JP2000214934A - Temperature regulator and its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manufacture a temperature regulator which can easily be manufactured and is also excellent in thermal uniformity and thermal responsiveness. SOLUTION: In a thermoelectric device 21 between a substrate placing plate 1 and a cooling plate 3, copper foil electrodes 5 on its upper side are stuck to the lower face of the plate 1, with an adhesive sheet 17 covering almost the entire area of the lower face of the plate 1, and copper foil electrodes 7 on its lower part are stuck to the upper surface of the plate 3 with an adhesive sheet 19 covering almost the entire area of the upper surface of the plate 3. The total thickness value of the sheet 17 and the electrodes 5 stuck to the sheet 17 and the total thickness value of the sheet 19 and the electrodes 7 stuck the sheet 19 are respectively set thinly to about 25 to 1000 μm capable of making heat resistance sufficiently small. Thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 are dispersively arranged over a wide area covering the entire area corresponding at least to a base 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a temperature controller suitable for controlling the temperature of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, and more particularly to an improvement in a temperature controller using a semiconductor heat exchange device utilizing the Peltier effect and a method of manufacturing the same. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a temperature controller for controlling the temperature of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is provided with a semiconductor thermoelectric conversion module utilizing a Peltier effect (hereinafter referred to as a thermoelectric module) as a means for heating / cooling. Temperature controllers are known. This temperature controller, between the plate for placing the temperature control target and the plate for heat exchange,
It has a configuration sandwiching the thermoelectric module. A thermoelectric module generally has a two-dimensional structure of a large number of rectangular parallelepiped P-type semiconductor elements and N-type semiconductor elements that are connected in a pie shape by electrodes and electrically connected in series between two rectangular ceramic plates. It is one that sandwiches the array. When an electric current is applied to the thermoelectric module, heat is absorbed on the surface (heat exchange surface) of one ceramic plate by the Peltier effect, and heat is released on the surface (heat exchange surface) of the other ceramic plate.

[0003] In this temperature controller, for example, when cooling an object to be temperature-controlled, the thermoelectric module is driven so as to absorb heat on the mounting plate side and radiate heat on the heat exchange plate side.
Then, the heat exchange plate removes heat from the thermoelectric module by, for example, cooling water flowing therein.

By the way, a conventional temperature controller of this kind is:
It is manufactured as follows. That is, first, a number of thermoelectric modules according to the size of the temperature controller are prepared.
Since one thermoelectric module has a size of at most several cm × several cm, for example, when making a temperature controller for a wafer having a diameter of 30 cm, the diameter of the temperature controller exceeds 30 cm. Become. next,
A thermally conductive grease is applied to each of the two heat exchange surfaces of each thermoelectric module. Next, the thermoelectric modules are sandwiched between the mounting plate and the heat exchange plate,
By applying pressure from the outer surfaces of both plates, these thermoelectric modules are pressed against both plates. Then, in the pressed state, the two plates are fastened with a plurality of bolts to fix the position of the thermoelectric module sandwiched between the two plates. Since each plate and thermoelectric module are pressed against each other with strong force by bolting, even if there are fine irregularities on the surface of each plate, each plate and thermoelectric module are in close contact and a sufficiently large contact area is secured between them. Can be.

[0005]

However, the above-described conventional method for manufacturing a temperature controller has a problem that the number of steps is increased due to the presence of a bolt fastening step. Also, if the bolts are tightened too tightly, the plate may be deformed. In addition, when the degree of fastening of the individual bolts varies, there is a possibility that the position of the thermoelectric module shifts or a problem that the thermoelectric module is pushed out from between the plates occurs. In addition, if the mounting position of the bolt on the plate is restricted by the strength of each plate, the arrangement of the water channel in the heat exchange plate, etc., the mounting position of the thermoelectric module is also limited, and as a result, the mounting position is limited. There is also a problem that the temperature distribution on the surface of the mounting plate becomes uneven, and the ability to control all the parts to be temperature-controlled at the same temperature, that is, the heat uniformity deteriorates. Further, in the conventional temperature controller, since a ceramic plate is interposed between the thermoelectric module and each plate to electrically insulate the two from each other, the ceramic plate acts as a thermal resistance, and particularly, is mounted. Due to the thermal resistance of the ceramic plate on the mounting plate side, it is not possible to obtain a sufficiently high thermal response to the temperature control target. Therefore, the temperature of the temperature control target cannot be quickly controlled to a desired temperature value.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a temperature controller which can be easily manufactured, and has excellent heat uniformity and thermal responsiveness, and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a temperature controller comprising: a mounting plate for mounting an object to be temperature-controlled; a heat exchange plate for performing heat exchange; A heat exchange device having a large number of two-dimensionally arranged thermoelectric conversion elements and a large number of electrodes constituting the heat exchange surfaces on both sides by electrically connecting the large number of thermoelectric conversion elements sandwiched between Prepare. Many thermoelectric conversion elements of a heat exchange device
The temperature control regions are distributed over substantially the entire temperature control region covering the region corresponding to the temperature control target mounted on the mounting flat plate.

According to the present invention, the thermoelectric conversion elements can be densely arranged in a distributed manner over the temperature control area covering the entire area corresponding to the temperature control object, so that the uniformity is surely excellent.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, all of a large number of thermoelectric conversion elements included in the heat exchange device are electrically connected in series. The electrode is a metal foil, for example, a copper foil or a stainless steel foil.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one heat exchange surface of the heat exchange device is fixed to the mounting plate or the heat exchange plate by an adhesive. The adhesive has electrical insulation properties, and at least one heat exchange surface of the heat exchange device is directly adhered to the mounting flat plate or the heat exchange flat plate by the adhesive. The combined thickness of the electrode and the adhesive on the side fixed with the adhesive is approximately 25 to 1000.
μm.

In a preferred embodiment, the surface of the mounting flat plate or the heat exchange flat plate is coated with an insulating material, and at least one heat exchange surface of the heat exchange device is adhered to the coated surface. .

In a preferred embodiment, at least one heat exchange surface of the heat exchange device is slidably mounted on the mounting plate or the heat exchange plate, and the other heat exchange surface is It is fixed to a mounting plate or a heat exchange plate. The other heat exchange surface is directly adhered to the mounting flat plate or the heat exchange flat plate with an electrically insulating adhesive. More preferably, one heat exchange surface of the heat exchange device is slidable with respect to the heat exchange plate, and the other heat exchange surface is bonded to the mounting plate with an adhesive.

In a preferred embodiment, the mounting flat plate is a flexible sheet.

In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of heat exchange devices are stacked with their heat exchange surfaces arranged in series. In this case, the plurality of heat exchange devices are bonded to each other by, for example, an electrically insulating adhesive.

In a preferred embodiment, a reinforcing member is provided between the mounting flat plate and the heat exchange flat plate. The reinforcing member is
It is a grid-like member that electrically insulates between thermoelectric conversion elements included in the heat exchange device.

In a preferred embodiment, a jig for disposing a large number of thermoelectric conversion elements of the heat exchange device is provided between the mounting plate and the heat exchange plate.

In a preferred embodiment, a cooling water passage is provided inside the heat exchange flat plate.

In a preferred embodiment, the mounting plate is a heat plate provided with one or more heat pipes.

A method for manufacturing a temperature controller according to a first aspect of the present invention is directed to a first method for bonding a metal foil to a surface of an adhesive sheet.
A step of pattern-etching the metal foil on the surface of the adhesive sheet after the first step to form an electrode having a predetermined wiring pattern, and a step of forming the adhesive sheet after the second step. The method includes a third step of adhering to one side of the mounting flat plate or the heat exchange flat plate, and a fourth step of bonding each thermoelectric conversion element to a predetermined position of the electrode of the metal foil after the second step.

A method for manufacturing a temperature controller according to a second aspect of the present invention is directed to a first method for bonding a metal foil to a surface of an adhesive sheet.
And a second step of adhering the adhesive sheet to one surface of the mounting flat plate or the heat exchange flat plate. After the first and second steps, the metal foil on the adhesive sheet is subjected to pattern etching to be bonded. The method includes a third step of forming an electrode having a predetermined pattern on the agent sheet, and a fourth step of bonding each thermoelectric conversion element to a predetermined position of the electrode of the metal foil after the third step.

In a preferred embodiment, the bonding with the adhesive sheet is performed by heating and welding the adhesive sheet.

In a preferred embodiment, when the thermoelectric conversion element is joined to the electrode, a thermoelectric conversion element mounting hole having a through hole for setting the thermoelectric conversion element formed in accordance with the arrangement pattern of the thermoelectric conversion element is provided. Using the jig.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a sectional structure of a temperature controller according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The object whose temperature is controlled by the temperature controller is not particularly limited in its shape and the like, but typical examples include a semiconductor wafer and a substrate such as a liquid crystal substrate.

As shown in FIG. 1, the temperature controller comprises a substrate mounting plate 1 on which a substrate 2 to be temperature-controlled is mounted, a cooling plate 3 through which cooling water flows.
A semiconductor thermoelectric conversion device (hereinafter, thermoelectric device) 21 utilizing the Peltier effect sandwiched between the plates 1 and 3 is provided. The thermoelectric device 21 includes the substrate mounting plate 1
, A plurality of copper foil electrodes 7, 7,... Bonded to the upper surface of the cooling plate 3, and an upper copper foil electrode 5, 5,. ,... And a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped P-type semiconductor elements (thermoelectric conversion elements) 9, which are joined so as to be sandwiched between the lower electrodes 7, 7,.
9,... And N-type semiconductor elements (thermoelectric conversion elements) 13, 1
3, etc. , And the lower electrodes 7, 7,... Of the thermoelectric device 21 are two adhesives that respectively cover the lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 1 and the upper surface of the cooling plate 3. The sheets 17 and 19 are bonded to the lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 1 and the upper surface of the cooling plate 3, respectively. In other words, the upper electrodes 5, 5, ... of the thermoelectric device 21 and the lower electrodes 7, 7, ... (that is, the upper and lower heat exchange surfaces) are bonded to the adhesive sheets 17, 1,.
9 directly adheres to the plates 1, 3. In FIG. 1, for the sake of illustration, P-type semiconductor elements 9, 9,.
Although only two each of the type semiconductor elements 13, 13,... Are shown, in fact, each of the P-type semiconductor elements 9, 9,. There are many.

The substrate mounting plate 1 shown in FIG. 1 is made of a plurality of types of metal materials (rigid materials) such as, for example, aluminum, ceramics, or a metal-based composite material. A substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal substrate as described above is mounted as a temperature control target. On the other hand, the cooling plate 3 is also made of a plurality of types of metal materials (rigid materials) such as aluminum, ceramics, or a metal-based composite material. Passage (cooling water piping)
However, the cooling water passes around substantially the entire area of the cooling plate 3.

Substrate mounting plate 1 and cooling plate 3
, The thermoelectric device 21 is interposed as described above. The thermoelectric device 21 has the following configuration. That is, for each of the upper copper foil electrodes 5, 5,.
One P-type semiconductor element 9 and one N-type semiconductor element 13 are soldered to form a pie-type unit. Further, the P-type semiconductor element 9 of each pie-type unit and the N-type Are soldered to the mold semiconductor element 13 and each of the lower copper foil electrodes 7, 7,.... Thus, a large number of P-type semiconductor elements 9, 9,...
, Are electrically connected in series by upper and lower electrodes 5, 5,..., 7, 7,. And this P
, And N-type semiconductor elements 13, 13,.
When a direct current is passed through the series-connected body (that is, the thermoelectric device 21) of the..., Heat is absorbed at the upper electrode 5, 5,. 7. Dissipate heat on the surface on the side of... (Lower heat exchange surface) or absorb heat on the lower heat exchange surface and dissipate heat on the upper heat exchange surface. In particular,
DC current flows from the P-type semiconductor element 9 side to the N-type semiconductor element 13.
Heat is generated by the Peltier effect at the electrode flowing toward the electrode, and heat is generated at the electrode flowing from the N-type to the P-type. As a result, when current flows from right to left in FIG. 1, heat is transferred from the substrate mounting plate 1 to the cooling plate 3, and conversely, current flows from left to right in FIG. At this time, heat is transferred from the cooling plate 3 to the substrate mounting plate 1. In this embodiment, the semiconductor elements 9, 9,
..., 13, 13, ... are electrically connected in series,
These semiconductor elements 9, 9,..., 13, 13,... Are divided into several groups, and are connected in series in each group.
Or you may comprise so that it may be electrically independent.

The upper copper foil electrodes 5, 5,... Are adhered to the lower surface of the plate 1 by an adhesive sheet 17 covering substantially the entire lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 1. Similarly,
The lower copper foil electrodes 7, 7,... Are also bonded to the upper surface of the plate 3 by an adhesive sheet 19 covering substantially the entire upper surface of the cooling plate 3. Adhesive sheets 17, 19
Serves not only as an adhesive but also as an electrical insulating film.

As the adhesive sheets 17 and 19, a material formed of a material having electrical insulation, heat resistance and adhesiveness, such as a polyimide resin, in the form of a thin film, that is, a film is used. For example, the adhesive sheets 17 and 19 using a polyimide resin have a property of being welded to a contacted object when heated to a temperature of about 200 to 300 ° C. Utilizing this property, the adhesive sheet 17 is adhered to the lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 1 as described above, and the adhesive sheet 19 is adhered to the upper surface of the cooling plate 3 at the above-mentioned welding temperature. Are adhered to the lower surface of the adhesive sheet 17, and the lower electrodes 7, 7, ... are adhered to the upper surface of the adhesive sheet 19. The total value of the thickness of the adhesive sheet 17 and the copper foil electrode 5 adhered to the adhesive sheet 17 and the total value of the thickness of the adhesive sheet 19 and the copper foil electrode 7 adhered to the adhesive sheet 17 make the thermal resistance sufficiently small. Therefore, each is set as thin as about 25 to 1000 μm.

FIG. 2 shows a thermoelectric device 2 of this temperature controller.
1, P-type and N-type semiconductor elements (thermoelectric conversion elements) 9, 13
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a planar arrangement of the first embodiment.

In FIG. 2, a circular area 400 indicated by a dotted line is shown.
Is the substrate mounting plate 1 (the cooling plate 3 in FIG. 2).
(Same area as above) corresponding to the substrate 2 to be temperature controlled. As shown, the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 extend over a wide temperature control area 401 covering at least the entire area 400 corresponding to the substrate.
Are dispersedly arranged. For comparison, FIG. 3 shows an example of a planar arrangement of thermoelectric conversion elements of a conventional temperature controller. As described in the section of the prior art, a plurality of rectangular thermoelectric modules 503, 503,... Are arranged on the cooling plate 501, and are fastened by a plurality of bolts 505, 505,.
The thermoelectric modules 503, 503,... Are fixed. Although the thermoelectric conversion elements 509 and 513 exist in the area where the individual thermoelectric modules 503 exist, the area 51 between the thermoelectric modules 503 and the thermoelectric modules 503 exists.
5 has no thermoelectric conversion elements 509 and 513 at all. As is clear from comparison between FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the temperature controller according to the present invention shown in FIG. 2 has better heat uniformity than the conventional device shown in FIG.

The temperature controller of the present invention has, for example, the configuration shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, a pin hole 455 through which a lifting pin for raising and lowering the substrate 2 to be temperature-controlled passes through in the substrate region 400.
a, 455b, and 455c may need to be provided. As described above, even if the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 are dispersed and arranged so as to completely cover the entire area 400 corresponding to the substrate, the density and the interval of the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 change depending on a place, or a local change occurs. There may be some places where the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 come off, but the area 4 corresponding to the substrate is still smaller than that of the conventional temperature controller.
Since the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 can be densely arranged in a distributed manner over the entire area of 00, the heat uniformity is surely excellent.

As described above, in the temperature controller according to the present invention, the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 can be distributed and arranged over the entire region corresponding to the substrate 400 largely depending on the manufacturing method of the temperature controller.

Next, a method of manufacturing the temperature controller according to the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described. The manufacturing method can be broadly divided into two methods depending on the order of patterning of the electrodes 5 and 7 of the thermoelectric device 21 and bonding to the plates 1 and 3.

First, the first manufacturing method will be described.

First, an adhesive sheet 1 made of polyimide
A wide copper foil is applied to the surface of each of the adhesive sheets 17 and 19 by hot pressing or the like on the surfaces of the adhesive sheets 7 and 19, respectively.
Glue. Thereafter, copper foil electrodes 5, 5,..., 7, 7,... Are formed on the respective surfaces of the adhesive sheets 17 and 19 by pattern etching of the copper foils on the respective surfaces of the adhesive sheets 17 and 19. I do.

Then, an adhesive sheet 17 having the electrodes 5, 5,... Adhered to the surface is applied to substantially the entire lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 1, and the electrodes 7, 7,. The adhesive sheet 19 is adhered to substantially the entire upper surface of the cooling plate 3 by a method of causing the adhesive sheets 17 and 19 to be welded by hot pressing or the like.

When the above steps are completed, the copper foil electrodes 5, 5,
, And the N-type semiconductor elements 13, 13,... Are soldered to predetermined positions on. Each element 9 soldered on the copper foil electrodes 5, 5,...
, 13, 13, 13,..., The lower copper foil electrodes 7, 7,.
Each is soldered to a predetermined upper position. Upon completion of this step, the step of manufacturing the temperature controller is completed. Before bonding the adhesive sheets 17 and 19 to the plates 1 and 3, the semiconductor elements 9, 9,..., 13, 13 are soldered to the electrodes 5, 5,. May be attached.

Next, the second manufacturing method will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 5A, a wide copper foil 7 'is bonded to the surface of the adhesive sheet 19 by a method such as hot pressing, and the adhesive sheet 19 is bonded to the surface by a method such as hot pressing. To adhere to the upper surface of the cooling plate 3. Although not shown, a wide copper foil is adhered to the surface of the adhesive sheet 17 in the same manner, and the adhesive sheet 19 is adhered to the lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the copper foil 7 'on the adhesive sheet 19 is subjected to pattern etching,
A copper foil electrode 7 having a predetermined pattern on the adhesive sheet 19;
7, ... are formed. Although not shown, copper foil electrodes 5, 5,... Of a predetermined pattern are similarly formed on the adhesive sheet 17 bonded to the substrate mounting plate 1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, P-type semiconductor elements 9, 9,... And N-type semiconductor elements 13, 13,. Is soldered.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5 (d), the P-type semiconductor elements 9, 9,
, And the N-type semiconductor elements 13, 13,. This completes the manufacturing process.

In the first manufacturing method described first, the adhesive sheets 17, 19, to which the patterned copper foil electrodes 5, 5,..., 7, 7,. Then, it is bonded to the cooling plate 3 by a method such as hot pressing. At this time, the copper foil electrodes 5, 5,..., 7, 7,.
Is strongly applied to the corners of the adhesive sheets 17, 19
May be hurt. Therefore, the adhesive sheets 17 and 19 need to be thick enough to withstand scratches.

On the other hand, in the second manufacturing method, the adhesive sheets 17, 19 are bonded to the substrate mounting plate 1 and the cooling plate 3, and then the copper foil electrodes 5, 5,. Since the patterning of 7, ... is performed,
Adhesive sheet 1 at corners of copper foil electrodes 5, 5,..., 7, 7,.
There is no need to worry that the adhesive sheets 5 and 17 will be damaged, so that the adhesive sheets 17 and 19 can be made thinner. As a result, the thermal resistance of the adhesive sheets 17 and 19 decreases, and the thermal responsiveness improves.

According to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the copper foil electrodes 5, 5,..., Which are the heat exchange surfaces of the thermoelectric device 21, are provided on the substrate mounting plate 1 and the cooling plate 3.
Are bonded by using adhesive sheets 17 and 19 having electrical insulation and heat resistance, such as a polyimide film. Therefore, as in the case of the conventional temperature controller shown in FIG.
01, a plurality of thermoelectric modules 503 whose heat exchange surfaces are ceramic plates are sandwiched between the bolts 505 and 50.
2, the temperature controller of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, has substantially the entire region 400 corresponding to a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal substrate to be temperature-controlled. Since the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 can be arranged in a dispersed manner, the uniformity is excellent, and the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 and the plate 1,
The thermal responsiveness is high because the thermal resistance between the three is small.

Further, in this embodiment, the number of manufacturing steps is increased by not using bolts, the risk of breakage of each plate due to embedding of the bolts in each of the plates 1 and 3 and the fastening of individual bolts. It is also free from the problems of the conventional device, such as the displacement of the thermoelectric module due to the variation occurring in the condition and the protrusion of the thermoelectric module from between the plates. Furthermore, by using no bolts, the thermoelectric conversion elements 9, 1 can be avoided while avoiding the positions of the bolts.
There is no need to place 3. For this reason, the thermoelectric conversion elements 9, 13
Can be arranged. As a result, the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and
Adjustment of the density of the arrangement of 13 is also possible freely, and high heat uniformity is obtained.

In the above embodiment, the copper foil electrodes 5, 7 were used as the electrodes of the thermoelectric conversion elements 9, 13, but instead of the copper foil, aluminum foil, stainless steel foil, or other conductive material was used. No problem. In addition, the plate 1 is provided with a plate-shaped heat pipe,
Alternatively, it is also possible to adopt a plate having a plurality of heat pipe structures. Further, the adhesive sheet 17 can be diverted as the substrate mounting plate 1 (in other words, the substrate mounting plate 1 is removed and the substrate 2 is mounted on the adhesive sheet 17).

FIG. 6 is a view showing a sectional structure of a temperature controller according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the planar arrangement of the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 of the temperature controller. In both figures, the same elements as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. This is the same for the subsequent drawings. Hereinafter, only the changes will be described in order to avoid redundant description with FIG.

In this embodiment, the substrate mounting plate 1 and the cooling plate 3 are fixed by a plurality of bolts 410 attached to the outer edge thereof. An insulating plate 200 made of an electrically insulating material (for example, mica) is pressed into contact with substantially the entire upper surface of the cooling plate 3 by the fastening force of the bolt 410 via a thermally conductive grease layer 202 therebetween. And on the upper surface of the insulating plate 200,
The lower electrodes 7, 7,... Of the thermoelectric device 21 are pressed by the fastening force of the bolt 410 via the thermoelectric grease layer 203.

The upper electrodes 5, 5,... Of the thermoelectric device 21
Is directly adhered to the lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 1 by an adhesive sheet 17 made of polyimide or the like as in the previous embodiment.

In this temperature controller, the upper electrodes 5, 5,... Of the thermoelectric device 21 are adhered to the lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 1 so that the position in the plane with respect to the substrate mounting plate 1 is fixed. I have. On the other hand, the lower electrodes 7, 7,.
Is in contact with the upper surface of the cooling plate 3 via the thermal conductive grease layers 202 and 203, so that the position in the plane with respect to the cooling plate 3 can be changed. Therefore, even if different sizes of thermal expansion or contraction occur in the substrate mounting plate 1 and the cooling plate 3, the thermoelectric device 2
No excessive stress is applied to 1. In order to obtain this effect, one of the upper electrodes 5, 5,... Or the lower electrodes 7, 7,. You only have to be in contact. On the other hand, the thermal conductivity between the thermoelectric device 21 and the plates 1 and 3 is better than the higher thermal conductivity with the cooling plate 3 from the viewpoint of improving thermal responsiveness and temperature uniformity with respect to the temperature control target. It is more important that the thermal conductivity with the mounting plate 1 is high. From that point of view, the temperature controller according to the present embodiment is configured such that the thermoelectric device 21 and the substrate mounting plate 1 are directly adhered to each other with the adhesive sheet 17.
The thermal conductivity can be minimized, and the position between the thermoelectric device 21 and the cooling plate 3 can be displaced by the above-mentioned press contact via the grease layers 202 and 203 even if the thermal conductivity is somewhat sacrificed. Plate 1, 3
The stress accompanying the thermal expansion or contraction of the material is released.

As another configuration considered from the viewpoint of releasing the stress of thermal expansion and contraction, there is the following third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a sectional structure of a temperature controller according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, the thermoelectric device 21 is divided into a plurality of blocks 21a, 21b,..., And correspondingly, the adhesive sheets 17 and 19 are also divided into a plurality (upper adhesives). The agent sheet 17 does not have to be divided). Each thermoelectric device block 21a, 21
are sliding plates 210a, 210b,... that can be slid on the cooling plate 3.
Through each of the bolts 4 for fastening between the plates 1 and 3
10 sandwiched between the plates 1 and 3.

Each thermoelectric device block, for example, thermoelectric device block 21a has upper electrodes 5a, 5a,.
Are directly fixed to the lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 1 with an adhesive sheet 17a dedicated to the block 21a, and the lower electrodes 7a, 7a,. It is fixed to the upper surface of 210a. Thus, the thermoelectric device blocks 21a,
Are structurally separated from each other.

Each of the sliding plates 210a, 210b,...
Are pressed against the upper surface of the cooling plate 3 by the fastening force of the bolt 410 via the heat conductive greases 202a, 202b,. Sliding plate 210
are made of an electrically insulating material such as ceramics or mica, or as shown in this figure, adhesive plates 19a, 19b, etc., and electrodes 7a, 7b,. 3 can be made of a metal such as aluminum if it is already electrically insulated.

In this temperature controller, the stress applied to the thermoelectric device 21 due to the thermal expansion (thermal deformation) of the plates 1 and 3 causes the sliding plates 210a, 210b,. You can escape.
Also, since the thermoelectric device blocks 21a, 21b,... Are structurally separated from each other,
Of the thermoelectric device 21 at other locations
Can be prevented in a chained manner, and the range of stress applied to the heat source device 21 can be minimized. The thermoelectric device 21 has a plurality of blocks 2
Are divided into 1a, 21b,..., But the shape and size of each block can be freely designed, and the blocks can be laid tightly like tiles, so that the thermoelectric conversion elements 9, 9,. , 13,... Can be distributed and arranged over the entire temperature control area 401 as shown in FIG. 7, and are superior in heat uniformity to the conventional device shown in FIG.

In this temperature controller, the sliding plate 2
.. May be provided on the lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 1 instead of the upper surface of the cooling plate 3, or may be provided on both without being limited to either one.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a sectional structure of a temperature controller according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, a flexible thin sheet (hereinafter, referred to as a flexible sheet) 45 manufactured using a resin or the like (for example, the same polyimide as the adhesive sheets 17 and 19) is used as the upper electrode of the thermoelectric device 21. The substrate 2 to be temperature-controlled is placed on the adhesive sheet 17 adhered to 5, 5,... And the flexible sheet 45. The flexible sheet 45 may be simply put on the adhesive sheet 17 or may be adhered to the adhesive sheet 17. Since the adhesive sheet 17 also has flexibility, the adhesive sheet 1
7 can be used as the flexible sheet 45 (in other words, the flexible sheet 45 is removed and the substrate 2 is placed on the adhesive sheet 17). Further, on the upper surface of the flexible sheet 45 (or the upper surface of the adhesive sheet 17), a chemical influence (for example, vapor that may be generated from the adhesive sheet 17 or the like) on the substrate 2 to be temperature-controlled is provided. Coating on the substrate 2 can be applied.

In the present embodiment, by using the flexible sheet 45 as the substrate mounting plate, heat deformation or heat absorption on the heat exchange surface of the thermoelectric device 21 causes thermal deformation on the upper and lower plates 1 and 3. Even if it occurs, the thermoelectric device 21
Is not stressed.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a sectional structure of a temperature controller according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 1 and the upper surface of the cooling plate 3 are made of a film 3 of an electrically insulating material, for example, alumina (ceramic material).
00 and 301 are coated. This insulating coat film 3
00 and 301 can be formed by, for example, a method of spraying alumina on the surfaces of the plates 1 and 3. The electrodes 5, 5,..., 7, 7,... Of the heat source device 21 are directly adhered to the surfaces of the insulating coat films 300, 301 by soldering or an adhesive.
The heat source device 21 is fixed between the three.

In this embodiment, the same effects as in the above-described first embodiment of the present invention can be obtained. still,
In the present embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the insulating coating film 30 for coating the cooling plate 3 is used.
The heat conductive grease is interposed between the upper surface 1 and the electrodes 7, 7,..., The plates 1, 3 are fastened with bolts, and the fastening force of the bolts is used to fix the electrodes 7, 7,.
Can be pressed against each other. In this way, the electrodes 7, 7,... Can slide on the insulating coat film 301, so that stress applied to the thermoelectric device 21 due to thermal deformation of the plates 1, 3 can be released.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a sectional structure of a temperature controller according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, a plurality of thermoelectric devices 21A, 21B, 21C... Are stacked between the plates 1 and 3 so that their heat exchange surfaces are arranged in series. In this figure, for example, three thermoelectric devices 21A, 21B, 21C
Are stacked, but the number of stacked layers is not limited to three.

The bonding between the thermoelectric devices 21A, 21B, 21C and between the upper and lower plates 1, 3 are all performed by direct bonding using an adhesive sheet. For example, the upper thermoelectric device 21A has an upper heat exchange surface (electrodes 5A, 5A,...) Adhered to the lower surface of the substrate mounting plate 1 with an adhesive sheet 17, and a lower heat exchange surface (electrode 5A). 7A, 7A,...) Are formed on the upper heat exchange surface (electrode 5) of the middle thermoelectric device 21B by the adhesive sheet 105a.
B, 5B,...). The lower heat exchange surface (electrodes 7B, 7B,...) Of the middle thermoelectric device 21B is bonded to the upper heat exchange surface (electrodes 5C, 5C,...) Of the lower thermoelectric device 21C by an adhesive sheet 105b. I have. The lower heat exchange surface (electrodes 7C, 7C,...) Of the lower thermoelectric device 21C is bonded to the upper surface of the cooling plate 3 with an adhesive sheet 19.

This temperature controller can be manufactured by, for example, bonding a thermoelectric device 21C, a thermoelectric device 21B, and a thermoelectric device 21A in this order from the cooling plate 3 side,
Alternatively, after the thermoelectric devices 21A, 21B, and 21C are laminated and adhered in advance as shown in FIG.
And a method of sandwiching and bonding between them.

Although the maximum temperature difference between the heat exchange surfaces that can be created by each of the thermoelectric devices 21A, 21B, and 21C is about 40 ° C., the thermoelectric devices 21A, 21B, and 21C are arranged such that the heat exchange surfaces are arranged in series. By laminating, a larger temperature difference (for example, 100 ° C. or more) is applied to the plates 1, 3
Can be created in between. Therefore, the temperature of the substrate 2 to be temperature-controlled can be made higher or lower, that is, controlled in a wider temperature range. For example, the substrate 2 can be set to an extremely low temperature of −100 ° C.

The thermoelectric devices 21A, 21B, 21
The heat radiated by C generally includes each thermoelectric device 21A, 2
Since heat corresponding to power loss inside each of the thermoelectric devices 21A, 21B, and 21C is added to the heat absorbed by the outside from 1B and 21C, the heat dissipation is larger than the heat absorption. Therefore, the thermoelectric device that absorbs the heat radiated from the adjacent thermoelectric device must have a higher heat absorbing capability than the adjacent thermoelectric device, and thus has a larger size. Therefore, although the temperature controller of the present embodiment is not shown, if it is used for cooling the substrate 2, a so-called pyramid type in which the size becomes larger as the thermoelectric device becomes lower, or the substrate 2 If it is used for heating, it is configured in a so-called inverted pyramid type in which the size becomes larger as the layer becomes higher.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a sectional structure of a temperature controller according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, when the power of the thermoelectric device 42 is large, that is, the thermoelectric conversion elements 25, 25,.
This configuration is suitable when the current capacity of 1, 31,... Is large (for example, about 15 A). That is, as shown, the thermoelectric conversion elements 25, 25, ..., 31, 31, ...
, 41, 4 having a sufficient thickness (for example, 1 mm in the case of 15 A) to allow a large current to flow sufficiently.
1,... Are soldered. And the copper plate electrode 37,
37, ..., 41, 41, ... are thick insulating films 3
9 and 43 are embedded.

As the material of the insulating films 39 and 43, for example, Teflon (trade name of tetrafluoroethylene resin manufactured by DuPont, USA) is used. The insulating films 39 and 43 are bonded to the substrate mounting plate 1 and the cooling plate 3 by adhesive sheets 17 and 19 made of polyimide or the like, respectively. If the insulating films 39 and 43 have not only insulating properties but also adhesive properties, the adhesive sheets 17 and 19 may be used.
May be omitted and the insulating films 39 and 43 may be directly bonded to the plates 1 and 3. From the same viewpoint, the insulating films 39 and 43 are omitted, and the copper plate electrodes 37, 37,.
, 1, 41,...
7 and 19 may be adhered.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a sectional structure of a temperature controller according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, between the plates 1 and 3, between the thermoelectric conversion elements 9, 9,..., 13, 13, between the upper electrodes 5, 5, and between the lower electrodes 7, 7,. An insulating grid 147 is provided in such a manner as to partition the space. The insulating grid 147
A wall is provided in a gap between the thermoelectric conversion elements 9, 9, ..., 13, 13, ... in the thermoelectric device 21, and the wall is interposed between the plates 1 and 3 by the wall. , 13, 13,... And reinforce the adjacent thermoelectric conversion elements 9, 9,.
3, copper foil electrodes 5, 5, ..., 7, 7,
... electrical insulation between them is ensured.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the entire structure of an example of the insulating grid 147.

The insulating grid 147 is formed by, for example, vertically and horizontally arranging a plurality of strip-shaped members 147a and 147b made of an electrically insulating material. That is, the plurality of band members 14
7a are arranged upright at substantially equal intervals in parallel, and another plurality of band-shaped members 147b are also arranged upright at substantially equal intervals in parallel, and both are assembled in a state of being orthogonal to each other,
As shown in this figure, an insulating grid 147 partitioning a number of rectangular parallelepiped spaces is formed.

This insulating grid 147 is
In the manufacturing process, the patterned copper foil electrode 5,
Are placed on the adhesive sheet 17 (or the adhesive sheet 19 to which the copper foil electrodes 7, 7,... Are bonded) to which a large number of thermoelectric conversion elements 9, 9,. , 1
Can be functioned as a jig for mounting the thermoelectric conversion element, which can accurately and efficiently position the elements 3, 13,....

The thermoelectric conversion elements 9, 9, ..., 13,
13, even after soldering to the copper foil electrodes 5, 5,..., 7, 7,..., If the insulating grid 147 is left between the plates 1 and 3 as shown in FIG. As described above, the insulating grid 147 functions as a reinforcing member, and the adjacent thermoelectric conversion elements 9, 9, ..., 13, 13, ... or the adjacent copper foil electrodes 5, 5, ..., 7, 7, ... are connected. The reliability of the electrical insulation between them can be improved.

As described above, the insulating grid 147 can function as a jig for attaching a thermoelectric conversion element.
Several other jigs for attaching the thermoelectric conversion element can be considered.

FIG. 15 is an overall perspective view showing a first example of a jig for mounting a thermoelectric conversion element.

The jig 148 shown in this figure is composed of a single plate 150 made of an electrically insulating material,
A large number of rectangular through-holes 149, 149,... Corresponding to the arrangement positions of 9,.

This jig 148 is used in the manufacturing process of the temperature controller in the same manner as the insulating grid 147 shown in FIGS. By leaving the jig 148 between the plates 1 and 3, the jig 148 functions as a reinforcing member similarly to the insulating grid 147, and the thermoelectric conversion elements 9, 9,. ... or the reliability of the electrical insulation between the adjacent copper foil electrodes 5, 5, ..., 7, 7, ... can be improved.

FIG. 16 is a partial perspective view showing a second example of a jig for attaching a thermoelectric conversion element.

The jig 151 shown in this figure covers an upper surface of the jig 148 shown in FIG. 15 with an insulating sheet 152 made of an electrically insulating material, and places the jig 151 on the insulating sheet 152. Cut pieces 153a to 153a-1 are set so that the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 can be set in the respective through holes (see FIG. 15) for setting the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 provided at the respective locations.
53d are provided. Each cut piece 153a to 153d
FIG. 1 shows the state when the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 are set.
As shown in FIG. 7, the thermoelectric conversion element 9 (or 13) is folded into the through hole 149 to guide the thermoelectric conversion element 9 (or 13) to the back of the through hole 149, and fills the gap between the thermoelectric conversion element 9 (or 13) and the through hole 149. . Thereby, in the manufacturing process of the temperature controller,
The thermoelectric conversion element 9, which may be generated due to a gap between the thermoelectric conversion elements 9, 13 and the through holes 149, 149,.
13 can be reliably prevented from being displaced.

FIGS. 18 and 19 are overall perspective views showing a third example of a jig for attaching a thermoelectric conversion element.

The jig 500 shown in FIG.
8 and a lid 160 openably and closably coupled to the jig body 158.
And The jig main body 158 is composed of a single plate made of an electrically insulating material and P-type thermoelectric semiconductor elements 9, 9,.
A large number of rectangular through holes 157P corresponding to
157P,... And N-type thermoelectric semiconductor elements 13, 13,.
A large number of rectangular through holes 157N corresponding to the locations of
157N,... Are provided. On the other hand, the lid 16
0 corresponds to the location of only one type of thermoelectric conversion element, for example, only the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor elements 9, 9,.
The rectangular through holes 159, 159,... Are formed corresponding to only the through holes 157P, 157P,.

That is, using the jig 500, the thermoelectric conversion elements 9, 13 are connected to the copper foil electrodes 5, 7 (or the copper plate electrodes 3).
7, 41), first, as shown in FIG. 19, the cover 160 is closed and the through holes 157N, 1N, 1N for disposing the N-type thermoelectric semiconductor elements 13, 13,.
57N, ..., through holes 159, 159,
... (that is, the through holes 157P and 157 of the jig main body 158)
..) Are set only for the P-type thermoelectric semiconductor elements 9, 9,. After that, the lid 160 is opened, and the remaining through holes 157N, 157N,.
3. Set...

According to this, since the arrangement positions of the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 are not confused, the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 can be quickly and accurately arranged at predetermined positions, and the temperature can be adjusted. It can contribute to the efficiency of vessel production.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, these embodiments are merely examples for describing the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to these embodiments. . The present invention can be implemented in other various forms. That is, for example, in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6, an insulating film is formed by spraying alumina or the like on the cooling plate 3, and the insulating film is formed on the surface of the insulating film via the thermal conductive grease 203. The electrodes 7, 7, ... by the fastening force
May be pressed against each other. In the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 11, a thin sheet formed of resin or the like may be used as a plate for mounting a substrate. Further, in the second to sixth and eighth embodiments, if a copper plate having a sufficient thickness to allow a large current to flow sufficiently is used as an electrode, it can be used even when the power of the thermoelectric device is large. Can be. Further, the electrodes 5 and 7 are not limited to copper, and it is of course possible to use other metals, for example, stainless steel.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of a temperature controller according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a planar arrangement of P-type and N-type semiconductor elements (thermoelectric conversion elements) 9, 13 of the thermoelectric device 21 of the temperature controller shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a planar arrangement example of thermoelectric conversion elements of a conventional temperature controller.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the temperature controller when elevating pins for raising and lowering the substrate 2 to be temperature-controlled pass through the temperature controller.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a second method of manufacturing the temperature controller shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of a temperature controller according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows the thermoelectric conversion elements 9, 1 of the temperature controller shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a planar arrangement of No. 3.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of a temperature controller according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of a temperature controller according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of a temperature controller according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of a temperature controller according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of a temperature controller according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of a temperature controller according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of an example of an insulating grid 147.

FIG. 15 is an overall perspective view showing a first example of a jig for attaching a thermoelectric conversion element.

FIG. 16 is a partial perspective view showing a second example of a jig for attaching a thermoelectric conversion element.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view when the thermoelectric conversion elements 9 and 13 are set in through holes 149.

FIG. 18 is an overall perspective view showing a third example of a jig for attaching a thermoelectric conversion element.

FIG. 19 is an overall perspective view showing a third example of a jig for attaching a thermoelectric conversion element when a lid 160 is closed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate mounting plate 3 Cooling plate 5, 7 Copper foil electrode 9 P-type thermoelectric semiconductor element 13 N-type thermoelectric semiconductor element 17, 19 Adhesive sheet 21 Thermoelectric device

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hironaga Akiba 1200 Manda, Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Komatsu Seisakusho Laboratories (72) Inventor Tadayuki Hanamoto 1200, Manda, Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Komatsu Seisakusho, Inc.

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A flat plate for mounting a temperature controlled object, a heat exchange flat plate for performing heat exchange, and a large number of two-dimensionally arrayed sandwiched between the two flat plates. A thermoelectric conversion element, and a heat exchange device having a large number of electrodes that electrically connect the large number of thermoelectric conversion elements to form heat exchange surfaces on both sides, and are mounted on the mounting flat plate. A temperature controller in which the plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements are dispersedly arranged over substantially the entire temperature control area covering the area corresponding to the temperature control target. 2. The temperature controller according to claim 1, wherein all of the plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements included in the heat exchange device are electrically connected in series. 3. The temperature controller according to claim 1, wherein the electrode is a metal foil. 4. The temperature controller according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the heat exchange surfaces of the heat exchange device is fixed to the mounting flat plate or the heat exchange flat plate with an adhesive. 5. The adhesive has an electrical insulating property, and at least one heat exchange surface of the heat exchange device is directly attached to the placing flat plate or the heat exchange flat plate by the adhesive. The temperature controller according to claim 4, which is adhered. 6. The combined thickness of the electrode and the adhesive on the side fixed by the adhesive is approximately 25 to 1000.
The temperature controller according to claim 4, wherein the temperature is μm. 7. A surface of the mounting flat plate or the heat exchange flat plate is coated with an insulating material, and at least one heat exchange surface of the heat exchange device is adhered to the coated surface. The temperature controller according to claim 1. 8. The heat exchange device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the heat exchange surfaces of the heat exchange device is slidably attached to the mounting plate or the heat exchange plate. The temperature controller according to claim 1, wherein the temperature controller is fixed to the mounting flat plate or the heat exchange flat plate. 9. The temperature controller according to claim 8, wherein the other heat exchange surface is directly bonded to the mounting plate or the heat exchange plate with an electrically insulating adhesive. . 10. The temperature controller according to claim 1, wherein the placing flat plate is a flexible sheet. 11. The temperature controller according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of heat exchange devices are stacked such that their heat exchange surfaces are arranged in series. 12. The plurality of heat exchange devices are bonded to each other by an electrically insulating adhesive.
The temperature controller as described. 13. The temperature controller according to claim 1, wherein a reinforcing member is provided between the placing flat plate and the heat exchange flat plate. 14. The temperature controller according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling water passage inside the heat exchange flat plate. 15. The temperature controller according to claim 1, wherein the placing flat plate is a heat plate including one or more heat pipes. 16. A flat plate for mounting a temperature control object, a heat exchange flat plate for performing heat exchange, and a large number of two-dimensionally arrayed sandwiched between the two flat plates. A method for manufacturing a temperature controller, comprising: a thermoelectric conversion element and a heat exchange device having a large number of electrodes constituting heat exchange surfaces on both sides by electrically connecting the large number of thermoelectric conversion elements. A first step of preparing a metal foil adhered to the surface of the adhesive sheet, and after the first step, an electrode having a predetermined wiring pattern by pattern-etching the metal foil on the surface of the adhesive sheet A second step of forming, and after the second step, a third step of bonding the adhesive sheet to one surface of the mounting flat plate or the heat exchange flat plate, and after the second step , Each of the metal foil electrodes at a predetermined position Method for producing a temperature controller and a fourth step of bonding the photoelectric conversion element. 17. A flat plate for mounting a temperature controlled object, a heat exchange flat plate for performing heat exchange, and a large number of two-dimensionally arranged sandwiched between the two flat plates. A method for manufacturing a temperature controller, comprising: a thermoelectric conversion element and a heat exchange device having a large number of electrodes constituting heat exchange surfaces on both sides by electrically connecting the large number of thermoelectric conversion elements. A first step of preparing a metal foil adhered to the surface of the first step; a second step of adhering the adhesive sheet to one surface of the mounting flat plate or the heat exchange flat plate; After the step 2, a third step of performing pattern etching on the metal foil on the adhesive sheet to form an electrode having a predetermined pattern on the adhesive sheet, and after the third step, Each of the thermoelectric conversion elements is provided at a predetermined position of the metal foil electrode. And a fourth step of joining the two.