JP5551947B2 - Sealing material for grooves - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a groove sealing material applied between two abutting members in a vacuum apparatus.

  For example, a sealing material that seals a gap between two abutting members mounted in a trapezoidal dovetail having a trapezoidal cross section, for example, has various functions such as durability. Required. Therefore, in order to satisfy such requirements, a groove sealing material having a cross-sectional shape other than a circular shape is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The groove sealing material of Patent Document 1 has been developed for the purpose of preventing the occurrence of biting, rolling, twisting, etc. in addition to the sealing performance, and the cross-sectional shape thereof corresponds to the bottom surface of the dovetail groove. Provided at the flat base that touches, the left and right hypotenuses that rise diagonally outward from both sides of the base, the left and right overhanging shoulders provided at the ends of the left and right hypotenuses, and the center of the left and right overhanging shoulders A central convex portion projecting upward from the opening of the dovetail groove, and a recessed portion provided between the overhanging shoulder portion and the central convex portion.

JP 2003-014126 A

  However, the above conventional groove sealing material increases the reaction force more than necessary to obtain a sufficient crushing amount (hereinafter referred to as “compression amount”), and a sufficient crushing amount cannot be obtained. There is a possibility that sufficient sealing performance cannot always be obtained at the contact portions between the members.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a groove sealing material that can increase the amount of compression and improve the sealing performance.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the groove sealing material according to claim 1 is mounted in a seal groove provided on one member surface in a contact portion of two members, and contacts the other member surface to In an annular groove sealing material that seals a gap between two members and has a single cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the extending direction, the cross-sectional shapes are arranged sequentially in the circumferential direction. In the state which has 1 convex part, 2nd convex part, 3rd convex part, 4th convex part, and 5 convex part and was mounted | worn with the said seal groove, the said 1st convex part is from the opening end of the said seal groove. The third convex part and the fourth convex part, which form a protruding part that protrudes and are located at the base angle of an isosceles triangle having the first convex part as a vertex, respectively contact the bottom plane of the seal groove, The first concave portion provided between the third convex portion and the fourth convex portion and the bottom plane of the seal groove A first space portion is formed to absorb a deformation amount when the first convex portion is pressed between the two convex portions, and the second convex portion and the fifth convex portion are formed on two opposing wall surfaces of the seal groove. The first and second surfaces are adjacent to each other and between the surface between the second convex portion and the third convex portion, and the surface between the fourth convex portion and the fifth convex portion and the inner wall surface of the seal groove. A first absorption space portion and a second absorption space portion that absorb deformation when the first convex portion is pressed in cooperation with the space portion are respectively formed, and the opening of the seal groove of the protrusion portion The ratio of the length protruding from the end to the depth of the seal groove is 10 to 35% .

Groove sealing material according to claim 2, wherein, in the groove sealing material according to claim 1 Symbol placement, when the first convex portion is pressed, the second protrusions, the third protrusion, the fourth convex portions and Each of the fifth convex portions is in contact with the inner wall surface of the seal groove to suppress twisting of the seal material.

Groove sealing material according to claim 3, wherein, in the groove sealing material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance between the third convex portions and the fourth convex portion below the opening width of the opening of the seal groove It is characterized by being.

The groove sealing material according to claim 4 is the groove sealing material according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the second convex portion and the fifth convex portion and an inner wall surface of the seal groove. A predetermined gap is formed between each of them.

The groove seal material according to claim 5 is the groove seal material according to claim 4 , wherein a ratio of a cross-sectional area of the predetermined gap to a total cross-sectional area of the seal groove is less than 3%. .

The groove sealing material according to claim 6 is the groove sealing material according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the groove is between the second convex portion and the third convex portion, and the fourth convex portion. the fifth and the second recesses and third recesses respectively provided between the convex portion, the first absorption space between an inner wall surface of the seal groove and the second concave portion is formed with The second absorption space is formed between the third recess and the inner wall surface of the seal groove, and when the first protrusion is pressed, the first absorption space and the second absorbing space is characterized and Turkey obtained has a significant amount of compression reaction force similar to the circular section of the sealing material in the same pressing conditions in cooperation with the first space.

Groove sealing material according to claim 7, wherein the percentage in the groove for sealing material according to claim 6, wherein, relative to the total cross-sectional area of the sealing groove of the cross-sectional area in a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the first space portion Is characterized by being 10-25%.

The groove sealing material according to claim 8 is the groove sealing material according to claim 6 or 7 , wherein the first absorption space portion and the second absorption space portion are cut in a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction. The ratio of the area to the total cross-sectional area of the seal groove is 2 to 10%, respectively.

Groove sealing material according to claim 9, wherein, in the groove sealing material according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the first protrusion and Ma及 beauty the fifth convex portion of the second projecting portion and between Niso respectively with the first protrusion, the first space portion, the fourth recess and the increasing first absorption space and the amount of compression in cooperation with the second absorption space 5 recess is characterized by being kicked set.

The groove sealing material according to claim 10 is the groove sealing material according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the groove is between the second convex portion and the third convex portion, and the fourth convex portion. and to between the fifth convex portion, a first planar portion, and the second flat section respectively is provided, said first absorption space between an inner wall surface of the seal groove and the first flat section Is formed , the second absorption space is formed between the second flat portion and the inner wall surface of the seal groove, and when the first convex portion is pressed, the first absorption space and The second absorption space portion cooperates with the first space portion to absorb the deformation amount, and at the beginning of pressing, a compression amount and a reaction force similar to those of the circular cross-section sealing material under the same pressing condition are obtained. then it smaller than the compression amount at the circular section of the sealing material in the amount of compression reaction force is rapidly increased before Symbol same pressing conditions And wherein the door

Groove sealing material according to claim 11 wherein the percentage in the groove for sealing material according to claim 10, wherein, relative to the total cross-sectional area of the sealing groove of the cross-sectional area in a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the first space portion Is 1 to 15%.

The groove sealing material according to claim 12 is the groove sealing material according to claim 10 or 11 , wherein the first absorption space and the second absorption space are cut in a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction. The ratio of the area to the total cross-sectional area of the seal groove is 2 to 7%, respectively.

Groove sealing material according to claim 13, wherein, in the groove sealing material according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the first protrusion and Ma及 beauty the fifth convex portion of the second projecting portion If during Niso respectively the first protrusion, the first space portion, and respectively cooperate with the first absorption space and second absorption space, when the first protrusion is pressed At the beginning of pressing, the same amount of compression and reaction force as a circular cross-section seal material under the same pressing condition are obtained, and then the reaction force increases rapidly to reduce the amount of compression to the circular cross-section seal under the same pressing condition. wherein the third flat portion and a fourth flat portion smaller than the compression amount of wood is eclipsed set.

The groove sealing material according to claim 14 is the groove sealing material according to any one of claims 1 to 13 , wherein the groove sealing material is made of an elastic material.

  According to the present invention, the amount of compression can be increased and the sealing performance can be improved.

1 is a plan view schematically showing a configuration of a substrate processing system as a vacuum apparatus to which a groove sealing material according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is sectional drawing of the valve body part of the gate valve arrange | positioned between the conveyance chamber of FIG. 1, and a plasma processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the cross-sectional shape of the sealing material for grooves | channels concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure which shows the initial state whose pressing force is "0". It is a figure which shows the cross-sectional shape of the sealing material for grooves | channels concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure which shows the use condition which applied predetermined | prescribed pressing force. It is a figure which shows the cross-sectional shape of the sealing material for grooves | channels concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure which shows the initial state whose pressing force is "0". It is a figure which shows the cross-sectional shape of the sealing material for grooves concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure which shows the use condition which applied predetermined | prescribed pressing force. It is a figure which shows the reaction force-compression amount curve in the sealing material for grooves which concerns on 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a configuration of a substrate processing system as a vacuum apparatus to which a groove sealing material according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. This substrate processing system is, for example, a multi-chamber type substrate processing system for performing an etching process on a glass substrate for a flat panel display (FPD).

  In FIG. 1, a substrate processing system 10 includes a transfer chamber 11 disposed in the center, a load lock chamber 12 connected to the transfer chamber 11, and three plasma treatments arranged in a cluster around the transfer chamber 11. The apparatus 13 includes an arm support 14 connected to the load lock chamber 12 on the side opposite to the transfer chamber 11, and two cassettes 15 connected to both sides of the arm support 14.

  One cassette 15 accommodates a plurality of untreated glass substrates (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrates”), and the other cassette 15 accommodates a plurality of processed substrates. A transfer arm 16 is disposed on the arm support 14, and the transfer arm 16 takes out an unprocessed substrate from one cassette 15 and loads it into the load lock chamber 12, and takes out a processed substrate from the load lock chamber 12. To the other cassette 15.

  Each plasma processing apparatus 13 performs an etching process on the substrate, and the transfer chamber 11 carries the substrate in and out of each plasma processing apparatus 13 by a built-in transfer arm (not shown). The load lock chamber 12 has a buffer (not shown) for temporarily placing the substrate, and the transfer arm 16 and the transfer arm of the transfer chamber 11 place the substrate on the buffer or take out the substrate from the buffer. Replace. Both the transfer chamber 11 and the load lock chamber 12 can be depressurized.

  A gate valve 17 is provided between the transfer chamber 11 and each plasma processing apparatus 13, between the transfer chamber 11 and the load lock chamber 12, and between the load lock chamber 12 and the air atmosphere outside the load lock chamber 12. It has been. Each gate valve 17 is openable and closable, and a groove seal material is applied to the gate valve 17 in order to hermetically seal each communication path.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a valve body portion of the gate valve 17 disposed between the transfer chamber 11 and the plasma processing apparatus 13 of FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the gate valve 17 is mainly composed of a valve body 17a, a seal groove 17b provided on one surface of the valve body 17a, and a groove sealing material 20 attached to the seal groove 17b. . For example, the gate valve 17 seals the communication port 18 between the transfer chamber 11 and the plasma processing apparatus 13. However, the sealing groove 17b and the groove sealing material 20 may be provided on the plasma processing apparatus 13 side facing the valve body 17a.

  By the way, in recent years, as the vacuum apparatus is increased in size, each communication port is also increased in size, and deformation such as distortion and deflection is likely to occur in the periphery of the communication port when the apparatus is in operation. In such a situation, in order to secure the sealing performance, if the sealing material having a circular cross section is used to increase the cross sectional dimension of the sealing material and the amount of compression to absorb the deformation, the reaction force becomes too large and the gate valve is increased. May bend. Although it is necessary to increase the rigidity of the gate structure in order to suppress the deflection of the gate valve, this leads to an increase in cost due to the increased rigidity of the gate structure.

  Hereinafter, the first of the present invention applied to a gate valve sandwiched between two spaces mainly having a small pressure difference, which can reduce the reaction force and reduce the load on the device mechanism while increasing the compression amount. The groove sealing material according to the embodiment will be described.

  3 and 4 are diagrams showing a cross-sectional shape of the groove sealing material according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an initial state in which the pressing force is “0”. 4 is a diagram illustrating a use state in which a predetermined pressing force is applied. The groove sealing material 20 is applied to, for example, the gate valve 17 provided between the transfer chamber 11 and the plasma processing apparatus 13 in FIG. Both the transfer chamber 11 and the plasma processing apparatus 13 are maintained in a reduced pressure state, and the pressure difference is not so large.

  3 and 4, the groove sealing material 20 is an annular sealing material, and a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the sealing material (hereinafter simply referred to as “cross section”) has a single shape. The first convex portion 21, the second convex portion 22, the third convex portion 23, the fourth convex portion 24, and the fifth convex portion 25 are sequentially arranged along the circumferential direction.

  When the groove sealing material 20 is attached to, for example, a dovetail groove 50 as a seal groove, the first convex portion 21 is a protrusion portion that protrudes from the opening end of the opening portion 51 of the dovetail groove 50 (hereinafter referred to as “projection portion 21”). Also called). The ratio of the length of the protrusion 21 protruding from the opening end of the opening 51 of the dovetail groove 50 to the depth of the dovetail groove 50 is, for example, 10 to 35%.

The 3rd convex part 23 and the 4th convex part 24 which are located in the base angle of the isosceles triangle which makes the 1st convex part 21 the vertex contact | abut to the bottom plane 52 of the dovetail 50, respectively, and the 3rd convex part 23 and the 3rd convex part A first space portion 41 is formed by the first concave portion 31 provided between the four convex portions 24 and the bottom flat surface 52 of the dovetail groove 50. The first space portion 41 absorbs the amount of deformation when the protruding portion 21 is pressed. The ratio of the cross-sectional area (cross-sectional area) of the first space portion 41 to the total cross-sectional area of the dovetail groove 50 is 10 to 25%.
Further, the distance between the third convex portion 23 and the fourth convex portion 24 is the same as or narrower than the opening width of the opening 51 of the dovetail 50. This facilitates mounting of the groove sealing material 20 to the dovetail groove 50.

The second convex portion 22 and the fifth convex portion 25 are close to the inclined inner wall surfaces 53 and 54 that form two sides other than the upper and lower bases of the trapezoidal cross section of the dovetail groove 50, respectively. A second concave portion 32 and a third concave portion 33 are provided between the first convex portion 23 and the third convex portion 23 and between the fourth convex portion 24 and the fifth convex portion 25, respectively. And between the 2nd recessed part 32 and the 3rd recessed part 33, and the inner wall face of the dovetail groove 50, the 4th space part 44 (1st absorption space) and the 5th space part 45 (2nd absorption space) are each respectively. ) And the fourth space portion 44 and the fifth space portion 45 absorb the deformation amount when the projecting portion 21 is pressed in cooperation with the first space portion 41 and secure the compression amount as the sealing material. To do.

  The 4th space part 44 and the 5th space part 45 are the surface containing the line (dashed line in a figure) which ties the 2nd convex part 22 and the 3rd convex part 23, respectively, and the 4th convex part 24 and the 5th convex part. The inner volume is larger than the virtual space portion formed by the plane and the inner wall surface of the dovetail groove 50 when the plane including the line connecting the line 25 (broken line in the figure) is a plane. Therefore, the deformation absorption amount when the protrusion 21 is pressed is also increased.

  The ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the fourth space portion 44 and the fifth space portion 45 to the total cross-sectional area of the dovetail groove 50 is, for example, 2 to 10%.

  Further, a fourth concave portion 34 and a fifth concave portion 35 are provided between the first convex portion 21 and the second convex portion 22, and between the fifth convex portion 25 and the first convex portion 21, respectively. The 4th recessed part 34 and the 5th recessed part 35 act | operate so that the deformation | transformation at the time of the press of the protrusion part 21 may be made easy, and the amount of compressions as a sealing material may be enlarged by increasing a deformation amount.

  The groove sealing material 20 having such a configuration is applied to a gate valve provided on a communication port sealing surface having a small pressure difference. When the protruding portion (first protruding portion) 21 is pressed, a cross section of the sealing material is shown in FIG. 3 is crushed downward, and the protrusion 21 also moves downward. At this time, the fourth concave portion 34 and the fifth concave portion 35 are provided on both sides of the protruding portion 21, and the protruding amount of the protruding portion 21 from the opening end of the dovetail groove 50 is 10 to 35% of the depth of the dovetail groove 50. The deformation amount of the protruding portion 21 is larger than the deformation amount of the sealing member having a circular cross section under the same pressing condition. Further, the amount of deformation of the cross-sectional shape of the groove sealing material 20 is such that the first space portion 41 provided at the bottom portion facing the protruding portion 21, the fourth space portion 44 provided at the side portion of the groove sealing material 20, and Since it is absorbed by the fifth space 45, the reaction force does not become larger than the reaction force of the sealing member having a circular cross section under the same compression condition.

  According to the present embodiment, the amount of protrusion of the protrusion 21 from the opening end of the dovetail groove 50 is 10 to 35% of the depth of the dovetail groove 50, and the fourth recess 34 and Since the 5th recessed part 35 was provided, the 1st space part 41 was provided in the bottom part facing the protrusion part 21, and the 4th space part 44 and the 5th space part 45 were provided in the both sides, the protrusion part 21 was pressed. At this time, the sealing material is easily deformed, and the amount of deformation is absorbed by each space portion. Therefore, a larger amount of compression can be obtained with substantially the same reaction force as compared with a seal member having a circular cross section under the same pressing condition, and the distance between the communication port seal surface and the valve body slightly changes due to this large amount of compression. Even if it seals well, it can seal. Further, since the reaction force does not become excessively large, it is not necessary to increase the rigidity of the gate structure, and the groove sealing material 20 can be applied to the current dovetail groove, so that the mechanism configuration of the gate valve is changed. There is no need.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the first convex portion is pressed, the second convex portion, the third convex portion, the fourth convex portion, and the fifth convex portion abut against the inner wall surface of the dovetail groove 50, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the generation of particles due to the sealing material being twisted and damaging the sealing material.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the distance between the third convex portion 23 and the fourth convex portion 24 is set to be equal to or smaller than the opening width of the opening 51 of the dovetail groove 50, so that the dovetail groove 50 of the groove sealing material 20 Is easy to mount, and it is possible to prevent the seal material from being twisted and damaged during the mounting.

  In this Embodiment, the ratio with respect to the depth of the dovetail groove 50 of the length which protrudes from the opening end of the opening part 51 of the dovetail groove 50 of the protrusion part 21 is 10 to 35%, for example. If this ratio is less than 10%, a sufficient amount of compression cannot be obtained, and if it is more than 35%, the reaction force as a sealing material increases, so that a sufficient amount of compression cannot be obtained and a stable sealing property can be secured. Disappear. If the ratio of the length of the protrusion 21 protruding from the opening end of the opening 51 of the dovetail groove 50 to the depth of the dovetail groove 50 is in the above range, the amount of compression is increased without increasing the reaction force, and good Sealability can be secured.

  In the present embodiment, the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the first space portion 41 to the total cross-sectional area of the dovetail groove 50 is preferably 10 to 25%.

  If this ratio is less than 10%, the reaction force becomes large and it is difficult to ensure the amount of compression, and if it exceeds 25%, the reaction force is too small to ensure the sealing performance. If the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the first space portion 41 to the total cross-sectional area of the dovetail groove 50 is within the above range, compression is performed while suppressing an increase in reaction force in cooperation with the fourth space portion 44 and the fifth space portion 45. The amount can be increased.

  In this Embodiment, it is preferable that the ratio with respect to the total cross-sectional area of the dovetail 50 of the cross-sectional area of the 4th space part 44 and the 5th space part 45 is 2-10%, respectively.

  If this ratio is less than 2%, the reaction force increases and a sufficient amount of compression cannot be obtained. If the ratio is more than 10%, the reaction force becomes too small and the sealing performance may deteriorate. If the ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the fourth space portion 44 and the fifth space portion 45 to the total cross-sectional area of the dovetail groove 50 is within the above range, in cooperation with the first space portion 41, The amount of change can be absorbed, and a compression amount of 1.8 to 2 times can be obtained with a reaction force substantially similar to that of a sealing material having a circular cross section under the same pressing conditions.

  In the present embodiment, it is preferable to provide predetermined gaps between the second and fifth convex portions 22 and 25 and the inner wall surface of the dovetail groove 50. This reduces friction between the second convex portion 22 and the fifth convex portion 25 and the inner wall surface of the dovetail groove 50 when the protruding portion 21 is pressed and the sealing material is deformed, thereby preventing the seal material from being worn. It is possible to prevent the generation of particles due to damage of the sealing material. Here, the ratio of the cross-sectional area of each gap to the total cross-sectional area of the dovetail 50 is preferably less than 3%. If it is 3% or more, the effect of preventing twisting of the sealing material when the protruding portion 21 is pressed is reduced, and rotation / twisting of the sealing material occurs in the dovetail groove.

  In the present embodiment, the sealing performance is ensured by the protruding portion 21, the third convex portion 23, and the fourth convex portion 24 of the groove sealing material 20. The material of the groove sealing material 20 is, for example, Viton, and the hardness thereof is, for example, Shore 60-80.

  On the other hand, in the communication port of the load lock chamber that frequently repeats fluctuations between the vacuum and the atmosphere, the pressure applied to the valve element is different between the vacuum and the atmosphere. For example, an excessively large pressure close to 1 atm is applied to the valve element that seals the communication path on the atmosphere side of the load lock chamber when the load lock chamber is in vacuum, compared to the atmosphere. As a result, the portion of the seal material protruding from the seal groove during vacuum is crushed, and this causes a metal touch between the valve body of the gate valve and the communication path seal surface of the load lock chamber, which is a component facing the gate valve. There is a problem. In addition, there is a phenomenon in which the sealing surface in the space where the vacuum and the atmosphere repeat repeatedly finely moves with a width of several millimeters according to the pressure fluctuation, and it is not always easy to ensure the sealing performance following the fine movement phenomenon.

  In the following, it is mainly used in gate valves sandwiched between two spaces where the pressure difference is large, preventing metal touch due to collapse of all protrusions, and ensuring sealing performance by following the fine movement phenomenon of the sealing surface. A groove sealing material according to a second embodiment of the present invention that can be described will be described.

  5 and 6 are diagrams showing a cross-sectional shape of the groove sealing material according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an initial state where the pressing force is “0”. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a use state in which a predetermined pressing force is applied.

  This groove sealing material is applied to, for example, the gate valve 17 provided between the load lock chamber 12 and the atmosphere in FIG. The inside of the load lock chamber 12 may be depressurized to the same vacuum level as the inside of the transfer chamber 11, and in such a case, the pressure difference between the load lock chamber 12 and the atmosphere becomes a large value close to 1 atm.

5 and 6, the groove sealing material 60 is different from the groove sealing material 20 of FIGS. 3 and 4 according to the first embodiment in that the second convex portion 62 and the third convex portion 63. Between the second convex portion 64 and the fifth convex portion 65, and between the fourth convex portion 64 and the fifth convex portion 65, and between the fourth convex portion 64 and the fifth convex portion 65. and between the first flat portion 71 and the second flat section 72, respectively, and the first flat section 71 and the second flat section 72, the sixth space 86 respectively between the inner wall of the dovetail 90 (first Absorption space) and seventh space portion 87 (second absorption space) are provided, and a recess between the first protrusion 61 and the second protrusion 62 and between the fifth protrusion 65 and the first protrusion 61. And a third flat surface portion 73 and a fourth flat surface portion 74 are provided between the first convex portion 61 and the second convex portion 62 and between the fifth convex portion 65 and the first convex portion 61, respectively. Was the point.

  The groove sealing material 60 having such a configuration is applied to a sealing surface having a large pressure difference, and when the protruding portion (first convex portion) 61 is pressed, the cross section of the sealing material is crushed downward in FIG. The protrusion 61 moves downward. At this time, the ratio of the protrusion amount of the protrusion 61 from the opening end of the opening 91 of the dovetail groove 90 to the depth of the dovetail groove 90 is 10 to 35%, and accompanying the downward movement of the protrusion 61. Since the deformation amount of the sealing material is absorbed by the first space portion 81, the sixth space portion 86, and the seventh space portion 87, the reaction force is small at the beginning of pressing and a large compression amount is secured. On the other hand, both side portions of the protruding portion 61 are not concave portions, but are the third plane portion 73 and the fourth plane portion 74, and the first space portion 81, the sixth space portion 86, and the seventh space portion 87 are By being smaller than the first space portion 41, the fourth space portion 44, and the fifth space portion 45 in the first embodiment, the deformation absorption amount of the sealing material is also relatively smaller than that in the first embodiment. Become. As a result, the pressing force increases to some extent, and when the amount of deformation absorption in each space portion approaches the upper limit, the reaction force increases rapidly, and the increase rate of the compression amount decreases.

  According to the present embodiment, since the sixth space portion 86 and the seventh space portion 87 are formed, the deformation amount when the protruding portion (first convex portion) 61 is pressed cooperates with the first space portion 81. At the beginning of pressing, a larger amount of compression can be obtained with a reaction force substantially equal to that of the sealing member having a circular cross section under the same pressing conditions. On the other hand, when approaching the limit of absorbing the deformation amount of the protruding portion 61, for example, when the compression width is 20 to 25% based on the height of the sealing material, for example, the reaction force increases rapidly, and the compression amount is the same under the same pressing condition. It becomes smaller than the compression amount in the sealing material having a circular cross section. As a result, even if the gate valve has a large pressure difference where one side is exposed to the atmosphere and pressed by the atmosphere (atmosphere support), the metal touch can be avoided, for example, the generation of particles due to the metal touch. Can be prevented. In addition, even when the seal surface slightly moves with a width of several millimeters due to pressure fluctuation, the seal material can be prevented from rotating and twisting in the dovetail groove, and good sealing performance can be secured.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the third flat surface portion 73 and the fourth convex portion 61 are provided between the first convex portion 61 and the second convex portion 62 and between the fifth convex portion 65 and the first convex portion 61. By providing the flat surface portion 74, pressing is started, and the amount of change of the protruding portion 61 after a predetermined time has elapsed is smaller than the deformation amount of the groove sealing material 20 of the first embodiment. Therefore, by the synergistic action of the action of the third plane part 73 and the fourth plane part 74 and the first space part 81, the sixth space part 86, and the seventh space part 87, the initial compression amount and the reaction force as the sealing material are reduced. The force is almost the same as that of the sealing member having a circular cross section under the same pressing condition, but approaches the limit of absorbing the amount of change of the protruding portion 61 by the first space portion 81, the sixth space portion 86, and the seventh space portion 87. Sometimes the reaction force increases rapidly. Accordingly, it is possible to ensure sealing performance while reliably avoiding metal touch at the seal portion.

  In this Embodiment, it is preferable that the ratio with respect to the total cross-sectional area of the dovetail groove 90 of the cross-sectional area of the 6th space part 86 and the 7th space part 87 is 2 to 7%, respectively. If this ratio is less than 2%, the amount of compression is insufficient, and if it exceeds 7%, it becomes impossible to withstand the pressure of the atmospheric support, and metal touch may occur. If the ratio of the dovetail groove 90 in the cross-sectional area of the sixth space portion 86 and the seventh space portion 87 to the total cross-sectional area is 2 to 7%, respectively, a sufficient amount of compression can be secured at the beginning of pressing, Even if there is atmospheric support, it is possible to reliably avoid metal touch and improve sealing performance.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the ratio with respect to the total cross-sectional area of the dovetail groove 90 of the cross-sectional area of the 1st space part 81 is 1 to 15%. Thereby, the same effect can be secured in cooperation with the sixth space portion 86 and the seventh space portion 87.

  In the present embodiment, the sealing performance is ensured by the protruding portion 61, the third convex portion 63, and the fourth convex portion 64 of the groove sealing material 60. The material of the sealing material applied to this embodiment is, for example, Viton, and the hardness thereof is, for example, Shore 60-80.

  In the present embodiment, it is preferable to provide predetermined gaps between the second and fifth convex portions 62 and 65 and the inner wall surface of the dovetail groove 90. This reduces friction between the second convex portion 62 and the fifth convex portion 65 and the inner wall surface of the dovetail groove 90 when the protruding portion 61 is pressed and the sealing material is deformed, thereby preventing the wear of the sealing material. It is possible to prevent the generation of particles due to damage of the sealing material. Here, the ratio of the cross-sectional area of each gap to the total cross-sectional area of the dovetail groove 90 is preferably less than 3%. If it is 3% or more, the effect of preventing twisting of the sealing material when the protruding portion 61 is pressed is reduced, and rotation / twisting of the sealing material occurs in the dovetail groove.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a reaction force-compression amount curve in the groove sealing material according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment. In FIG. 7, A shows the reaction force-compression amount curve of the groove sealing material 20 in the first embodiment, and B shows the reaction force-compression amount of the groove sealing material 60 in the second embodiment. The curve is shown. C represents a reaction force-compression amount curve in a conventional sealing material having a circular cross section.

  In FIG. 7, the groove sealing material 20 (A) in the first embodiment can obtain a large amount of compression with the same reaction force as compared with the sealing material (C) having a circular cross section, and its recommended application range is considerably large. You can see that it is spreading. Further, the groove sealing material 60 (B) in the second embodiment can obtain substantially the same reaction force and compression amount at the beginning of pressing compared to the sealing material (C) having a circular cross section. It can be seen that the reaction force increases rapidly and the amount of compression approaches a limit to some extent, which can withstand high pressure. Note that the recommended application range of the groove sealing material 60 (B) in the second embodiment is narrower than that of the groove sealing material 20 (A) in the first embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Substrate processing system 11 Transfer chamber 12 Load lock chamber 13 Plasma processing apparatus 17 Gate valve 20, 60 Groove sealing material 21, 61 First convex portion (protruding portion)
22, 62 2nd convex part 23, 63 3rd convex part 24, 64 4th convex part 25, 65 5th convex part 41 1st space part 44 4th space part 45 5th space part 86 6th space part 87 6th 7 space

Claims (14)

Mounted in a seal groove provided on the surface of one member in the contact portion of the two members, and seals the gap between the two members by contacting the surface of the other member, perpendicular to the stretching direction In the annular groove sealing material having a single cross-sectional shape,
The cross-sectional shape has a first convex portion, a second convex portion, a third convex portion, a fourth convex portion and a fifth convex portion, which are sequentially arranged along the circumferential direction,
With the seal groove mounted,
The first convex portion forms a protruding portion that protrudes from the opening end of the seal groove,
The third and fourth convex portions located at the base angle of an isosceles triangle having the first convex portion as a vertex abut on the bottom plane of the seal groove, respectively.
A first space portion that absorbs deformation when the first convex portion is pressed between a first concave portion provided between the third convex portion and the fourth convex portion and the bottom plane of the seal groove. Formed,
The second convex portion and the fifth convex portion are adjacent to two opposing wall surfaces of the seal groove,
The first space portion cooperates with the surface between the second convex portion and the third convex portion, and between the surface between the fourth convex portion and the fifth convex portion and the inner wall surface of the seal groove. A first absorption space portion and a second absorption space portion are formed to absorb the amount of deformation when the first convex portion is pressed by working ,
The ratio of the length of the protruding portion protruding from the opening end of the seal groove to the depth of the seal groove is 10 to 35% . When the first convex portion is pressed, the second convex portion, the third convex portion, the fourth convex portion, and the fifth convex portion are brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the seal groove to suppress twisting of the sealing material. groove sealing material according to claim 1 Symbol mounting, characterized in that. The groove sealing material according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein a distance between the third protrusion and the fourth protrusion is equal to or less than an opening width of the opening of the seal groove. Groove according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each predetermined gap is formed between the inner wall of the seal groove and the second projection portion and the fifth protrusion Seal material. The groove sealing material according to claim 4, wherein a ratio of a cross-sectional area of the predetermined gap to a total cross-sectional area of the seal groove is less than 3%. A second concave portion and a third concave portion are provided between the second convex portion and the third convex portion, and between the fourth convex portion and the fifth convex portion, respectively.
Wherein the first absorption space between an inner wall surface of the seal groove and the second concave portion is formed, the second absorption space between the third recess and the inner wall surface of said seal groove Formed,
When the first convex part is pressed, the first absorption space part and the second absorption space part cooperate with the first space part and are similar to a sealing material having a circular cross section under the same pressing condition. groove sealing material according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the benzalkonium obtained has a significant amount of compression by the reaction force. The groove sealing material according to claim 6 , wherein a ratio of a cross-sectional area in a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the first space portion to a total cross-sectional area of the seal groove is 10 to 25%. . The ratio of the cross-sectional area in the cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the first absorption space and the second absorption space to the total cross-sectional area of the seal groove is 2 to 10%, respectively. The groove sealing material according to claim 6 or 7 . Said first convex portion and between Niso respectively between the first protrusion and Ma及 beauty the fifth convex portion and the second convex portion, the first space, the first absorption space and the second groove sealing material according to any one of claims 6 to 8 fourth recess and the fifth recess absorbing space cooperation with increasing the amount of compression is characterized by being kicked set of . A first flat surface portion and a second flat surface portion are provided between the second convex portion and the third convex portion, and between the fourth convex portion and the fifth convex portion, respectively.
Wherein the first absorption space between an inner wall surface of the seal groove and the first flat portion is formed, the second absorption space between an inner wall surface of the seal groove and the second flat section Formed,
When the first convex portion is pressed, the first absorption space portion and the second absorption space portion cooperate with the first space portion to absorb the deformation amount and are the same at the beginning of pressing. the amount of compression of the same as the circular section of the sealing material in the pressing condition and the reaction force is obtained, then, it smaller than the compression amount at the circular section of the sealing material in the amount of compression reaction force is rapidly increased before Symbol same pressing conditions groove sealing material according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the this. The ratio of the cross-sectional area in a cross section perpendicular | vertical with respect to the said extending direction of the said 1st space part with respect to the total cross-sectional area of the said seal groove is 1 to 15%, The groove sealing material of Claim 10 characterized by the above-mentioned. . The ratio of the cross-sectional area in the cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the first absorption space and the second absorption space to the total cross-sectional area of the seal groove is 2 to 7%, respectively. The groove sealing material according to claim 10 or 11 . Said first convex portion and between Niso respectively the Ma及 beauty the fifth convex portion and the first protrusion and the second protrusion, the first space, the first absorption space and a second absorbing space and to each cooperate when the first convex portion is pressed, the pressing beginning, the same amount of compression and circular section of the sealing material in the same pressing conditions and reaction force is obtained, then the anti claims force the compressed amount soared, wherein the third flat portion is smaller than the compression amount and the fourth flat portion is kicked set in the circular section of the sealing material in the same pressing conditions The groove sealing material according to any one of 10 to 12 . The groove sealing material according to any one of claims 1 to 13 , wherein the groove sealing material is made of an elastic material.

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