Abstract
A polycrystalline silicon manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention may comprise an electrode adapter that electrically connects a core wire holder and a metal electrode, wherein the electrode adapter may be non-conductive with respect to a screwing part formed in the metal electrode. A polycrystalline silicon manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention may comprise an electrode adapter that electrically connects a core wire holder and a metal electrode, wherein the electrode adapter may be fixed to the metal electrode by a fixing mechanism part, and the electrode adapter may be non-conductive with respect to the fixing mechanism part.
Claims
1. A polycrystalline silicon manufacturing apparatus, which is configured to manufacture a polycrystalline silicon by a Siemens method, comprising: a metal electrode; a core wire holder; an electrode adapter that is configured to electrically connect the core wire holder and the metal electrode; and a fixing mechanism part, which is entirely provided below the core wire holder and entirely provided between the core wire holder and the metal electrode, the fixing mechanism part having a screwing part which is configured to penetrate to the metal electrode and fix the electrode adapter to the metal electrode, wherein an upper surface of the fixing mechanism part and a lower surface of the core wire holder are separated from each other and a gap is configured to exist between the upper surface of the fixing mechanism part and the lower surface of the core wire holder, wherein the screwing part is made of an insulating material; and wherein a carbon sheet is provided between the electrode adapter and the metal electrode.
2. The polycrystalline silicon manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrode adapter and the core wire holder are made of an identical material.
3. The polycrystalline silicon manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the electrode adapter and the core wire holder is made of a carbon material.
4. The polycrystalline silicon manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixing mechanism part is made of silicon nitride, quartz glass or germanium.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for exemplifying an aspect in which an electrode adapter is attached to an electrode to hold a core wire holder in a conventional technique;
(2) FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration example of a polycrystalline silicon manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
(3) FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an aspect in which an electrode adapter is attached to an electrode to hold a core wire holder;
(4) FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating another aspect in which an electrode adapter is attached to an electrode to hold a core wire holder;
(5) FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating another aspect in which an electrode adapter is attached to an electrode to hold a core wire holder;
(6) FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating another aspect in which an electrode adapter is attached to an electrode to hold a core wire holder; and
(7) FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a conductive member inserted between conductive parts of an electrode adapter and a metal electrode.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(8) FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration example of a reaction furnace of a polycrystalline silicon manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. A reaction furnace 100 includes an electrode 10 insulated from a base plate 5 disposed under a bell jar 1 on the base plate 5. The electrode 10 is connected to an electrode adapter 13 via a fixing mechanism part 17 (see FIGS. 3 to 6) made of an insulating material, and a carbon core wire holder 14 holding a silicon core wire 15 is fixed to the electrode adapter 13. Connection is made such that a current supplied from the electrode 10 passes through the electrode adapter 13 and the core wire holder 14, and a polycrystalline silicon 16 is deposited on the silicon core wire 15 by a reaction of a source gas.
(9) Note that a reference numeral 2 in FIG. 2 indicates a viewing window. A refrigerant for cooling the bell jar 1 is supplied from a refrigerant inlet 3 and discharged from a refrigerant outlet 4 to the outside of the furnace. A refrigerant for cooling the base plate 5 is supplied from a refrigerant inlet 6 and discharged from a refrigerant outlet 7 to the outside of the furnace. A refrigerant for cooling the electrode 10 is supplied from a refrigerant inlet 11 and discharged from a refrigerant outlet 12 to the outside of the furnace. A deposition source gas of a polycrystalline silicon is supplied from a source gas supply nozzle 9 and discharged from a reaction exhaust gas outlet 8 to the outside of the furnace.
(10) FIGS. 3 to 6 are conceptual diagrams each illustrating an aspect in which an electrode adapter included in the polycrystalline silicon manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to an electrode to hold a core wire holder.
(11) In the aspect illustrated in FIG. 3, a screwing part is formed on a top of the electrode 10. The electrode adapter 13 is fixed via the fixing mechanism part 17 screwed with this screwing part. A recess formed at a lower end of the core wire holder 14 is fitted into a protrusion formed on a top of this electrode adapter 13. Since the fixing mechanism part 17 is made of an insulating material, the screwing part is non-conductive, and power is supplied from the electrode 10 to the core wire holder 14 via a part of the electrode adapter 13 other than the screwing part. As a result, it is possible to completely suppress conduction in the screwing part where discharge easily occurs (a portion having an extremely uneven surface), and to prevent damage due to discharge.
(12) In the aspect illustrated in FIG. 4, a hole having a screwing part (female screw) is formed on a top of the electrode 10, and the fixing mechanism part 17 having a screwing part (male screw) is screwed with this hole portion. The electrode adapter 13 is fixed by this fixing mechanism part 17, and a protrusion formed at a lower end of the core wire holder 14 is fitted into a recess formed on a top of this electrode adapter 13. Since this fixing mechanism part 17 is also made of an insulating material, the screwing part is non-conductive, and power is supplied from the electrode 10 to the core wire holder 14 via a part of the electrode adapter 13 other than the screwing part. As a result, it is possible to completely suppress conduction in the screwing part where discharge easily occurs (a portion having an extremely uneven surface), and to prevent damage due to discharge.
(13) In the aspect illustrated in FIG. 5, a screwing part (male screw) is formed on a top of the electrode 10, and the electrode adapter 13 is disposed on a top of this screwing part (male screw). The electrode adapter 13 is fixed by the fixing mechanism part 17 having a screwing part on an inner surface thereof, and a recess formed at a lower end of the core wire holder 14 is fitted into a protrusion formed on a top of this electrode adapter 13. Since this fixing mechanism part 17 is also made of an insulating material, the screwing part is non-conductive, and power is supplied from the electrode 10 to the core wire holder 14 via a part of the electrode adapter 13 other than the screwing part. As a result, it is possible to completely suppress conduction in the screwing part where discharge easily occurs (a portion having an extremely uneven surface), and to prevent damage due to discharge.
(14) In the aspect illustrated in FIG. 6, a screwing part (male screw) is formed on a top of the electrode 10. With this screwing part, a screwing part formed on an inner surface of the electrode adapter 13 is screwed via the insulating fixing mechanism part 17. Note that in this case, an insulating treatment may be applied to the screwing part formed on the inner surface of the electrode adapter 13 such that the inner surface region of the electrode adapter 13 functions as the fixing mechanism part 17. A protrusion is formed on a top of the electrode adapter 13, and a recess formed at a lower end of the core wire holder 14 is fitted into this protrusion. Also in this case, since the fixing mechanism part 17 is made of an insulating material, the screwing part is non-conductive, and power is supplied from the electrode 10 to the core wire holder 14 via a part of the electrode adapter 13 other than the screwing part. As a result, it is possible to completely suppress conduction in the screwing part where discharge easily occurs (a portion having an extremely uneven surface), and to prevent damage due to discharge.
(15) As described above, an embodiment of the present invention provides a polycrystalline silicon manufacturing apparatus, which manufactures a polycrystalline silicon by a Siemens method, including an electrode adapter that electrically connects a core wire holder and a metal electrode, in which the electrode adapter is non-conductive with respect to a screwing part formed in the metal electrode.
(16) In addition, an embodiment of the present invention provides a polycrystalline silicon manufacturing apparatus, which manufactures a polycrystalline silicon by a Siemens method, including an electrode adapter that electrically connects a core wire holder and a metal electrode, in which the electrode adapter is fixed to the metal electrode by a fixing mechanism part, and the electrode adapter is non-conductive with respect to the fixing mechanism part.
(17) In this case, the electrode adapter and the core wire holder may be made of the same material.
(18) In addition, at least one of the electrode adapter and the core wire holder may be made of a carbon material. When connecting parts of the core wire holder and the electrode adapter are made of carbon, contact surfaces become familiar by sliding the core wire holder and the electrode adapter when the core wire holder and the electrode adapter are set. Therefore, even if the connecting parts of the core wire holder and the electrode adapter each have a simple tapered shape, sufficient fixing can be achieved, and discharge can be effectively suppressed.
(19) Note that in order to supply power to the core wire holder efficiently, a conductive member 30 such as a carbon sheet may be inserted into between conductive parts of the electrode adapter and the metal electrode.
(20) As in the aspect illustrated in FIG. 5, the electrode adapter may be fixed to the metal electrode via an insulating jig.
(21) Note that the entire fixing mechanism part may be made of an insulating material, but an insulating treatment may be applied to at least a surface of the fixing mechanism part.
(22) Note that the above insulating material only needs to have an electric resistivity sufficiently higher than carbon (about 10 μΩm). Examples of such a material include silicon nitride (about 1×10.sup.15 μΩm) and quartz glass (about 1×10.sup.18 μΩm). A material having an electric resistivity almost the same as germanium (about 5×10.sup.5 μΩm) can also be used as the above insulating material.
Examples
(23) A reaction to grow a polycrystalline silicon until the weight of a pair of polycrystalline silicon rods reached 80 to 200 kg was performed for 20 batches by a Siemens method, and it was confirmed whether a metal electrode had a defect considered to have been generated by discharge. As a result, in a case of using the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3 (in which the fixing mechanism part is made of silicon nitride), no defect was observed in the metal electrode. Meanwhile, in a case of using the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, broken parts were observed in two batches corresponding to 10%, and in these batches in which the breakage occurred, defects considered to have been generated by discharge were confirmed in screw threads of the metal electrodes.
(24) An embodiment of the present invention provides an electrode adapter that can be stably conductive with respect to a metal electrode and a core wire holder.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
(25) 1 Bell jar 2 Viewing window 3 Refrigerant inlet (bell jar) 4 Refrigerant outlet (bell jar) 5 Base plate 6 Refrigerant inlet (base plate) 7 Refrigerant outlet (base plate) 8 Reaction exhaust gas outlet 9 Source gas supply nozzle 10, 20 Metal electrode 11 Refrigerant inlet (electrode) 12 Refrigerant outlet (electrode) 13, 23 Electrode adapter 14, 24 Core wire holder 15 Silicon core wire 16 Polycrystalline silicon 17 Fixing mechanism part 30 Conductive member 100 Reaction furnace
