JP4942385B2 - Soaking equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a soaking apparatus for heat-treating an object to be heat-treated such as a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal glass substrate.

  In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display device, a drying process for removing moisture from a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal glass substrate, a photoresist film drying process performed after applying a photoresist, a photoresist film There are various heat treatment processes such as a heating process performed after the exposure process and a drying process performed after the development process. In any of the heat treatment processes, in order to maintain the substrate at a predetermined temperature. A heat treatment apparatus is used.

Conventionally, several heat treatment apparatuses have been proposed as such a heat treatment apparatus.
As an example of the heat treatment apparatus, a heat treatment plate as shown in FIG. 6 is used. 6A is a plan view of the heat treatment plate, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. This heat treatment plate is composed of a main portion 54 laminated in the order of a planar heater 52 and a heat treatment plate 53 on a rectangular base plate 51, and divided plates 55A and 55B set to be detachable on the upper surface of the main portion 54. A sub-plate 55 is provided, and a plurality of proximity balls 56,... That serve as spacers are arranged on the respective divided plates 55A and 55B. On the plurality of proximity balls 56,..., A substrate or the like 57 to be heat treated is placed (Patent Document 1).

  Further, as another heat treatment plate, Patent Document 1 describes a main portion 54 having a configuration as shown in FIG. The main portion 54 includes a rectangular central divided portion 54A and U-shaped peripheral divided portions 54B and 54C arranged so as to surround the central divided portion 54A. Although the configuration of each of the divided portions 54A to 54C is omitted, a base plate, a planar heater, and a heat treatment plate are stacked in the vertical direction as in FIG.

As another heat treatment plate, there is constituted as shown in FIG.
In this heat treatment plate, a peripheral sheet heater 61 shown in FIG. 8A and a whole area sheet heater 62 shown in FIG. 8B are laminated as shown in FIG. In this configuration, the support plate 64 and the heating plate 65 are sandwiched between the insulating plates 63 on the side. That is, this heat treatment plate has a structure in which at least two planar heaters are laminated. In the figure, reference numerals 66 and 67 denote planar bodies obtained by press-molding synthetic mica powder, 68 and 69 are meandering foil heaters, and 70 and 71 are lead lead portions (Patent Document 2).

  By the way, in the heat treatment process of a substrate that requires microfabrication, it is required that the substrate be heat-treated at a uniform temperature within the surface, but the amount of heat radiation from the plate end surface corresponding to the outer peripheral portion of the heat treatment plate is small. It is common to increase. As a result, the heat-treated plate often exhibits a temperature decrease tendency due to the influence of heat radiation or the like, and it is necessary to take measures against the temperature decrease of the plate end surface portion.

  As this measure, in the heat treatment plate described in Patent Document 1, two U-shaped peripheral divided portions 54B and 54C divided so as to surround the substantially rectangular central divided portion 54A are arranged, and each divided portion is arranged. Measures such as detecting the temperatures of 54A, 54B and 54C, controlling the amount of heat generated by the planar heaters (corresponding to reference numeral 52 in FIG. 6) stacked inside each plate, and soaking the surface of the heat treatment plate Has been taken.

  However, when the divided plates 54A to 54C are configured as described above, steps and gaps are likely to occur at the joint portions of the divided plates 54A to 54C. As a result, the heat conduction efficiency deteriorates and the entire uniform temperature is returned. In addition to adversely affecting the process, there are problems of lack of practicality in terms of cost and reliability.

  Further, the heat treatment plate described in Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which the entire surface planar heater 62 that uniformly heats the entire surface of the plate and the peripheral planar heater 61 that adjusts the temperature around the plate are stacked to adjust the temperature.

  In the heat treatment plate having such a configuration, in order to obtain a heater pattern that makes the plate surface uniform, there is a problem that optimization must be performed while repeating trial manufacture and measurement of temperature distribution for a specific substrate size.

  In addition, the heat treatment plate using such a planar heater is usually adjusted so as to have a thermal uniformity with respect to a specific substrate size, and is changed when the size of the substrate to be heat-treated is changed. There is a problem that the substrate cannot be heated uniformly.

  Furthermore, a heat treatment plate using a planar heater needs to be tightly fixed by sandwiching the planar heater between a plate serving as a heat treatment portion and a plate serving as a base portion. As a result, the thickness of the entire plate increases and the heating plate becomes larger, so that the amount of heat input to the planar heater for raising the temperature to a predetermined temperature within a predetermined time increases, and power is wasted. There is.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, makes it possible to heat an object to be heat treated while maintaining a uniform temperature distribution, is thin and has high thermal responsiveness, and does not change soaking characteristics depending on the size of the object to be heat treated. An object of the present invention is to provide a soaking apparatus.

(1) In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention includes a plate in which a plurality of parallel holes or hollow pipes are arranged at substantially equal intervals inside, a plate for heat-treating a heat treatment object, and the adjacent parallel holes or hollow pipes adjacent to each other. Coupling means for forming a meandering pipe line in a horizontal state by joining the ends of the pipe with a U-shape or a U-shaped pipe, and an inlet pipe that is installed outside the plate and serves as one end of the serpentine pipe line Is bent in the lower direction and the outlet pipe serving as the other end of the serpentine pipe is bent in the lower direction and connected to the lower part, and a single communication circuit is connected to the serpentine pipe. An evaporation container to be formed, a predetermined amount of hydraulic fluid filled after evacuating the inside of the communication circuit, and a heating means for heating the hydraulic fluid in the evaporation container, and the hydraulic fluid heated by the heating means evaporates Steam snakes through the inlet pipe The condensate in which the steam flows into the duct and the vapor is condensed in the meandering duct is a soaking apparatus that returns to the evaporation vessel via the outlet pipe .

In addition, the structure described in the item (1) is a structure in which a U-shaped part or a U-shaped tube serving as a joint portion between adjacent ends of the parallel holes or the hollow pipes is accommodated in the plate. Also good.

(2) A plurality of parallel holes or hollow pipes are arranged at approximately equal intervals inside, and a plate for heat-treating a heat treatment object and two adjacent parallel holes or hollow pipes as a set, each set of parallel holes or One end of the hollow pipe is connected by a U-shape or a U-shaped tube to form a horizontal U-shaped conduit, and installed in the lower part of the outside of the plate. An inlet pipe that is one end of the pipe is bent in the lower direction and is connected to the upper part, and an outlet pipe that is the other end of each set of U-shaped pipes is bent in the lower direction and connected to the lower part. An evaporation container that forms a communication circuit with the U-shaped pipe line, a predetermined amount of working fluid that is filled after the inside of the communication circuit is evacuated, and heating means that heats the working fluid in the evaporation container; The hydraulic fluid heated by the heating means evaporates The steam flows into the meandering pipe line via the inlet pipe , and the condensate obtained by condensing the vapor in the meandering pipe line is a soaking apparatus that returns to the evaporation vessel via the outlet pipe .

  In the configuration described in the item (2), the U-shaped portion or the U-shaped tube obtained by joining the two parallel holes or the one end of each hollow pipe in each set is housed in the plate. May be.

(3) In the configuration described above, the evaporation container is disposed below the plate so as to fall within the approximate projected area of the plate, and one end of the serpentine conduit or each set of U-shaped conduits becomes the entrance at the top of the evaporation vessel may be configured to exit the other end of the meandering line or each set of U-shaped conduit is Ru is connected to the lower part of the evaporating vessel.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a soaking apparatus that can heat an object to be heat-treated while maintaining a uniform temperature distribution, is thin and has high heat responsiveness, and does not change the soaking characteristics depending on the size of the object to be heat-treated.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing Embodiment 1 of a soaking apparatus according to the present invention. The figure (a) is a top view, The figure (b) is a side view.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a substrate as a heat treatment object (for example, a semiconductor wafer, a liquid crystal glass substrate, etc.), and 2 denotes a heat treatment plate formed of a material having good thermal conductivity, such as an aluminum material or a copper material . The substrate 1 is placed on the upper part of the plate 2 through a slight gap, but a spacer for securing the gap is omitted in the figure.

  A plurality of hollow pipes 3,... Are arranged inside the plate 2 so as to be aligned in the same direction at substantially equal intervals, and both ends of each hollow pipe 3 are exposed by an appropriate length from both sides of the plate 2. Has been. The plate 2 has a thickness that sufficiently surrounds the outer peripheral portion of the hollow pipe 3, and constitutes a rectangular planar plate as a whole.

  At the right end of the plate 2 in the figure, both ends of the hollow pipes 3 adjacent to each other are connected by a U-shaped tube 4a. Also at the left end of the plate 2 shown in the drawing, the both ends of the hollow pipes 3 adjacent to each other are shifted by one hollow pipe from the right end of the plate 2 shown in the drawing and are connected by U-shaped tubes 4b. Accordingly, the plurality of hollow pipes 3,... Form serpentine conduits via the U-shaped tubes 4a,... And 4b, and the both ends of the serpentine conduits are on the same side of the plate 2, for example, the left side in the figure. It is exposed from the end face.

An inlet pipe 5 is connected to one end portion of the meandering pipe line composed of the hollow pipes 3,... And the U-shaped pipes 4a and 4b, and an outlet pipe 6 is connected to the other end part of the meandering pipe line. Then, the inlet pipe 5 and the outlet pipe 6 of the meandering pipe line are connected to an evaporation container 7 disposed outside the plate 2. That is, the inlet pipe 5 led out from one end of the serpentine pipe is bent downward and connected to the top of one end side of the evaporation container 7 and led out from the other end of the serpentine pipe. Similarly, the outlet pipe 6 is bent in the lower direction and connected to the lower side of the surface of the evaporation vessel 7 facing the serpentine pipe line to form a single communication circuit with the serpentine pipe line.

  That is, the soaking apparatus is composed of one end of the evaporation vessel 7-an inlet tube 5-a hollow pipe 3-a U-shaped tube 4a-a hollow pipe 3-a U-shaped tube 4b-...-a hollow pipe 3-an outlet tube 6-an evaporation vessel 7 A single communication circuit comprising the other end portion of the-evaporating container 7 main body is formed.

  The evaporation container 7 has a predetermined length, for example, a length corresponding to the distance of one side of the plate 2 and is formed in a cylindrical body. The evaporation container 7 is arranged outside the plate 2 and in parallel with the plate 2 at a position slightly lower than the lower surface of the plate 2.

Both ends of the evaporation container 7 are hermetically sealed, and a heater 8 serving as a heating unit is provided along the longitudinal direction inside the evaporation container 7 and is filled with a predetermined amount of working fluid 9 after evacuation. In this embodiment, the heater 8 is immersed in the working fluid 9.

Next, the operation of the soaking apparatus configured as described above will be described.
The working fluid 9 evaporates due to the heat generated by the heater 8 inside the evaporation container 7, and the vapor 10 is installed inside the plate 2 via the inlet pipe 5 connected to the upper part of the evaporation container 7 as indicated by the broken line arrow. It flows into the hollow pipe 3. At this time, since the temperature of the plate 2 is lower than the temperature of the evaporation container 7, the vapor 10 in the hollow pipe 3 condenses on the inner surface of the hollow pipe 3, but the hollow pipe 3 forms a single communication circuit. As a result, the pressure of the steam 10 is substantially uniform throughout the communication circuit. As a result, each part of the inner surface of the hollow pipe 3 is condensed at an isothermal temperature, and the latent heat of condensation is discharged to the plate 2 to uniformly heat the entire surface of the plate 2.

  That is, the vapor 10 moves while decreasing the flow rate sequentially in the directions of the dashed arrows 10a to 10g while condensing sequentially inside the hollow pipe 3. Along with this, the condensate 11 moves in the communication circuit while increasing the flow rate sequentially inside the hollow pipe 3 as indicated by solid line arrows 11a to 11d.

At this time, the substrate 1 which is a heat treatment object is placed on the upper part of the plate 2 through a spacer for securing a gap. Here, a spacer for securing the gap is omitted. In the figure, an arrow between the plate 2 and the substrate 1 represents a heat flow from the plate 2 to the substrate 1.

  Therefore, the condensed condensate 11 moving in the hollow pipe 3 naturally recirculates from the lower part of the evaporation container 7 to the inside of the evaporation container 7 via the outlet pipe 6 while increasing the flow rate.

Therefore, according to the embodiment as described above, a single communication circuit is formed by connecting the meandering conduit formed by the hollow pipes 3. In addition, the steam 10 moving in the serpentine pipe is uniformly distributed over the entire surface of the plate 2, and the steam 10 is condensed in the serpentine pipe so that the entire surface of the plate 2 is uniformly heated. Since it acts, the board | substrate 1 on the plate 2 can be heated to soaking | uniform-heating.

Further, according to this soaking apparatus, the flow of the vapor 10 evaporated from the working fluid 9 and the flow of the condensate 11 are directed in the same direction, so that the meandering pipeline in the plate 2 is in a horizontal state. Even if it exists, recirculation | reflux of the condensate 11 to the evaporation container 7 is performed smoothly. As a result, unlike the single tubular heat pipe in which the steam 10 and the condensate 11 flow in opposition, the phenomenon that the liquid return is inhibited by the steam flow is eliminated, and the hollow pipe 3 need not be inclined. As a result, it is not necessary to increase the thickness of the plate 2 in which the hollow pipe 3 is accommodated by an amount corresponding to the inclination, and a reduction in thickness can be realized. Therefore, with the thinning of the plate 2, it is possible to realize a soaking process with good thermal response in addition to good thermal conductivity of the plate 2 itself.

  Further, as the plate 2 is made thinner, the heat capacity of the plate 2 can be reduced, the heating energy at the time of temperature rise can be minimized, the power used as a heating source can be reduced, and the energy can be saved. be able to.

  Further, even if the size of the substrate 1 loaded on the plate 2 is changed, the vapor of the working fluid 9 moving in the meandering conduit condenses and dissipates depending on the load state of the substrate 1, so that different sizes are available. The substrate 1 can also be heated in a soaking state.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing Embodiment 2 of the soaking apparatus according to the present invention. The figure (a) is a top view, The figure (b) is a side view. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. In the following, particularly different parts will be described.

  In the first embodiment, both ends of the hollow pipe 3 housed in the plate 2 are exposed to the outside of the plate 2, and the U-tube 4a is alternately shifted to the exposed portion which is the end of the adjacent hollow pipe 3. , 4b are connected to form a meandering pipeline.

  In the second embodiment, the U-shaped tubes 4a and 4b are connected to the exposed portions that are the ends of the adjacent hollow pipes 3 by alternately shifting the positions, but the ends of the hollow pipes 3 and the U-shaped tubes 4a, 4a, The curved portion of the meandering conduit including 4b is all housed in the plate 2, and only both end portions of the meandering conduit are taken out from the same side portion of the plate 2.

With such a configuration, it is possible to embed a meandering pipe line composed of the hollow pipe 3 and the U-shaped tubes 4a and 4b in the plate 2 by, for example, a conventionally known casting method or friction stir welding method.

  Note that both ends of the meandering pipe drawn from the same side surface of the plate 2 are connected to the evaporation container 7 via the inlet pipe 5 and the outlet pipe 6 and the structure of the evaporation container 7 itself is the same as that of the first embodiment. Since it is the same, the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Therefore, according to the embodiment as described above, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the U-shaped pipes 4a and 4b of the meandering pipes are accommodated inside the plate 2 so that the outside of the plate 2 is brought out. Thus, the heat dissipation of the plate 2 can be improved, the substrate 1 can be effectively heated, and further energy saving can be achieved.

  Further, by accommodating the U-shaped tubes 4a and 4b of the meandering pipes inside the plate 2, there is no protruding portion from the plate 2 to the outside, and the apparatus can be miniaturized.

  In the first and second embodiments, the ends of the adjacent hollow pipes 3 are connected using the U-shaped tubes 4a and 4b. However, the ends of the adjacent hollow pipes 3 are connected to each other by bending each other into a U shape. The meandering pipe line may be formed.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing Embodiment 3 of the soaking apparatus according to the present invention. The figure (a) is a top view, The figure (b) is a side view. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, particularly different parts will be described.

  In the first and second embodiments, all the hollow pipes 3,... Arranged inside the plate 2 are formed so as to form a single meandering pipe. However, in the third embodiment, the inside of the plate 2 is Among the hollow pipes 3,... Arranged at intervals, two adjacent hollow pipes 3a-3a, 3b-3b, 3c-3c, 3d-3d are set as a set, and the right side of the plate 2 is shown for each set. The U-shaped tube 4a is connected to the externally exposed portion of the end portion to form a U-shaped conduit. That is, the hollow pipe 3a-3a and the U-shaped tube 4a, the hollow pipe 3b-3b and the U-shaped tube 4a, the hollow pipe 3c-3c and the U-shaped tube 4a, and the hollow pipe 3d-3d and the U-shaped tube 4a are respectively U-shaped. Forming a pipe line.

  Further, an inlet pipe 5 and an outlet pipe 6 are respectively connected to the externally exposed portions of the left end portion of the plate 2 as both ends of each set of U-shaped conduits, and the inlet pipe 5 is the same as that of the first embodiment. Similarly, it is bent in the lower direction and connected directly above the evaporation container 7, and the outlet pipe 6 is bent in the lower direction in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the lower side surface portion of the surface facing the U-shaped pipe line of the evaporation container 7. And a communication circuit is formed between each U-shaped pipe line. Thereby, a plurality of sets of communication circuits are formed between the evaporation container 7 and the hollow pipes 3 in the plate 2.

Therefore, according to the above embodiment, in addition to the same effects as in the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
In the first embodiment, the vapor 10 generated by the heater 8 inside the evaporation vessel 7 enters the inside of the plate 2 from the inlet pipe 5 connected to one end of the meandering pipe, but the heating amount of the heater 8 is large. As a result, the steam flow velocity in the inlet pipe 5 becomes faster, and accordingly, the steam pressure loss increases, and the liquid level inside the evaporation container 7 is pushed down below the heater 8 and the heater 8 may be overheated.

  In this respect, in the third embodiment, the vapor 10 generated by the heater 8 inside the evaporation container 7 is evenly dispersed from the inlet pipes 5 of the U-shaped pipes of the entire set, and enters the single plate 2. Since it enters, it becomes possible to reduce the vapor | steam flow velocity in each inlet pipe 5, .... As a result, even if the heating amount of the heater 8 increases, an increase in vapor pressure loss can be suppressed, and the liquid level of the working fluid 9 filled in the evaporation container 7 can be kept stable. Therefore, it is possible to increase the amount of heat input to the heater 8, and the temperature increase rate of the plate 2 can be increased and set to a predetermined temperature.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing Embodiment 4 of the soaking apparatus according to the present invention. The figure (a) is a top view, The figure (b) is a side view. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 and 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Hereinafter, particularly different parts will be described.

In the third embodiment, each set of adjacent hollow pipes 3a-3a, 3b-3b,... Is embedded in the plate 2 , and one end of each set of hollow pipes 3a-3a, 3b-3b,. Are exposed to the outside of the plate 2 and connected to the exposed portion with a U-shaped tube 4a to form a U-shaped conduit.

  In the fourth embodiment, as in the second embodiment, all ends of the hollow pipes 3a-3a, 3b-3b,. It is good also as a structure which accommodates 4a and pulls out only the other edge part of these hollow pipes 3a-3a, 3b-3b, ... to the outer side of the plate 2. FIG.

  By adopting such a configuration, there is no projecting portion of the pipe to the outside of the plate 2, so there is no wasteful heat radiation to the outside of the plate 2, the heat uniformity of the plate 2 is improved, and the substrate 1 can be effectively heated, Furthermore, energy saving can be achieved. In addition, the space occupied by the device can be reduced, contributing to the downsizing of the device.

  Further, since the steam 10 generated by the heat generated by the heater 8 is uniformly dispersed from the inlet pipes 5,... Of the entire set of U-shaped pipes and enters the inside of the plate 2 and circulates, the increase in the steam pressure loss is suppressed. The liquid level of the working fluid 9 filled in the evaporation container 7 contributes to stabilization, the input heat amount of the heater 8 can be increased, and the temperature increase rate of the plate 2 can be increased.

  In the third and fourth embodiments, the end portions of the adjacent hollow pipes 3 are connected using the U-shaped tube 4a. However, the end portions of the adjacent hollow pipes 3 are connected to each other by bending each other into a U shape. By forming, a U-shaped pipe line may be formed.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing Embodiment 5 of the soaking apparatus according to the present invention. The figure (a) is a top view, The figure (b) is a side view. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 to 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The first to fourth embodiments are configured such that the evaporation container 7 is arranged outside the projected area of the plate 2. For example, as shown in FIG. It may be arranged so as to be located in the lower part of the plate 2.

Also in this configuration, two hollow pipes 3a-3a, 3b-3b,..., And a U-shape, which constitute a pair of adjacent ends of a meandering pipe line composed of a plurality of hollow pipes 3 and U-shaped pipes 4a, 4b. Both ends of the U-shaped pipe line composed of the pipe 4a are bent and taken out so as to be exposed from, for example, the lower surface of the plate 2 near the left end in the figure. Then, one end of the serpentine pipe or U-shaped pipe is connected directly or directly above the evaporation vessel 7 via the inlet pipe 5, and the outlet is connected to one end of the serpentine pipe or U-shaped pipe. It connects to the lower part of the evaporation container 7 through the pipe 6.

  According to the embodiment having such a configuration, the same effects as in any of the first to fourth embodiments can be obtained, and the protrusion of the pipe from the plate 2 to the outside can be further reduced, further reducing the installation space of the apparatus. Can be

  Further, the length of protrusion of the inlet pipe 5 and outlet pipe 6 connected to both ends of the serpentine pipe or the U-shaped pipe from the plate 2 is shortened, and heat is radiated from the inlet pipe 5 and outlet pipe 6 to the outside. And the plate 2 can be efficiently heated.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary, various deformation | transformation can be implemented.

In each of the above embodiments, eight hollow pipes 3 (including 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) are housed in the plate 2, but the number of these pipes may be an even number, and is limited to eight. Not what you want.

In the first and third embodiments, the hollow pipe 3 (including 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d) is embedded in the plate 2, but corresponds to the hollow pipe 3 in the plate 2, for example. While forming a hollow part, you may embed a connection relay metal fitting in the end of a hollow part, and connect U-shaped pipe 4a, 4b, entrance pipe 5, outlet pipe 6, etc. to each connection relay metal fitting.

  The inlet pipe 5 connected to one end of the serpentine pipe or one end of each set of U-shaped pipes is connected directly above the evaporation vessel 7, while the other end of the serpentine pipe or The outlet pipe 6 connected to the other end of each pair of U-shaped pipes is connected to the lower surface of the surface facing the serpentine pipe or the U-shaped pipe, but the inlet pipe 5 is the upper part of the evaporation vessel 7. The outlet pipe 6 may be a lower part of the evaporation container 7.

  In the above embodiment, the meandering pipe or U-shaped pipe is housed in the plate 2. For example, the meandering pipe or U-shaped pipe is directly welded or brazed to the lower surface of the plate 2. Or a serpentine groove or U-shaped groove having a semicircular depth is formed on the lower surface of the plate 2, and the serpentine duct or U-shaped groove is formed in the serpentine groove or U-shaped groove having a semicircular depth. A single communication circuit may be configured by a method of embedding and fixing the pipe line.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the heating means such as the heater 8 is disposed inside the evaporation container 7 and the working fluid 9 is directly heated. However, the heating means such as the heater 8 is in contact with the outside of the evaporation container 7. In this case, the type of the heating means may be any of an electric heating type, a hot water heating type, and a steam heating type.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although comprised with the single communication circuit comprised by the serpentine pipe line, it comprised by the serpentine pipe line in one plate 2 as plate size became large. It is good also as a soaking | uniform-heating apparatus comprised with the some communication circuit made.

It is a block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the soaking | uniform-heating apparatus based on this invention, Comprising: The figure (a) is a top view, The figure (b) is a side view. It is a block diagram which shows other embodiment of the soaking | uniform-heating apparatus based on this invention, Comprising: The figure (a) is a top view, The figure (b) is a side view. It is a block diagram which shows further another embodiment of the soaking | uniform-heating apparatus based on this invention, Comprising: The figure (a) is a top view, The figure (b) is a side view. It is a block diagram which shows another embodiment of the soaking | uniform-heat-treatment apparatus which concerns on this invention, Comprising: The figure (a) is a top view, The figure (b) is a side view. It is a block diagram which shows another embodiment of the soaking | uniform-heat-treatment apparatus which concerns on this invention, Comprising: The figure (a) is a top view, The figure (b) is a side view. It is a block diagram explaining the conventional heat processing apparatus, Comprising: The figure (a) is a top view, The figure (b) is a side view. The top view explaining another conventional heat processing apparatus. It is the block diagram explaining another conventional heat processing apparatus, The figure (a), (b) is a top view of a planar heater, respectively, The figure (c) is the figure (a), (b). The side view of the heat processing apparatus containing the planar heater to show.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Board | substrate (object to be heated), 2 ... Plate, 3, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d ... Hollow pipe, 4a, 4b ... U-shaped pipe, 5 ... Inlet pipe, 6 ... Outlet pipe, 7 ... Evaporating container, 8 ... heater (heating means), 9 ... hydraulic fluid, 10 ... steam.

Claims (5)

A plate in which a plurality of parallel holes or hollow pipes are arranged at substantially equal intervals inside, and heat-treats the object to be heat-treated,
Coupling means for forming a meandering pipe line in a horizontal state by connecting the end portions of the adjacent parallel holes or the hollow pipes with a U-shaped or U-shaped pipe;
An inlet pipe which is installed outside the plate and serves as one end of the serpentine pipe is bent downward, and an outlet pipe which is the other end of the serpentine pipe is bent downward. An evaporation vessel connected to each other to form a single communication circuit with the serpentine conduit,
A predetermined amount of hydraulic fluid filled after evacuating the interior of the communication circuit;
Heating means for heating the working fluid in the evaporation container,
The vapor obtained by evaporating the working fluid heated by the heating means flows into the serpentine pipeline via the inlet pipe , and the condensate obtained by condensing the vapor in the serpentine pipeline is the outlet. A soaking apparatus characterized by recirculating to the evaporation vessel via a tube .   2. The soaking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the U-shaped part or the U-shaped pipe, which is a joint portion between the adjacent parallel holes or the ends of the hollow pipes, is housed in a plate. A plate in which a plurality of parallel holes or hollow pipes are arranged at substantially equal intervals inside, and heat-treats the object to be heat-treated,
Two adjacent parallel holes or hollow pipes are grouped together, and one end of each parallel hole or hollow pipe is joined by a U-shaped or U-shaped tube to form a horizontal U-shaped channel. A coupling means to
Located outside below the plate, outlet inlet tube to be the end of each set of U-shaped pipe at the top respectively bent downwardly, as the other end of each set of U-shaped conduit An evaporation vessel in which the pipe is bent in the lower direction and connected to the lower part to form a communication circuit with each set of U-shaped pipes;
A predetermined amount of hydraulic fluid filled after evacuating the interior of the communication circuit;
Heating means for heating the working fluid in the evaporation container,
The vapor obtained by evaporating the hydraulic fluid heated by the heating means flows into the U-shaped pipeline via the inlet pipe , and the condensate obtained by condensing the vapor in the U-shaped pipeline is: A soaking apparatus characterized by recirculating to the evaporation vessel via the outlet pipe .   The soaking apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a U-shaped part or a U-shaped tube obtained by joining two parallel holes forming each set or one end of each hollow pipe is accommodated in the plate.   The evaporation container is arranged at the lower part of the plate so as to fall within the approximate projection area of the plate, and the entrance serving as one end of the serpentine conduit or each set of U-shaped conduits is at the upper part of the evaporation container. 5. The leveler according to claim 1, wherein an outlet serving as the other end of the serpentine pipe or each set of U-shaped pipes is connected to a lower portion of the evaporation container. Heat treatment equipment.

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