US 7,479,621 B2Granted

Magnetic annealing tool heat exchange system and processes

AssigneePraxair Technology, Inc.

InventorsRichard John Jibb, John Fredric Billingham, Edward Duffy, Noel O'Shaughnessy, Kevin McMahon, Peter Ferris

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Abstract

A heat exchange system and processes for a magnetic annealing tool is provided. The system includes a process chamber housing workpieces to be processed; an element chamber partly surrounding the periphery of the process chamber, at least one vacuum for drawing a vacuum in fluid communication with the process chamber and separately with the element chamber in order to apply a vacuum to either or both of the process and element chamber so as to promote radiation heating of the workpieces; at least one supply of fluid in communication with the process chamber and separately with the element chamber to supply a cooling gas so as to promote conductive cooling of the workpieces; a cooling chamber disposed to surround the element chamber; and magnetic field generator for generating a magnetic field disposed on the outer periphery of the cooling chamber.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A process of annealing a predetermined number of workpieces in a magnetic annealing tool, comprising:

(a) loading the workpieces into a process chamber of the magnetic annealing tool;
(b) sealing the process chamber and separately sealing an element chamber partly surrounding the periphery of the process chamber and optionally pulling a vacuum from one or both chambers;
(c) energizing one or more arrays of electrical resistance heating elements disposed in the element chamber before, during or following step (b) to rapidly heat the workpieces from ambient temperature to the annealing temperature;
(d) maintaining the annealing temperature for a predetermined period of time;
(e) raising the pressure in the element chamber to a soft or rough vacuum upon the expiration of the predetermined period of time in step (d) so as to facilitate cooling of workpieces by heat transfer to a cooling fluid;
and
(f) re-pressurizing the process chamber and unloading the workpieces from the process chamber.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.