JP6323321B2 - Vacuum apparatus and mass spectrometer equipped with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum apparatus that evacuates a first chamber and a second chamber that communicate with each other via an opening, and a mass spectrometer including the same.

  As an example of an apparatus provided with a vacuum apparatus, a mass spectrometer is known. For example, in a mass spectrometer that ionizes a sample using MALDI (Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption / Ionization Method), the sample is irradiated with a laser in an ionization chamber that is evacuated by a vacuum pump or the like. Is ionized.

  In this type of mass spectrometer, it is necessary to put a sample in and out of the ionization chamber before and after the analysis. At this time, the ionization chamber is opened to the atmosphere to release the vacuum state. However, it is inefficient to release the vacuum state of the entire apparatus every time the sample is taken in and out. Also, there is a possibility that parts in the apparatus such as a detector may be damaged by being exposed to the atmosphere for a long time.

  Therefore, for example, a configuration is adopted in which a second chamber into which an ionized sample is introduced is provided separately from the first chamber that constitutes the ionization chamber, and an opening that communicates these chambers can be opened and closed. Accordingly, the sample can be taken in and out by opening the first chamber to the atmosphere while maintaining the second chamber in a vacuum state.

  A gate valve may be used to open and close the opening as described above. A general gate valve can open and close the opening by displacing the valve body, for example, by rotating a shaft to which the valve body is attached using a drive mechanism such as a motor. , See Patent Document 1 below).

JP 2006-200709 A

  In addition to the shaft and motor, the general gate valve as described above may include various components such as a timing belt, a ball screw, a limit switch, or a control board. The gate valve having such a complicated structure has a problem that the gate valve itself is large and heavy. Some gate valves having a complicated structure have, for example, 84 parts, a size of 148 mm × 100 mm × 224 mm (length × width × height), and a weight of about 3.1 kg. is there.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a vacuum apparatus capable of satisfactorily releasing a part of a vacuum chamber with a simple structure and a mass spectrometer including the same. For the purpose.

  The vacuum apparatus according to the present invention includes a main body, a pressure reducing mechanism, an opening mechanism, and a gate valve. The main body is formed with a first chamber and a second chamber that communicate with each other through an opening. The decompression mechanism places the first chamber and the second chamber in a vacuum state. The opening mechanism opens the first chamber to the atmosphere. The gate valve opens and closes the opening.

  The gate valve has a displacement portion and a closing portion. The displacement part is displaceable with respect to the main body. As the displacement portion is displaced, the closing portion is urged in a direction intersecting the displacement direction of the displacement portion by a reaction force from the main body to close the opening. When the first chamber and the second chamber are in a vacuum state, the first chamber is opened to the atmosphere by the opening mechanism after the opening is closed by the closing portion in accordance with the displacement of the displacement portion. The closed portion is pressurized to the opening side by atmospheric pressure.

  According to such a configuration, the opening communicating with the first chamber and the second chamber in the vacuum state is blocked by the blocking portion that receives the reaction force from the main body of the vacuum device as the displacement portion of the gate valve is displaced. Is done. At this time, since the closing portion is urged in a direction intersecting the displacement direction of the displacement portion, the closing portion is strongly pressed against the opening and can close the opening.

  Furthermore, when the first chamber is subsequently opened to the atmosphere by the opening mechanism, the closed portion is pressurized to the opening side using atmospheric pressure, so that the opening is closed more firmly. As a result, the first chamber can be satisfactorily opened to the atmosphere by a gate valve having a simple structure having a displacement portion and a closing portion while the second chamber is maintained in a vacuum state.

  The displacement part may be displaced by atmospheric pressure.

  According to such a structure, a displacement part can be displaced by atmospheric pressure, and an opening can be obstruct | occluded by a closure part with the displacement. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a complicated part such as a motor in order to displace the displacement portion, and the opening can be automatically closed with a simpler structure.

  The opening mechanism may open the first chamber to the atmosphere as the displacement portion is displaced.

  According to such a configuration, since the first chamber is automatically opened to the atmosphere along with the displacement of the displacement portion, the opening is closed by the closing portion by the reaction force from the main body, and then the opening is closed using the atmospheric pressure. A series of operations of pressurizing the portion toward the opening can be easily performed only by displacing the displacement portion. Therefore, the first chamber can be easily opened to the atmosphere.

  The closing portion may be attached to the displacement portion so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis. In this case, the closing portion may be pressed to the opening side by rotating around the rotation shaft by a reaction force from the main body.

  According to such a configuration, the opening can be satisfactorily closed with a very simple configuration using the closing portion that is attached to the displacement portion so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis. Therefore, the first chamber can be opened to the atmosphere using a small and lightweight gate valve with a reduced number of parts.

  A mass spectrometer according to the present invention includes the vacuum device and an ionization unit that is provided in the first chamber and ionizes a sample. When the first chamber and the second chamber are in a vacuum state, the sample ionized by the ionization unit is introduced from the first chamber into the second chamber.

  According to the present invention, the first chamber can be satisfactorily opened to the atmosphere by the gate valve having a simple structure having the displacement portion and the closing portion while maintaining the second chamber in a vacuum state.

It is the schematic which shows the structural example of the mass spectrometer provided with the vacuum device which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structural example of a vacuum apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of a gate valve. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the aspect at the time of obstruct | occluding opening by the obstruction | occlusion part. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the operation | movement after obstruct | occluding an opening. It is sectional drawing which shows the structural example of the vacuum apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the gate valve displaced to the inner side of the main body in the vacuum apparatus of FIG.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a mass spectrometer equipped with a vacuum apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The mass spectrometer according to this embodiment can be used, for example, when identifying a polymer compound such as a peptide from a mixture sample such as a biological sample, and includes a mass spectrometer 1 and a controller 2.

  The mass analyzer 1 includes, for example, an ionizer 11, an ion trap 12, and a TOFMS (time-of-flight mass spectrometer) 13. In this embodiment, a matrix-assisted laser desorption / ionization ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-IT-TOFMS) will be described as an example of a mass spectrometer.

  The ionization unit 11 ionizes the sample and supplies the obtained ions to the ion trap 12. In this example, a sample is irradiated with a laser using MALDI (Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption / Ionization Method), the sample is vaporized in a vacuum together with the matrix, and the sample is ionized by exchange of protons between the sample and the matrix. It has come to be. A sample is prepared in a state of being concentrated on a target 111 made of, for example, a plate, and is set in the ionization unit 11 together with the target 111 during analysis.

  The ion trap 12 is, for example, a three-dimensional quadrupole type, captures ions obtained by the ionization unit 11, and selectively leaves a part of the captured ions in the ion trap 12 to generate CID (collision-induced dissociation). ). The ions cleaved in this way are supplied from the ion trap 12 to the TOFMS 13.

  In the TOFMS 13, ions flying in the flight space 131 are detected by the ion detector 132. Specifically, ions accelerated by an electric field formed in the flight space 131 are temporally separated according to the mass-to-charge ratio while flying in the flight space 131 and sequentially detected by the ion detector 132. . Thereby, the relationship between the mass-to-charge ratio and the detection intensity in the ion detector 132 is measured as a spectrum, and mass spectrometry is realized.

  The mass spectrometric unit 1 includes a hollow main body 100, and an ionization unit 11, an ion trap 12, a TOFMS 13, and the like are provided in the main body 100. In the main body 100, for example, a first chamber 101 and a second chamber 102 are formed. In this example, the first chamber 101 forms a space for accommodating the ionization unit 11. On the other hand, the second chamber 102 forms a space for accommodating the ion trap 12 and the TOFMS 13.

  The first chamber 101 and the second chamber 102 communicate with each other through the opening 103. That is, the first chamber 101 and the second chamber 102 are partitioned through the partition wall 104 and communicate with each other through the opening 103 formed in the partition wall 104. The first chamber 101 can be evacuated by reducing the pressure using the first vacuum pump 201. The second chamber 102 can be evacuated by reducing the pressure using the second vacuum pump 202. That is, the first vacuum pump 201 and the second vacuum pump 202 constitute a pressure reducing mechanism that makes the first chamber 101 and the second chamber 102 in a vacuum state.

  Air (air) can be introduced into the first chamber 101 via the air introduction port 211. The air introduction port 211 is opened and closed manually or automatically by the opening / closing unit 212. Therefore, if the first vacuum pump 201 is driven in a state in which the atmosphere introduction port 211 is closed by the opening / closing unit 212, the first chamber 101 can be brought into a vacuum state, and if the atmosphere introduction port 211 is opened by the opening / closing unit 212. The first chamber 101 can be opened to the atmosphere. That is, the atmosphere introduction port 211 and the opening / closing part 212 constitute an opening mechanism that opens the first chamber 101 to the atmosphere.

  Similarly, the atmosphere can be introduced into the second chamber 102 via the atmosphere introduction port 221. The air introduction port 221 is manually opened or closed by the opening / closing unit 222. Therefore, if the second vacuum pump 202 is driven in a state where the air inlet 221 is closed by the opening / closing part 222, the second chamber 102 can be brought into a vacuum state, and if the air inlet 221 is opened by the opening / closing part 222. The second chamber 102 can be opened to the atmosphere. However, the open / close sections 212 and 222 are not limited to the configuration provided in the vacuum chambers 101 and 102, and may be a configuration provided directly in the main body 100, for example.

  The control unit 2 controls operations of the ionization unit 11, the ion trap 12, the TOFMS 13, the first vacuum pump 201, the second vacuum pump 202, and the like. When the opening / closing sections 212 and 222 are automatically opened and closed, the operation of the opening / closing sections 212 and 222 is also controlled by the control section 2. The control unit 2 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and can control the operation of each unit when the CPU executes a program.

  The main body 100, the vacuum pumps 201 and 202, the open / close sections 212 and 222, and the like constitute a vacuum apparatus that places the first chamber 101 and the second chamber 102 in a vacuum state. In the present embodiment, the operation of the vacuum apparatus is controlled by the control unit 2 for controlling the mass analysis unit 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and for example, for controlling the mass analysis unit 1. The configuration may be such that the operation of the vacuum apparatus is controlled by a control unit provided separately from the control unit 2.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration example of the vacuum apparatus. In the first chamber 101, a sample plate 105 for setting the target 111 and a stage 106 on which the sample plate 105 is placed are provided. The stage 106 is composed of, for example, an XY stage that can move in the horizontal direction. The sample plate 105 faces the ion trap 12 in the second chamber 102 with the opening 103 interposed therebetween.

  When performing mass spectrometry, the first vacuum pump 201 and the second vacuum pump 202 are driven, so that the first chamber 101 and the second chamber 102 communicating with each other through the opening 103 are brought into a vacuum state. In this state, the target 111 on the sample plate 105 is irradiated with laser, whereby the ionized sample is introduced from the first chamber 101 to the second chamber 102 through the opening 103 and is captured by the ion trap 12.

  The opening 103 can be opened and closed by the gate valve 300. The gate valve 300 is attached to the main body 100 so as to be displaceable along a certain displacement direction D, enters the first chamber 101 between the partition wall 104 and the stage 106, and enters the first chamber. The opening 103 can be closed from the 101 side.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration example of the gate valve 300. The gate valve 300 includes, for example, a displacement portion 301 that can be displaced with respect to the main body 100 and a closing portion 303 that is attached to the displacement portion 301 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 302.

  The displacement part 301 consists of a lever extended in a straight line, for example, and is attached in the through-hole 107 formed in the main body 100 so that it can slide along a longitudinal direction (refer FIG. 2). A seal member 171 that is in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the displacement portion 301 is attached to the inner surface of the insertion hole 107, thereby ensuring airtightness between the insertion hole 107 and the displacement portion 301.

  One end portion of the displacement portion 301 is located outside the main body 100 and constitutes a grip portion 311 for the operator to grip. The other end of the displacement part 301 is located in the main body 100 (in the first chamber 101), and a closing part 303 is attached via a rotating shaft 302. When the operator grips the grip portion 311 and pushes the displacement portion 301 into the main body 100 along the displacement direction D, the closing portion 303 enters between the partition wall 104 and the stage 106 and closes the opening 103. .

  The closing portion 303 has a configuration in which, for example, a base portion 331 that is rotatably attached to the rotating shaft 302 and a plate-like lid portion 332 that protrudes from the base portion 331 are integrally formed. A sealing member 333 having a shape corresponding to the peripheral edge of the opening 103 is attached to the surface of the lid 332 on the opening 103 side. The seal member 333 is formed in, for example, an annular shape, and the airtightness between the opening 103 and the closing portion 303 is ensured when the surface of the seal member 333 contacts the peripheral edge of the opening 103.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an aspect when the opening 103 is closed by the closing portion 303. As shown in FIG. 4, the base portion 331 of the closing portion 303 is held so as to extend in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the displacement portion 301 by restricting rotation when a part of the base portion 331 contacts the displacement portion 301. . In this state, when the displacement portion 301 is pushed into the main body 100, the lid portion 332 enters the narrow gap between the partition wall 104 and the stage 106 and faces the opening 103.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the displacement portion 301 is pushed to a position where the lid portion 332 (seal member 333) faces the opening 103, the contact portion 334 formed on the base portion 331 contacts the main body 100. The contact portion 334 is formed in a hook shape so as to protrude from the base portion 331, for example, and a concave portion 141 having a shape corresponding to the contact portion 334 is formed in the partition wall 104 of the main body 100. As a result, the contact portion 334 of the base portion 331 enters the concave portion 141 of the main body 100 and reliably contacts, and a reaction force acts on the base portion 331 from the main body 100 along a certain direction P1.

  The direction P1 in which the reaction force acts intersects the line L connecting the rotation shaft 302 and the contact portion 334. Accordingly, the closing portion 303 rotates about the rotation shaft 302 by the reaction force from the main body 100 and is biased in a direction P2 that intersects the displacement direction D of the displacement portion 301. As a result, the lid 332 (seal member 333) is pressed toward the opening 103, and the opening 103 is closed.

  In the present embodiment, the force for pushing the gate valve 300 is converted by 90 °, and the closing portion 303 is pressed in the vertical direction with respect to the opening 103. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and a configuration in which the blocking portion 303 is pressed in a direction other than the vertical direction with respect to the opening 103 may be employed.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation after the opening 103 is closed. The gate valve 300 is displaced by the operator when the first chamber 101 and the second chamber 102 are in a vacuum state, and the opening 103 is closed by the closing portion 303 as described above.

  Thereafter, the air introduction port 211 is manually or automatically opened by the opening / closing part 212, whereby the first chamber 101 is opened to the atmosphere, and the atmosphere is introduced into the first chamber 101 as indicated by a broken line arrow in FIG. . Thus, when the 1st chamber 101 is open | released to air | atmosphere, the obstruction | occlusion part 303 will be pressurized to the opening 103 side by atmospheric pressure.

  A sample can be taken in and out of the first chamber 101 opened to the atmosphere. At this time, the second chamber 102 can be maintained in a vacuum state. In the case of automatically opening the atmosphere introduction port 211, for example, by detecting the displacement of the gate valve 300 with a sensor, control is performed so that the opening / closing unit 212 opens the atmosphere introduction port 211 based on the detection signal. A configuration in which the unit 2 performs control may be employed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the opening 103 communicating the first chamber 101 and the second chamber 102 in the vacuum state with the displacement of the displacement portion 301 of the gate valve 300 causes the reaction force from the main body 100 of the vacuum apparatus. Is closed by the closed portion 303 that has received this. At this time, the closing portion 303 is urged in the direction P2 intersecting the displacement direction D of the displacement portion 301, so that it can be strongly pressed against the opening 103 to close the opening 103.

  Further, when the first chamber 101 is opened to the atmosphere by the opening / closing part 212 thereafter, the closing part 303 is pressurized to the opening 103 side using atmospheric pressure, so that the opening 103 is more firmly closed. The Accordingly, the first chamber 101 can be satisfactorily opened to the atmosphere by the gate valve 300 having a simple structure having the displacement portion 301 and the closing portion 303 while maintaining the second chamber 102 in a vacuum state.

  In particular, according to the present embodiment, the opening 103 can be satisfactorily closed with a very simple configuration by using the closing portion 303 that is attached to the displacement portion 301 so as to be rotatable about the rotation shaft 302. Therefore, the first chamber 101 can be opened to the atmosphere using a small and lightweight gate valve 300 with a reduced number of parts.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a vacuum apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the gate valve 300 is automatically displaced by the atmospheric pressure, not manually. About the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to a figure and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As in the first embodiment, the gate valve 300 includes, for example, a displacement portion 301 that can be displaced with respect to the main body 100 and a closing portion 303 that is attached to the displacement portion 301 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 302. I have. The closing portion 303 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, but the displacement portion 301 is different from that of the first embodiment in that the grip portion 311 is not provided.

  The displacement part 301 in the present embodiment is made of, for example, a cylindrical member extending in a straight line, and is accommodated in an accommodation recess 108 formed in the main body 100. The housing recess 108 has an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the displacement portion 301, and has a shape that is recessed from the inner surface of the main body 100 by a shorter length than the displacement portion 301. Thereby, the gate valve 300 in which the displacement part 301 is accommodated in the accommodating recess 108 is slidably held along the longitudinal direction with the closing part 303 protruding into the main body 100.

  In this example, the housing recess 108 is formed in the inner surface of the first chamber 101 in the main body 100, and the closing portion 303 of the gate valve 300 is located in the first chamber 101. When the displacement portion 301 is displaced in the main body 100 along the displacement direction D, the closing portion 303 enters the first chamber 101 between the partition wall 104 and the stage 106 and opens from the first chamber 101 side. 103 can be occluded.

  The displacement portion 301 is formed with a recess 312 extending in the longitudinal direction from the end surface opposite to the closing portion 303 side, and a tension spring 304 is provided in the recess 312. The tension spring 304 is an example of an urging member that urges the displacement portion 301 to the side opposite to the closing portion 303 side, and has one end fixed to the displacement portion 301 (the bottom surface of the recess 312) and the other end. Is fixed to the main body 100 (the bottom surface of the housing recess 108).

  A vent hole 181 communicating with the outside of the main body 100 is formed on the bottom surface of the housing recess 108. The ventilation hole 181 can be opened and closed by attaching and detaching the lid 182 from the outside of the main body 100. When the lid 182 is attached to the ventilation hole 181 and the first chamber 101 and the second chamber 102 are in a vacuum state, the urging force of the tension spring 304 causes the displacement portion 301 of the gate valve 300 to be in the housing recess 108 as shown in FIG. It will be in the state contact | abutted to the bottom face. The biasing force of the tension spring 304 is about 0.1 N, for example, and biases the gate valve 300 toward the bottom surface of the housing recess 108 with a relatively weak force.

  When the lid 182 is removed from this state, the atmosphere is introduced into the main body 100 through the vent hole 181, and the gate valve 300 moves toward the inner side of the main body 100 (first chamber 101 side) by the atmospheric pressure. Pressed. Thereby, the gate valve 300 is displaced inward of the main body 100 along the longitudinal direction against the urging force of the tension spring 304. Since the pressure applied to the gate valve 300 by the atmospheric pressure is proportional to the cross-sectional area of the displacement portion 301, the gate valve 300 is favorably pressed toward the inside of the main body 100 by appropriately setting the cross-sectional area of the displacement portion 301. can do.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the gate valve 300 is displaced to the inside of the main body 100 in the vacuum apparatus of FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, when the closing portion 303 of the gate valve 300 enters between the partition wall 104 and the stage 106 and the lid portion 332 (sealing member 333) of the closing portion 303 faces the opening 103, the base portion 331. The contact portion 334 formed in contact with the main body 100. Accordingly, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the closing portion 303 is biased in the direction P2 intersecting the displacement direction D of the displacement portion 301 by the reaction force from the main body 100, and the lid portion 332 (the seal member 333). ) Is pressed toward the opening 103, thereby closing the opening 103.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the displacement part 301 can be displaced by atmospheric pressure, and the opening 103 can be obstruct | occluded by the obstruction | occlusion part 303 with the displacement. Therefore, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a complicated part such as a motor to displace the displacement portion 301, and the opening 103 can be automatically closed with a simpler structure. The effect that can be produced.

  In the present embodiment, the external dimensions can be reduced to about 1/200 and the weight can be reduced to about 1/300 compared with the conventional gate valve. Also, the number of parts could be reduced from 84 points to 4 points to about 1/20. Furthermore, a driving mechanism such as a motor and electronic control are not required, and power introduction into a vacuum is not required.

  A groove 183 extending from the inside of the main body 100 to the middle of the housing recess 108 is formed in a part of the inner peripheral surface of the housing recess 108. In the state shown in FIG. 7, the end portion of the displacement portion 301 of the gate valve 300 opposite to the closing portion 303 side is displaced from the terminal portion of the groove 183 to the inside of the main body 100. As a result, the groove 183 communicates with the vent hole 181, and the atmosphere is introduced into the main body 100 (in the first chamber 101) via the vent hole 181 and the groove 183, as indicated by broken line arrows in FIG. 7. .

  In the present embodiment, the opening mechanism for opening the first chamber 101 to the atmosphere is constituted by the lid 182 and the displacement portion 301 of the gate valve 300. That is, the displacement part 301 is displaced by removing the lid 182, and the first chamber 101 is opened to the atmosphere along with the displacement of the displacement part 301. Therefore, the opening / closing part 212 is not necessarily provided in the first vacuum pump 201.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the first chamber 101 is automatically released to the atmosphere along with the displacement of the displacement portion 301. Therefore, after the opening 103 is closed by the closing portion 303 by the reaction force from the main body 100, A series of operations of pressurizing the closing portion 303 toward the opening 103 using the atmospheric pressure is easily performed only by displacing the displacement portion 301. Therefore, the first chamber 101 can be easily opened to the atmosphere.

  The pressing force of the blocking portion 303 by the atmospheric pressure, that is, the differential pressure between the first chamber 101 and the second chamber 102 is, for example, about 10 N, and is relatively stronger than the biasing force of the tension spring 304. Therefore, when the first chamber 101 is opened to the atmosphere and the second chamber 102 is in a vacuum state, the state where the opening 103 is closed by the closing portion 303 is maintained.

  When the inside of the first chamber 101 is evacuated again, the first vacuum pump 201 is driven after closing the vent hole 181 with the lid 182. As a result, when the pressure difference between the first chamber 101 and the second chamber 102 gradually decreases and becomes smaller than the urging force of the tension spring 304, the displacement portion 301 is on the side opposite to the closing portion 303 side. To return to the state of FIG.

  However, the urging member that urges the displacement portion 301 to the side opposite to the closing portion 303 side is not limited to the tension spring 304, and may be composed of another elastic body such as rubber. Further, the gate valve 300 is not limited to a configuration in which the gate valve 300 is automatically displaced by the atmospheric pressure. In the configuration in which the gate valve 300 is manually displaced as in the first embodiment, the first chamber is moved in accordance with the displacement of the displacement portion 301. The configuration may be such that 101 is automatically opened to the atmosphere.

  The gate valve 300 is not limited to a configuration in which the closing portion 303 can rotate around the rotation shaft 302, and for example, the closing portion 303 may be slidable with respect to the displacement portion 301. The part 303 may be integrally formed. Further, the displacement portion 301 is not limited to a configuration that can slide with respect to the main body 100, and may be a configuration that can rotate.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the ionization unit 11 is accommodated in the first chamber 101 and the ion trap 12 and the TOFMS 13 are accommodated in the second chamber 102 has been described. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and for example, a configuration in which the ionization unit 11 and the ion trap 12 are accommodated in the first chamber 101 and the TOFMS 13 is accommodated in the second chamber 102 may be employed.

  That is, as long as the first chamber 101 and the second chamber 102 communicate with each other through the opening 103, any member may be accommodated in each of the chambers 101 and 102. The partition wall 104 is not limited to one, and may be configured to be partitioned into three or more chambers by providing two or more.

  The configuration in the first chamber 101 and the second chamber 102 is not limited to the configuration as in the above embodiment. For example, the vacuum apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to other mass spectrometers such as a magnetic field mass spectrometer, a quadrupole mass spectrometer, and a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer.

  The vacuum apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to a mass spectrometer, but may be an X-ray analyzer such as an energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analyzer (EDX) or an electron microscope such as a scanning electron microscope (SEM). It can also be applied to other analyzers. Furthermore, the vacuum apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to various apparatuses other than the analytical apparatus such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a flat panel display (FPD) manufacturing apparatus, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus, or an apparatus having a load lock chamber. Can be applied.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mass spectrometry part 2 Control part 11 Ionization part 12 Ion trap 13 TOFMS
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Main body 101 1st chamber 102 2nd chamber 103 Opening 104 Partition wall 105 Sample plate 106 Stage 107 Insertion hole 108 Accommodating recessed part 111 Target 131 Flight space 132 Ion detector 141 Recessed part 171 Seal member 181 Venting hole 182 Lid 183 Groove 201 First Vacuum pump 202 Second vacuum pump 211 Atmospheric introduction port 212 Opening / closing part 221 Atmospheric introduction port 222 Opening / closing part 300 Gate valve 301 Displacement part 302 Rotating shaft 303 Closure part 304 Tension spring 311 Grasping part 312 Recessed part 331 Base part 332 Lid part 333 Seal member 334 Contact area

Claims (4)

A main body formed with a first chamber and a second chamber communicating with each other through an opening;
A pressure-reducing mechanism that evacuates the first chamber and the second chamber;
An opening mechanism for opening the first chamber to the atmosphere;
A gate valve that opens and closes the opening;
The gate valve is urged in a direction intersecting a displacement direction of the displacement portion by a reaction force from the main body due to a displacement of the displacement portion that is displaceable with respect to the main body and the displacement portion. And a closing portion that closes the opening,
When the first chamber and the second chamber are in a vacuum state, the first chamber is opened to the atmosphere by the opening mechanism after the opening is closed by the closing portion in accordance with the displacement of the displacement portion. In addition, the closed portion is pressurized to the opening side by atmospheric pressure ,
The vacuum mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the opening mechanism has a structure that opens the first chamber to the atmosphere while the displacement portion is displaced .   The vacuum apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the displacement portion is displaced by atmospheric pressure. The closing portion is attached to the displacement portion so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis, and is pressed toward the opening side by rotating around the rotation axis by a reaction force from the main body. The vacuum device according to claim 1 or 2 . A vacuum apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
An ionization unit provided in the first chamber for ionizing a sample;
The mass spectrometer is characterized in that when the first chamber and the second chamber are in a vacuum state, the sample ionized by the ionization unit is introduced from the first chamber into the second chamber.

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