover, the temperature difference in space of the liquid flow can be reduced, and it is advantageous to improve the precision of subsequent temperature measurement and feedback adjustment of the liquid. For the heating pipe made of the optional brittle and high-cleanliness material, it is mounted in such a manner that it is compressed by exerting a pre-tightening force in the axial direction, so it is ensured that no rupture and damage will occur near the axial end faces of the heating pipe due to a too large radial compression assembly force.
The present invention will be further described below in detail by specific implementations with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the embodiment shown in
In the present invention, by the liquid temperature control technology, the time of heating liquid flow is long, the heating efficiency is high, and the degree of heating uniformity is high. The liquid flow is allowed to flow annularly in the hear pipe, so that the inner and outer sides of the annular liquid flow come into with the heat transfer wall, and the contact area of the liquid with the heat transfer wall is increased. Moreover, the temperature difference in space of the immersion liquid flow can be better avoided, and the precision of subsequent temperature measurement and feedback adjustment of the liquid is improved. If the device of the present invention is applied to an immersion liquid feeding device for an immersion lithography machine, the temperature uniformity of the immersion liquid can be improved, and the exposure imaging quality of the lithography machine can thus be improved. Moreover, in the present invention, by providing fastening connectors and pre-tightening springs on the outer side of the heating pipe, and by exerting a pre-tightening force to the fastening connectors, the pre-tightening springs store the pre-tightening force and lock the stored pre-tightening force by nuts to realize tight connection between the heating pipe and the sealing covers so as to ensure good sealing performance of the present invention. The heating pipe made of brittle high-cleanliness material such as quartz is mounted in such a manner that it is compressed by exerting a pre-tightening force in the axial direction, so it can be ensured that no rupture and damage will occur near the axial end faces of the heating pipe due to a too large radial assembly force. In the present invention, since quartz, stainless steel or fluorine-containing plastics is used as material for manufacturing the heating pipe, it is difficult to produce pollution impurities when the liquid flows through the heating pipe. The heating film later contains graphene material. Thus, higher electro-thermal conversion efficiency can be achieved, and the temperature on the heating surface is more uniform. In the present invention, by using graphene as the material for manufacturing the heating film layer, the electro-thermal conversion efficiency is high, and the temperature on the heating surface is uniform. In the present invention, by using graphene and providing the flow splitting column in the heating pipe, the inner and outer sides of the liquid flowing into the heating chamber can be heated uniformly, so that the temperature difference of the liquid due to uneven heating or different heat transfer rate is avoided. In the present invention, by providing the barrel, the mechanical deformation of the device of the present invention after long-term use can be avoided, and the heat emitted outward during the heating process in the present invention can also be reduced.
In the embodiment shown in
The following steps will be executed before the electrification in the step A1 is executed.
In the description of the position relation in the present invention, the orientation or position relation indicated by terms “inner”, “outer”, “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right” or the like is an orientation or position relation shown by the accompanying drawings, merely for describing the embodiments and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the specified device or element must have a particular orientation or be constructed and operated in a particular orientation. Therefore, the terms should not be interpreted as limitations to the present invention.
The basic principles and main features of the products of the present invention and the advantages of the present invention have been described by the foregoing contents and structures. However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that, the above examples and description merely show the principle of the present invention, various variations and improvements may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and these variations and improvements shall fall into the protection scope of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention shall be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202011178865.9 | Oct 2020 | CN | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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3846621 | Roos | Nov 1974 | A |
20040028396 | Russegger | Feb 2004 | A1 |
20070070324 | Kuit | Mar 2007 | A1 |
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20150241147 | Brooks | Aug 2015 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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205481695 | Aug 2016 | CN |
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Translation of CN-205481695-U (Year: 2016). |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20220136733 A1 | May 2022 | US |