JP7283629B2 - Light irradiation device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a light irradiation device.

Conventionally, ultraviolet light has been used to manufacture semiconductors and liquid crystal panels and to generate ozone for air cleaning. As a light source for emitting ultraviolet light, for example, an excimer lamp as described in Patent Document 1 below is used.

JP 2015-230838 A Japanese Patent No. 5534344

Ultraviolet light sources include, for example, low-pressure mercury lamps in addition to excimer lamps. The luminous tubes that form these luminous spaces are made of quartz glass, which is a material that is transparent to ultraviolet light. Silica glass gradually loses its transmittance to short wavelength light as the temperature rises. For this reason, the low-pressure mercury lamp is provided with a cooling mechanism so that the temperature does not rise above a predetermined temperature during lighting in order to maintain the irradiation amount of ultraviolet light at a certain level or higher.

An excimer lamp generates a very small amount of heat during lighting compared to a low-pressure mercury lamp or the like. For this reason, conventional excimer lamps hardly have the above-described problems due to heat generation, even without consideration of the cooling mechanism.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for larger size and higher output excimer lamps in order to cope with the increase in size of liquid crystal panels and the reduction in processing time using ultraviolet light. Therefore, excimer lamps are gradually becoming larger, and the voltage applied to the electrodes is also increasing.

As the size of the arc tube of the excimer lamp increases, the heat capacity of the arc tube increases. In addition, when the voltage applied to the electrodes is increased, the energy of the discharge increases and the amount of ultraviolet light generated increases, but at the same time the amount of heat generated by the discharge also increases. For this reason, the temperature at which the excimer lamp is lit has gradually become a problem in response to the demand for larger size and higher output.

Therefore, in the excimer lamp as well, studies are underway to provide a cooling mechanism in order to maintain the irradiation amount of ultraviolet light at a certain level or more. For example, Patent Literatures 1 and 2 above disclose a light irradiation device configured to inject a cooling gas from the side of an excimer lamp to cool the entire arc tube and lower the temperature of the excimer lamp when it is lit. there is

However, the inventors of the present invention have been earnestly studying how to increase the size and output of excimer lamps. It has been found that the gas needs to be more reliably exhausted to the outside of the light irradiation device without remaining around the excimer lamp.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a light irradiation device capable of cooling an excimer lamp more efficiently.

The light irradiation device of the present invention is
An arc tube that extends in a first direction and is transparent to ultraviolet light, and a pair of electrodes that face each other across a wall surface of the arc tube, and face each other in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. an excimer lamp having one of the wall surfaces of the arc tube as a light output surface;
a pair of side wall plates extending in the first direction and facing each other across the arc tube in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction;
In the third direction, a shape extending in the first direction is present between the arc tube and one of the side wall plates, and toward the outer wall surface of the arc tube on the side opposite to the light emitting surface. a blower mechanism having an injection port for injecting cooling gas;
an air intake mechanism having an air intake having a shape extending in the first direction between the light emitting tube and the side wall plate on the opposite side of the blower mechanism in the third direction;
It extends in the first direction, is arranged on the opposite side of the light emitting surface of the arc tube in the second direction, and is spaced apart from the arc tube, and is directly attached to the pair of side wall plates or via another member. It is characterized by comprising a partition plate that indirectly communicates via.

The blower mechanism is a mechanism that injects the supplied cooling gas toward the excimer lamp. It should be noted that the term “injection port extending in the first direction” refers to the case where openings functioning as injection ports are formed continuously in the first direction, or are formed discretely in the first direction. including cases where It is sufficient that the injection port is formed between the arc tube and one side wall plate in the third direction, and the entire blower mechanism is located between the arc tube and the side wall plate in the third direction. It doesn't matter if you don't.

The intake mechanism is a mechanism that extends in the first direction and has an intake port that draws in gas around the excimer lamp. It should be noted that the term "air inlet extending in the first direction" refers to the case where openings functioning as air inlets are formed continuously in the first direction, or are formed discretely in the first direction. including cases where It is sufficient that the intake port is formed between the arc tube and the side wall plate of the blower mechanism on the side opposite to the injection port in the third direction, and the entire intake mechanism It does not matter if it does not fit between the side wall plate.

With the above configuration, the outer wall surface of the arc tube extending in the first direction, which is opposite to the light emitting surface, is hit over a wide range by the cooling gas, thereby cooling the entire excimer lamp. In addition, the cooling gas injected from one side wall plate toward the outer wall surface on the side opposite to the light emitting surface of the arc tube flows along the outer wall surface on the side opposite to the light emitting surface of the arc tube. It flows toward the plate side and is sucked out by the suction mechanism. Therefore, the surrounding area of the excimer lamp is cooled by the cooling gas that is successively sent by the blowing mechanism without the hot gas remaining.

Furthermore, the cooling gas is jetted toward the outer wall surface on the side opposite to the light emitting surface of the arc tube, flows through the outer wall surface on the opposite side to the light emitting surface of the arc tube, and is taken in by the intake mechanism. , the amount of heat propagated to the object to be irradiated is minimized. In addition, in the configuration of the present invention, the flow rate of the cooling gas injected from the blower mechanism and the intake air amount of the air intake mechanism are controlled so that the gas does not go around to the light exit surface side or is not drawn in from the light exit surface side. are preferably configured so that they are approximately the same amount. Here, "substantially the same" means that the flow rate of the gas that can be taken in by the intake mechanism is within ±20% of the flow rate of the cooling gas that is injected from the blower mechanism within a predetermined time.

The light irradiation device is
A windshield plate may be provided that protrudes from the side wall plate toward the arc tube and has a tip portion disposed in proximity to or in contact with the arc tube.

With the above configuration, the cooling gas jetted from the air blowing mechanism is shielded, and can be further suppressed from advancing toward the light emitting surface side. In addition, "proximity" here means that the separation distance is 3.0 mm or less.

In addition, in the manufacture of semiconductors and liquid crystal panels, etc., an ultraviolet light source that emits ultraviolet light with a short wavelength of 200 nm or less is used. An excimer lamp that emits light is used.

Since 172 nm ultraviolet light is easily absorbed by oxygen in the air, in order to sufficiently irradiate the irradiation target with ultraviolet light, the oxygen concentration between the light exit surface and the irradiation target should be as low as possible. It is preferable that For this reason, oxygen concentration such as nitrogen gas is placed between the light exit surface and the irradiation object at a predetermined flow rate so that the oxygen concentration between the light exit surface and the irradiation object is equal to or less than a predetermined concentration. Controls are usually made to pass an inert gas with a low .

However, if the flow rate or flow velocity of the cooling gas injected from the blower mechanism is increased in order to increase the cooling capacity, the cooling gas cannot be reliably sucked out by the intake mechanism or turbulence occurs. For this reason, gas existing on the opposite side of the light emitting surface of the arc tube is mixed in, or nitrogen gas flows into a region different from the area between the light emitting surface and the object to be irradiated. It becomes difficult to control the oxygen concentration between the object to be irradiated.

By adopting the above configuration, the cooling gas flowing toward the light irradiation surface side is shielded, so the influence on the oxygen concentration between the light emission surface and the irradiation target is suppressed, and the flow rate and flow velocity of the cooling gas can be reduced. can be larger than

Furthermore, in the light irradiation device,
The cooling gas may be air taken in from the outside.

As described above, the provision of the windshield suppresses the influence of the cooling gas on the oxygen concentration between the light exit surface and the object to be irradiated. Therefore, as the cooling gas, various gases can be used as long as they are inert gases, and as described above, the air taken in from the outside can be used because it does not cost much.

In the above light irradiation device,
The blower mechanism includes a first retention section extending in the first direction and a second retention section extending downstream from the first retention section in the first direction and having a smaller volume than the first retention section. and

With the above configuration, the cooling gas gradually fills the entire first retention section without flowing directly from the first retention section toward the second retention section. The air pressure in the first retention section rises due to the cooling gas that is successively sent from the inlet that introduces the cooling gas into the blower mechanism, and the cooling gas that fills the first retention section gradually expands into the second retention section. It flows so that it is pushed out toward the part. Therefore, even when the cooling gas flows in from some of the inlets, the cooling gas can be guided to the entire light exit surface extending in the first direction.

Note that each retention portion means a partial space formed between the inlet and the injection port through which the cooling gas flows, and the cooling gas does not necessarily have to remain inside. Further, "the second retention section extends in the first direction" means that the second retention section is formed continuously in the first direction or discretely formed in the first direction. including when When a plurality of second retention sections are formed, the volume of the first retention section is configured to be larger than the total value of the volumes of the second retention sections.

In the above light irradiation device,
The blower mechanism may have a plurality of inlets for the cooling gas along the first direction.

The temperature of the excimer lamp extending in the first direction is higher on the center side in the first direction than on the end side. Therefore, with the above configuration, the flow rate of the cooling gas introduced from each inlet can be adjusted so as to match the temperature distribution of the excimer lamp.

The light irradiation device is
A plurality of the blower mechanisms may be arranged along the first direction.

With the above configuration, it is possible to adjust the flow rate and flow velocity of the cooling gas flowing into each blower mechanism.

Therefore, it is possible to finely adjust the flow rate and direction of the cooling gas injected to the light emitting surface according to each position in the first direction. Therefore, the central portion side of the arc tube in the first direction, which tends to become hot, can be cooled more powerfully, and uneven irradiation of the ultraviolet light onto the object to be irradiated can be suppressed.

According to the present invention, a light irradiation device capable of cooling an excimer lamp more efficiently is realized.

It is a perspective view which shows typically one Embodiment of a light irradiation apparatus. 2 is a perspective view of the light irradiation device of FIG. 1 with a partition plate removed; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the light irradiation device of FIG. 1 when viewed in the Z direction; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an excimer lamp as viewed in the Y direction; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the excimer lamp of FIG. 3 when viewed in the Z direction; FIG. 4 is a side view of the excimer lamp of FIG. 3 when viewed in the X direction; It is drawing which decomposed|disassembled one Embodiment of an air blowing mechanism for every member. It is a cross-sectional perspective view when cut|disconnecting one Embodiment of a blower mechanism by XY plane. It is drawing which decomposed|disassembled for every member of one Embodiment of an intake mechanism. 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of an embodiment of an air intake mechanism cut along an XY plane; FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view around one excimer lamp of FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the periphery of the blower mechanism of FIG. 3; FIG. It is drawing which decomposed|disassembled for every member of another embodiment of an air blowing mechanism. It is a cross-sectional perspective view when another embodiment of an air blowing mechanism is cut|disconnected by XY plane. It is drawing which decomposed|disassembled for every member of another embodiment of an air blowing mechanism. It is a perspective view which shows another embodiment of a light irradiation apparatus typically. It is a perspective view which shows another embodiment of a light irradiation apparatus typically. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the excimer lamp of FIG. 17 when viewed in the Z direction; 18 is an enlarged cross-sectional view around one excimer lamp of FIG. 17; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the excimer lamp when viewed in the Z direction;

Hereinafter, the light irradiation device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following drawings are all schematic illustrations, and the dimensional ratios and numbers in the drawings do not necessarily match the actual dimensional ratios and numbers.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing one embodiment of the light irradiation device 1, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the light irradiation device 1 of FIG. 1 with the partition plate 6 removed. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the light irradiation device 1 of FIG. 1 as viewed in the Z direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the light irradiation device 1 of the present embodiment includes an excimer lamp 2, a blower mechanism 3, an intake mechanism 4 between the excimer lamps 2, and an excimer A side wall plate 5 partitioning the lamp 2 in the Y direction, a partition plate 6 partitioning a space in the X direction, and a windshield plate 7 protruding from the side wall plate 5 toward the excimer lamp 2 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 3, the light irradiation device 1 is equipped with two identical excimer lamps 2, and emits light to an irradiation object W1 arranged on the light exit surface 13 side of each excimer lamp 2. Ultraviolet light emitted from the space 10c is applied.

In the following description, as shown in FIG. 1, the direction in which the excimer lamp 2 extends (tube axis direction) is the Z direction (first direction), and the direction in which the electrodes 11 of the excimer lamp 2 face each other is the X direction (second direction). direction), and the direction orthogonal to the X direction and the Z direction is defined as the Y direction (third direction). In order to distinguish between positive and negative directions when expressing directions, positive and negative signs are added, such as “+Z direction” and “−Z direction”, and the positive and negative directions are not distinguished. When the direction is expressed in , it is simply described as "Z direction". The directions of the blowing mechanism 3 and the suction mechanism 4 are defined corresponding to the directions determined when the excimer lamp 2 is mounted on the light irradiation device 1, as shown in FIG.

First, the configuration of the excimer lamp 2 will be described. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the excimer lamp 2 as viewed in the Y direction. As shown in FIG. 4 , the excimer lamp 2 includes an arc tube 10 , a pair of electrodes 11 and a reflective film 12 .

The arc tube 10 is made of a material that is transparent to ultraviolet light, such as quartz glass, and extends in the Z direction as shown in FIG. Further, inside the light-emitting tube 10, a light-emitting space 10c in which a light-emitting gas G1 is enclosed is provided. In this embodiment, the wall surface on the −X side of the arc tube 10 is the light emitting surface 13 for extracting the ultraviolet light emitted from the light emitting space 10c, and the outer wall surface on the +X side of the arc tube 10 is the surface to be cooled 14. is.

As described above, the light irradiation device 1 used in the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal panel, etc., is a very large excimer lamp 2 with a length in the Z direction of about 500 mm to 3000 mm in order to cope with the increase in size of the liquid crystal panel. is installed. In this embodiment, the length of the arc tube 10 in the Z direction is 1500 mm.

In the excimer lamp 2 of the present embodiment, the emission gas G1 is xenon gas, and ultraviolet light with a main emission wavelength of 172 nm is emitted. It may be configured to emit light.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the excimer lamp 2 of FIG. 4 as viewed in the Z direction. As shown in FIG. 4, arc tube 10 is formed to have a rectangular cross section along the XY plane when viewed in the Z direction. However, the cross-sectional shape of the arc tube 10 may be, for example, an elliptical shape in which the walls facing in the Y direction are arc-shaped, or other polygonal shapes such as hexagons and octagons.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the excimer lamp 2 of FIG. 4 when viewed in the X direction. The electrode 11 is formed in a mesh shape on the outer wall surface 10a of the arc tube 10, as shown in FIG. When a voltage required for light emission is applied to the electrode 11, a discharge is generated within the light emission space 10c and ultraviolet light is emitted.

The ultraviolet light generated in the light emitting space 10c is emitted to the outside of the light emitting tube 10 through the mesh of the electrodes 11 with the wall surface on the -X side as the light emitting surface 13. FIG. Although only the +X side electrode 11 is shown in FIG. 6, the -X side electrode 11 is formed to have the same shape as the electrode 11 shown in the drawing and to face each other.

The electrodes 11 may have different shapes, and the electrode 11 on the +X side may be solidly formed since it is not necessary to transmit ultraviolet light. Moreover, the electrode 11 on the -X side may have any shape as long as it allows light to pass therethrough, and may be, for example, the electrode 11 provided with a slit.

Further, the pair of electrodes 11 of the present embodiment are made of the same material, printed on the outer wall surface 10a of the arc tube 10 by screen printing, and formed by firing. may be formed. Also, the material forming the electrode 11 may employ, for example, gold, platinum, or an alloy containing these.

As shown in FIG. 3, the reflective film 12 is formed on the inner wall surface 10b on the opposite side (+X side) of the light emitting surface 13 of the arc tube 10, and is generated within the light emitting space 10c and directed toward the +X side. It reflects the ultraviolet light traveling along the direction toward the -X side.

A material for forming the reflective film 12 is formed by applying a suspension or the like containing particulate silica (SiO ₂ ), alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ), or the like, and baking it. obtain.

In this embodiment, the reflective film 12 is formed only on the inner wall surface 10b on the +X side. It doesn't matter if you don't.

Next, the configuration of the blower mechanism 3 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the light irradiation device 1 has two air blowing mechanisms 3 arranged along the Z direction for each excimer lamp 2 . That is, a total of four air blowing mechanisms 3 are mounted on the light irradiation device 1 .

FIG. 7 is a drawing in which the blower mechanism 3 is disassembled for each member. As shown in FIG. 7, the blower mechanism 3 includes a flow pipe 30, a blow pipe 31, a bottom plate 32, and a flow path restricting plate 33 provided with a plurality of notches 33a.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional perspective view of an embodiment of the blower mechanism 3 cut along the XY plane. A plurality of flow pipes 30 are arranged in the Z direction with respect to one air blower mechanism 3, and a flow path for flowing the cooling gas C1 is formed inside. A pipe, a hose, or the like is connected to each flow pipe 30 , and air taken in from the outside of the light irradiation device 1 as the cooling gas C<b>1 is sent into the blower mechanism 3 through the inlet 34 . In this embodiment, the flow pipe 30 is configured to pass through the partition plate 6, but the partition plate 6 is not shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 for the sake of explanation.

In addition, the number of flow pipes 30 provided in one air blowing mechanism 3 may be one. Also, the cooling gas C1 may be any gas other than air as long as it is an inert gas.

The blow pipe 31 extends in the Z direction and forms a first retention portion 35 in which the cooling gas C1 flowing through the flow pipe 30 is retained. The blow pipe 31 also has a protruding portion 31 a that protrudes away from the pipe axis 31 c and constitutes a part of the injection port 37 .

The bottom plate 32 has the blow pipe 31 and the flow path restricting plate 33 mounted thereon, and a plurality of second retention portions 36 discretely extending in the Z direction between the notch 33a of the flow path restricting plate 33 and the bottom plate 32. to form Further, the bottom plate 32 is formed with an air guide portion 32a that is slightly separated from and parallel to the projecting portion 31a of the blow pipe 31 when the blow pipe 31 is placed. When the blow pipe 31 is placed on the bottom plate 32, the gap extending in the Z direction formed by the projecting portion 31a of the blow pipe 31 and the air guide portion 32a of the bottom plate 32 serves as an injection port 37 for ejecting the cooling gas C1. becomes.

In this embodiment, the total value of the volume of each second retention portion 36 is configured to be smaller than the volume of the first retention portion 35 .

The cooling gas C<b>1 sent from the flow pipe 30 into the blower mechanism 3 flows through the flow pipe 30 and into the first retention portion 35 .

Since the volume of the second retention portion 36 is smaller than that of the first retention portion 35, the cooling gas C1 that has flowed into the first retention portion 35 does not flow directly toward the second retention portion 36. It expands in the Z direction so as to diffuse inside.

When the pressure in the first retention portion 35 rises due to the cooling gas C1 flowing in, the cooling gas C1 that has spread in the first retention portion 35 is pushed out, so that each second retention portion 36 gradually increases. flow into.

The cooling gas C1 that has flowed into the second retention portion 36 flows from the second retention portion 36 toward the injection port 37, and is jetted from the injection port 37 toward the cooled surface 14 (see FIG. 11) of the excimer lamp 2. be.

Next, the configuration of the intake mechanism 4 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two light irradiation devices 1 are arranged along the Z direction between the excimer lamps 2 .

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of each member of an embodiment of the intake mechanism 4. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9 , the intake mechanism 4 includes an exhaust pipe 40 and an intake box 41 . Although the exhaust pipe 40 is configured integrally with the partition plate 6 in this embodiment, it may be configured separately from the partition plate 6 .

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional perspective view of an embodiment of the intake mechanism 4 cut along the XY plane. As shown in FIG. 10 , the exhaust pipe 40 is formed with an exhaust port 42 , and the exhaust port 42 is connected to a pipe, hose, or the like to exhaust the cooling gas C<b>1 sucked to the outside of the light irradiation device 1 .

As shown in FIG. 9, the intake box 41 is formed such that intake ports 41a for sucking the cooling gas C1 extend discretely in the Z direction on the -X side surface. On the +X side of the intake box 41, as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10, the intake box 41 is placed on the side wall plate 5, and the intake ports 41a discretely extending in the Z direction are connected to the −Y side intake port 41a and the +Y side intake port 41a. divided. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the intake mechanism 4 has a cooling gas C1 that absorbs heat from the excimer lamp 2 arranged on the -Y side and a cooling gas C1 that absorbs heat from the excimer lamp 2 arranged on the +Y side. The gas C1 is sucked together and exhausted from the exhaust port 42. - 特許庁It should be noted that the intake mechanism 4 may be provided individually for each excimer lamp 2 .

11 is an enlarged sectional view around one excimer lamp 2 in FIG. 2, and FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view around the blower mechanism 3 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the blower mechanism 3 is provided between the arc tube 10 of the excimer lamp 2 and the side wall plate 5 on the -Y side as viewed from the excimer lamp 2 in the Y direction. An injection port 37 for injecting cooling gas C1 toward 14 is arranged. In the intake mechanism 4, the intake port 41a of the intake mechanism 4 is arranged between the arc tube 10 of the excimer lamp 2 and the side wall plate 5 on the +Y side as viewed from the excimer lamp 2 in the Y direction.

The side wall plates 5 are arranged so as to separate the excimer lamps 2 mounted on the light irradiation device 1 in the Y direction. are arranged to face each other through the The side wall plate 5 between the two excimer lamps 2 also functions as a support base for supporting the intake box 41 of the intake mechanism 4 .

The partition plate 6 is arranged so as to face the cooled surface 14 of the arc tube 10, and indirectly communicates with the side wall plate 5 sandwiched between the two excimer lamps 2 through the intake mechanism 4, and communicates with the other side walls. It is arranged in direct communication with the plate 5 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the windshield plate 7 extends in the Z direction, and as shown in FIG. It is configured to protrude toward the outer wall surface 10 a of the arc tube 10 .

The windshield plate 7 of the present embodiment protrudes toward the outer wall surface 10a of the arc tube 10 in parallel with the Y direction. It does not matter if it sticks out. In addition, the windshield plate 7 protrudes toward the -X side end of the arc tube 10, but is configured to protrude toward the +X side end of the arc tube 10 or toward the central portion in the X direction. It doesn't matter if it is.

As shown in FIG. 12, the tip portion 7a of the windshield plate 7 is arranged close to the outer wall surface 10a of the arc tube 10. As shown in FIG. With this configuration, the cooling gas C1 is shielded so as not to flow into the light exit surface 13 side. In addition, the "proximity" here means that the separation distance is 3.0 mm or less as described above. Specifically, in the light irradiation device 1 of this embodiment, the separation distance d1 between the air shielding plate 7 and the arc tube 10 is 2.0 mm. A separation distance d2 between the blow pipe 31 and the bottom plate 32 at the jet port 37 of the blower mechanism 3 is 1.5 mm. Note that the tip portion 7a of the windshield plate 7 and the outer wall surface 10a of the arc tube 10 may be arranged so as to be in contact with each other.

With the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 11, the cooling gas C1 jetted from the blower mechanism 3 does not flow to the light emitting surface 13 side, and heat is transferred along the cooled surface 14 of the arc tube 10. While absorbing, it flows in the +Y direction, that is, toward the intake mechanism 4 side, and cools the entire surface 14 to be cooled.

Furthermore, the cooling gas C1 hardly flows into the space between the light emitting surface 13 of the excimer lamp 2 and the irradiation object W1 due to the air shield plate 7, so that the control of the oxygen concentration in the space is not affected. , the excimer lamp 2 can be cooled.

Furthermore, in the light irradiation device 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of blowing mechanisms 3 are arranged in the Z direction. can be adjusted. For example, on the Z-direction center side of the excimer lamp 2, where the temperature tends to be higher, the flow rate and flow velocity of the cooling gas C1 injected can be adjusted to be greater than on the end side.

Note that if the flow rate of the cooling gas C1 injected from the blower mechanism 3 within a certain period of time is greater than the flow rate of the intake mechanism 4 taking in the cooling gas C1 within a certain period of time, the intake mechanism 4 will take in the high-temperature cooling gas C1. Therefore, the excimer lamp 2 cannot be cooled efficiently.

If the flow rate of the cooling gas C1 injected from the blower mechanism 3 within a certain period of time is less than the flow rate of the intake mechanism 4 sucking in within a certain period of time, the cooling gas C1 will flow through the gap between the excimer lamp 2 and the windshield plate 7. Other gases are taken in, and the cooling effect of the cooling gas C1 is reduced. Furthermore, the oxygen concentration between the arc tube 10 and the object W1 to be irradiated is affected.

In other words, in the light irradiation device 1 of the present invention, the flow rate of the cooling gas C1 injected from the blower mechanism 3 within a certain period of time and the flow rate of the intake mechanism 4 sucking in within a certain period of time are adjusted to be substantially the same. is preferred. Therefore, the flow pipe 30 of the blower mechanism 3 and the exhaust pipe 40 of the intake mechanism 4 may be provided with cocks, valves, or the like for adjusting the flow rates.

In addition, by adjusting the number and flow rate of the circulation pipes 30 provided in the air blowing mechanism 3 and the exhaust pipes 40 provided in the intake mechanism 4, the cooling gas C1 can flow between the light exit surface 13 and the irradiation object W1. It can also be configured so as to have little effect on the oxygen concentration. In such a case, the light irradiation device 1 does not have to be equipped with the windshield plate 7 .

[Another embodiment]
Another embodiment will be described below.

<1> FIG. 13 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the blower mechanism 3 for each component, and FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the another embodiment of the blower mechanism 3 cut along the XY plane. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the blower mechanism 3 does not include a flow path restricting plate 33, and is formed with a flow pipe 30, a blow pipe 31 having a projecting portion 31a, and a groove 32b extending in the Y direction. The bottom plate 32 may be formed of a flat plate.

In the case of this configuration, the space formed by the projecting portion 31 a of the blow pipe 31 and the groove 32 b constitutes the second retention portion 36 . Also, at the respective ends in the ±Y directions, the jet ports 37 whose bottom surfaces of the grooves 32b serve as the air guide portions 32a are formed so as to extend discretely in the Z direction.

FIG. 15 is an exploded view of each member of another embodiment of the blower mechanism 3. As shown in FIG. The grooves 32b formed in the bottom plate 32 may be formed so as to extend continuously in the Z direction. With this configuration, although not shown, a second retention portion 36 extending in the Z direction and an injection port 37 are formed.

<2> FIG. 16 is a perspective view schematically showing another embodiment of the light irradiation device 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 16, the air blowing mechanism 3 may have a configuration in which a through hole 6a is provided in the partition plate 6 and the flow pipe 30 is connected to the through hole 6a without providing the blow pipe 31 or the like. do not have. Similarly, the air intake mechanism 4 may also have a configuration in which the partition plate 6 is provided with the through hole 6a and the exhaust pipe 40 is connected to the through hole 6a.

<3> FIG. 17 is a perspective view schematically showing another embodiment of the light irradiation device 1, and FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the excimer lamp 2 of FIG. 17 viewed in the Z direction. As shown in FIG. 18, the excimer lamp 2 provided in the light irradiation device 1 has an inner tube (called an inner tube 10p) and an outer tube (an outer tube 10q) when the arc tube 10 is cut along the XY plane. ), which is also referred to as a double-tube shape.

A pair of electrodes 11 are formed on the inner wall surface 10d of the inner tube 10p and the outer wall surface 10e of the outer tube 10q so as to face each other via the light emitting tubes (10p, 10q). In the excimer lamp 2 shown in FIG. 18, which includes a double-tube arc tube (10p, 10q), the inner electrode 11 is solidly formed, and the outer electrode 11 emits the ultraviolet light generated in the light emitting space 10c. In order to do so, it is formed in a mesh shape.

Further, in the excimer lamp 2 of this embodiment, the reflection film 12 is formed on the inner wall surface 10f on the +X side of the outer tube 10q, and the ultraviolet light generated between the arc tubes (10p, 10q) is reflected on the -X side. is configured to emit toward As a result, the wall surface on the -X side of the wall surfaces facing each other in the X direction of the outer tube 10q becomes the light emitting surface 13. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged sectional view around one excimer lamp 2 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 19, the cooling gas C1 jetted from the blower mechanism 3 does not flow to the light emitting surface 13 side, and absorbs heat from the outer wall surface 10e of the outer tube 10q, while absorbing heat in the +Y direction, that is, the intake air. It flows toward the mechanism 4 side and cools the outer tube 10q. In this way, the heat generated by the excimer lamp 2 is sequentially discharged from the outer tube 10q, thereby cooling the excimer lamp 2 as a whole.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of an excimer lamp 2 having a configuration different from that of FIG. 18 as viewed in the Z direction. As shown in FIG. 20, the excimer lamp 2 is also called a single tube shape in which a pair of electrodes 11 facing each other across the wall surface of the arc tube 10 are provided in the outer wall surface 10a of the arc tube 10 and in the emission space 10c. It does not matter if the configuration is such that

<4> Each of the light irradiation devices 1 described above includes two excimer lamps 2. However, only one excimer lamp 2 may be provided, or three or more excimer lamps 2 may be provided.

In addition, in the light irradiation device 1 of the present embodiment, two air blowing mechanisms 3 are arranged along the Z direction for each excimer lamp 2. It doesn't matter if it is. Furthermore, two excimer lamps 2 may be configured to share the same blower mechanism 3 . Any number of intake mechanisms 4 may be arranged along the Z direction, and may be arranged separately for each excimer lamp 2 .

<5> Since the excimer lamps 2 are arranged in the ±Y directions in the light irradiation device 1, the intake mechanism 4 of the present embodiment extends discretely in the Z direction on the +Y side and the −Y side. An intake port 41a is provided. However, when only one excimer lamp 2 is arranged, the intake port 41a of the intake mechanism 4 may be provided on only one side. Also, the intake port 41a may be a single opening continuously formed in the Z direction.

<6> The second retention portion 36 may be formed so that the total value of the respective volumes is larger than the volume of the first retention portion 35 . Moreover, the volume of the second retention portion 36 may be larger than that of the first retention portion 35 .

<7> The configuration provided in the light irradiation device 1 described above is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to each illustrated configuration.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1: Light irradiation device 2: Excimer lamp 3: Blower mechanism 4: Intake mechanism 5: Side wall plate 6: Partition plate 6a: Through hole 7: Air shield plate 7a: Tip part 10: Arc tube 10a: Outer wall surface 10b: Inner wall surface 10c: light emitting space 10d: inner wall surface 10e: outer wall surface 10f: inner wall surface 10p: inner tube 10q: outer tube 11: electrode 12: reflective film 13: light emitting surface 14: surface to be cooled 30: flow tube 31: blow tube 31a: Protruding portion 32: Bottom plate 32a: Air guiding portion 32b: Groove 33: Flow path limiting plate 33a: Notch 34: Inlet 35: First retention portion 36: Second retention portion 37: Injection port 40: Exhaust pipe 40a : Opening 41 : Intake box 41a : Intake port 42 : Exhaust port C1 : Cooling gas G1 : Luminous gas W1 : Irradiation object d1, d2 : Separation distance

Claims (6)

An arc tube that extends in a first direction and is transparent to ultraviolet light, and a pair of electrodes that face each other across a wall surface of the arc tube, and face each other in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. an excimer lamp having one of the wall surfaces of the arc tube as a light output surface;
a pair of side wall plates extending in the first direction and facing each other across the arc tube in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction;
In the third direction, a shape extending in the first direction is present between the arc tube and one of the side wall plates, and toward the outer wall surface of the arc tube on the side opposite to the light emitting surface. a blower mechanism having an injection port for injecting cooling gas;
an air intake mechanism having an air intake having a shape extending in the first direction between the light emitting tube and the side wall plate on the opposite side of the blower mechanism in the third direction;
It extends in the first direction, is arranged on the opposite side of the light emitting surface of the arc tube in the second direction, and is spaced apart from the arc tube, and is attached directly to the pair of side wall plates or via another member. and a partition plate that indirectly communicates through the light irradiation device. 2. The light irradiation device according to claim 1, further comprising a windshield plate protruding from the side wall plate toward the arc tube and having a tip portion disposed in proximity to or in contact with the arc tube. 3. The light irradiation device according to claim 2, wherein the cooling gas is air taken in from the outside. The blower mechanism includes a first retention section extending in the first direction and a second retention section extending downstream from the first retention section in the first direction and having a smaller volume than the first retention section. The light irradiation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by comprising: The light irradiation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the blower mechanism has a plurality of inlets for the cooling gas along the first direction. 4. The light irradiation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of said air blowing mechanisms are arranged along said first direction.

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