JP2024050141A - Valve device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a valve device equipped with an inner disk that ensures a Cv value and is unlikely to deform. [Solution] The inner disk 20 is composed of an inner annular portion 22, an outer annular portion 21, and a connecting portion 23, and the connecting portion 23 has a beam portion 23a that connects the outer peripheral surface of the first side of the inner annular portion 22 to the inner peripheral surface of the outer annular portion 21, and a support portion 23b that connects the beam portion 23a to the outer peripheral surface of the inner annular portion 22, and a through hole portion 24 is provided between the beam portions 23a and 23a. [Selected Figure] Figure 2

Description

This invention relates to a valve device.

For example, in semiconductor manufacturing processes, valve devices are used to control the supply of various process gases to the chambers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The invention described in Patent Document 1 relates to a direct-touch metal diaphragm valve that is primarily used in the gas supply system of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. As shown in FIG. 3, the valve body 101 of the metal diaphragm valve 100 has a fluid inlet 110, a fluid outlet 111, a valve seat 113, and a metal diaphragm 102. The valve seat 113 is disposed in an annular groove formed in the valve body 101. The fluid enters through the fluid inlet 110, passes through the valve chamber 112 from the underside of the metal diaphragm 102, and exits through the fluid outlet 111.

The invention described in Patent Document 2, like Patent Document 1, relates to a diaphragm valve used primarily in gas supply systems in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and as shown in FIG. 4, the valve body 202 of the valve device 200 has a first flow path 221, a second flow path 222, and a valve chamber 223. An inner disk 203 is disposed in the valve chamber 223, and the inner disk 203 has an inner annular portion 232 and an outer annular portion 231. A valve seat 248 that comes into contact with and separates from the diaphragm 241 is disposed at the upper end of the inner annular portion 232, and a disk seal 249 that comes into close contact with the bottom surface of the valve chamber 223 is disposed at the lower end of the inner annular portion 232.

The valve device 200 described in Patent Document 2 has a replaceable inner disk 203 that is not included in the metal diaphragm valve 100 described in Patent Document 1, so there is no need to form a groove in the valve body 202 to place the valve seat 113, as in the metal diaphragm valve 100 described in Patent Document 1, which has the advantage of making it easier to process. Also, in the metal diaphragm valve 100 described in Patent Document 1, if the valve seat 113 or the like wears out, additional processing must be performed on the valve body 101 to replace it, whereas in the valve device 200 described in Patent Document 2, the inner disk 203 can be removed and repaired/replaced, which has the advantage of making maintenance easier.

Furthermore, the valve chamber 223 of the valve device 200 described in Patent Document 2 is formed deeper in the vertical direction than the valve chamber 112 of the metal diaphragm valve 100 described in Patent Document 1. This difference allows the valve device 200 described in Patent Document 2 to process large volumes of fluid.

JP 2012-26577 A International Publication No. WO2019/193978

In the valve device 200 of Patent Document 2 shown in FIG. 4, the bonnet 205 is screwed into the screw hole 225, the pressing adapter 243 is pressed from above, the pressing adapter 243 presses the periphery of the diaphragm 241 from above, the periphery of the diaphragm 241 presses the outer annular portion 231 from above, the force is transmitted to the inner annular portion 232, the disk seal 249 is pressed against the bottom surface of the valve chamber 223 from above, and the inner disk 203 is placed in a predetermined position.

However, the valve device 200 of Patent Document 2 has a problem in that even when the bonnet 205 is tightened, the disk seal 249 does not completely collapse, and the inner disk 203 does not fully descend to the designed position. If the inner disk 203 does not fully descend to the designed position, the gap between the valve seat 248 and the diaphragm 241 becomes smaller, causing a problem of a smaller Cv value. Here, the Cv value is an index that indicates the ease with which a fluid such as gas flows in an on-off valve.

In addition, even if the tightening load of the bonnet 205 is increased in order to lower the inner disk 203 to the design position, excessive force is applied to the part connecting the inner annular portion 232 and the outer annular portion 231, causing deformation, and even if the outer annular portion 231 of the inner disk 203 is in the design position, the positions of the inner annular portion 232 and the valve seat 248 do not lower to the design position, resulting in a small Cv value.

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to provide a valve device and the like equipped with an inner disk that does not deform and can ensure a specified Cv value.

The present invention (1) is
the valve device comprising: a valve body which defines a first flow path and a second flow path which are fluid passages, and a valve chamber which communicates with the first flow path and the second flow path; an inner disk which has an inner annular portion arranged around an opening of the first flow path which opens into the valve chamber, an outer annular portion arranged on the outer peripheral side of the inner annular portion, and a connecting portion which connects the inner annular portion and the outer annular portion; a diaphragm which connects and disconnects the first flow path and the second flow path by coming into contact with and separating from an annular upper sheet arranged at an upper end of the inner annular portion, the diaphragm having a lower surface peripheral portion which contacts an upper surface of the outer annular portion and is pressed and positioned by a pressing adapter which presses the upper surface peripheral portion from above downward; and an annular lower sheet arranged at a lower end of the inner annular portion and which is in close contact with a valve chamber bottom surface which is the bottom surface of the valve chamber, the connecting portion comprising a beam portion which connects an upper outer peripheral surface of the inner annular portion to an inner peripheral surface of the outer annular portion, and a support portion which connects a lower surface of the beam portion to the outer peripheral surface of the inner annular portion,

In the present invention (1), by constructing the connection of the inner disc such that the support part supports the beam part, it is possible to prevent deformation of the beam part of the inner disc, and since there is no deformation of the beam part, the position of the upper seat can be set as set, so it is possible to ensure the Cv value.

The present invention (2) is a valve device according to the present invention (1), in which the support portion is formed by additive manufacturing.

According to the present invention (2), by forming the support portion by additive manufacturing, the inner disk can have a support portion strong enough to prevent deformation of the beam portion without going through a complicated process.

The present invention provides a valve device and the like that can ensure a specified Cv value without causing deformation of the inner disk.

1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a valve device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the metal diaphragm valve of Patent Document 1. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the valve device disclosed in Patent Document 2.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are essentially preferred examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its applications, or its uses.

First, the valve device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described using the partial cross-sectional view of the valve device 1 disclosed in FIG. 1. The valve body 10 is formed with a first flow path 11, a second flow path 12, and a valve chamber 13. The valve chamber 13 and the first flow path 11 are connected through a bottom opening 15 formed in the bottom surface of the valve chamber 13, and the valve chamber and the second flow path are connected through a side opening formed in the side surface of the valve chamber 13. A bonnet portion 16 is formed at the top with a recess therein. An inner disk 20 is disposed in the valve chamber 13. The inner disk 20 is provided with an outer annular portion 21, an inner annular portion 22, a connecting portion 23 connecting the outer annular portion 21 and the inner annular portion 22, and the connecting portion 23 and the inner annular portion 22. An upper seat groove 22a is formed at the upper end of the inner annular portion 22, and an upper seat 26 is disposed therein. A groove 22b for a lower seat is formed at the lower end of the inner annular part 22, and a lower seat 25 is disposed therein, and the lower seat 25 is in close contact with the bottom surface 14 of the valve chamber. The connection part 23 is composed of a beam part 23a that connects the upper part of the outer peripheral surface of the inner annular part 22 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer annular part 21, and a support part 23b that connects the beam part 23a to the outer peripheral surface of the inner annular part 22 so as to support the beam part 23a. In this embodiment, four beam parts 23a are formed, and four holes 24 that penetrate from top to bottom are opened between each beam part 23a. The holes 24 are formed in an elongated hole shape to facilitate the flow of fluid, and the upper surface of the beam part 23a is recessed compared to the upper surfaces of the inner annular part 22 and the outer annular part 21. Four support parts 23b are provided in a substantially triangular shape from the lower surface of the beam part 23a to the outer peripheral surface of the inner annular part 22 to support the beam part 23a and prevent deformation of the beam part 23a. The beam portion 23a is formed by additive manufacturing using an AM device (3D modeling device) on an inner disk formed by cutting. A diaphragm 33 is disposed on the upper sheet 26, which is pressed by a pressing adapter 30. With the inner disk 20 in place, the fluid that flows into the first flow path 11 passes through the bottom opening 15, enters the inside of the inner annular portion 22 from the lower end, and exits from the upper end. It then flows out of the second flow path 12 via the gap between the upper sheet 26 and the diaphragm 33 and the hole 24.

Above the bonnet 16, an actuator is placed, which is made up of a lower casing 50 and an upper casing 60. The actuator is composed of a spring coil 61, a first piston 65, a bulkhead 72, a second piston 69, and a stem 38, and the operation gas introduced from the operation gas supply port 62 moves the stem 38 up and down through the operation gas passage 64. The upper casing 60 and the lower casing 50 are connected by a screw-fit between the upper casing lower female thread 71 and the lower casing male thread 51. Many O-rings 63, 66, 67, 68, 70, and 52 are provided to maintain airtightness.

The lower recess of the lower casing 50 is provided with a thrust increasing mechanism consisting of a lid 40, a tapered ring 39, and a ball 37. The valve body 10 and the actuator are connected by a nut 34. The nut lower female thread 35 is screwed into the bonnet upper male thread 17. The nut upper male thread 43 is screwed into the lower casing female thread 53, and by screwing the nut 34, the pressure adapter 30 presses the periphery of the diaphragm 33, fixing the diaphragm 33 between the outer annular portion 21. The lid male thread 41 is screwed into the nut upper female thread 42.

The tapered tip of the stem 38 presses the disk 36 downward, which in turn presses the diaphragm retainer 32 downward, deforming the diaphragm 33 and bringing it into contact with the upper sheet 26, blocking the flow of fluid. When the stem 38 moves upward, it opens and allows fluid to flow.

As described above, the present invention can provide a valve device and the like that has an inner disk that ensures a sufficient Cv value and is less likely to deform.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 1 Valve device 10 Valve body 11 First flow path 12 Second flow path 13 Valve chamber 14 Valve chamber bottom surface 15 First opening 16 Bonnet portion 17 Bonnet upper male thread 20 Inner disc 21 Outer annular portion 22 Inner annular portion 22a Upper seat groove 22b Lower seat groove 23 Connection portion 23a Beam portion 23b Support portion 24 Hole portion 25 Lower seat 26 Upper seat 30 Retaining adapter 32 Diaphragm retainer 33 Diaphragm 34 Nut 35 Nut lower female thread 36 Disc 37 Ball 38 Stem 39 Tapered ring 40 Lid 41 Lid male thread 42 Nut upper female thread 43 Nut upper male thread 50 Lower casing 51 Lower casing male thread 52 O-ring 53 Lower casing female thread 60 Upper casing 61 Spring coil 62 Operation gas supply port 63 O-ring 64 Operation gas passage 65 First piston 66, 67, 68 O-ring 69 Second piston 70 O-ring 71 Upper casing lower female thread 72 Bulkhead

Claims (2)

a valve body that defines a first flow passage and a second flow passage, which are fluid passages, and a valve chamber that communicates with the first flow passage and the second flow passage;
an inner disk including an inner annular portion disposed around an opening of the first flow passage that opens into the valve chamber, an outer annular portion that is shorter than the inner annular portion and disposed on an outer circumferential side of the inner annular portion, and a connecting portion that connects the outer annular portion to the inner annular portion at one end side of the inner annular portion;
a diaphragm that connects and disconnects the first flow path and the second flow path by coming into contact with and moving away from an annular upper sheet disposed at one end of the inner annular portion on the outer annular portion side, and has a lower surface peripheral portion that contacts an upper surface of the outer annular portion and is pressed and positioned by a pressing adapter that presses the upper surface peripheral portion from above downward;
a lower seat provided at the other end of the inner annular portion and in close contact with a bottom surface of the valve chamber,
The connection portion includes a plurality of beam portions connecting a first side outer peripheral surface of the inner annular portion and an inner peripheral surface of the outer annular portion, and a support portion connecting the beam portions and the outer peripheral surface of the inner annular portion, and a valve device having a through hole portion provided between the beam portions. The valve device of claim 1, wherein the support portion is formed by additive manufacturing.

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