JP2001155686A - Dielectric barrier excimer lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dielectric barrier excimer lamp which is miniaturized and easy in handling while preventing an outer electrode from being exposed into an outer surface. SOLUTION: A dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10 of the invention comprises a dielectric double tube 13 constituted by sealing a gas for discharging into space between an inner tube and a translucent outer tube, a first electrode 12 in the form of net closely arranged to an outer circumference surface of the outer tube, and a second electrode 14 closely arranged to an inner circumference surface of the inner tube. It is a translucent dielectric first tube 11 that accommodates the double tube into its inner side, as is done for the first and the second electrode, and it is constituted to introduce an inert gas into a first space S1 between the first tube and the outer tube and to irradiate an ultraviolet rays by applying voltage between the first and the second electrodes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dielectric barrier excimer lamp used for cleaning or modifying the surface of a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate by using the synergistic action of ultraviolet light and ozone.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, techniques for cleaning or modifying an object to be processed such as a metal, a semiconductor substance, or glass by utilizing the cooperative action of ultraviolet light and ozone have been widely studied. This technique is commonly known as the UV ozone method. According to the UV ozone method, there is an advantage that the organic contaminants adhering to the surface can be removed and an oxide film layer can be formed on the surface without damaging the object.

In the UV ozone method, light of 185 nm, which is vacuum ultraviolet light emitted from a low-pressure mercury lamp, is irradiated on air containing oxygen or oxygen gas to generate ozone.
This ozone generates active oxygen species, which is a decomposition gas of ozone, and brings it into contact with the surface of the object. In the cleaning of the object to be treated by the UV ozone method, the organic contaminants adhered to the surface of the object to be treated are oxidized by this contact, converted into low molecular oxides such as carbon dioxide and water, and removed from the surface. Is done. As a result, the surface of the workpiece can be dry-precisely cleaned. The details of the cleaning or modification of the object to be treated by the UV ozone method are described in detail in "New Technology Using Ozone" (Miyu Shobo, issued November 20, 1986).

On the other hand, low-pressure mercury lamps have greatly contributed to the spread of the above-mentioned UV ozone cleaning method due to their characteristic bright lines. However, in recent years, a dielectric barrier excimer has been used as a light source capable of more efficient UV ozone cleaning. Lamps have become known and replacement of conventional low-pressure mercury lamps as UV ozone cleaning light sources is in progress. Dielectric barrier excimer lamps eliminate the drawbacks of low-pressure mercury lamps, such as heat radiation to substrates and lighting performance. There is an advantage that generation can be performed more efficiently.

FIG. 8 shows a configuration example of a conventional dielectric barrier excimer lamp device. As shown in the figure, the lamp device 80 includes an excimer lamp 82 in a metal container 81. The excimer lamp 82 has a discharge gas 83 such as xenon sealed in a space between an inner tube 82a and an outer tube 82b made of quartz glass, and electrodes 82c and 82d (outside electrodes) provided inside and outside thereof by an AC power supply 84. Electrodes are meshed)
A high voltage is applied in between, thereby emitting ultraviolet light.
That is, the quartz glass, which is a dielectric to which a high voltage is applied, generates a minute discharge by a dielectric barrier discharge (silent discharge), and the energy thereof excites and couples the discharge gas 83 enclosed therein. In the process in which the gas molecules in the excited state return to the ground state, they emit light having a wavelength specific to the gas.

The metal container 81 of the lamp device 80 is provided with a light extraction window 85 made of synthetic quartz glass, and the ultraviolet light radiated from the excimer lamp 82 is transmitted therethrough to irradiate an object to be processed. An inert gas such as nitrogen is constantly introduced into the metal container 81 at a rate of several liters per minute, so that the attenuation of ultraviolet rays from the excimer lamp 82 is minimized. Further, a reflection plate 86 is provided in the metal container 81 (or the inner wall surface of the metal container is mirror-finished), whereby the ultraviolet light radiated upward and laterally from the excimer lamp 82 is reflected there. To the light extraction window 85. Ultraviolet rays emitted from the light extraction window 85 to the outside of the container generate ozone and characteristic oxygen species by the photochemical reaction in an atmosphere containing oxygen in which the object is placed, and bring them into contact with the surface of the object. In addition, the object to be processed is irradiated with the vacuum ultraviolet rays directly, and the cleaning or the modification of the object to be processed is achieved by the cooperation of these operations.

[0007]

However, the above-described conventional dielectric barrier excimer lamp device has the following problems. (1) Since the external electrode 82d is exposed on the outer periphery of the excimer lamp 82, care must be taken when handling the excimer lamp 82 when mounting it in the metal container 81. For this reason, at the time of the attachment, the installation position with respect to the container tends to vary, which may affect the ultraviolet irradiation performance of the apparatus. (2) The space around the excimer lamp 82 in the metal container 81 is relatively wide for the installation of the reflector and the mounting of the excimer lamp 82. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly flow an inert gas required to fill this space at a flow rate of about several liters per minute, which consumes a large amount. (3) In order to increase the processing efficiency of cleaning or reforming of the object to be processed by ultraviolet rays, it is preferable to minimize the distance between the surface of the excimer lamp 82 and the object to be processed and to increase the amount of ultraviolet irradiation. However, in the conventional lamp device, it is difficult to reduce the distance due to the structure in which the excimer lamp is housed in a metal container.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dielectric barrier excimer lamp which is easy to handle and has no external electrodes exposed on the outer surface side.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dielectric barrier excimer lamp capable of reducing the required flow rate of the inert gas and thereby reducing the running cost of the apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dielectric barrier excimer lamp capable of minimizing the distance between the excimer lamp and the object to be processed, thereby improving the efficiency of irradiation of the object with ultraviolet rays. Is to do.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to the present invention comprises a discharge gas sealed in a space between an inner tube and a translucent outer tube. A dielectric double tube, a mesh-like first electrode arranged close to the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube, a second electrode arranged close to the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube, A first tube made of a light-transmitting dielectric for accommodating the heavy tube together with the first and second electrodes, and a first tube between the first tube and the outer tube. And a device capable of introducing an inert gas into the space, and emits ultraviolet rays by applying a voltage between the first and second electrodes.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, a gas inlet connected to a supply source of an inert gas for introducing an inert gas into the first space, and an inert gas introduced into the first space are provided. A gas outlet for discharging gas.

In this case, the first space and the second space inside the inner tube are connected to each other at the first end of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp so as to allow gas to flow therethrough, and the gas inlet is provided. And the gas outlet are disposed at a second end of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp, and at the second end of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp, one of the gas inlet and the gas outlet is provided. Is preferably connected to the first space so as to allow gas flow, and one of the other is connected to the second space so as to allow gas flow.

A second pipe for conveying the inert gas into the second space, one end of the second pipe being connected to one of the gas inlet and the gas outlet; And
It is preferable to connect the other end to the first space.

The present invention also provides a cooling water inlet connected to a supply source of cooling water for introducing cooling water into a second space inside the inner cylindrical tube, and a cooling water introduction port introduced into the second space. And a cooling water discharge port for discharging the cooled water.

In this case, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the cooling water is introduced into a region outside the second pipe in the second space.

The second electrode is tubular, and the tubular second electrode is arranged apart from the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical tube, so that the second space is formed. A first region outside the second electrode and a second region inside the second electrode are separated, and the first region and the second region are connected to each other at a first end side of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp. The cooling water inlet and the cooling water outlet are arranged on the second end side of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp, and the cooling water inlet and the cooling water outlet are disposed on the second end side of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp. It is preferable that one of the water inlet and the cooling water outlet is connected to the first region so as to allow liquid flow, and the other is connected to the second region so as to allow liquid flow.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the first and second electrodes are connected to a voltage source at the second end of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp.

In a preferred embodiment, the double tube, the first tube, the second tube, and the internal electrode are cylindrical tubes. Preferably, the inner tube, the outer tube and the first tube are made of quartz glass, and the discharge gas sealed in the double tube is a xenon gas.

The present invention further comprises a reflector disposed so as to cover the periphery of the first tube and for condensing, on one side, the ultraviolet light radiated to the outside of the first tube. be able to.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on one embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a part of a dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is cut away, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. The outline of the configuration of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to these drawings.

The dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10 has a columnar shape as a whole, and can emit ultraviolet rays from a region covered by a glass tube 11 described later. In FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, an irradiation area of ultraviolet light is referred to as an irradiation unit 10 </ b> B, a region on the distal side is a distal end 10 </ b> A, and a region on the proximal side is a base 1.
0C. As shown in the figure, a double tube 1 in which a net-like external electrode 12 and a xenon gas G as a discharge gas are sealed in a glass tube 11 in an irradiation unit 10B.
3. The internal electrodes 14 and the gas pipes 15 are sequentially disposed on the inside thereof. The emission of ultraviolet light by the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10 is basically performed by applying a high voltage between the external electrode 12 and the internal electrode 14 to excite the xenon gas G sealed in the double tube 13 therebetween. Occurs in

The base 10C is provided with a terminal (not shown) for applying a voltage to the external electrode 12 and the internal electrode 14, to which a cable from a power supply unit is connected. In addition, the base 10C is provided with an inlet (hereinafter, gas inlet 20) and an outlet (hereinafter, gas outlet 21) for an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon, and further, cooling water for lamp cooling. An inlet (hereinafter, cooling water inlet 22) and an outlet (hereinafter, cooling water outlet 23) are provided. The gas inlet 20 is connected to a gas tube from a gas supply source (not shown), from which an inert gas is introduced into the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10 and circulates therethrough.
The gas is discharged from the gas discharge port 21 (here, a gas tube for discharge is connected). Further, a cooling water tube from a cooling water supply source (not shown) is connected to the cooling water inlet 22, and the cooling water tube is connected to the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 1 through the cooling water tube.
The cooling water is introduced into the cooling water 0, circulates through the inside, and is discharged from the cooling water discharge port 23. The cooling water discharged from the cooling water discharge port 23 is returned to the cooling water supply source through a cooling water tube (not shown) connected thereto, where the cooling water is recooled, impurities are removed, and the water is cyclically resupplied. You.

The inert gas introduced from the gas inlet 20 is introduced between the irradiation sections 10B and finally to a space S1 between the double tube 13 and the glass tube 11 outside the double tube 13. When the space S1 is filled with the atmosphere, the ultraviolet rays emitted from the double tube 13 are absorbed by oxygen in the atmosphere, and the ultraviolet rays emitted from the glass tube 11 are significantly attenuated. By flowing an inert gas such as nitrogen into the space S1 and replacing the atmosphere in the space with the inert gas as in the present invention, the ultraviolet rays from the double tube 13 are radiated to the outside without attenuation. You.

As described later, the gas inlet 20 is
The base 10C is connected to one end of the gas pipe 15.
The other end of the gas pipe 15 is communicated with the outer space S1 inside the distal end portion 10A. On the other hand, the gas outlet 21 is communicated with the space S1 in the base 10C.
As a result, the inert gas introduced from the gas inlet 20 is guided to the central gas pipe 15 in the base 10C, passes therethrough, reaches the tip 10A, and flows into the space S1 from here. The inert gas that has flowed into the space S1 flows inside the irradiation unit 10B from the tip 10A toward the base 10C, and is discharged from the gas outlet 21 to the outside. Details of the flow of the inert gas will be described later.

On the other hand, the cooling water introduced from the cooling water inlet 22 is introduced into the space S2 inside the double pipe 13 (and outside the gas pipe 15) between the irradiation sections 10B. The internal electrode 14 is disposed inside the double tube 13,
The internal electrode 14 becomes hot due to the high voltage applied at the time of ultraviolet irradiation. The introduced cooling water passes around the internal electrode 14 and cools it. Internal electrode 14
Is cooled, a higher voltage can be applied thereto, and therefore, the irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays can be increased. In the present embodiment, as the cooling water, pure water having a specific resistivity of 0.5 MΩ · cm or more, or water containing echinylene glycol is preferably used.

As will be described later, the internal electrode 14 is a cylindrical metal tube having both ends open, and is disposed inside the double tube 13. The outer diameter of the inner electrode 14 is formed to be somewhat smaller than the inner diameter of the double tube 13, so that when the two tubes are arranged with their axes aligned, a gap is formed between them. In other words, the space S2 inside the double tube 13 is divided by the internal electrode 14 into the region S2a inside the double tube 13.
And the region S2b outside thereof. The cooling water inlet 22 is communicated with one side of the inner region S2a in the base 10C. The inner region S2a and the outer region S2b communicate with each other inside the tip 10A (by ending the end of the internal electrode 14). On the other hand, the cooling water discharge port 23 is provided inside the base 10C in the outer region S2b.
Is in communication with Thereby, the cooling water introduced from the cooling water inlet 22 is guided to the region S2a inside the internal electrode 14 in the base portion 10C, reaches the tip portion 10A therethrough, and from there the outside of the internal electrode 14 is formed. It flows into the area S2b. Then, it flows to the base 10C side through the region S2b,
The cooling water is discharged from the cooling water discharge port 23 to the outside. Details of the flow of the cooling water will be described later.

As described above, the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10 in the above embodiment has the base 10C
An inlet 20 and an outlet 21 for the inert gas, an inlet 22 and an outlet 23 for the cooling water, and a connection terminal (not shown) for a cable from the power supply unit are provided. By consolidating the interfaces with external devices in one place in this way, the degree of freedom of installation is increased. That is, when the present dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10 is installed in an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus as described later, it is not necessary to provide a space for leading cables and tubes on the distal end 10A side.

The dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a reflection plate 24 having a substantially figure-eight shape is provided on the upper portion thereof (omitted in FIG. 1). The reflector 24 is fixed to the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10 via a mounting member 24a (attached to the distal end portion 10A and the base portion 10C), and covers the upper and side surfaces thereof. Ultraviolet rays emitted from the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10 upward and sideways are reflected by the reflection plate 24 and directed to the workpiece W together with ultraviolet rays emitted from below.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10, in which the insides of the front end portion 10A, the irradiation portion 10B and the base portion 10C are clearly shown. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the configuration inside the irradiation unit 10B of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10, and shows the glass tube 1
1, the shapes of the external electrode 12, the double tube 13, the internal electrode 14, and the gas tube 15 are clearly shown. Hereinafter, the details of each of the above components will be described mainly with reference to these drawings.

In these figures, the double tube 13 has an outer tube 13a and an inner tube 1 made of synthetic quartz glass as a dielectric.
3b is arranged coaxially, and a xenon gas G as a discharge gas is sealed between both tubes 13a and 13b. That is, the outer cylinder tube 13a and the inner cylinder tube 13b are integrated at both ends, whereby xenon gas is sealed in a closed space formed in the gap. The internal electrode 14 and the external electrode 1
By applying a high voltage between the two, the xenon atoms in the double tube 13 are excited to an excimer state, and when the excimer state is separated again into xenon atoms, ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of about 172 nm are emitted. In the present invention,
Instead of the xenon gas described above, neon fluoride gas (wavelength 108 nm), argon gas (1
26 nm), krypton gas (146 nm), fluorine gas (157 nm), argon chloride gas (175 nm),
Argon fluoride gas (193 nm) or the like may be used,
In addition, krypton chloride gas (22
2 nm), krypton fluoride gas (248 nm), xenon chloride gas (308 nm), xenon fluoride gas (3
51 nm) may be used. In one embodiment,
The double tube 13 has a total length of about 400 mm, an outer diameter of about 30 mm, an inner diameter of about 17 mm, a tube thickness of about 1 mm, and a discharge gap length of about 5 mm.
mm. As shown in FIG. 3, the double tube 13 is sandwiched between the distal end portion 10A and the base portion 10C via resin rings 25, 25.

The external electrode 12 is a metal electrode formed in a tubular shape by a mesh-shaped metal wire. The double tube 13 is inserted into the cylinder of the external electrode 12. The ultraviolet light emitted by the double tube 13 passes between the meshes of the external electrode 12 and further passes through the glass tube 11 to be irradiated on the surface of the workpiece W. FIG.
As shown in (1), a ground cable 26 from a power supply unit is connected to one end of the external electrode 12 on the base 10C side, so that a voltage can be applied from the power supply unit.
The material of the external electrode 12 is preferably a copper alloy or a stainless alloy.

The internal electrode 14 is a cylindrical metal tube disposed inside the double tube 13 and having both ends open. As shown in FIG. 3, one end on the base 10C side of the internal electrode 14 is fixed to the metal block 27, and one end on the tip 10A side is free. The supply of power to the internal electrodes 14 is achieved via the gas pipes 15. That is, the high-voltage cable 30 connected to the power supply unit is directly connected to the gas pipe 15.
(FIG. 4). Since the gas tube 15 is fixed to the metal block 27 to which the internal electrode 14 is fixed (in FIG. 4, this is indicated by a connection 31), the internal electrode 14 is connected to the high voltage via the gas tube 15 and the metal block 27. It is electrically connected to the cable 30. The material of the internal electrode 14 is preferably a copper alloy or a stainless alloy.
Further, in a preferred embodiment, the outer diameter and the inner diameter of the internal electrode 14 are 15 mm and 13 mm, respectively, and the gap with the double tube 13 is 1 mm.

As described above, the space S2 inside the double tube 13 is separated into two regions S2a and S2b by the internal electrode 14 inside and outside the double tube. The cooling water inlet 22 is connected to the inner region S2a via a passage 28 in the base 10C, and the cooling water outlet 23 is connected to the outer region S2b via a passage 29. Further, the tip 10A
The two regions S2a and S2b communicate with each other.
As a result, a cooling water circulation path is formed inside the double pipe 13. As shown in FIG. 4, the cooling water from the cooling water tube 32 connected to the cooling water supply source is supplied to the cooling water inlet 2.
2 into the passage 28 (FIG. 3) in the base 10C, flows inside the internal electrode 14 (region S2a) between the irradiation units 10B, and reaches the tip 10A. Further, the tip portion 10A moves to the outside of the internal electrode 14 (region S2b), flows between the irradiation portions 10B, and returns to the base portion 10C. Then, through the passage 29 (FIG. 3), the cooling water discharge port 23 and the cooling water tube 33
Is discharged to The internal electrode 14 is cooled during this flow. The cooling water flows through the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 1
It can be controlled so as to be carried out only during the period of UV irradiation by zero. FIG. 5 clearly shows the flow of the cooling water in the circulation path.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the gas pipe 15 is a metal pipe, preferably made of a copper alloy or a stainless alloy, formed with a smaller diameter than the internal electrode 14. As shown in FIG. 3, the gas pipe 15 is configured to be longer than the other pipes, and both ends of the gas pipe 15 are the distal end 10A and the base 1, respectively.
It is fixed within 0C. In the base 10C, the gas pipe 15
Is fixed to the metal block 27 as described above, and communicates with the gas inlet 20 via the passage 34 at a position outside the metal block 27, whereby the inert gas from the gas inlet 20 is Can be guided into the gas pipe 15. On the other hand, the gas pipe 15 communicates with a passage 35 formed inside the distal end portion 10A. As described later, an inert gas is introduced into the space S1 outside the double pipe 13 through the passage 35. In a preferred embodiment, the outer and inner diameters of the gas pipe 15 are 6 mm and 4 mm, and the gap with the internal electrode is 3.5 mm.

The glass tube 11 is a cylindrical tube disposed on the outermost side in the irradiation section 10B. In the irradiation unit 10B, the external electrode 12, the double tube 13, the internal electrode 14, and the gas tube 15 are accommodated in the glass tube 11. The glass tube 11 is preferably made of synthetic quartz glass.

A predetermined space S1 is formed between the double tube 13 and the glass tube 11, and the above-mentioned inert gas is introduced into the space S1. The space S1 communicates with the passage 35 on the side of the distal end 10A, and communicates with the passage 36 following the gas discharge port 21 on the side of the base 10C. As a result, the gas inlet 20, the passage 34, the gas pipe 15, the passage 35, the space S1, the passage 36,
The gas discharge port 21 forms a circulation path of the inert gas. As shown in FIG. 4, an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon from a gas tube 37 connected to a supply source of the inert gas is introduced from the gas inlet 20 into a passage 34 (FIG. 3) in the base 10C. Flows through the gas pipe 15 to reach the tip 10A. Further, it moves from the passage 35 of the distal end portion 10A to the outer space S1 (FIG. 3), flows between the irradiation portions 10B, and returns to the base portion 10C. Then, the gas is discharged from the gas discharge port 21 to the gas tube 38 through the passage 36 (FIG. 3). By filling the space S1 with an inert gas,
Ultraviolet rays from the double tube 13 are radiated outside from the glass tube 11 without being attenuated in the space S1. The flow of the inert gas is performed before and after the irradiation period of the ultraviolet light by the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10, and it can be controlled to stop the irradiation during the irradiation. FIG. 6 clearly shows the flow of the inert gas in the circulation path.
In a preferred embodiment, the outer and inner diameters of the glass tube 11 are 40
mm and 36 mm, and the gap between the double tube 13 and the glass tube 11 is 3 mm.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus 70 which is constructed by incorporating the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10. The ultraviolet irradiation device 70 includes the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10, the power supply unit 71,
Cooling water supply source 72, inert gas supply source 73, and transport unit 7
4 is provided.

The power supply unit 71 supplies predetermined power to the electrodes of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10 (that is, between the internal electrode 14 and the external electrode 12) to emit ultraviolet light. The on / off control of the power supplied from the power supply unit 71 is performed by a control unit provided in the power supply unit. The cooling water supply source 72 is, as described above, the double tube 1 of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10.
The cooling water is circulated into the inside 3. The cooling water from the cooling water supply source 72 is supplied to the double pipe 13 via the cooling water tube 32.
And discharged from the double pipe 13. The inert gas supply source 73 is a means for supplying an inert gas to the space S1.
7.

The transport section 74 is a mechanism for transporting a rectangular workpiece W such as a glass substrate in the horizontal direction and passing the ultraviolet light irradiation range of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10. The transport unit 74 stably places the workpiece,
There is provided a mounting table (not shown) that is moved together with the mounting table. The height position of the mounting table is such that the distance between the upper surface of the workpiece to be mounted thereon, that is, the workpiece surface and the bottom of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10 is 10 mm or less, preferably in the range of 5 to 2 mm. It is set as follows.

The ultraviolet irradiation device 70 having the above-mentioned respective structures
Is provided with a closed casing (not shown) in which a stable atmosphere is maintained, and realizes irradiation of ultraviolet rays by the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10 while transporting the workpiece W therein. The dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10
May be arranged in one ultraviolet irradiation device 70 to widen the irradiation range of the ultraviolet light. In this case, a configuration may be employed in which the workpiece is fixedly supported in the housing without moving.

Next, the procedure of the cleaning process of the workpiece W using the ultraviolet irradiation device 70 will be described. The workpiece W is carried into the housing of the ultraviolet irradiation device 70 using a robot hand (not shown) or the like, and is placed on the mounting table of the transport unit 74. The workpiece W is fixed on the mounting table by any fixing means. In parallel with the installation of the workpiece W, the inert gas supply source 73 is activated, the inert gas is guided into the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10, and the space S1 outside the double tube 13 is provided.
Is filled with this. Each function in the ultraviolet irradiation device 70 is activated by pressing a control button for processing start or arbitrary control timing. That is, the supply of power from the power supply unit 71, the supply of cooling water from the cooling water supply source 72, and the transfer of the workpiece W by the transfer unit 74 are started almost simultaneously. Thereby, the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10
Irradiates ultraviolet rays to the processing surface of the moving workpiece W to clean it. During this time, the dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10 is cooled by the cooling water.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings. However, it is apparent that the present invention is not limited to the matters described in the above embodiments, and that changes, improvements, and the like can be made based on the description in the claims. In the above embodiment, the power is supplied to the internal electrode 14 via the gas pipe 15, but the internal electrode 14 is directly supplied.
And the high voltage cable 30 may be connected.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a small-sized, easy-to-handle dielectric barrier excimer lamp in which the external electrodes are not exposed on the outer surface side.

In the dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to the present invention, the required flow rate of the inert gas can be reduced, and thereby the running cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

According to the present invention, the distance between the ultraviolet light source and the object can be minimized, thereby improving the efficiency of irradiation of the object with ultraviolet rays.

In the present invention, which is provided with the circulation path of the inert gas or the cooling water in the dielectric barrier excimer lamp, the interface with the external equipment for supplying these can be integrated in one place. , The degree of freedom of installation can be increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a part of a dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a part cut away.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a configuration inside an irradiation unit of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 showing a flow of cooling water in a dielectric barrier excimer lamp.

FIG. 6 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 showing a flow of an inert gas in the dielectric barrier excimer lamp.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a configuration of an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus configured by incorporating a dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional dielectric barrier excimer lamp device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 G Xenon gas W Workpiece 10 Dielectric barrier excimer lamp 10A Tip 10B Irradiation unit 10C Base 11 Glass tube 12 External electrode 13 Double tube 13a Outer tube 13b Inner tube 14 Inner electrode 15 Gas tube 20 Gas inlet 21 Gas outlet 22 Cooling water inlet 23 Cooling water outlet 24 Reflector 24a Mounting member 25 Resin ring 26 Ground cable 27 Metal block 28, 29 Passage 30 High voltage cable 32, 33 Cooling water tube 34-36 Passage 37, 38 Gas tube Reference Signs List 70 UV irradiation device 71 Power supply unit 72 Cooling water supply source 73 Inert gas supply source 74 Transport unit

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A dielectric double tube in which a discharge gas is sealed in a space between an inner tube and a light-transmitting outer tube, and a dielectric double tube disposed close to an outer peripheral surface of the outer tube. A mesh-shaped first electrode, a second electrode disposed close to the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical tube, and a light-transmitting housing in which the double tube is housed together with the first and second electrodes. A first tube made of a conductive dielectric material, which is capable of introducing an inert gas into a first space between the first tube and the outer tube. And a dielectric barrier excimer lamp that emits ultraviolet light by applying a voltage between the second electrodes. 2. A gas inlet connected to a supply source of an inert gas for introducing an inert gas into the first space, and for discharging the inert gas introduced into the first space. The dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. The first space and a second space inside the inner tube are connected to each other at a first end of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp so as to allow gas flow, and the gas inlet and the gas inlet are connected to each other. A gas outlet is disposed at a second end of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp, and at the second end of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp, one of the gas inlet and the gas outlet is connected to the gas outlet. The dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to claim 2, wherein the dielectric barrier excimer lamp is connected to the first space so as to allow gas flow, and one of the other is connected to the second space so as to allow gas flow. 4. A second pipe for carrying the inert gas into the second space, wherein one end of the second pipe is connected to one of the gas inlet and the gas outlet. 4. The dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to claim 3, wherein the other end is connected to the first space. 5. A cooling water inlet connected to a supply source of cooling water for introducing cooling water into a second space inside the inner tube, and a cooling water introduced into the second space. The dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a cooling water discharge port for discharging water. 6. The dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to claim 5, wherein the cooling water is introduced into a region outside the second tube in the second space. 7. The dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to claim 1, wherein said second electrode is tubular. 8. The arrangement of the tubular second electrode at a distance from the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder tube allows the second space to be in a first area outside the second electrode. The second inside
The first region and the second region are connected so that liquid can flow through the first end of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp, and the cooling water inlet and the cooling water outlet are connected to each other. Is disposed at a second end side of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp, and at the second end side of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp, one of the cooling water inlet and the cooling water outlet is connected to the second end. 8. The dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to claim 7, wherein the dielectric barrier excimer lamp is connected to the first region so as to allow liquid flow, and one of the other is connected to the second region so as to allow liquid flow. 9. The dielectric barrier according to claim 3, wherein the first and second electrodes are connected to a voltage source at a second end of the dielectric barrier excimer lamp. Excimer lamp. 10. The double pipe, the first pipe, and the second pipe.
10. The dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to claim 1, wherein said tube and said internal electrode are cylindrical tubes. 11. The inner tube, the outer tube, and the first tube.
The dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to claim 1, wherein the tube is made of quartz glass. 12. The dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to claim 1, wherein the discharge gas sealed in the double tube is xenon gas. 13. A reflector disposed to cover the periphery of the first tube, and further comprising a reflector for condensing ultraviolet light applied to the outside of the first tube to one side. 13. The dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to any one of 12. 14. An ultraviolet irradiation device comprising the dielectric barrier excimer lamp according to claim 1.