JP7450119B2 - Vacuum processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus.

Patent Document 1 discloses a vacuum processing apparatus that does not require adjustment during assembly and can be assembled with high precision. The vacuum processing apparatus has a hinge mechanism for opening and closing the top lid, and the top lid can be vertically displaced by an elongated hinge hole, a hinge shaft, and a spring mechanism provided in the hinge mechanism.

JP2021-77815A

In a vacuum processing apparatus having a hinge mechanism and a top lid as described in Patent Document 1, when the internal space of the chamber is brought into a vacuum state, a vertically downward force is applied to the top lid due to atmospheric pressure. Therefore, although the top cover moves downward, the height of the axis of the hinge mechanism does not change, causing the top cover to drop in a non-parallel manner, resulting in poor exhaust in the worst case. Furthermore, even if the positional relationship between the hinge mechanism and the top cover can be adjusted under atmospheric pressure conditions, the positional relationship between the two will change during evacuation, so the positional relationship between the hinge mechanism and the top cover adjusted under atmospheric pressure conditions will not match the chamber. There is a possibility that the space with the top lid cannot be reliably sealed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum processing apparatus that can reliably seal between an upper lid and a chamber under atmospheric pressure and vacuum conditions.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a chamber having an upper wall in which a first opening and a second opening are formed, an upper lid for opening and closing the first opening, and a top lid provided to cover the second opening. a hinge mechanism that rotatably supports the top lid with respect to the first opening; and a first hinge mechanism that is provided between the top lid and the top wall so as to surround the first opening and that is elastically deformed. A vacuum processing apparatus is provided, comprising: a sealing member; and a second sealing member that is provided between the hinge mechanism and the upper wall so as to surround the second opening and is elastically deformed. be done.

According to the present invention, a vacuum processing apparatus is provided that can reliably seal between an upper lid and a chamber in an atmospheric pressure state and a vacuum state.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view showing the positional relationship between a chamber, a first sealing member, and a second sealing member of a vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state before the first sealing member is elastically deformed in the vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing a state after the first sealing member is elastically deformed in the vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing a state before the second sealing member is elastically deformed in the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state after the second sealing member is elastically deformed in the vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the force applied per unit length and the crushing margin at the center circumference of a rubber O-ring having a predetermined hardness. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view for explaining an adjustment mechanism of a vacuum processing apparatus according to a comparative example. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view for explaining an adjustment mechanism of a vacuum processing apparatus according to a comparative example.

1 and 2 are schematic cross-sectional views showing a vacuum processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a state in which a top lid 30, which will be described later, is closed, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the top lid 30 is open.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vacuum processing apparatus 1 includes a chamber 10, an exhaust mechanism 20, an upper lid 30, a hinge mechanism 40, a first sealing member 50, and a second sealing member 60. Equipped with.

The chamber 10 includes a top wall 11 , a side wall 12 , a side wall 13 , and a bottom wall 14 . The chamber 10 has an internal space S surrounded by a top wall 11 , a side wall 12 , a side wall 13 , and a bottom wall 14 .

Further, a first opening 111 and a second opening 112 are formed in the upper wall portion 11 . The first opening 111 is an end of an opening used when carrying an object into the internal space S and when carrying out an object from the internal space S. The second opening 112 is a through hole that forms a ventilation path that communicates with the internal space S. When the vacuum evacuation process is performed on the internal space S in the vacuum processing apparatus 1, the gas present in the area surrounded by the second sealing member 60 is also evacuated through the second opening 112 and the through hole 421, which will be described later. be done. In this embodiment, the second opening 112 is smaller than the first opening 111.

Further, a groove 113 is formed in the upper wall portion 11 so as to surround the first opening 111 on the upper surface side. The groove 113 accommodates the first sealing member 50 . The size of the groove 113 is designed to correspond to the size of the first sealing member 50.

Furthermore, a groove 114 is formed in the upper wall portion 11 so as to surround the second opening 112 on the upper surface side. The groove 114 accommodates a second sealing member 60d, which will be described later. The size of the groove 114 is designed to correspond to the size of the second sealing member 60d.

An exhaust port 141 is formed in the bottom wall portion 14 . The exhaust port 141 is connected to the exhaust mechanism 20. The exhaust mechanism 20 includes an exhaust line 21, a valve 22, and a pump 23. The exhaust mechanism 20 forms a gas flow toward the exhaust port 141 and the exhaust line 21 by manually controlling the opening/closing of the valve 22 and the drive of the pump 23 according to instructions from a control device (not shown) or by manually controlling the opening/closing of the valve 22 and the drive of the pump 23. S vacuum evacuation processing can be performed.

The upper lid 30 is a lid member that is provided outside the chamber 10 and covers the first opening 111. A portion of the upper lid 30 is connected to a hinge mechanism 40. The vertical and horizontal dimensions of the upper lid 30 are larger than the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the first opening 111.

The hinge mechanism 40 includes a hinge main body 41, four pedestals 42, and shoulder bolts 43 for fixing the pedestals 42 and the chamber 10, and allows the top lid 30 to be opened and closed with respect to the first opening 111. To support. The hinge body 41 has a hinge shaft 411 and an arm portion 412 that is rotatable around the hinge shaft 411.

The pedestal 42 is a member that supports the hinge main body 41 from the bottom side. As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, four pedestals 42 are provided and are stacked one on top of the other in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction in the figure). Note that the number of pedestals 42 is not limited to four, and the optimum number can be determined by calculations described later.

A through hole 421 is formed in the center portion of each of the pedestals 42b to 42d located second to fourth from the top. The through hole 421 communicates with the second opening 112 of the upper wall portion 11 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction in the figure). That is, the through hole 421 is surrounded by the second sealing member 60 and forms a ventilation path communicating with the internal space S via the second opening 112.

Furthermore, grooves 422 are formed in the upper surfaces of the pedestals 42b to 42d so as to surround the through holes 421, respectively. The three grooves 422 accommodate the second sealing members 60a to 60c, respectively. The size of the groove 422 is designed to correspond to the size of the second sealing members 60a to 60c. In this embodiment, the material, hardness, and size of the four second sealing members 60a to 60d are the same. Further, the three grooves 422 and the groove 114 described above are arranged along the vertical direction.

The shoulder bolt 43 is a member for fixing the hinge mechanism 40 (hinge main body 41 and pedestals 42b to 42d) to the chamber 10 in the vertical direction. Here, the hinge mechanism 40 is fixed on the seat surface of the shoulder bolt 43. The length of the threaded portion of the shoulder bolt 43 is designed so that when the shoulder bolt 43 is tightened into the chamber 10, the second sealing member 60 is appropriately compressed.

The first sealing member 50 is a sealing member that elastically deforms in response to the force applied from the upper lid 30. The forces applied from the top lid 30 to the first sealing member 50 include a vertically downward pressing force due to the weight of the top lid 30 and a force due to the differential pressure between atmospheric pressure and vacuum during evacuation processing.

The first sealing member 50 is provided so as to surround the first opening 111 in the horizontal direction (XY direction in the figure). Further, the first sealing member 50 is accommodated in a groove 113 formed in the upper wall portion 11 in accordance with the position of the upper lid 30. The first sealing member 50 is elastically deformed while being sandwiched between the upper wall portion 11 of the chamber 10 and the upper lid 30 when the upper lid 30 closes the first opening 111 . Due to the elastic deformation of the first sealing member 50, the internal space S of the chamber 10 is sealed on the first opening 111 side.

The second sealing member 60 is a sealing member that elastically deforms in response to the force applied from the hinge mechanism 40 in the vertical direction. The forces applied from the hinge mechanism 40 to the second sealing member 60 include a vertically downward pressing force due to the weight of the hinge mechanism 40 and a vertically downward force due to the differential pressure between atmospheric pressure and vacuum during evacuation processing. There is a power that arises. The second sealing member 60 consists of four second sealing members 60a to 60d arranged in the vertical direction.

The second sealing members 60a to 60c are provided so as to surround the through hole 421 in the horizontal direction. The second sealing member 60d is provided so as to surround the second opening 112 in the horizontal direction. Further, the second sealing members 60a to 60c are accommodated in grooves 422 formed in the pedestals 42b to 42d, respectively. The second sealing member 60d is accommodated in a groove 114 formed in the upper wall portion 11 in accordance with the position of the hinge mechanism 40 in the horizontal direction.

By elastically deforming the plurality of second sealing members 60a to 60d, the gaps between the pedestals 42a and 42b, the gaps between the pedestals 42b and 42c, the gaps between the pedestals 42c and 42d, and the gaps between the pedestals 42d and the upper wall are The gaps with the portions 11 are each sealed.

Further, one first sealing member 50 is arranged on the upper lid 30 side, and four second sealing members 60a to 60d are arranged on the hinge mechanism 40 side. Therefore, when the evacuation process is performed, the amount of displacement obtained by subtracting the length of the first sealing member 50 in the vertical direction before it is crushed (before evacuation) from the length after it is crushed (after evacuation) (First amount of crushing) is the sum of displacement amounts (second amount of crushing) obtained by subtracting the length of each of the plurality of second sealing members 60 to 60d in the vertical direction before crushing from the length after crushing. shall be adjusted to match. Note that in this specification, the phrase "match" is used not only when two numerical values completely match, but also includes when two numerical values are equivalent. The specific scope of "equivalence" will be discussed later. Moreover, the phrase "amount of crushing" means the amount of compression of the first sealing member 50 and the second sealing member 60 that are crushed in the vertical direction. The phrase "squishing" means the ratio of the amount of compression (the amount of crushing) to the original thickness of the first sealing member 50 and the second sealing member 60 crushed in the vertical direction, that is, the compression ratio.

As the first sealing member 50 and the second sealing member 60 of this embodiment, O-rings with a Viton hardness (Shore A) of 70 used in general vacuum processing equipment are used.

Next, the force applied to the first sealing member 50 and the second sealing member 60 during the evacuation process will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a top view showing the positional relationship of the chamber 10, the first sealing member 50, and the second sealing member 60. Here, for convenience of explanation, a state in which the upper lid 30 and the hinge mechanism 40 are not attached to the chamber 10 is shown. In addition, the broken line in the figure has shown the position where the upper cover 30 and the hinge mechanism 40 are attached.

The first sealing member 50 and the second sealing member 60 are each formed in an annular shape. When the dimensions of the center line C1 of the first sealing member 50 are length At [mm] and width Bt [mm], the circumferential length Ct of the first sealing member 50 is calculated as follows. In reality, the boundary between the At part and the Bt part is bent in an R shape, but is omitted to simplify the calculation model.
Ct [mm] = 2 x (At + Bt) [mm]

Similarly, if the dimensions of the center line C2 of the second sealing member 60 are length Ah [mm] and width Bh [mm], the circumference Ch of the second sealing member 60 is calculated as follows. .
Ch [mm] = 2 x (Ah + Bh) [mm]

Further, assuming that the atmospheric pressure is Patm [N/mm ² ], the force Ft applied to the upper lid 30 during the evacuation process is calculated as follows.
Ft [N] = At [mm] x Bt [mm] x Patm [N/mm ² ]

Therefore, the force Fot applied per unit length to the first sealing member 50 on the upper lid 30 side during the evacuation process is calculated as follows.
Fot[N/mm]=Ft[N]/Ct[mm]

Similarly, the force Fh applied to the hinge mechanism 40 during the evacuation process is calculated as follows.
Fh [N] = Ah [mm] x Bh [mm] x Patm [N/mm ² ]

Therefore, the force Foh applied per unit length to the second sealing member 60 on the hinge mechanism 40 side during the evacuation process is calculated as follows.
Foh[N/mm]=Fh[N]/Ch[mm]

Next, the relationship between the magnitude of the force applied to the first sealing member 50 and the second sealing member 60 and the amount of crushing during the evacuation process will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing a state before the first sealing member 50 is elastically deformed in the vacuum processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. On the other hand, FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing a state after the first sealing member 50 is elastically deformed.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, Wt represents the diameter (wire diameter) of the first sealing member 50 in a vertical cross-sectional view. dt represents the depth of the groove 113 of the upper wall portion 11 that accommodates the first sealing member 50. st represents the length of the gap between the bottom surface of the top lid 30 and the top surface of the top wall portion 11 after the first sealing member 50 is crushed on the top lid 30 side.

In this case, the amount of crushing Lt of the first sealing member 50 in the vertical direction is calculated as follows.
Lt [mm] = Wt [mm] - dt [mm] - st [mm]

Therefore, the crushing margin Qt [%] of the first sealing member 50 is calculated as follows.
Qt [%] = (Lt/Wt) x 100

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing a state before the second sealing member 60 is elastically deformed in the vacuum processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. On the other hand, FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing a state after the second sealing member 60 is elastically deformed. 6 and 7, a groove 422 that accommodates the second sealing member 60c and a groove 114 that accommodates the second sealing member 60d are shown.

Moreover, in FIGS. 6 and 7, Wh represents the diameter (wire diameter) of the second sealing member 60 in a vertical cross-sectional view. dh represents the depth of the groove 422 of the pedestal 60 that accommodates the second sealing member 60, and the depth of the groove 114 of the upper wall portion 11, respectively. sh is the length of the gap between the vertically adjacent pedestals 42c and 42d after the second sealing member 60 is compressed on the hinge mechanism 40 side, and the distance between the bottom surface of the pedestal 42d and the top surface of the upper wall portion 11. Each represents the length of the gap.

In this case, the squashing amount Lh of the second sealing member 60 in the vertical direction is calculated as follows.
Lh [mm] = Wh [mm] - dh [mm] - sh [mm]

Therefore, the crushing margin Qh [%] of the second sealing member 60 is calculated as follows.
Qh [%] = (Lh/Wh) x 100

In the vacuum processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the crushing allowance Qt of the first sealing member 50 and the crushing allowance Qh of the second sealing member 60 are both designed to be about 10% to 30%. is recommended as an appropriate value.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, before and after the evacuation process, the diameter Wt of the first sealing member 50, the depth dt of the groove 113 (first groove), and the crushing of the first sealing member 50 Let Lt be the displacement amount in the vertical direction (first crushing amount). The formula Wt-Lt>dt holds true for Wt, Lt, and dt.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the diameter Wh of the second sealing member 60, the depth dh of the grooves 114 and 422, and the amount of displacement in the vertical direction due to the crushing of the first sealing member 50 (second crushing amount) Let be Lh. The formula Wh-Lh>dh holds true for Wh, Lh, and dh. That is, in this embodiment, after the vacuum evacuation process, a part of the first sealing member 50 and a part of the second sealing member 60 are always pushed into the groove where they are accommodated and are not sealed inside the groove. The filling rate of the members increases, and the first sealing member 50 is crushed by Lt, and the second sealing member 60 is crushed by Lh per piece used. This is due to the structure in which the through hole 421 shown in FIG. 1 communicates with the second opening 112 of the castle wall portion 11 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction in the figure).

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the compressibility and the force applied per unit length at the center circumference of a rubber O-ring having a predetermined hardness. Here, the horizontal axis shows the force x applied per unit length, and the vertical axis shows the crushing margin y.

Since FIG. 8 is a logarithmic graph, there is a relationship between the force x and the crushing amount y in the straight line in the figure as shown in the following equation (1).
Log y=a(Log x)+Log c...Formula (1)
Note that the values of constants a and c vary depending on the diameter W of the O-ring.

Further, by transforming equation (1), the following equation (2) is obtained.
y=cx ^a ...Formula (2)

Here, the magnitude relationship between the force Ft applied to the upper lid 30 and the force Fh applied to the hinge mechanism 40 during the vacuum evacuation process is Ft>Fh because it is proportional to the area surrounded by the center line of the O-ring.

Therefore, when the same O-ring is used as the first sealing member 50 on the upper lid 30 side and the second sealing member 60 on the hinge mechanism 40 side, the unit length for the first sealing member 50 during the evacuation process is The magnitude relationship between the force Fot applied to the contact and the force Foh applied per unit length to the second sealing member 60 is Fot>Foh.

That is, if one O-ring with the same diameter is used for each of the upper lid 30 and the hinge mechanism 40, there may be a difference in the amount of compression between the O-ring on the upper lid 30 side and the O-ring on the hinge mechanism 40 side.

Therefore, in order to achieve the object of the present invention, the amount of squishing of the first sealing member 50 during Fot and the amount of squeezing of the second sealing member 60 during Foh during vacuum evacuation processing should be made equal. There is a need to.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the wire diameter of the O-ring used as the second sealing member 60 is made smaller than that of the O-ring used as the first sealing member 50, and the O-rings are stacked in multiple stages. match. As a result, even when Ft>Fh, the value of N is determined so that the relationship Lt≦N×Lh holds true.

In the following, an O-ring having a diameter Wt of 6.98 [mm] is used as the first sealing member 50 on the upper lid 30 side, and an O-ring having a diameter Wh of 2.62 mm as the second sealing member 60 on the hinge mechanism 40 side. [mm], the number of stages N of the second sealing member 60 stacked in multiple stages (N is an integer of 2 or more), that is, the number of second sealing members 60 used is Explain the calculation method to obtain. Note that the relationship between the force x applied per unit length and the crushing margin y can be obtained from known data as shown in FIG.

(A) When Wt=6.98 [mm] The xy coordinates of point P1 on straight line E in FIG. 8 are (0.04, 1). The xy coordinates of point P2 are (0.4, 4). When constants a and c are calculated using the values of x and y at points P1 and P2 and the relationship of equation (1) described above, a=0.602 and c=6.950.

Therefore, when constants a and c are applied to equation (2), equation (3) below is derived.
y=6.95x ^0.602 ...Formula (3)

(B) When Wh=2.62 [mm] The xy coordinates of point P3 on line B in FIG. 8 are (0.07, 6). The xy coordinates of point P4 are (10, 50). When constants a and c are calculated using the values of x and y at points P3 and P4 and the relationship of equation (1) described above, a=0.427 and c=18.70.

Therefore, when constants a and c are applied to equation (2), equation (4) below is derived.
y=18.707x ^0.427 ...Formula (4)

Here, in equation (3), x is replaced with the force Fot applied per unit length of the O-ring, and y is replaced with the crushing force Qt. Similarly, in equation (4), x is replaced with the force Foh applied per unit length of the O-ring, and y is replaced with the crushing force Qh. As a result, when a plurality of second sealing members 60 are stacked to form a device, the number of stages N of the second sealing members 60 can be calculated using the following equation (5).

N=ceil(Lt/Lh)=ceil((Wt×(6.95×Fot ^0.602 /100))/(Wh× ^{(18.707×Foh 0.427} /100)))...Formula ( 5)
The formula ceil(x) is a ceiling function that calculates the smallest integer greater than or equal to N for a real number x. The reason why it is necessary to use the ceiling function is that N needs to be an integer to represent the number of second sealing members 60.

Furthermore, the following equation (6) is also derived from equation (5).
Lt≦N・Lh...Formula (6)

That is, in the case of a configuration in which the second sealing members 60 having the same diameter Wh are stacked in N stages, the diameter Wt of the first sealing member 50 before collapsing due to the differential pressure between the vacuum and the atmosphere in the vertical direction is The amount of displacement obtained by subtracting the length after being collapsed due to the differential pressure between the vacuum and the atmosphere (first amount of collapse) is the amount of displacement obtained by subtracting the length after compression from the diameter Wh of the second sealing member 60 before compression. It is equal to or smaller than (second crushing amount) multiplied by N.

Next, specific numerical values are sequentially calculated based on the dimensions of the upper lid 30 and the hinge mechanism 40. For example, when At=Bt=440 [mm] and Wt=6.98 [mm], the values of Ct, Ft, and Fot are as follows.
Ct=1760[mm]
Ft=440×440×0.101325=19617 [N/mm]
Fot=Ft/Ct=11.1

Therefore, when the diameter Wt of the O-ring used in the upper lid 30 is 6.98, Fot is 11.1.

Then, by substituting the Fot value of 11.1 for x in the above equation (3), the crushing margin Qt is calculated as follows.
y=29.6[%]=Qt

Similarly, when Ah=Bh=50 [mm] and Wh=2.62 [mm], the values of Ch, Fh, and Foh are as follows.
Ch=200[mm]
Fh=50×50×0.101325=253 [N/mm]
Foh=Fh/Ch=1.3

Therefore, when the diameter Wh of the O-ring used in the hinge mechanism 40 is 2.62, Foh is 1.3.

Then, by substituting the Foh value of 1.3 for x in the above equation (4), the crushing margin Qh is calculated as follows.
y=20.9[%]=Qh

By substituting the values of Wt, Qt, Wh, and Qh into the above equation (5), N is calculated as follows.
N=ceil(Lt/Lh)
=ceil((Wt×(6.95Fot ^0.602 /100))/(Wh×(18.707Foh ^0.427 /100)))
=ceil((Wt×Qt/100)/(Wh×Qh/100))
=ceil((6.98×29.6/100)/(2.62×20.9/100))
≒ceil (3.7731)
=4
Therefore, it can be seen that it is sufficient to stack the second sealing members 60 in four stages.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the following equation (7) holds true between Wh, Qh, N, Wt, and Qt described above.
0≦[(Wh×Qh)×N]−(Wt×Qt)<Wh×Qh...Formula (7)

Equation (7) is the sum of the amount of crushing of the first sealing member 50 and the amount of crushing of the second sealing member 60 (second sealing members 60 to 60d) when stacked in N stages (hereinafter referred to as "total value"). (referred to as "the amount of crushing") defines the range that is considered to be "equivalent".

That is, in this embodiment, two numerical values are considered to be "equivalent" when both of the following (A) and (B) are satisfied.
(A) The amount of crushing of the first sealing member 50 and the total amount of crushing of the second sealing member 60 are equal, or the amount of crushing of the first sealing member 50 is greater than the total amount of crushing of the second sealing member 60 It's also small.
(B) The difference between the amount of crushing of the first sealing member 50 and the total amount of crushing of the second sealing member 60 is smaller than the amount of crushing of one second sealing member 60.

Next, the differences between the vacuum processing apparatus according to the comparative example and the vacuum processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be explained in detail.

Generally, in a vacuum processing apparatus having an upper lid, when the internal space of the chamber is brought into a vacuum state, a vertically downward force is applied to the upper lid 30 due to atmospheric pressure. Therefore, although the upper lid 30 moves downward, the height of the shaft of the hinge mechanism 40 does not change, so the lid is lowered in a non-parallel manner, and there is a possibility that an exhaust failure may occur.

Moreover, as a vacuum processing apparatus according to a comparative example, one having an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the upper lid 30 can be considered. 9 and 10 are enlarged sectional views for explaining the adjustment mechanism of the vacuum processing apparatus according to the comparative example. In addition, in the drawings, members common to the vacuum processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 9, a plurality of shims 45 provided below the hinge mechanism 40 function as an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the top lid 30. The adjustment mechanism shown in FIG. 9 changes the mounting height of the hinge mechanism 40 by changing the number and type of stacked shims 45. Thereby, the adjustment mechanism can adjust the position of the upper lid 30 with respect to the chamber 10.

On the other hand, in FIG. 10, the hinge mechanism 40 includes an arm portion 412 rotatably connected around a hinge shaft 411, and a fastening bolt 46 for fastening the arm portion 412 and the top cover 30, and is adjustable. It functions as a mechanism. The adjustment mechanism shown in FIG. 10 can adjust the position of the upper lid 30 with respect to the chamber 10 by adjusting the distance between the arm portion 412 and the upper lid 30 by changing the tightening amount of the fastening bolt 46. However, in any of the adjustment mechanisms shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, it is not easy to adjust the upper lid 30 to an appropriate position.

Further, in the case of the vacuum processing apparatus having the hinge mechanism shown in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, the shaft of the hinge machine is lowered together with the upper lid during evacuation, so it is thought that the defective evacuation can be solved. However, since the load of the top cover is applied to the shaft portion of the hinge while the top cover is being opened and closed, it is necessary to provide a correspondingly strong spring. It is not easy to incorporate such a strong spring into the hinge portion. For example, if the top lid of the vacuum processing apparatus weighs 200 kg, a load of more than 100 kg will be applied to one hinge.

Therefore, in this mechanism, if the force of the spring is strong enough to hold the top cover, a very large spring is required. Conversely, in this mechanism, if the spring force is weak, there is a possibility that the hinge shaft of the hinge portion may move in the vertical direction with respect to the hole through which the hinge shaft passes when the top cover 30 is opened and closed. Therefore, due to increased frictional force due to abrasion of the shaft, extra friction occurs during opening and closing, requiring force for opening and closing, or the position of the hinge shaft shifts during opening and closing, making it difficult to position the top cover 30 at the intended location. This may cause inconveniences such as not being able to do so.

On the other hand, according to the vacuum processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the second opening 112 is formed in a part of the upper wall 11 corresponding to the position of the hinge mechanism 40, so during the vacuum evacuation process, Exhaust is performed not only to the internal space S of the chamber 10 but also to the ventilation path formed by the second opening 112 and the through hole 421. As a result, the hinge mechanism 40 receives a vertical downward force due to the differential pressure between atmospheric pressure and vacuum, and the fixed position of the hinge mechanism 40 is located at the first sealing member 50 that seals between the upper lid 30 and the chamber 10. It moves vertically downward following elastic deformation. Therefore, the positional relationship between the upper lid 30 and the hinge mechanism 40 can be maintained in both the atmospheric pressure state and the vacuum state. In other words, the space between the upper lid 30 and the hinge mechanism 40 can be reliably sealed in an atmospheric pressure state and a vacuum pressure state.

Furthermore, since the positional relationship between the upper lid 30 and the hinge mechanism 40 can be maintained, the adjustment and confirmation of the positional relationship between the upper lid 30 and the hinge mechanism 40 only needs to be performed once under atmospheric pressure. For example, the upper lid 30 is installed on the first sealing member 50 of the upper wall portion 11 of the chamber 10 under atmospheric pressure, and the hinge mechanism 40 is installed on the second sealing member 60. Next, in this installed state, the hinge mechanism 40 may be adjusted to match its vertical position. Depending on the confirmation results, adjustment may not be necessary.

When using the vacuum processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, specifically, the following confirmation is performed. First, the first sealing member 50 is installed on the top wall 11 under atmospheric pressure, and the dimension of the gap between the top wall 11 and the top lid 30, that is, st+Lt shown in FIG. 5, is measured, and the value is expressed as a. do. Next, in the installation part of the second sealing member 60, the dimensions of the gaps occurring between the adjacent pedestals 42 and between the upper wall surface 11 and the pedestals 42, that is, sh+Lh shown in FIG. 7, are measured, and the sum of the values is Let be b. Note that if a<b, no subsequent adjustment is necessary.

If a>b, a large force will be applied to the hinge body 41 during vacuum evacuation, so adjustment must be made so that a<b. An example of the adjustment method is to insert a spacer into the threaded portion of the shoulder bolt 43 to reduce the amount by which the pedestal 42 is held down.

However, as described above, the crushing margin and crushing amount of the first sealing member 50 and the second sealing member 60 are calculated in advance, and the tightening amount of the shoulder bolt 43 that tightens the pedestal 42 is also the same as that of the second sealing member 50. Since the amount of squeezing of the member 60 is made appropriate, there is little need for adjustment. Therefore, since it is only necessary to incorporate the first sealing member 50 and the second sealing member 60 into the device, assembly time can be shortened and an increase in manufacturing costs can be suppressed.

Further, unlike the vacuum processing apparatus according to the comparative example, there is no need to provide a complicated adjustment mechanism on the hinge mechanism 40 side, and the structure can be simplified. Moreover, since the selection of the first sealing member 50 and the second sealing member 60 can be easily performed using the calculation formula as described above, the types of the first sealing member 50 and the second sealing member 60 to be used are It is also easy to consider the number of pieces, etc.

<Modified embodiment>
In the embodiment described above, a case has been described in which the first sealing member 50 used on the upper lid 30 side and the second sealing member 60 used on the hinge mechanism 40 side are O-rings having the same hardness. However, the hardness of the first sealing member 50 and the second sealing member 60 may be different from each other.

For example, a second sealing member 60 having a lower hardness than the first sealing member 50 on the upper lid 30 side may be used on the hinge mechanism 40 side. Fluororubber is suitable for use in vacuum processing equipment; for example, an O-ring with a hardness (Shore A) of 70 is used as the first sealing member 50 used in the upper lid 30, and used on the hinge mechanism 40 side. As the second sealing member 60, an O-ring having a hardness (Shore A) of 60 may be used. In this case, the second sealing member 60 can be made more easily crushed than the first sealing member 50. Specifically, by applying about half the force applied to the first sealing member 50 to the second sealing member 60, it is possible to obtain the same amount of crushing in the vertical direction.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to set forth the scope of the invention.

1...Vacuum processing apparatus 10...Chamber 11...Top wall part 12...Side wall part 13...Side wall part 14...Bottom wall part 20...Exhaust mechanism 30...Top lid 40 ...Hinge mechanism 41...Hinge main body 42, 42a to 42d...Pedestal 50...First sealing member 60, 60a to 60d...Second sealing member 111...First opening 112...Second opening 113...Groove 421...Through hole 422...Groove

Claims (12)

a chamber having a top wall with a first opening and a second opening formed therein;
an upper lid that opens and closes the first opening;
a hinge mechanism provided to cover the second opening and rotatably support the top lid with respect to the first opening;
a first sealing member that is provided between the top lid and the top wall so as to surround the first opening and is elastically deformable;
a second sealing member that is provided between the hinge mechanism and the upper wall so as to surround the second opening and is elastically deformable;
A vacuum processing apparatus characterized by comprising: In the evacuation process for the internal space of the chamber, the first sealing member and the second sealing member are compressed.
The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the vacuum evacuation process, a first amount of crushing of the first sealing member in the vertical direction and a second amount of crushing of the second sealing member in the vertical direction are equivalent;
The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that: The hinge mechanism is
a hinge body connected to the top lid;
a pedestal provided between the hinge body and the upper wall and supporting the hinge body;
has
A through hole communicating with the internal space via the second opening is formed in the pedestal.
The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that: A plurality of the pedestals are stacked in the vertical direction,
A plurality of the second sealing members are each provided between two of the pedestals adjacent in the vertical direction,
5. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 4. The first amount of crushing is equivalent to the total value of the second amount of crushing of each of the plurality of second sealing members,
The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that: The number of the second sealing members is N, the first diameter of the first sealing member before evacuation in the vertical cross-sectional view is Wt, and the crushing margin of the first crushing amount with respect to the first diameter is Qt. , when the second diameter of the second sealing member before evacuation in the cross-sectional view is Wh, and the crushing margin of the second crushing amount with respect to the second diameter is Qh,
0≦[(Wh×Qh)×N]−(Wt×Qt)<Wh×Qh
The formula holds true,
The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: the first sealing member is accommodated in a first groove formed in the upper wall;
The plurality of second sealing members are accommodated in second grooves formed in the upper wall or the pedestal,
In the cross-sectional view, when the depth of the first groove is dt and the first crushing amount is Lt, the formula Wt-Lt>dt holds,
In the cross-sectional view, when the depth of the second groove is dh and the second crushing amount is Lh, the formula Wh-Lh>dh holds;
The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that: the first diameter is larger than the second diameter;
9. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 8. the first sealing member and the second sealing member have the same hardness;
The vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The first sealing member and the second sealing member have different hardnesses,
The vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The first sealing member and the second sealing member are each formed in an annular shape.
The vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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