JPS63285111A - Chunk cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To clean chunks of Si polycrystal continuously without damages by effecting rinse-etching, as the chunks are rotated in a plurality of the cleaning tanks provided with a lifting mechanism midway. CONSTITUTION:Rod chunks 14 of Si polycrystal cut in an appropriate length are placed on the top end of the inclined chute 12 in the cleaning tank 11 and rotated on the chute 12 to pass through the first cleaning solution of aqueous hydrofluoric acid, until it reaches the stopper 16a at the bottom end. The chunk is transferred to on the lift arm 13a by the action of cylinder 16a and rotated to the top end of chute 22 in the cleaning tank containing mainly nitric acid to effect the second cleaning, as the chunk is rotated on the chute 22. In the same way, the chunk is transferred to the chute in the third cleaning tank containing pure water to effect cleaning, as it is rotated, then taken out.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus suitable for cleaning and etching polycrystalline silicon chunks and the like.

<Prior Art and Problems> In the production of high-purity polycrystalline silicon, silicon is grown into rod shapes, which are then cut into appropriate lengths and cleaned. The polycrystalline silicon cut into appropriate lengths is generally referred to as chunks, and the chunks are cleaned in a conventional manner. First, the surface of the chunk is etched with an etching solution to remove the processed layer and oxide film on the surface, and then the etching solution is washed away with pure water, followed by further vacuum dehydration. The vacuum dehydration removes moisture remaining in the gaps between the polycrystalline silicon. After vacuum dehydration and vacuum drying, the product is sent to the next step.

Conventionally, cleaning of such chunks has been carried out by a batch method, in which, for example, several chunks are stored in a basket, and the chunks are sequentially transferred and immersed in a predetermined solution bath. However, in the above-mentioned conventional cleaning method, since several chunks are stored in a basket, there are problems such as the chunks colliding with each other, resulting in chipped corners and etching spots at the contact areas6. Therefore, when transferring chunks one after another to a plurality of cleaning tanks, or when rinsing a basket containing chunks in a cleaning tank, this is done manually, resulting in problems such as poor work efficiency.

<Means for resolving the problem> The present invention cleans the chunks by sequentially moving each chunk while rolling inside the cleaning tank,
In addition, a lift arm is attached to the side end of the cleaning tank so that even when a plurality of cleaning tanks are installed in series, chunks can be automatically transferred and cleaned, thereby solving the problems of the conventional cleaning method.

<Structure of the Invention> According to the present invention, there is provided a cleaning tank, a chute disposed inside the cleaning tank, and a lift mechanism disposed at the outlet side end of the cleaning tank, and the chute is provided with a cleaning tank. The chute is provided in an inclined manner so that the chute rolls from the inlet side to the outlet side of the tank, and the upper end of the chute protrudes outside the cleaning tank, while a dispensing mechanism is attached to the lower end of the chute. There is provided a chunk cleaning device, wherein the lift mechanism has an elevating section and a driving mechanism for moving the chunks from the lower end of the outlet of the chute to the upper part of the cleaning tank.

When cleaning the above-mentioned chunks, it is necessary that the cleaning effect is good and the work efficiency is high.

In the present invention, a chute is provided inside the cleaning tank, and the chunks are rolled and transferred through the chute, thereby simultaneously shaking and transferring the chunks in the cleaning liquid. That is, a chute is provided inside the elongated cleaning tank along its longitudinal direction. The chute is inclined toward the inside of the cleaning tank,
The chunks rotate on the chute and are transferred from the inlet side to the outlet side of the cleaning tank. At the same time, the cleaning effect is enhanced by rolling the chunks, and the surface of the chunks is evenly cleaned. Further, the present invention includes a lift mechanism as a mechanism for transferring chunks between adjacent cleaning tanks. The lift mechanism includes, for example, an arm that holds the chunk and rotates upward, and a drive mechanism for the arm. The zero-rotation arm is disposed facing the lower end of the chute, and
The chunks sent out from the lower end of the chute are received, lifted and transferred to the chute of the adjacent cleaning tank. In this case, a delivery mechanism is provided at the lower end of the chute that stops the chunk while the arm is rotating upward and sends out the chunk when the arm returns.

Further, the elevating part of the lift mechanism is not limited to the rotating arm, but may be a slide rail and an elevating basket that moves on the slide rail.
The chunks lifted upward by the lift mechanism are rotated and fed into the chute of the adjacent cleaning tank, are transferred within the cleaning tank while rotating on the chute, and are again moved to the next adjacent chute by the lift arm at the tip of the chute. They are sequentially transferred to a cleaning tank. Since the chunks that are continuously fed in this way are washed while being transferred within the cleaning tank, and the chunks are automatically transferred to the adjacent cleaning tank, work efficiency can be greatly improved.

The above-mentioned lift mechanism lifts the chunks upward and rolls them into the adjacent chute, so the chunks can be transferred quickly and the chunks can be prevented from getting stained on their surface while being transferred between cleaning tanks. In addition, stains appear on the surface of the chunks about 3 seconds after the chunks are lifted out of the etching solution. The lift mechanism of the present invention has a quick upward transfer action, allowing chunks to be transferred within 3 seconds without staining.

As described above, the cleaning apparatus of the present invention enables automation of cleaning work, and is suitable for cleaning a large number of chunks continuously.

<Example> The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

As shown in the figure, a cleaning bag [10 is a cleaning tank 11, a chute 12 disposed inside the cleaning tank 11, and a cleaning tank II]
The lift arm 13 is provided at the outlet side end of the lift arm 13. When the chunks are transferred inside the cleaning tank 11,
It is formed to be elongated along the transfer direction so as to maintain a constant cleaning time, and the upper part thereof is opened for carrying in and out the chunk 14, and the lower part is provided with #IIa. On the other hand, the chute has a gutter shape, and runs from one side end to the other side along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning tank 11 so that the chunks carried into the chute move in the conveying direction inside the cleaning tank while rotating. It is installed at an angle. The chute is supported by a frame 15 inside the cleaning tank. The entrance end 12a of the chute 12 is a cleaning tank so that the chunk I4 can be easily carried in! It protrudes outward and upward from the side end 11a of I. On the other hand, the lower end 12b of the chute projects forward of the frame 15, and a delivery mechanism 16 is disposed at the lower end. The delivery mechanism I6 has a stopper 1
6a and a cylinder 16b. The stopper 16a is for stopping the chunk 14 rotating and descending on the chute, and is provided protruding from the upper surface of the chute. On the other hand, the cylinder 16b lifts the stopped chunk 14 upward to overcome the stopper 16a and sends it out to the lift arm 13, and is formed by the cylinder 16b and a hanger 16c connected to the tip of the cylinder 16b. The cylinder 16b is attached to the upper edge of the side of the cleaning tank 11, and its rond tip extends to the lower side of the chute 12.
The hanger 16c is connected across the two.

The hanger 16c is moved up and down by the cylinder 16b, and when pulled upward, it projects from the opening 12c provided in the chute 12 to the upper surface of the chute and pushes up the chunk 14.

Of course, the delivery mechanism 16 is not limited to the above configuration, and when the arm 13a rotates upward, it holds the chunk 14, and after the arm 13a descends to the chute tip 12b and returns to its original position, the chunk 14 is held by the arm 13a. Any device may be used as long as it has a mechanism for carrying it out to 13a. Next, the lift arm 13
The arm 13a holds the chunk I4 and rotates upward.
and a cylinder 13b that drives the arm 13a. The distal end portion 13c of the arm 13a facing the chute 12 is bent to form an arc along the outer periphery of the chunk 14, and the base end portion 13d is connected to a shaft 13e constructed across the cleaning N111. It is attached to the shaft. A lever 13 is provided at the end of the shaft 13c.
The rod of cylinder +3b is connected through f,
Due to the vertical movement of the iron, the arm 1 along with the shaft 13a
3a is rotated up and down.

The shaft 13e is located at the upper edge of the cleaning tank 11 and below the adjacent chute 22, the arm 13a is rotated to above the chute tip 22a, the arm 13a is tilted in the conveying direction, and the chunk I4 is The chute 22 is fed by rotating downward on the arm 138. Note that the chute tips 12b and 22a are provided with a notch that intersects with the arm tip 13c, so that a continuous conveyance path is formed between the arm tip and the chute tip. The adjacent cleaning tank 21 has the same configuration as the cleaning tank 11 described above, and is provided with a chute 22, a delivery mechanism 23, and a lift arm 24.

Further, a control mechanism is provided for the lift arm and the delivery mechanism, and a control signal corresponding to the rotational position of the arm is transmitted to the cylinder, so that the vertical movement of the hanger is linked to the rotation of the arm.

In this embodiment, the tip of the arm is bent so as to stably hold the chunk 14, and two arms 13a are arranged in the width direction of the chute 12, but the shape and number of the arms 13a are of course different from this. Not limited to.

Next, FIG. 4 shows an example in which the elevating section of the lift mechanism is composed of a slide rail and an elevating basket that moves on the slide rail. The configuration other than the elevating section is the same as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and therefore is indicated by the same reference numerals in the drawings.

In this embodiment, as shown in the figure, a slide rail 40 is provided at the outlet side end of the cleaning tank 11 in place of the rotating arm. The lower end 41 of the slide rail 40 faces the lower end 12b of the chute 12 disposed inside the cleaning tank 11, and the upper end 42 of the slide rail 40 faces the upper end of the chute of the adjacent cleaning tank 21. A basket 43 holding the chunks 14 is mounted on the slide rail 40 so as to be able to move up and down, and the basket 43 is moved up and down on the slide rail by a drive cylinder 44.

The cleaning device 10 of the present invention is provided with a plurality of the cleaning tanks II as required. An example of this is shown in FIG.

As shown in the figure, the cleaning tanks 31, 32, and 33 are arranged in series with the supply device 30 for the chunk 14, and lift arms 34, 35 are provided between the washing tanks 31 and 32 and between 32 and 33. ing. Each cleaning tank 31, 32, 33 has a chute 31a, 32a, 33a and a delivery mechanism 31b, 3, respectively.
2b is attached. The cleaning tanks 31, 32, and 33 store an etching solution (■), an etching solution (II), and pure water in this order. Normally, the etching solution (1) is adjusted to have a slow etching speed to remove processed layers and oxide films in a short time, while the etching solution (■) is a slow etching solution to finish the surface smoothly and uniformly. The liquid composition is adjusted.

The chunks 14 carried in by the supply device 30 move through the etching solution into the cleaning tank 32b while rotating on the chute 31a, and are washed with the etching solution until they reach the tip of the chute. The chunk 14 at the tip of the chute is placed on the lift mechanism 31c by the delivery mechanism 31b, lifted upward, and transferred to the input side tip of the adjacent chute 32a. Next, the chute 32a is rotated again to advance the etching liquid in the cleaning tank 32, and during this time, the chunk whose surface has been cleaned by the etching liquid is transferred to the next pure water tank 33 by the lift mechanism 32c, and continues to be washed with pure water. Inside, the etching solution on the surface of the chunk is washed away.

<Effects of the Invention> Since the cleaning device of the present invention sequentially moves each chunk inside the cleaning tank while continuously rotating each chunk, the surface of the chunk can be uniformly cleaned. Also.

The inside of the cleaning tank is transferred while being cleaned, and the lifting mechanism automatically sends the cleaning tank sequentially through a chute to the next adjacent cleaning tank, which greatly improves work efficiency.

Moreover, the transfer between cleaning tanks is quick, and the cleaning effect is excellent without causing stains caused by the etching solution.

Furthermore, continuous cleaning work is possible and automation can be easily achieved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 7 show an example of the cleaning device of the present invention,
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view thereof, FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a layout diagram of a cleaning tank. In the drawings, 10...Cleaning device, 11...Cleaning tank, 12
... Chute, 13... Lift mechanism, 14... Chunk, 15... Support frame, 16... Delivery mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A cleaning tank, a chute disposed inside the cleaning tank, and a lift mechanism disposed at the outlet end of the cleaning tank, the chute located at the entrance of the cleaning tank. The chute is provided to be inclined so that the chunks roll from the side to the outlet side, and the upper end of the chute protrudes to the outside of the cleaning tank, while the lower end thereof is provided with a delivery mechanism, and the above-mentioned lift mechanism A chunk cleaning device characterized by having an elevating section for moving the chunks from the lower end of the outlet of the chute to the upper part of the cleaning tank, and a driving mechanism thereof. 2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the cleaning tanks are arranged in series, and each of the cleaning tanks sequentially stores an etching solution containing hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid as main components and pure water. 3. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the elevating section comprises a slide rail disposed from the lower end of the chute inside the washing tank to the upper part of the washing tank, and an elevating basket that moves on the slide rail. 4. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the elevating section comprises a rotating arm.