KR20050007003A - Cu pipe seperating type cooling unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A copper pipe separating type cooling unit is provided to prevent a copper pipe from being corroded even when a cooling unit is used for a long interval of time by separating a copper pipe through which Freon gas flows and a cooling pin by a pin base and by preventing the copper pipe from being directly exposed to air or coolant. CONSTITUTION: A chamber case(100) is prepared which includes open upper and lower surfaces(A,B) and both open sidewalls(C,D). The first cooling part is inserted into the open region of one sidewalls of the chamber case. A cooling pin(110) is coupled to one surface of the first cooling part at both sides of a pin base(120), and a copper pipe(130) is coupled to the other surface of the first cooling part. The first cover plate(140) is fixed to one sidewall of the chamber case, coupled to the copper pipe of the first cooling part. The second cooling part is inserted into the open region of the other sidewall of the chamber case. A cooling pin is coupled to one surface of the second cooling part at both sides of the pin base, and the copper pipe is coupled to the other surface of the second cooling part. The second cover plate is fixed to the other sidewall of the chamber case, coupled to the copper pipe of the second cooling part. The cooling pin forms a sealed structure in the chamber case.

Description

Copper pipe seperating type cooling unit

The present invention relates to a new concept copper pipe isolated cooling unit that can be used in semiconductor equipment.

Examples of the application of technology to cool air or liquid using freon gas around our lives range from residential environments to industrial applications. The application of the cooling technology using the freon gas varies depending on whether the object to be cooled is liquid or air.

For example, the technology that targets air cooling is mainly used for products such as household air conditioners, industrial air conditioners, automobile radiators, etc., and the technology that targets liquid cooling targets is used for products such as cold and hot water heaters.

The cooling units (hereinafter referred to as cooling dehumidification units) of the above products manufactured by applying the former technique (the technique to be the target of air cooling) have a common radiator structure, and these components have a standardized manufacturing method. For example, mass production is possible and the price is low.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the cooling and dehumidifying unit of the radiator structure has a structure in which a cooling copper pipe and a cooling fin are exposed in a passage through which air passes. 1A is a perspective view illustrating a structure of a cooling dehumidification unit having a conventionally used radiator structure, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the cooling dehumidification unit of FIG. In Figs. 1A and 1B, reference numeral 10 denotes a chamber case, 20 denotes a copper pipe through which a freon gas flows, and 30 denotes a cooling fin.

Therefore, when air is introduced into the chamber case 10 from the outside, the cooling dehumidification unit of the structure rapidly cools the inlet air by the Freon gas, and again, in the state where a large amount of moisture contained in the air is removed, Air is cooled in such a way as to flow out.

However, if the cooling dehumidification unit is designed in such a way that the cooling fins 30 are coupled to the copper pipe 10, the copper pipe is exposed to a passage through which air flows, resulting in a defect that the copper pipe corrodes when used for a long time.

Corrosion of copper pipes causes impurities by itself, and in severe cases, the problem is that the freon gas leaked through the corroded portion is mixed with cooling air in the chamber and discharged to the outside.

For this reason, in the clean air supply apparatus (for example, THC: Temperature Humidity Controller) for semiconductor facilities, although the merit in the process unit price is currently avoiding the application of the said unit.

This is because when the device equipped with the unit is used in a semiconductor process where dust of 0.1 μm or less is not allowed, the probability of process defects is increased due to corrosion of the copper pipe, which lowers the reliability of the FAB process. to be.

In other words, it can be seen that a typical radiator cooling and dehumidifying unit is inadequate for supplying clean air necessary for semiconductor manufacturing due to corrosion of copper pipes.

On the other hand, the product manufactured by applying the latter technique (the technique to which the liquid is to be cooled) is cooling water using a cooling unit having a plate bonding structure instead of the large ether structure. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a plate-shaped cooling unit that is currently widely used. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 50 denotes an inlet for freon gas, and 60a and 60b denote a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, respectively.

The plate-shaped cooling unit is disposed along the outer line inside the housing 70. The plate-shaped cooling unit intersects the flow of the freon gas and the liquid to be cooled between the plate and the plate by the layer plate (not shown). .

Therefore, in the cooling unit having the above structure, when the freon gas and the water are introduced into the housing 70 through the freon gas inlet 50 and the liquid inlet 60a, the cooling unit rapidly cools the introduced water using the freon gas. The liquid is cooled by flowing the cooled water back through the liquid outlet 60b.

However, the plate-shaped cooling unit also has a narrow passage through which liquid flows, so that when the multi-layer plate is used for a long time, impurities accumulate in a portion where the multi-layer plate is dense, and the internal passage between the plate and the plate is clogged. Sometimes the defect of mixing Freon gas and water may occur.

That is, it can be seen that the cooling unit having a plate-like structure is not suitable for supplying clean process water required for semiconductor manufacturing due to a phenomenon in which internal passages between the plates are blocked by corrosion and impurities of the multilayer board.

For this reason, semiconductor manufacturing lines currently supply THC or chillers, called constant temperature and humidity air supplies, instead of these cooling units to supply process air and cooling water into semiconductor equipment. However, units such as THC and chiller use a semiconductor called a thermoelectric element to cool the process air and cooling water, and thus consume 25% more power than the cooling units of FIGS. 1 and 2 in which copper pipes or multilayer plates are used. The disadvantage is high.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new type of copper pipe isolated cooling unit that allows the cooling pipe and air to be controlled in a high clean state applicable to a semiconductor process having a fine line width without using a semiconductor such as a thermoelectric element. To provide.

1A and 1B illustrate the shape of a conventional cooling and dehumidifying unit of a radiator structure.

1A is a perspective view thereof,

FIG. 1B is a side view of the cooling dehumidification unit of FIG. 1A seen in part I. FIG.

2 is a perspective view showing the shape of a cooling unit of a conventional plate-like structure.

3a to 3c show the copper pipe isolated cooling unit structure proposed in the present invention,

3A is a perspective view thereof,

FIG. 3B is an enlarged detail view of a main part of part II of FIG. 3A;

Figure 3c is a detail of the main portion showing the a-a 'cutting surface structure of Figure 3b.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a chamber case having an upper and lower surfaces (A) and (B) and both sidewalls (C) and (D) opened; A first cooling unit inserted into one sidewall opening region of the chamber case, having a fin base interposed therebetween, and a cooling fin coupled to one surface thereof and a copper pipe coupled to the other surface thereof; A first cover plate coupled to the copper pipe of the first cooling unit and fixed to one sidewall of the chamber case; A second cooling unit inserted into the other sidewall opening region of the chamber case, having a fin base interposed therebetween, and a cooling fin coupled to one surface thereof, and a copper pipe coupled to the other surface thereof; And a second cover plate coupled to the copper pipe of the second cooling unit and fixed to the other side wall of the chamber case, such that the cooling fins form a closed structure in the chamber case. Type cooling unit is provided.

At this time, the pin base and the first and the second plate is formed of Al material, the grooves of the same shape as the pipe on the pin base surface and the first and second cover plate surface of the portion that is coupled with the copper pipe, respectively It is preferable to further provide.

In addition, the pin base and the first and second cover plate is coupled by brazing bonding, the cooling fin is preferably further provided with a convex projecting structure.

Edges of the cooling fins may be completely sealed with an O-ring or a gasket, and the inside of the pipe may be processed in a comb pattern.

Meanwhile, the cooling unit may further include a chamber cover on the upper surface (A) and the lower surface (B) of the chamber case, and then may be manufactured by designing additional inlets and outlets communicating with the outside on the upper and lower surfaces of the chamber case. have. In this case, however, the object to be cooled is limited to liquid.

By designing the cooling unit with the above structure, the copper pipe and the cooling fins through which the Freon gas flows are completely isolated by the fin base, and thus, when the air or the coolant is introduced into the chamber case, the copper pipe is prevented from being exposed to these air or liquid components. Will be. As a result, since the copper pipe does not generate corrosion even for a long time, it is possible to control the cooling water and the air to a high clean state applicable to the semiconductor process having a fine line width without using a semiconductor such as a thermoelectric element.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3a is a perspective view showing the structure of the copper pipe type isolated cooling unit proposed in the present invention, Figure 3b is an enlarged main view of the part II of Figure 3a, Figure 3c shows the aa 'cut section structure of Figure 3b This is the detail of the part.

As shown, openings are formed in the upper and lower surfaces (A) and (B) of the chamber case 100 and both sidewalls (C) and (D), and one sidewall (D) of the chamber case 100. And the first and second cooling units having a cooling function are fitted in pairs in the openings formed in the other side wall C. In this case, the surface of the cooling unit is rapidly cooled by the freon gas to drop the temperature of the process air flowing into the chamber and at the same time serves to remove a large amount of moisture contained in the process air, the chamber case 100 serves to form a passage of air or liquid.

The first and second cooling units are designed in such a way that the cooling fins 110 are coupled to one surface with the fin base 120 interposed therebetween, and the copper pipe 130 coupled to the other surface.

The edge of the cooling fin 110 is equipped with an O-ring (not shown) or a gasket (not shown), so that the first and second cooling portions may be inserted into both sidewalls of the chamber case 100. When fitted, the chamber case 100 has a completely sealed structure.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the cooling fins 110 have a convex protrusion structure 112 formed on the surface thereof. This is to improve the cooling efficiency by generating vortices in the cooling fins 110.

In addition, the copper pipe 130, as shown in Figure 3c is used that the inner surface is processed with a comb-like structure (t), which widens the contact surface of the freon gas flowing into the pipe to increase the cooling efficiency, cooling This is to enable miniaturization of the unit.

The first cover plate 140 is coupled to the copper pipe 130 of the first cooling unit using the bolt 150 as a medium, and the cover plate 140 is again connected to the chamber case using the bolt 150 as a medium. 100 is fixed to one side wall. In addition, the second cover plate 140 is coupled to the copper pipe 130 of the second cooling unit via the bolt 150, and the cover plate 140 is again connected to the chamber via the bolt 150. It is fixed to the other side wall of the case 100.

In this case, the pin base 120 and the first and second plates 140 are preferably made of Al, and the pin base surface 120 and the first and the first portions of the portion joined to the copper pipe 130 are preferably formed. 2 cover plate 140 is provided with recesses h1 and h2 having the same shape as the pipes, respectively, so that the copper pipes may be disposed between the pin base 120 and the first and second cover plates 140. When fixing the 130, it is preferable that the copper pipe 130 is fitted in these grooves h1 and h2.

The copper pipe 130 sandwiched between the pin base 120 and the cover plate 140 is manufactured as a single integrally with the copper pipe 130 during the heat treatment by the heating brazing method. This is because the 120, the copper pipe 130, and the cover plate 140 are integrally attached.

Therefore, by using the cooling dehumidification unit of the above structure, the air is cooled in the following manner. That is, when air flows into the chamber case 100, the freon gas flows through the copper pipe 130 to cool the fin base 120 and the cooling fin 110, and then flows into the chamber using the same. Cooled air quickly. Subsequently, a large amount of moisture contained in the air is removed, and then the air from which the moisture is removed is discharged to the outside.

On the other hand, in the case where the liquid is to be cooled using the cooling unit, the chamber cover is further provided on the upper surface A and the lower surface B of the chamber case 100, and then the upper and lower covers communicate with the outside. The cooling unit must be manufactured in such a way as to design additional inlets and outlets.

In this case, therefore, liquid cooling is achieved in the following manner. That is, when water is introduced into the chamber case through the liquid inlet, the freon gas flows through the copper pipe 130 to cool the fin base 120 and the cooling fin 110, and then the liquid introduced into the chamber using the same. Cools down quickly. Subsequently, the cooled liquid is flowed back through the liquid outlet to the outside.

By designing the cooling unit in this manner, the copper pipe is designed to be isolated from the passage of air (or liquid), thereby preventing the copper pipe from being exposed to these air or liquid components when air or cooling water flows into the chamber case.

Therefore, even if the cooling unit is used for a long time, corrosion of the copper pipe does not occur. Therefore, it is possible to control the cooling water and the air to a high clean state applicable to the semiconductor process having a fine line width using the copper pipe.

Therefore, when the cooling unit is brought into the structure of FIG. 3A, THC or chiller, which is widely used in the semiconductor manufacturing line, can be used instead. When the cooling unit is applied to a semiconductor facility, power consumption can be reduced by about 25% or more compared with the case of applying THC or chiller, and thus it can be said to have economic merit.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be variously modified and implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the technical scope of the present invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the copper pipe and the cooling fins through which the Freon gas flows are isolated by the fin base, when the air or the coolant is introduced into the chamber, the copper pipe is prevented from being directly exposed to these air or liquid components. It becomes possible. As a result, even if the cooling unit is used for a long time, the defect that the copper pipe is corroded does not occur, so that cooling water and air can be controlled in a high clean state applicable to a semiconductor process having a fine line width without using a semiconductor such as a thermoelectric element. Will be. In addition, since it is possible to apply the cooling unit to the semiconductor manufacturing equipment as it is, it is possible to significantly lower the power consumption than when using the existing THC or chiller.

Claims (8)

A chamber case in which upper and lower surfaces A and B and its side walls C and D are opened; A first cooling unit inserted into one sidewall opening region of the chamber case, having a fin base interposed therebetween, and a cooling fin coupled to one surface thereof and a copper pipe coupled to the other surface thereof; A first cover plate coupled to the copper pipe of the first cooling unit and fixed to one sidewall of the chamber case; A second cooling unit inserted into the other sidewall opening region of the chamber case, having a fin base interposed therebetween, and a cooling fin coupled to one surface thereof, and a copper pipe coupled to the other surface thereof; And A second cover plate coupled to the copper pipe of the second cooling unit and fixed to the other side wall of the chamber case; And said cooling fins form a closed room structure in said chamber case. The copper pipe isolation cooling unit according to claim 1, wherein the fin base and the first and second plates are made of Al material. The copper pipe isolation type cooling unit according to claim 1, wherein the fin base surface of the portion engaged with the copper pipe is further provided with a recess having the same shape as the copper pipe. The copper pipe isolation type cooling unit according to claim 1, wherein grooves having the same shape as the copper pipe are further provided on the first and second cover plate surfaces of the portion engaged with the copper pipe. The copper pipe isolated cooling unit according to claim 1, wherein the copper pipe and the first and second cover plates are joined by brazing joints. The copper pipe isolation type cooling unit of claim 1, wherein the cooling fin further includes a convex projecting structure. The copper pipe isolation type cooling unit according to claim 1, wherein the inside of the copper pipe is processed into a comb pattern. The copper pipe isolation type cooling unit according to claim 1, wherein a chamber cover having an inlet and an outlet communicating with the outside is further attached to upper and lower surfaces (A) and (B) of the chamber case.