KR100539359B1 - Excimer irradiation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an excimer device that improves the irradiation efficiency of excimer light by using an excimer lamp that can be used in an exposed state.

According to the excimer irradiation device of the present invention, the excimer lamp can be brought closer to the irradiated object, and higher irradiation efficiency can be realized. In addition, since a thin outer tube can be used, the inner tube can be irradiated with high irradiation efficiency by preventing a decrease in the permeability of excimer light, and the inner tube is provided by nitrogen gas flow means for protecting the external electrode and preventing absorption of excimer light. And since cooling of an outer tube and the fall of the transmittance of an excimer light can be prevented, it can irradiate with high irradiation efficiency.

In addition, according to the irradiation apparatus of the present invention, since the excimer lamps are arranged adjacent to each other with a small gap, the generated excimer light can be irradiated to the irradiated object under high irradiation efficiency, and the illuminance distribution can be made more uniform.

Description

Excimer irradiation device {EXCIMER IRRADIATION APPARATUS}

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an excimer irradiation apparatus, and more particularly, to an excimer irradiation apparatus which further improves the irradiation efficiency of excimer light by using an excimer lamp that can be used in an exposed state.

An excimer irradiation apparatus is a device which irradiates ultraviolet light of a single wavelength (hereinafter, referred to as "excimer light") from an excimer lamp by a dielectric barrier discharge called silent discharge. The dielectric barrier discharge applies a high voltage to an excimer lamp filled with a discharge gas for forming the excimer molecule, thereby forming an excimer molecule in the excimer lamp, and radiating excimer light of a single wavelength when the excimer molecule transitions to the ground state. It is a discharge method according to the principle. The excimer irradiation apparatus using the dielectric barrier discharge generates excimer light of 172 nm, 193 nm, 207 nm, 222 nm, or 248 nm depending on the type of discharge gas in the excimer lamp.

Excimer light can generate excitation oxygen atoms, OH radicals, and the like that react with air or water to effectively decompose organic compounds. Therefore, it is preferably used for decomposition of contaminants composed of organic compounds. Moreover, since excimer light is strong in photon energy, it is used for the surface modification process etc. which make it react directly with an irradiation body. For example, in the field of the semiconductor industry, it is applied to the dry cleaning which decomposes the organic compound which contaminated a silicon wafer or a glass substrate, or is applied to the surface activation process and soft ashing of a semiconductor material. In addition, the present invention has been applied to various fields such as fluorescence emission of LCD display panels, LCD processes, surface activation treatment of resins and metal materials, or surface modification treatment in materials related fields. Furthermore, excimer light is used in the environmental technology field for the production of ozone, purification of water and air pollution, and production of water containing no impurities.

During the expansion of the application fields as described above, there is a request to irradiate each part of a large-area irradiated object with uniform illuminance or to irradiate a constant time with uniform illuminance during a continuous moving process. For example, for large display elements such as LCD (liquid crystal panel) and PDP (plasma display panel), an excimer irradiation device capable of efficiently decomposing contaminants attached thereto is desired.

In recent years, with respect to the current state and requirements of such an excimer irradiation apparatus, various designs have been studied for efficiently irradiating the generated excimer light. For example, (a) nitrogen gas flows into a box in which an excimer lamp is mounted so that excimer light generated from the excimer lamp is not absorbed, or (b) the discharge capacity of the glass window or excimer lamp of the box in which the excimer lamp is mounted. By changing the material to quartz glass having excellent transmittance, the transmittance of the excimer light is increased, (c) a reflector is provided on the back side of the excimer lamp, or the shape of the reflector is devised.

However, when nitrogen gas flows into the box where the excimer lamp is mounted, the glass window that transmits the excimer light needs to have sufficient strength, so the glass window must be thickened, resulting in a decrease in the transmittance of the excimer light. have. In this case, it is also possible to use quartz glass which is more excellent in permeability, but the lack of strength is still not solved. Therefore, there is a problem that thick quartz glass must be used, which is expensive and not economical.

Moreover, the excimer irradiation apparatus which can irradiate with a uniform illuminance distribution has not been developed yet, and it does not satisfy the said requirement for an excimer irradiation apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an excimer irradiation apparatus that uses an excimer lamp that can be used in an exposed state and further improves the irradiation efficiency of the excimer light and the uniformity of the illuminance distribution on the irradiated object. do.

1st invention of this application is an excimer irradiation apparatus which has two or more excimer lamps arrange | positioned in an exposure state, The said excimer lamp is an excimer discharge tube and the external electrode arrange | positioned outside the said excimer discharge tube, and is arrange | positioned outside the said external electrode more. An outer tube, an inner tube disposed inside the excimer discharge tube, an inner electrode disposed in the inner tube, a discharge gas filled in a sealed space between the excimer discharge tube and the inner tube, and the inner tube And a nitrogen gas flow means for introducing and discharging nitrogen gas into a space and a space between the outer tube and the excimer discharge tube.

According to the present invention, since two or more excimer lamps are arranged in the open case in an exposed state, the excimer lamps can be brought closer to the irradiated object to improve the irradiation efficiency. Moreover, since nitrogen does not need to flow into the box in which the excimer lamp is mounted like conventionally, neither a window nor thick quartz glass is needed, it is very economical. Moreover, since a thin outer tube can be used, the fall of the permeability of excimer light can be prevented and it can irradiate with high irradiation efficiency. In addition, in the present invention, since it has a nitrogen gas flow means for protecting the external electrode and preventing absorption of excimer light, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the permeability of the excimer light and to cool the inner tube and the outer tube. And can be irradiated with high irradiation efficiency.

The 2nd invention of this application is the excimer irradiation apparatus as described in 1st invention WHEREIN: The outer tube is a hollow tube which has a circular cross section WHEREIN: The outer peripheral surface of the outer tube of one excimer lamp, and the outer tube of the other excimer lamp which adjoin. It is characterized in that the gap g of the outer peripheral surface of is 50 mm or less.

According to the present invention, since the adjacent excimer lamps are mutually disposed at a gap g of 50 mm or less, the generated excimer light can be irradiated to the irradiated object under high illuminance efficiency, and the illuminance distribution can be made more uniform. In addition, since the outer tube to be used is a hollow tube having a circular cross section with excellent strength, it can sufficiently withstand the nitrogen gas pressure to be introduced and discharged, and the thickness of the outer tube can be reduced. As a result, since the fall of the transmittance of an excimer light can be prevented, it can irradiate with high irradiation efficiency.

The third invention of the present application is the excimer irradiation apparatus according to the first invention, wherein the outer tube is a hollow tube having a quadrilateral cross section, wherein the outer peripheral plane of the outer tube of one excimer lamp is adjacent to another adjacent excimer lamp. The gap g of the outer circumferential plane of the outer tube is 10 mm or less.

According to the present invention, since the adjacent excimer lamps are disposed adjacent to each other with a gap g of 10 mm or less, the generated excimer light can be irradiated to the irradiated object under high irradiation efficiency. In the present invention, since the irradiated object side of the excimer lamp also becomes a flat plane, the distance between the outer tube and each part of the irradiated object can be kept constant. As a result, the attenuation in the air of the excimer light irradiated from the excimer lamp becomes constant at each part of the irradiated object, and the attenuation is also small, so that the uniformity of illuminance distribution in each part of the irradiated object can be greatly improved. . In addition, as in the case of the outer tube of the circular cross section, since the strength of the outer tube is high, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the outer tube to prevent a decrease in the transmittance of the excimer light, and to achieve irradiation at high illuminance efficiency.

The fourth invention of the present application is the excimer irradiation device according to any one of the first to third inventions, further comprising a high frequency power source, the high frequency power source having a resonance point equal to the electrostatic capacitance of the excimer lamp. It is characterized by applying a high frequency voltage in the range of 1 to 20 MHz.

According to the present invention, since the high frequency power supply applies a high frequency voltage within the range of 1 to 20 MHz in which the capacitance of the excimer lamp and the resonance point coincide, the applied power required for the generation of the excimer light can be suppressed to be small. As a result, since the luminous efficiency with respect to an applied power supply improves, heat generation of an excimer lamp can be suppressed and the temperature rise of an excimer irradiation apparatus can be suppressed. Such a suppression effect of temperature rise is particularly preferable in a large area irradiation type excimer irradiation apparatus including a plurality of excimer lamps.

5th invention of this application is characterized in that the said high frequency voltage exists in the range of 1-3 kV in the excimer irradiation apparatus as described in 4th invention.

According to this invention, since the high frequency voltage applied to an excimer lamp exists in the said range, it is especially preferable for suppressing heat_generation | fever of an excimer lamp and temperature rise of an excimer irradiation apparatus.

In the sixth invention of the present application, in the excimer irradiation apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, the ratio (d / D) of the inner diameter d of the inner tube and the outer diameter D of the inner electrode is 1.1 or more and 3.0 or less. It is characterized by.

According to the present invention, since a constant gap is formed between the inner tube and the inner electrode, nitrogen gas which is a cooling medium can be easily introduced into the inner tube. As a result, the inner tube can be cooled efficiently.

7th invention of this application is the excimer irradiation apparatus in any one of 1st-6th invention WHEREIN: The ratio (L / D) of the length L of the said inner electrode and the outer diameter D of the said inner electrode is 10 or more and 100 or less, It is characterized by.

According to this invention, by making L / D into the said range, the internal tube in which an internal electrode is arrange | positioned can be cooled efficiently by nitrogen gas.

In the eighth invention of the present application, in the excimer irradiation device according to any one of the first to seventh inventions, a longitudinal length V whose irradiation surfaces composed of the excimer lamps arranged at equal intervals corresponds to the effective length of the excimer lamps. And a horizontal length W corresponding to a length of two or more times the effective length of the excimer lamp.

According to the present invention, since the irradiated surface composed of excimer lamps arranged at equal intervals has a large area composed of the longitudinal length V and the horizontal length W, each part of the large-area irradiated object is irradiated with uniform illuminance, Irradiation for a certain time with uniform illuminance during the continuous moving process.

Next, the excimer irradiation apparatus of this invention is demonstrated, referring drawings.

1 is a front sectional view showing an example of an excimer irradiation device of the present invention, Figure 2 is a front sectional view showing another example of the excimer irradiation device of the present invention. 3 is a side view illustrating the excimer irradiation apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the excimer irradiation apparatus of FIG. 1. 5 is a plan view showing an example of an excimer irradiation apparatus having a large-area irradiation surface. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the excimer lamp used in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the excimer lamp used in FIG. 1 in a horizontal direction.

The present invention provides an excimer lamp (2) that can be used in an exposed state, a nitrogen gas flow means for introducing and discharging nitrogen gas (3) into and out of an inner tube (7) and an inner tube (6). The above-mentioned conventional problem is solved by taking the characteristic means, such as the cross-sectional shape of (), the space | interval g between the excimer lamps 2, etc. 4 and 5 show the outer tube 6.

A feature of the excimer irradiation device 1 of the present invention is to provide two or more (four in FIG. 1) excimer lamps 2 arranged in the open case 21 in an exposed state, and the excimer lamps 2 They are arranged side by side at regular intervals to face the subject directly. The number of the excimer lamps 2 is not particularly limited, and a plurality of excimer lamps 2 may be disposed in the open case 21 to form an excimer irradiation device 41 having a large area irradiation surface 42 ( See FIG. 5). A portion other than the excimer lamp 2 of the excimer irradiation device 1 can be provided with a flow control plate for use in a high frequency power source or a nitrogen gas flow means. Moreover, the reflector 10 for reflecting the excimer light irradiated from the excimer lamp 2 can also be provided in the opposite side to an irradiated object.

In the present invention, the excimer lamp 2 can be brought closer to the irradiated object by arranging the excimer lamp 2 in the exposed state side by side. As a result, the irradiation efficiency of the excimer lamp 2 can be improved and the illuminance distribution can be made uniform. And since the excimer irradiation apparatus 1 of this invention does not provide the conventional quartz glass window on the surface of the to-be-projected object side of the open case 21, there is an advantage economically.

(1) excimer lamp

The excimer lamp 2 includes an external electrode 5 disposed outside the excimer discharge tube 4 and the excimer discharge tube 4, an outer tube 6 disposed outside the external electrode 5, and an excimer discharge tube ( Discharge gas filled in an inner tube 7 disposed inside 4), an inner electrode 8 disposed in the inner tube 7, and an enclosed space between the excimer discharge tube 4 and the inner tube 7; Have (9) The excimer lamp 2 is fixed to the open case 21 at both ends of the excimer lamp in the longitudinal direction or near both ends thereof (see FIG. 3 or FIG. 4). Moreover, in this invention, it has the nitrogen gas flow means which inflows and outflows the nitrogen gas 3 in the space in the inner tube 7, and the space between the outer tube 6 and the excimer discharge tube 4.

The excimer discharge tube 4 is a tubular container in which a predetermined type of discharge gas 9 is filled in a sealed space between the inner tube 7 disposed inside the excimer discharge tube 4. The material of the excimer discharge tube 4 is made of a dielectric through which excimer light generated is easily transmitted. Usually, a quartz tube or a synthetic quartz tube excellent in light transmittance is used. The quartz tube or the synthetic quartz tube has a thickness of about 1.0 to 2.0 mm. The length and diameter of the excimer discharge tube 4 are arbitrarily set according to the area of the irradiation surface designed based on the size of the irradiated object and the irradiation time. Usually, quartz tubes with an outer diameter of about 20 to 40 mm and a length of about 100 to 1000 mm are used. The excimer discharge tube 4 is preferably one whose tip is sealed. When both ends are open, the tip is closed by Teflon seal or the like.

The gas 9 for discharge is enclosed in the excimer discharge tube 4. The excimer lamp 2 has an excimer light having a wavelength corresponding to the type of the discharge gas 9 encapsulated by applying a high frequency voltage between the internal electrode 8 and the external electrode 5 formed inside and outside the excimer discharge tube 4. Occurs. The relationship between the type of discharge gas 9 and the wavelength of excimer light is, for example, 146 nm in krypton (Kr) gas, 172 nm in xenon (Xe) gas, 191 nm in KrI gas, 193 nm in ArF gas, 222 nm in KrCI gas, KrF In the gas, 248 nm excimer light is generated at each single wavelength. Therefore, by selecting the gas 9 for discharge arbitrarily, excimer light according to a use purpose can be generated. For example, excimer light having a wavelength of 172 nm or 222 nm is preferably applied to decomposition of an organic compound attached to an element or part. Excimer light of this wavelength can directly generate many oxidizing excited oxygen atoms directly from oxygen in the atmosphere or liquid. Therefore, the energy of photons is strong, so that the bonds of C-C, C-O, C-H, C-CI and the like in the organic compound can be easily cleaved, and the excitation oxygen atoms can react to decompose the organic compound. The internal pressure of the discharge gas 9 in the excimer discharge tube 4 is arbitrarily set depending on the kind of gas and the illuminance of the desired excimer light, but is usually about 10 to 60 kPa.

The external electrodes 5 are disposed throughout the outer circumferential surface of the excimer discharge tube 4 and have good metal conductivity such as stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, copper oxide, or their alloys, yttrium oxide, aluminum yttrium aluminum, or the like. It is selected preferably that discharge rate becomes high. The shape of the external electrode 5 is not particularly limited, such as a plate shape or a mesh shape. In addition, a panning metal having a thickness of about 0.5 mm in which a large number of through holes such as a circle, a rectangle, and a hexagon are formed is preferably used because it does not obstruct much of the optical path of the excimer light emitted from the excimer discharge tube 4.

The outer tube 6 is disposed outside the outer electrode 5, and a quartz tube or a synthetic quartz tube having a circular cross section or a quadrilateral cross section is used. The outer tube 6 forms a space between the excimer discharge tube 4. The end of the outer tube 6 is machined to allow nitrogen gas 3 to flow in and out of the space for the purpose of preventing oxidation of the outer electrode 5 and preventing absorption of excimer light. Since the outer tube 6 is a hollow tube having a circular cross section or a quadrilateral cross section with excellent strength, the outer tube 6 can sufficiently withstand the nitrogen gas pressure flowing in and out there. Therefore, the thickness of the outer tube 6 can be made thin about 1.0-2.0 mm. In the present invention, since the outer tube 6 can be made thin as described above, the transmittance decreases when the excimer light emitted from the excimer discharge tube 4 passes through the outer tube 6 can be made extremely small. Therefore, it can use in an exposed state and can irradiate an irradiated object with sufficient irradiation efficiency.

As for the size of the outer tube 6, in the outer tube which consists of a circular cross section and a quadrilateral cross section, the thing of about 50-80 mm in outer diameter can be used preferably. However, the size of the outer tube 6 is not particularly limited because it varies depending on the size of the excimer discharge tube 4 provided therein, the structure, size, cost, ease of handling, and the like of the entire excimer irradiation apparatus. . The length of the outer tube 6 corresponding to the length of the excimer discharge tube 4 is used. The outer tube 6 may be open at both ends, may be sealed at the distal end, or is not particularly limited. In the case of an open tube, its tip is sealed with Teflon seal or the like.

The inner tube 7 is usually installed in the center of the excimer discharge tube 4, and usually a quartz tube or a synthetic quartz tube is used. The inner tube 7 includes an inner electrode 8 formed therein and an inlet 11 and an outlet 12 of nitrogen gas 3 formed at one end thereof. As for the inner tube 7, the thing whose tip is sealed normally is used (refer FIG. 6).

Nitrogen gas 3 is introduced into the inner tube 7 from the outlet 11, and the inner tube 7 is cooled by the nitrogen gas 3. The kind of nitrogen gas 3 is not specifically limited, Commercially available nitrogen gas etc. can be used. By lowering the temperature of the nitrogen gas 3 introduced into the inner tube 7 by a heat exchanger or the like, the inner tube 7 can be cooled further. Since the deterioration life of the inner tube 7 cooled by the nitrogen gas 3 is improved to be about the same as the deterioration life of the excimer discharge tube 4, the life of the excimer lamp as a whole can be improved.

The inner electrode 8 is formed inside the inner tube 7 and can be made of the same kind of material as the material used for the outer electrode 5 described above, and preferably exhibits good metal conductivity to increase the discharge rate. do. Since the internal electrode 8 is disposed in the inner tube 7, it does not directly contact the gas for discharge 9. Thereby, the preferable effect that a dielectric barrier discharge arises uniformly in each part on the inner tube 7 is acquired. The shape of the internal electrode 8 is not particularly limited, such as a rod, tubular, or mesh, but it is preferable that the nitrogen gas 3 introduced from the inlet 11 easily passes through the inner tube 7. The mesh electrode preferably has a space between the meshes, and the nitrogen gas 3 easily passes therethrough.

Here, the relationship between the inner tube 7 and the rod-shaped or tubular inner electrode 8 will be described. 8, 10 and 11 are cross-sectional views showing another example of the excimer lamp of the present invention. 9 and 12 to 14 are cross-sectional views of the inner tube 7 and the inner electrode 8 of the excimer lamp. In addition, in the excimer lamp of FIG. 8, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11, the external tube is abbreviate | omitted for convenience.

The ratio (d / D) of the inner diameter d of the inner tube 7 and the outer diameter D of the inner electrode 8 is preferably 1.1 or more and 3.0 or less so that the nitrogen gas 3 is easily introduced into the inner tube 7. By setting it as such a range, the nitrogen gas 3 can flow easily into the inner tube 7. As shown in FIG. If the ratio d / D is less than 1.1, since the gap between the inner tube 7 and the inner electrode 8 is small, the flow of the nitrogen gas 3 in the inner tube 7 is poor and the inner tube 7 May not be sufficiently cooled. On the other hand, if the ratio of d / D exceeds 3.0, the inner tube 7 can be sufficiently cooled because the flow of the nitrogen gas 3 is good, but the inner tube 7 is thickened and the entire excimer lamp is thickened or the inner electrode is thickened. (8) becomes thin and there is a possibility that a uniform discharge may not be produced.

As shown in FIG. 10, when both ends of the inner tube 7 are open, the internal electrode 8 has a rod shape, whereby the nitrogen gas 3 can easily flow from one end to the other. The inner tube 7 can be cooled efficiently. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, when one end of the inner tube 7 is sealed, by making it the pipe-shaped inner electrode 8, nitrogen which flowed in from the outer side or the inside of the pipe-shaped inner electrode 8 is shown. The gas 3 can flow out from the inside or the outside, and the inner pipe 7 can be cooled efficiently. In addition, even when using the pipe-shaped inner electrode 8, it is preferable that the ratio of the inner diameter d of the inner tube 7 and the outer diameter D of the pipe-shaped inner electrode 8 is in the above-mentioned range.

In addition, when one end of the inner tube 7 is sealed, a small diameter tube 13 for introducing the nitrogen gas 3 into the inner tube 7 is provided with a rod-shaped inner electrode ( You may insert along 8) to the sealed one end in the inner pipe | tube 7, or to an appropriate position (refer FIG. 13). As a result, the nitrogen gas 3 can be easily introduced into the inner tube 7. As shown in FIG. 14, the inflow side and the outflow side of the nitrogen gas 3 can be divided by making the shape of the internal electrode 8 disposed in the inner tube 7 flat. As a result, the nitrogen gas 3 can be easily introduced into the inner tube 7.

In addition, the ratio of the length L of the inner electrode to the outer diameter D of the inner electrode will be described.

In this invention, it is preferable that ratio (L / D) of length L of the internal electrode 8 and the outer diameter D of the internal electrode 8 is 10 or more and 100 or less. The length L of the internal electrode 8 is in proportion to the length of the excimer lamp 2, and the length L of the internal electrode 8 is also approximately determined according to the length of the excimer lamp 2. Since the outer diameter D of the inner electrode 8 relates to the thickness of the entire excimer lamp 2, as the outer diameter D of the inner electrode 8 increases, the inner tube 7 and the excimer discharge tube 4 also become thicker, and the excimer The whole lamp 2 becomes thick shape. When the L / D is less than 10, the so-called thick inner electrode 8 is used, so that the inner tube 7 can be sufficiently cooled by the nitrogen gas 3 introduced into the inner tube 7, but the excimer lamp ( 2) Since the whole becomes thick, the surface area of the excimer lamp 2 which emits excimer light is small, which is not very efficient. When the L / D exceeds 100, the elongated inner electrode 8 is used, so that the nitrogen gas 3 may not be sufficiently introduced into the inner tube 7, so that the cooling of the inner tube 7 is insufficient. There is a risk of loss. Moreover, if L / D is in the said range, the length L of the internal electrode 8 and its outer diameter D are not specifically limited, The long internal electrode 8 may be sufficient, or the short internal electrode 8 may be sufficient.

Next, nitrogen gas flow means will be described.

The present invention has nitrogen gas flow means for introducing and discharging the nitrogen gas 3 into the space in the inner tube 7 and in the space between the outer tube 6 and the excimer discharge tube 4. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the inflow port 11 and the outflow port 12 for inflow and outflow of the nitrogen gas 3 in each space easily are formed.

By such nitrogen gas flow means, the degree to which the inner tube 7 and the outer tube 6 are gradually degraded by excimer light or heat can be made to the same degree as that of the excimer discharge tube 4. As a result, the lifetime as the whole excimer lamp 2 can be improved. In particular, in the excimer lamp generator 20 that generates excimer light having a wavelength in a vacuum ultraviolet region of 200 nm or less, deterioration of the inner tube 7 can be further suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the inflow and outflow paths of the nitrogen gas 3 include (i) an inlet 11 in the inner tube 7, and (ii) between the inner tube 7 and the outer tube 7. In the inner tube (7) it is preferable to form an inlet and outlet path for the nitrogen gas (3) to enter the space in the outer tube (6), and (iii) the outlet tube (12) to form an outlet (12) Do. The nitrogen gas 3 may be introduced into the outer tube 6 first, and then the inflow and outflow paths flowing into the inner tube 7 may be used. Moreover, it can also form for the inner pipe | tube 7 and the outer pipe | tube 6, respectively. Moreover, the inner tube 7 and the outer tube 6 which open | released both ends may be used so that the nitrogen gas 3 which flows in may flow easily into the space in the inner tube 7 or the space in the outer tube 6. In addition, when using the inner tube 7 or the outer tube 6 which opened one end, the small diameter tube 13 is inserted, and the nitrogen gas 3 to the end of the inner tube 7 or the outer tube 6 is carried out. Can also be derived.

Nitrogen gas 3 is preferably introduced and discharged while maintaining the pressurized state in the above-mentioned space. The inflow and outflow of the nitrogen gas 3 is for the purpose of preventing the oxidation of the external electrodes 5 and 8 and the absorption of excimer light. In addition, in the present invention, since the outer tube 6 is a hollow tube having a circular cross section or a quadrilateral cross section excellent in strength, the outer tube 6 can withstand nitrogen gas pressure in a pressurized state sufficiently, and the thickness of the outer tube 6 can be reduced. Can be. As a result, unlike the conventional case of using a thick quartz glass window, the transmittance of excimer light is not lowered, the irradiation can be carried out with high irradiation efficiency, and economical is preferable.

The nitrogen gas flow means also includes a circulating cooling device 55 of the nitrogen gas 3, and the heat circulating cooling device 55 is provided with a heat exchanger or a filtration filter for cooling the circulated nitrogen gas 3 as necessary. Can be. Since the nitrogen gas 3 can be circulated by the said circulation cooling apparatus 55, it is excellent in economy. In addition, by performing heat exchange and filtration, the nitrogen gas 3 having excellent cooling performance can be introduced into the inner tube 7 or the outer tube 6.

In addition, although nitrogen gas 3 is employ | adopted in this invention in consideration of economy, stability, etc., as long as the objective of this invention can be achieved, inert gas, such as argon gas, can also be used.

(2) excimer irradiation device

The excimer irradiation device 1 of the present invention has two or more excimer lamps 2 arranged in an exposed state.

In the present invention, in the case of using the excimer lamp 2 having the outer tube 6 having a circular cross section (see FIG. 1), the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 6 of one excimer lamp 2 is adjacent to the adjacent one. It is preferable to make the clearance g of the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 6 of another excimer lamp to be 50 mm or less, especially 20 mm or less.

By arrange | positioning at such an interval, the generated excimer light can be irradiated to a to-be-tested object under high irradiation efficiency, and the illuminance distribution can be made more uniform. In addition, since the outer tube 6 having a circular cross section is excellent in strength, it can withstand the nitrogen gas pressure flowing in and out, and the thickness of the outer tube 6 can be made thin. As a result, since the fall of the transmittance of an excimer light can be prevented, it can irradiate with high irradiation efficiency. And when using the excimer irradiation apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable to rock, scan, or fix the excimer irradiation apparatus 1, and to use it.

When using an excimer lamp 2 having an outer tube 6 having a four-sided cross section (see FIG. 2), the outer circumferential plane of the outer tube 6 of one excimer lamp 2 is different from the adjacent one. It is preferable that the gap g of the outer circumferential plane of the outer tube 6 of the excimer lamp is 10 mm or less, particularly 5 mm or less.

By arrange | positioning at such interval, the generated excimer light can be irradiated to a to-be-tested object under high irradiation efficiency. In addition, since the side to be irradiated of the excimer lamp 2 also becomes a flat plane (see FIG. 2), the interval between the outer tube 6 and each part of the irradiated object can be kept constant. As a result, the attenuation in the air of the excimer light irradiated from the excimer lamp 2 becomes constant at each part of the irradiated object, and since the attenuation is small, the uniformity of illuminance distribution in each part of the irradiated object can be greatly improved. Can be. In addition, as in the case of the outer tube 6 of the circular cross section, since the strength of the outer tube 6 is high, the thickness of the outer tube 6 is made thin to prevent a decrease in the permeability of excimer light, and to achieve high irradiation efficiency. Investigation can be achieved. And since the excimer irradiation apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is superior in illuminance distribution than the excimer irradiation apparatus of FIG. 1, it can irradiate with sufficient illumination intensity distribution even in the state which fixed the excimer irradiation apparatus.

In any of the above cases, the excimer lamps may be placed in close contact with each other. The uniformity of the roughness distribution is remarkably represented as a difference in the treatment time for the irradiated object, and for example, the decomposition rate of organic impurities adhered on the irradiated object can be improved, and the treatment time can be shortened. On the other hand, when the excimer lamp 2 is arrange | positioned in the range exceeding the clearance g of the above-mentioned range, the illuminance distribution of an irradiated object will be disturbed.

In the excimer irradiation device 1, a reflector 10 may be formed behind the excimer lamp 2. The reflector 10 plays a role of reflecting the excimer light irradiated toward the opposite side of the irradiated object, that is, the back of the excimer lamp 2, to the irradiated object side. Usually, mirror processed stainless steel or coated aluminum material is used, but it is not particularly limited as long as it preferably reflects excimer light. And the excimer irradiation apparatus 1 of this invention is excellent in irradiation efficiency to an irradiated object, and also irradiation distribution is excellent, the flat reflector 10 as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 is sufficient, but especially The shape is not limited.

5 shows an example of an excimer irradiation device 41 having a large irradiation surface 42. The excimer irradiation device 41 has a vertical length V in which the irradiation surface 42 composed of the excimer lamps 2 arranged at equal intervals corresponds to the effective length of the excimer lamp 2, and the effective of the excimer lamp 2. It consists of horizontal length W corresponding to length more than twice the length.

The excimer irradiation apparatus 41 which consists of such a structure can irradiate a fixed area with a uniform illuminance for a predetermined time in the process which irradiates each part of a large irradiated object with uniform illuminance, or moves continuously. Therefore, for a display element such as a large area LCD (liquid crystal panel) or PDP (plasma display panel), contaminants adhering thereto can be decomposed by an efficient excimer irradiation process. In addition, the effective length here is the length of the part regarding irradiation of an excimer light among the full length of the excimer lamp 2.

In the excimer irradiation device 41 of FIG. 5, a small number of long excimer lamps may be provided, or a large number of short excimer lamps may be provided. However, in consideration of economic efficiency including maintenance management and the like, it is preferable to provide a plurality of short excimer lamps.

Next, the power supply unit will be described.

The power supply unit is formed to apply a high frequency voltage between the external electrode 5 and the internal electrode 8 constituting the excimer lamp 2.

The high frequency voltage is output from the power supply section at a high frequency within a range of 1 to 20 MHz in which the capacitance of the excimer lamp 2 and the resonance point coincide. Such a high frequency voltage can easily cause silent discharge (so-called dielectric barrier discharge) to the excimer lamp 2 even at a low voltage of, for example, 1 to 3 kV. This makes it possible to generate sufficient excimer light even if the power applied to the excimer lamp 2 is lowered, so that the luminous efficiency of the excimer lamp 2 can be improved. As a result, the heat generation of the excimer lamp 2 and the high temperature rise of the excimer irradiation device 1 accompanying the heat generation can be suppressed, and the excimer irradiation device 1, 41 provided with many excimer lamps 2 is comprised. It becomes possible.

15 and 16 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of a power supply unit that outputs the high frequency voltage described above. In addition, also here, it demonstrates in the form of an excimer lamp which omitted the outer tube for convenience.

Any power supply units 51 and 61 are constituted by a power supply circuit capable of applying a high frequency voltage at a frequency within the range of 1 to 20 MHz. FIG. 15 shows a method (hereinafter, referred to as a "first conversion method") of adjusting and applying a high frequency voltage converted to a predetermined frequency to a predetermined voltage by the matching controller 53, and FIG. 16 illustrates an oscillator of a DC voltage. In Fig. 65, a method of converting to a predetermined frequency, then amplifying, adjusting to a predetermined voltage, and then applied is shown (hereinafter referred to as "second conversion method"). By these methods, the high frequency voltage is adjusted under the frequency conditions within the range of 1 to 20 MHz where the capacitance of the excimer lamp 2 and the resonance point coincide.

As shown in FIG. 15, the power supply unit 51 according to the first conversion method includes a high frequency power supply 52, a matching controller 53, inductances L1 and L2, and variable capacitors C1 and C2 as a basic configuration. .

The high frequency power supply 52 converts the AC power 54 input therein into a predetermined frequency within the range of 1 to 20 MHz. As the frequency, 10-15 MHz is preferable and 13.56 MHz is especially preferable at the light emission efficiency of an excimer light. This frequency is usually output from the high frequency power supply 52 at 0.1-10V, preferably 0.1-5V. Next, the impedance Z1 when it is output from the high frequency power supply 52 and the impedance Z2 when it is applied to the excimer lamp 2 are matched. The matching is performed by adjusting the variable capacitor C1 by the matching controller 53, and the applied voltage is adjusted so that the excimer light from the excimer lamp 2 emits most efficiently. At this time, the applied voltage is preferably 1 to 3 kV, particularly preferably 2 kV.

Since the excimer irradiation apparatuses 1 and 41 of the present invention have two or more excimer lamps 2, a high frequency voltage is applied to each excimer lamp 2. As an example, when a high frequency voltage of 13.56 MHz and 2 kV is applied, excimer light can be irradiated with an illuminance of 10 mW / cm 2 from the outer circumferential surface of the excimer lamp 2, and excimer light can be generated with high luminous efficiency.

As shown in FIG. 16, the power supply part 61 by the 2nd conversion system is comprised from the DC power supply 62, the power controller 63, the oscillator 65, and the amplifier 66 as a basic structure.

The DC power supply 62 converts the AC power 64 input therein into a DC voltage of about 12-15V (normally about 12V) and outputs it. Subsequently, the DC voltage becomes a predetermined frequency by the oscillator 65 and is amplified by the amplifier 66 to a predetermined voltage. Thereafter, the Q value is adjusted by the Q value adjuster 67 at the inductance L, and is applied to the excimer lamp 2. As an example, the preferable frequency at this time is 1-3 MHz, and the preferable applied voltage is 1-3 kV. In the second conversion method, illuminance adjustment of the excimer light is performed by the power controller 63. The illuminance adjustment is performed by duty control of the above-described high frequency power supply, and the illuminance of the excimer lamp 2 is maintained within a certain range by adjusting the duty in the range of 100% to 10%, for example. It is preferable to adjust the illuminance by duty control of the application time of the high frequency voltage by using the afterimage phenomenon of the excimer light.

By providing the power supply parts 51 and 61 of such a 1st or 2nd conversion system, the luminous efficiency of the excimer lamp 2 can be improved. Therefore, the light emission of the excimer lamp 2 and the temperature rise of the excimer irradiation device 1 can be effectively suppressed. And by combining with the cooling effect | action by the above-mentioned nitrogen gas 3, the excimer irradiation apparatus 1 and 41 of the large area provided with many excimer lamps 2 can be comprised.

As described above, according to the excimer irradiation apparatus of the present invention, the excimer lamp can be brought closer to the irradiated object, and higher irradiation efficiency can be realized. Moreover, since it is not necessary to introduce nitrogen into the box in which the aximer lamp is attached like conventionally, neither a window nor thick quartz glass is needed, it is very economical. Moreover, since a thin outer tube can be used, the fall of the permeability of excimer light can be prevented and it can irradiate with high irradiation efficiency. Moreover, since nitrogen gas flow means for the protection of an external electrode and the absorption of excimer light can be prevented, cooling of an inner pipe | tube and an outer pipe | tube and prevention of the fall of the excimer light can be performed, and it can irradiate with high irradiation efficiency. .

In addition, according to the irradiation apparatus of the present invention, since the excimer lamps are arranged adjacent to each other with a small gap, the generated excimer light can be irradiated to the irradiated object under high irradiation efficiency, and the illuminance distribution can be made more uniform.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The front sectional drawing which shows an example of the excimer irradiation apparatus of this invention.

2 is a front sectional view showing another example of the excimer irradiation device of the present invention.

3 is a side view illustrating a schematic form of the excimer irradiation device of FIGS. 1 and 2.

4 is a plan view of the excimer irradiation device of FIG.

5 is a plan view showing an example of an excimer irradiation device having a large-area irradiation surface;

6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the excimer lamp of FIG. 1.

7 is a cross-sectional view in the transverse direction of the excimer lamp of FIG. 1.

8 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the excimer lamp of the present invention.

9 is a cross-sectional view showing a relationship between an inner tube and an inner electrode of the excimer lamp shown in FIG. 8.

10 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the excimer lamp of the present invention.

11 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the excimer lamp of the present invention.

12 is a cross-sectional view showing a relationship between an inner tube and an inner electrode of the excimer lamp shown in FIG. 11;

13 is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the inner tube and the inner electrode of the excimer lamp.

14 is a cross-sectional view showing a relationship between an inner tube and an inner electrode of an excimer lamp.

15 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a power supply unit that outputs a high frequency voltage.

16 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a power supply unit that outputs a high frequency voltage.

[Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawing]

1,41: excimer irradiation device, 2: excimer lamp, 3: nitrogen gas, 4: excimer discharge tube, 5: outer electrode, 6: outer tube, 7: inner tube, 8: inner electrode, 9: gas for discharge, 10 : Reflector, 11: Inlet, 12: Outlet, 13: Small diameter tube, 21: Open case, 42: Irradiation surface, 51, 61: Power supply part, 52: High frequency power supply, 53: Matching controller, 54, 64: AC power, 55 : Circulating cooling device, 62: DC power supply, 63: power controller, 65: oscillator, 66: amplifier, 67: Q value regulator, g: gap, d: inner diameter of inner tube, L: inner electrode length, D: inner Outer diameter of electrode, V: vertical length of irradiation surface, W: horizontal length of irradiation surface, L1, L2: inductance, C1, C2: variable capacitor, Z1: output impedance, Z2: input impedance.

Claims (9)

An excimer discharge tube having a hollow double-cylindrical structure forming a discharge space, a discharge gas filled in the discharge space, an internal electrode disposed inside the inner tube of the excimer discharge tube, and an external electrode disposed outside the excimer discharge tube In the excimer lamp to have, An outer tube disposed outside the outer electrode, And an excimer lamp introducing a cooling medium into a space between the excimer discharge tube and the outer tube. The method of claim 1, Excimer lamp, characterized in that to introduce a cooling medium into the space in the inner tube. The method of claim 2, And the cooling medium introduced into the space in the inner tube is introduced into the space between the excimer discharge tube and the outer tube. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The outer tube is an excimer lamp, characterized in that the hollow tube of circular cross section. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The outer tube is an excimer lamp, characterized in that the hollow tube having a rectangular cross section. An excimer irradiation device comprising two or more excimer lamps of claim 4, And an interval between an outer circumferential surface of the outer tube of the one excimer lamp and an outer circumferential surface of the outer tube of the other excimer lamp adjacent to each other is 50 mm or less. An excimer irradiation device comprising two or more excimer lamps of claim 5, And an outer peripheral plane of the outer tube of the one excimer lamp and an outer peripheral plane of the outer tube of the other excimer lamp adjacent to each other are 10 mm or less. The method of claim 6, Additionally equipped with high frequency power, The high frequency power supply is excimer irradiation apparatus, characterized in that for applying a voltage of the frequency resonating with the excimer lamp in the frequency of 1 ~ 20MHz. The method of claim 7, wherein Additionally equipped with high frequency power, The high frequency power supply is excimer irradiation apparatus, characterized in that for applying a voltage of the frequency resonating with the excimer lamp in the frequency of 1 ~ 20MHz.