Double wall fast cool-down furnace
AssigneeBTU Engineering Corporation
InventorArthur Waugh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One fast cool-down furnace embodiment discloses a double wall in the interspace of which a cooling air stream is flowable to provide fast cool-down of a load of wafers. The double wall embodiment is retrofittable on existing diffusion furnaces, and includes a cylindrical member aligned in concentric relation with the diffusion tube by combination plenum defining and supporting manifolds. In a second embodiment, the fast cool-down furnace includes a reaction vessel and a heating core relatively movable relative to each other in such a way that in a fast cool-down condition the core and reaction vessel are spaced apart. Cooling tubes are embedded in the movable core. Fans or other aids to cooling are provided. Operation is either in a controlled cool-down mode or in a quick quench mode.
Claims7
A fast cool-down furnace, comprising:
- a reaction vessel having an outer wall and defining an elongated reaction chamber having a length;
- means coupled to the reaction vessel for heating the reaction chamber;
- means coupled to the reaction vessel for injecting reactants in gas phase into the reaction chamber;
- means for providing an annular fluid flow passageway having an annular mouth and that is in concentric surrounding relation to and extends substantially along the length of the reaction chamber;
- means coupled to the annular fluid flow passageway for providing an annular duct in air-tight sealing relation to said mouth of said annular fluid flow passageway;
- and
- means coupled to said annular duct for moving an annular stream of fluid peripherally around the mouth and through the passageway for removing heat uniformly from around the reaction chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.