Zhongke Xinyuan semiconductor direct cooling machine accurately controls temperature changes

As the only local leader in the application of high-power thermoelectric temperature control systems, Zhongke Xinyuan produces semiconductor direct cooling machines that are sensitive and highly precise, and can significantly improve temperature control accuracy and energy consumption.

In the semiconductor manufacturing industry, direct cooling machines are usually used to control the temperature of process reaction chambers (i.e., wafer chucks). Existing direct cooling machines usually use conventional compressors, which not only consume a lot of energy, but also have poor temperature control accuracy, and cannot meet the requirements of high-precision semiconductor production.

To this end, Zhongke Xinyuan applied for an invention patent entitled "Heat exchanger and direct cooler for temperature control of semiconductor equipment reaction chamber" on January 11, 2019 (application number: 201910026792.2), and the applicant was Jiangsu Zhongke Xinyuan Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd.

Figure 1 Schematic diagram of heat exchanger structure

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a heat exchanger, that is, a single-unit heat exchanger, including a refrigeration chip, a heat sink and a heat exchange plate, wherein the refrigeration chip includes a number of refrigeration modules, and the refrigeration modules include P-type and N-type materials, and the two ends of the P-type and N-type materials are connected by metal conductors respectively.

The cold end of the cooling chip is connected to the reaction chamber, the hot end surface is connected to the base of the heat sink, and the heat dissipation surface of the heat sink is connected to the cooling liquid inside the heat exchange plate. The cooling chip works after power is turned on (the two pins of the cooling chip are connected), and the positive voltage applied to the N-type material drives the electrons from the P-type to the N-type material and back to the voltage source. At this time, the temperature of the cold end decreases as heat is absorbed, and then the heat is conducted to the hot end and dissipated through the radiator. If the voltage is reversed, the above process is also reversed. The temperature control accuracy and energy consumption of the cooling chip when controlling the temperature of the reaction chamber are significantly improved.

When the heat exchanger includes two electrically parallel refrigeration chips, adjacent refrigeration chips share a heat exchange plate, that is, the two sides of the heat exchange plate are respectively connected to the heat dissipation surfaces of the two heat dissipation blocks; and the cold ends of the refrigeration chips are respectively connected to the reaction chamber. Its working principle is the same as that of a single unit heat exchanger; its circuit is set according to the parallel relationship, and its cooling effect can be adjusted.

When the heat exchanger includes twelve refrigeration chips electrically connected in series, that is, the heat exchange plate is provided with six refrigeration chips in series, of which two heat exchange plates are connected in parallel, so there are twelve refrigeration chips in total. The hot end surface of the refrigeration chip is connected to one side of the heat sink, and the heat dissipation surface of the heat sink is respectively connected to the cooling liquid inside the heat exchange plate; and the cold end of the refrigeration chip is connected to the reaction chamber. Its working principle is still the same as that of a single unit heat exchanger; and its circuit is set according to the series relationship, and its refrigeration effect can be adjusted; and the number of refrigeration chips can be increased or decreased according to actual needs to further optimize the refrigeration effect.

Figure 2 Schematic diagram of liquid cooling channel structure

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the liquid cooling channel. A liquid cooling channel is provided inside the heat exchange plate in any of the above-mentioned heat exchangers, and the liquid cooling channel immerses the heat dissipation surface of the heat sink. The heat dissipation surface is a plurality of heat sinks arranged side by side and in parallel. A water inlet and a water outlet are respectively provided at both ends of the side of the heat exchange plate, with a liquid cooling channel in between. The liquid cooling channel immerses the space around the heat sink and the heat dissipation surface, and the coolant therein can quickly take away the heat from the heat dissipation surface. The heat exchange plate is provided with an installation port, one side of the installation port is connected to the cooling liquid, and the other side is connected to the heat sink. The heat dissipation surface of the heat sink is immersed in the cooling liquid, and a sealing ring is provided on the connection surface between the installation port and the base of the heat sink. The sealing ring separates the cooling liquid and the refrigeration chip to ensure water tightness.

In short, Zhongke Xinyuan's patented semiconductor direct cooling machine uses semiconductor temperature control chips to control the temperature of the reaction chamber, which significantly improves temperature control accuracy and energy consumption.

Zhongke Xinyuan is a provider of thermoelectric temperature control system products and solutions. Its core team has nearly 20 years of experience in the semiconductor field and is in an absolute leading position in the competition of similar products in the semiconductor industry. Looking to the future, Zhongke Xinyuan will use the semiconductor field as a moat to continuously explore and expand its current research fields and markets.