JP2000035148A - Integrated fluid control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten the vertical length of the whole of a module by arranging a vertical flow passage block on a horizontal flow passage block so as to be overlapped with each other for crossing. SOLUTION: A master flow controller 8C and a pneumatic three-way valve 9C are connected to each other in a horizontal line by a horizontal flow passage block 19C. A vertical flow passage block 20C for connecting other units A, B is arranged between the horizontal blocks 19C, 10C so as to cross them. A purge gas unit F is placed on an I-shaped horizontal block 17C so as to be overlapped, and the purge gas led from a block 21F is flowed through a check valve 31F, a horizontal flow passage block 22F, a pneumatic cut valve 32F, and flowed to a unit C through a communication block 18C. The purge gas unit F is provided on the I-shaped horizontal flow passage block 17C so as to be overlapped with each other in a line in the horizontal direction. Vertical length of the unit is reduced to a half so as to eliminate a dead space.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fluid control apparatus for controlling various process gases used in, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and includes an on-off valve, a filter, a regulator, a pressure gauge, a mass flow controller, a three-way valve, and the like. An integrated type or module type in which various fluid control devices such as a shutoff valve are integrally connected to form a unit, and these units are connected together to form an integrated unit (hereinafter, the integrated type and the module have the same meaning in the present invention) Although the module is used, the module also means the entire piping configuration.)

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an integrated fluid control device as described above, for example, there is one shown in FIG. In this example, a horizontal distribution line A ′ through which process gases a, b, and c flow,
This is a module in which a total of six lines B ′, C ′ and flow lines D ′, E ′, F ′ through which a purge gas d for purging these lines flows are integrated. Here, taking the unit C ′ of the process gas c as an example, the gas flowing in through the inflow joint block 2C, the manual on-off valve 3C and the filter 4C is mass-flowed through the regulator 5C, the pressure gauge 6C and the pneumatic shutoff valve 7C. After flowing into the controller 8C, where the flow rate is controlled, it passes through the pneumatic three-way valve 9C, is drawn out of the outflow joint 10C, and is supplied to the reaction furnace or the like. On the other hand, the purge gas d flows in from the lower end of the module, flows in the vertical direction (vertical direction on the paper surface), and is supplied to each unit through the vertical flow path blocks 41D, 41E, and 41F of each unit. For example, unit F '
Then, the air flows into the check valve 31F, passes through the pneumatic shutoff valve 32F, joins the unit C 'from the downstream side of the pneumatic shutoff valve 7C, and can purify the subsequent lines. The units A ′ and B ′ have the same configuration of the control device, but the last discharge path is derived from the outflow joint block 10C of the unit C via the vertical flow path blocks 40E and 40F. It has become.

As described above, various fluid control devices such as an on-off valve, a filter, a regulator, a pressure gauge, a pneumatic shutoff valve, a mass flow controller, a pneumatic three-way valve, and a pneumatic shutoff valve are provided for each distribution line. First, a horizontal connection is made into one unit, and another unit including a check valve, a pneumatic shutoff valve, and the like is connected to this unit as a purge line to form one integrated fluid control device 1 ′. It is what it was. Here, the horizontal flow path block connects the flow paths of various fluid control devices in the horizontal direction, and the vertical flow path block connects the flow paths between these units in the vertical direction. The connection between each block and each fluid control device and between each block are connected via a metal gasket or the like (hereinafter the same). FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the flow of the present embodiment.

[0004]

Heretofore, the horizontal flow path block and the vertical flow path block have been formed by simply providing or partially using a rectangular block having a rectangular cross section made of stainless steel over the entire length. Therefore, there is a problem that the size is large and the weight is extremely heavy. In a unit of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus or the like in which such a fluid control device is used, more piping systems are collected and modularized. Therefore, it is desired that the piping system be as small as several cm and as light as several kg. However, in the above-described example, the vertical flow path block extends in parallel with the horizontal flow path block and extends therethrough and is connected to each unit. Therefore, the unit of the process gas line and the unit of the purge gas line are independently provided in parallel, and the length in the vertical direction is increased. In addition, since the units of the purge gas line are short, there is a problem that a large dead space is generated between the units.

Accordingly, the present invention is to improve the method of assembling the horizontal flow path block and the vertical flow path block of the unit, in particular, to shorten the vertical length of the whole module, and thereby reduce the size of the integrated fluid control device. And to reduce the weight and minimize the dead space.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention forms one unit by connecting various fluid control devices in a horizontal direction through a horizontal flow path block, and connects these units vertically through a vertical flow path block. An integrated fluid control device that integrates fluid control functions by connecting in a direction,
An integrated fluid control device is provided in which the vertical flow passage blocks are vertically overlapped with each other on the horizontal flow passage blocks of the unit.

In the above-mentioned integrated type fluid control apparatus, another unit composed of fluid control devices connected to the vertical flow path block is arranged in a row on the horizontal flow path block in the middle of the horizontal unit. Can be. Further, the present invention is characterized in that units constituting another flow are arranged in a row on a horizontal flow path block in the middle of the horizontal unit of the integrated type fluid control device. In the above, it is desirable that the horizontal flow path block in the middle of the unit is an elongated I-shaped block or an elongated L-shaped block.

The integrated type fluid control device according to the first aspect is, for example, a module in which each unit in the horizontal direction is simply connected by a vertical flow path block, and the vertical flow path block intersects the horizontal flow path block. By stacking them vertically and arranging them at a so-called three-dimensional intersection, the vertical flow channel block will fit over the block of the horizontal unit, and the length of the unit in the vertical direction will be reduced by about half and dead space will be eliminated. It is. The integrated type fluid control device according to the second aspect is a module including a separate unit further comprising a check valve, a pneumatic shutoff valve, and the like. Since another unit is provided in a line in a row, dead space is further eliminated. The integrated fluid control device according to claim 3 is, for example, a module that branches and flows a fluid, in which a main flow unit and a sub flow unit are provided one above the other in the same manner as above. This can eliminate dead space.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a top view of an integrated fluid control apparatus showing one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial side sectional view of the unit C of FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial side sectional view showing another embodiment. FIG. 4 is a partial side sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention. In these drawings, the same components and locations are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the above-described example.

In this embodiment, the process gases a, b, and c are supplied from the discharge port 10C of the unit C via the units A, B, and C, respectively, similarly to the examples shown in FIGS. , And on the other hand, purge gas d is supplied from the purge line via the vertical flow path block and the other units D, E, and F to the front of the mass flow controllers 8 of the units A, B, and C so that the purge process can be performed. This is an integrated fluid control device.

The structure of each unit of the process gas line is, for example, the unit C shown in FIG. 2 as an example, from the inlet side, an inflow joint block 2C, a manual opening / closing valve 3C, a filter 4C, a regulator 5C, a pressure gauge 6C, and an empty space. Pressure cutoff valve 7
C, a mass flow controller 8C, a pneumatic three-way valve 9C, and an outflow joint block 10C. (Hereinafter, when the alphabet is not attached, it indicates the fluid control device alone, and when the alphabet is attached, it indicates the fluid control device of each line.) Then, the outflow channel of the manual on-off valve 3C and the inflow of the filter 4C. The horizontal flow path block 12C connects the flow paths, and the horizontal flow path block 13C connects the outflow flow path of the filter 4C and the inflow flow path of the regulator 5C.
The regulator 5C and the pressure gauge 6C are connected to the horizontal flow path block 14.
C, the pressure gauge 6C and the pneumatic shutoff valve 7C are connected to the horizontal flow path block 1.
5C, and between the pneumatic shutoff valve 7C and the mass flow controller 8C, a horizontal flow path block 16C, an elongated I-shaped horizontal flow path block 17C, and a communication block 18C communicating with a purge line unit F described below are arranged. Next, the mass flow controller 8C and the pneumatic three-way valve 9C are connected in a horizontal line by a horizontal flow path block 19C.
Reference numeral 20c denotes a vertical flow path block connecting the other units A and B, and is disposed so as to intersect between the horizontal flow path blocks 19C and 10C.

On the other hand, the unit F for the purge gas d is placed on the I-shaped lateral flow path block 17C.
That is, each vertical channel block 21F (vertical channel block 2
Same for 1D and E. ) Is placed on top of the horizontal flow passage block 17C, and the purge gas introduced from this block 21F flows through the check valve 31F, the horizontal flow passage block 22F, the pneumatic cutoff valve 32F and the unit C via the flow communication block 18C.
It is designed to contact and stream. Therefore, the purge gas unit F (the unit in the range of the arrows in FIGS. 1 and 2) including the vertical flow path block 21F, the check valve 31F, and the pneumatic shutoff valve 32F overlaps the I-shaped horizontal flow path block 17C in the horizontal direction. They are provided in a line. Unit B also has a purge gas unit E and a unit A in the same manner as described above.
, Purge gas units D are arranged so as to overlap with each other in the same row.

[0013] In this way, in the middle of the process gas unit in the horizontal direction, first, the vertical flow path block is disposed so as to three-dimensionally intersect, and the purge gas units branched from this block are superposed in a line on the horizontal flow path block. This is an integrated fluid control device 1 that is arranged. Therefore, the process gas line and the purge gas line are vertically overlapped with each other, and the unit is arranged in the vertical direction (vertical direction in the drawing).
The length was almost halved to eliminate dead space.

In addition to the description of another configuration of the present embodiment, in this embodiment, each of the horizontal flow path block and the vertical flow path block has a convex or inverted convex cross section (T-shaped or inverted T-shaped). ), And the convex flat surface side is disposed on the upper side (reverse convex) as shown in the figure, and a V-shaped flow path is formed inside. One of the vertical flow path blocks has a flow path extending in the vertical direction of the module disposed at the center in a convex shape and formed with bolt connection holes 29 on both sides. These vertical and horizontal flow path blocks are positioned on the base plate 50 and fixed by bolts (not shown). By adopting the block shape as described above, it is possible to first reduce excess weight to reduce the weight. In addition, block 1
As seen in the combination of 9C, 20C, and 10C, where the horizontal flow path block and the vertical flow path block intersect, the blocks are assembled upside down, so that the overlap is offset and the size is reduced. In addition, the joint block and the connecting block at both ends of the unit are also formed in a shape in which the corners are cut as much as possible, so that the unit can be combined with the vertical and horizontal flow path blocks and the weight is reduced. Further, since the V-shaped flow path is used, the flow path length is short, processing is easy, and the dead space that may be contaminated is reduced.

The mass flow controller 8 of this embodiment is provided with an inflow-side connection port 81 and an outflow-side connection port 82 on the lower surface of the block body 80 divided into two parts. The block 19 can be connected so that the length is made as short as possible and the dead space is made small. Also, the cover 83 of the main body has a shape 84 in which the four corners of the cover are slackened so as to avoid interference of the connection bolts at the four corners of the block main body 80, so that a space for inserting a screwdriver is secured, and the cover can be secured from directly above. Easy removal maintenance.

FIG. 3 is a partial side sectional view of a unit showing another embodiment of the present invention. In the unit C1 of this embodiment, an elongated L-shaped block 25C is used instead of the I-shaped lateral flow path block. Purge gas unit F
1 is a vertical flow path block 21F, a check valve 31 from the left side of the paper surface.
F, the pneumatic shutoff valve 32F and the L-shaped block 25C. Accordingly, the purge line from the vertical flow path block merges with the unit C1 in such a way as to bypass the flow direction of the process gas line in the opposite direction. In this case, the purging process can be performed from the front (inlet side) of the process gas line.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The present embodiment is an integrated fluid control apparatus composed of a module completely different from the above-described example, and the figure is a partial side sectional view of one unit G extracted. After the process gas flowing from the vertical flow path block 60 or 62 is introduced into the mass flow controller 55 through the three-way valve 52, the filter 53, and the three-way valve 54 to control the flow rate, the three-way valve 57 and the three-way valve It is led out of the outflow joint block 74 through 58. At this time, the flow can be switched by the three-way valve 57 or the three-way valve 58 and led to another unit.

On the other hand, from the three-way valve 54, a bypass flow path comprising another flow path block 65, an I-shaped horizontal flow path block 67, and a horizontal flow path block 69 is provided. The bypass flow path is used, for example, in a module in which the maximum control flow rate of the mass flow controller 55 is small and a large amount of process gas or purge gas needs to be separately supplied. That is, the flow rate control is usually performed using the flow path of the upper mass flow controller, but when it becomes necessary to flow a large flow rate, the lower bypass flow path is used. It should be noted that the upper and lower flow paths are appropriately set without distinction between the main flow path and the sub flow path. As described above, even in a module having two flow paths, a dead space can be eliminated, a space-saving and compact structure can be achieved by, for example, arranging another flow unit on an I-shaped horizontal flow path block. It is possible to obtain a simple integrated flow control device.

[0019]

According to the integrated fluid control device of the present invention,
Since the vertical flow path block is overlapped with the horizontal flow path block and crossed, the vertical dimension of the entire apparatus can be reduced. Further, another unit having a fluid control device and a unit constituting a flow are arranged in a row on the lateral flow path block, so that a dead space can be minimized. Therefore, the size and weight of the entire integrated fluid control device can be reduced. According to this integrated type fluid control device, the maximum height of the unit can be kept in the same range as the conventional product and the horizontal length is slightly longer, but the vertical length can be significantly shortened, so it is used for semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The effect of downsizing is extremely large.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view of an integrated fluid control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial side sectional view of the lateral unit C of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial side sectional view of a lateral unit showing another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partial side sectional view of a lateral unit showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a top view showing an example of the integrated fluid control device.

FIG. 6 is a flow block diagram of the integrated fluid control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1 ': integrated type fluid control device 2 (AC): inflow joint block 3 (AC): manual open / close valve 4 (AC): filter 5 (AC): regulator 6 (AC) C): Pressure gauge 7 (A to C): Pneumatic shutoff valve 8 (A to C): Mass flow controller 9 (A to C): Pneumatic three-way valve 10 (A to C): Outflow joint block 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 (A
To C): Horizontal flow path block 17: I-type horizontal flow path block 25: L-type horizontal flow path block 20 (D to F), 21 (D to F): Vertical flow path block 31 (D to F): check valve 32 (D-F): Pneumatic shutoff valve 40 (E, F): Vertical flow path block 41 (D-F): Vertical flow path block 50: Base block 51, 56: Block only for flow path 52, 54, 57 , 58: Pneumatic three-way valve 55: Mass flow controller 60, 62, 71, 73: Vertical flow path block 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 7
2: Side passage block 67: I-shaped side passage block 74: Outflow joint block

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A unit is formed by connecting various fluid control devices in a horizontal direction through a horizontal flow path block to form one unit, and the units are connected in a vertical direction through a vertical flow path block to control fluid flow. An integrated fluid control device having an integrated control function, wherein the vertical fluid block is disposed on the horizontal passage block of the unit so as to intersect with the vertical fluid block. 2. In the integrated type fluid control apparatus, another unit composed of fluid control devices connected to the vertical flow path block is arranged in a row on a horizontal flow path block in the middle of a horizontal unit. The integrated fluid control device according to claim 1, wherein 3. A unit is formed by connecting various fluid control devices in a horizontal direction through a horizontal flow path block to form one unit. By connecting these units in a vertical direction through a vertical flow path block, a fluid control device is provided. An integrated fluid control device having an integrated control function, wherein units constituting another flow are arranged in a row on a horizontal flow path block in the middle of the horizontal unit. Type fluid control device. 4. The integrated fluid control device according to claim 1, wherein the lateral flow path block in the middle in the lateral direction is an I-shaped block or an L-shaped block.