JPH0967188A - Quartz crucible transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent failure during a work to place a quartz crucible, to improve workability and to enhance safety by constituting the quartz crucible from a vacuum chucking cap for suspending the quartz crucible, a frame for enclosing the quartz crucible and a crucible receiving section disposed at the base of this frame. SOLUTION: Silicon polycrystalline briquettes 9 are packed into the quartz crucible 2 in a local clean room. The crucible receiving section 13 is removed and is set in the frame 11. The cap 8 is placed on the quartz crucible 2 by a pulling-up machine and its upper edge 2a is fitted into the peripheral groove 8b of the cap. The inside of the quartz crucible is evacuated to attract and integrate the cap 8 to/with the crucible 2. The crucible receiving part 13 is then mounted. The crucible 2 is transferred in this state to the single crystal pulling-up machine by a hoisting machine and is loaded into a graphite crucible in a chamber. The atm. pressure is thereafter restored in the quartz crucible 2 by filling the inside of the crucible with an inert gas. A flange 8a engages the circular hole 12 of the top plate 11a of the frame when the cap 8 is risen in this state and, therefore, the cap is pulled up as it is.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer device used for loading a quartz crucible with a silicon material and then loading it into a single crystal silicon pulling device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When setting a quartz crucible loaded with a silicon material in a single crystal pulling apparatus, the quartz crucible is covered with a lid, and the interior of the quartz crucible is depressurized for adsorption. The method of suspending integrally and mounting on a single crystal pulling apparatus is adopted.

[0003]

However, it is unavoidable that the vacuum state in the quartz crucible is broken and the crucible falls, and that the crucible is directly contacted with an obstacle and is damaged. In view of the above problems of the prior art, the present invention prevents breakage of the crucible during the work of placing the quartz crucible on the single crystal pulling apparatus, improves workability, and allows quartz to be operated safely. It is an object of the present invention to provide a crucible transfer device.

[0004]

Therefore, according to the present invention, a quartz crucible breakage preventing jig is vacuum-chucked to a quartz crucible having a silicon material loaded therein under reduced pressure to close the lid and suspend the quartz crucible. A first structure is composed of a lid, a frame body that is detachably locked to the vacuum chucking lid and surrounds the quartz crucible, and a crucible receiving portion that is detachably provided on a bottom portion of the frame body. The second feature is that the frame body is provided with an antistatic plate, and the third feature is that the surface is coated with Teflon or Teflon lining.

[0005]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a quartz crucible transfer device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a quartz crucible is suspended by this device, FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a silicon single crystal pulling machine.

First, the silicon single crystal pulling machine shown in FIG. 4 will be described. In FIG. 4, 1 is a chamber, 2 is a quartz crucible, and 3 is a heater. A graphite crucible 4 for loading the quartz crucible 2 is rotatably and vertically movable by a support shaft 4a in the lower center of the chamber 1, and a heater 3 for heating the quartz crucible 2 is concentrically provided on the outer periphery thereof. Are arranged in a shape. At the center of the upper part of the chamber 1, the silicon single crystal is pulled up and the rod-shaped raw material 7 is inserted.
A protective cylinder 5 for pulling up is provided, an elevating shaft 6 is hung through a top plate of the upper end of the protective cylinder 5, and a rod-shaped raw material 7 of polycrystalline silicon is hung at the lower end of the elevating shaft 6.
The rod-shaped raw material 7 can be moved up and down in the chamber 1 by raising and lowering the raising and lowering shaft 6.

Next, the quartz crucible transfer device used in this embodiment will be described. This quartz crucible transfer device A
As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, each of the quartz crucibles 2 has a lid 8 (so-called vacuum chucking lid) that is adsorbed under reduced pressure on the quartz crucible 2 having a silicon material loaded therein and is closely attached to the upper end of the quartz crucible 2. . That is, an outwardly projecting flange 8a is formed on the edge of the lid 8, and a peripheral groove 8b into which the upper edge 2a of the quartz crucible 2 can be fitted is formed on the bottom of the flange 8a. In order to improve the adsorptivity, a packing 9 made of, for example, silicone rubber is attached to the inside thereof. A wire 10 is attached to the upper surface of the lid, and a lifting machine (not shown) is connected through the wire 10 so that the lid 8 can be lifted and conveyed while the quartz crucible 2 is adsorbed. Has been done.

Of course, although not particularly shown, a gas supply / discharge pipe connected to the gas supply / discharge device is connected to the lid. The gas supply / exhaust pipe is branched into a gas exhaust pipe and a gas supply pipe on the way, and the gas exhaust pipe is connected to a vacuum exhaust device.On the other hand, the gas supply pipe is a gas for supplying an inert gas such as high-purity argon gas. It is connected to the feeding device.

Reference numeral 11 in the figure denotes a frame body which is detachably fitted to the lid 8. The frame body 11 has a rectangular top plate 11a and a rectangular lower frame 11b connected by four columns 11c to be combined into a substantially rectangular shape, and is formed to have a size capable of enclosing the quartz crucible 2. . A circular hole 12 is formed in the top plate 11a, and is sized so that the outer edge portion of the flange 8a of the lid 8 is hooked when the lid 8 is inserted into the circular hole 12. As a result, the quartz crucible 2 suction-held by the lid 8 is held.
Is suspended while being surrounded by the frame 11. Also,
A crucible receiving portion (bottom plate) 13 having a size capable of locking the bottom portion of the quartz crucible 2 is detachably attached to the lower frame of the frame body 11 (in this embodiment, it is slidably attached to the front and rear sides). )
2 and is attached to the lower frame 11b in a state of being positioned below the quartz crucible 2 surrounded by the frame body 11, as shown in FIG.

A PVC plate 14 for preventing electrification is attached to a side surface portion of the frame body 11, and a Teflon coating or a Teflon lining process for preventing contamination is applied to the surface of the frame body.

Next, a method of transferring the quartz crucible 2 using this apparatus will be specifically described. For example, first, the silicon polycrystalline nodule 9 is placed in a quartz crucible 2 in a local clean room or a clean bench provided outside the puller room.
Fill inside. Next, the crucible 2 is set in the frame body 11 with the crucible receiving portion 13 removed, and the lid 8 is set by the pulling machine.
Is placed on the quartz crucible 2 and its upper edge portion 2a is attached to the peripheral groove 8b of the lid.
To fit. Next, the quartz crucible 2 is evacuated by the vacuum exhaust device.
After the inside is evacuated and the quartz crucible 2 is adsorbed and integrated with the lid 8, the lid 8 is pulled up to fit the flange 8a portion of the lid 8 into the circular hole 12 of the frame 11. This operation creates a gap between the bottom of the quartz crucible 2 and the lower frame 11b, so that the crucible receiving portion (bottom plate) 13 is mounted. The crucible receiving portion (bottom plate) 13 holds the quartz crucible 2 because the crucible receiving portion 13 holds the quartz crucible 2 even if the vacuum suction state between the lid 8 and the quartz crucible 2 is broken and separated. It will not fall and be damaged. Then, in this state, the quartz crucible 2 is transferred to the single crystal silicon pulling machine by the lifting machine and loaded into the graphite crucible 4 in the chamber 1.
At the time of loading, first, the crucible receiving portion 13 of the frame body 11 is once lowered to a position just before coming into contact with the graphite crucible 4, and then the crucible receiving portion 13 is removed. Then, when it is lowered again, only the frame 11 is locked to the frame receiving stand (not shown), the engagement with the lid 8 is released, and only the quartz crucible 2 is loaded into the graphite crucible 4. After that, by filling the inside of the quartz crucible 2 in a vacuum state with the above-mentioned inert gas, the quartz crucible 2 is
The inside is returned to normal pressure, and the suction state between the lid 8 and the quartz crucible 2 is released to separate the lid and the quartz crucible. Lid 8 in this state
The flange 8a again, the frame top plate 11a
Since it is caught in the circular hole 12, the frame body 11 can be pulled up and transferred to the outside of the single crystal silicon pulling apparatus.

[0012]

As described above, the present invention has the following excellent effects. (1). Just before setting the quartz crucible to the single crystal pulling device, it is possible to prevent damage due to dropping or contact with an obstacle. (2). Highly safe because there is no work right under the suspended object. (3). The quartz crucible can be loaded into the single crystal pulling device and the frame can be removed at the same time, and the working time can be shortened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a quartz crucible transfer device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a quartz crucible is suspended by the present apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a silicon single crystal pulling machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Chamber 2 Quartz Crucible 2a Upper Edge 3 Heater 4 Graphite Crucible 4a Support Shaft 5 Protective Cylinder 6 Lifting Shaft 7 Rod-shaped Raw Material 8 Lid (Vacuum Chucking Lid) 9 Silicon Polycrystalline Nodule 10 Wire 11 Frame 12 Circular Hole 13 Crucible Receiver Part (bottom plate) 14 PVC plate (antistatic plate)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A vacuum crucible for suspending the quartz crucible while suspending the quartz crucible with a silicon material loaded therein under reduced pressure, and a quartz chuck which is detachably locked to the vacuum chuck lid and which has the quartz structure. A quartz crucible transfer device comprising a frame body surrounding the crucible and a crucible receiving portion detachably provided on a bottom portion of the frame body. 2. The quartz crucible transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the frame body is provided with an antistatic plate. 3. The quartz crucible transfer device according to claim 1, wherein a Teflon coating or a Teflon lining is applied to the surface.