TWI612259B - Heating apparatus and heating method - Google Patents

Abstract

A heating device adapted to heat a workpiece located in a heated region. The heating device includes a heating element, a sensing element, and a controller. The heating element is adapted to provide a thermal radiant energy into the heating zone. The sensing element is disposed at a sensing location within the heating zone for monitoring thermal radiation energy at the sensing location. The sensing element is spaced apart from the workpiece and the sensing element has a response time to the thermal radiation energy of less than or equal to 100 milliseconds. In addition, the controller is configured to receive the monitoring result of the sensing component, and adjust a process parameter of the heated workpiece according to the monitoring result. The present disclosure further proposes a heating method suitable for use in such a heating apparatus.

Description

Heating device and heating method

The present disclosure relates to a heating process and a heating method.

The heating process is widely used in industrial manufacturing to modulate the process environment or change product characteristics. Moreover, with the development and innovation of process technology, the demand for efficiency improvement, online monitoring, and instant feedback for heating processes has been derived.

Taking Roll-to-Roll (R2R) manufacturing technology as an example, it is applied to the manufacture of electronic products because of its continuous and mass production characteristics. In a roll-to-roll process, a baking apparatus is used to heat the coating to remove solvent from the coating, cure or dry the coating. At present, a conventional fast-bake baking apparatus such as a near-infrared (NIR) heater can be used instead of the conventional baking apparatus. Compared to conventional baking equipment that transfers heat energy by heat convection or heat conduction, the near-infrared heater transfers heat energy in a thermal radiation manner, thereby allowing the baked coating to rapidly heat up and be solidified.

However, due to the high temperature or other process conditions during heating, the existing monitoring of such heating equipment can only infer the actual heating of the workpiece based on the input power. In other words, in the case where the actual heating condition of the workpiece cannot be known, since the high energy output intensity makes the stability of the heating source difficult to control, it is often necessary to extend the heating time and increase the heating intensity to ensure that the workpiece is actually baked. On the other hand, the characteristics of the products that have been produced must be tested in order to feed back and adjust the process parameters. In this way, it will be difficult to grasp process stability and reproducibility, affect product yield, and also cause thermal energy loss.

The disclosure provides a heating device, which is suitable for real-time monitoring of the heating condition of a workpiece in a heating area, and instantly feedbacks and adjusts process parameters for heating the workpiece to improve process stability and reproducibility, reduce thermal energy loss, and improve product quality. rate.

The heating apparatus of the present disclosure is adapted to heat a workpiece located in a heated area. The heating device includes a heating element, a sensing element, and a controller. The heating element is adapted to provide a thermal radiant energy into the heating zone. The sensing element is disposed at a sensing location within the heating zone for monitoring thermal radiation energy at the sensing location. The sensing element is spaced from the workpiece by a distance that is not zero and the response time of the sensing element for thermal radiant energy is less than or equal to 100 milliseconds. In addition, the controller is configured to receive the monitoring result of the sensing component, and adjust a process parameter for heating the workpiece according to the monitoring result.

The disclosure provides a heating method, which is suitable for real-time monitoring of the heating condition of a workpiece in a heating area, and instantly feedbacks and adjusts process parameters for heating the workpiece to improve process stability and reproducibility, reduce thermal energy loss, and improve product quality. rate.

The heating method of the present disclosure is adapted to heat a workpiece located in a heated region. First, a thermal radiant energy is provided into the heating zone. Also, a sensing element is used to monitor thermal radiant energy at a sensing location within the heating zone. The sensing element is spaced from the workpiece by a distance that is not zero and the response time of the sensing element to thermal radiant energy is less than or equal to 100 milliseconds. Thereafter, a process parameter for heating the workpiece is adjusted according to the monitoring result.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

The following embodiments will illustrate the technical solution of the present disclosure by taking the baking process in the roll-to-roll technology as an example. It should be understood that those skilled in the art, after referring to the related embodiments, may apply the disclosed embodiments to other process environments having the same or similar heating requirements within a reasonable range. In the following various embodiments, the same or similar elements are denoted by the same or similar elements, and the description of the same or similar elements is omitted as appropriate.

1 is a schematic view of a heating apparatus using an embodiment of the present disclosure to heat a workpiece. 2 is a flow chart of a heating method in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, the heating apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is, for example, a baking apparatus for a roll-to-roll process. In the roll-to-roll process, the unwinding unit 192 and the winding unit 194 of the conveying device 190 drive the transfer substrate 196 to advance. Above the transfer substrate 196 is disposed, for example, a coater 180 or other possible processing equipment. The coater 180 forms a coating 198 on the transfer substrate 196. After the coating 198 as a heated workpiece is heated by the heating apparatus 100, the solvent within the coating 198 will evaporate, causing the coating 198 to cure.

Specifically, the heating device 100 includes a heating element 110, a sensing element 120, and a controller 130. Here, the heating element 110 is, for example, a near infrared heater for heating the coating 198 to remove the solvent within the coating 198. In this embodiment, the output wavelength of the heating element 110 is, for example, between 400 nm and 1500 nm, and the output power is, for example, between 50 and 1000 kw/m ² , and the heating temperature range is, for example, between 80 and 250 ° C. between.

In addition, the present embodiment can select the material of the coating 198 and the transmission substrate 196 to improve the heating efficiency by different absorption rates of heat radiation energy of a specific wavelength by different materials, and protect the transmission substrate 196 from thermal radiation energy. . For example, the coating layer 198 is, for example, a polymer material containing silver, and the transmission substrate 196 is, for example, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or a polyethylene naphthalate (polyethylene naphthalate). Polymer materials such as PEN). The transmission substrate 196 has a transmittance for near infrared rays of more than 80%. As described above, since the coating layer 198 has a high absorption rate for near-infrared rays, and the transfer substrate 196 has a low absorption ratio of near-infrared rays, heating (baking) is achieved without damaging the transfer substrate 196.

In the present embodiment, the heating element 110 provides thermal radiant energy into the heating zone R1 (step 210). When the transfer substrate 196 transports the coating 198 through the heating zone R1, the heating action can be completed in a very short time (e.g., 2 seconds). Since the heating time is extremely short, the present embodiment employs the sensing element 120 that reacts rapidly with the thermal radiation energy to immediately monitor the output of the heating element 110.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the sensing element 120 is disposed at a sensing location within the heating region R1 for monitoring thermal radiant energy at a sensing location on the path of thermal radiation transfer (step 220). Sensing element 120 is spaced a distance from coating 198 and does not contact coating 198. Also, the response time of the sensing element 120 to the heat radiation energy is less than or equal to 100 milliseconds. Here, the sensing element 120 is, for example, a carbon nano-tube temperature sensor whose reaction time for heat radiation energy is, for example, about 10 milliseconds (ms) for monitoring the sensing. The temperature of the position changes. Of course, in other embodiments, the sensing element 120 can also be a sensor capable of sensing other physical quantities corresponding to the thermal radiation energy, such as a photodiode that can sense the intensity of the radiant light and convert it into an electrical signal. .

Then, as shown in step 230 of FIG. 2, the controller 130 is coupled to the sensing component 120 for receiving the monitoring result of the sensing component 120, and adjusting the process parameters of the heating coating 198 according to the monitoring result. Taking the sensing element 120 as the temperature sensor as an example, the controller 130 can estimate the heating temperature of the coating 198 according to the temperature change measured by the sensing element 120. Specifically, after the sensing component 120 detects the temperature change of the sensing location, the controller 130 can depend on the distance between the heating component 110 and the sensing component 120, the distance between the heating component 110 and the coating 198, and the coating 198. The material, the material of the transfer substrate 196, the heating area formed by the heating element 110 on the coating 198, the thickness and thermal conductivity of the coating 198 and the transfer substrate 196, and the ambient temperature and humidity at which the heating device 100 is placed, The temperature of the coating 198 is derived. And, the process parameters of the subsequent heating coating 198 can be adjusted according to the estimation result.

For example, the present embodiment can monitor the change in thermal radiant energy output by the heating element 110 by the rapidly reacting sensing element 120 and analyze the temperature of the coating 198 to further adjust the output intensity and output period of the heating element. In other words, the output intensity and output period of the heating element 110 are adjustable, and the adjustment method includes the system automatic adjustment, the system cooperates with the operator semi-automatic semi-manual adjustment, and the operator manually adjusts the appropriate output parameters to save energy loss. In addition, the output of the heating element 110 can be a continuous output, a pulse output at a fixed period or an unfixed period, or a change in thermal radiant energy of the heating element taken according to the sensing element 120 and The output energy of the heating element 110 is instantly adjusted by parameters such as the temperature of the coating 198.

On the other hand, during the heating process, the properties of the coating 198 may change as the solvent of the coating 198 (or workpiece) is evaporated, for example, the electrical characteristics of the coating 198 may change from a poor conductor to a conductor. At this time, the embodiment can also evaluate the characteristic change of the coating 198 by the monitoring result of the sensing element 120, and feed back this information to the heating element 110 to adjust the output energy or other process parameters of the heating element 110.

Based on the above, the heating apparatus 100 of the present embodiment adjusts the heated process parameters by the controller 130 according to the monitoring result of the sensing element 120 by providing the fast-reacting sensing element 120 in the heating region R1. Therefore, in addition to the correction of the heating device 100 before the line is on, the change of the heat radiation energy output by the heating element 110 can be monitored in real time on the line, thereby adjusting the relevant parameters of the heating element 110, and performing immediate correction and feedback on the heating process parameters to improve Capacity and process stability, and reduce energy waste.

3A and 3B are schematic diagrams showing adjustment of process parameters according to monitoring results according to another embodiment of the disclosure. This embodiment moves the heating element 310 such that the heating element 310 scans the workpiece 302 to be heated above the transfer substrate 396. First, as shown in FIG. 3A, if the area of the workpiece 302 is equal to the scanning area of the heating element 310, and the scanning speed of the heating element 310 is constant, the heating time of the workpiece 302 may vary depending on the position. Due to the positional limitation of the heating element 310 at the front and rear ends of the scanning path, the heating time of the partial workpiece 302 is insufficient. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3B, using the technical solution of the present disclosure as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of sensing elements 320 are selectively disposed on the transmission substrate 396 to monitor the heating condition in the entire heating region. Moreover, the scanning speed of the heating element 310 can be adjusted in time according to the monitoring result, so that the heating temperature distribution in the heating region can be relatively uniform.

In addition, please refer to FIG. 1 again. The disclosure may also select to set the database 140 in the heating device 100 as a basis for the controller 130 to feed back information. Specifically, the database is built in the controller 130 or stored in an external host (not shown) for storing different process parameters and data corresponding to the heating result. Here, the process parameters may include the output power of the heating element 110 or the heating time of the workpiece (eg, coating 198). The controller 130 is coupled to the database 140 and is adapted to adjust the process parameters with reference to the data stored in the database 140.

4A and 4B illustrate the relationship between the process parameters described in the database 140 and the corresponding heating results in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. First, it can be seen from Fig. 4A that the heating time is negatively correlated with the output power. If the output power increases with the heating time, the deformation of the workpiece will be intensified. Thereby, a suitable process parameter in a specific area as shown in FIG. 4B can be estimated. For example, when the sensing component 120 detects that the output power of the heating component 110 has changed, and the compensation of the input power is not immediately performed, the correction of the process parameters (such as the baking time) may be performed according to the content of the database 140. In addition, if the process parameters reach a condition that cannot be compensated, the heating device 100 can be selected to issue a warning and mark the product. In other words, the heating device can be provided with an appropriate heating time by the aforementioned design, and energy waste can be saved. In addition, since the energy change outputted by the heating element 110 can be detected immediately, it is possible to judge whether the process parameter needs to be adjusted at any time, or whether the heating element 110 needs to be replaced.

Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of a heating apparatus for heating a workpiece using another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the heating apparatus 500 of the present embodiment is similar to the heating apparatus 100 shown in FIG. The main difference between the two is that the sensing element 520 of the present embodiment is located below the transmission substrate 196. In other words, the heating element 110 and the sensing element 520 are respectively located on opposite sides of the transmission substrate 196. Thereby, it is possible to avoid that the solvent gas evaporating upward during the heating of the coating 198 affects the monitoring result of the sensing element 520.

In other words, the present disclosure does not limit the position and number of sensing elements. Those of ordinary skill in the art can adjust the position and number of sensing elements as needed.

Figure 6 is a schematic illustration of a heating apparatus for heating a workpiece using another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, the heating apparatus 600 of the present embodiment is similar to the heating apparatus 500 shown in FIG. The main difference between the two is that this embodiment does not require carrying a heated substrate, such as coating 198, by transporting the substrate. Specifically, the present embodiment advances the heated workpiece (eg, coating 198) directly by the unwinding unit 192 and the winding unit 194. Heating element 110 and sensing element 620 are respectively located on opposite sides of the heated workpiece (e.g., coating 198) to monitor the heated state of the heated workpiece (e.g., coating 198) by sensing element 620.

Figure 7 is a schematic illustration of a heating apparatus for heating a workpiece using yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, the heating apparatus 700 of the present embodiment is similar to the heating apparatus 100 shown in FIG. The main difference between the two is that the filter element 750 is further disposed between the sensing element 120 and the heating element 110 to reduce the heat radiation energy entering the sensing element 120.

In particular, since the temperature generated by the continuous illumination of the heating element 110 may be greater than 250 ̊C, the operating temperature range of the sensing element 120 is limited, for example, between 10 and 90 ̊C, so the heating element 110 and the sensing element 120 are required. The filter element 750 is disposed to prevent the heat radiation energy from directly entering the sensing element 120, so that the sensing element 120 is within a suitable operating temperature range, and the sensing element 120 is prevented from being damaged by overheating.

In this embodiment, the material of the filter element 750 and the coating material are, for example, low-infrared absorption or high-infrared reflective materials, such as borosilicate glass (BK7 glass), quartz, alumina, yttria, oxidation. Helium, silver, gold, etc., to prevent the filter element 750 itself from being heated by infrared rays to be heated to a high temperature. In addition, the filter element 750 is, for example, a band-stop filter for a specific wavelength range, such as a near-infrared wavelength range (eg, 400 nm to 1500 nm) or near A specific wavelength range (such as 750~850nm) in the infrared wavelength range. Further, the filter element 750 may also be a neutral density filter that does not consider a specific wavelength range.

Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of a heating apparatus for heating a workpiece using still another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8, the heating apparatus 800 of the present embodiment is similar to the heating apparatus 100 shown in FIG. The main difference between the two is that the present embodiment further includes a humidity sensor 860 that can be disposed around the heating zone R1 or within the heating zone R1 for monitoring humidity changes on the heating device 800 line. For example, humidity sensor 860 is disposed on extraction device 880 above coating 198 to determine if coating 198 is fully heated by monitoring the humidity of gas stream 882. Alternatively, the present embodiment may further include a humidity sensor 870 that may be disposed at other locations of the heating device 800 to monitor changes in humidity of the environment in which the heating device 800 is located. The controller 130 can be coupled to the sensing component 120 and the humidity sensor 860 or 870 for receiving the monitoring result of the sensing component 120 and the humidity sensor 860 or 870, and adjusting the heating coating 198 according to the monitoring result. Process parameters.

Here, the humidity sensor 860 or 870, together with the sensing elements 120, 320, 520, and 620, which are exemplified as temperature sensors, can be a sensor of a carbon nanotube, which has a very short reaction. The time, for example less than or equal to 10 milliseconds, is used to monitor the humidity or temperature change of the sensed location.

In summary, the heating device and the heating method of the present disclosure provide a rapidly reacting sensing element in the heating region to measure the actual output thermal radiation energy. Thereby, the variation and efficiency attenuation of the heating element in the process can be corrected or compensated according to the result of the real-time monitoring. In addition, the present disclosure can accurately analyze the heating condition of the workpiece, and adjust the process parameters for heating the workpiece, such as the output power of the heating element or the heating time of the workpiece, etc., to avoid excessive heating and damage the workpiece. , or insufficient heating to produce defective products.

The present disclosure has been disclosed in the above embodiments, but it is not intended to limit the disclosure, and any person skilled in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The scope of protection of this disclosure is subject to the definition of the scope of the appended claims.

100‧‧‧heating equipment
110‧‧‧heating elements
120‧‧‧Sensor components
130‧‧‧ Controller
140‧‧‧Database
180‧‧‧Coating machine
190‧‧‧Conveyor
192‧‧‧Unwinding unit
194‧‧‧Winding unit
196‧‧‧Transfer substrate
198‧‧‧ coating
R1‧‧‧heating area
210~230‧‧‧Steps
302‧‧‧Workpiece
310‧‧‧ heating element
320‧‧‧Sensor components
396‧‧‧Transfer substrate
500‧‧‧heating equipment
520‧‧‧Sensor components
600‧‧‧heating equipment
620‧‧‧Sensor components
700‧‧‧heating equipment
750‧‧‧ Filter elements
800‧‧‧heating equipment
860, 870‧‧‧ Humidity Sensor
880‧‧‧Pumping equipment
882‧‧‧ airflow

1 is a schematic view of a heating apparatus using an embodiment of the present disclosure to heat a workpiece. 2 is a flow chart of a heating method in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams showing adjustment of process parameters according to monitoring results. 4A and 4B illustrate the relationship between the process parameters recorded in the database and the corresponding heating results in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of a heating apparatus for heating a workpiece using another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 is a schematic illustration of a heating apparatus for heating a workpiece using another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 is a schematic illustration of a heating apparatus for heating a workpiece using another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of a heating apparatus for heating a workpiece using another embodiment of the present disclosure.

100‧‧‧heating equipment

110‧‧‧heating elements

120‧‧‧Sensor components

130‧‧‧ Controller

140‧‧‧Database

180‧‧‧Coating machine

190‧‧‧Conveyor

192‧‧‧Unwinding unit

194‧‧‧Winding unit

196‧‧‧Transfer substrate

198‧‧‧ coating

R1‧‧‧heating area

Claims (18)

A heating device adapted to heat a workpiece located in a heating zone, the heating device comprising: a heating element for providing a thermal radiant energy into the heating zone; a sensing component disposed in the heating zone a sensing position for monitoring the thermal radiant energy of the sensing location, wherein the sensing component is separated from the workpiece by a distance that is not zero, and the sensing element has a reaction time for the thermal radiant energy is less than Or equal to 100 milliseconds; and a controller receiving the monitoring result of the sensing component and adjusting a process parameter for heating the workpiece according to the monitoring result. The heating device of claim 1, further comprising a filter element between the heating element and the sensing element for reducing the heat radiation energy entering the sensing element. The heating device of claim 2, wherein the filter element comprises a neutral density filter or a band-stop filter. The heating device of claim 1, wherein the heating element comprises a near-infrared (NIR) heater. The heating device of claim 1, further comprising a database for storing different data of the process parameter and the corresponding heating result, wherein the controller is coupled to the database and is adapted to refer to the data. The data stored by the library is used to adjust the process parameters. The heating device of claim 5, wherein the process parameter comprises an output power of the heating element or a heating time of the workpiece. The heating device of claim 1, wherein the sensing component comprises a temperature sensor for monitoring a temperature change of the sensing location. The heating device of claim 7, wherein the controller estimates the heated temperature of the workpiece based on the temperature change measured by the temperature sensor. The heating device of claim 1, further comprising a conveying device for conveying the workpiece through the heating zone. The heating device of claim 1 or 9, wherein the heating element and the sensing element are respectively located on opposite sides of the workpiece. The heating device of claim 9, wherein the conveying device comprises a transmission substrate for carrying the workpiece, and the heating element and the sensing element are respectively located on opposite sides of the transmission substrate. The heating device of claim 1, further comprising a humidity sensor located in or around the heating zone for monitoring a change in humidity at a specific location in the heating zone or around the heating zone. . A heating method adapted to heat a workpiece located in a heating zone, the heating method comprising: providing a thermal radiant energy into the heating zone; monitoring the sensing location at a sensing location in the heating zone using a sensing component Thermal radiant energy, wherein the sensing element is separated from the workpiece by a distance that is not zero, and the response time of the sensing element for the thermal radiant energy is less than or equal to 100 milliseconds; and the heating is adjusted according to the monitoring result A process parameter of the workpiece. The heating method of claim 13, wherein a near-infrared (NIR) heater is used to provide the heat radiation energy into the heating zone. The heating method of claim 13, wherein the sensing element comprises a temperature sensor for monitoring a temperature change of the sensing position. The heating method of claim 15, further comprising estimating the heated temperature of the workpiece based on the temperature change measured by the temperature sensor. The heating method of claim 13, further comprising using a conveying device to transport the workpiece through the heating zone. The heating method of claim 13, further comprising monitoring a change in humidity at a specific location within the heated region or around the heated region using a humidity sensor.