JPH11263603A - Discharge cell for plate type ozone generator and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: A discharge cell used in a plate-type ozone generator is provided with a discharge gap of 0.1 mm or less with high accuracy. SOLUTION: In order to form a discharge gap 30 between a pair of flat plate units 10, the flat plate units 10, 10 are joined via a rib 50. Each flat plate unit 10
This is a structure in which a planar electrode 12 is provided on the back surface of a dielectric 11. The rib 50 is formed by printing and firing a glass material on the surface of one of the flat plate units 10, and is fused to the surface of the other flat plate unit 10 by the glass material or another glass material for sealing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a discharge cell used in a plate type ozone generator and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Ozone generators have begun to be used in the manufacture of semiconductors while being used in various chemical processes. For example, an ozone generator is currently used for forming an oxide film, ashing a resist, and cleaning a silicon wafer. In the case of such a semiconductor application, a high-purity oxygen gas is used as a source gas in order to generate a high-purity ozone gas.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a discharge cell used in a plate-type ozone generator, which is one of the conventional typical ozone generators.

This discharge cell includes a pair of flat plate units 10 and 10 stacked with a predetermined gap. Each of the flat plate units 10 has a structure in which a thin film made of a conductive material is coated on the back surface of a flat dielectric 11 as a flat electrode 12.
The flat plate units 10 and 10 are laminated and fixed via a frame-shaped spacer 20 so as to form a discharge gap 30 between the flat plates 1 and 11.

Here, the spacer 20 also serves as a peripheral seal of the discharge gap 30, and a metal plate, a ceramic plate, a glass plate, a resin sheet, or the like is used as a material thereof.

To generate ozone, a high-voltage power supply 40 is connected to the flat electrodes 12, 12 of the flat plate units 10, 10, and a high voltage is applied between the flat electrodes 12, 12, so that the flat plates 12, 10 are connected to each other. A silent discharge is generated in the discharge gap 30. In addition, oxygen gas or the like is passed through the discharge gap 30 as a source gas. Thereby, the oxygen gas in the source gas is ozonized in the discharge gap 30 and is discharged from the discharge gap 30.

In the case of the discharge cell shown in FIG. 6, each of the flat plate units 10, 10 has a dielectric 12, but this dielectric 12 may be provided on only one of the flat plate units 10, 10. . In general, the flat plate units 10 and 10 are forcibly cooled from the back side in order to release heat accompanying the discharge in the discharge gap 30.

In the discharge cell used in such a plate-type ozone generator, the flat plate units 10, 10
It is a recent tendency to reduce the gap amount G of the discharge gap 30 formed therebetween. This is because, by reducing the gap amount G of the discharge gap 30, the cooling efficiency in the discharge gap 30 is increased, whereby the concentration of ozone gas can be increased, and it is suitable for ozone generation in relation to the electron energy level. It is considered that a discharge effect can be obtained.

Regarding the reduction of the gap amount G, it is effective to reduce the gap amount to 0.4 mm or less.
No. 12304. PCT / U
The published specification of S / 10764 describes the effectiveness of reducing the thickness to 0.005 inches or less (0.13 mm or less). In fact, even in tests and analysis by the present inventors, it was found that 0.
A gap amount G of 1 mm or less is clearly effective for generating high-concentration ozone.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, 0.1
It is a very difficult technology to realize a very small discharge gap amount G of not more than mm at a mass production level.

That is, in order to realize the minimum discharge gap G, the spacer 20 having the same thickness as the gap G is required.
However, when the spacer 20 is a ceramic plate or a glass plate, it is difficult to produce a thin plate having a thickness of 0.1 mm or less. It is difficult to use it as the spacer 20.

When the spacer 20 is a resin sheet,
Lack of durability becomes a problem. In the case of a metal plate, there is a problem that contamination is released into ozone gas due to the sputtering of the metal surface.

Further, regardless of the material of the spacer 20, in the conventional discharge cell, the spacer 20 generally does not have a binding force on the flat plate units 10,10.
For this reason, there is a possibility that warpage as indicated by a broken line in FIG. For this reason, even if the thickness of the spacer 20 is fixed, the actual gap amount G becomes unclear, and when the gap amount G is small, the unevenness of the gap amount G due to the warpage of the flat plate units 10 and 10 becomes remarkable. Become.

Since the nonuniformity of the gap amount G causes a decrease in the ozone generation efficiency, from this point too, 0.1
It is difficult to achieve a very small discharge gap amount G of not more than mm.

The decrease in ozone generation efficiency due to the nonuniformity of the gap amount G can be prevented by disposing the spacers 20 not only around the discharge gap 30 but also in a wide area inside the discharge gap 30. The spacer 20 having such a complicated planar shape is more difficult to manufacture.

In addition, the conventional spacer 20 has no sealing property between the flat plate units 10 and 10 irrespective of its thickness. For this reason, a separate sealing material is required,
Organic adhesives generally have no durability.

As described above, the gap amount G of the discharge gap 30 has conventionally been limited to 0.1 mm in view of the limitation on the production of the spacer 20 and the difficulty in controlling the gap amount G. In addition, it is difficult to easily and reliably seal the gap between the flat plate units 10, 10 and the spacer 20 regardless of the gap amount G.

An object of the present invention is to provide a plate-type ozone which can easily realize a discharge gap amount G of 0.1 mm or less, and can manage the gap amount G with high accuracy even in such a small gap amount G. An object of the present invention is to provide a discharge cell for a generator and a method for manufacturing the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a discharge cell for a plate-type ozone generator which can easily and reliably seal a gap between a flat plate unit and a spacer, and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0020]

In order to achieve the above object, a plate-type ozone generator discharge cell of the present invention comprises:
Each has a flat electrode, at least one of which has a pair of flat plate units having a planar dielectric on the electrode surface, and a pair of flat plate units for forming a discharge gap between the pair of flat plate units. The unit employs a configuration in which a unit is bonded via a coating type rib formed by forming a glass or ceramic material on the surface.

Further, according to the discharge cell manufacturing method of the present invention, a glass material is provided on one surface of a pair of flat plate units each having a flat electrode and at least one having a planar dielectric on the electrode surface. To form a rib by printing and firing in a predetermined pattern, or a step of forming a rib by spraying a ceramic material in a predetermined pattern, and superimposing one flat plate unit and the other flat plate unit and sealing with a glass material. And a step.

Film formation of a glass material or a ceramic material for forming a coating type rib is used for manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like. In the discharge cell and the method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention,
At the micron level for manufacturing semiconductor devices, etc.
In addition, a high-precision ultra-precision technique is used for forming the ribs and bonding the flat plate units. Therefore, 0.1
An extremely thin rib of not more than mm can be formed relatively easily and reliably. Also, a rib having a complicated planar shape can be formed relatively easily.

Accordingly, a discharge gap G of 0.1 mm or less can be easily realized, and even with such a minimal gap G, the gap G can be managed with high accuracy.
Further, the pair of flat plate units can be securely sealed.

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are explanatory views of the structure of a discharge cell for a plate-type ozone generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a longitudinal sectional view of the discharge cell, and FIG. It is an AA arrow line figure of a). 2A to 2C are process explanatory diagrams of a discharge cell manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and show a case where the discharge cell of FIG. 1 is manufactured.

The discharge cell according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), a pair of flat plate units 10 and 10 which are opposed to each other with a small gap, and a flat plate unit 1 are provided.
In order to secure a predetermined gap amount G between 0 and 10, a rib 50 interposed therebetween is provided.

Each of the flat plate units 10 includes a flat dielectric 1
1 has a structure in which a thin film made of a conductive material is coated as the plane electrode 12 on the back surface. As the dielectric 11,
Alumina, aluminum nitride, borosilicate glass, quartz glass and the like are suitable.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the rib 50 is composed of a frame-shaped peripheral seal portion 50a and a plurality of partition portions 50b provided inside thereof. The peripheral seal portion 50a seals the peripheral portion between the flat plate units 10, 10 in addition to the management of the gap amount G. Multiple partition 50
are arranged in parallel in a staggered manner inside the peripheral seal portion 50a, and the end of each partition 50b on the displacement side is continuous with the peripheral seal portion 50a. With this configuration, the plurality of partition portions 50b form a meandering gas flow path in the discharge gap 30 in addition to the management of the gap amount G.

In FIG. 1B, reference numeral 13 denotes a gas inlet,
14 is a gas outlet.

The peripheral seal portion 50a of the rib 50 and the partition portions 50b, 50b,... Are integrally formed, and specifically, are formed on the surface of the dielectric 11 of one flat plate unit 10. On the first glass layer 51, the second glass layer 5
2 has a two-layer structure. Second glass layer 52
Is an adhesive layer for bonding the first glass layer 51 and the dielectric 11 of the other flat plate unit 10.

Next, a method for manufacturing a discharge cell according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

A printing paste produced by mixing a glass material with a metal oxide such as alumina is applied on the surface of the dielectric 11 of one of the flat plate units 10 prepared in advance by a screen printing method. The printing pattern corresponds to the planar shape of the rib 50.

By repeating this printing, the printing paste is raised to a predetermined height at the position where the rib 50 is formed on the surface of the dielectric 11. After that, the flat plate unit 10 is heated to bake the printing paste. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2A, the first glass layer 51 is formed on the surface of the dielectric 11 of the flat plate unit 10.

The method for forming the first glass layer 51 is not limited to the above-described printing method.
A photosensitive paste method may be used, in which a film resist is adhered thereon and a necessary portion is left by exposure and etching, and any type may be used.

When the first glass layer 51 is formed, FIG.
As shown in (b), a glass material 52 'is applied on the surface by a screen printing method. When this is over, Figure 2
(C) As shown in FIG.
Then, the other flat plate unit 10 manufactured in advance is positioned and overlapped.

Finally, the superposed flat plate units 1
The glass material 52 'is fired by heating 0,10. Thus, the first glass layer 51 is fixed to the dielectric 11 of the other flat plate unit 10 via the second glass layer 52, and the flat plate units 10, 10 are sealed.

Thus, the discharge cell shown in FIG. 1 is manufactured. It is also possible to omit the second glass layer 52 and use the first glass layer 51 as an adhesive layer.

Although the rib 50 is formed by forming a glass material here, it can be formed by forming a ceramic material. In this case, a layer corresponding to the first glass layer 51 is formed by spraying a ceramic material using masking, and a sealing glass layer similar to the second glass layer 52 is formed thereon.

The characteristics of the discharge cell thus manufactured are listed below.

The technology of printing and firing a glass material used for forming the rib 50, the technology of spray-forming a ceramic material, and the sealing technology used for bonding the flat plate units 10 and 10 are used to manufacture semiconductor devices and the like. It belongs to the field of precision technology to perform and has a high degree of perfection. Therefore, 0.1
The ultra-thin ribs 50 mm or less are also formed relatively easily and reliably, and as a result, a discharge gap G of 0.1 mm or less is realized.

The rib 50 having a complicated planar shape can be formed relatively easily. In addition, the rib 50 is provided on both sides of the flat plate unit 1.
It is firmly fixed to 0, 10 and has a large restraining force on the flat plate units 10, 10. For this reason, the flat plate unit 1
0, 10 warpage is effectively prevented. Therefore, 0.1
Even in the case of a very small discharge gap G of not more than mm, the nonuniformity of the gap G is eliminated, and a decrease in ozone generation efficiency due to the nonuniformity is prevented.

Since the ribs 50 are excellent in durability and the flat plate units 10, 10 are sealed via the ribs 50, the space between the flat plate units 10, 10 and the ribs 50, and further, between the flat plate units 10, 10 are improved. Sealed securely.

The width of the rib 50 can be reduced, and a very small width of 3 mm or less is possible. Such narrow ribs 50 are advantageous in terms of gas cooling and rectification.

FIGS. 3 to 5 are views corresponding to FIG. 1 (b) showing the planar shapes of the discharge gaps of another discharge cell for a plate-type ozone generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the discharge cell of FIG. 3, in order to form a U-shaped gas flow path inside the peripheral sealing portion 50a of the rib 50,
One partition 50b is provided inside the peripheral seal 50a.

In the discharge cell of FIG. 4, in order to form a plurality of parallel gas flow paths inside the peripheral seal portion 50a of the rib 50, a plurality of parallel partition walls 50b, 50b.・ Is provided.

The discharge cell shown in FIG. 5 is of an open type. Here, the disk-shaped flat plate units 10, 10
Are provided between the ribs 50 (the partition wall 50)
b, 50b,...) to seal with a predetermined gap amount G. Thereby, the flat plate units 10, 10
The discharge gap 30 formed therebetween has a configuration in which the peripheral portion is open, and guides the raw material gas flowing from the peripheral portion to the gas outlet 14 provided in the central portion.

In this type of discharge cell, the discharge gap 30
Does not need to be sealed, and the management of the gap amount G is easy.

In any of the discharge cells, since the rib 50 is formed by firing a glass material, a discharge gap amount G of 0.1 mm or less can be easily realized. Even if there is, the gap amount G can be managed with high accuracy. Further, the seal between the flat plate units 10 and 10 can be easily and reliably sealed. Furthermore, since a complicated rib shape can be easily realized, it is easy to improve the performance by devising the rib shape.

[0048]

As described above, the plate-type ozone generator discharge cell and the method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention are used for manufacturing semiconductor devices and the like for forming ribs corresponding to spacers and bonding flat plate units. By using a highly-completed technology belonging to the precision technology field of
Since an extremely thin rib of 1 mm or less can be formed relatively easily and reliably, a discharge gap amount G of 0.1 mm or less can be easily realized.

A rib having a complicated planar shape can be formed relatively easily, and the rib is firmly fixed to the flat plate units on both sides and has a large restraining force on the flat plate unit. Even with such a minimal gap amount G, the gap amount G can be managed with high accuracy.

Further, since the rib itself is excellent in durability and the flat plate unit is firmly sealed via the rib,
Sealing between the flat plate units and the ribs, and further between the flat plate units, can be ensured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a structural explanatory view of a discharge cell for a plate-type ozone generator according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a longitudinal sectional view of the discharge cell, and (b) is an AA arrow of (a). FIG.

FIG. 2 is a process explanatory view of a discharge cell manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a case where the discharge cell of FIG. 1 is manufactured.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a planar shape of a discharge gap of another discharge cell for a plate-type ozone generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
(B) It is an equivalent figure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 (b) showing a planar shape of a discharge gap of still another discharge cell for a plate-type ozone generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 (b) showing a planar shape of a discharge gap of still another discharge cell for a plate-type ozone generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a conventional discharge cell.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Flat plate unit 11 Dielectric 12 Flat electrode 13 Gas inlet 14 Gas outlet 20 Spacer 30 Discharge gap 40 High voltage power supply 50 Rib 50a Peripheral seal part 50b Partition part 51 First glass layer 52 Second glass layer

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method according to claim 1, further comprising: a pair of flat plate units each having a planar electrode, at least one of which has a planar dielectric on the electrode surface, and forming a discharge gap between the pair of flat plate units. What is claimed is: 1. A discharge cell for a plate-type ozone generator, wherein a pair of flat plate units are bonded via coating type ribs formed by forming a glass or ceramic material on the surface thereof. 2. The discharge cell for a plate-type ozone generator according to claim 1, wherein the pair of flat plate units are sealed with a glass material. 3. A glass material is printed in a predetermined pattern on one surface of a pair of flat plate units each having a planar electrode, at least one of which has a planar dielectric on the electrode surface, and is fired. A method for manufacturing a discharge cell for a plate-type ozone generator, comprising a step of forming a rib and a step of laminating one flat plate unit and another flat plate unit and sealing them with a glass material. 4. A rib is formed by spraying a ceramic material in a predetermined pattern on one surface of a pair of flat plate units each having a planar electrode, at least one of which has a planar dielectric on its electrode surface. A method for producing a discharge cell for a plate-type ozone generator, comprising a step of forming and a step of laminating one flat plate unit and the other flat plate unit and sealing them with a glass material.