JPH11263696A - Quartz crucible loading pallet for quartz crucible handling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to stably load and transport a quartz crucible in both of a non-inverted state and an inverted state by disposing contact members disposed along two concentric circles varying in diameter on a pallet in such a manner that the quartz crucible may be stably loaded even in either state of the quartz crucible in the non-inverted state and the inverted state. SOLUTION: The pallet 40 has a frame 42, four outer beams 43A, 43B, 43C, 43D extending inward from the frame 42 and respectively two beams 44A, 44B, 46A, 46B in an X direction and Y direction combined in a double cross within a square shape enclosed by these outer beams 43A to 43D. The four outer beams 43A to 43D are provided with the contact members 47 which are the contact parts at the time of loading the quartz crucible 50 in the state of the downwardly facing aperture and eight pieces in total. The beams 44A, 44B, 46A, 46B are provided with the contact members 48A, 48B, 49A, 49B (four pieces in total) which are the contact parts at the time of loading the quartz crucible 50 in the state of the downwardly facing aperture.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a handling apparatus for cleaning a quartz crucible used in a single crystal growing apparatus for pulling up a single crystal rod while growing the single crystal rod before use or storing the quartz crucible in a predetermined susceptor. Pulling CZ (Czoc
The present invention relates to a quartz crucible mounting pallet suitable for a quartz crucible handling apparatus suitable for washing and storing quartz crucibles, which is used for a single crystal growth apparatus for producing a large diameter Si (silicon) single crystal by the hralski) method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in a single crystal manufacturing apparatus by the pulling CZ method, a high pressure-resistant airtight chamber is decompressed to about 10 torr and fresh Ar (argon) gas is flown, and a quartz crucible provided below the chamber is provided. The polycrystal in is melted by heating, and the seed crystal is immersed in the surface of this melt from above,
The seed crystal and the quartz crucible are rotated and moved up and down, and the seed crystal is pulled up to form a conical upper cone part whose upper end protrudes below the seed crystal, and a conical lower part whose cylindrical body part and lower end protrude. It is configured to grow a single crystal (so-called ingot) composed of a cone portion.

In order to grow a conventional single crystal rod having a diameter of about several tens of inches, a quartz crucible having a diameter of about 24 inches has been used. Before loading such a quartz crucible into a crystal growth furnace, it is necessary to wash it, and then it is necessary to dry it and store it in a predetermined carbon crucible susceptor. A conventional quartz crucible weighs about 20 kg, and a series of operations such as washing the quartz crucible, drying it, and then turning it upside down and storing it in a predetermined carbon crucible susceptor are performed manually. Was. In addition, a system was adopted in which these operations were performed as independent processes.

[0004]

However, in recent years, various attempts have been made to produce so-called large-diameter single crystal ingots in which the diameter of a single crystal produced by a single crystal pulling method is increased. In the single crystal pulling apparatus for growing such a large diameter single crystal rod, the size of the quartz crucible must be increased. For example, a quartz crucible having a diameter of 36 inches has a weight of about 7 mm.
It can be 0 kg. It is impossible to lift such a heavy quartz crucible with human hands, turn it over, or store it in a predetermined carbon crucible susceptor.
If the washing / drying device, the reversing device, and the storage device for the carbon crucible susceptor were separately provided, the whole space was considerably large, which caused a large cost increase in the construction of the factory. In addition, if each process is independent and the work area is different, there is a risk that the quartz crucible that has been thoroughly cleaned will be contaminated before use.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the inventors of the present invention have performed the operation of cleaning a large-sized and large-diameter quartz crucible in a limited space, inverting the quartz crucible, and storing the quartz crucible in a carbon crucible susceptor without using human power. A quartz crucible cleaning / storage handling device that can be performed quickly and without being affected by contamination has been developed. However, the present invention provides a quartz crucible handling device that can stabilize a quartz crucible in both a non-inverted state and an inverted state. It is an object of the present invention to provide a quartz crucible placing pallet for a quartz crucible handling device suitable for placing and transporting the same.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pallet for stably placing a quartz crucible in both a non-inverted state and an inverted state. The contact member is provided along two concentric circles having different diameters.

That is, according to the present invention, the quartz crucible is arranged along two concentric circles having different diameters so that the quartz crucible can be stably mounted in both the non-inverted state and the inverted state. A quartz crucible mounting pallet for a quartz crucible handling device having a contact member provided.

According to the present invention, a quartz crucible can be cleaned with an opening at a lower position, and a cleaning device is disposed adjacent to the cleaning device. A reversing device, a storage device that is arranged adjacent to the cleaning device or the reversing device, and stores the quartz crucible in a predetermined susceptor; and the quartz crucible is from the cleaning device to the reversing device, from the reversing device. A pallet for a quartz crucible handling device, comprising a rail means disposed between the three devices so as to be movable to the storage device, wherein the quartz crucible is in any of a non-inverted state and an inverted state. Also, in order to stably mount the quartz crucible, it has a contact member disposed along two concentric circles having different diameters, and is configured to slide on the rail means. Quartz crucible handling device for the quartz crucible placed pallet is provided.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a quartz crucible cleaning / storage handling device in which a quartz crucible placing pallet for a quartz crucible handling device according to the present invention is used or which includes the pallet as a component (in this specification, a quartz crucible handling device and a quartz crucible handling device). FIG. Before describing an embodiment of a quartz crucible mounting pallet for a quartz crucible handling device of the present invention, a quartz crucible handling device that uses or includes the quartz crucible as a part of components will be described. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a pallet according to the present invention on which a quartz crucible is placed, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB ′ in FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state where the quartz crucible is placed on the pallet with the opening thereof being downward, and FIG. 6 is a view showing a state where the quartz crucible is placed on the pallet with the opening being upward. FIG.

In FIG. 1, a cleaning device 10, a reversing device 2
0, the storage devices 30 are sequentially arranged adjacently and in series. Each of these devices 10, 20, 30 has a rigid metal frame, and its outer shape is configured. Cleaning device 1
At 0, a nozzle 14 that blows out water and air is disposed at the center with its opening facing upward. Another nozzle 13 that blows out water and air is disposed at the center with its opening facing downward. Nozzle 13,
14 is supplied with water and air from the compression pump 12. Note that the compression pump 12 may be arranged outside the cleaning device 10.

The reversing device 20 is provided with a hand device 22. The hand device 22 is rotatably attached to an arm 24 extending from a driving device 29, and is described later with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 0, there are two members that sandwich the quartz crucible 50 facing each other at 180 degrees from the outside. That is, the hand device 22 can move in the radial direction with respect to the quartz crucible 50 and can move up and down in the vertical direction. Further, the hand device 22 is connected to the arm 24 as shown in FIG.
As shown by arrow R in the middle, it can be rotated 180 degrees. That is, the driving device 29 has a driving force source for the hand device 22 to perform these movements, and the quartz crucible 50
Is provided to send compressed air to the air cylinder in the hand device 22 in order to reliably hold the air.

The storage device 30 is also provided with a hand device 32. This hand device 32 has a plurality of gripping portions for securely gripping a portion near the opening of the quartz crucible 50, for example, a portion within about 3 cm from the edge of the opening from the outside. In FIG. 1, the quartz crucible 50 is shown by a dotted line while being placed on the pallet 40. Hand device 32
Is attached to an arm 34 extending from a driving device 39, and as shown in FIGS.
There are a plurality of members (six are shown in the present embodiment, but it is preferable to be about eight) that sandwiches 0 in the radial direction and the radial direction from the outside. The hand device 32 is movable in the radial direction with respect to the quartz crucible 50, and is movable up and down. Drive 39
Has a driving force source for the hand device 32 to perform these movements, and has a mechanism for sending compressed air to an air cylinder in the hand device 32 in order to reliably hold the quartz crucible 50.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the above devices 1
0, 20, 30 include two parallel rails 16A, 16A.
B, 26A, 26B, 36A, 36B are provided respectively. These rails constitute the rail means,
Each device 10, 20, 30 is provided separately.
The two rails 16A and 16B in the cleaning device 10 are fixed to a frame of the cleaning device 10. On the other hand, the reversing device 2
The rails 26A and 26B in 0 can be moved up and down,
Also, the rails 36A and 36B in the storage device 30 can be moved up and down. That is, the rails 26A and 26B are connected to the driving device 21 via the link 23, and are movable along a vertical guide (not shown). Also, the rail 36
A and 36B are also connected to the driving device 31 via a link 33, and are movable along a vertical guide (not shown).

These rails 26A, 26B, 36A,
The position sensors 28 and 38 for detecting the height position of 36B or the quartz crucible 50 are the reversing device 20 and the storage device 30
It is provided in. Output signals of these position sensors 28 and 38 are connected to control devices 27 and 37, respectively, and the output signals are supplied to driving devices 21 and 31, respectively.
Therefore, height position information of the rails 26A, 26B, 36A, 36B is fed back to perform height control. Although the links 23 and 33 are shown one by one, one rail in the reversing device 20 is provided at two places near both ends thereof, and similarly, one rail in the storage device 30 is The four links in the reversing device 20 are driven by the same drive source to raise and lower the rails 26A and 26B in a completely horizontal state. Are preferably driven by the same drive source to raise and lower the rails 36A and 36B in a completely horizontal state.

Rails 36A, 36B in storage device 30
Are air cylinders 112A, 112B, 112C, 11
Attached to the 2D pistons 72A, 72B, 72C, 72D, the distance between the rails 36A, 36B is changed according to the reciprocating motion of the pistons 72A, 72B, 72C, 72D. The air pressure is controlled by a control device (not shown) so that the air cylinders 112A, 112B, 112C, and 112D are operated synchronously. The air cylinders 112A, 112B, 112
Instead of C and 112D, a configuration in which a rotary screw shaft and a ball screw are combined may be used.

As will be described later, the quartz crucible 50 is placed on the pallet 40 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and moves on rail means of a quartz crucible cleaning and storage handling device. The structure of the pallet 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. The pallet 40 includes a frame 42 and four outer beams 43 extending inward from the frame 42.
A, 43B, 43C, 43D and outer beams 43A, 4
It has two beams 44A, 44B, 46A, 46B in the X direction and the Y direction, respectively, which are combined in a well shape inside a square surrounded by 3B, 43C, 43D. Four outer beams 43A, 43B, 43C, 43D
Is provided with a total of eight contact members 47 serving as contact portions when the quartz crucible 50 is placed. Each contact member 47
As shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG.
A and a supporting portion 47B detachable from the fixed portion 47A. That is, a part of the support portion 47B is inserted and held in the concave portion of the fixed portion 47A as shown by an arrow M15. The fixing portion 47A has four outer beams 43A, 43B,
43C and 43D, respectively.
Can be detached, so that the upper notch 4 can be adjusted in advance according to the variation of the size of the quartz crucible 50 of about several mm.
By preparing a plurality of support portions 47B having different sizes of 7C, the support portion 4 which can support in the most stable state is provided.
7B can be selected and used. Further, the support 4
Since 7B is detachable, this portion can be removed and washed as necessary.

The beams 44A, 44B, 46A, 4
The contact members 48A, 48B, 49A, and 49B serving as contact portions when the quartz crucible 50 is placed on the 6B, respectively.
Are provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the contact member 47 is used when the quartz crucible 50 is placed with the opening thereof down, and the contact members 48A, 48B, 49A, and 49 are used.
B is used when the quartz crucible 50 is placed with its opening upward as shown in FIG. Note that these contact members 47, 48A, 48B, 49A, and 49B are omitted in other drawings, and the quartz crucible 50 is shown as being directly mounted on the pallet 40. The frame 42 of the pallet 40 includes rails 16A, 16B, 26A, 26B,
It has a portion that contacts the wheel so as to slide on a wheel rotatably mounted on 36A, 36B. The rails 16A, 16B, 26A, 26B, 36A,
Instead of providing wheels on 36B, wheels may be provided on the bottom surface of the frame 42 of the pallet 40. Since the main part of the pallet 40 is constituted by the frame 42 and the bar-shaped beam, moisture can easily fall during washing with the washing device 10 or in a subsequent drying step, and drainage is good. Further, a central opening 70 for inserting the nozzle 14 when the pallet 40 is in the cleaning device 10 is provided in the center.

Next, the operation of the quartz crucible cleaning and storage handling apparatus of the present embodiment will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 7, the rails 36A and 36B of the storage device 30 were moved to the lowermost position, and the quartz crucible 50 was movably mounted on the rails 36A and 36B with the opening part down. Place on pallet 40. At this time, the periphery of the opening of the quartz crucible 50 is supported by the eight contact members 47 as shown in FIG. Next, as indicated by the arrow M1 in FIG. 7, the rails 36A and 36B are raised to the reference position shown in FIG. Here, the reference position means the same height as the height position of the rails 16A and 16B in the cleaning device 10. At this time, the rail 2 in the reversing device 20
6A and 26B are at the reference position. Next, FIG.
As shown by arrow M2, the pallet 40 is
To the reversing device 20 and further into the cleaning device 10 as shown by the arrow M3 in FIG. A drive motor or the like can be used instead of manual operation.

In the state shown in FIG. 9, the inside and outside of the quartz crucible 50 are cleaned with water and air ejected from the nozzles 13 and 14. The washing time is about 20 minutes to 2 hours as required. When the cleaning is completed, hot air is supplied to the quartz crucible 50 by a hot air supply device (not shown) and drying is performed for about 2 hours. When the drying step is completed, the pallet 40 is pulled out of the cleaning device 10 into the reversing device 20 as shown by an arrow M4 in FIG. When the pallet 40
A stopper (not shown) is provided to stop at a predetermined position in the direction. Note that a positioning sensor may be used instead of the stopper.

When the position of the pallet 40 in the X direction is determined, the outer periphery of the quartz crucible 50 is
It is held so as to be sandwiched from both sides facing each other at 80 degrees. At this time, the height of the center of gravity is calculated in advance from the height information of the quartz crucible 50 in order to sandwich the center of gravity in the height direction of the quartz crucible 50 as much as possible, and the center of the hand device 22 is automatically positioned at that position. Necessary information for the drive 2
9 to the memory in the control device. Hand device 22
After securely holding the quartz crucible 50, the rail 26A,
26B is lowered by a predetermined distance as shown by an arrow M5 in FIG. Therefore, the pallet 40 is
A descends with A and 26B, and separates from the quartz crucible 50.

The hand device 22 is raised by a predetermined distance as shown by an arrow M6 in FIG. Arrows M5, M6
This lowering and raising operation shown by the arrow in FIG.
When rotating as shown by the arrow R shown in FIG.
Is to be out of the way, so this 2
One of the two operations may be performed, or only one of the operations may be performed. However, providing the space for rotating the quartz crucible 50 by lowering the pallet 40 has the advantage that this space can be obtained without increasing the overall height of the reversing device 20.

After a space in which the quartz crucible 50 can be rotated as shown by the arrow R in FIG.
Next, as shown by an arrow M7 in FIG. 12, the rails 26A and 26B in the reversing device 20 are raised, and are raised to a position where the quartz crucible 50 is placed on the pallet 40 as shown in FIG. Here, the hand device 22 is replaced with a quartz crucible 50.
Then, the quartz crucible 50 is placed on the pallet 40. Thereafter, as shown by an arrow M8 in FIG. 13, the rails 26A and 26B of the reversing device 20 are raised or lowered so as to match the height positions of the rails 36A and 36B of the storage device 30. When the height positions match, the pallet 40 is moved from the reversing device 20 into the storage device 30 as shown by an arrow M9 in FIG. This movement can be performed manually as described above or automatically using a motor or the like. A stopper (not shown) is provided so that the pallet 40 stops at a predetermined position in the X direction in the storage device 30. Note that a positioning sensor may be used instead of the stopper.

When the positioning of the quartz crucible 50 is completed,
As shown in FIG. 14, the quartz crucible 5 is
The vicinity of the opening of No. 0 is gripped from the outer periphery. In other words, a portion exposed when stored in the susceptor 60, for example, a region about 3 cm from the opening end is gripped. In this state, the hand device 32 is raised as shown by an arrow M10 in FIG. Next, the pallet 40 is removed from the storage device 30 by removing it from the right side in FIG. Next, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 16, the rails 36A and 36B in the storage device 30 are respectively moved along the Y-axis as shown by the arrow M11 to widen the interval between them. In this state, a graphite crucible 60 as a susceptor is placed on a pedestal 78 below the storage device 30 together with the gantry 62 as shown in FIG. 17 using a forklift (not shown).

A ball bearing 76 is rotatably mounted on the pedestal 78.
Can move in the X and Y directions on the ball bearing 76, and can perform positioning for making the graphite crucible 60 coaxial with the upper quartz crucible 50. When the positioning is completed, the hand device 32 is lowered as shown by the arrow M12 in FIG. 18 and the quartz crucible 50 is stored in the graphite crucible 60. FIG. 19 shows a state where the quartz crucible 50 is housed in the graphite crucible 60. Completion of the acceptance of the quartz crucible 50 into the graphite crucible 60 is confirmed by detecting a change in the load on the hand device 32 or the graphite crucible 60 or visually confirming the change. Thereafter, the hand device 32 is released, and is raised as indicated by an arrow M13 in FIG. Thereafter, as shown by an arrow M14 in FIG. 21, the gantry 62, the graphite crucible 60 thereon, and the quartz crucible 50 therein are taken out by a forklift.

The quartz crucible cleaning / storage handling apparatus of the present invention is entirely set in a clean room of class 1000 or less, or at least a portion where the quartz crucible 50 passes is set in a clean room of class 1000 or less. . In the above embodiment, the cleaning device 10
The reversing device 20 is disposed adjacent to the reversing device, and the storage device 30 is disposed adjacent to the reversing device. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. That is, the cleaning device can be arranged between the reversing device and the storage device. Further, a drive device for raising and lowering the rails of the reversing device and the storage device and a drive device for the hand device may be shared. Further, instead of separately providing the reversing device and the storage device, a single device may be configured to have the functions of the reversing device and the storage device. With such a configuration, it is possible to design the dimension in the X direction shorter than in the above embodiment.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, the pallet on which the quartz crucible is placed is provided with the contact members arranged along two concentric circles having different diameters. In both the inverted state and the inverted state, the quartz crucible can be stably transported in a mounted state for cleaning, inverting, storing in a susceptor, and the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a quartz crucible cleaning / storage handling device that uses or includes a quartz crucible mounting pallet for a quartz crucible handling device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A-A 'in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an embodiment of the pallet according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line B-B 'in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state in which a quartz crucible is placed on a pallet according to the present invention with an opening portion thereof being downward.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in which a quartz crucible is placed on the pallet according to the present invention, with the opening portion facing upward.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 15 is a side view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 17 is a side view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 18 is a side view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 19 is a side view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 20 is a side view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 21 is a side view showing the operation of the quartz crucible handling device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of a contact member provided on an outer beam of the pallet.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 10 Cleaning device 12 Compression pump 13, 14 Nozzle 16A, 16B, 26A, 26B, 36A, 36B Rail 20 Reversing device 21, 31, 29, 39 Drive device 22, 32 Hand device 27, 37 Control device 28, 38 Height position Sensor 30 Storage device 40 Pallet 41A, 41B, 42C, 41D Wheel box 45A, 45B, 45C, 45D Wheel 43A, 43B, 43C, 43D, 44A, 44B, 4
6A, 46B Beam 47, 48A, 48B, 49A, 49B Contact member 50 Quartz crucible 60 Graphite crucible (susceptor) 62 Mount 70 Central opening 72A, 72B, 72C, 72D Piston 78 Base 112A, 112B, 112C, 112D Air cylinder

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A contact member disposed along two concentric circles having different diameters so that the quartz crucible can be stably mounted in both the non-inverted state and the inverted state of the quartz crucible. A quartz crucible mounting pallet for a quartz crucible handling device. 2. The quartz crucible placing pallet for a quartz crucible handling apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an opening for allowing water to fall downward. 3. The quartz crucible placing pallet for a quartz crucible handling device according to claim 1, wherein the central portion has a through hole into which a nozzle of the cleaning device can be inserted. 4. A metal frame and a metal beam directly or indirectly connected to the frame are used as main constituent members, and the metal frame and the metal beam are covered with a synthetic resin film. The quartz crucible mounting pallet for a quartz crucible handling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: 5. The contact member, wherein the contact member that comes into contact when the quartz crucible is in an inverted state is constituted by a fixed portion and a support portion that is detachable from the fixed portion. A quartz crucible mounting pallet for the quartz crucible handling device described in the above. 6. The quartz crucible placing pallet for a quartz crucible handling device according to claim 1, further comprising a portion in contact with a wheel on rail means provided on the quartz crucible handling device. 7. A cleaning device capable of cleaning a quartz crucible with an opening downward, a reversing device disposed adjacent to the cleaning device and for reversing the quartz crucible and having an opening upward. A storage device that is disposed adjacent to the cleaning device or the reversing device, and stores the quartz crucible in a predetermined susceptor; and the quartz crucible moves from the cleaning device to the reversing device, from the reversing device to the storing device. A pallet for a quartz crucible handling device having a rail means movably disposed between the three devices, wherein the quartz crucible is in any of a non-inverted state and an inverted state. Has a contact member disposed along two concentric circles having different diameters so as to be stably mounted, and is configured to slide on the rail means. Pallet for placing quartz crucibles for crushing equipment.