CN101478882B - Rapid thermal firing ir conveyor furnace having high intensity heating section - Google Patents

Abstract

Isolation IR heat lamp module and method of firing multi-zone IR furnaces for solar cell processing comprising lamps disposed in individual parallel channels in a reflector/insulator body to provide a cooling air channel surrounding each tube; the channels are covered with IR-transmissive plate material to isolate each lamp from adjacent lamps and the process zone. Cooling air is exhausted and recycled upstream for energy conservation. Lamp spacing can be varied and power to each lamp individually controlled to provide infinite control of temperature profile in each heating zone. For a spike zone, and in combination with downstream quench control and annealing zones, steep heating and cooling curves with very short dwell (sharp) peak temperature profiles permit faster throughput due to operation of the lamps at essentially 100 % rated capacity, at a 2X or greater heating and throughput rate without compromising lamp life, while producing solar cells with improved output efficiency.

Description

Rapid Thermal sintering infrared ray conveyor type heat-treatment furnace with high strength heated zones

Technical field

The application relates to a kind of improved IR (infrared ray) conveyor type heat-treatment furnace, metallization sintering in particular for serigraphy, solar cell Silicon Wafer, this heat-treatment furnace has improved spike district and sintering process, thereby makes the solar cell photovoltaic element of production have higher production capacity and efficient.This improved system is characterised in that spike zone heating chamber uses the specifically-built high reflectance-efficient reflector that uses with IR heating lamp combination of elements, described heating lamp element and described reflector formation spaced apart cooling duct, this cooling duct allows the spendable power density of heat-treatment furnace fully to increase, and makes heat lamp overheated can not occur up to 100% rated power output services in long-time.The infrared light that system of the present invention also produces described lamp is simultaneously concentrated, and makes that bigger amount infrared light enters processing region, thus improved the IR radiation add thermal effect and efficient.

Background technology

Some special disposal operations that the manufacturing of silica-based solar cell need be carried out with particular order.These treatment process generally include monocrystal silicon and grow in crystal growing furnace or cast polysilicon block in " directional solidification " stove.These treatment process produce is monocrystalline silico briquette or the polysilicon block of the length " sausage shape " that is called silicon ingot, and the slice of silicon then is to use " scroll saw " transverse cuts to form rough solar cell wafer from it.These wafers then, no matter being made up of monocrystal still is that polycrystal by combining constitutes, and processed processing forms thickness at 150 microns smooth wafers in 330 micrometer ranges.Because the shortage of suitable silicon, current trend are wafer to be made thinner, thickness is 180 microns usually.

The blank wafer that processes is processed to the solar cell of function then, can produce electric current by photovoltaic effect.The processing of wafer begins with different cleaning and etching operation, finishes with the operation that is called diffusion, and diffusing procedure is in order to make semiconductor " p-n " knot diode.Diffusion at high temperature exist optional phosphorus source for example the spray liquid of phosphoric acid,diluted or the nitrogen by will bubbling, nitrogen by liquid POCL ₃POCl3 (the POCl that makes ₃) take place under the situation of steam.The silicon that mixes forms " emitter stage " layer of barrier-layer cell like this, and this layer is exposed to daylight (normal photon source) emission of following time electronics.These electronics are collected by the Metal Contact line fine-structure mesh of serigraphy, and described Metal Contact line sintering is in the surface of battery, and is as described in greater detail below.

In order to strengthen for the ability that forms the Metal Contact line of Low ESR serigraphy below silicon p-n junction emitter layer, the phosphorus of additional amount is deposited on the front surface of wafer.The High temperature diffusion technology that reaches 30 minutes by the duration is driven into phosphorus in the wafer.Extra " electroactive " phosphorus makes it possible to form the Low ESR contact wire.Yet the formation of this contact wire is cost to lose battery efficiency.Battery efficiency loss be because the photon by absorbing high-energy rather than short wavelength produces electron-hole pair and causes being located on or near the surface.These " blue light " photons are combination and disappearance more fast, thereby makes their to the not contribution of cell power generation.

Diffusion and by multiple cleaning and etching technics after unwanted semiconductor junction is removed in the side of wafer, these wafers are coated on ARC, silicon nitride (SiN3) normally, this is generally undertaken by enhancement mode plasma chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).Between some technical process, wafer carries out drying in the low temperature drying stove comes to prepare for follow-up technical process.

This SiN ₃ARC (ARC) is deposited into about 1/4 thickness of 0.6 micron wavelength of light.After having applied ARC, battery presents navy blue surface.This ARC will minimize the reflection of the incident photon of wavelength about 0.6 micron.

In the PECVD process, by with silane, silicon tetrahydride (SiH ₄), ammoniacal liquor, ammonia (NH ₃) and purity nitrogen, nitrogen (N ₂) be blended in different concentration and form ARC SiNx coating in the high or low frequency microwave field.Hydrogen decomposes and is diffused in the Silicon Wafer very fast.Hydrogen has the beyond thought effect that can repair block defective, especially in polycrystalline material.These defectives constitute trap, thereby here electron-hole pair can be again in conjunction with the efficient that reduces battery or power output.During follow-up IR sintering (vide infra), the temperature of rising (above 400 ℃) will cause hydrogen to diffuse out from wafer.Therefore, short sintering time is necessary, comes out to prevent " degassing " of hydrogen from wafer.Preferably this Hydrogen Energy is captured and remains in the bulk material (especially under the situation of polycrystalline material).

Cover the aluminum paste coating by silk-screen printing technique at the back side of solar cell.This Al (aluminium) coating at first is dried, and carries out sintering then with itself and boron-doping silicon alloying in the IR heat-treatment furnace, thereby forms " back of the body ".In addition, the aluminum paste at the dry back side, the wafer that overturns then becomes to electrically contact pattern with aluminium paste serigraphy is carried out in the front, then dry this pattern.Two kinds of materials then, namely back side aluminium powder contacts slurry with front silver powder, is burnt altogether in same sintering step (follow-up sintering as indicated above).This burns step altogether and has saved a processing treatment step.

The back side is covered fully by aluminium base powder slurry usually, and preceding or top surface adopts silk screen printing that thin money base gauze is arranged, this money base gauze is connected to bigger female conductor, the electronics that the doped silicon emitter stage below being positioned at for " collection " or the depleted region of close surface produce.Simultaneously, the open region of maximum possible does not cover to be used for converting light to electric energy.After these powder slurries have been dried, they are carried out common burning.The aluminium alloy at the back side and positive powder slurry at high temperature carry out sintering with high speed simultaneously in the conveyor type heat-treatment furnace, form conductor smooth, low ohmic resistance with the front at solar cell.

The IR heat-treatment furnace that The present invention be directed to this burnt together aurification/sintering metallization processes altogether and be used for this burning altogether or other industrial processes.The IR conveyor type heat-treatment furnace for being total to burnt together aurification/sintering metallization processes of current use has the heating chamber that is divided into a plurality of zones.Each zone adopts different adiabatic method and external environment thermal insulation to separate, and the most frequently used is the fiber thermal insulation board that adopts compression.Usually, the first area that just is positioned at entrance is provided with than more infrared ray (IR) lamp in the back to back the 2nd or the 3rd zone the temperature of the Silicon Wafer put into is elevated to 425 ℃ to 450 ℃ the scope that is approximately rapidly.Need to keep this temperature with the temperature stabilization that keeps wafer and the complete after-flame of whole organic principles of guaranteeing the silver slurry in more ensuing zones.Purpose is that the whole carbon contents in the contact wire are reduced to minimum, because carbon can increase contact impedance.

Fast Sintering can produce optimum result usually, is diffused in the emitter stage because impurity is not free.High sintering rate is very important, and this is to be usually less than energy for the sintering silver particles owing to be used for that impurity is diffused into activation evergy in the doped silicon emitter region.In order to realize high sintering rate, wafer enters high IR-intensity " spike " zone, in the temperature of this zone wafer is elevated to 700 ℃-900 ℃ scope rapidly, and cools off by multiple means then, leaves this heat-treatment furnace up to wafer.Wafer does not remain under the peak temperature.Or rather, spike width should be minimum, that is to say, the duration is short, and temperature rises and the gradient of fall off rate should be very steep.

Yet in present IR heat-treatment furnace, these demands can't satisfy.Or rather, high strength spike zone is the simple imitation of first area just, wherein the IR lamp with the conveyer belt that crosses wafer, conveyer belt with and the mode arranged of the above and below of support system.Therefore in the prior art, the service efficiency of the IR lamp of heating wafer is very low in different processing regions, and the duration is long, and that crosses long duration is characterized as that temperature curve has wide peak value and mild speed slope in the spike zone.At present the heat-treatment furnace that uses can produce in the spike zone from about 80 ℃ of/second temperature rate-of-rise in about 100 ℃ of/second scopes.Because this peak temperature must under constant transfer rate, need in fact very long spike zone because conveyer belt moves current available climbing speed with constant speed near 1000 ℃.The duration of current processing procedure is also oversize.

The treatment limits of the easy curve of currently used heat-treatment furnace/broad peak value tag has harmful effect at the Metal Contact line of top surface, and as described below this limited the efficient of battery significantly.The front surface aluminium paste generally includes four phases:

(1) delivery phase, it is as the carrier of powder and comprise volatile solvent and non-volatile polymer; Solvent evaporation and polymer are removed in burn-out steps in drying steps; Above-mentioned two steps were carried out before the peak region sintering step of reality;

(2) bonding phase (organic resin and frit), it remains to the powder slurry on the substrate, is used for dissolution of metals powder and conduct at the on-chip adhesive of sintering process.

(3) function phase (metallic or be shaped as little spheroid or for thin slice); With

(4) regulating phase (for example fusing), is the proprietary a small amount of additive of powder slurry manufacturer, has influenced required thermal profile but be used for sintering.

The drying stage of solvent before sintering evaporates fully.Resin must be burnouted fully in case blocking hinders the electrical qualities of Metal Contact line then.This finishes under about 425 ℃ to 450 ℃ temperature range.When temperature continued to raise in the sintering stage, frit began fusing.The temperature of this respect of this processing procedure depends on composition and the vitrification point Tg thereof of frit.Lead oxide is a kind of important component of frit, because it can dissolve silver particles.Usually Tg is approximately 550 ℃-600 ℃, is transformed into structure better mobile and that can flow at this temperature lower-glass material from solid amorphous structure.In this processing procedure, temperature continues to be elevated in 700 ℃-950 ℃ the scope silver particles is sintered together and therefore form low-impedance conductor.

Finishing this program fast is the important following reason that has.At first, it is too many that frit necessarily can not flow, otherwise the serigraphy contact wire will broaden, thereby the solar radiation of blocking incident at more battery surface has reduced the effective collection area.Secondly, frit should not have mixing of any big degree with silver particles, because this will increase the series resistance of contact wire.At last, this all class materials must etching passes SiNx antireflection (ARC) coating, and (thickness is approximately 1/4 of 0.15 micron or 0.6 micron target wavelength, be used for reflection minimized), but must not allow to continue to drive by before being diffused into " shallow " doped silicon emitter layer that P-type silicon top surface forms by phosphorus.The thickness of emitter layer is generally 0.1 to 0.5 micron, but the thickness of shallow emitter layer is usually in 0.1 to 0.2 micron scope.

Therefore, in order to control etching depth, must carry out fast and quenching completely sinter.Quench, just in order to prevent that in etching AR coating and after frit is adhered to silicon base well silver particles from diffusing in the silicon below the emitter stage (being made of crystallite), this must finish by quick cooling.Crucial is that too dark if silver is driven in the doped silicon emitter layer, then knot can shorten.The result is owing to cause the efficient of battery to reduce for generation of the circuit pathways of the weak point of electronics.This also can think the character of the low parallel resistance of battery.

But contradiction is with it, and it also is very important that quick cooling is slowed down glassy phase is annealed to improve sticking action.In a word, cooling curve looks like like this: be cooled fast to 700 ℃ from peak firing temperature, slowly cooling is annealed then, cooling is left heat-treatment furnace to allow wafer under enough low temperature fast then, so that the robot device carries, described robot device necessarily has rubber suction cups wafer is unloaded and can not damage its surface from mobile conveyer belt.

Because the cost of size and IR lamp limits, be increased in the normally infeasible solution of density of the lamp in spike zone.In addition, peak temperature only keeps time of lacking very much in the spike zone, and the thermal characteristics curve that descends need be precipitous.The density that increases lamp may play tangible reaction, because cause milder slope easily because the density of the reflectoscope that the inner surface in product and spike zone takes place increases.

Equally, it is infeasible increasing the power output of lamp current, because higher output may cause modulation element overheated, and outer quartz tube especially.Most of heat-treatment furnaces are controlled by thermocouple.Because the IR lamp is placed side by side with spaced apart 1.2 inches rule, each lantern festival heats its contiguous lamp.When thermocouple detected temperature near 900 ℃, they reduced the power of lamp automatically.This causes lower power density, changes the spectrum output (therefore lower energy output arranged) that the IR lamp is launched, and has caused needs to reduce the speed of driving-belt, thereby reduced treatment effeciency.In addition, this can cause chain reaction to other zone, because conveyer belt is continuous and at a regional slowdown band in the All Ranges slowed down, therefore, must carry out balance all zone adjustment.In addition, slow down upstream or downstream area belt speed can influence the sintering zone.Lamp overheated for example because thermocouple postpones or fault, may cause that lamp deforms, lax and last the inefficacy.This distortion also can influence the uniformity of the IR output that is transported to product.

It is important in heat-treatment furnace air pressure being controlled.Though the operation of many metallization heat-treatment furnaces is under atmospheric pressure to carry out, air must relatively be controlled and be laminar flow or the turbulent flow with minimum level, because the air that enters may import the particulate that pollutes substrate surface, and inner turbulent flow may upset product substrate wafer and since they be so thin, light and frangible and its thickness usually in 150 to 350 microns scope.In addition, at high temperature, the disturbance of inside air may cause lamp to shake, and causes the inconsistent of fatigue failure or output or decline.

Therefore, in IR heat-treatment furnace and IR sintering process, there is unsatisfied demand, want to significantly improve the pure effective rate of heat addition of conventional lights, control and thermal profile preferably are provided in the spike zone, permission improves the control of heat-treatment furnace temperature and air pressure conditions, improves and quenches and the annealing performance, improves the uniformity of heat in such heat-treatment furnace, and improve the production capacity of this heat-treatment furnace, reach these targets with heat-treatment furnace floor space identical or that reduce simultaneously.

Summary of the invention

The present invention be directed to a kind of conveyor type or batch (-type) IR heat-treatment furnace with a plurality of heating regions, it comprises at least one spike zone, wherein the IR heating element heater is isolated and with the cooling of air or inert gas, thus make the rate of heat addition and heat-treatment furnace to prefabricated material for example the process yield of silicon, selenium, germanium or gallium based solar battery wafer double effectively.

The present invention also comprises all process control systems that can improve solar cell yield, and owing to controlling the sintering method that the processing operation realizes the efficient raising of solar cell better, this processing operation is characterised in that the temperature curve that steep temperature rises and descends, pointy summit and to quenching and the accurate control of annealing temperature curve.The improved control of the present invention runs through to be burnouted, spike, quenches, stops to quench and annealing (tempering) zone, for improvement of contact form, hydrogen, the control etching depth that overflows and the delivery efficiency that improves adherence and improve battery reduce to outgas.

Lamp shielding system of the present invention realizes in a spike regions module that as an example this module has a plurality of reflector elements with parallel groove, and the center of each groove is provided with one or more IR lamp.Be covered with the transparent transmissive window of IR on the groove, for example quartz, Vicor and Pyrex, Robax board glass or other high temp glass, synthetic sapphire and analog.The heating module layout that faces with each other and be spaced from each other, one is positioned at heat-treatment furnace conveyer belt top, and one is positioned at the below, is used for defining between them the product treatment zone of opening with lamp and cooling trench isolations.

The IR-of lamp isolates heating each other between the lamp that prevents vicinity.Described groove has many kinds of cross-sectional geometries, comprise square, rectangle, triangle, semicircle, parabola shaped or their form part pentagon, hexagon, octagon or ellipse.The geometry of groove is selected like this, guiding the IR emittance towards the product that passes through at the heat-treatment furnace conveyer belt, rather than by the contiguous lamp of direct radiation heating.

These grooves open wide in their relative ends, as entrance and/or the outlet of cooling blast.Cooling blast enters by air inlet pipe at least one end of each groove, and discharges in the centre position at the other end or two ends.

It is maximum rated value basically that the isolation geometry of this combined I R/ cooling/processing region of heating module of the present invention allows the power with lamp to be increased to.This causes the rate of heat addition to be increased to about 200 ℃/second from about 160 ℃/second, and just the rate of heat addition with traditional 100W/ inch lamp doubles effectively, and can not cause lamp to turn down, close or be out of shape.In addition, lamp shielding system of the present invention allows to increase the speed of conveyer belt, thereby increases production capacity and the output of product.Only as embodiment, although the conveyor type heat-treatment furnace of current use is approximately in conveyer belt speed under the situation of 150 inch per minutes and operates, heating element heater shielding system of the present invention allows this speed is doubled to about 300 inch per minutes, and the speed of this increase to be in peak temperature be in the interior spike zone of 900 ℃ ± 40 ℃ scopes.Can move under the speed up to about 250 inch per minutes though the conveyor type heat-treatment furnace of some current uses is called oneself, they can not carry out work under high power density.

Conveyor type heat-treatment furnace of the present invention comprises housing or the shell that forms chamber, and for example fiber, fiberboard or refractory brick carry out heat insulation the heat-barrier material of this chamber by traditional form.Heating module of the present invention is arranged in the outer heat insulation shell.Conveyer belt is arranged between the upper and lower heating module, and suitable energy and control system are integrated in the heat-treatment furnace system.Space between each window is the path of the conveyer belt of carrying preformed material substrate to be sintered.Here be processing region; The effect of exemplary processing region described herein is with the spike zone.

Yet, should be appreciated that a plurality of zones, even the All Ranges of heat-treatment furnace can adopt isolation lamp assembly of the present invention.For thermal diffusion fast (phosphorus or boron) and/or rapid thermal oxidation make the front surface passivation, the present invention spike zone that is rapidly heated can be arranged in the porch of heat-treatment furnace, and can use described a plurality of zone to keep diffusion temperature or oxidizing temperature when described wafer transmits by heat-treatment furnace.

By the element of preferably being made by ceramic material machining or casting (reflector) that can produce reflection, come from the emittance quilt of top and/or below infrared lamp concentrated pass the transmittance plate (window) of front and enter in the heat treatment passage that runs through entire process zone (burnout, spike, quenching/stop area) very strong heating environment is provided.Will work in 700 ℃ to 1000 ℃ temperature range in spike of the present invention zone.

Can be independently or adjust in groups and be implemented in each regional precise dose gradient control in the power of lamp, top and bottom.Temperature control can be used based on thermoregulator or the voltage-controlled power governor of thermocouple and realize.The preferred Control of Voltage power that adopts is regulated, because this is because it can keep the power of stable lamp and can repeat, can limit and constant spectrum output always, thereby provides the fastest rate of heat addition and the more consistent thermal effect that adds.This with keep the output of fluctuation formula lamp of PID control system of function opposite in response to being generally used for temperature.

In an importance of the present invention, treatment process of the present invention comprises operationally allocating power, cooling system (cooling air velocity, flow and flow channel, and heat exchange parameter) and belt speed, not only each zone is controlled separately, but also control each independent lamp, to realize the thermal profile of wide region, this thermal profile is longitudinally along the material processed flow channel that runs through a plurality of zones, to produce the solar cell with significant improvement performance and efficient.

Thereby reflector shape of the present invention have following three features allow commercially available IR lamp or maximum permissible power grade near them under move, and the temperature of lamp can be advanced to above beyond the safety operation temperature, when surpassing this safety operation temperature, the housing of quartz lamp begins deliquescing, loses rigidity, sagging and finally can not work:

1) geometry of the reflector groove high power beam that can cause the output of IR lamp to be concentrated into guiding to processing region is used for forming higher suitable energy density at processing region;

2) spacer ribs between adjacent trenches prevents that lamp from heating its contiguous lamp, and restriction and guiding IR radiation are towards processing region;

3) reflector is arranged with transmissible front window and IR heating element heater, form and define around the cooling channel of the annular of lamp length, and the air of cooling is fully by this path.

The geometry of reflector and the combination of described window provide triple isolation features: 1) IR isolates; 2) isolation of coolant gas or air and single lamp; And 3) cooling air stream separates with processing region, makes very light, frangible wafer can not disarrayed by the air stream of other turbulent flow.

In first embodiment, the cooling air is directed to the other end from an end of fluorescent tube.In another preferred embodiment, the cooling air is from passing the distributing pipe of entrance that is positioned at each end of described lamp, is transported to exhaust apparatus via the center that is seated in the reflector path or near the hole of reflector path center towards the center of this lamp.Usually, the cooling air for example has the compressor assembly of filter and drier from compressed air source, is introduced in the end of lamp.

The cooling air by holding and guide the entrance air inlet pipe of air to be incorporated into the end of lamp, is introduced lamp cooling duct on every side up to this cooling air usually.Deflector in the middle of described air inlet pipe is equipped with usually is used for uniform distribution cooling air and lacks the cooling air to avoid some lamps, and supplies too much cooling air to some other lamp.

Refrigerating gas or air leave the cooling duct by central steam vent or the slit in reflector back (top or bottom), and described hole or slit are roughly along the mobile center line setting of the processing in zone.Be the refrigerating gas of heat now, can be collected and discharge that perhaps they can enter other zone of heat-treatment furnace by pipeline or passage recirculation, for example: be used for preheating the product that enters in the heat-treatment furnace; Carrying out energy by the recycled back adverse current to the zone of burnouting reclaims again; Be used for slowing down the cooldown rate of responsive and friable material and in the regional later stage of spike product carried out tempering; Or be used for fully organic remains being removed from substrate in the other parts for the treatment of process.The recirculation of this refrigerating gas that has heated can more effectively utilize energy.

In order to control etching depth, the sinter that produces in the spike zone must quench fast and up hill and dale.Quench, prevent that just silver particles from diffusing into (formation crystallite) among the silicon below the emitter stage in etching AR coating with after frit is bonded to silicon base well, this must finish by quick cooling.This is very important.If silver is driven in the doped silicon emitter layer too dark, then knot can shorten.The efficient that the result causes battery owing to the circuit pathways for generation of electronics shortens reduces.This also can think because the character of the low series resistance of battery.

In system of the present invention and technology, this quenching process is finished in the quenching zone, this quenching zone is characterised in that uses the air knife assembly, the compressed air volume of the careful control of air knife assembly utilization, and the plane of air is top and/or the bottom of pointing to wafer, rapidly the sintering temperature of temperature from about 800 ℃ to 1000 ℃ peak region is reduced in about 500 ℃ to 700 ℃ scope, normally within one second or two seconds, reduce by 200 ℃ to 400 ℃.

In addition, the quick cooling that takes place in the quenching zone is slowed down or stopped also is very important, glassy phase is annealed to improve cementation.This is to finish in being quenched in the zone in optional, novel stopping, and this zone that stops to quench is right after after the quenching zone.This zone includes the limited number lamp, in general only above the contact surface of wafer, but also can comprise the lamp that is positioned at the wafer below.Use these lamps can stop quick cooling, in the scope with temperature stabilization to 450 ℃-700 ℃, make the cooling of tempering slowly in annealing region, downstream subsequently, to carry out, drop in about 30 ℃-100 ℃ temperature range of the heat-treatment furnace port of export from about 450 ℃-700 ℃ at this regional temperature.Alternatively, and preferably, the cooling air is introduced into this quenching stop area to improve the control to temperature distribution history.That is to say that control cooling air and lamp are important, thereby seldom or not undercooling can occur, next are that (curve shape looks like mathematics square root calculation symbol usually, √) in a recoil in the annealing region.To lamp power and air in trizonal control result: peak value, quenching and quenching stop the district, are a precipitous rising and decline, at peak value the short annealing region that continues and carry out the transition to the regional downstream that stops to quench are smoothly arranged.

Keep wafer temperature to be used for tempering, to improve the sticking action in the annealing region, and be further cooled to 30 ℃-100 ℃ near the exit wafer, with allow robot to pick device or other treatment facility or personnel from conveyer belt and/or assemble platform and remove wafer, wherein wafer is from the conveyer belt call away to and is transferred to the assembly platform.

In a word, cooling curve can be carefully controlled into any selection of main body processing procedure of the heating that has in the speed range of 80 ℃ to 200 ℃ of about per seconds and cooling curve and the temperature distribution history of structure.The control curve that produces at sintering and downstream area looks like so substantially: be heated rapidly to sharp-pointed, define clear and definite, of short duration lasting peak value, be cooled fast to about 400 ℃-500 ℃ from about 850 ℃-950 ℃ peak firing temperature, slowly cool off for the purpose of annealing then, and last cooling to be to allow wafer with enough low and can leave heat-treatment furnace by the temperature (30 ℃-100 ℃) of robot device's carrying, and this robot device adopts the polymer sucker that wafer is lifted from the conveyer belt that moves can not damage its surface.In peak temperature place transient continuous, that is to say, the acuteness of peak profile curve can be controlled and pass through the ability of control cooling, and with the mode of selecting to line speed, power and the cooling effect in downstream area of single lamp carried out programming and become possibility in peak region, especially in above-mentioned quenching with stop the zone of quenching.Heat-treatment furnace system controller of the present invention can dispose when needed for all zones, and being used for provides previously selected thermal profile at specific product to be sintered.

IR heating region of the present invention is characterised in that to have the reflector that high reflectance pottery/heat-barrier material is made, this reflector uses any geometry to surround and isolates the IR lamp, and by the IR light of the reflection of IR transmittance plate material and gathering maximum possible, this light is guided to processing region be used for the pending product of heating.

This reflector design becomes to have and independently reflects chamber, and this chamber is used for holding independently lamp or lamp " group ".Described reflection chamber comprises groove, and described groove is used for forcing cooling air (or other handles gas) to lead to the exhaust outlet that is arranged on the center from each end, perhaps leads to from an end that has cooling air intake to have the other end that cools off air exhaust port.The embodiment that the center is provided with exhaust outlet is preferred.

The reflector element that is configured with chamber or groove is arranged to closely contact with IR transmittance plate " window ", keeps the cooling air closely near the isolation cooling duct of lamp for better heat conduction in order to form.The IR transmittance plate prevents that high pressure/high speed lamp-cooling air from entering and upsetting the processing region that conveyer belt and wafer pass through, and allows simultaneously to use a large amount of refrigerating gases to keep the abundant cooling of lamp quartz and glass/quartz transmission plate.This is very important, because most of high temp glass for example " Robax " can only be applicable to and is being no more than about 970 ℃ of down work, and quartzy meeting begin to soften at 1000 ℃, and 900 ℃ of ranks of " spike " processing procedure temperature arrival need " at the lamp place " to have higher temperature to drive this processing procedure usually in the sintering zone.The present invention allows to work under the power grade that can cause the softening and warpage of lamp housing under normal conditions, cause shortening service life of lamp.

In addition, because may improve in the future at the design of lamp or material and slurry composition (preceding contact starch adhesive and a back of the body slurry).The technological progress that isolation module of the present invention will adapt to this class at an easy rate provides improved technology and the higher battery of efficient.

The reflector flute surfaces can comprise any geometry, as the surface of parabola or high-order for example ellipse, semicircle, triangle, square, rectangle or trapezoidal etc.

Description of drawings

Be described in greater detail with reference to the attached drawings the present invention, wherein:

Fig. 1 is four a series of lines side views, at first in Figure 1A, illustrated adopt be integrated in the zone of burnouting, quench in zone and the tempering zone in the zone and stopping of quenching, and at least one isolates the side schematic view of the heat-treatment furnace of the present invention of heating region; Figure 1B is the vertical cross section that passes the zone of burnouting, Fig. 1 C be pass peak value sintering zone, the zone and stop the vertical sectional view of quenching the zone and carrying out the transition to the annealing region of quenching; And Fig. 1 D is the vertical sectional view of passing the annealing region;

Fig. 2 is to use the axle side schematic diagram of the exemplary peak value thermal treatment zone of heating element heater isolation module of the present invention, top and bottom, and shows the recirculation in the zone of burnouting;

Fig. 3 is a series of positive views transverse to the product flow axes, show the geometry of reflector groove, wherein Fig. 3 A shows the trench geometry of square or rectangle, and Fig. 3 B shows leg-of-mutton trench geometry, and Fig. 3 C shows preferred parabola shaped geometry;

The axonometric drawing such as horizontal of the heating element heater isolation module that Fig. 4 is isolated, paired shows the centering accessory of lamp and inserts lamp in some grooves;

Fig. 5 is a pair of horizontal front view under the axis of flow path, show the relation between the parts and cooling duct in the heating element heater module, and the relation of they and conveyer belt, wherein Fig. 5 A shows a side to first embodiment of the cooled flow of a side, and Fig. 5 B shows the flow path that the bilateral for refrigerating gas enters and discharges in the center;

Fig. 6 shows a series of figure of optional IR lamp end centering accessory, and wherein Fig. 6 A shows horizontal front view and Fig. 6 B shows first embodiment to wait axle mode, Fig. 6 B with etc. the axle mode show second accessory of preferably feeling relieved.

Fig. 7 A shows the enlarged side view of end fitting, and Fig. 7 B be this accessory and be arranged in heating lamp in the groove etc. axonometric drawing; With

Fig. 8 is the configuration for the treatment of process of the present invention and the flow chart of method aspect, shows control parameter and backfeed loop.

The specific embodiment

The elaboration that detailed description is hereinafter carried out the present invention is as an example, rather than to scope of the present invention, be equal to or principle limits.This explanation makes those of ordinary skills can be expressly understood and use the present invention, and has described several embodiments of the present invention, modification, variation, substitutes and used, and comprises the current best way of the present invention of thinking to implement.

In this, the present invention is illustrated by a plurality of figure, and have sufficient complexity and make many parts, dependency relation with and sub-portfolio can't be only intactly illustrate with the figure of unitary patent type.Purpose for clarity and brevity, described a plurality of figure are with summary or omitting for describing disclosed concrete structure of the present invention, aspect or principle is that the mode of unessential parts shows.For example, be connected to multiple electric gentle connection of lamp, brake and lifter bellows, this uses always for those of ordinary skills, does not here illustrate.Therefore, the most preferred embodiment of a feature can then can be drawn the preferred forms of another feature only shown in the figure in another figure.

Figure 1A has schematically shown conveyor type heat-treatment furnace 10, and it comprises that the solar cell wafer 12 that transmits after mixing passes through the conveyer belt 13 for the treatment of region 11, and this processing region continues to pass through a plurality of heat-treatment furnace processing modules or section, comprising: section 14 burnouts; Next be peak value sintering section 16; Be quenching section 18 in turn in the downstream of this section; Section 20 stops to quench; And tempering or annealing section 22, the annealing section adopts air and/or water cooling.Corresponding processing region part adopts the title of respective section at each heat-treatment furnace section, therefore, burnout, peak value, quench, stop to quench and annealing " zone " all refers to the hardware of the heat-treatment furnace of the volume of the processing that conveyer belt is horizontally through and this section.

The conveyer belt 13 that schematically shows moves to the right side and limits the center line of level (being the upper module in described section or zone above it, thereunder is the lower module of described zone or section) and longitudinal direction from the left side; Therefore, the direct of travel that is orthogonal to conveyer belt is defined as horizontal direction or dimension.Processing region 14,16,18 in Fig. 1,, 20 and 22 because the ratio of drawing and product is not shown.Entrance and optional outlet deflector 24a, 24b is arranged in porch and the outlet end of heat-treatment furnace.Be typically provided with the upstream drier, this is not shown in the drawings.For example between zone 16 and zone 18, can be provided with middle deflector.

The section that burnouts comprises a plurality of heating module 14a-14d of three or four, and the sintering section comprises one or more spike regions module 16.Notice that burnouting here, peak value and the module that stops to quench can be isolated form IR lamp heating modules of the present invention, perhaps only spike regions module 16 is isolated form modules of the present invention.

Figure 1A and 1B also show in order to increase energy utilization efficiency greatly, and with hot-air 45 from the isolation module 16 in spike zone more upstream circulating reflux to the zone 14 of burnouting.Air is used as discharge air 28a via pressure ventilation apparatus 27a and is left the breather pipe of locating in end, heat-treatment furnace upstream.In addition, then being used as discharge air 28b at the air of zone 18 injections of quenching discharges by pressure ventilation apparatus 27b.Figure 1B and 1C show surrounding air 26 from the annealing region 22 bottom and/or side and introduce from the bottom in the zone 20 that stops to quench, to allow these regional temperature distribution histories of control.Attention is discharged by the conveyer belt slit among the interregional partition wall 104e between this zone and annealing region 20 at the cooling air 26 that introduce the bottom of quenching stop area 20 in Fig. 1 C.Alternatively, the cooling air that stops to quench in the zone 20 can independently be discharged by the breather pipe (not shown) of himself.In the annealing region 22, preferably shown in Fig. 1 D, heat-exchange system for example water pipe collector can be with helping cooling (except cooling off air 26).Cooling air 26 leaves zone 22 by pressure ventilation apparatus 27c as discharging air 28c.

Turn in more detail with reference to Figure 1B now, the figure shows the longitudinal profile (right side is that symmetry is identical) in the left side, zone of burnouting, this zone interregional partition wall 104a leftward is provided with entrance for conveyer belt 13, and this entrance is schematically illustrated with wide, a flat arrow.The path of conveyer belt illustrates by the center line 86 of heat-treatment furnace, and it passes this zone towards the right side.In the above and below of this band be the port 88 that inserts for lamp 40, schematically illustrated with the form of part fluorescent tube and axial location point in the drawings, to avoid covering the feature that air flows.The heating recirculation pipe 54U of upper and lower and 54L have isolated hole 47, are used for from the discharge of the next hot-air 45 of downstream peak region, preferably referring to Fig. 2.In addition, compressed air or inert gas 26 can inject to help to carry out temperature control and discharge volatile matter and the flue dust that burnouts by pipeline 92.This hot recirculation air and control gas form the air-flow of laminar flow substantially, and shown in the big ribbon 45 that passes through top extension from right to left, here air-flow is discharged as discharging air 28a from vent line 27a and breather pipe.

Fig. 1 C is the left end (illustrating on the right side) that extends to annealing region 22 from the downstream (illustrating in the left side) of the right-hand member in the zone 14 of burnouting, and annealing region 22 is initial from the right side of region separation wall 104e.As previously shown, the center line of conveyer belt illustrates with 86.After leaving from the zone 14 of burnouting by the slit on the region separation wall 104b, the conveyer belt 13 that transports battery product wafer 12 in processing region 11 (not shown in order to understand) enters peak region 16, and these illustrate in greater detail among 7A and the 7B at Fig. 2-6A.At peak region, the temperature of product wafer is elevated to selected peak temperature rapidly from the common burn-out temperatures in 400 ℃ of-450 ℃ of scopes, is used for that fusing is printed on the silver of the contact wire on the upper surface and staflux and with the slurry alloying at the back side.The selection of peak temperature is based on the character of contact wire and back side slurry composition.Isolation peak region module Fast Sintering solar cell wafer of the present invention, usually with temperature with surpass 80 ℃/second to up in about 200 ℃/second scope, preferably about more than 100 ℃/second the rate of heat addition in about 160 ℃/second scope be elevated to about 750 ℃ and arrive in about 950 ℃ temperature range.Sintering rate is the twice of ability of the heat-treatment furnace of current use approximately, and allows the rate of heat addition up to the maximum power level of lamp, and lamp is broken down, and provides manufacture of solar cells ability above twice with higher operational efficiency simultaneously.Therefore lamp isolation module of the present invention provides high temperature rising gradient, and this has prevented that hydrogen from excessively outgasing from cell substrate.This regional lamp can be in subregion energy supply or by the energy supply program energy supply of establishment separately, make peak temperature reach near the temperature the exit region dividing wall 104c.

Peak region ends at region separation wall 104c, and the conveyer belt that is loaded with product directly enters in the quenching zone 18 that defines between wall 104c and wall 104d.Compressed air or inert gas knife assembly 90 comprise the compressed air hose 92 that the lateral separation is arranged, described pipe has and is located at the slit that wherein forms and air plane 94 is guided on the product on the conveyer belt.This can very fast temperature be reduced hundreds of degree centigrade, prevent that etching from passing the silver-colored contact wire of fusing and entering the emitter layer of doping.The gradient of cooling curve is precipitous equally, therefore allows the spike width of control temperature curve, just, and in the duration of contact wire fusing and sintering formation temperature.In a word, in the control of lamp power and the control quenching rapidly of peak region, allow duration of peak value's treatment process steps of accurately controlling this key.After the cooling air came out from air knife, the hot-air 28b that heating and conduct are independent of other air draught was discharged from pressure ventilation apparatus and blast pipe 27b.For the length in given line speed and the quenching zone between region separation wall 104c and 104d, compressed-air actuated temperature and volume are controlled, specific industrial processes is provided any previously selected amount of cooling water.Temperature drops to 400 ℃ to 600 ℃ fully in the limit of power of heat-treatment furnace of the present invention in short several seconds.

Cold in order to ensure not occurring, be also referred to as " overregulating ", quenching combines by lamp 40 and the optional auxiliary cooling air 26 that enters by deflector from the below stops in the zone 20 that optionally stops to quench.As at other regional lamp, the power of these lamps also can easily control to provide the heat of any grade, carry out the transition to tempering with making this curve smoothing and promote the good required annealing temperature of cementation, this occurs in annealing region 22, just is positioned at the downstream (on the right side of this figure) of zone isolation wall 104e.The slit of attention between quenching stop area and annealing region is bigger, allows that air does not have turbulent flow ground to flow into downstream area 22.

Fig. 1 D shows the structure of annealing region, and wherein battery keeps a period of time under predetermined temperature, and can fully promote bonding, cooling is so that unload in the downstream of exit region wall 104f then.Carry out Selective Control at this regional temperature distribution history by the combination of the intake air 26 introduced from bottom inlet 102 and/or from sidewall mouth 96.Air heating and go out air 28c as hot type and discharge from pressure ventilation apparatus 27c when the cool wafers substrate, and this can control and assist by use air-introduced machine (IDfan) 100.

Two examples for the preparation of the metallization heat-treatment furnace of barrier-layer cell have been shown in following table 1, have not had dryer part in the example 1, in the example 2 dryer part has been arranged.

Table 1

The configuration of metallization sintering heat treatment furnace

	Example 1-does not have drier	Example 2-has drier
			Handle the configuration with heat-treatment furnace
Parts clearance (window is taken in transmission to)	20mm	20mm
			The entrance guiding plate, 24a	200mm	200mm
The length 14,16 of heating	2000mm	2000mm
			The number of heat treatment zone 14,16	5-6	5-6
Quick Cooling Quenching/stop area 18/20	250mm	250mm
			Cooling air (in 22)	1185mm	1185mm
Heat of cooling exchange (in 22)	1185mm	1185mm
			Maximum allowable operating temperature (M.A.O.T.) in the peak region 16	1000℃	1000℃
Drier (in the line) upstream
			The entrance guiding plate	---	200mm
Heated length	---	2800mm
			The outlet deflector	---	200mm
(between drier/heat-treatment furnace) at interval	---	400mm
			The number of heater area	---	3
Maximum allowable operating temperature (M.A.O.T.)	---	500℃
			Electric/equipment
Handle exhaust, jet pipe	2	4
			Power (Kw) peak value-usually	84-35Kw	126-48Kw
Clean dry air (CDA) 75PSI	614LPM/1300SCFH	800LMP/1700SCHF
			Bandwidth, 13	250mm	250mm
The speed of conveyer belt, 13	The 650cm/ branch	The 650cm/ branch
			Load/unload position	600mm/1000mm	600mm/1000mm
Overall length/width	6400mm/900mm	9800mm/900mm
			Wafer 125 * 125mm650cm/min	3000 wafers/hour	3000 wafers/hour
Wafer 156 * 156mm650cm/min	2420 wafers/hour	2420 wafers/hour

Fig. 2 shows a kind of exemplary heating module 30 of the present invention with the form of simplifying detail drawing, is used for coming sintering battery 12 in spike zone 16.Path and the direction of conveyer belt 13 in processing region 11 illustrates by arrow.This processing region is defined in upper and lower heating element heater (IR lamp) isolation module 34U, and between the 34L, as shown in the figure, they are held in place by the groove on sidewall 32a and 32b respectively.This isolation module comprises reflector element 36, be formed with groove or cavity therein, each groove accommodates one or more IR heating fluorescent tube 40, and the open surface of described groove covers with transmissive window or sheet material 38, and described transmissive window or sheet material 38 use quartz, Vycor board glass, Robax board glass or other high temperature resistant sheet material that can conduct the IR radiation to make usually.Lamp 40 is locked in the horizontal, and by the centering of pottery with keep accessory 42 to be limited in the center of groove, described centering and keep accessory 42 to be contained in the hole 44 on corresponding sidewall 32a and the 32b.Be provided with cooling air or gas that a series of groove tap 46a-46n (each passage has a hole) is used for discharging present heating.In this embodiment, tap or mouth 46 arrange along the center of the longitudinal axis of heating module 30, allowing cooling air 45 laterally to discharge from the hole 55 on isolated vertical deflector 53, and therefore pass through conduit 54 and upstream reflux, as press shown in the order of arrow.Described conduit comprises along isolated a plurality of holes 47 of conduit the air 45 of heat is guided to the zone of burnouting shown in Figure 1.It is a kind of sufficient heat exchange of the present invention and energy saving feature that the air of the lamp heating by peak region is recycled to the zone of burnouting by conduit.

The electric connector that is used for each lamp illustrates with 48.With lower reflector piece 36U, 36L arranges that in the mode of refractory insulation normally commercially available ceramic beaverboard does not illustrate in this view up.This module is installed in the heat-treatment furnace housing 50 in place, forms to handle one of them processing section, namely burnout section 14a-14d or sintering section 16, for example spike zone or the regions module 20 that stops to quench.

Fig. 3 shows optional embodiment is passed heating lamp isolation module or whole module (that is to say upper and lower lamp isolation module) along the center line of heat-treatment furnace the transverse cross-sectional view of getting.In Fig. 3 A, outside heat-treatment furnace metal casing body 50 illustrates, and the refractory insulating material layer illustrates with 52, and module 34U below be spaced apart (in enclosure interior).Refrigerating gas 45 discharge lines illustrate with 54, and this pipeline is connected with each groove 56a...56n via outlet 46a-46n.A plurality of lamps 40 are arranged on the center of each groove, reserve the annular space 58 that refrigerating gas flows and passes through.Described groove is to be square relatively or the section of rectangle illustrates.In Fig. 3 B, the groove that illustrates has cross section triangular in shape substantially.In the figure, exhaust outlet is omitted, and shows an end here to the example of the embodiment of end cooling.In Fig. 3 C, the reflector groove 56 that illustrates has the cross section that is parabola shaped substantially.

The thickness of reflector piece 36 is 2-3cm, and generally is commercially available dense rigid fibrous ceramic plate.Also can adopt for example silica foaming body of other material, the silica pottery, and preferably the IR reflectivity is about more than 85%, more preferably surpasses about 95%.For example by milling groove can be cast, molded or be machined in the plate, and can in be lined with high reflecting material, quartz fabric for example, it can for example be fixed or paste by waterglass on the inner surface of groove.Reflector piece 36 does not need, but can join on the IR transmittance plate 38.The separation rib 60 of attention between adjacent grooves 56 provides enough sealings for described adjacent grooves.Therefore be close to the transmittance plate of installing against the rib 60 of reflector piece 36 38 and form the function of isolating for heating lamp 40, allow that air or gas flow in around the annular space of described lamp, to influence the cooling of heating module assembly of the present invention.Transmittance plate does not need, but can polish in a side or two sides; Side towards the reflector piece rib is preferably smooth, as through grinding, also two sides can be ground.

Fig. 4 illustrates the upper and lower module 34U of the heating module assembly 30 that includes among Fig. 3 C, the equidistant vertically view of the embodiment of the parabola shaped groove of 34L, and it is preferred embodiment at present.In this view, parabola shaped groove 56 by rib 60 at interval separately.As shown in the figure, the wide end of parabola shaped groove 56 ends at the surface of the transmittance plate 38 that matches, and makes described rib 60 have straight, vertical sidewall.The some heating lamps that illustrate are installed in the groove, lamp 40a, and 40b, 40c are in place fully, and lamp 40d pulls out and shows how this lamp is installed and maintained by end fitting 42.In this embodiment, outlet 46 can be rectangular slot, preferably directed (being parallel to the groove axis) sidewards, rather than hole as shown in the figure.In this embodiment, the length of lamp makes described lamp extend through end fitting 42 greater than the width of processing region, so they can be connected to electric bus by connector 48.

Lamp vertically, the interval of the center to center of level can change with the needs of handling operation, and the geometry of parabola shaped, triangle, square/rectangular cooling groove 56 can easily be adjusted the space that provides required.Therefore, in wide interval, parabola shaped or triangle can be wide at its opening part; In more close interval, parabola shaped narrower with triangle, and the square rectangle that can become vertical orientation.As example, triangle can be equilateral in wide interval, can be isosceles in the interval that approaches.Therefore, not only lamp is independently carried out power control, and their spacing can change also.In a word, it is general and continuous variational functional basically that they provide the allowable temperature distribution curve to have, and makes the thermal treatment zone of the present invention module 30 easily be configured to multiple industrial processes.

Fig. 5 shows the geometric transverse sectional view of cooling, and Fig. 5 A is fed to preferred embodiment in cooling air channel 58 at each end of heating lamp 40 by inlet tube 62 at compression cooling air wherein.The cooling air along the groove 56 between reflecting surface 64 and transmittance plate 36 in fluorescent tube 40 on every side formed annular space pass through.The pit of the stomach 46 during the air of heat is discharged via the blast pipe 54 that is connected to induced draft fan or ventilation duct.Exemplary doped silicon solar cell wafer 12 illustrates in the mode of transporting at conveyer belt 13, and its edge is supported in the processing region 11 by slide plate 68.In Fig. 5 B, inlet tube 62 is on the right side, and hot gas is passing on left blast pipe 54 discharges.Remainder is identical.

Fig. 6 shows a series of views of lamp end fitting details, it is made by cordierite or talcum usually, be used for supporting and keep lamp in suitable orientation, wherein Fig. 6 A shows the lamp 40 that has filament 70 and relatively is arranged on the center of groove 56 by inserting cup-shaped device 42 in the hole 44 in the sidewall 32 (referring to Fig. 2), makes that can have enough spaces to be used for air flow to the central row tracheae 54 that is positioned at the center in the cooling duct from the inlet tube 62 that is positioned at the right side by steam vent 46.Fig. 6 B shows first embodiment of end fitting 42, and wherein ring or flange engage with hole 44, and a plurality of common 2-4 radial web 74, ends at the axle collar 76 places at the center, and fluorescent tube 40 is installed in this axle collar.Fig. 6 shows end fitting 42 currently preferred embodiments, wherein flange 72 is connected in the sleeve 78 of cylindrical or taper, this sleeve is installed in the eyelet 44 (referring to Fig. 6 A) and ends at the horizontal extremity piece 80 with triangular form otch 82, and pipe 40 is installed by this otch.

Fig. 7 A is side view, amplifies the lamp end fitting 42 that is installed to upper and lower reflector piece 36 is shown, and this reflector piece 36 has a plurality of parabola shaped grooves 56 that separate by rib 60 in this case.For clear described sidewall does not illustrate, be appreciated that sleeve 78 is inserted into (referring to Fig. 2 and 6A) in the corresponding hole 44.The triangular form otch 82a that notes proximal end accessory 42 does not need accurately to align with the direction of the otch 82b of distal end accessory (the 3rd accessory of seeing from upper left end fitting).Because vertex of a triangle has been fallen fillet, centers so the position of pipe is the oneself basically.Between the edge of tube edges and otch 82, show small slit, but should be noted that described pipe rests on the edge of described otch.Equally, between the inner reflection surface of tube-surface and groove, there are some at interval.Fig. 7 B is the isometric view that identical side view is rotated to illustrate relation between the degree of depth of sleeve 78 and the reflector piece 36.The bottom of end fitting can contact with described, perhaps can separate the spacing setting of 2-10mm with this interblock.

Fig. 8 is flow chart, shows the running of the industrial products that heat-treatment furnace area configurations and " sintering " solar cell wafer or other can handle by heat-treatment furnace of the present invention system as shown in Figure 1.Aforesaid heating furnace area configurations and operation, with communicating by letter of operator and other people, network realizes that management and heat-treatment furnace operate and be kept at the processing procedure of file history in one or more databases etc., usually realize in software with computer executable instructions that this computer executable instructions carries out the heating means that this paper is illustrated and describe through the operation of carrying out, start, monitor and adjust reheat furnace system.Server in the system of the present invention can use one or more computer to realize, these servers dispose with server software, form a safety, private network or be connected to website on the Internet, static, general information webpage are provided, and generate and provide the dynamic web page that shows that the file chosen and image (reflection) are tabulated, the file that these are chosen and reflection are customized to be conducive to aforesaid operations and method.These dynamic pages are other furnace operation person's demand customization, and the response that may be in operation generates by the specific request that access device (desk-top and portable computer, network computer etc.) sends through mandate, authenticated user.Described network may be connected to Internet to realize Internet management and operation.

Computer among the present invention can be configured in the system architecture, for example, comprise one or more server computers, database (for example relation, metadata structure and level type) computer, storage computer, router, interface and peripheral input-output equipment, above-mentioned parts are realized this system and network together.Computer in the system of the present invention generally includes at least one and is connected to processor and memory on the bus.Described bus may be any one or multiple suitable bus structures, and this structure comprises memory bus or storage control, peripheral bus, processor, perhaps uses the local bus of any one bus architecture and agreement.Described memory generally includes volatile memory (for example RAM (random access memory)) and fixing and/or removable permanent memory.Described permanent memory includes but not limited to: ROM (read-only storage), flash card, the hard disk drive that comprises the Redundant Array of Independent Disks driver, floppy disk, mini driver, Zip drive, memory stick, pcmcia card, tape, optical drive be CD-ROM drive, WORM (Write-once, repeatedly read) driver, RW-CDROM (can repeat erasable) driver etc., DVD driver and MO drive etc. for example.Dissimilar type of memory provides the storage of information and reflection, and described information and reflection comprise other data that configuration template, data structure, program module, operating system and the computer of computer readable instructions, area configurations template, single lamp or lamp group use.

The network interface that is connected to described bus is provided to the interface of data communication network (LAN (LAN), WAN (wide area network) and/or Internet (internet)), described interface is used for being positioned at computer, router, the authorized individual/organize the exchanges data between computing equipment and service/product supplier and the user's (as required), described exchange when needed to provide support for system and user of different location.Described system comprises that also at least one is connected to the peripheral interface on the bus, provide communication to dispose individual ancillary equipment, described individual outer periphery has keyboard, PDA (palm PC), portable computer, mobile phone, keypad, Trackpad, mouse device, tracking ball, scanner, printer, loudspeaker, microphone, medium card reader, writing input board, camera, modem, network interface card, radio frequency, optical fiber and infrared transceiver etc.

Multiple program module can be stored on the described memory, and described program module comprises OS (operating system), server system program, HSM (hierarchical storage management) system program, application program and other program modules and data.In network environment, described program module may be distributed on the some computing equipments that are connected in the network, and uses when needed.When a program is carried out, this program is at least part of to be loaded in the computer storage and to comprise some instructions, and described instruction is used for realizing operation, calculates, relatively (for example the air sample sensor signal value in special container and the contrast of threshold value), file, ordering, screening, classification, format, drafting, printing and function and processing as herein described such as communicate by letter.

But user's operating data relation (comprising operation history), operation and related data type all leave one or more sets data record in to be concentrated, this data record can be configured to a relevant database (perhaps also can be metadata, hierarchical structure, network structure or other types data), and described data record is organized into the form of table.These records may be associated according to the predetermined relation that maybe can select and other records, therefore, for example, data record in a table is associated with the corresponding record in the another one table that offers the client, and this relation or independently data can access and other action behavior of drafting on screen, printout or the present invention and system regulation.

This system is configurable fully, and the individual of a mandate of application object template collection permission completely, the user of authentication dispose the operation in each zone separately, in addition concrete description can, can also receive and store data report, warning etc. is provided with reference to figure 8.Those of ordinary skills will be easy to change the multizone heat-treatment furnace operating system among the present invention, to satisfy the concrete needs of given IR product heat-treatment furnace.

Shown in heat-treatment furnace running 200 flow charts among Fig. 8, a kind of exemplary sintering operation, example is as shown in table 1, from configuring area 202, usually set line speed by the template of filling in that is presented on the control computer display, because conveyer belt is continuously by heat-treatment furnace 10 (Fig. 1), therefore this speed all is constant in all zones, dispose thermal profile then in all regional 14-22, the chosen in advance thermal profile is used for will be at the specific preformed material of heat-treatment furnace sintering.The operation characteristic curve (not having product) that described chosen in advance, default distribution curve can contrast by the reality of the distribution curve of carrying thermocouple to produce by heat-treatment furnace and showing at indicator screen checks.

For area configurations 204, working procedure is each zone of single-step debug successively, and 206 speed and the flows (cfm) that begin to set induced draft fan are set from the zone of burnouting, height and low overtemperature alarm are set, and height and the low temperature of setting lamp.Configuration peak value sintering zone 208 sets the input quantity of Compressed Gas of cool down lamp and the voltage (in the zone or independent setting or set as one group or more groups of lamps 40) of setting lamp to meet at the required temperature rising curve of peak region 16 (referring to Fig. 1).Next, the zone is configured 210 to quenching to the supply of air knife and discharge (gravity-flow ventilation or ID blower fan) by setting compressed air.By independent or set the voltage of lamp in groups and set air-flow (this can from zero in the scope of the required amount that stops to quench) and dispose and stop the zone 212 of quenching.At last, dispose annealing region 214 by the flow of setting induced draft fan and heat-exchange tube water.Randomly, transformable air intake (sidewall and/or diapire) can be set.

After configuration was finished, the logical gate of heat-treatment furnace method of operating 216 in Fig. 8 (should with reference to figure 1) illustrated.In the zone 14 of burnouting, the temperature grade that thermocouple is sensed at this regional output signal representative.These values are compared 218 with setting value, if these values keep the power 220 of lamp in the parameter area of setting.Yet if these values are not included in the parameter area that sets, the power that the controller of PID type is adjusted lamp returns correct value 222 up to thermocouple.

At peak region 16, the AC voltage sensor signals (or randomly, thermocouple signal), for each lamp or lamp in groups, can compare 224 with the parameter of setting as an example, if in selected scope, keep voltage to distribute 226, if instead not in selected scope, then the PID controller voltage 228 of adjusting lamp as required distributes voltage to return in the scope of setting.The AC Control of Voltage of lamp output is preferably controlled by thermocouple.

In the zone 18 of quenching, come detected temperatures 230 by distribution curve, if temperature is in the distribution curve scope, keep leading to the air velocity 232 of air knife, if temperature not in the distribution curve scope, adjust to be led to the exhaust of air knife or compressed-air actuated value 234 so that temperature is in the previously selected distribution curve scope.

At quenching stop area 20, temperature is monitored 236, if in temperature distribution history, keep the voltage of lamp and in the setting of the induced draft fan of the annealing region in downstream, if not in temperature distribution history, the voltage 240 of then adjusting lamp turns back in the distribution curve scope temperature.

In the annealing region 22, temperature is monitored in one or more position along this zone, if distribution curve is correct 242, what keep ventilation blower arranges 244, if yet distribution curve is incorrect, adjust ventilation blower air velocity 246 so that temperature turn back in the temperature distribution history scope.Usually this zone do not arrange lamp or other thermal source (with gas from quench and/or exhaust apparatus that the quenching stop area is discharged except).

Industrial applicibility

Be clear that, heating element heater isolation module with cooling groove of the present invention is widely used in the processing of prefabricated base material, wherein, owing to can come operating light with 100% rated value basically in about 2 times or the higher rate of heat addition, and life-span of entail dangers to lamp not, the heat-treatment furnace system that cooperates with described module will have great processing advantage, just bigger production capacity.In addition, the heat of Hui Shouing can be recycled to other processing region again, comprises drying, preheating section, thereby reduces the cost of handling energy.

Should be appreciated that those of ordinary skills can carry out multiple change within the scope of the invention, and can not deviate from spiritual scope of the present invention and not need excessive experiment.For example, can use for example IR lamp of commercially available on a large scale heating element heater.Isolate substituting of cooling duct as adding on the groove that forms on the reflector piece that transmittance plate forms, heating lamp can be arranged in the bigger quartz ampoule of diameter and the annular space between them forms the cooling duct of compressed air or other refrigerating gas.These fluorescent tubes are arranged in ceramic insulating layer (being used for upper module) below with array way, are provided with or are not provided with vertical deflector in the middle of them, make fluorescent tube can not heat its contiguous fluorescent tube alternatively.Reflector module is not to use the monolithic of the groove that has the groove otch or form therein, can be a kind of simple rigid fibrous ceramic insulating materials slab and form (for upper module, making progress for substrate of vertical deflector, directed downwards) triangular element that analog material is made, these deflectors can the water type of glass adhesive be adhered on the described slab.In the optional structure of another kind, glass fabric can be corrugated and hang down from relative sidewall, and has the gauffer that forms the groove concave surface, in described groove the heating fluorescent tube be arranged on the quartz window that uses as the IR transmittance plate above.In all these optional embodiments, shielding system will be allowed operational processes zone under non-atmospheric pressure, and can be with other gas that is different from air; Therefore can use inertia or reactive process gases.Cooldown rate can be adjusted and control at an easy rate, and described rib can reduce or remove.Can use the PLC controller that but the choice menus of processing parameter control is provided, include but not limited to belt speed, increase the duration in peak temperature, spike zone, cooldown rate, cooling air velocity and exchange rate etc. for the power of selecting base material.Therefore the present invention is limiting by appending claims aspect its combination and the sub-portfolio; under the situation that prior art allows, the scope of protection is wide as far as possible, if desired; then consider specification, claims comprise it at present and following all scopes that are equal to.

Claims (19)

1. IR lamp heating module that is used for the multizone heat-treatment furnace, it includes with exercisable compound mode:

A. adiabatic reflector body has the isolated groove that forms in one face;

B. at least one IR lamp, it is arranged in each groove and comes with the sidewall spacers of described groove provides an annular space, as the passage of cooling air between described lamp and described trenched side-wall;

The c.IR transmittance plate is arranged in the mode that contacts with the flute surfaces of described reflector body, effectively the lamp in each lamp and the adjacent trenches being kept apart, and the processing region of described lamp and described heat-treatment furnace is isolated; With

D. described groove forms high reflecting surface, and it is configured to will see through described IR transmittance plate guiding effectively from the IR light of described lamp to described processing region.

2. IR lamp heating module according to claim 1, wherein, described arrangements of grooves becomes to have to be selected from parabola shaped, oval, semicircle, triangle, rectangle or trapezoidal cross-sectional geometry.

3. IR lamp heating module according to claim 1 wherein, comprises the end mouth in each end of described groove, is used for making refrigerating gas from wherein passing through.

4. IR lamp heating module according to claim 3, wherein, include the exhaust outlet that is connected by the described groove of described main body and each, described exhaust outlet is arranged on the centre position of the lateral ends of described groove, and described end mouth is suitable for making the annular space refrigerating gas between the surface of described lamp and described groove to lead to the intermediate exhaust mouth in this mouth place, end input.

5. IR lamp heating module according to claim 3, wherein, one of described end mouth is as the entrance of refrigerating gas, relative end mouth is as exhaust outlet, make refrigerating gas introduce at a mouth, coming cool down lamp by the mode of the annular space between the surface of described lamp and described groove, and discharge by relative end mouth.

6. IR lamp heating module according to claim 3, wherein, it comprises at least one blast pipe, the refrigerating gas that is used for the heat that will discharge from described groove upstream is recycled to another processing region of described heat-treatment furnace.

7. improved multizone IR lamp heat-treatment furnace, described zone comprise that described improvement includes with exercisable compound mode for delivery of pending product and continuously by conveyer belt and the cooling system in described zone:

A. at least one zone of described heat-treatment furnace includes: IR lamp isolation module, and this IR lamp isolation module comprises the adiabatic reflector body of being made by heat-insulating material, this main body has a series of grooves in a face; At least one IR lamp, it is arranged in each described groove, and the sidewall spacers of described lamp and described groove comes and forms annular cooling space; And the IR transmissive window, separate described lamp on its surface with described groove that closely contacts described reflector body from processing region, then be directed in this processing region from the light of described IR lamp;

B. gas supply source, it is connected at least one end of described groove, is used for refrigerating gas is provided to described groove and cools off described lamp and described IR transmissive window through described annular space; With

C. gas extraction system is discharged in the groove of described module for the gas that will heat because cooling off described lamp and described IR transmissive window.

8. improved multizone IR lamp heat-treatment furnace according to claim 7, wherein, described IR lamp isolation module is used for spike sintering zone.

9. improved multizone IR lamp heat-treatment furnace according to claim 8, wherein, described gas extraction system upstream is recycled to the gas of described heating at least one zone in burnout zone and the arid region.

10. improved multizone IR lamp heat-treatment furnace according to claim 9, wherein, described heat-treatment furnace comprises the tempering zone that is positioned at downstream, described spike sintering zone.

11. improved multizone IR lamp heat-treatment furnace according to claim 10, wherein, described heat-treatment furnace comprises quenching zone between described spike sintering zone and described tempering zone and at least one zone in the quenching stop area.

12. improved multizone IR lamp heat-treatment furnace according to claim 11, wherein, described quenching zone comprises at least one air knife assembly, reduces the temperature of this product when coming out from described spike sintering zone for the product on described conveyer belt with the speed of 200 ℃ to 400 ℃ of reductions within a second or two seconds.

13. improved multizone IR lamp heat-treatment furnace according to claim 12, wherein, described quenching stop area comprises that at least one IR lamp stops preparing to carry out in the annealing region cooling of the described product of tempering.

14. improved multizone IR lamp heat-treatment furnace according to claim 13, wherein, described annealing region comprise heat exchanger assemblies and be used for to introduce controlled amounts the cooling air port one of at least, return to the treatment temperature of expectation with the temperature with described product.

15. improved multizone IR lamp heat-treatment furnace according to claim 7, wherein, comprise controller, this controller provides previously selected thermal profile for the travel rate of the described conveyer belt of control, at each described IR lamp power and described cooling system of described IR lamp isolation module with the All Ranges at described heat-treatment furnace.

16. the method for a heating products in industrial heat-treatment furnace, this heat-treatment furnace have the delivery product by the conveyer belt of a plurality of processing regions, this method may further comprise the steps:

A. provide a plurality of IR lamps at least one sintering zone with array way;

B. between the product of the described lamp in described sintering zone and described conveyor belt carrying, provide a kind of IR transmissive window, so that described lamp and described product are kept apart;

C. utilize the refrigerating gas that between described transmissive window and described lamp surface, flows through to cool off described lamp, enter and disturb the described processing region of the close described transmissive window that described conveyer belt and described product passed through to prevent refrigerating gas;

D. discharge the described refrigerating gas that now heated and

E. control power, be used for to allow under 2 times or the higher rate of heat addition to operate described lamp with 100% rated value basically, and the service life that can not make described lamp warpage occur or endanger described lamp, thereby provide 100 ℃ to 200 ℃/second temperature rate-of-rise, to be elevated to the peak temperature of duration short in 800 ℃ to 1000 ℃ scopes;

Wherein, be included in the quenching zone in downstream, described sintering zone and then, contact step to described product rapid quenching by making described product and the spray beam of at least one the lip-deep refrigerating gas that sprays to described product.

17. method according to claim 16 wherein, comprises that the described refrigerating gas that will heat now is upstream in recirculation flow at least one zone in burnout zone and the arid region, to improve the step of heat treated efficient by heat exchange.

18. method according to claim 16, wherein, the heat by controlled grade is provided from least one IR lamp prevents from described product is cooled to be lower than the temperature minimum of a value of selecting in advance with the step of the quenching that stops described product.

19. method according to claim 16, wherein, described processing is applicable to sintering solar cell wafer, may further comprise the steps: the cooling of the described product in the downstream in the speed of the control of the power of described lamp, described conveyer belt and described sintering zone is configured, with the solar cell that provides the heating and cooling characteristic curve of selecting in advance to come production efficiency to improve.

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