JP2006128490A - Cooling body, and deposited-plate manufacturing apparatus and method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooling body, and a deposited-plate manufacturing apparatus and method using the cooling body whereby the deposited plate having a uniform thickness can be formed on the surface of the cooling body when forming the deposited plate by solidifying and depositing a portion of a molten metal on the surface of the cooling body. <P>SOLUTION: The surface 21a of a substrate 21 constituting a cooling body 1 is so formed as to give to the surface 21a the inclined portions which form respectively angles to a vertical virtual plane 40 in the thickness direction 29 of the substrate 21, e.g., as to make the surface 21a concave. By virtue of using the cooling body 1, the time during which the surface of the cooling body 1, i.e., the surface 21a of the substrate 21 is dipped into a molten metal can be made uniform over the whole of the surface 21a, e.g., even when the surface of the molten metal is convex. Therefore, the thickness of a deposited plate formed on the surface 21a of the substrate 21 can be made uniform. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus and a precipitation plate manufacturing method for manufacturing a precipitation plate by solidifying and growing a molten material on a surface of a cooling body by immersing a cooling body in the molten metal as a molten material, and It is related with the cooling body used for it.

  In recent years, various power generation methods other than thermal power generation using fossil fuels such as wind power generation, wave power generation, and solar power generation have been attempted in order to reduce the burden on the global environment. Among them, photovoltaic power generation is the most noticeable and positioned at the forefront of practical use. In solar power generation, solar cells formed of a semiconductor material are irradiated with sunlight, and electricity is generated using the photovoltaic effect at the semiconductor interface. Polycrystalline silicon is used as a material for solar cells. Polycrystalline silicon is used in the form of a sheet.

  As a typical method for producing polycrystalline silicon, high-purity silicon to which a dopant such as phosphorus (element symbol P) or boron (element symbol B) is added is heated and melted in a crucible in an inert gas atmosphere. There is a casting method in which this melt is poured into a mold and cooled to obtain a polycrystalline silicon ingot (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Sheet-like silicon (hereinafter also referred to as silicon sheet) used for solar cells is obtained by cutting the polycrystalline silicon ingot obtained in this way into smaller blocks with a band saw or the like, and further using a wire saw or inner peripheral edge method or the like. It is manufactured by cutting (slicing) into a sheet.

  In this manufacturing method, in addition to a casting process for obtaining a polycrystalline silicon ingot, a cutting process for cutting the polycrystalline silicon ingot into an outer block size of the silicon sheet and a slicing process for slicing the polycrystalline silicon ingot into a sheet having a desired thickness are required. Yes, the manufacturing process is complicated. Further, in the slicing process, a material loss equal to or more than the thickness of the wire or the inner peripheral blade occurs, which is a major obstacle to reducing the manufacturing cost of the solar cell.

  In order to solve such a problem, a technique for manufacturing a silicon sheet without going through the above-described cutting process and slicing process has been proposed. For example, precipitation plate manufacturing that manufactures a precipitation plate such as a silicon sheet by melting silicon into a molten metal, immersing a cooling body in the molten metal, and depositing silicon on one surface portion of the cooling body to solidify and precipitate. An apparatus has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 to 4).

  Hereinafter, although the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus by a prior art is a figure for demonstrating the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus which concerns on this invention, it demonstrates using FIGS. 5-7 and FIG. 9 mentioned later. For example, when the silicon sheet 30 is manufactured as the precipitation plate 30 using the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10, the cooling body 1 is immersed in the silicon melt 18 accommodated in the crucible 19 by the cooling body immersion means 13 and then drawn. increase. Thereby, a part of the melted silicon is cooled by the cooling body 1 and solidified and deposited on one surface portion of the cooling body 1, thereby forming the silicon sheet 30. The formed silicon sheet 30 is further cooled and then peeled off from the cooling body 1.

  In the prior art, a cooling body 60 shown in FIG. 16 is used instead of the cooling body 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a conventional cooling body 60 in a simplified manner. FIG. 16A is a perspective view showing the cooling body 60 viewed from the side held by the cooling body immersion means 13, and FIG. 16B is a side view of the cooling body 60 held by the cooling body immersion means 13. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the other side, that is, the side facing the molten metal 18. The cooling body 60 includes a base body 61 and a protrusion 62. A surface immersed in the molten metal 18 of the cooling body 60, that is, one surface portion 61 a of the base body 61 is formed in parallel to a virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction. The cooling body 60 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow 37 and immersed in the molten metal 18.

  The silicon sheet is manufactured by cooling and solidifying molten silicon with a cooling body, so that the silicon sheet contains internal stress generated by a rapid temperature change in the solidification precipitation process and the subsequent cooling process. The For this reason, there is a possibility that the silicon sheet may be broken due to vibration during transportation.

  The destruction of the silicon sheet due to the internal stress is not a big problem when the size of the silicon sheet is small. For example, when the silicon sheet has a rectangular shape with a side of 100 mm or less, the destruction due to internal stress hardly occurs.

  However, in the case of a silicon sheet having a size larger than this, destruction due to internal stress occurs with a relatively high probability. Recently, the size of silicon sheets for solar cells tends to increase. For example, a rectangular silicon sheet having a side of about 150 mm has been used, and destruction of the silicon sheet due to internal stress has become a problem. ing. The reason why fracture due to internal stress is likely to occur in a silicon sheet with large dimensions is that the thickness is not uniform and there is a portion with a relatively small thickness, so stress concentrates on the portion with a small thickness. It is assumed that there is.

  There are the following two reasons for the non-uniform thickness of a silicon sheet having a large size. The first cause is that the surface temperature of the molten metal has a distribution. In the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 5, when a high-frequency induction heating furnace (hereinafter also simply referred to as a high-frequency induction heating furnace) 14 is used as the melting furnace 14, as shown in FIG. In many cases, the surface temperature of the molten metal 18 is highest on the surface of the molten metal 18 in the vicinity of the side wall of the crucible 19 and lowest on the surface central portion 18 a of the molten metal 18.

  When the conventional cooling body 60 shown in FIG. 16 is immersed in the molten metal 18 having such a surface temperature distribution, the central portion of the cooling body 60 immersed in the vicinity of the surface central portion 18a of the molten metal 18 having the lowest surface temperature. In the vicinity, the molten metal 18 is cooled to the freezing point in a shorter time than both ends of the cooling body 60 immersed in the molten metal 18 in the region where the surface temperature is relatively high. For this reason, in the vicinity of the central portion of the cooling body 60, more molten metal 18 is deposited than in other portions, and the thickness of the formed silicon sheet 30 is increased. As described above, when producing a silicon sheet having a large dimension of 150 mm or more on one side, since a cooling body having a large dimension is used correspondingly, the influence of the surface temperature distribution of the molten metal 18 cannot be ignored. It is inferred that the thickness non-uniformity becomes remarkable.

  As a second cause, the surface height of the molten metal 18 is not uniform, that is, the surface shape of the molten metal 18 is not flat. As shown in FIG. 7, the surface height of the molten metal 18 in the crucible 19 is often the lowest at the surface of the molten metal 18 near the side wall of the crucible 19, and the surface central portion 18 a of the molten metal 18 is often the highest. When the conventional cooling body 60 shown in FIG. 16 is immersed in the molten metal 18 having a convex surface, the cooling body is immersed in the vicinity of the surface center portion 18a of the molten metal 18 having a relatively high surface height. In the vicinity of the central portion of 60, the time of being immersed in the molten metal 18 is longer than that in the vicinity of both ends immersed in the molten metal 18 near the side wall of the crucible 19 having a relatively low surface height. For this reason, more molten metal 18 solidifies and precipitates in the central portion of the cooling body 60 than in other portions, and the thickness of the formed silicon sheet 30 increases. As described above, when a silicon sheet having a large size is produced, the size of the cooling body 60 is also increased, so that it is likely to be affected by the surface shape of the molten metal, and the thickness non-uniformity is increased. .

  The surface temperature and the surface height of the molten metal 18 in the crucible 19 are not limited to the extreme value at the surface central portion 18 a of the molten metal 18, and may take extreme values near the side surface of the crucible 19. For example, when the surface height of the molten metal 18 takes a maximum value in the vicinity of the side wall portion of the crucible 19 as shown in FIG. 9, the silicon sheet 30 has a surface portion exposed outwardly on the surface on which the cooling body 60 is immersed. It forms so that it may incline with respect. That is, the thickness of the silicon sheet 30 deposited on the cooling body 60 is not the largest at the central portion of the cooling body 60 immersed in the surface central portion 18a of the molten metal 18, but the thickness of the crucible 19 where the surface height is maximized. The thickness distribution is inclined as a whole from one end of the cooling body 60 immersed in the molten metal 18 near the side wall to the other end. For this reason, the thickness variation becomes larger than the case where the surface height of the molten metal 18 becomes maximum at the surface central portion 18 a of the molten metal 18. In particular, when the silicon sheet 30 having a large size is manufactured, the size of the cooling body 60 is increased, and thus the thickness variation is further increased.

  As described above, when the conventional cooling body 60 is used, it is difficult to manufacture a silicon sheet having a uniform thickness. This thickness non-uniformity becomes more prominent as the size of the cooling body increases, that is, as the size of the silicon sheet to be produced increases, and breakage due to internal stress of the silicon sheet (hereinafter also referred to as self-destruction) tends to occur. In particular, from the viewpoint of improving productivity, when a plurality of silicon sheets are simultaneously manufactured using a single cooling body, the size of the cooling body is larger than when a single silicon sheet is manufactured. The non-uniformity of the silicon sheet is remarkable, and the silicon sheet easily breaks down.

  As a method for preventing self-destruction of the silicon sheet and improving the production yield, a method of increasing the average thickness of the silicon sheet to be deposited and increasing the strength of the silicon sheet can be considered. However, in this method, the use efficiency of the material is reduced. The manufacturing cost increases. In particular, when simultaneously producing a plurality of silicon sheets with one cooling body, it is necessary to increase the size of the crucible corresponding to the size of the cooling body. Costs will rise significantly. Also, increasing the size of the crucible is difficult to realize due to problems such as an increase in the manufacturing cost of the apparatus and an increase in the amount of power consumed for heating the crucible.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-64913 (page 4, FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-29895 (page 3-4, FIG. 1) JP 2002-175996 A (page 5, FIG. 7) JP 2003-59849 A (page 6-7, FIG. 1)

  The object of the present invention is to form a precipitation plate having a uniform thickness on the surface of the cooling body when a part of the molten metal is solidified and deposited on the surface of the cooling body, and thus the self-destruction of the precipitation plate. It is providing the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus which can prevent manufacture and a manufacturing yield, the manufacturing method of a precipitation plate, and the cooling body used for it.

  Another object of the present invention is to improve productivity by simultaneously producing a plurality of precipitation plates using a single cooling body without causing problems such as a decrease in manufacturing yield and an increase in manufacturing cost. It is providing the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus which can be made, the manufacturing method of a precipitation plate, and the cooling body used for it.

The present invention is a cooling body for forming a precipitation plate by solidifying and precipitating a part of the molten metal on the one surface part by immersing at least one surface part in the thickness direction in the molten metal,
The one surface portion is a cooling body formed so as to have an inclined portion inclined with respect to a virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction.

In the invention, it is preferable that the inclined portion is formed to have a curvature.
In the invention, it is preferable that the inclined portion is formed so that a cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane parallel to the thickness direction is linear.

Further, in the present invention, the one surface portion has a plurality of surface portions formed so that a cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane parallel to the thickness direction is linear.
Among the plurality of surface portions, at least two adjacent surface portions are formed so that inclination angles with respect to a virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction are different from each other.
Further, the present invention is characterized in that the one surface portion is formed in a concave shape.

The present invention also includes a molten metal container for containing molten metal,
A heating means for heating the molten metal and the molten material contained in the molten metal container;
The cooling body of the present invention is held so that the one surface portion faces the molten metal in the molten metal container, and at least one surface portion of the held cooling body is immersed in the molten metal and pulled up from the molten metal. And a cooling plate dipping means.

Further, the present invention holds the cooling body of the present invention so that at least the one surface portion faces outward,
Immerse at least one surface portion of the held cooling body in the molten metal accommodated in the molten metal container,
Forming a precipitation plate by solidifying and precipitating a part of the molten metal on the one surface portion of the cooling body by pulling up the cooling body having at least the one surface portion immersed in the molten metal from the molten metal in the molten metal container. A method for producing a precipitation plate characterized by the following.

  According to the present invention, the cooling body has an inclined portion in which one surface portion in the thickness direction immersed in the molten metal (hereinafter, also simply referred to as one surface portion) is inclined with respect to a virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction. Formed to have. For this reason, in the cooling body of the present invention, one surface portion is immersed in the molten metal by appropriately selecting the shape of the inclined portion formed on one surface portion, the formation position, the inclination angle with respect to the virtual plane, and the like. Can be arbitrarily set for each part. Therefore, by using the cooling body of the present invention, it is possible to cancel the influence of the surface temperature distribution and surface shape of the molten metal in the molten metal container and form a precipitation plate having a uniform thickness on one surface portion of the cooling body. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the precipitation plate from self-destructing due to concentration of internal stress and to improve the production yield. Here, inclining includes a case having a curvature.

  According to the invention, the cooling body is formed such that the inclined portion formed on one surface portion has a curvature. Thus, for example, when the surface of the molten metal in the molten metal container has a curved surface, one surface portion of the cooling body can be immersed along the surface of the molten metal. Therefore, since the time immersed in the molten metal can be made uniform over one whole surface part of a cooling body, the thickness of the precipitation plate formed in one surface part of a cooling body can be made uniform. Here, having a curvature means being curved.

  According to the invention, the cooling body is formed such that the inclined portion formed on one surface portion has a linear cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane parallel to the thickness direction. By using the cooling body of the present invention formed in this way, a plane having a uniform cross section in a virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction and having a uniform thickness is formed on the inclined portion of one surface portion of the cooling body. A shaped precipitation plate can be formed. As a result, for the deposited plate to be formed, for example, post-treatment such as electrode formation by screen printing required when manufacturing a solar cell, one surface portion immersed in the molten metal is perpendicular to the thickness direction. This can be performed in the same manner as when a conventional cooling body formed of a plane parallel to the virtual plane is used. Therefore, by using the cooling body of the present invention, it is possible to manufacture a precipitation plate having a uniform thickness without complicating the manufacturing process.

  According to the invention, the cooling body has a plurality of surface portions formed such that one surface portion has a linear cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane parallel to the thickness direction, and the plurality of surface portions are The at least two adjacent surface portions are formed such that the inclination angles with respect to a virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction are different from each other. By using such a cooling body, a plurality of precipitation plates are formed on one surface portion of the cooling body so as to be divided by an intersection line (hereinafter referred to as a dividing line) of two adjacent surface portions. Can do. Moreover, since the inclination angle with respect to the virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of each surface portion on which each precipitation plate is formed can be set for each surface portion, the inclination angle is set at a position where each surface portion is immersed. By setting the optimum inclination angle, the thickness of the precipitation plates can be made uniform between the precipitation plates and within each precipitation plate. Therefore, it is possible to simultaneously produce a plurality of precipitation plates and improve productivity without causing a decrease in manufacturing yield and an increase in manufacturing cost.

  Moreover, according to this invention, one surface part immersed in a molten metal of a cooling body is formed in concave shape. Use such a cooling body when the surface height of the molten metal in the molten metal container reaches a maximum at the center of the surface of the molten metal, or when the surface temperature of the molten metal in the molten metal container reaches a minimum at the center of the surface of the molten metal. Thus, the time during which one surface portion of the cooling body is immersed in the molten metal can be made uniform, so that the thickness of the precipitation plate formed on the one surface portion of the cooling body can be made uniform. Here, the surface height of the molten metal is the shortest distance from the surface of the molten metal accommodated in the molten metal container to the bottom surface of the molten metal container. Moreover, the surface center part of a molten metal is a part projected on the bottom face center part of a molten metal container, when the molten metal accommodated in a molten metal container is projected on the bottom face part of a molten metal container.

  Further, according to the present invention, the deposition plate manufacturing apparatus stores the molten metal in the molten metal container, heats the molten metal and the molten material accommodated in the molten metal container by the heating means, and cools the cooling body of the present invention by the cooling body immersion means. At least one surface portion is immersed in the molten metal and pulled up from the molten metal. As a result, a part of the molten metal can be solidified and deposited on one surface portion of the cooling body to form a precipitation plate. Since the cooling body of the present invention is used for the cooling body, the influence of the surface temperature distribution and surface shape of the molten metal in the molten metal container is canceled, and the time during which one surface portion of the cooling body is immersed in the molten metal is made uniform. Can be. Therefore, since the thickness of the precipitation plate formed on one surface portion of the cooling body can be made uniform, the precipitation plate can be prevented from self-destructing due to concentration of internal stress, and the precipitation plate can be manufactured with high yield. Here, heating the molten metal and the molten material means that at least the molten metal is heated so as not to solidify in the molten metal container. When the molten material is introduced into the molten metal container, the molten molten material to be introduced is dissolved. Heating is also included.

  Further, according to the present invention, the cooling body of the present invention is held so that at least one surface portion faces outward, and at least one surface portion of the held cooling body is immersed in the molten metal accommodated in the molten metal container. Then, by pulling up from the molten metal, a part of the molten metal is solidified and deposited on one surface portion of the cooling body to form a precipitation plate. In this way, by using the cooling body of the present invention as the cooling body, the influence of the surface temperature distribution and surface shape of the molten metal in the molten metal container is canceled, and the time during which one surface portion of the cooling body is immersed in the molten metal is reduced. It can be made uniform. Therefore, since a precipitation plate having a uniform thickness can be formed on one surface portion of the cooling body, self-destruction of the precipitation plate due to concentration of internal stress can be prevented, and the production yield of the precipitation plate can be improved.

  FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a simplified configuration of a precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 that is a second embodiment of the present invention for manufacturing a precipitation plate 30 using a cooling body 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a simplified configuration of the cooling body 1 shown in FIG. FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the cooling body 1 as viewed from the side held by the cooling body immersion means 13, and FIG. 2B is a side where the cooling body 1 is held by the cooling body immersion means 13. It is a perspective view seen from the opposite side, ie, the side which faces the molten metal 18. FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the cooling body 1 shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the reference direction 25 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 of the base portion 21. A reference direction 25 shown in FIG. 2 coincides with a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 3, and in FIG. 3, a thickness direction 29 of the base portion 21 is parallel to a linear direction extending vertically up and down toward the paper surface of FIG. become. The precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 immerses and cools the cooling body 1 in the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19, thereby solidifying and depositing a part of the molten metal 18 on one surface portion of the cooling body 1. This is an apparatus for forming the precipitation plate 30.

  The deposition plate manufacturing apparatus 10 includes a chamber 11 as a casing, a cooling body immersion means 13 and a melting furnace 14 provided in a processing space 12 inside the chamber 11, and a cooling body provided outside the chamber 11. And a control device 15 that controls the operation of each part of the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 such as the dipping means 13 and the melting furnace 14. The cooling body 1 is detachably held by the cooling body immersion means 13. A cooling body inlet 16 for carrying the cooling body 1 into the processing space 12 is formed on one side wall of the chamber 11. A cooling body carry-out port 17 for carrying out the cooling body 1 from the processing space 12 to the outside is formed on the other side wall portion facing the one side wall portion of the chamber 11. Although different from the present embodiment, an opening may be formed only on one side wall or the other side wall of the chamber 11 so that the cooling body 1 is both transported and carried out.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cooling body 1 includes a base portion 21 and a protruding portion 22. The cooling body 1 is held by the cooling body immersion means 13 by the protrusion 22, and at least a surface portion (hereinafter also simply referred to as one surface portion) 23 in the thickness direction 29 of the base portion 21 is immersed in the molten metal 18. . The protruding portion 22 is formed so as to protrude from a surface portion (hereinafter also simply referred to as the other surface portion) 24 on the other side in the thickness direction 29 of the base portion 21. The protruding portion 22 may be formed integrally with the base portion 21 or may be formed separately and fixed to the base portion 21. Although different from the present embodiment, the protrusion 22 does not necessarily have to be formed so as to protrude from the other surface portion 24 of the base portion 21. For example, one of the protrusions 22 is formed on the base portion 21 from the other surface portion 24 side. By forming a recess extending toward the surface portion 23 side, the base portion 21 remaining inside the recess may be formed.

  In the present embodiment, the outer peripheral edge portion of the base portion 21 has a rectangular shape. One surface portion 23 in the thickness direction 29 immersed in the molten metal 18 of the base portion 21 is formed in a concave curved surface shape. Specifically, one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 is a cylinder whose cross-sectional shape along the cutting plane line I-I perpendicular to the reference direction indicated by an arrow 25 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 is an arc shape. It is formed of a concave curved surface (hereinafter also simply referred to as a concave cylindrical surface). That is, one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 is formed in a uniform shape in the reference direction 25 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29. In the present embodiment, the entire one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 is an inclined portion that is inclined with respect to the virtual plane 40 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29. The other surface portion 24 of the base portion 21 is planar so that it is parallel to a virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction 29, that is, so that the cross-sectional shape in the virtual plane parallel to the thickness direction 29 is linear. Formed.

  In the present invention, when the cooling body has a base portion and at least one surface portion of the base portion is immersed in the molten metal, the one surface portion of the cooling body means one surface portion of the base portion. And the other surface part of a cooling body means the other surface part of a base | substrate part.

  The material constituting the cooling body 1 is preferably a material that is excellent in heat resistance, has a melting point higher than the melting point of the molten material that becomes the molten metal 18, and lacks reactivity with the molten material. Examples of such a material include graphite, silicon carbide, quartz, silicon nitride, and the like, among which graphite is preferably used. The material of the cooling body 1 is not limited to this, and can be suitably selected from a wide range according to the type of the molten material. The cooling body 1 can be produced, for example, by cutting.

  In the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, the cooling body 1 is a virtual plane that is cut into a cross-sectional shape that is perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 and in which one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 has an inclined portion. Is held by the cooling body immersion means 13 so as to coincide with the arrow 37 direction which is the right direction toward the paper surface of FIG.

  The melting furnace 14 is a high-frequency induction heating type melting furnace, and a crucible 19 that is a molten metal container that contains the molten metal 18 and a molten metal material that becomes the molten metal 18, and a molten metal that is provided around the crucible 19 and is accommodated in the crucible 19. 18 and a coil 20 which is a heating means for heating the molten material to be the molten metal 18.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the crucible 19 and the coil 20 shown in FIG. 1 projected on the same plane. In FIG. 4, the crucible 19 and the coil 20 are connected to a virtual plane X parallel to the horizontal direction 31 extending from the upper side toward the paper surface of FIG. 1 to the left and right toward the paper surface of FIG. -Shows the state projected onto Y. The crucible 19 is formed so that the side wall is cylindrical. The coil 20 is formed by turning around the crucible 19. In the present embodiment, crucible 19 and coil 20 are arranged such that center position 73 of crucible 19 and winding center position 72 of coil 20 coincide when projected onto the XY plane. Here, the center position 73 of the crucible 19 is a position at which the axis 71 of the crucible 19 passing through the center of the bottom surface of the crucible 19 is projected when the crucible 19 is projected onto the XY plane shown in FIG. is there.

  4, the X-axis direction that passes through the winding center position 72 of the coil 20 and extends horizontally to the right in FIG. 4 coincides with the direction of a straight line that extends perpendicularly to the front side of FIG. 4, the Y-axis direction that passes through the winding center position 72 of the coil 20 and extends vertically upward toward the paper surface of FIG. 4 is the conveyance direction 37 of the cooling body 1 that is the right direction toward the paper surface of FIG. Match. That is, the cooling body 1 is conveyed in the positive (+) direction of the Y axis shown in FIG.

  The melting furnace 14 heats the crucible 19 by generating a high frequency with the coil 20, thereby heating the molten metal 18 contained in the crucible 19 and the molten raw material to be the molten metal 18. In addition, the crucible 19 may be formed so that a side wall part may become a rectangular tube shape. Further, although different from the present embodiment, the melting furnace 14 may be a resistance heating type heating furnace. In this case, by providing a heater around the crucible 19 and heating the crucible 19 with the heater, the molten metal 18 and the molten material contained in the crucible 19 are heated.

  As a molten metal material used as the molten metal 18, a semiconductor material such as a single semiconductor material such as silicon or germanium, a compound semiconductor material such as a gallium-arsenic compound or an indium-phosphorus compound, or a metal material such as aluminum or nickel can be used. . For example, by using silicon as the molten material, sheet-like silicon can be formed as the precipitation plate 30 on one surface portion of the cooling body 1, that is, one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the cooling body immersion means 13 moves left and right toward the paper surface of FIG. 1 along a horizontal movement axis 33 that extends horizontally from the cooling body inlet 16 toward the cooling body outlet 17. It is provided so as to be movable in a horizontal direction 31 extending horizontally. The cooling body immersion means 13 includes a cooling body holding member 34 that holds the cooling body 1, a vertical movement shaft 35 that tiltably holds the cooling body holding member 34, and a vertical movement shaft 35 that is perpendicular to the horizontal direction 31. And a moving shaft holding member 36 that holds it so as to be movable in the vertical direction indicated by an arrow 32, that is, in the vertical direction 32 toward the paper surface of FIG.

  The cooling body immersion means 13 is held on the horizontal movement shaft 33 by the movement shaft holding member 36. The moving shaft holding member 36 has a guide roller guided by a guide rail (not shown) provided on the horizontal moving shaft 33 and is held on the horizontal moving shaft 33 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction 31 by a horizontal moving means (not shown). Is done. The cooling body immersion means 13 can be moved in the horizontal direction 31 by moving the moving shaft holding member 36 in the horizontal direction 31 by a horizontal movement means (not shown).

  Specifically, the cooling body holding member 34 can be immersed in the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19 so that one surface portion 23 of the base body portion 21 which is one surface portion of the cooling body 1 can be immersed in the molten metal 18. The cooling body 1 is held so that one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 faces the molten metal 18 in a state where it is not immersed in the substrate. In the cooling body 1, the thickness direction 29 of the base body 21 is parallel to a reference axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the angular displacement axis 80 of the cooling body holding member 34, which is a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. The reference direction 25 shown in FIG. 2 is held so as to coincide with the transport direction 37 of the cooling body immersion means 13.

  Two tilting shafts (not shown) provided so as to extend in the vertical direction 32 are connected to the cooling body holding member 34. By raising and lowering the two tilting axes in the vertical direction 32, the cooling body holding member 34 can be tilted with the angular displacement axis 80 as a fulcrum. The cooling body 1 can be tilted by tilting the cooling body holding member 34. By adjusting the angular displacement amount of the cooling body holding member 34, the inclination angle of the cooling body 1 with respect to the horizontal plane can be adjusted. Here, the inclination angle of the cooling body 1 with respect to the horizontal plane is an angle formed by a virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 of the base portion 21 constituting the cooling body 1 and the horizontal plane. When the cooling body 1 is pulled up from the molten metal 18, the cooling body holding member 34 adjusts the inclination angle with respect to the horizontal plane of the cooling body 1, whereby one surface portion 23 of the base body portion 21 of the cooling body 1 and the surface of the molten metal 18. Adjusting the angle formed between and dripping can be prevented. Here, dripping is a phenomenon in which when the cooling body is pulled up, the molten metal is drawn to the base portion of the cooling body, adheres to the end portion of the base portion, and solidifies and precipitates.

  The vertical moving shaft 35 is provided with a guide rail (not shown) for guiding a guide roller provided on the moving shaft holding member 36 so as to extend in the vertical direction 32. The vertical movement shaft 35 is held by the movement shaft holding member 36 so as to be movable in the vertical direction 32 by a vertical movement means (not shown). The vertical movement shaft 35 is moved up and down in the vertical direction 32 by the vertical movement means, whereby the cooling body holding member 34 held by the vertical movement shaft 35 and the cooling body 1 held by the cooling body holding member 34 are moved vertically. 32 can be raised and lowered.

  The cooling body immersing means 13 holds the cooling body 1 by the cooling body holding member 34, a position where at least one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 of the cooling body 1 is immersed in the molten metal 18, and a position where the cooling body 1 is retracted from the molten metal 18. Drive displacement.

  The manufacturing method of the precipitation plate which is the 3rd form of implementation of this invention can be performed by the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a side layout diagram schematically showing how the deposition plate 30 is produced using the deposition plate manufacturing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, for convenience of explanation, three cooling body immersion means 13 are shown, but actually, one cooling body immersion means 13 is moved to each position of the cooling body immersion means 13 shown in FIG. The dipping operation is performed.

  When the precipitation plate 30 is manufactured by the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10, first, the cooling body 1 is carried into the processing space 12 inside the chamber 11 from the cooling body carrying-in port 16 by a cooling body carrying-in means (not shown). The introduced cooling body 1 is mounted on the cooling body holding member 34 of the cooling body immersion means 13 by a cooling body mounting means (not shown). The cooling body 1 includes the cooling body immersion means 13 such that one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 faces outward and the reference direction 25 coincides with the direction of the arrow 37 that is the conveying direction of the cooling body immersion means 13. Retained.

  The cooling body immersion means 13 to which the cooling body 1 is mounted is moved along the horizontal movement axis 33 in the direction of the arrow 37 by a horizontal movement means (not shown) and disposed above the crucible 19. As a result, one surface portion of the cooling body 1 held by the cooling body immersion means 13, that is, one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 faces the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19.

  Next, the vertical movement shaft 35 of the cooling body immersion means 13 is moved downward toward the paper surface of FIG. 5, so that at least one surface portion of the cooling body 1 held by the cooling body holding member 34, that is, the base body At least one surface portion 23 of the portion 21 is immersed in the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19. Next, the cooling body 1 held by the cooling body holding member 34 is pulled from the molten metal 18 in the crucible 19 by moving the vertical movement shaft 35 of the cooling body immersion means 13 upward toward the paper surface of FIG. increase. After the cooling body 1 is immersed in the molten metal 18, a part of the molten metal 18 is cooled below the freezing point by the cooling body 1 by a series of operations of pulling up, and the base portion 21, which is one surface portion of the cooling body 1. Solidified and precipitated on one surface portion 23, a precipitation plate 30 is formed. For example, when silicon is used as the molten material to be the molten metal 18, the molten silicon solidifies and precipitates on one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 that is one surface portion of the cooling body 1, and forms a sheet as the precipitation plate 30. Silicon (hereinafter also referred to as a silicon sheet) is formed.

  At this time, in the present embodiment, the base body portion 21 of the cooling body 1 is immersed in the molten metal 18 in order from one end portion, and at least one entire surface portion 23 of the base body portion 21 is immersed in the molten metal 18 first. The cooling body 1 is immersed in the molten metal 18 and pulled up from the molten metal 18 in the order of detaching the cooling body 1 from the molten metal 18 in order from the end on the immersed side.

  Specifically, the vertical moving shaft 35 is lowered downward, and the cooling body 1 is cooled so that the end on the downstream side in the transport direction 37 faces downward and the end on the upstream side in the transport direction 37 faces upward. The body holding member 34 is tilted, and the cooling body 1 is immersed in the molten metal 18 in order from the downstream end in the transport direction 37. The amount of angular displacement of the cooling body holding member 34 is adjusted to gradually return the cooling body 1 to the horizontal position, and one surface portion of the cooling body 1, that is, the entire one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 is immersed in the molten metal 18. Next, the vertical movement shaft 35 is raised upward, the amount of angular displacement of the cooling body holding member 34 is adjusted, the end of the cooling body 1 in the transport direction 37 downstream is gradually directed upward, and the transport direction In the state where the end on the downstream side 37 faces upward and the end on the upstream side in the transport direction 37 faces downward, it is pulled up from the molten metal 18 in order from the end on the downstream side in the transport direction 37 that is first immersed. Here, returning the cooling body 1 to horizontal means that the angle formed by the virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 of the base portion 21 of the cooling body 1 and the horizontal plane is approximately 0 °.

  By immersing the cooling body 1 in the molten metal 18 and pulling up from the molten metal 18 in such a procedure, the influence of the surface tension of the molten metal 18 acting on the precipitation plate 30 deposited on one surface portion 23 of the cooling body 1. And the precipitation plate 30 can be prevented from being detached from the cooling body 1 when the cooling body 1 is pulled up from the molten metal 18.

  Next, the cooling body immersion means 13 holding the cooling body 1 on which the precipitation plate 30 is formed is moved in the direction of the arrow 37 from the upper position of the molten metal 18 toward the cooling body carry-out port 17 by a horizontal movement means (not shown). The cooling body 1 held by the cooling body immersion means 13 and the precipitation plate 30 formed on the cooling body 1 are transported to the vicinity of the cooling body outlet 17 as the cooling body immersion means 13 moves.

  The cooling body 1 conveyed to the vicinity of the cooling body outlet 17 is removed from the cooling body immersion means 13 by a cooling body removal means (not shown), and the cooling body unloading means (not shown) from the cooling body outlet 17 to the processing space 12. It is carried out to the outside. Next, after cooling the cooling body 1 and the precipitation plate 30 formed on the cooling body 1, the precipitation plate 30 is peeled from the cooling body 1 to obtain the precipitation plate 30. As described above, the production of the precipitation plate 30 is completed. Although different from the present embodiment, the precipitation plate 30 may be separated from the cooling body 1 while the cooling body 1 is held by the cooling body immersion means 13 without being removed from the cooling body immersion means 13. .

  In precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of precipitation plates 30 can be manufactured by repeatedly executing the series of precipitation plate manufacturing operations described above. However, if the deposition plate manufacturing operation is repeated, the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19 is reduced, and the manufacturing of the deposition plate 30 is hindered. For this reason, when producing a plurality of precipitation plates 30, every time some of the precipitation plates 30 are produced, the production of the precipitation plates 30 is temporarily stopped, and the molten metal is added into the crucible 19 by a molten material addition device (not shown). The raw material is introduced and melted, and the molten metal 18 corresponding to the reduced amount is replenished.

  In the manufacturing process of the precipitation plate 30 described above, the surface temperature of the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19 is not uniform, and the surface center portion 18a is often minimized. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the flow of heat in the melting furnace 14. 6 shows a cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane including the X axis of the melting furnace 14 shown in FIG. 4 and perpendicular to the Y axis, that is, a cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. The transport direction 37 of the cooling body immersion means 13 shown in FIG. 1, that is, the reference direction 25 of the cooling body 1 shown in FIG. 2 coincides with a linear direction extending perpendicularly to the back side of the paper surface of FIG. In the melting furnace 14, an induced current flows through the crucible 19 by a magnetic field generated from a coil 20 provided around the crucible 19, and as a result, the crucible 19 generates heat. The heat 63 generated in the crucible 19 is conducted to the molten metal 18 in the crucible 19 and is released outward from the surface of the molten metal 18.

  The surface of the molten metal 18 near the side wall of the crucible 19 is in contact with or close to the side wall of the crucible 19 that is generating heat. The center 18a of the surface of the molten metal 18 is farthest from the side wall of the crucible 19 that generates heat, and is at a position where the heat radiation is the largest. For this reason, the surface temperature of the molten metal 18 is often the lowest at the surface center portion 18 a and becomes higher as it approaches the side wall portion of the crucible 19. Such a surface temperature distribution of the molten metal 18 is similarly applied not only when a high-frequency induction heating furnace is used as the melting furnace 14 but also when a resistance heating furnace is used as in the present embodiment. It is inevitable that the surface temperature of the molten metal in the vicinity of the heater is higher than the other portions.

  Here, the surface center portion 18a of the molten metal 18 is a portion projected onto the bottom center portion of the crucible 19 when the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19 is projected onto the bottom surface portion of the crucible 19. When projected on the intersection of the axis 71 of the crucible 19 and the surface of the molten metal 18, that is, on the XY plane shown in FIG. 4, the axis 71 of the crucible 19 is projected at the same position as the center position 72 of the crucible 19 to be projected. This is the portion of the molten metal 18.

  In the case where the molten metal 18 has a surface temperature distribution, in the present embodiment, the deepest portion of the concave surface forming the one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21, that is, the one surface portion 23 is not included on one side in the thickness direction 29. The cooling body 1 is positioned to the molten metal 18 so that the central portion 28 having the longest distance from the virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 is immersed in the portion where the surface temperature of the molten metal 18 is minimized. Immerse. For example, when the surface temperature of the molten metal 18 becomes minimum at the surface central portion 18 a, cooling is performed so that the central portion 28 of one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 is immersed in the surface central portion 18 a of the molten metal 18. The body 1 is placed and immersed in the molten metal 18.

  Accordingly, the time during which the central portion 28 of the cooling body 1 immersed in the molten metal 18 near the surface temperature, for example, the molten metal 18 near the surface central portion 18a, is immersed in the molten metal 18 is shortened as compared with other portions. Can do. Since the molten metal 18 is cooled to the freezing point faster and solidifies and precipitates as the temperature is lower, the influence of the surface temperature distribution of the molten metal 18 is canceled by positioning and immersing the cooling body 1 as described above. The thickness of the precipitation plate 30 formed on one surface portion 23 of 21 can be made uniform. Therefore, self-destruction of the precipitation plate 30 due to the concentration of internal stress can be prevented, so that the production yield of the precipitation plate 30 can be improved.

  Further, the surface shape of the molten metal 18 is often convex rather than flat. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the surface shape of the molten metal 18 in the crucible 19. 7 shows the cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane including the X axis of the melting furnace 14 shown in FIG. 4 and perpendicular to the Y axis, that is, the cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. The reference direction 25 of the cooling body 1 shown in FIG. 2 coincides with a linear direction extending perpendicularly to the back side of the sheet of FIG.

  As described above, an induced current flows through the crucible 19 due to the magnetic field 64 generated by the coil 20. As a result, the crucible 19 generates heat and an induced current also flows through the molten metal 18 itself in the crucible 19. As a result, due to the interaction between the magnetic field 64 generated by the coil 20 and the induced current flowing in the molten metal 18 itself, the force toward the bottom surface of the crucible 19 is applied to the molten metal 18 in the vicinity of the side surface of the crucible 19, that is, the paper surface of FIG. A downward force acts toward the bottom surface side of the crucible 19 to generate a flow 65 of the molten metal 18.

  The generated flow 65 of the molten metal 18 proceeds from the vicinity of both side walls of the crucible 19 toward the center of the bottom, merges in the vicinity of the center of the bottom of the crucible 19, and in the direction toward the opening of the crucible 19, that is, on the paper surface of FIG. The flow is upward. For this reason, the surface of the molten metal 18 becomes relatively high as the surface central portion 18a is lifted, and has a convex shape, specifically a hemispherical shape as shown in FIG. That is, the surface height of the molten metal 18 is maximized at the surface center portion 18a. Here, the surface height of the molten metal 18 is the shortest distance from the surface of the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19 to the bottom surface of the crucible 19.

  In the case where the molten metal 18 has a convex shape that takes the maximum value of the surface height at the surface central portion 18a, in the present embodiment, the center that is the deepest portion of the concave surface that forms one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21. The cooling body 1 is positioned and immersed in the molten metal 18 so that the portion 28 is immersed in the portion where the surface height of the molten metal 18 is maximized. For example, when the surface height of the molten metal 18 is maximized at the surface central portion 18a, the cooling body 1 is placed on one side of the base portion 21 in the same manner as when the surface temperature of the molten metal 18 is minimized at the surface central portion 18a. It arrange | positions so that the center part 28 of the surface part 23 may be immersed in the surface center part 18a of the molten metal 18, and is immersed in the molten metal 18. FIG.

  When the cooling body 1 is immersed in the molten metal 18 in this way, the portion where the surface height is maximized, for example, the central portion 28 of the cooling body 1 immersed in the molten metal 18 near the surface central portion 18a has a surface height. The immersion starts almost simultaneously with the other part of the cooling body 1 immersed in the molten metal 18 in a relatively low part, and the immersion ends almost simultaneously. That is, in the present embodiment, it is possible to make the time immersed in the molten metal 18 uniform over the entire surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 that is one surface portion of the cooling body 1. Therefore, it is possible to cancel the influence of the surface shape of the molten metal 18 and form the precipitation plate 30 having a uniform thickness on one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21.

  The curvature of the concave curved surface that forms one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately selected according to the surface shape and surface temperature distribution of the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19. That is, the shape of the one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 is preferably designed in consideration of both the surface shape of the molten metal 18 and the surface temperature distribution. For example, when the surface of the molten metal 18 has a convex shape as shown in FIG. 7 and the surface temperature becomes minimum at the surface central portion 18a, the surface of the molten metal 18 has a larger curvature than the concave curved surface to which the surface shape is transferred. Further, it is preferable to form one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the cooling body 1 is immersed, the cooling body 1 is angularly displaced in the direction along the reference direction 25 and immersed in the molten metal 18. It may be immersed in the molten metal 18. For example, the cooling body 1 is lowered from the upper position of the molten metal 18 to the lower side of the sheet of FIG. 5 and immersed in the molten metal 18 by the vertical moving shaft 35 of the cooling body immersion means 13 and then lifted upward. It may be made to pull up from the molten metal 18. In this case, it is preferable that one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 which is one surface portion of the cooling body 1 immersed in the molten metal 18 is formed of a hemispherical concave curved surface. Thereby, the influence of the surface temperature distribution and surface shape of the molten metal 18 can be further suppressed, and the thickness uniformity of the precipitation plate 30 can be improved.

  Moreover, one surface part 23 of the base | substrate part 21 may be formed in convex curved surfaces, such as a partial cylindrical shape and spherical shape which protrude outside. Thus, the cooling body in which one surface part 23 of base part 21 is formed in a convex curve is effective, for example, when the surface shape of molten metal 18 becomes concave. By using such a cooling body, A precipitation plate 30 having a uniform thickness can be manufactured.

  Further, one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 according to the present embodiment is formed in a curved shape as a whole, but is not limited thereto, and a part thereof is formed in a curved shape, and the remaining portion is formed in a planar shape. May be. Further, one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 may be formed of a plurality of curved surface portions having different curvatures. However, it is preferable to form the one surface portion 23 of the base portion 21 with a uniform curvature, like the cooling body 1 according to the present embodiment, because the processing is easy.

  Further, the other surface portion 24 of the base portion 21 that is the other surface portion of the cooling body 1 is formed in a planar shape, but is not limited to this, like the one surface portion 23, a concave curved surface shape, It may be formed in a curved surface shape such as a convex curved surface shape. Further, the other surface portion 24 of the base portion 21 may be partially formed in a curved shape, and the remaining portion may be formed in a flat shape, or may be formed of a plurality of curved surface portions having different curvatures.

  Moreover, in the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 of this Embodiment, although the precipitation plate 30 is manufactured using the cooling body 1 shown in FIG. 2, it is not limited to this, The cooling body shown in FIGS. 10-15 mentioned later The deposition plate 30 can also be manufactured using 2-4 etc. In the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10, the precipitation plate 30 having a uniform thickness is manufactured by manufacturing the precipitation plate 30 using an optimum cooling body according to the surface temperature distribution and surface shape of the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19. 30 can be obtained.

  As described above, in precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the surface temperature and surface height of molten metal 18 in crucible 19 take extreme values at surface center portion 18 a of molten metal 18. The surface temperature and the surface height of the molten metal 18 in the crucible 19 are not limited to the extreme value at the surface central portion 18 a of the molten metal 18, and may take extreme values near the side surface of the crucible 19. This is because the heat radiation to the periphery of the crucible 19 and the influence of the magnetic field 64 generated by the coil 20 are not uniform in each part of the side wall of the crucible 19. Such non-uniformity of the magnetic field and the heat dissipation occurs due to a deviation in the installation position of the crucible 19 and the influence of supplementary notes (not shown) provided around the melting furnace 14 and a cooling device.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing a state where the crucible 19 is arranged so that the center position 73 of the crucible 19 is eccentric from the winding center position 72 of the coil 20 in the positive direction of the X axis on the XY plane. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing the surface shape of the molten metal 18 when the crucible 19 is arranged eccentrically as shown in FIG.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the crucible 19 is arranged so that the center position 73 of the crucible 19 is eccentric from the winding center position 72 of the coil 20 in the positive direction of the X axis when projected onto the XY plane. , The distance from the coil 20 is relatively small at the side wall portion of the crucible 19 projected in the first quadrant and the fourth quadrant where X is a positive region, and the second and third quadrants where X is a negative region. The distance from the coil 20 is relatively large at the side wall portion of the crucible 19 projected onto the quadrant. For this reason, the molten metal 18 in the vicinity of the side wall of the crucible 19 projected onto the X positive region has a magnetic field generated by the coil 20 compared to the molten metal 18 in the vicinity of the side wall of the crucible 19 projected onto the X negative region. 64 acts more and the force toward the bottom surface side of the crucible 19 increases. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the surface height of the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19 is projected not on the surface central portion 18a of the molten metal 18 but on the negative region of X when projected onto the XY plane. The maximum value is taken near the side wall of the crucible 19.

  In this case, it is preferable to manufacture the precipitation plate 30 using the cooling body 2 shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a simplified configuration of the cooling body 2 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. 10A is a perspective view showing the cooling body 2 viewed from the side held by the cooling body immersion means 13, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view showing the cooling body 2 viewed from the side facing the molten metal 18. FIG. FIG. FIG. 11A is a side view showing the cooling body 2 shown in FIG. 10 as viewed from a reference direction 39 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 of the base portion 38. FIG. 11B is a side view showing the cooling body 2 shown in FIG. The cooling body 2 of the present embodiment is similar to the cooling body 1 of the first embodiment, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  It should be noted in the cooling body 2 that one surface portion 38a facing the molten metal 18 of the base portion 38 is formed in a flat shape so that a cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane parallel to the thickness direction 29 is linear, and the base portion That is, the entire one surface portion 38 a of 38 is inclined with respect to the virtual plane 40 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29. In the present embodiment, the base portion 38 of the cooling body 2 is formed in a uniform shape in the reference direction 39. Specifically, the base body portion 38 of the cooling body 2 has upper and lower bottoms at both end portions 38c and 38d whose cross-sectional shape along the cutting plane line II-II perpendicular to the reference direction 39 is parallel to the reference direction 39. It is formed to have a trapezoidal shape. In the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, the cooling body 2 includes the cooling body immersion means such that the reference direction 39 shown in FIG. 10 or the direction opposite to the reference direction 39 coincides with the conveying direction 37 of the cooling body immersion means 13. 13 and dipped in the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19.

  As shown in FIG. 9 described above, when the surface height of the molten metal 18 in the crucible 19 takes a maximum value in the vicinity of the side wall of the crucible 19, the cooling body 2 is placed on the other side where the thickness is the smallest. The side wall portion 38 d is positioned so as to be immersed in the vicinity of the portion where the surface height of the molten metal 18 is maximized, and is immersed in the molten metal 18. As a result, the time immersed in the molten metal 18 can be made uniform over the entire one surface portion 38a of the base portion 38, which is one surface portion of the cooling body 2. Therefore, the influence of the surface shape of the molten metal 18 can be canceled, and the precipitation plate 30 having a uniform thickness can be formed on the one surface portion 38 a of the base portion 38.

  Further, when the surface shape of the molten metal 18 is as shown in FIG. 9, as shown in FIG. 16, the one surface portion 61a of the base portion 61 is a plane parallel to a virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction. It is also conceivable that the conventional cooling body 60 formed in a shape is immersed in accordance with the surface shape of the molten metal 18. However, in this case, since it is necessary to change the configuration and operation of the cooling body immersion means 13, the deposition plate manufacturing apparatus becomes complicated. In addition, it is difficult to change the configuration and operation of the cooling body immersion means 13. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, it is only necessary to change the cooling body 1 to the cooling body 2 in the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

  Further, when the conventional cooling body 60 is used while being inclined, the end of the cooling body 60 may not be immersed in the molten metal 18, but in the present embodiment, one surface portion of the cooling body 2 itself is inclined. Therefore, the entire one surface portion 38 a of the base portion 38 can be more reliably immersed in the molten metal 18.

  In the cooling body 2, the inclination angle θ1 with respect to the virtual plane 40 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 of the base body portion 38 is, for example, about 0.5 to 5 °. The angle θ1 is not limited to this, and can be appropriately selected according to the surface shape of the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19.

  FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a simplified configuration of the cooling body 3 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. 12A is a perspective view showing the cooling body 3 viewed from the side held by the cooling body immersion means 13, and FIG. 12B is a perspective view showing the cooling body 3 viewed from the side facing the molten metal 18. As shown in FIG. It is. FIG. 13 is a side view showing the cooling body 3 shown in FIG. 12 as viewed from a reference direction 39 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 of the base portion 41. The cooling body 3 of the present embodiment is similar to the cooling body 2 of the fourth embodiment, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  It should be noted in the cooling body 3 of the present embodiment that one surface portion 41a facing the molten metal 18 of the base portion 41 is planar so that the cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane 40 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 is linear. The two surface portions 43 and 44 are formed, and the two surface portions 43 and 44 are formed so that the inclination angles with respect to the virtual plane 40 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 are different from each other. In other words, one surface portion 41 a of the base portion 41 is formed by two inclined portions of the first inclined portion 43 and the second inclined portion 44 having different inclination angles θ 2 and θ 3 with respect to the virtual plane 40. The first inclined portion 43 and the second inclined portion 44 intersect with each other, and one surface portion 41a of the base portion 41 intersects with the first inclined portion 43 and the second inclined portion 44 (hereinafter referred to as a dividing line). It is formed so as to be divided at 42. The dividing line 42 is formed in parallel with the reference direction 39.

  The base body portion 41 of the cooling body 3 has a shape in which two base portions 38 constituting the cooling body 2 of the fourth embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 are joined together by the portions 38d having the smallest thickness. . The base portion 41 of the cooling body 3 has a uniform thickness in the direction of the arrow 39, and the thickness changes in a direction perpendicular to the arrow 39. The thickness of the base portion 41 decreases from both ends toward the parting line 42 and becomes the smallest at the parting line 42.

  In the present embodiment, the area of one surface portion 41 a immersed in the molten metal 18 of the base portion 41 is selected to be about twice the area of the precipitation plate 30 to be produced. When manufacturing the precipitation plate 30 using the cooling body 3, the dividing line 42 which divides | segments one surface part 41a of the base | substrate part 41 into the two inclined parts 43 and 44 in the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. However, the cooling body 3 is immersed in the vicinity of the portion where the surface height of the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19 is maximized in parallel with the conveying direction 37 of the cooling body immersion means 13. 13 and immersed in the molten metal 18. As a result, on one surface portion 41 a of the base portion 41, the precipitation plate 30 is formed on each of the first inclined portion 43 and the second inclined portion 44 divided by the dividing line 42. That is, the two precipitation plates 30 divided by the dividing line 42 are formed on one surface portion 41 a of the base portion 41. Thus, by using the cooling body 3 of this Embodiment, since the two precipitation plates 30 can be produced by one immersion operation to the molten metal 18, productivity can be improved.

  In addition, the cooling body 4 of this Embodiment produces the one precipitation plate 30 by selecting the area of one surface part 41a of the base | substrate part 41 as an area equal to the area of the precipitation plate 30 which is going to produce. Can be used if you want. Also in this case, one surface portion 41a of the base portion 41 is formed so as to have a concave shape as shown in FIG. 13, specifically, a cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane perpendicular to the reference direction 39 is V-shaped. Is preferred. For example, when the surface temperature of the molten metal 18 is minimized at the surface central portion 18a as shown in FIG. 6, the cooling body 4 formed in this way has a surface height of the molten metal 18 as shown in FIG. This is effective when the central portion 18a is maximized. In this case, the cooling body 4 is positioned and immersed in the molten metal 18 so that the part of the dividing line 42 is immersed in the vicinity of the surface central portion 18 a of the molten metal 18.

  In the cooling body 4 according to the present embodiment, one surface portion 41a of the base portion 41 immersed in the molten metal 18 has two inclined portions 43, which are separated by a dividing line 42 parallel to the reference direction 39 of the cooling body 4. 44. An inclination angle (hereinafter simply referred to as an inclination angle) θ2 of the first inclined portion 43 with respect to the virtual plane 40 in the thickness direction 29 and an inclination angle (hereinafter referred to as an inclined plane) perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 of the second inclined portion 44 (hereinafter referred to as an inclination angle). Θ3 (simply referred to as “inclination angle”) is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately selected according to the surface shape of the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19. By optimizing the inclination angle θ2 of the first inclined portion 43 and the inclination angle θ3 of the second inclined portion 44 according to the surface shape of the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19, the uniformity of the thickness of the precipitation plate 30 is achieved. Can be improved.

  As described above, in the cooling body 3 of the present embodiment, the one surface portion 41a of the base portion 41 is formed by two surface portions separated by the dividing line 42, but is not limited thereto. Like the cooling body 4 shown in FIG. 14, it may be formed of a plurality of three or more surface portions.

  FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a simplified configuration of the cooling body 4 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. 14A is a perspective view showing the cooling body 4 viewed from the side held by the cooling body immersion means 13, and FIG. 14B is a perspective view showing the cooling body 4 viewed from the side facing the molten metal 18. As shown in FIG. It is. FIG. 15 is a side view showing the cooling body 4 shown in FIG. 14 as viewed from a reference direction 39 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 of the base body 45. The cooling body 4 of the present embodiment is similar to the cooling body 3 of the fifth embodiment, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In the cooling body 4, one surface portion 45 a facing the molten metal 18 of the base body portion 45 is formed in a planar shape so that a cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane perpendicular to the reference direction 39 and parallel to the thickness direction 29 is linear. The three surface portions 47a, 47b and 47c are formed. Two adjacent surface portions, that is, the first inclined portion 47a and the flat portion 47b, and the flat portion 47b and the second inclined portion 47c are formed so that the inclination angles with respect to the virtual plane 40 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 are different from each other. Yes.

  In the present embodiment, of the three surface portions 47a, 47b, 47c, the surface portion 47b located at the center of the cooling body 4 has an inclination angle of about 0 ° with respect to the virtual plane 40 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29. , Formed as a parallel plane portion 47 b parallel to the virtual plane 40. The remaining two flat portions 47 a and 47 c are formed as a first inclined portion 47 a and a second inclined portion 47 c that are inclined with respect to the virtual plane 40 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29. In addition, the parallel plane part 47b located in the center part of the cooling body 4 may be formed as an inclined part inclined with respect to the virtual plane 40 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29.

  In the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, the cooling body 4 includes two lines that are intersections of the surface portions 47 a, 47 b, and 47 c constituting one surface portion 45 a of the base portion 45, similarly to the cooling body 3. The dividing lines 46 a and 46 b are held by the cooling body immersion means 13 so as to be parallel to the conveying direction 37 of the cooling body immersion means 13, and the parallel flat portion 47 b at the center of the cooling body 4 is accommodated in the crucible 19. The molten metal 18 is dipped in the molten metal 18 while being held so that the surface height passes through the maximum portion.

  In the cooling body 4, one surface portion 45 a of the base portion 45 has areas of the first inclined portion 47 a, the parallel flat portion 47 b, and the second inclined portion 47 c that are approximately equal to the area of the precipitation plate 30 to be produced. Formed to be. That is, the area of one surface portion 45 a of the base portion 45 is selected to be about three times the area of the precipitation plate 30. By using such a cooling body 4, three precipitation plates 30 can be produced by a single dipping operation in the molten metal 18. Further, according to the surface shape of the molten metal 18 accommodated in the crucible 19 and the like, by appropriately selecting an inclination angle with respect to the virtual plane 40 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 of each surface portion 47a, 47b, 47c, a uniform thickness can be obtained. The precipitation plate 30 can be obtained.

  In this way, by using a cooling body in which one surface portion facing the molten metal of the base portion is formed by three or more surface portions divided by a plurality of dividing lines, it is possible to perform a single immersion operation in the molten metal. Since a plurality of three or more precipitation plates can be manufactured, productivity can be significantly improved.

  When producing a plurality of precipitation plates by a single dipping operation, the cooling body has a cooling surface in which one surface portion facing the molten metal of the base portion is formed with the same number of surface portions as the number of precipitation plates to be produced. Use your body. The inclination angle of each surface portion with respect to the other surface portion of the base portion is determined by, for example, performing an immersion test in which a cooling body is previously immersed in the molten metal to prepare a precipitation plate. What is necessary is just to set suitably according to the result obtained by analyzing surface temperature distribution and surface height distribution.

  The present invention can be used for manufacturing, for example, a sheet-like semiconductor for solar cells.

It is a fragmentary sectional view which simplifies and shows the structure of the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 which is 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which simplifies and shows the structure of the cooling body 1 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the cooling body 1 shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from a reference direction 25 perpendicular to a thickness direction 29 of a base portion 21. It is a figure which projects and shows the crucible 19 and the coil 20 shown in FIG. 1 on the same plane. FIG. 2 is a side arrangement diagram schematically showing a state where a precipitation plate 30 is produced using the precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows typically the heat flow in the melting furnace. It is a figure which shows typically the surface shape of the molten metal 18 in the crucible 19. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state where the crucible 19 is arrange | positioned so that the center position 73 of the crucible 19 may be eccentric from the winding center position 72 of the coil 20 in the positive direction of an X-axis on an XY plane. It is a figure which shows typically the surface shape of the molten metal 18 when the crucible 19 is eccentrically arrange | positioned as shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which simplifies and shows the structure of the cooling body 2 which is the 4th Embodiment of this invention. 11 is a side view showing the cooling body 2 shown in FIG. 10 as viewed from a reference direction 39 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 of the base portion 38 and a direction opposite to the reference direction 39. FIG. It is a perspective view which simplifies and shows the structure of the cooling body 3 which is 5th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 13 is a side view showing the cooling body 3 shown in FIG. 12 as viewed from a reference direction 39 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 of the base portion 41. It is a perspective view which simplifies and shows the structure of the cooling body 4 which is 6th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 15 is a side view showing the cooling body 4 shown in FIG. 14 as viewed from a reference direction 39 perpendicular to the thickness direction 29 of the base portion 45. It is a perspective view which simplifies and shows the structure of the conventional cooling body 60. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2, 3, 4 Cooling body 10 Precipitation plate manufacturing apparatus 11 Chamber 12 Processing space 13 Cooling body immersion means 14 Melting furnace 15 Control device 16 Cooling body inlet 17 Cooling body outlet 18 Molten metal 19 Crucible 20 Coils 21, 41, 45 Base part 22 Projection part 23, 41a, 45a One surface part 24, 41b, 45b of the base part Other surface part 30 of the base part 30 Precipitation plate 42, 46 Dividing line 43, 47a First inclined part 44, 47c Second Inclined part 47b Parallel plane part

Claims (7)

A cooling body for forming a precipitation plate by solidifying and precipitating a part of the molten metal on the one surface part by immersing at least one surface part in the thickness direction in the molten metal,
The one surface portion is formed to have an inclined portion inclined with respect to a virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction.   The cooling body according to claim 1, wherein the inclined portion is formed to have a curvature.   The cooling body according to claim 1, wherein the inclined portion is formed so that a cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane parallel to the thickness direction is a straight line. The one surface portion has a plurality of surface portions formed so that a cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane parallel to the thickness direction is linear,
2. The cooling body according to claim 1, wherein at least two adjacent surface portions among the plurality of surface portions are formed to have different inclination angles with respect to a virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction.   The said one surface part is formed in concave shape, The cooling body as described in any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. A molten metal container for containing molten metal;
A heating means for heating the molten metal and the molten material contained in the molten metal container;
While holding the cooling body as described in any one of Claims 1-5 so that said one surface part may face the molten metal in a molten metal container, at least one said surface part of the hold | maintained cooling body is carried out An apparatus for producing a precipitation plate, comprising: a cooling body immersion means that is immersed in the molten metal and can be pulled up from the molten metal. Holding the cooling body according to any one of claims 1 to 5 so that at least the one surface portion faces outward,
Immerse at least one surface portion of the held cooling body in the molten metal accommodated in the molten metal container,
Forming a precipitation plate by solidifying and precipitating a part of the molten metal on the one surface portion of the cooling body by pulling up the cooling body having at least the one surface portion immersed in the molten metal from the molten metal in the molten metal container. The manufacturing method of the precipitation plate characterized by these.

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