With Work Cooling Structure Patents (Class 432/77)
  • Patent number: 11679721
    Abstract: A rearview device for use with a vehicle includes a primary reflective element backing plate, a primary reflective element positioned on the primary reflective element backing plate, a secondary reflective element backing plate, a secondary reflective element positioned on the secondary reflective element backing plate, and an attachment mechanism including at least one clip or projection to attached the secondary reflective element to the primary reflective element backing plate. The attachment mechanism aligns a primary central axis of the primary reflective element to a secondary central axis of the secondary reflective element to be substantially parallel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Motherson Innovations Company Limited
    Inventors: Paul Henion, Gary Sinelli
  • Patent number: 11575115
    Abstract: An electrode heat treatment device and associated method for fabricating an electrode are described, and include forming a workpiece, including coating a current collector with a slurry. The workpiece is placed on a first spool, and the first spool including the workpiece is placed in a sealable chamber, wherein the sealable chamber includes the first spool, a heat exchange work space, and a second spool. An inert environment is created in the sealable chamber. The workpiece is subjected to a multi-step continuous heat treatment operation in the inert environment, wherein the multi-step continuous heat treatment operation includes continuously transferring the workpiece through the heat exchange work space between the first spool and the second spool and controlling the heat exchange work space to an elevated temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Ion C. Halalay, Kevin B. Rober, Niccolo Jimenez, Michael P. Balogh, Teresa U. Holiness-Stalling, Raghunathan K
  • Patent number: 11079106
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method are provided for continuously drying bulk goods, in particular wood fibers and/or wood chips, in a dryer, wherein the drying vapors are led to a dryer circuit, in which the drying vapors are indirectly heated via a heat-exchanger and are conducted to the dryer again.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: DOUGLAS TECHNICAL LIMITED
    Inventors: Günter Hensel, Wolfgang Seifert
  • Patent number: 10508336
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate retainer configured to support a substrate; a heat-insulating unit; a transfer chamber; and a gas supply mechanism configured to supply a gas into the transfer chamber, the gas supply mechanism including: a first gas supply mechanism configured to supply the gas into an upper region of the transfer chamber, where the substrate retainer is disposed such that the gas flows horizontally through the upper region; and a second gas supply mechanism configured to supply the gas into a lower region of the transfer chamber, where the heat-insulating unit is provided such that the gas flows downward through the lower region, wherein the first gas supply mechanism and the second gas supply mechanism are disposed along a first sidewall of the transfer chamber, and the second gas supply mechanism is disposed lower than the first gas supply mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takayuki Nakada, Takashi Nogami, Tomoshi Taniyama, Daigi Kamimura
  • Patent number: 9513058
    Abstract: A cooling grate, for cooling and transporting of cement clinker having at least one grate element with at least one support for cement clinker, having at least one cooling air channel discharging into the support which is inclined in conveying direction at least in a section adjacent to its outlet used to inject cooling air into the clinker has improved cooling characteristics if the cooling air channel is curved in conveying direction in at least a section adjacent to the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignees: IKN GmbH
    Inventor: Jörg Hammerich
  • Publication number: 20150140217
    Abstract: Provided is a vertical annealing furnace, in which a heating zone and a soaking zone are communicated with each other in the upper part of the furnace, in which a part of the furnace other than the communicated parts is separated by a dividing wall, in which part of the furnace gas is suctioned into a refiner having a deoxidation device and a dehumidification device which is placed outside the furnace to decrease the dew point of the gas by removing oxygen and moisture from the gas and such that the resultant gas having a decreased dew point is returned into the furnace, in which a gas suction port into the refiner is located in the lower part of the connection part between the soaking zone and the cooling zone and in which one or more gas suction ports are located in the parts of the heating zone and/or the soaking zone outside of an area within 6 m in the vertical direction and 3 m in the longitudinal direction of the furnace from the steel strip entrance in the lower part of the heating zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideyuki Takahashi, Nobuyuki Sato, Kazuki Nakazato, Motoki Takada
  • Patent number: 8932050
    Abstract: A system for calcination of oil green coke has a rotating furnace and a rotating cooler, the furnace being serviced by boiler, a combustion chamber and a chimney. There is a feeding system defined by a first mat carrying the green coke into a silo and another mat transporter to feed the furnace. At the end of the silo there are two discharge breadths for the oil green coke, where each breadth has two drawer-like feeders for feeding the green coke onto the mat transporter and, from this to the inside of the rotating furnace through a fall set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Petrocoque S/A Indústria e Comércio
    Inventors: Edinaldo Pereira da Silva, Elcio Santana, Manuel Lind Gomes, Ivo Ribeiro da Rocha, Genivaldo Linhares Brandão
  • Patent number: 8893402
    Abstract: A method for controlling the atmosphere in a protective gas chamber for the continuous treatment of metal strips. A metal strip is guided into and out of the protective gas chamber via locks. At least one lock has at least two sealing elements for the metal strip which runs through it, with the result that a sealed chamber is formed between the two sealing elements. The gas pressure (P2, PD) is measured in the protective gas chamber and in the sealed chamber of the lock and the pressure (PD) in the sealed chamber is regulated, to be precise in such a way that, during operation, the differential pressure between the protective gas chamber and the sealed chamber is kept as far as possible to an optimum value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Andritz Technology and Asset Management GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Hamman, Jerome Vallee
  • Patent number: 8894410
    Abstract: A cooler for cooling hot particulate material which has been subjected to heat treatment in an industrial kiln such as a rotary kiln for manufacturing cement clinker, includes a grate for receiving and supporting hot material from the kiln, at least one cooling gas duct which is connected to slots in the grate for introducing cooling gases into the hot material and a compressed air system for injecting compressed air into the material on the grate. The cooler also comprises at least one flow restricting device provided in the cooling gas duct. Use of the one or more flow restricting devices may permit only a very limited amount of the compressed air that is injected into the material on the grate to pass through the cooling gas duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: FLSmidth A/S
    Inventors: Niels Ole Cedergaard, Agust Orn Einarsson, Morten Drivsholm, Ejnar Jessen
  • Publication number: 20140339216
    Abstract: The invention concerns a dental furnace, with a furnace base and with a furnace hood, wherein the furnace hood includes a firing chamber for the accommodation of dental restorations, with a temperature sensor that records the temperature of the dental restoration and which is connected to a control device which controls the dental furnace, and the dental furnace (10) includes a drive unit (18) for the furnace hood (16) and the control device (30) controls the drive unit (18) based on the temperature recorded by the temperature sensor (20), namely opens the furnace hood.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicant: Ivoclar Vivadent AG
    Inventor: Rudolf Jussel
  • Publication number: 20140295366
    Abstract: Preparation of an electrode-active material, which uses a reactor to produce an electrode-active material by using a supercritical hydrothermal synthesis method, and a double-pipe type heat exchanger which cools the product discharged from the reactor to a subcritical range or below it.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: HANWHA CHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kyu Ho Song, Sei Ung Park, Seong Jae Lim, Ki Taeg Jung, Kee Do Han
  • Publication number: 20140261974
    Abstract: A thermal treatment method for insulating glass units or IGUs having one or more suspended polymer films includes first curing a sealant at a first elevated temperature for a specified duration, then shrinking the suspended film at a second, higher, elevated temperature for a specified duration, and then cooling the IGUs back to ambient temperature. The various heating and cooling stages may be performed in a tunnel oven having different length sections at the desired temperatures, while the IGUs are conveyed from one section to the next.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: SOUTHWALL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Richard T. Wipfler, Christian H. Stoessel, Zhisheng Xiong
  • Patent number: 8814563
    Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate heating apparatus including a hot plate that heats a substrate, and a cooling plate that supports the substrate and moves between a first position (home position) and the second position above the hot plate to transfer wafers between the two positions. A heat-radiating fin structure is connected to the cooling plate to move together with the cooling plate. The fin structure is thermally connected to the cooling plate via heat pipes. A suction port is arranged so as to locate adjacent to the fin structure when the cooling plate is in the home position. The fin structure is cooled by a gas passing therethrough before flown into the suction port, whereby the cooling plate is cooled through heat transfer from the cooling plate to the fin structure through the heat pipes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shinichi Hayashi, Hiroaki Inadomi
  • Publication number: 20140193762
    Abstract: A heat treatment furnace, also referred to as a multi-chamber furnace, that includes a plurality of treatment chambers, each having heating and cooling dampers and being controllable to adjust a flow rate into the treatment chamber, the dampers of each treatment chamber being selectively and independently adjustable with respect to one another so as to allow simultaneous heat processing of a plurality of products in different treatment chambers at different respective heat treatment states depending on the amount of heating and cooling flow rates allowed to enter in each treatment chamber via the dampers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Applicant: PYROMAITRE INC.
    Inventors: Mario Grenier, Nicolas Lévesque, Serge Adam, Christian Côté, Alex Grenier-Desbiens, James Demarest
  • Publication number: 20140186785
    Abstract: An active cooling system for a furnace that establishes steep temperature gradients, reduces temperature variations and performs rapid cooling, improving mechanical and electrical properties of heat-treated materials, increases overall throughput and promotes low compositional variation in the growth of crystals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicant: The Mellen Company Inc.
    Inventor: Jonathan Y. MELLEN
  • Patent number: 8764439
    Abstract: A device for recovering heat of molten slag, having a simple structure and high heat recovery efficiency. The device includes: a fluidized bed (3) formed of a fluidized bed material (32) composed of a crushed solidified slag; a slag pool (4) for feeding a molten slag to the fluidized bed; heat transfer tubes (7) for recovering heat from the fluidized bed; and a solidified slag withdrawing device (21) for recovering a solidified slag (34), such solidified slag (34) being formed in the fluidized bed as the molten slag is solidified therein. Molten slag droplets (31) are dripped into the fluidized bed (3) from the slag pool (4) and solidified in the corresponding fluidized bed. The heat released at that time is transferred to the heat transfer tubes (7) through the bed material (32).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Niigata University
    Inventor: Tadaaki Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20140174324
    Abstract: To produce cement clinker by baking of raw meal in a kiln, use is conventionally made of a raw meal preheater in which the heat of the flue gas emerging from the kiln is transferred to the raw meal. In order to remove impurities which accumulate in circulation between the kiln and the raw meal preheater, a part of the flue gas is extracted from the kiln, bypassing the raw meal preheater. The heat generated during the baking of cement clinker can be used particularly efficiently if the flue gases extracted and diverted past the raw meal pre-heater are used in a boiler to generate hot steam which can subsequently be expanded in a turbine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: Südbayerisches Portland-Zementwerk Gebr. Wiesböck & Co. GmbH
    Inventor: Helmut Leibinger
  • Publication number: 20140170862
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate holding part configured to hold and support a substrate, a heating module configured to heat a substrate, and a cooling module configured to cool the substrate heated in the heating module. The substrate processing apparatus further includes a substrate transfer mechanism configured to take out the substrate from the substrate holding part and to sequentially transfer the substrate to the heating module and the cooling module, and a control unit configured to set a cooling time of the substrate in the cooling module based on a transfer history of the substrate while the substrate heated in the heating module is loaded into the cooling module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Yoshinori TOYODA
  • Publication number: 20140127072
    Abstract: A continuous sintering method for rare earth permanent magnetic alloy comprises: connecting a preparation chamber, a glove chamber and a sealed transmission chamber, a sealed chamber, a charging chamber, a preheating chamber, a heating and de-airing chamber, a sintering chamber and a cooling chamber one after another. A press formed blank of rare earth permanent magnetic alloy powder is transmitted under oxygen free condition, and processed with heating and de-airing, sintering and cooling. The preparation chamber, the glove chamber and the sealed transmission chamber are transmitted by bottom rollers, transmissions of other chambers are provided on a top portion of each chamber, and conveyed by roller rails. The rollers of the charging rack are suspended on rails of the transmissions. The drawer model charging rack is capable of loading multiple charging box.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: SHENYANG GENERAL MAGNETIC CO., LTD
    Inventors: Xiaodong Chen, Baoyu Sun
  • Publication number: 20140127636
    Abstract: Disclosed in the present invention are a combustion furnace with coaxial staged hearth and heating method thereof, in which the combustion furnace comprises a metal furnace body (40) whose internal part is provided with a furnace chamber. The furnace chamber is divided into two sections at the middle by fire resistant material to form a left and a right independent combustion chambers (18, 19). Two independent combustion chambers (18, 19) are respectively connected with the ends of flue gas chambers (2, 60), while the other ends of the flue gas chambers (2, 60) are respectively connected with a burner (3). The peripherals of two independent combustion chambers (18, 19) are respectively provided with a flue gas heat radiation pipe (14). A middle flue gas chamber (100) is set in the middle position of the furnace chamber. Two ends of the flue gas heat radiation pipe (14) are respectively connected with the flue gas chamber (2, 60) and the middle flue gas chamber (100).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2012
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: HENG KAI DEVELOPMENT LIMITED
    Inventor: Hengjie Li
  • Publication number: 20140117513
    Abstract: Technologies are described effective to implement systems and methods of producing a material. The methods comprise receiving a tertiary semiconductor sample with a dilute species. The sample has two ends. The first end of the sample includes a first concentration of the dilute species lower than a second concentration of the dilute species in the second end of the sample. The method further comprises heating the sample in a chamber. The chamber has a first zone and a second zone. The first zone having a first temperature higher than a second temperature in the second zone. The sample is orientated such that the first end is in the first zone and the second end is in the second zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: Brookhaven Science Associates, LLC
    Inventors: Ralph B. James, Giuseppe Camarda, Aleksey E. Bolotnikov, Ryan Tappero, Yonggang Cui, Anwar Hosaain, Yang Ge, Kihyun Kim
  • Publication number: 20140099085
    Abstract: The invention provides a compact multistage furnace of which the installation area in a factory is decreased. A multistage furnace is configured by piling up a plurality of furnace units in the vertical direction. Each of the furnace units includes an upper heater and a lower heater layered in the vertical direction and holding a heat insulator therebetween, a support pipe disposed on one end of the upper heater and extending in the horizontal direction, a support pipe disposed on other end of the upper heater and extending in the horizontal direction, and a plurality of work support bars mounted over the support pipes. The back surface of a work supported by the work support bars is opposed to the upper heater and the front surface of the work is opposed to the lower heater of the adjacent furnace unit disposed above.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Inventors: Koji HAYASHI, Taichi SHIMIZU
  • Publication number: 20140096716
    Abstract: A pedestal for supporting a substrate includes: a heating plate for heating the substrate; an upper cooling plate for cooling the substrate, installed on the heating plate and provided with an upper fluid path for passing a cooling fluid therethrough; and an lower cooling plate for cooling the substrate, installed under the heating plate and including a lower fluid path for passing a cooling fluid therethrough.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2012
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: ASM IP Holding B.V.
    Inventors: Hsiao Pei Chung, Hirofumi Arai, Dai Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20140011147
    Abstract: In the field of oil sands processing, a process for heating an oil sands slurry stream such as bitumen froth containing bitumen and water and having variable heating requirements includes injecting steam directly into the froth at a steam pressure through a plurality of nozzles to achieve sonic steam flow; operating the plurality of the nozzles to vary steam injection by varying a number of the nozzles through which the injecting of the steam occurs in response to the variable heating requirements; and subjecting the oil sands slurry stream to backpressure sufficient to enable sub-cooling relative to the boiling point of water. A corresponding system is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2012
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Applicant: FORT HILLS ENERGY L.P.
    Inventor: Shawn Van Der Merwe
  • Publication number: 20130316294
    Abstract: An apparatus for heating a substrate during die bonding is disclosed. The apparatus comprises: a substrate carrier configured to hold the substrate; a heating device configured to heat the substrate; a first actuator for effecting relative motion between the substrate carrier and the heating device such that the substrate is relatively indexed with respect to the heating device; a second actuator for effecting relative motion between the substrate carrier and the heating device such that the heating device contacts the substrate to heat different portions of the substrate. In particular, the second actuator is operative to separate the heating device from the substrate in order for the first actuator to relatively index the substrate across the heating device. A method of heating a substrate during die bonding is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2012
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Inventors: Ming Yeung Luke WAN, Chi Wai CHEUNG, Chin Tung SO
  • Publication number: 20130316295
    Abstract: A stave cooler for a metallurgical furnace, in particular for a blast furnace, including a panel-like body having a front face for facing the interior of the metallurgical furnace and an opposite rear face; and at least one internal coolant passage arranged within the panel-like body, where the at least one shaft, protrudes from the front face of the panel-like body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2012
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Applicant: PAUL WURTH S.A.
    Inventors: Nicolas Maggioli, Nicolas Mousel, Jean-Paul Simoes, Paul Tockert
  • Publication number: 20130280665
    Abstract: A portable equipment for the thermal treatment of metal pieces, the equipment comprises a bell (10) enclosing a receiving cavity (20) into which can be inserted one or multiple metal pieces to be thermally treated; further comprising heating means to raise the internal temperature of the receiving cavity (20) to a pre-established value and; further comprising an assembly of thermal exchange (100; 200; 300) to lower the temperature reached inside the receiving cavity (20) in such a way as to operate the pre-established thermal treatment on the pieces; the assembly of thermal exchange (100; 200; 300) being arranged externally to the bell (10) to allow a reduction of the overall dimensions of the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2011
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Applicant: H.T. SOLUTIONS S.R.L.
    Inventor: Gianluca Battini
  • Publication number: 20130224627
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a novel scandium-doped Ba(Ce, Zr, Y)O3-? electrolyte for solid oxide fuel cells that exhibits elevated ion conductivity at intermediate temperature range comparing to other electrolyte materials, such as BZCYYb.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicants: Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Phillips 66 Company
    Inventors: Mingfei LIU, Meilin LIU, Ting HE
  • Publication number: 20130224103
    Abstract: The invention provides a system for calcining active lime, including a precalcining furnace for receiving limestone materials to be calcined and precalcining the limestone materials, and a rotary kiln for receiving the materials containing precalcined product from the precalcining furnace, outputting the formed active lime, and at the same time supplying a first flue gas to the precalcining furnace. The calcining system further includes a precalcining furnace combustion device, which generates a second flue gas and supplies it to the precalcining furnace, such that the limestone materials are precalcined in the precalcining furnace under the action of the first flue gas and the second flue gas. In this way, the precalcining rate of the limestone materials in the precalcining furnace is significantly improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicants: Luoyang Mining Machinery Engineering Design And Research Institute Co., Ltd., CITIC Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: CITIC Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., Luoyang Mining Machinery Engineering Design And Research Institute Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20130216967
    Abstract: A device for continuous heat-treating of at least two multilayer bodies on at least two process levels disposed one beneath another in at least one heating chamber and at least one cooling chamber, which are arranged one after another is described. The heating chamber of the device has a first process level and a second process level. The cooling chamber of the device has a cooling device, the first process level and the second process level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Applicant: Saint-Gobain Glass France
    Inventors: Martin Fürfanger, Stefan Jost
  • Publication number: 20130216783
    Abstract: A machined ceramic article having an initial surface defect density and an initial surface roughness is provided. The machined ceramic article is heated to a temperature range between about 1000° C. and about 1800° C. at a ramping rate of about 0.1° C. per minute to about 20° C. per minute. The machined ceramic article is heat-treated in air atmosphere. The machined ceramic article is heat treated at one or more temperatures within the temperature range for a duration of up to about 24 hours. The machined ceramic article is then cooled at the ramping rate, wherein after the heat treatment the machined ceramic article has a reduced surface defect density and a reduced surface roughness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventor: Applied Materials, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20130203005
    Abstract: A slider unit for a tertiary air duct between a clinker cooler and a calciner of a clinker kiln line. The slider unit has at least one shutoff device, which is insertable into a tertiary air duct to seal it without further reducing the cross section of the tertiary air duct, and provides reliable sealing of the tertiary air duct and control of the tertiary air flow, if the slider unit has at least one control device which is insertable into a section of the tertiary air duct to reduce its cross section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: IKN GMBH
    Inventor: Karl von Wedel
  • Publication number: 20130189635
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for heat treating a photovoltaic device. The apparatus includes a heating module, a processing module, and a cooling module in which the operating temperatures of the modules may be controlled separately. The heating module is configured to pre-heat a substrate and stabilize the substrate at the desired target temperature, the processing module is configured to thermally process the substrate, and the cooling module is configured for post-treatment cooling of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2013
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Applicant: FIRST SOLAR, INC.
    Inventor: FIRST SOLAR, INC.
  • Publication number: 20130177860
    Abstract: A quenching apparatus is disclosed which has a generally cylindrical base and upper housing. A removable cover is affixed to the top of the upper housing. The quenching apparatus includes means for supporting the removable cover above the upper housing such that a passageway is defined between the upper housing and the removable cover. A generally cylindrical door is dimensioned and positioned within the quenching apparatus to be coaxial within the upper housing and the base. An actuator is coupled to the cylindrical door for moving the door between an open position and a closed position. In this manner, the door is adapted for closing the opening between the base and the upper housing and thereby provides a closed quenching chamber. Redundant retractable seals are provided in the base and the upper housing to seal the door to the upper housing and the base when the door is closed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Publication date: July 11, 2013
    Applicant: IPSEN, INC.
    Inventor: IPSEN, INC.
  • Patent number: 8455293
    Abstract: A method for processing solar cells comprising: providing a vertical furnace to receive an array of mutually spaced circular semiconductor wafers for integrated circuit processing; composing a process chamber loading configuration for solar cell substrates, wherein a size of the solar cell substrates that extends along a first surface to be processed is smaller than a corresponding size of the circular semiconductor wafers, such that multiple arrays of mutually spaced solar cell substrates can be accommodated in the process chamber, loading the solar cell substrates into the process chamber; subjecting the solar cell substrates to a process in the process chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: ASM International N.V.
    Inventors: Chris G. M. de Ridder, Klaas P. Boonstra, Adriaan Garssen, Frank Huussen
  • Publication number: 20130130188
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a grid plate for the transporting and cooling of very hot materials leaving a It furnace, said plate having cavities of rectangular shape, the largest dimension being perpendicular to the direction of advance of the materials, the cross section of these cavities being triangular with a fin-shaped bottom terminating in a turned-up end of reverse slope, the slope (?) of the cavities being between 10° and 45°, preferably between 20° and 30°, to the horizontal and the reverse slope (?) of the turned-up end making an angle equal to or up to 6° less than the angle of the slope of the cavities. The flow of material under gravity through the air injection slits is interrupted. Any contact of the material with the framework and with the mechanism of the equipment is avoided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2011
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Inventors: Regnier Pirard, Christophe Vielvoye
  • Publication number: 20130130185
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and equipment for starting up a strand sintering furnace (1). During start-up, the sintering furnace is heated in order to create suitable production temperatures in the different process zones (I-VII) having different temperatures, said zones including a drying zone (I), a heating zone (II), a sintering zone (III), an equalizing zone (IV), a first cooling zone (V), a second cooling zone (VI) and a third cooling zone (VII). During start-up, the cooling gas to be conducted to the second cooling zone (VI) is heated by means of a heating device (3) up to a temperature that is higher than the ambient temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Applicant: OUTOTEC OYJ
    Inventor: Tuomas Herlevi
  • Publication number: 20130130186
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and equipment for the continuous sintering of mineral material in a sintering furnace (S). In the method, a material bed (2) is formed on a conveyor base (1), the material bed (2) is conveyed by the conveyor base (1) through the process zones (I-VII) of the sintering furnace that have different temperatures, the zones including at least one drying zone (I), at least one cooling zone (VII), and at least one other process zone (II, III, IV, V, VI) between the said drying zone and cooling zone, and gas is conducted through the conveyor base and the material bed (2), when the material bed travels through the process zones (I-VII), and gas is circulated in a circulation gas duct (3) from the last cooling zone (VII) to the drying zone (I). Part of the gas flow that is conducted to the drying zone (I) in the circulation gas duct (3) is removed as an exhaust gas flow (B) by the exhaust gas blower (5) of an exhaust gas duct (4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Applicant: OUTOTEC OYJ
    Inventor: Päivi Oikarinen
  • Patent number: 8420981
    Abstract: A substrate thermal processing system. The system has at least one substrate holding module having a housing configured for holding an isolated environment therein. A substrate heater is located in the housing and has a substrate heating surface. A substrate cooler is located in the housing and having a substrate cooling surface. A gas feed opening into the housing and feeding inert or reducing gas into the housing when the substrate is heated by the heating surface. A gas restrictor is within the housing restricting the fed gas between the substrate heating surface and a surrounding atmospheric region substantially surrounding the substrate heating surface in the housing and forming an aperture through which the fed gas communicates with the atmospheric region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Tel Nexx, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Goodman, Arthur Keigler, David G. Guarnaccia, Matthew R. Jeffers
  • Publication number: 20130065189
    Abstract: A thermal treatment apparatus includes a processing container, a substrate holding unit for holding a plurality of substrates at predetermined intervals in a direction inside the processing container, a heating unit for heating the processing container, a supply unit for supplying gas, a plurality of supply ports provided respectively at different locations in the direction, and a cooling unit for cooling the processing container by supplying the gas into the processing container by the supply unit via each of the supply ports, wherein the supply unit is provided in such a way that the supply unit independently controls flow rates of the gases supplied via each of the supply ports.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Koji Yoshii, Tatsuya Yamaguchi, Wenling Wang, Takanori Saito
  • Publication number: 20130052599
    Abstract: The substrate heat treatment device includes the heating plate 70 that mounts a wafer W and performs a heat treatment on the wafer; a substrate transfer arm 61 that transferring the wafer to the heating plate and is movable from and toward the heating plate; an transfer arm moving device 67 that moves the substrate transfer arm between a position above the heating plate and a standby position of the substrate transfer arm apart from the heating plate; a substrate transfer device that transfers the wafer to and from the substrate transfer arm located at the standby position. The substrate heat treatment device further includes a cooling arm 80 serving as a substrate holding unit configured to cool a previously heat-treated wafer by the heating plate and transfer a next wafer to the heating plate while the previously heat-treated wafer is transferred to the substrate transfer device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Akihiro Toyozawa
  • Publication number: 20130045454
    Abstract: A cooling grate, for cooling and transporting of cement clinker having at least one grate element with at least one support for cement clinker, having at least one cooling air channel discharging into the support which is inclined in conveying direction at least in a section adjacent to its outlet used to inject cooling air into the clinker has improved cooling characteristics if the cooling air channel is curved in conveying direction in at least a section adjacent to the outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Publication date: February 21, 2013
    Applicant: IKN GMBH
    Inventor: Jörg Hammerich
  • Patent number: 8375884
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus including: a heating part for heating a wafer; a transport part through which a wafer is transported; a first transfer arm that receives a wafer from the heating part and places the wafer on the transport part; and a second transfer arm including a pair of plate-like tweezers that receives the wafer placed on the transport part from the transport part and transfers the wafer. The transport part includes a cooling plate having a cooling surface on which a wafer is placed. The cooling plate includes a temperature-adjusting channel through which a temperature-adjusting water is circulated for cooling the cooling plate to a temperature lower than a temperature of the heating process of the heating part. The cooling surface is provided with a recess that is similar in shape to and slightly larger than a planar shape of the pair of tweezers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Kouichi Mizunaga
  • Publication number: 20130039734
    Abstract: Substrate transport systems, apparatus, and methods are described. In one aspect, the systems are disclosed having vertically stacked transfer chamber bodies. In one embodiment, a common robot apparatus services process chambers or load lock chambers coupled to upper and lower transfer chamber bodies. In another embodiment, separate robot apparatus service the process chambers and/or load lock chambers coupled to upper and lower transfer chamber bodies, and an elevator apparatus transfers the substrates between the various elevations. Degassing apparatus are described, as are numerous other aspects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Eric A. Englhardt, Richard Giljum, Jeffrey C. Hudgens, Igor G. Kogan, Michael Robert Rice, Sushant S. Koshti
  • Publication number: 20130017503
    Abstract: A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus (1), comprising a substrate support assembly (30), including a substrate support (32) defining an outer support surface (34) for supporting a substrate or substrate carrier (24) thereon, and a heater (50) comprising a heat dissipating portion (54) that is disposed within the substrate support (32) and that extends underneath and substantially parallel to the support surface (34), said substrate support (32) being rotatably mounted around a rotation axis (L) that extends through said support surface (34), such that the support surface (34) is rotatable relative to the heat dissipating portion (54) of the heater (50).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2011
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Inventors: Chris G.M. De Ridder, Klaas P. Boonstra, Theodorus G.M. Oosterlaken, Barend J. T. Ravenhorst
  • Publication number: 20120270170
    Abstract: In a loading area below a vertical furnace of a thermal treatment apparatus, a gas stream flows along a first direction from one side to the other side of the loading area into a first evacuation opening provided in the other side of the loading area. A thermal evacuation part is located, along the first direction, between a first evacuation opening and an upstream end of a substrate holding member located at an unload position that is located between the one side and the other side of the loading area. The thermal evacuation part includes a second evacuation opening that is arranged to oppose at least an upper part of the substrate holding member located at the unload position and evacuates an environment around the substrate holding member located at the unload position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2012
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Hiromi NITADORI
  • Publication number: 20120264075
    Abstract: A roll-to-roll or reel-to-reel reactor, which is assembled with a heating section, a cooling section, plus a series of modular buffer sections between them, is provided. The length of this apparatus is controlled by adding or reducing numbers of the modular buffer sections on the basis of required reaction time and the delivery speed of a continuous flexible workpiece. The whole reactor contains a heating oven, included inside a main vacuum chamber, which is assembled with a series of modular thermal control components. One or more vacuum chambers can be put outside the main vacuum chamber for the purposes of heat insulation and gas leaking protection. A thermal control component has a segment cross-section shape with some heating elements, thermocouples and cooling elements installed inside. The reactor can also be designed for annealing and/or reaction of a precursor at a surface facing down position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2011
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Inventor: Jiaxiong Wang
  • Publication number: 20120234314
    Abstract: The present invention provides a reactor for preparing thin films of compound semiconductors for photovoltaic devices. The reactor includes a chamber that has a bottom surface that, in some locations, has protrusions that contact the bottom surface of the substrate having the compound semiconductor to provide uniform heating and cooling of the substrate. Interior walls of the chamber can also be lined with high thermal conductivity portions and low thermal conductivity portions interposed between high thermal conductivity portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2011
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: SoloPower, Inc.
    Inventors: Howard Zolla, Jorge Vasquez, James Freitag, Mustafa Pinarbasi, Robert J. Bailey
  • Publication number: 20120171632
    Abstract: A treatment chamber for thermal processing of an areal substrate including a transport arrangement for conveying and supporting the substrate during the thermal processing and a gas-guiding arrangement for convective heating or cooling of the substrate, where the gas-guiding arrangement has outlet openings, by means of which the temperature-controlled gas is guided onto the substrate, and where a removal arrangement is provided, by means of which the gases introduced into the treatment chamber via the gas-guiding arrangement can be removed in a targeted fashion, such that the treatment chamber can be embodied as a heat-treatment chamber or as a cooling chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2010
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: LEYBOLD OPTICS GMBH
    Inventors: Emmerich Manfred Novak, Jutta Trube
  • Publication number: 20120135361
    Abstract: A grate cooler plate including an air inlet and air passage openings through which the air flows for cooling the cooling goods present on the grate cooler plate. A rotatable insert having air passage openings is located in an upper surface of the grate cooler plate. The effect of the grate plate is that bulk goods placed in the inlet region of a grate plate cooler expand out to a flat cone of bulk goods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2010
    Publication date: May 31, 2012
    Applicant: KHD HUMBOLDT WEDAG GMBH
    Inventor: Dieter Brendler