JP2010139397A - Leak check mechanism and vacuum equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a leak to be detected exactly by combining a leak detector disposed at a vacuum chamber and a checking gas such as He gas or the like, in a leak check mechanism and a vacuum equipment. <P>SOLUTION: The leak check mechanism for checking the leak around an exhaust valve which is connected to the vacuum chamber and exhausts a vacuum pump, includes: a leak check section which can be switchably connected to one of the inside of the vacuum pump and a bypass line bypassing the inside of the vacuum pump and being connected to the vacuum chamber; and a control section which switchably controls the leak check section, such that the exhaust valve being in its opened state is communicated with the inside of the vacuum pump at an exhaust timing, and the exhaust valve being in its closed state is communicated with the bypass line at a leak check timing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a leak check mechanism and a vacuum apparatus, and more particularly to a leak check mechanism for detecting a leak in a vacuum pump portion and a vacuum apparatus provided with such a leak check mechanism.

  For example, when manufacturing a magnetic recording medium, a film forming environment in a clean atmosphere is necessary to obtain crystal matching between laminated films and a good segregation structure. Therefore, a vacuum apparatus such as a film forming apparatus is required to have a high exhaust capability by a vacuum pump such as a cryopump or a turbo molecular pump and to eliminate leakage from the atmosphere.

  The cryopump is an ultra-high vacuum pump that adsorbs gas inside a chamber of a vacuum apparatus to a cooling panel cooled to a cryogenic temperature of 10K or less, for example, and exhausts it. There is a limit to the amount of gas absorbed by the cryopump, and it is necessary to exhaust (or regenerate) by periodically heating the cooling panel. When exhausting, the valve on the chamber side is closed, and the adsorbed gas is exhausted from the exhaust valve on the cryopump side to the exhaust line. Although the exhaust valve is closed after regeneration, a leak may occur in the exhaust valve portion.

As a method for performing a leak check (that is, confirming a leak), a method of performing a leak check by increasing the sealing pressure using a pressure gauge installed inside a cryopump is generally used. However, the increase in the sealing pressure is practically performed before the cooling panel becomes effective, and the pressure at which the measurement is performed is about 10 ⁻³ Pa due to roughing by a roughing pump connected to the vacuum chamber.

Therefore, as a method for performing a leak check, a method has been proposed in which He gas is sprayed onto a valve or a connection portion, and the He gas is detected by a leak detector installed in a vacuum chamber. If a leak has occurred in the valve or the connection, the sprayed He gas reaches the chamber and is detected by the leak detector. In this case, the pressure at which the measurement is performed is about 10 ⁻⁸ Pa, and the method using the leak detector has higher leak detection capability than the method using the pressure gauge, and the pressure gauge is also used in terms of measurement accuracy and measurement time. It is superior to the method used.

However, in the leak check at the exhaust valve on the cryopump side, the detection sensitivity of He gas is low, and the leak may not be detected correctly. When performing a leak check at the exhaust valve on the cryopump side, the reason why the detection sensitivity of He gas is low is that (1) it is necessary to remove the exhaust line, and (2) the cooling panel of the cryopump increases the exhaust capacity. Therefore, it has a complicated arrangement and the diffusion of He gas is suppressed, and (3) when performing a leak check, the cooling panel is often already cooled, and the diffusion of He gas is suppressed. And so on.
JP 2004-184207 A JP-A-9-324268 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-343973 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-223057

  As described above, in the leak check using He gas, there is a problem that due to the characteristics of the cryopump, the combination of He gas and the leak detector installed in the vacuum chamber may not detect the leak accurately.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a leak check mechanism and a vacuum apparatus that can accurately detect a leak by a combination of a test gas such as He gas and a leak detector installed in a vacuum chamber.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a leak check mechanism for checking a leak in the vicinity of an exhaust valve that exhausts a vacuum pump connected to a vacuum chamber, and bypasses the inside of the vacuum pump and the inside of the vacuum pump. The leak check unit that can be switched to one of the bypass lines connected to the vacuum chamber communicates with the inside of the vacuum pump and the opened exhaust valve during exhaust, and the exhaust valve and the bypass closed during leak check There is provided a leak check mechanism including a control unit that switches and controls the leak check unit so that the lines communicate with each other.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a vacuum chamber having a leak detector and a bypass valve that can be opened only during a leak check, a vacuum pump connected to the vacuum chamber and having an exhaust valve, the vacuum pump, and the vacuum pump A leak check unit that can be switched to one of the bypass lines connected to the vacuum chamber via the bypass valve, and the exhaust valve that is opened and communicated with the inside of the vacuum pump at the time of evacuation. A control unit that switches and controls the leak check unit so that the exhaust valve that is sometimes closed and the bypass line communicates, and the leak detector is a gas for inspection that is blown in the vicinity of the exhaust valve during the leak check A vacuum device is provided that detects a leak when detected.

  According to the disclosed leak check mechanism and vacuum apparatus, a leak can be accurately detected by a combination of an inspection gas such as He gas and a leak detector installed in a vacuum chamber.

  The disclosed leak check mechanism checks a leak in the vicinity of an exhaust valve that exhausts a vacuum pump connected to a vacuum chamber. A leak check unit that can be switched and connected to one of the bypass line connected to the vacuum chamber bypassing the vacuum pump and the vacuum pump is provided. Further, a control unit is provided for switching and controlling the leak check unit so that the exhaust valve opened and the opened exhaust valve communicate with each other during exhaust, and the closed exhaust valve and the bypass line communicate with each other during leak check.

  If there is a leak in the vicinity of the exhaust valve during the leak check, the inspection gas blown near the exhaust valve reaches the vacuum chamber via the bypass line. By detecting the gas, the leak can be detected accurately.

  Embodiments of the leak check mechanism and the vacuum apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a vacuum apparatus in a first embodiment of the present invention. A vacuum apparatus 1-1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a vacuum chamber (or chamber) 2, a cryopump 3-1 connected to the vacuum chamber 2, and a valve control unit 4. Since the basic configuration of the vacuum chamber 2 itself is well known, detailed description thereof is omitted. Of the basic configuration of the cryopump 3-1, the configuration of portions other than the later-described leak check mechanism is well known, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The vacuum chamber 2 is provided with a chamber side valve 21, a leak detector 22, a bypass valve 23 and a roughing pump 24. On the other hand, the cryopump 3-1 is provided with a vacuum gauge 31, a connection part 32, a cooling panel 33, a compressor 34, a three-way valve 35, a bypass line 36, an exhaust valve 37, an exhaust line 38 and a control part 39. The three-way valve 35 and the exhaust valve 37 form a leak check unit 300. The leak check unit 300 forms a leak check mechanism together with the bypass line 36, the bypass valve 23 and the leak detector 22. The bypass line 36 is connected to the vacuum chamber 2 through the bypass valve 23 through the same space in the cryopump 3-1 as the cooling panel 33.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a part of the leak check mechanism together with the control unit 39. The three-way valve 35 has a first opening that can be opened and closed connected to an exhaust line 350 that communicates with the inside of the cryopump 3-1, and a second opening that can be opened and closed bypasses the inside of the cryopump 3-1. It is connected to a bypass line 36 connected to the vacuum chamber 2 via the bypass valve 23, and a third opening that is always open is connected to an exhaust line 38 via an exhaust valve 37. The exhaust valve 37 includes a valve 371, a spring 372, and an O-ring (O-ring) 373. Based on an instruction from the user or an instruction from an external device, the control unit 39 opens the first opening of the three-way valve 35 and closes the second opening, or closes the first opening and closes the first opening. Switching control is performed so as to open two openings. During exhaust (or regeneration), the valve 371 of the exhaust valve 37 opens against the spring 372 due to the pressure in the cryopump 3-2, but the exhaust valve 37 is closed except during exhaust.

  At the time of exhaust, the cooling panel 33 is returned to room temperature, and the first opening of the three-way valve 35 is opened to communicate with the exhaust line 350 and the second opening is closed to disconnect the bypass line 36. The adsorbed gas in the cryopump 3-1 is exhausted to the exhaust line 38 via the exhaust valve 37.

  On the other hand, at the time of leak check, roughing of the vacuum chamber 2 is performed by the roughing pump 24, and the cooling panel 33 is cooled in a high vacuum state, the first opening of the three-way valve 35 is closed and the exhaust line 350 is connected. The communication is cut off, and the second opening is opened to communicate with the bypass line 36. The bypass valve 23 is opened only at the time of leak check. Further, the operator blows an inspection gas such as a leak check He gas in the vicinity of the exhaust valve 37. Thereby, when a leak occurs in the vicinity of the exhaust valve 37 after exhausting or the like, the inspection gas bypasses the inside of the cryopump 3-1, and the vacuum chamber passes through the bypass line 36 and the bypass valve 23. 2 and is efficiently detected by the leak detector 22.

  In this embodiment, in the leak check unit 300, the three-way valve 35 is provided inside the cryopump 3-1, and the exhaust valve 37 is provided outside the cryopump 3-1. Both 35 and the exhaust valve 37 may be provided inside the cryopump 3-1. The connection between the three-way valve 35 and the exhaust line 38 is made through the exhaust valve 37 using spring force. However, the exhaust line 37 may be directly connected to the three-way valve 35 and the exhaust valve 37 may be omitted. good. That is, the three-way valve 35 may have a function of the exhaust valve 37. Further, both the three-way valve 35 and the exhaust valve 37 may be provided outside the cryopump 3-1.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing a vacuum apparatus in the second embodiment of the present invention. A vacuum apparatus 1-2 illustrated in FIG. 3 includes a vacuum chamber (or chamber) 2, a cryopump 3-2, and a valve control unit 4. In FIG. 3, the same parts as those in FIG. Of the basic configuration of the cryopump 3-2, the configuration of portions other than the leak check mechanism is well known, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the leak check unit 300, that is, both the three-way valve 35 and the exhaust valve 37 are provided outside the cryopump 3-2. Therefore, maintenance and replacement of the leak check unit 300 can be easily performed.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the leak check operation of this embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 4 is executed by a control device (not shown) that controls the entire vacuum device 1-2. In FIG. 4, in step S <b> 1, the control unit 39 switches and controls the three-way valve 35 under the control of the control device, thereby opening the first opening of the three-way valve 35 to communicate with the exhaust line 350 and the second. The opening is closed and communication with the bypass line 36 is cut off. In step S2, the cooling panel 33 is returned to room temperature under the control of the control device. In step S3, the adsorbed gas in the cryopump 3-2 is exhausted to the exhaust line 38 via the exhaust valve 37 under the control of the control device. Wait until exhaust is complete.

  When the exhaust is completed, in step S4, the control unit 39 switches and controls the three-way valve 35 under the control of the control device, thereby closing the first opening of the three-way valve 35 and disconnecting the exhaust line 350, The second opening is opened to communicate with the bypass line 36. In step S5, the roughing pump 24 is controlled to perform roughing of the vacuum chamber 2 under the control of the control device, and in step S6, the cooling panel 33 is cooled in a high vacuum state under the control of the control device. In step S7, the control unit 39 closes the first opening of the three-way valve 35 under the control of the control device to cut off the communication with the exhaust line 350, opens the second opening and connects to the bypass line 36, and Open the bypass valve 23. In FIG. 3, the opening and closing of the bypass valve 23 is directly controlled by the control device, but may be controlled by the control unit 39 under the control of the control device.

  In step S <b> 8, the operator blows an inspection gas such as a leak check He gas in the vicinity of the exhaust valve 37. As a result, when a leak occurs in the vicinity of the exhaust valve 37 after exhaust, etc., the inspection gas bypasses the inside of the cryopump 3-2, and the vacuum chamber passes through the bypass line 36 and the bypass valve 23. 2 and is efficiently detected by the leak detector 22. In step S9, the control device determines whether or not inspection gas has been detected by the leak detector 22, that is, whether or not a leak has been detected.

  If the decision result in the step S9 is YES, the operator takes an appropriate countermeasure against the leak in a step S10. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S9 is NO, in step S11, the bypass valve 23 is closed under the control of the control device, and the three-way valve 35 is switched and controlled to open the first opening of the three-way valve 35. Thus, the exhaust line 350 is communicated and the second opening is closed to disconnect the bypass line 36. After step S12, normal use of the vacuum device 1-2 is started, and a film forming process or the like is performed.

  FIG. 5 is a view showing a vacuum apparatus in the third embodiment of the present invention. A vacuum apparatus 1-3 illustrated in FIG. 5 includes a vacuum chamber (or chamber) 2, a cryopump 3-3, and a valve control unit 4. 5 that are the same as those in FIG. 3 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. Of the basic configuration of the cryopump 3-3, the configuration of portions other than the leak check mechanism is well known, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, a He supply line 41 and a He supplier 42 are provided in the cryopump 3-3. The He supplier 42 supplies He gas as an inspection gas to the He supply line 41, and the He gas is blown near the exhaust valve 37. The He gas blowing using the He supplier 42 is automatically performed based on an instruction from the operator or an instruction from the control device. The He supplier 42 and the He supply line 41 form an inspection gas blowing part included in the leak check mechanism.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the leak check operation of this embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 6 is executed by a control device that controls the entire vacuum device 1-3. In FIG. 6, in step S21, the control unit 39 switches and controls the three-way valve 35 under the control of the control device, thereby opening the first opening of the three-way valve 35 to communicate with the exhaust line 350 and the second. The opening is closed and communication with the bypass line 36 is cut off. In step S22, the cooling panel 33 is returned to room temperature under the control of the control device. In step S23, the adsorbed gas in the cryopump 3-3 is exhausted to the exhaust line 38 via the exhaust valve 37 under the control of the control device. Wait until exhaust is complete.

  When exhaust is completed, in step S24, the control unit 39 switches and controls the three-way valve 35 under the control of the control device, thereby closing the first opening of the three-way valve 35 and disconnecting the exhaust line 350, The second opening is opened to communicate with the bypass line 36. In step S25, the roughing pump 24 is controlled to perform roughing of the vacuum chamber 2 under the control of the control device, and in step S26, the cooling panel 33 is cooled in a high vacuum state under the control of the control device. In step S27, the control unit 39 closes the first opening of the three-way valve 35 under the control of the control device to cut off the communication with the exhaust line 350, opens the second opening to connect to the bypass line 36, and Open the bypass valve 23. In FIG. 5, the opening and closing of the bypass valve 23 is controlled by the control unit 39 under the control of the control device, but may be directly controlled by the control device.

  In step S <b> 28, the He supplier 42 blows a leak check He gas to the vicinity of the exhaust valve 37 via the He supply line 41 under the control of the control device. Thereby, when a leak has occurred in the vicinity of the exhaust valve 37 after exhaust, etc., the He gas bypasses the inside of the cryopump 3-3, and the vacuum chamber 2 passes through the bypass line 36 and the bypass valve 23. And is efficiently detected by the leak detector 22. In step S29, the control device determines whether or not the inspection gas is detected by the leak detector 22, that is, whether or not a leak is detected.

  If the decision result in the step S29 is YES, the operator takes an appropriate countermeasure against the leak in a step S30. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S29 is NO, in step S31, the bypass valve 23 is closed and the three-way valve 35 is switched and controlled to open the first opening of the three-way valve 35 in step S31. Thus, the exhaust line 350 is communicated and the second opening is closed to disconnect the bypass line 36. In step S32 and subsequent steps, normal use of the vacuum device 1-3 is started, and film formation processing and the like are performed.

  In each of the above embodiments, the vacuum apparatus can be used as a film forming apparatus used when manufacturing a magnetic recording medium, a semiconductor device, or the like. Since a leak can be accurately detected by a combination of an inspection gas such as He gas and a leak detector installed in a vacuum chamber, it is possible to improve the productivity of magnetic recording media, semiconductor devices, etc. by appropriate measures against the leak. It becomes possible.

The following additional notes are further disclosed with respect to the embodiment including the above examples.
(Appendix 1)
A leak check mechanism for checking a leak in the vicinity of an exhaust valve for exhausting a vacuum pump connected to a vacuum chamber,
A leak check unit that can be switched and connected to one of bypass lines connected to the vacuum chamber by bypassing the vacuum pump and the vacuum pump,
A leak unit comprising a control unit that switches and controls the leak check unit so that the exhaust valve opened and the opened exhaust valve communicate with each other during exhaust, and the exhaust valve closed and the bypass line communicate with each other during leak check Check mechanism.
(Appendix 2)
The leak check mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a bypass valve that connects the bypass line and the vacuum chamber and is opened only at the time of leak check.
(Appendix 3)
The leak check mechanism according to appendix 1 or 2, wherein the leak check unit includes a three-way valve having a function of the exhaust valve.
(Appendix 4)
The leak check mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the leak check unit includes a three-way valve connected to the inside of the vacuum pump and the bypass line, and the exhaust valve connected to the three-way valve.
(Appendix 5)
The leak check mechanism according to appendix 3 or 4, wherein the exhaust valve is opened during the exhaust according to the pressure in the vacuum pump and closed during the leak check.
(Appendix 6)
The leak check mechanism according to any one of appendices 1 to 5, further comprising an inspection gas spraying section for spraying an inspection gas in the vicinity of the exhaust valve.
(Appendix 7)
A vacuum chamber having a leak detector and a bypass valve that can only be opened during a leak check;
A vacuum pump connected to the vacuum chamber and having an exhaust valve;
A leak check unit that can be switched and connected to one of bypass lines connected to the vacuum chamber via the bypass valve, bypassing the vacuum pump and the vacuum pump;
A control unit that switches and controls the leak check unit so that the exhaust valve opened and the opened exhaust valve communicate with each other during exhaust, and the exhaust valve closed and the bypass line communicate with each other during leak check,
The said leak detector is a vacuum device which detects a leak, if the test gas sprayed in the vicinity of the said exhaust valve at the time of the said leak check is detected.
(Appendix 8)
The vacuum apparatus according to appendix 7, wherein the leak check unit includes a three-way valve having a function of the exhaust valve.
(Appendix 9)
The vacuum apparatus according to appendix 7, wherein the leak check unit includes a three-way valve connected to the inside of the vacuum pump and the bypass line, and the exhaust valve connected to the three-way valve.
(Appendix 10)
The vacuum apparatus according to appendix 8 or 9, wherein the exhaust valve is opened during the exhaust according to the pressure in the vacuum pump and closed during the leak check.
(Appendix 11)
The vacuum apparatus according to any one of appendices 7 to 10, further comprising an inspection gas spraying section for spraying an inspection gas in the vicinity of the exhaust valve.

  While the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and improvements can be made within the scope of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows the vacuum apparatus in 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows a part of leak check mechanism. It is a figure which shows the vacuum apparatus in 2nd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the leak check operation | movement of 2nd Example. It is a figure which shows the vacuum apparatus in 3rd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the leak check operation | movement of 3rd Example.

Explanation of symbols

1-1, 1-2, 1-3 Vacuum device 2 Vacuum chamber 3-1, 3-2, 3-3 Cryopump 22 Leak detector 23 Bypass valve 35 Three-way valve 36 Bypass line 37 Exhaust valve 39 Control unit 300 Leak check Part

Claims (6)

A leak check mechanism for checking a leak in the vicinity of an exhaust valve for exhausting a vacuum pump connected to a vacuum chamber,
A leak check unit that can be switched and connected to one of bypass lines connected to the vacuum chamber by bypassing the vacuum pump and the vacuum pump,
A leak unit comprising a control unit that switches and controls the leak check unit so that the exhaust valve opened and the opened exhaust valve communicate with each other during exhaust, and the exhaust valve closed and the bypass line communicate with each other during leak check Check mechanism. A vacuum chamber having a leak detector and a bypass valve that can only be opened during a leak check;
A vacuum pump connected to the vacuum chamber and having an exhaust valve;
A leak check unit that can be switched and connected to one of bypass lines connected to the vacuum chamber via the bypass valve, bypassing the vacuum pump and the vacuum pump;
A control unit that switches and controls the leak check unit so that the exhaust valve opened and the opened exhaust valve communicate with each other during exhaust, and the exhaust valve closed and the bypass line communicate with each other during leak check,
The said leak detector is a vacuum device which detects a leak, if the test gas sprayed in the vicinity of the said exhaust valve at the time of the said leak check is detected.   The vacuum apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the leak check unit includes a three-way valve having a function of the exhaust valve.   The vacuum apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the leak check unit includes a three-way valve connected to the inside of the vacuum pump and the bypass line, and the exhaust valve connected to the three-way valve.   The vacuum apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the exhaust valve is opened during the exhaust according to the pressure in the vacuum pump and closed during the leak check.   The vacuum apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, further comprising an inspection gas spraying section for spraying an inspection gas in the vicinity of the exhaust valve.

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