JP3823120B1 - Industrial endoscope equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an industrial endoscope apparatus having a cooling structure while expanding a visual field during observation by being rotatably attached to a wall surface of a vacuum chamber.
An opening 3 is formed in a wall 2 of a vacuum chamber 1 and a protective cover 4 having a bellows 8 that can expand and contract in the axial direction is fixed to the inside of the opening 3. A transparent member 9 is provided at the tip of the protective cover 4, and the endoscope 13 is inserted into the protective cover 4. The objective lens portion 15 of the endoscope is opposed to the transparent member 9 and the eyepiece lens portion 14 is disposed outside the vacuum chamber 1. Outside the vacuum chamber 1 of the endoscope 13, a support portion 10 that supports the endoscope 13 so as to be rotatable is provided. The angle between the objective lens side of the endoscope 13 and the distal end side of the protective cover 4 is made variable by deformation of the bellows 8 accompanying the rotation of the endoscope 13.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an industrial endoscope apparatus suitable for observing a vacuum chamber, such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, from the outside, and in particular, an industrial use in which the observation range in the vacuum chamber is expanded by changing the mounting angle. Related to the endoscope.

  In an apparatus for processing and processing a product in a vacuum chamber such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, it has been proposed to use an industrial endoscope to observe the state in the vacuum chamber. For example, in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1, an expandable bellows is provided on the inner surface of a wall portion of a thin film forming apparatus, and an endoscope is slidably inserted in the axial direction into the bellows.

  The base portion of the bellows is fixed in an airtight manner so as to ensure a degree of vacuum with respect to the wall portion, and the eyepiece portion of the endoscope inserted into the bellows is located outside the wall portion. On the other hand, a transparent protective tube is provided at the tip of the bellows, and the objective lens portion at the tip of the endoscope is configured to allow observation of the inside of the thin film forming apparatus through this protective tube.

  By the way, in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as described above, the inside of the vacuum chamber is often in a high temperature environment, and therefore, endoscopes having a cooling structure are also known as in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3.

JP-A-8-193964 JP 2000-46482 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-263390

  However, since the invention of Patent Document 1 merely slides the endoscope in the axial direction thereof, the field of view is limited, and there is a drawback that only a part of the vacuum chamber can be observed. On the other hand, even if the invention of Patent Document 2 has a cooling structure, it does not have sufficient airtightness that can be used in a vacuum environment. Furthermore, the invention of Patent Document 3 has a cooling function and a movable reflecting mirror provided at the tip of the objective lens to enable observation in two directions, front and side. Was also limited.

  The present invention has been proposed to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and its purpose is to enable an operator and a control device to freely set the observation direction in a vacuum environment. Another object of the present invention is to provide an industrial endoscope apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cooling structure for enabling the use of an industrial endoscope apparatus having a variable observation direction as described above even at high temperatures.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the industrial endoscope apparatus of the present invention has an opening formed in the wall portion of the vacuum chamber, and a protection having a bellows that can expand and contract in the axial direction on the indoor side of the opening portion. The cover is fixed to the wall portion with a degree of vacuum secured, a transparent member is provided at the tip of the protective cover, an endoscope is inserted into the protective cover, and the objective lens portion of the endoscope is The eyepiece unit is disposed outside the vacuum chamber and is opposed to the transparent member, and a support unit is provided outside the vacuum chamber of the endoscope so as to be able to rotate the endoscope. The angle between the objective lens side of the endoscope and the front end side of the protective cover is made variable by deformation of the bellows accompanying the movement.

Each of the following configurations is also an embodiment of the present invention.
(1) The endoscope is slidably supported in the axial direction with respect to the support portion, so that the objective lens side of the endoscope can advance and retreat with respect to the wall portion of the vacuum chamber.
(2) A cooling medium for water cooling or air cooling is circulated in the gap between the protective cover and the endoscope.
(3) A cooling coil is disposed in the gap between the protective cover and the endoscope, and a cooling medium for water cooling or air cooling is circulated in the cooling coil.
(4) Provide a vacuum heat insulating part or a heat insulating material between the protective cover and the endoscope.

  In the industrial endoscope apparatus of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the angle of the objective lens side with respect to the vacuum chamber wall portion is variable by rotating the endoscope around the support portion. Can do. As a result, it is possible to widen the visual field in the vacuum chamber as compared with the conventional technique that is simply slidable as in Patent Document 1. In addition, when the cooling structure or the heat insulating structure as described above is provided, the endoscope can be used even in a high-temperature vacuum environment.

(1) First Embodiment Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 1, the wall 2 of the vacuum chamber 1 is provided with an opening 3 for mounting an endoscope. A protective cover 4 is fixed on the indoor side of the wall 2 in the opening 3. That is, a flange 5 is integrally provided at the base of the protective cover 4, and the protective cover 4 is inserted into the opening 3 so that the flange 5 is located on the indoor side of the wall 2. An airtight material 6 such as an O-ring is provided on the contact surface between the flange 5 and the wall portion 2, and the flange 5 and the wall portion 2 are fastened by a bolt 7 provided on the outer side thereof, thereby the protective cover 4. Is secured to the wall 2 with a degree of vacuum.

  A portion of the protective cover 4 that protrudes into the vacuum chamber 1 is constituted by a bellows 7 that is extendable in the axial direction of the protective cover 4. A transparent member 8 such as glass is fitted into the front end of the protective cover 4 in an airtight manner.

  An endoscope support 10 is provided outside the wall 2 of the vacuum chamber 1. The support portion 10 includes a bracket 11 fixed to the wall portion 2 with a bolt (not shown) and the like, and a spherical bearing 12 fixed to the bracket 11, and an endoscope 13 is pivoted in the spherical bearing 12. It is slidably supported in the direction. In the figure, reference numeral 14 denotes an eyepiece portion of the endoscope, 15 denotes an objective lens portion, and 16 denotes a spacer that fixes the endoscope 13 and the protective cover 4 on the objective lens portion 15 side.

  In the endoscope apparatus of the first embodiment having such a configuration, the protective cover 4 is secured to the wall portion 2 while securing a vacuum state, and therefore the endoscope 13 inserted into the protective cover 4. Can be used under atmospheric pressure. In addition, since the endoscope 13 and the protective cover 4 are integrated on the objective lens portion 15 side via the spacer 16, if the endoscope 13 is slid in the spherical bearing 12 in the axial direction, The bellows 8 also expands and contracts in the axial direction. As a result, observation can be performed in a state in which the object in the vacuum chamber 1 is approached or separated.

  In particular, in this embodiment, since the endoscope 13 is rotatably supported by the spherical bearing 12, the angle can be changed by operating the eyepiece side of the endoscope 13. In that case, since the protective cover 4 also expands and contracts at the bellows 8 portion and rotates as indicated by the arrow in the figure, it is possible to observe any direction in the vacuum chamber 1.

(2) Second Embodiment In the second embodiment, a cooling structure is added to the endoscope apparatus of the first embodiment. That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a cooling coil 17 such as a copper pipe is provided around the outer periphery of the endoscope 13 in the gap between the endoscope 13 and the protective cover 4. ing. The base and tip of the cooling coil 17 are drawn out of the vacuum chamber 1 through the opening 3 of the wall 2, and cooled coolant such as water, air and oil is circulated therein. Yes.

  According to the second embodiment having such a configuration, the endoscope 13 is always cooled by the refrigerant circulating in the cooling coil 17, so that it can be used even in a vacuum chamber in a high temperature environment. In particular, since the second embodiment does not bend the endoscope 13 itself when the observation angle is changed by using the spherical bearing 12, even if a rigid cooling coil 17 such as a copper pipe is used. An excessive force is not applied to the cooling coil, and the endoscope 13 can be effectively cooled using the cooling coil having excellent heat transfer performance.

  Instead of the cooling coil 17 by the copper pipe, as shown in FIG. 3, one or a plurality of cooling coils extending in the axial direction of the endoscope 13 may be provided, and the refrigerant may be circulated therethrough. Effects can be obtained.

(3) Third Embodiment In the third embodiment, instead of the cooling coil 17 of the second embodiment, the refrigerant is circulated directly in the gap between the protective cover 4 and the endoscope 13. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, an airtight chamber 18 is formed on the outdoor side of the wall portion 2, the chamber 18 and the gap portion are communicated with each other, and a refrigerant supply port and a discharge port are provided in the chamber 18. Is.

  According to the third embodiment having such a configuration, the endoscope 13 is cooled by the refrigerant circulating in the gap portion, and a member such as the cooling coil 17 of the second embodiment is not necessary, which is simple. It is possible to exhibit a cooling function with a configuration.

(4) Fourth Embodiment In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the entire periphery of the endoscope 13 has a double structure, and the space between the partition walls of the double structure is a vacuum heat insulating layer 19. is there. The vacuum heat insulating layer 19 is formed with an exhaust port 20.

  According to the fourth embodiment having such a configuration, the presence of the vacuum heat insulating layer 19 prevents heat from the protective cover 4 exposed to a high temperature from being transmitted to the inner endoscope 13. The endoscope 13 can be protected from the influence of high heat.

(5) Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes the following other embodiments.
(1) In each of the above embodiments, the distal end of the endoscope 13 and the protective cover 4 are integrated via the spacer 16. However, the spacer 16 is not always necessary, and the outer diameter dimension and protection of the endoscope 13 are protected. By appropriately selecting the inner diameter dimension of the cover 4, both can be integrated by fitting.
(2) In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, instead of circulating the refrigerant in the gap between the endoscope 13 and the protective cover 4 or the refrigerant flow passage, the space is evacuated, so that the heat insulation is achieved. It is also possible to ensure. Moreover, it is also possible to fill these spaces with a heat insulating material instead of evacuation.
(3) In each of the above embodiments, the refrigerant is circulated through the gap between the endoscope 13 and the protective cover 4 and the refrigerant flow passage on the assumption of use at a high temperature, but when used in a cryogenic environment. It is also possible to circulate the heated fluid through the gap and the flow passage. A heater for heating can also be incorporated.
(4) Although the bellows 8 is provided over the entire area of the protective cover 4 in the figure, it can also be provided on the distal end side or part of the base side of the protective cover 4 depending on the rotation angle of the endoscope.
(5) The rotation operation of the endoscope can be manually moved by the operator observing the eyepiece side of the endoscope in the vacuum chamber, but by combining the motor and other driving means with its control means, The observation angle of the endoscope can be automatically changed over time.

Sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of 1st Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of 2nd Embodiment of this invention typically. Sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the modification of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of 3rd Embodiment of this invention typically. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of 4th Embodiment of this invention typically.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vacuum chamber 2 ... Wall part 3 ... Opening part 4 ... Protective cover 5 ... Flange 6 ... Airtight material 7 ... Bolt 8 ... Bellows 9 ... Transparent member 10 ... Supporting part 11 ... Bracket 12 ... Spherical bearing 13 ... Endoscope 14 ... eyepiece part 15 ... objective lens part 16 ... spacer 17 ... cooling coil 18 ... chamber 19 ... vacuum heat insulating layer 20 ... exhaust port

Claims (5)

  An opening is formed in the wall of the vacuum chamber, and a protective cover having a bellows that can be expanded and contracted in the axial direction is fixed to the wall with the degree of vacuum secured to the wall. A transparent member is provided at the tip of the cover, an endoscope is inserted into the protective cover, the objective lens portion of the endoscope is opposed to the transparent member, and the eyepiece portion is disposed outside the vacuum chamber. A support portion that rotatably supports the endoscope is provided outside the vacuum chamber of the endoscope, and the objective lens side and the protective cover of the endoscope are deformed by deformation of the bellows accompanying the rotation of the endoscope. An industrial endoscope apparatus characterized in that the angle on the distal end side is variable.   The support unit is configured by a spherical bearing that supports the endoscope so as to be slidable in the axial direction thereof, and rotatably supports the endoscope so that the direction of the endoscope on the objective lens side is variable. The industrial endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The industrial endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a cooling coil for circulating a cooling medium for water cooling or air cooling is disposed in a gap between the protective cover and the endoscope.   The industrial endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a cooling medium for water cooling or air cooling is circulated in a gap between the protective cover and the endoscope.   The industrial endoscope apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a vacuum heat insulating portion is provided between the protective cover and the endoscope.

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