JPH04313078A - Constant temperature oven apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten the time for temperature decreasing step and to enhance the working efficiency of an environment test by supplying a large amount of outer air into a constant temperature chamber when the temperature is decreased in a constant temperature oven apparatus. CONSTITUTION:Air whose temperature is increased with a heater is supplied into a constant temperature chamber, and the specified temperature is kept in a constant temperature oven apparatus 2. Outer-air introducing ports 28 for directly communicating the outer airspace of the constant temperature oven apparatus 2 with the constant temperature chamber are provided. The cross sectional area of the outer-air introducing ports 28 is set so that the area becomes approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of the constant temperature chamber. An opening and closing mechanism 30 which is opened so that the outer-air introducing port 28 is made to communicate with the constant temperature chamber when the temperature of the constant temperature chamber is decreased is provided.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Field of Industrial Application] This invention relates to a constant temperature chamber device, and more particularly to a constant temperature chamber device that can rapidly lower the temperature of a constant temperature chamber used in burn-in, which is an environmental test of semiconductor components. .

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Examples of constant temperature chamber apparatuses used for burn-in, which is an environmental test of semiconductor components, are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, for example. In the figure, 102 is a constant temperature bath device, 104 is an inner casing, and 106 is an outer casing. Inside the inner casing 104, a thermostatic chamber 108 is divided and provided. An air passage 110 is provided between the inner housing 104 and the outer housing 106. The constant temperature room 108 and the air passage 11
0 through a first communication passage 112 and a second communication passage 114. The constant temperature room 108 includes a fan 11.
6 is provided. This fan 116 is connected to the motor 11
8. Furthermore, a heater 120 is provided in the air passage 110.

The air passage 110 and the second communication passage 114
An intake port 122 and an exhaust port 124 are provided at a portion that communicates with the air conditioner, and a switching valve 126 is provided. This switching valve 126 connects the second communication passage 114 and the air passage 110 as shown in FIG. 6 during the temperature raising process and the heat retention process, and closes the intake port 122 and the exhaust port 124, as shown in FIG. 7 during the temperature decreasing process. The intake port 122 is connected to the air passage 110, and the second communication passage 114 is
is communicated to the exhaust port 124. As a result, air is circulated through the air passage 110 and the thermostatic chamber 108 during the temperature raising process and the heat retention process, and cold outside air is taken into the thermostatic chamber 108 during the temperature decreasing process. Note that the motor 118 and heater 12
0. The operation of the switching valve 126 is controlled by a control section (not shown).

[0004] This thermostatic chamber apparatus 102 supplies air heated by a heater 120 to a thermostatic chamber 108 from an air passage 110 through a first communication passage 112 by driving a fan 116, thereby raising the temperature of the thermostatic chamber 108. After raising the temperature of the constant temperature room 108, the air flows into the air passage 110 through the second communication passage 114, is heated again by the heater 120, and is supplied to the constant temperature room 108. When the thermostatic chamber 108 reaches a predetermined temperature, it is maintained at the predetermined temperature. When this predetermined temperature is maintained for a preset time, the intake port 1
External air is introduced into the thermostatic chamber 108 from the exhaust port 124, and air from the thermostatic chamber 108 is exhausted from the exhaust port 124, thereby lowering the temperature of the thermostatic chamber 108.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, in the above-mentioned constant temperature oven device 102, the intake/exhaust ports 122 and 124
Since there is a limit to the cross-sectional area of the thermostatic chamber 108, there is a limit to the supply of outside air to the thermostatic chamber 108 during the temperature-lowering step. Furthermore, in the temperature lowering process, since the outside air is supplied to the constant temperature room 108 through the air passage 110, there is a problem that the outside air supplied to the constant temperature room 108 is heated by the residual heat of the heater 120.

[0006] Therefore, there is an inconvenience that the time required for the temperature lowering step to lower the temperature of the constant temperature room 108 to a desired temperature becomes longer.
This has the disadvantage of reducing workability when conducting tests in which the temperature is repeatedly raised and lowered.

[0007] The present invention solves the conventional problems in the temperature-lowering process of a constant temperature oven device, makes it possible to take in a large amount of external air, and also shortens the time for the temperature-cooling process by eliminating the influence on the residual heat of the heater. The objective is to improve workability when conducting tests by repeatedly raising and lowering the temperature in a thermostatic chamber.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a constant temperature chamber device that supplies air heated by a heater to a constant temperature chamber and maintains it at a predetermined temperature. An outside air inlet is provided that directly communicates the outside space with the thermostatic chamber, and the cross-sectional area of the outside air inlet is set to be approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of the thermostatic chamber, thereby lowering the temperature of the thermostatic chamber. The present invention is characterized in that an opening/closing mechanism is provided that opens and closes the outside air inlet to connect the outside air inlet to the constant temperature room.

[0009]

[Operation] According to the above-described invention, an outside air inlet is provided that directly communicates the outside space of the constant temperature chamber with the constant temperature chamber, and the cross-sectional area of the outside air inlet is approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of the constant temperature chamber. The opening and closing mechanism is set to open and close to connect the outside air inlet to the constant temperature chamber when lowering the temperature of the constant temperature chamber. The outside air inlet has a cross-sectional area set to be approximately the same as the cross-sectional area of the thermostatic chamber when activated, allowing a large amount of low-temperature air from outside to be supplied into the thermostatic chamber, significantly reducing the time required for the cooling process. can do.

0010

Embodiments Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 2 is a constant temperature bath device, 4 is an inner casing, and 6 is an outer casing. Inside the inner casing 4, a thermostatic chamber 8 is divided and provided. An air passage 10 is provided between the inner casing 4 and the outer casing 6. The constant temperature room 8 and the air passage 10 are communicated by a first communication passage 12 and a second communication passage 14. A fan 16 is provided in the constant temperature room 8. This fan 16 is driven by a motor 18. Further, a heater 20 is provided in the air passage 10.
An on-off valve 22 driven by a solenoid or the like is provided downstream of the heater 20. This on-off valve 22 opens the air passage 10 as shown in FIG. 2 during the temperature raising process and the heat retention process, and closes the air passage 10 as shown in FIG. 3 during the temperature cooling process.

An exhaust port 24 is provided at a portion where the air passage 10 and the second communication passage 14 communicate with each other, and
A switching valve 26 driven by a solenoid or the like is provided. This switching valve 26 connects the second communication passage 14 and the air passage 10 as shown in FIG. 2 during the temperature raising process and the heat retention process, and closes the exhaust port 24, and connects the second communication passage 14 and the air passage 10 as shown in FIG. The passage 14 is connected to an exhaust port 24. Thereby, the switching valve 26 circulates air through the air passage 10 and the thermostatic chamber 8 during the temperature raising process and the heat retention process, and discharges the air from the thermostatic chamber 8 to the outside during the temperature decreasing process.

This constant temperature chamber device 2 has an outside air inlet 28 in the outer casing 6 that directly communicates the external space of the device 2 and the constant temperature chamber 8 without passing through the air passage 22 in which the heater 20 is provided.
It is set up in As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of outside air inlet ports 28 are provided so as to have a cross-sectional area substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of the thermostatic chamber 8, and the cross-sectional area is set to be large. Further, the outside air introduction port 28 is provided linearly with respect to the suction direction of the fan 16, so as to reduce the flow resistance of the outside air.

The outside air inlet 28 is opened and closed by an opening and closing mechanism 30. The opening/closing mechanism 30 is opened to connect the outside air inlet 28 to the constant temperature room 8 when lowering the temperature of the constant temperature room 8 . The opening/closing mechanism 30 includes a groove-shaped guide portion 32 provided in the outer casing 6 to intersect with the outside air inlet 28 , and is slidably fitted into the guide portion 32 and is connected to each outside air inlet 28 . A plurality of openings 34 provided to coincide
, an opening/closing member 38 having a closing portion 36, and a drive portion 40 for opening/closing the opening/closing member 38.

Each function of the thermostatic chamber device 2 described above is controlled and operated by a control means as shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 42 denotes a control section for the entire thermostatic chamber apparatus 2, and the control sequence program and operating condition data of this control section 42 are recorded in a storage device 44. Further, 46 is a temperature regulator of this constant temperature oven device 2. This control section 4
2 is connected to the motor 18 that drives the fan 16 by drive circuits 48 to 54, the on-off valve 22, the switching valve 26, and the drive section 40 of the on-off mechanism 30. Further, the heater 20 is connected by a drive circuit 56 via a temperature regulator 46.

The above circuit describes only the main component circuits related to the present invention, including temperature sensors, position sensors, sensors for safety functions, necessary switches and relays, and power supply circuits. , descriptions of devices, auxiliary parts, circuits, etc. that are not directly related to the description of the present invention, such as wiring, are omitted.

Next, the operation will be explained according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

In step 0 shown in FIG. 5, when a sample is loaded into the thermostatic chamber device 2 and the control unit 42 is activated, in step 1, the air passage 10 is opened by the on-off valve 22, and the exhaust port 24 is opened by the switching valve 26. is closed, and the closing portion 36 of the opening/closing member 38 is connected to the outside air inlet 28 by the opening/closing mechanism 30.
is closed, the heater 20 is activated, the fan 16 is driven, and the temperature raising process is executed.

As a result, the air heated by the heater 20 is circulated into the thermostatic chamber 8, and the temperature of the thermostatic chamber 8 is increased by the action of the temperature controller 46 according to the conditions recorded in the storage device 44.

When the control unit 42 detects that the temperature in the constant temperature room 82 has reached a desired temperature based on the measured value of a temperature sensor (not shown), in step 2, the storage device 44
In accordance with the conditions recorded in , the temperature keeping process begins, and the temperature regulator 46 performs the warming operation.

[0021] When the time set according to the conditions preset in the storage device 48 has elapsed, the temperature lowering process of step 3 begins. In the temperature lowering step, the on-off valve 22 is closed, the switching valve 26 is opened, and the drive section 40 of the on-off mechanism 30 is closed, as shown in FIG.
As a result, the opening 34 of the opening/closing member 38 is aligned with the outside air inlet 28, and the outside air inlet 28 is brought into communication with the constant temperature room 8. As a result, a large amount of outside cold air is directly supplied to the constant temperature chamber 8 through the plurality of outside air inlets 28 set to have a cross-sectional area approximately equal to that of the constant temperature chamber 8, and the temperature inside the constant temperature chamber 8 is high. of air is exhausted from the exhaust port 26. In addition, outside air inlet 2
Since the fan 8 is provided linearly with respect to the suction direction of the fan 16, the resistance to the flow of outside air is small, and the outside air can be introduced into the constant temperature room 8 in a good manner.

At this time, since the on-off valve 22 is closed, the heated air around the heater 20 having residual heat does not reach the thermostatic chamber 8 through the air passage 10.

By the above-described operation, the high temperature air in the constant temperature room 8 is rapidly replaced with the low temperature outside air, so that the temperature inside the constant temperature room 8 can be rapidly lowered in a short time.

[0024] This constant temperature chamber device 2 is configured to change between high temperature and low temperature when the storage device 44 is set in advance so that the loaded sample is continuously changed between high temperature and low temperature N times. The process returns to step 1 and the above operation is repeated again until the number of repetitions n of changing the value becomes equal to the set value N, and when it becomes equal to the set value N, the operation is completed.

As described above, in the temperature lowering step of the constant temperature chamber device 2, the opening/closing mechanism 30 is opened and the outside air inlet 28 whose cross-sectional area is set to be approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of the constant temperature chamber 8 is opened.
Therefore, a large amount of external low temperature air can be supplied into the thermostatic chamber 8, and the time for the temperature lowering step can be significantly shortened.

[0026] Therefore, the time required for the cycle temperature test can be shortened, and the waiting time required for exchanging with the next sample can be significantly shortened. Therefore, it is possible to improve the actual operating rate of the thermostatic chamber device 2, and to improve the work efficiency of environmental tests, burn-in work, etc. Thereby, it is possible to increase the productivity of semiconductor parts and the like that have a process using the thermostatic chamber device 2, and the productivity of the test process, and it is also possible to contribute to cost reduction.

[0027] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be modified in various ways.

For example, a case has been described in which the temperature lowering operation is carried out rapidly in response to the problem of the present invention, but when it is necessary to lower the temperature at a predetermined temperature lowering rate corresponding to the test conditions of the sample, the on-off valve 22 or Operation of the switching valve 26 and the opening/closing mechanism 30,
This can be carried out by appropriately controlling the heating operation of the heater 20, etc.

Furthermore, although solenoids and motors are shown as examples of drive means, appropriate means can be selected according to the performance and structure required for each function, and each drive circuit and control means are also components thereof. You just need to set it accordingly. For example, each opening/closing operation may be performed manually.

Further, the structure of the thermostatic oven device 2, for example, the locations and directions in which the exhaust port 24, the outside air inlet 28, etc. are provided can be appropriately determined in accordance with the structure and configuration of the thermostatic oven device 2.

For example, when a plurality of constant temperature chambers 8 are incorporated into one constant temperature chamber device 2, an exhaust port 24 and an outside air inlet 28 are provided so as not to affect the positions of each constant temperature chamber 8.
Furthermore, it is also possible to share the air passage 10 with a plurality of constant temperature rooms 28.

[0032]

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, in the temperature lowering process of a thermostatic chamber device, the opening/closing mechanism is opened and the outside air inlet is set to have a cross-sectional area approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of the thermostatic chamber. As a result, a large amount of low-temperature air from outside can be supplied into the thermostatic chamber, and the time required for the temperature-lowering process can be significantly shortened.

Therefore, the time required for the cycle temperature test can be shortened, and the waiting time required for replacement with the next sample can be significantly shortened. Therefore, it is possible to improve the actual operating rate of the thermostatic chamber equipment, as well as improve the efficiency of environmental tests and burn-in work, and thereby improve the productivity and testing of semiconductor parts, etc., which have processes that use thermostatic chamber equipment. It is possible to obtain excellent efficiency in that the productivity of the process can be increased and it also contributes to cost reduction.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a constant temperature oven device in a temperature lowering step, showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a constant temperature oven device in a temperature raising step showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a constant temperature oven device in a temperature lowering step, showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control section of a thermostatic chamber apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of control of a constant temperature oven device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a constant temperature oven device in a temperature raising process showing a conventional example.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a constant temperature oven device in a temperature lowering step, showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

2　Thermostatic chamber device 4 Inner housing 6 Outer housing 8 Constant temperature room 10 Air passage 12 First communication passage 14 Second communication passage 16 Fan 18 Motor 20 Heater 22 On-off valve 24 Exhaust port 26　Switching valve 28 Outside air inlet 30 Opening/closing mechanism 32 Guide part 34 Opening 36 Closing part 38 Opening/closing member 40 Drive part 42 Control section

Claims (1)

[Claims] [Claim 1] A constant temperature chamber device that supplies air heated by a heater to a constant temperature chamber and maintains it at a predetermined temperature,
An outside air inlet is provided that directly connects the external space of the constant temperature chamber with the constant temperature chamber, and the cross-sectional area of the outside air inlet is set to be approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of the constant temperature chamber;
A constant temperature chamber apparatus comprising an opening/closing mechanism that opens and closes the outside air inlet to connect the outside air inlet to the constant temperature chamber when lowering the temperature of the constant temperature chamber.