INDUCTION HEATING APPARATUS AND INDUCTION HEATING METHOD

• US 20130264335A1
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsui E&S Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Company Limited (Mitsui E&S Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Uchida, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 9,287,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/634
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67103 mainly by conduction
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/105 using a susceptor
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/36 Coil arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/42 Cooling of coils
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/44 having more than one coil or coil segment

Abstract

To provide an induction heating apparatus that employs a batch-type heating system for heating a large-diameter wafer and can perform uniform heating with a high precision, an induction heating apparatus (10) that heats an inductive-heating target member using a magnetic flux generated from a solenoid-type induction heating coil (18) and heats a wafer (40) using the heat generated from the inductive-heating target member, wherein a plurality of inductive-heating target members 14 (14a, 14b, and 14c) of which principal surface is arranged perpendicularly to a core axis direction of the induction heating coil (18) are interspersed. In the induction heating apparatus (10) described above, a susceptor (12) may be configured by housing the inductive-heating target member (14) in a single holder (16) made of a member having magnetic permeability and heat conductivity.

Claims

1. An induction heating apparatus that heats an inductive-heating target member using a magnetic flux generated from a solenoid coil and heats a heating target member using the heat generated from the inductive-heating target member,

wherein each of a plurality of inductive-heating target members has a principal surface arranged perpendicularly to a core axis direction of the solenoid coil are interspersed,

the inductive-heating target members are housed in a single holder made of a member having magnetic permeability and heat conductivity to provide a heat generator,

the inductive-heating target members have a circular shape and are interspersed radially by using a center of the holder as an origin, and

an inductive-heating target member arranged in the vicinity of the center of the holder has a diameter larger than that of an inductive-heating target member arranged in the vicinity of an outer periphery side of the holder.

5. The induction heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inductive-heating target member arranged in the center of the holder has a thickness larger than that of the inductive-heating target member arranged in an outer circumference side of the holder.

7. The induction heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a through-hole is formed in each center of the circular inductive-heating target members so that each inductive-heating target member has a ring shape.

12. The induction heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, assuming that the inductive-heating target member arranged in a center side of the heat generator is a first inductive-heating target member, and the inductive-heating target member arranged in an outer circumference side of the heat generator is a second inductive-heating target member,

the first inductive-heating target member can obtain a heat density higher than that of the second inductive-heating target member when a frequency of an electric current supplied to the solenoid coil of the first inductive-heating target member is lower than that of the second inductive-heating target member.

21. The induction heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a thin portion and a thick portion are formed in the inducive-heating target member.

22. The induction heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the heat generators are arranged in an enclosed space of the solenoid coil in parallel with each other.

2-4. -4. (canceled)

6. An induction heating apparatus that heats an inductive-heating target member using a magnetic flux generated from a solenoid coil and heats a heating target member using the heat generated from the inductive-heating target member,

wherein each of a plurality of inductive-heating target members has a principal surface arrangedserpendicularly to a core axis direction of the solenoid coil are interspersed,

the inductive-heating target members are housed in a single holder made of a member having magnetic permeability and heat conductivity to provide a heat generator,

the inductive-heating target members are interspersed radially by using a center of the holder as an origin, and

an inductive-heating target member arranged in the center of the holder has a thickness larger than that of an inductive-heating target member arranged in an outer circumference side of the holder.

13. The induction heating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, assuming that the inductive-heating target member arranged in a center side of the heat generator is a first inductive-heating target member, and the inductive-heating target member arranged in an outer circumference side of the heat generator is a second inductive-heating target member,

the first inductive-heating target member can obtain a heat density higher than that of the second inductive-heating target member when a frequency of an electric current supplied to the solenoid coil of the first inductive-heating target member is lower than that of the second inductive-heating target member.

25. The induction heating apparatus according claim 6, wherein a plurality of the heat generators are arranged in an enclosed space of the solenoid coil in parallel with each other.

8-11. -11. (canceled)

14-20. -20. (canceled)

23-24. -24. (canceled)