JPH0684581A - Manufacture of discharge electrode for ionizer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a discharge electrode for ionizer, which is ideally used for a clean room of semiconductor, and which is hard to break. CONSTITUTION:Carbon is adhered to the outer peripheral surface of a rod material 11 made of silicon, and the carbon atoms are reacted with the silicon of the silicon base material by heating. A silicon carbide layer 12 which is harder than the silicon base material is thus formed. The outer surface of the rod material 11 can be etched into a smooth surface instead of forming the silicon carbide layer 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a discharge electrode used in an ionizer.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,448, an ionizer has a discharge electrode. By applying a high voltage to the discharge electrode, a corona discharge is caused at the tip of the discharge electrode, the air molecules near the tip are ionized, and positive ions and negative ions are generated. These ions float in the air and remove the static electricity generated on the surface of the object. That is, among the floating ions, ions having a polarity different from that of the static electricity are combined with the static electricity to neutralize the static electricity. The discharge electrode is generally formed of a metal material having excellent conductivity such as stainless steel, tungsten and titanium. The metal element at the tip of the discharge electrode scatters in the air with corona discharge. Therefore, when the ionizer is used in a clean room of a semiconductor manufacturing factory, the scattered metal atoms are mixed or adhered to the semiconductor, resulting in deterioration of semiconductor quality.

Therefore, a discharge electrode made of silicon has been developed. Since the scattering of silicon does not adversely affect the semiconductor manufacturing, the above problem is solved.

[0004]

However, the discharge electrode made of silicon is fragile and is susceptible to damages such as cracks and breakage due to the progress of the cracks during handling from manufacturing to setting on the ionizer. was there.

[0005]

The invention according to claim 1 was made to solve the above problems, and the gist thereof is as follows.
A material containing carbon atoms is attached to the outer peripheral surface of a rod made of silicon, and then the rod is heated to react the carbon atoms in the attached material with the silicon of the silicon base material, thereby making it harder than the silicon base material. A method of manufacturing a discharge electrode for an ionizer, characterized in that a silicon carbide layer is formed. The gist of the invention of claim 2 is a method of manufacturing a discharge electrode for an ionizer, characterized in that the outer peripheral surface of a rod made of silicon is etched to smooth the outer peripheral surface.

[0006]

The discharge electrode manufactured by the method of claim 1 is
Since it has a silicon carbide layer harder than the silicon base material on the outer periphery,
The outer peripheral surface is less likely to be scratched, and cracks from the outer peripheral surface can be prevented. Further, the silicon carbide layer is formed by reacting carbon atoms with silicon of the silicon base material, and thus is integrated with the silicon base material. Therefore, even if the discharge electrode generates heat and is repeatedly cooled, the silicon carbide layer does not peel due to thermal stress. Since the outer peripheral surface of the discharge electrode manufactured by the method of the second aspect is made smooth by etching, it is possible to prevent cracking due to stress concentration.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
Before describing the method for manufacturing the discharge electrode, the ionizer will be briefly described. As shown in FIG. 3, the ionizer 1 has a cylindrical conductive casing 2 and a conductive connector 3 arranged inside the casing 2 coaxially with the casing 2. The openings at both ends of the casing 2 are closed by a pair of insulating members 4, and the connector 3 is supported at the center of these insulating members 4. Connector 3
Has one end led out of the casing 2 and connected to an AC high voltage source (not shown). The casing 2 is grounded.

A plurality of circular openings 5 are formed in the casing 2 along the axial direction. A plurality of needle-shaped discharge electrodes 10 arranged in the axial direction are inserted into and supported by the connector 3, and are electrically connected to the connector 3. The tip of each discharge electrode 10 projects from the connector 3 and is arranged to face the opening 5 of the casing 2. When a high voltage is applied to the connector 3, corona discharge is generated between the tip of the discharge electrode 10 and the peripheral edge of the opening 5, and the molecules in the air are ionized.

A blower pipe 6 extending parallel to the casing 2 is attached to a portion of the outer periphery of the casing 2 opposite to the discharge electrode 10. The casing 2 and the blower pipe 6 are communicated with each other through a plurality of communication passages 7 arranged along the axial direction of the casing 2. One end of the blower pipe 6 is closed, and the other end is connected to the blower mechanism. Casing 2 from blower mechanism through blower pipe 6 and communication passage 7
The air sent to is discharged from the opening 3. By this air blow, the positive ions and the negative ions generated by the corona discharge near the opening 5 are carried far outside the casing 2.

Next, a method of manufacturing the discharge electrode 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a cylindrical rod 11 made of high-purity polycrystalline silicon is prepared. This bar material 11
Are formed by cutting from a block of polycrystalline silicon and grinding. Phenol resin is applied to the entire surface of the rod 11. Alternatively, the bar material 11 is dipped in a phenol resin solution using acetone, benzene, or the like as a solvent to adhere the phenol resin to the entire surface of the bar material 11.

Next, this is heated to about 1300 degrees in a high temperature furnace. As a result, the phenol resin is baked, and the carbon atoms contained in the phenol resin react with the silicon on the surface of the rod 11 to form a silicon carbide layer of 0.5 to 3.0 μm. Then, the bar is washed. Also bar 1
When carbon is deposited on the surface of No. 1, the surface is ground.
Next, the tip is ground into a conical shape. Further, etching is applied to eliminate unevenness and smooth the surface. In this way, as shown in FIG. 2, the rod 11 has a cylindrical base portion 11
It has a and a conical tip 11b. The silicon carbide layer 12 is formed on the outer peripheral surface and the end surface of the base 11a of the bar material 11, and the silicon base material is exposed at the tip portion 11b.

Discharge electrode 10 formed as described above
Then, the silicon carbide layer 12 harder than the silicon base material is
Since it is formed on the outer peripheral surface of a, it is possible to prevent the outer peripheral surface of the discharge electrode 10 from being scratched during handling of the discharge electrode 10 between the end of manufacturing and setting on the ionizer.

As described above, a high voltage is applied to the base portion 11a of the discharge electrode 10 set in the ionizer through the contact, and the tip portion 11b of the discharge electrode 10 and the peripheral edge of the opening 5 of the casing 2 are connected. Corona discharge occurs between them.
Since only the silicon base material is exposed at the tip 11b of the discharge electrode 10 and only silicon is scattered by the corona discharge at the tip 11b, it does not adversely affect the semiconductor manufacturing. Further, since silicon carbide layer 12 is formed by carbon reacting with silicon, even if discharge electrode 10 repeatedly generates heat and cools, silicon carbide layer 12 is caused by thermal stress.
Does not separate from the silicon base material.

Next, another method of manufacturing the discharge electrode will be described. Carbon atoms are vapor-deposited on the entire surface of the cylindrical rod 11 made of high-purity polycrystalline silicon shown in FIG. 1 by vacuum vapor deposition. Next, a silicon carbide layer made of silicon carbide is formed by heating. Next, the tip is ground into a conical shape to obtain the discharge electrode 10 similar to that shown in FIG.

Next, another method for manufacturing the discharge electrode will be described. The bar 11 is prepared in the shape shown in FIG. 4 from the beginning. That is, the rod 11 has a cylindrical base portion 11a and a tip portion 11b. The tip 11b is masked. Next, a phenol resin is attached to the entire surface of the rod 11 in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiment. Next, the rod material 11 is heated to form the silicon carbide layer 12 (see FIG. 2). Finally,
The masking is removed to expose the silicon base material of the tip portion 11b. Alternatively, the silicon carbide layer 12 may be formed only on the outer peripheral surface of the base by heating the outer peripheral surface of the base and attaching the phenolic resin without masking the tip 11b.

In still another manufacturing method, the tip portion 11b of the bar 11 shown in FIG. 4 is masked in advance. Next, carbon atoms are vapor-deposited on the entire surface of the rod 11 by vacuum vapor deposition. Next, the rod 11 is heated to form the silicon carbide layer 12. Next, the masking is removed to expose the silicon base material of the tip portion 11b.

In the above manufacturing method, vacuum plating such as cathode sputtering may be used instead of vacuum deposition. Instead of the above-mentioned phenol resin, other synthetic resin or natural resin may be used.

Further, another manufacturing method of the present invention will be described. In this method, as shown in FIG. 4, a bar 11 having a cylindrical base portion 11a and a conical tip portion 11b is prepared. The bar 11 is formed by cutting out a piece of polycrystalline silicon and grinding it. Fine irregularities are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rod 11 by grinding. Base portion 11a and tip portion 11b of the rod 11
The outer peripheral surface of is etched by using hydrofluoric acid, hydrofluoric nitric acid or the like to eliminate fine irregularities on the outer peripheral surface and smooth the surface.

Since the outer peripheral surface of the discharge electrode formed by the above etching treatment is smooth, even if a force is applied at the time of handling the discharge electrode, stress concentration does not occur and cracks from the outer peripheral surface can be prevented.

[0020]

Since the discharge electrode manufactured by the method of the first aspect has the silicon carbide layer harder than the silicon base material on the outer peripheral surface, it is possible to prevent cracks during handling of the discharge electrode. Further, since the silicon base material and the silicon carbide layer are integrated, the silicon carbide layer does not peel off from the silicon base material due to thermal stress even when the discharge electrode repeatedly generates heat and cools. Since the outer peripheral surface of the discharge electrode manufactured by the method of claim 2 is made smooth by etching, it is possible to prevent cracking due to stress concentration.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a first step of a method for manufacturing a discharge electrode.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a manufactured discharge electrode.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an ionizer incorporating a discharge electrode.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a first step of another method for manufacturing a discharge electrode.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Ionizer 10 Discharge Electrode 11 Bar 11a Base 11b Tip 12 Silicon Carbide Layer

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A material containing carbon atoms is attached to an outer peripheral surface of a rod made of silicon, and then the rod is heated to react carbon atoms in the attached material with silicon of a silicon base material.
A method of manufacturing a discharge electrode for an ionizer, comprising forming a silicon carbide layer harder than a silicon base material. 2. A method of manufacturing a discharge electrode for an ionizer, characterized in that the outer peripheral surface of a rod made of silicon is etched to smooth the outer peripheral surface.