JP2003167100A - Ultraviolet ray irradiation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultraviolet ray irradiation device free from the leakage of water at an inlet and an outlet of the cooling water to a cooling mechanism in a device, and capable of reducing the leakage of the cooling water even when the lamp is broken with respect to the ultraviolet ray irradiation device wherein a dielectric barrier discharge lamp is cooled by cooling fluid such as water. <P>SOLUTION: This ultraviolet ray irradiation device comprising the dielectric barrier discharge lamp, the cooling mechanism for cooling the dielectric barrier discharge lamp, the inlet for allowing the cooling water to flow into the cooling mechanism and the outlet for allowing the cooling water to flow out from the cooling mechanism, further comprises a pump for pumping the cooling water out to an outflow side of the cooling mechanism. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultraviolet irradiation device using a dielectric barrier discharge lamp, and more particularly to an ultraviolet irradiation device having a cooling mechanism with a cooling fluid such as cooling water in the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, excimer light has been widely used in liquid crystal panel manufacturing processes and semiconductor manufacturing processes. For example, it is very useful in a step of cleaning organic components attached to the glass of a liquid crystal panel. There is a dielectric barrier discharge lamp as a light source for efficiently irradiating the excimer light.

The structure of the lamp is such that a discharge is generated between the electrodes via a dielectric, and in general, a discharge container made of a dielectric and at least one electrode outside the discharge container may be arranged. . As the lamp, for example, a rare-cylindrical gas such as xenon is enclosed in a double-cylindrical discharge vessel composed of a thick tube and a thin tube made of quartz glass, and a net-shaped first electrode is provided outside the discharge vessel. There is one in which another electrode is provided inside the inner tube. In the lamp, a high-frequency voltage or the like is applied between the electrodes to generate a dielectric barrier discharge inside the discharge vessel, and excimer light is generated when excimer molecules such as xenon generated by the discharge are dissociated. With regard to the lamp, it is desired to further increase the output in order to improve the processing capacity of liquid crystal panels and the like.

In order to increase the output of the lamp, it is necessary not only to simply increase the input to the lamp, but also to cool the discharge gas itself and increase the efficiency of excimer molecule generation. For this reason, various methods for cooling the discharge gas have been adopted for the high output type of the lamp.

As the cooling method, cooling water is directly introduced into the inner electrode side of the dielectric barrier discharge lamp to cool the discharge gas, or cooling water is introduced into a cooling block closely attached to the outer electrode side of the lamp. Then, there is a method of cooling the discharge gas.

The ultraviolet irradiation device is usually used in a clean room. For this reason, it is general to use circulating water or the like supplied from piping in the factory as cooling water or the like for the lamp. The circulating water or the like is usually pressurized to a constant pressure so that it can be used anywhere in the factory, and flows into the external device or the like from the pipe at the constant pressure.

FIG. 5 shows a conceptual diagram of an ultraviolet irradiation device 100 having a conventional cooling mechanism. Conventionally, the irradiation device 100
The cooling water supplied to the factory is supplied from the factory piping facility 102. The cooling water supplied from the factory piping facility 102 is usually pressurized in order to circulate in the factory. The cooling water supplied from the factory piping facility 102 flows into the irradiation device 100 from the piping via the joint portion 105. In this case, the inflowing cooling water flows into the dielectric barrier discharge lamp 101 with a constant water pressure. Further, the cooling water existing in the dielectric barrier discharge lamp 101 is pushed out by the pressure of the cooling water flowing from the factory piping facility 102 side and is transported to the cooling water outlet 104 side. The cooling water transported to the cooling water outlet 104 side is the factory piping facility 102.
It is re-introduced into and recirculated through a filter or the like.

In the above-described conventional cooling mechanism, if the dielectric barrier discharge lamp 101 is broken or there is a gap in the joint portion 105, the cooling water flowing from the factory piping side with a certain pressure is applied to the inside of the irradiation device 100. There was a problem that water leaked into the clean room. Further, there is a problem that water leakage cannot be stopped unless the inflow side connection of the factory piping facility 102 is cut off.

Further, since high-energy light such as vacuum ultraviolet light is emitted from the lamp, when the lamp is lit for a long time, the quartz glass constituting the lamp, the connecting portion with the pipe, the packing portion, etc. are deteriorated. However, water may leak.
In particular, when cooling water is directly flown into the inner electrode side as a cooling mechanism of the lamp, the packing part between the lamp and the cooling pipe is deteriorated by high-energy light, or the lamp itself is destroyed and a large amount of the inside of the device is destroyed. There was a problem that water leakage occurred. Furthermore, as a cooling mechanism for the lamp, a device of a type in which an outer tube of the lamp is brought into contact with a cooling block for cooling has a problem that the joint portion of the cooling pipe is deteriorated and water is leaked.

Further, since the lamp is made of quartz glass, the lamp itself may be destroyed by an external impact. The above-mentioned type of directly cooling the inner electrode side has a problem in that a large amount of water is leaked when the lamp is broken, so that not only the apparatus but also the entire clean room is greatly damaged.

[0011]

In an ultraviolet irradiating device for cooling a dielectric barrier discharge lamp with a cooling fluid such as water, water leakage occurs at an inlet, an outlet, etc. of the cooling water to a cooling mechanism in the device. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultraviolet irradiation device that minimizes the amount of leakage of the cooling water even when the lamp is absent or the lamp is damaged.

[0012]

An ultraviolet irradiation device of the present invention comprises a dielectric barrier discharge lamp, a cooling mechanism for cooling the dielectric barrier discharge lamp, and an inlet for introducing cooling water into the cooling mechanism. An ultraviolet irradiating device having an outlet through which cooling water flows out from the cooling mechanism is characterized in that a pump for sucking the cooling water is attached to the outflow side of the cooling mechanism.

Since the pump for sucking the cooling water is attached to the outflow side of the cooling mechanism, even if the lamp is broken, it acts in the direction of sucking the cooling water in the pipe or the cooling water in the device. Minimizes leakage of cooling water. Further, since the pump is arranged on the cooling water outflow side, the cooling water does not flow into the cooling mechanism or the like so as to be pushed in from the outside, but the cooling water flows out so as to suck out from the cooling mechanism. Even if there is a hole, a gap, or the like in the connection part with the cooling mechanism or in the cooling mechanism itself, water hardly leaks.

Further, the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus of the present invention is provided with a cooling water storage tank connected through a pipe connected to an inflow port for inflowing cooling water to the cooling mechanism, and the water storage tank of the cooling mechanism. It is characterized by being placed at a position lower than the installation position.

Since the position of the water storage tank is arranged at a position lower than that of the cooling mechanism portion, the cooling water flows into the cooling mechanism only after being sucked up by the pump. Therefore, when the pump stops, the cooling water flowing into the cooling mechanism automatically stops. Further, even when the pump is stopped, no water pressure is applied to the cooling mechanism from the inflow side, and even if there is a hole or a gap, the amount of water leakage can be minimized. Further, even if the cooling water leaks into the inside of the device due to the destruction of the lamp or the like, no water pressure is applied to the piping on the cooling water inflow side, and the cooling water does not flow into the device side after the lamp is broken. . Further, since the water storage tank is disposed at a position lower than the device, the cooling water in the inflow side pipe naturally flows back to the water storage tank by gravity, and the amount of water leakage can be minimized.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a conceptual diagram as a first embodiment of the present invention. Ultraviolet irradiation device 1 of the present invention
In this embodiment, a dielectric barrier discharge lamp 2 is arranged in the device 1, and in this embodiment, the cooling water 7 is flown inside the inner tube of the double cylinder type dielectric barrier discharge lamp 2. The cooling water 7 is connected to the device 1 so that the cooling water 7 can flow in and out from the cooling water storage tank 4 through the pipes 5 and 6. In the device 1, the cooling water 7 flows out from the dielectric barrier discharge lamp 2 by the pump 3 in the direction of being sucked through the pipe 6.

The cooling water 7 flows out from the dielectric barrier discharge lamp 2 by the pump 3 in the direction of being sucked through the pipe 6. Thereby, the dielectric barrier discharge lamp 2
Even if there is a gap or the like in the inflow / outflow portion of the cooling water 7 into or out of the cooling water 7 or the connection with the pipes 5 and 6, the cooling water 7 is sucked by the pump 3 and the leakage of water is suppressed by a relatively small amount. Further, even if the dielectric barrier discharge lamp 2 is damaged, the cooling water 7 can be sucked by sucking the air from the damaged portion or the like and the leakage of water can be suppressed with a relatively small amount. Further, when the lamp is completely destroyed, the pump 3 arranged on the outflow side of the cooling water 7
, And the supply of the cooling water 7 which is naturally supplied from the tank 4 is stopped. Further, there is an advantage that the cooling water on the outflow side is absorbed by the tank 4 without leaking by the pump 3 arranged on the cooling water outflow side of the lamp 2.

Further, since the cooling water storage tank 4 connected through the pipe 5 connected to the inflow port through which the cooling water 7 flows into the cooling mechanism is arranged at a position lower than the installation position of the apparatus 1. Even when the pump 3 is stopped, the cooling water 7 remaining in the pipes 5 and 6 tends to move in the direction of returning to the tank 4, so that water may leak even if there is a damaged portion or the like. There is no.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the device is driven by a dielectric barrier discharge lamp at a high voltage, and an ion exchange resin device is used to prevent electric shock when the high voltage leaks or leaks. Means for lowering the electrical conductivity of cooling water are provided. The ion exchange resin device and the like are arranged in the cooling water circulation path of the device. The cooling water 7 in the water storage tank 4 is cooled by using a heat exchanger. For the cooling, secondary cooling water supplied from the above-mentioned piping in the factory may be used.

FIG. 2 shows a structural diagram of the dielectric barrier discharge lamp 2 installed in the excimer irradiation device of the present invention. FIG. 2-A is a horizontal sectional view of the dielectric barrier discharge lamp 2, and FIG. 2-B is a vertical sectional view. The dielectric barrier discharge lamp 2 includes a quartz glass outer tube 13 and a quartz glass inner tube 14 as a dielectric material between an outer electrode 11 made of a mesh metal member and the like and an inner electrode 12 made of aluminum or the like.
It is a double cylindrical tube type discharge lamp in which and are arranged. In the dielectric barrier discharge lamp, a rare gas such as xenon gas is sealed inside the discharge space 15 covered with the quartz tubes 13 and 14.

By applying a high frequency voltage from the high frequency power source 16 between the outer electrode 11 and the inner electrode 12, a dielectric barrier discharge is generated and excimer molecules are formed.
When the excimer molecule collapses, as excimer light, for example, xenon emits light of 172 nm.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a cooling mechanism installed in the ultraviolet irradiation device 1 according to the present invention. A plurality of dielectric barrier discharge lamps 2 for irradiating excimer light are arranged on the irradiation surface side. A cooling block 20 made of, for example, aluminum is arranged on the side opposite to the irradiation surface of the dielectric barrier discharge lamp 2. In this embodiment, the inside of the cooling block 20 is hollow, and cooling water is introduced into the cooling block 20 to cool the dielectric barrier discharge lamp 2. The cooling block 20 is provided with a pipe 5 for inflowing cooling water and a pipe 6 for outflowing cooling water, and supplies cooling water from the outside and discharges it to the outside.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the cooling mechanism installed in the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a double cylinder tube type dielectric barrier discharge lamp 2 showing a cooling mechanism for directly cooling the inner electrode 12 on the inner tube 14 side with cooling water 7. At both ends of the dielectric barrier discharge lamp 2, connection parts 31 for introducing and flowing out the cooling water 7 are provided, and pipes 5 or 6 are connected to the connection parts 31, respectively.

[0024]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION In an ultraviolet irradiation device having a cooling mechanism for cooling water, the cooling water circulating pump is provided so as to suck the cooling water from the cooling mechanism. Almost no water leaks even if the connection between the outlet and the pipe is incomplete. Further, in the type in which the cooling water is directly flown to the inner tube side of the dielectric barrier discharge lamp, even if the lamp disposed in the ultraviolet irradiation device is destroyed, the cooling water in the pipe flowing into the lamp is automatically Move back to the water tank. Further, since the cooling water that has flowed into the lamp moves in a direction that is sucked by the pump, the amount of cooling water that flows into the device can be minimized. Further, in the type using the cooling block, even if there is a hole or a gap in the joint portion of the cooling water inlet or outlet, the cooling water flows in the direction to suck the cooling water from the cooling mechanism, so that it flows out into the device. The amount of cooling water used is minimized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an ultraviolet irradiation device having a cooling mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a dielectric barrier discharge lamp installed in the ultraviolet irradiation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an example of a cooling mechanism installed in the ultraviolet irradiation device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is another embodiment of the cooling mechanism installed in the ultraviolet irradiation device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of cooling water circulation of an ultraviolet irradiation device having a conventional cooling mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 UV irradiation device 2 Dielectric barrier discharge lamp 3 pumps 4 water storage tank 5 piping 6 piping 7 cooling water 8 Piping joint 10 Dielectric barrier discharge lamp 11 Outer electrode 12 Inner electrode 13 Quartz glass outer tube 100 UV irradiation device 101 Dielectric barrier discharge lamp 102 Factory piping equipment 103 Cooling water inlet 104 Cooling water outlet 105 Piping joint

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A dielectric barrier discharge lamp, a cooling mechanism for cooling the dielectric barrier discharge lamp, an inlet for introducing cooling water into the cooling mechanism, and an outlet for discharging cooling water from the cooling mechanism. In the ultraviolet irradiation device having the above-mentioned, the ultraviolet irradiation device is characterized in that a pump for sucking cooling water is attached to the outflow side of the cooling mechanism. 2. A cooling water storage tank, which is connected via a pipe connected to an inflow port for flowing cooling water to the cooling mechanism, is provided, and the water storage tank is arranged at a position lower than the installation position of the cooling mechanism. The ultraviolet irradiation device according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet irradiation device is provided.